"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Ignoramus12686 wrote:

On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 16:31:07 GMT, Pete C. wrote:
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.

While did the same thing as you suggested -- found a big enough house
and avoided any developments with covenants -- not everyone can afford
that.

i
--

Of course not, but they should try if not for shop space then for the
sake of any children to help keep them from becoming physically-retarded
lard-asses. Children who do not have opportunities to run around and
climb and do activities that develop mechanical and spatial skills
really do end up physically-retarded. I've seen it and it's scary.

I suppose this isn't a problem for producing compliant worker drones
though...

Pete C.

Not all of us look forward to the joys of external home maintenance, like
lawn mowing, snow shoveling, external painting, and roof replacement, to
name a few that spring to mind. That's why my wife and I have lived in a
condo or townhome for 30 years or so. No kids to worry about so no chance
of us producing compliant worker drones. No other kids in the immediate
neighborhood either, which suits me fine - in fact I see it as a bonus.

Even with a full basement, shop space is starting to run a bit short now,
though, and it's occurred to me that the neighbor's townhome could be
converted into a nice dedicated shop.

Mike