Jeff B wrote:

I have a newer home that has garages *barely* deep enough for the cars
themselves. I also have neighborhood covenants forbidding any kind of
outside shed, shop, etc. So basically, if I want a place to play it looks
like it's going to have to be in the basement.

My question is, am I crazy to think about building an enclosed room in my
(currently unfinished) basement? The space I have that I could allocate to
this is about 12' x 15'. I was thinking that I'd leave the floor concrete
and put up drywall all the way around... sound isolation would be a major
concern. It would almost be pointless to have this workshop if I could use
it late at night while the family is sleep (2 floor up). I guess before I
go on too much more I should mention what I actually want to do in it! It
will mainly be for Tig welding, which I'm not concerned about excessive
noise or dirt/debris levels, but I will also be prepping/making the pieces
that will be welded in this room as well. This means grinding, drilling,
cutting, etc. I won't have any air ducts going to this room, so hopefully
the mess would stay enclosed in there, but basically I'm looking for a real
world sanity from anybody else that has done this. If I'm shop-vaccing the
room twice a week, can I actually pull this off without ruining my house?
If anyone else has built something like this, I'd love to see some pictures.
I am just trying to prepare my "case" for when I tell the wife "oh yeah, I'm
going to start welding in the basement, but don't worry, the whole house
won't be covered in aluminum shavings" :-)

Thanks
Jeff

I'd suggest finding a new house in an area where there are no
restrictions. Tell your real estate agent that this is a requirement.
The more people who do this (as I did) the more chance the developers
building these crappy overcrowded developments and creating the
restrictions might get a clue that not everyone wants that crap.

This is also one of the problems contributing to all the lard-ass
children with zero physical skills. All these crappy developments
provide no room for kids to actually run around and get exercise and
develop physical skills. I grew up on a few heavily wooded acres with a
stream running through.

I hopped around the rocks and climbed the trees and whatnot. I see far
too many kids whose sole outdoor activity options are a swing in a 20'
square yard and the early years, before they could potentially go to an
area park on their own are the most critical years for developing these
skills.

Pete C.