Josh:

First off, good luck on this. I am in the process
of building my first true workshop and enjoyed the
process. It's part of our brand new house, so it
was easy to attach the workshop next to the garage,
something to consider for yourself? I plan to
use the garage for lumber storage and perhaps
assembly. My new shop will has a flat, even with
with the grade, floor, so I can roll out into
the driveway, if needed. I live in No. Calif.
(above the Golder Gate) and we have moderate temps
all year. My shop will be under 325 sq feet, and
I was hoping for me, but I can live with it.

Suggestions that I've read that helped me is to
figure out what you need as far as tools and
then work around that, allowing for growth. My
sense is that storage becomes a big issue later
on as you acquire more lumber. Get yourself
some grid paper and sketch things out. Wood Magazine
had a whole set of articles on building workshops
and it was filled with good tips including a
sheet that you can photocopy or scan with templates
for tools. You'll see how quickly 200sqft can
fill up!

Oh, as far as going through the permit process?
It doesn't have to be a pain. The biggest thing
is of course, is the added taxes that it could
bring and here in Calif. the fees beyond
the permit fee itself can be high.

MJ Wallace