New canoe shop

[yellowcanoe]

The latest heat pumps will heat efficiently down to 13 below. But it does get colder than that.

We have that as well as a wood stove in the house as a back up to the oil furnace. Just in case we are away and the furnace takes a vacation too, the heat pumps are set to come on and help everything from freezing up in our hot water system( and yes that has happened)

However in the shop we use a kerosene fueled Monitor heater as it is on a wall and takes up little space. Preplanning is required to preheat the shop though

If you can Robin insulate the floor too. We have ours covered in minicell mats but hey it is still dam cold.

We chose not to run electric heaters.. We have one in a sunroom and Central Maine Power is thriving due to it. Their rates are already too high.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Looks Great Robin ! Gotta love the look of Pine !

Yeah the Over head work doesn't get easier as you get older !

Talked to a guy that is rebuilding his home, after it burned down. He is using Foam insulation, instead of glass. He says he gets a much higher R-value with foam, and the stuff he is using is more Fire proof. I'm sure the cost is much higher also !

Jim

 

[Chuck S]

Starting to look like home.

 

[Canotrouge]

How humid is it in the shop Robin? I just bought and been running a dehumidifier in my shop in the last week, the heating is off for the summer and the shop usually sits at 16c, since the dehumidifier is running the temps went up to 21-22c!! I didn’t think that thing would generate so much heat.... and it does a great job at keeping the moisture level in the 40’s !!
as for heating, smog with the simplest more economical in the long run and safest you can get! Electric here in Canada is cheap to run, it is cheap to instal, and it is really safe!!

 

[Cheeseandbeans]

Looking good! Way better than Sheetrock.

 

[Odyssey]

Anytime you can do a good job single handed you're winning.

 

[Robin]

Looking good! Way better than Sheetrock.

Thanks, by the time I would have paid for a guy to Sheetrock/ tape/spackle it($1600 quote), the pine turned out much cheaper. I don’t mind the labor, actually just what the doctor ordered, and with my recent 45 lb weight loss, (keto works), climbing a ladder isn’t bad.

As far as the heat goes, while electric here in Maine is cheaper than Connecticut (3rd highest in US), I have a friend who tried electric heat here and the bills where quite high. He went with a vented gas heater, but he had gas already. I don’t have gas here. I guess it will come down to how much time I plan on hanging out there this winter, and how much the installation will cost.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I found my heating cost varied a Lot by where I had my thermostat adjusted on my electric heaters !

At 40 degrees, not bad. 50+ degrees got spendy !

While glassing one Winter, I had the shop up to 75 degrees.

The Wife wasn't happy to see that bill !!!

 

[yellowcanoe]

We did not have gas here either though with all the outages we have we did get propane for the permanent generator. Something to consider if you experience a lot of outages. Our shop heater is permanent in the wall and vented outside and kerosene is its food.

 

[LanceR]

I've sprayed insulation before and even paying contractor prices and doing it yourself it is still pretty pricey. On the other hand it holds its R-value over time, there's zero air infiltration, few concerns about condensation or mildew and few vermin issues.

And while drywall can be prone to mold in damp climates so can wood which is also prone to bug infestation at times. Personally, I'm more concerned with whether the surface lends itself to hanging things pretty much anywhere. For that last reason alone I'd have gone with wood in Robin's case although I'd be tempted to hit it with a light finish of some sort to brighten the shop up.

Best regards,


Lance

 

[Alan Gage]

For that last reason alone I'd have gone with wood in Robin's case although I'd be tempted to hit it with a light finish of some sort to brighten the shop up.

Best regards,


Lance

I lined my whole shop with wood; walls and ceilings. I painted the ceiling white for the reason you mentioned and also for aesthetics. The walls are a mix of about 10 different hardwoods and there are 8x8 cedar posts at an 8x10 exposed cedar ridge beam. I felt the white ceiling would help these stand out a bit more, and it does.

Alan

 

[Alan Gage]

It's looking great, Robin. Those windows will let in some nice light and it looks like you found some nice lumber to use. Seems like an enjoyable project to work on as well.

Alan

 

[LanceR]

Natural light is one thing my basement lacks. It has none at all. I have the tools, house jacks and expertise to cut new window openings, install new steel lintels and side supports for them and install some windows but my bride keep saying that she doesn't think I need windows. She may be in for a big surprise the next time she visits one of the kids without me......

In the meantime, a gent 15-20 minutes from me just sold a house and bought a farm and now he has eight extra four or five year old 8' high output fluorescent strip light fixtures, the used lamps for them and a box of ten new lamps looking for a new home. I'll be picking them up tonight of tomorrow for a whopping $115 USD for the whole shooting match. I was looking for 4-5 lamps but at $10 each if I took them all and $35 for the box of lamps I jumped on them.

My experience is that this shop building/renovating thing is a living project that evolves more than it ever ends. We were on the farm for 16 years and still making occasional changes to the shop space right to the end.....

Best regards to all,


Lance

 

[Robin]

I had to move the canoes off the rack and Put them in my wife’s car spot, just a few days honey...

 

[Iskweo]

We capstripped the studs to give us room for R20 walls and same in the ceiling. You have a higher ceiling....we did a partial drop ceiling....but yours would probably benefit from a fan to push the heat back down to floor level. Our walls are plywood scraps but we did paint them to keep them from sucking alll the moisture out in the winter. We are using one electric industrial heater like the one Jim Dodd has and it works fabulous. Not overly expensive for the convenience.
We looked at gas too. In fact I was going to do that as we had decided to copy Doug Ingrams setup. The install was just way too pricey though. A smallish wood stove would be great for ambience but stick with the electric for actual heat. Just be sure to super insulate. That is the best place to spend the money.

 

[Boreal Birch]

Lots of people up here heat their homes and shops with TOYO STOVES. In the rural towns where fuel oil is real expensive Toyo Stoves are primary heat in most cabins, during the day wood stoves to help out with the heat bill. As soon as I get my new garage finished I will install a Toyo Stove out there. People that have them love em.

 

[Jim Dodd]

A tip for the cement floor in your shop during Winter.
Card Board !

I have a public recycling center near by. But if you don't, a Body shop can provide you with the biggest pieces of card board, that make a great disposable floor covering, for the shop floor !
It makes standing on all day a lot easier, as well as protect the floor from paint or epoxy ! Maybe keep the shop a little warmer ?

I just relined both bays in my two stall. I don't know what comes in these big boxes the body repair shop are getting ? But I'm happy taking it off their hands ! And so are they ! Who Knows ? They might give you a good deal on some body work, or canoe painting ?

Some times, there is even foam blocks that a suitable padding on canoe racks ! ( Mike McCrea)

Jim

 

[LanceR]

Appliance stores are a good source of large cardboard slabs and big boxes, too.

Lance

 

[yellowcanoe]

Lots of people up here heat their homes and shops with TOYO STOVES. In the rural towns where fuel oil is real expensive Toyo Stoves are primary heat in most cabins, during the day wood stoves to help out with the heat bill. As soon as I get my new garage finished I will install a Toyo Stove out there. People that have them love em.

Plus they have a lot of dealers with parts and repair in Maine. My neighbor is one of them. We would likely have a Toyo if we need replacement but Lake Region Monitor is next door and service is always prompt! ( our unit is over 15 years old and that line not sold anymore). Thanks for bringing up Toyo BB.

 

[Robin]

So I got the pine up, the ceiling was tough and well, not my best performance but All things considered I’m happy it’s done, Next I’ll build some Rough sawn cabinets, get all my canoe stuff out of the card board boxes and stored properly. It’s coming along, looking forward to working on canoes again.