Setting up work spaces + studios

[jedideni]

Post pictures of your spaces, ask questions, offer advice, things you'd do differently, wish lists, etc.... it's all good.

[Jesse321]

Here's mine ... newly finished, but still not quite completely organized.





PLAN AHEAD!!!

That's the best advice I can give anyone. Really think out what you need to make your workshop work, electrical, lighting, ventilation, shelves, TV/Cable, AC, music, workspace/desktop. Make a list, write everything that's essential down now, while you're not in panic mode and can think clearly ... that way when you're in the thick of it, you don't forget anything. Keep the list handy, when you think of something else WRITE IT DOWN! I'm telling you, in our hustle and and bustle world we forget everything, I know I did.

Think about the order that you need to do things, don't try to do everything all at once. I had to create the space, then build around it, but I knew what I wanted the space to do, so I had to think about how to incorporate all the things I needed into the space I had. Where are you going to draw your electric from? Do you have enough ampage capacity to run everything you need? Do you need extra sockets? Lighting is VERY important ... stay away from halogen, they create A LOT of heat, try to stick to LED and daylight florescent lamps if at all possible. Do you want to paint and make the place all nice nice, or do you care if it's just crappy walls, is that something you can put off till later? If you're building, do you need insulation where you are to keep the cold or heat out?

Look at the space you have to work with and make sure you make the best use of every inch. IKEA is a GREAT place to find cheap organizational stuff like desktops, shelves etc. Use your wall space, putting up shelves is a great way to keep junk off your desk!

Think outside the box, kitchen storage bins and Rubber-Maid containers from The Dollar Store can become brush holders, tool holders etc. Every little bit helps.

If you plan on spending hours in there like me ... buy a cheap flat screen TV with a built in DVD player, and/or try to wire the shop for cable if at all possible, plus having the TV hooked up to cable means that I'm not locked into sitting in the living room or bedroom to watch a show that I wanna watch. I bought an IHome connecter to have my celphone on so I can play the music I like. I find background noise REALLY helps me relax an stay in the mood, so anything that you can do to make and keep yourself comfortable is a good thing ... and speaking of comfort.

DO NOT SCRIMP ON YOUR CHAIR!! Buy as comfortable chair as you can possibly afford, the more comfortable you are, the more time you'll spend in the room.

[GhostMurdock]

thmubs up on IKEA and golden words from Jesse! I only wish i had so much space at my disposal... one day, one day !!!

[kevtk135]

Great thread. I have an attic space for modeling that I just started. I'll be watching intently.

[amubis]

Great thread. I have an attic space for modeling that I just started. I'll be watching intently.

Same here Kev but im in the process of selling my flat(apartment) and moving it a 3 bedroom house with a 60' garden, the last 20' of it im building a workshop full insulated/alarmed etc etc here is the floor plan layout



Scott

What a bummer an hour after posting this i got a call from the Estate Agent the guy who was buying my flat has had to pull out, he got made redundant yesterday so he wont be able to get a morgage to purchase the flat......

Oh well back up for sale....

Scott

[pzcreations]

nice layout Scott..but I wouldnt put anything that creates dust right next to your spray booth

[amubis]

nice layout Scott..but I wouldnt put anything that creates dust right next to your spray booth

Good point noted


Scott

[kevtk135]

Started working on the room with half enthusiasm. I paid someone to come in and put the ceiling up and tape the joints. The ceiling went up ok, but ooh boy the taping job on a 1 to 10 was about a 3. Of course once I paid him, there's no getting him back... anyway I did my best to repair the cracks and the crappy spackling job, and I got the primer and paint done. I'll need another coat of paint...


It's a weird shaped room in a sort of "T" shape. The little alcove behind the ladder will be where my work desk will be. To the left of the ladder there will be where my books and magazines will go. It's a 8ftX6ft. area alongside the stairs (I'm standing about 5 steps down in the stairwell) there. The wall straight ahead will be shelves where my kits will go.

[amubis]

Great thread. I have an attic space for modeling that I just started. I'll be watching intently.

Same here Kev but im in the process of selling my flat(apartment) and moving it a 3 bedroom house with a 60' garden, the last 20' of it im building a workshop full insulated/alarmed etc etc here is the floor plan layout



Scott

What a bummer an hour after posting this i got a call from the Estate Agent the guy who was buying my flat has had to pull out, he got made redundant yesterday so he wont be able to get a morgage to purchase the flat......

Oh well back up for sale....

Scott

New Flash
Sold my flat last night so Im all geared up for the move and the construction of my new workshop.....

Stay tuned for the next installment ....................

[jedideni]

There is a magazine called Studios, they show you different artists' studios and workspaces, tips, etc... It seems more geared towards the lady folk ie. scrapbooking and canvas painting, but I've only ever flipped through it quickly on the rack, so I can't say for certain. It might have some useful info though.

Linky-poo:
http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blogs ... fault.aspx


Some different workshops on Instructables.com:
http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Varie ... rk-Spaces/

[1whopaints]

I'm going to be setting mine up soon and would love to see more of these setups with pics....

[GhostMurdock]

I am doing some dreaming of my own if i get a chance to move one thing i don't see in the layouts here is a photo boot, some sort of space dedicated to taking pictures with 3 way lamps and some fix background. If i ever get round to plan my space i d like to put one there and improve photography skills

[amubis]

I am doing some dreaming of my own if i get a chance to move one thing i don't see in the layouts here is a photo boot, some sort of space dedicated to taking pictures with 3 way lamps and some fix background. If i ever get round to plan my space i d like to put one there and improve photography skills

Ive got a portable photo booth so just get it out of the cupboard as and when needed ...
Took hold of keys to new place on Sat, partner started decorating that night lol, Im off work in 2 weeks for 3weeks so Im workshop building will post progression images.

Scott

[starmanmm]

Well, before the seperation, this is what I had....









I had the third floor of the house. In one of the rooms was stored my stash. Now that was something that needs to be taken into consideration as to where to put all of the models.

I had fully renovated the entire third floor, meaning brought up a subpanel for electricity, insulate walls and ceiling, sheetrocked ceiling and installed a drop ceiling.

When it came to the electrical side of things... I made sure that where ever the AC was going, that that was the only plug/wire was going to power.

I did the same thing for what ever outlets that would run things like the bench sander, soder station, etc.

I tied all of the lighting on one line which ran into that room specifically for the lights.

I found that I could never have enough wall shelves. The slope ceiling limited what I could hang for shelves.

Don't forget to keep in mind how are you going to heat and cool your area. In these pics you see a floor heater, but I put some radiators up there and it kept the rooms very comfortable during the NE winters.

Boy, do I miss that room!

[chipper]

I really like that idea with the countertop on the dresser.

[starmanmm]

Made sense.... picked it up at my local Grossmans Outlet for around $50 bucks. The only thing I would change is the color. I thought that white would reflect the light better... well it does. But I would do better with a darker color for that way you would see what you have on your desk better. Most model parts got lost (visually wise) on the white top (which is what I found over the years of using it).

When I set up again, I am going to replace it with a darker counter top.

As for the draws, those were a must! Will put a set on both sides next time for I found them so useful as I worked on a kit.

I kept the the tools that I used the most in the top draw followed by the next most common items in the following draws.

[amubis]

Well in the process of building mine now ....Base down,back and two sides up and the front framework but rain stopped play today.
size is 4.8m x 3.2m x 2.4m
Will post some pics soon.

Scott

[btbrush]

I thought I'd learn from the past but NOT. Move into a new place and set up the studio. Then nothing else gets done around the house. But got divorced, bought a mobile home and turned the master bedroom into the workroom. Twice as much space as before. Which works out great cuz my builds seem to keep getting bigger. Big dioramas, Seaview, 31" Nautilus, 1/48 B-58 Hustler, etc.. Whatcha gonna do? Plan ahead but stay flexible. Hard surfaced floor and a really comfy chair on rollers helps alot.

[amubis]

Well folks after 12months of trying to sell my flat(apartment) it finally happened ....moved into a new place and built myself a new mancave ...didnt come out a lot different then the plans i posted earlier, ended up being 4.8m x 3.2m x 2.4m.
all alarmed an insulated.

Here is the finished item all complete andme settled in.










Scott

[starmanmm]

Looks good!

Nice big window for natural lighting.