# Basement shop or garage shop?



## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

I've always liked the fact that my garage was my shop. It's easy to get tools and materials in and I don't have to worry about rattling the house when I turn something on. Plus, the leaf blower makes quick work of "dusting"!

However, when fall come around and the temperature dips I envy those who have basement shops. For me, I don't have a choice since I don't have a basement but I was wondering how everyone else felt about the topic? Why did you choose one over the other? What do you prefer?


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

I chose a garage shop. Our house doesn't have a basement but we had shop location in mind when choosing our house a couple of years ago. The effort involved in getting my table saw and 8" jointer into the shop proved that it was the right decision for me, let alone any other factors!

I do like that I can make noise or dust and not have it leak into the main house (it's a detached garage). It does get cold in winter but there's an electric heater on the side and after running that for a few minutes things get toasty.


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## MoshupTrail (Aug 11, 2011)

Oh yes, garage. You can insulate the garage. You can get stuff in and out easily. No contest.


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## BelleCityWW (May 28, 2007)

Well,

I happen to be a basement kinda guy. It is limiting on the size of pieces you can build but let's face it, what we build usually has to fit through someones door  I have had my shop in an out building, in the basement, and then in an attached garage, and I am moving back to the basement! The basement space by far was the most comfortable and relaxing of the spaces. I don't have to share it with the lawn mower, trash cans, lawn chairs, garden hoses, and bicycles. If I build a piece too big for the doorway, I will assemble it in the Garage and then deliver it. it basically comes down to each his own. But this works for me.

John


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## MarkE (Feb 26, 2008)

My shop was in the basement in our house in New Hampshire. But, the house was on a hill and the basement had a sliding door at ground level for access. It had plumbing and heat. Didn't like the concrete floors, tough on my legs.

We moved to North Carolina and my shop was in the 2 car garage. No basement in this house. Not bad, but I had to share the space with yard equipment and basic storage. And still on concrete floor.

We ended up building a detached 'storage building', ~22×25 and 1.5 stories. It is built on a crawl space. Finally got wood floors to walk on. The building is fully insulated, including R30 between the shop and the room upstairs. We have a through the wall heating/cooling unit on each floor. I like this shop the best so far. I wish I had plumbing out there, but it is a short walk to the house.

To answer your original post, I preferred the basement shop to the garage shop for a number of reasons.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Basement for me.

But, my lot slopes so that my basement garage is ground level for that end of the house.

Then I added a double door between the garage and the rest of the basement, which is my shop.

Well actuall you can't get a car in the garage either because of bicycles, kayaks, mowers, wood storage and my welding/mechanical shop. I also reduce sheet material to size, and do finishing in the garage.


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Why not both?
I have a tablesaw, planer , jointer and dust collector in the garage. Everything else is in the basement.
A lot depends on your projects. I don't do large projects.
If you move into the basement, take a good look at your steps first. I added more supports.


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## flippedcracker (Sep 7, 2011)

i live in california, therefore i don't have a basement. pretty easy decision.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

My previous shop was a garage shop and now i have a basement shop and I much prefer the basement shop. In my case, we have a walk out basement and I can drive around to the back of the house and down to the basement level easily. We also have a staircase from the basement directly up to the garage.

I really like working in a shop with air conditioning and heat. The shop is comfortable year round.

There are 2 downsides to a basement shop, dust and noise. I try pretty hard to keep the dust under control with a dust collector and an air filtration system. In my opinion, I do a pretty good job of dust control. My wife may disagree a little (but not much). With respect to noise, there is only so much you can do. For the most part, my wife is understanding and I appreciate that.


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## Tennwood (Sep 9, 2009)

I have had both and prefer my current basement shop over the garage. It is nice not having to move the cars outside and pull everything out from their hiding spots as the bikes, yard equipment, etc. is falling on me.

My basement is fully underground, but when we built, I had a storm door (Bilco style door) lead into the shop. Getting the heavy stuff like the table saw and joiner was a pain and the table saw may just be a permanent fixture after I am dead and gone.

I agree with Rich on the two down sides (and totally agree with having an understanding wife) and add one more downside, I need more space. I under-designed my space and am paying for it, and there is no where to expand out.

When I hit the lottery, a dedicated LARGE shop building will be high on the list.


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## drbyte (Apr 12, 2007)

I like my basement shop, warm and toasty in the winter, cool in the summer. Getting the 300# metal lathe down there was a real challenge but I did it. Like Tennwood said, it may be a permanent fixture! If I build a large bookcase or other project, I do final assembly in the garage but most of the actual work in the basement.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I have a basement shop under the garage.

That's not true…


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I have a carport attached to the house that I enclosed with a small sub panel. If I had my preferences I would have an exterior dedicated building for a shop with it's own dedicated electrical service or a sub panel from the house service. Many basement shops have some problems that they are prone to as far as I'm concerned. However, a basement shop is better than no shop.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

My shop is at ground level attached to the house/garage. Insulated, cvt floor, ceiling fans, and oil filled radiator(s) for heat. Plenty of elec/computer wiring, thermal doors and windows. Love it 'cause it is fully accesable for tools and materials. I'm lucky. No excess moisture to fight. Sweet!
Bill


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## JohnL (Jul 19, 2010)

I would love to have my shop in my basement, but the location of the stairs limits the size of the wood to the point where I'd still need a selection of tools in the garage to cut pieces down to size. Width is my issue, as I do have an egress window in the basement where I could get long pieces in, but not long and wide. The stairs have too much of a bend at the top to allow long/wide boards in. I think I could just barely get a 4×8 sheet of ply in, but getting a piece of furniture, canoe or kayak out would be a huge issue.

So, with all that said…
If stairs/windows don't limit your ability to get things into (or out of), then I'd say go for the comfort of your basement, otherwise stick to the garage.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I haven't lived in a home with a basement for over 30 years, so the point is probably moot. However as I remember basement stairs usually are narrow, and somewhat steep, basements tend to the damp side of things etc…

Honestly, if I had the land and the cash to do it, I would build a stand alone dedicated shop, kind of an extra garage, but with proper insulation, power and HVAC. But if I had to chose between basement or garage, Garage would win out every single time…


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Come to think on it, an external shop makes it harder for your wife to hand you one of those honey do lists. That's another good reason.


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## cjwillie (Sep 6, 2011)

When we bought our current house, having space for a workshop was mandatory. I ended up with a 4 car garage, 2 separate sections 2 car each. The back section is dedicated workshop. I heat with wood, have sufficient power and phone, but no water, yet. It is separate from the house so noise and dust are not a problem. I like this setup better than any I had in the past. I don't have to share this space with lawn mowers and cars and I can leave a project or any mess until the job is done. It is nice to have everything at ground level and having a 7'X9' overhead door to make it easy to get large items in and out. Plus this is MY space, I do what I want without having to answer to the wife for it. (at least she lets me believe that!)


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## seabiscuit (Oct 6, 2011)

Mine is in an upstairs bedroom that is about 13' square. Works perfectly. Why is it in my house? Cause I live in a place that has something called winter.


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## seabiscuit (Oct 6, 2011)

@dbhost
Live somewhere where it is -10 3 months of the year and < 32 for 6-8 months of the year. Then get back to me.

Now if you have your garage insulated and heated…then it is no longer a garage…


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## BlairH (Jan 19, 2009)

I've been asking myself that question for the last 5 years.

In my current house, my shop is in the basement and I love it for all of the reasons mentioned above. What I really hate is the dust and the noise. Also, when ever I buy sheet goods I have to get them to cut it into pieces that fit down my stairs ( I can fit a 4×8 sheet but it's not fun, especially alone).

In the next couple years we will be looking for a new home and I'm on the fence about a garage shop. What I'm worried about is the cost of insulating and heating. Also, this might sound weird but, it doesn't feel right to put all of my expensive tools in a garage. It's not that I'm worried about them being stolen (we'll have a security system) but it seems like they're outside or something instead of the warmth and security of my home. Does that sound strange? Maybe I love my tools too much… no that's not it.

In the end, I think there are more advantages to a garage shop. I'll just have to put in the work and money to reap the benefits.

Thanks for listening.


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

Great responses. I think a dedicated, regulated, outdoor shop would be best. I have two sheds in the yard that I use for everything that would normally go in a garage. The garage is only a shop, no cars allowed. It's not insulated but I do have a 30,000 BTU propane heater that I use on the really cold days.

For me, on top of the logistics of physically getting stuff in and out of a basement noise would be a huge problem. I have 3 very young kids and the majority of my shop time occurs when they go to bed so I couldn't head for the basement and start making noise if they were sleeping.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

I have a detached garage that's uninsulated.
If I had my choice, my ideal garage would be an attached heated garage. Basement shop comes in second place.

I love my shop, but hate that it's uninsulated, something I'm taking care of a bit later.


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## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

I should add that I have issues in the summer too when it's very humid with rust. I've tried almost everything on my tool tops but it still happens.

I've resorted to keeping a coating of WD-40 on the cast iron tops when I'm not in there.


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

No contest. If a basement shop had benefits, all Woodcraft, Rockler, and big box stores would be in basements, as well as Norm and The new Yankee woodshop.

Game, set and match.


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## Kristoffer (Aug 5, 2009)

I've had a 10' X 10' storage unit as a shop and it filled up so fast that I had to move into a 10' X 20' storage unit. And that started to overflow. I had to break the shop down and pack everything away a few months ago. We have been trying to buy a house for almost a year now and a detached garage was one of the MUST HAVES. We looked at houses with basements and I just couldn't see my shop down there. Too many things broke up the flow and too much noise upstairs. Plus, when I think about going out to the shop, I think about going OUT to the shop. We should be closing on my new shop or our new home (however you want to look at it) this coming Monday. Detached 25.5' X 27.5'. VERY, VERY, VERY EXCITED about setting everything back up and making some dust again. 
But, as far as what's better….. I guess it's a whole chocolate or vanilla type of thing.


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## MedicKen (Dec 2, 2008)

Mine is in a garage. I also live in California and no basement. I see pros and cons to both the gaage and basement. With the garage shop you have a nice big opening and in most newer construction the power panel is mounted to the garage wall making power accessibility very easy. The main draw back is that most garages are not wired for a shop environment and the lighting is well, horrible. By adding outlets and some nice lighting it is a great place to work. The one draw back I have found is the inability to park and use the garage as a garage.

If I were to have a basement I could see some limitations there as well. The first to me would be the lower ceiling height. That is unless you had the house built and had planned extra height. The basement is also the "heart" of the house with all the mechanicals, laundry etc. The natural light would also be a problem. I could see a basement being a little warmer in the winter as opposed to a garage. I would also think that sound could possibly transfer easily into the house making nighttime work more difficult, especially if young kids are in the home. Now, if there was a walk out basement I could see a little improvement. Most of the older basements have limited accessibility and getting supplies and machinery would pose a problem.

I am glad I have a larger garage, even though it is only a "standard" 2 car. I am still limited on space and would love to have more room. But, who doesnt want more shop space?


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

mine is in ca too no basement so a 3 car shop is the deal for me and i am about to open for business


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## CarlFisher (Aug 16, 2011)

For those with basement shops, do you share the basement with any living space?

I'm currently setup in the garage but we have a finished basement that we spend most of our time in which also has a sizable storage area. As the winter months come on I'm considering turning the storage area into an indoor shop for the lathe and similar small project working. I'll still maintain a small area in the garage for the big stationary tools and just do my breakdown out there and bring to the basement for everything else.

I can get a handle on dust and filtration easy enough by piping in the dc from the garage and adding a filter system for turning over the air, but my big concern is the smell. For example when we turn pens, the smell of CA and other chemical products can stink up the garage for a while and I don't know how to control this in an indoor environment. How do you control odors in your basement shop or is it not a concern for anyone?


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Carl-

It's a good question. My shop is currently the primary occupant of our unfinished basement, but … as we contemplate a move, and I still lean toward the basement, I have to consider many of those same issues.

The best way I've been able to approach it, from a design standpoint, is:

- The shop, and the other "living areas" will all have their OWN four walls. A hallway, or storage space, will separate the uses, at all points

- insulated stud walls, and-possibly-Quiet Rock will be used on both rooms-shop space AND living areas

- The shop is proposed to have its own separate ceiling-mounted HVAC-type trunk line, with several registers, that vents to the outside with an "explosion-proof" fan, or … whatever it's called. This is in addition to my hanging air filtration unit

- The doors to all rooms will be solid-core, and weatherstripped.

- The floor joists (ceiling, when in the basement) will be insulated and-probably-drywalled

I think this is overkill, but … here's another step I've thought to take: my brother gave me about 30-ish feet of HEAVY drape material. If need be, I'll hang track in the two hallway/storage spaces that will separate the shop from living areas, and keep these heavy curtains "closed," to further reduce transfer of smell, noise, and dust between the two basement uses.

Good luck !


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## brentgolden44 (Dec 9, 2007)

We have 3 story on grade, made with 12' garage door on one side, 10' on the other side. The 10' side is about 12X20, just right for my shop. Other side is about 32X34 and has weight room, bathroom with shower, utility room , and wife's E-bay store set up with good view of the bay. Its on ground level. Very convenient to load and unload. Life is good on Chesapeake Bay. (especially the wood working)


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

@seabiscuit…

To paraphrase George Bush Sr. "Ain't gonna happen, wouldn't be prudent"...

There isn't enough money on the planet to make me want to live somewhere that cold…

And even if it is insulated and heated / cooled. It is still a garage. Goofy sloping floors and giant rollup doors are sort of dead give aways…


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

I currently have my shop in our basement. Our ceilings are only about 7-feet tall, so it's a little cramped. I like the idea of being able to walk downstairs to work on a project. It's never too warm or too cold, remaining relatively constant. These are all positives for me.

Negatives are that we have a very narrow and awkward staircase leading downstairs, so it's very difficult to move wood downstairs, and you can't build anything very large, or you can't get it out. It was also extremely difficult to move equipment into and out of. It also creates extra dust in the house, as well as all the noise. Because of this, I only work during certain times. If I had a shop outside of the house, all these negatives would be alleviated.

My wife mentioned moving the shop to our small 2-car garage, but I don't like that idea. I've got more than adequate power out there since there is a subpanel, including 220v. However, it would need new windows, a new roof, and I'd have to build interior stud walls to insulate it since it's an old brick garage. Then there'd be the issue of a cold cement slab.

I'd love to tear it down and build a 3-car garage, with a shop on the 2nd-level. If we decide we're going to stay in this house for at least the next 10+years, this may actually happen. The only issue with that would be trying to configure some sort of lift to move equipment and larger pieces of furniture or large quantities of wood. I guess if that days comes, I'll figure it out. Then I wouldn't have to worry about noise or dust in the house. I tend to get out of bed first, so I could be more productive with that time. It would also allow for a higher ceiling and more space overall. Right now, I've got a couple of small spaces carved out in our basement, amongst the storage of boxes, etc.

I suppose there are positives and negatives to both types of shops. It also depends on what sort of basements and garages you're comparing as well. Things like narrow staircases and uninsulated areas are totally different than walk-out basements and fully isulated and heated garages.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I, like you didn't have a choice. No basement!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've never had a basement shop but I don't think I would like the limited over head space. But a basement shop works for many and more power to them. I'm grateful just to have a shop ,I know many don't.


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Jim, I totally agree with you. I feel fortunate to have my basement shop. It's just nice to dream sometimes.


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

Another detriment to a basement shop is finishing. Stains and varnish smells carried throughout the house.
My wife would kill me.


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I also have no basement so I didn't have a choice… I agree with what a1Jim said though about just being thankful I have a shop to begin with…

I love my garage shop but if I had a big basement I think thats where the shop would go… The garage not only gets really cold in the winter but it gets very hot in the summer. The basement would be much easier to control the temp. Also my garage is detached so I feel like I am away from my family when I am out there. There are def pros and cons to both.

In the end I think a garage shop would win due to the size and noise and dust factors…


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## brentgolden44 (Dec 9, 2007)

When we built, because of restrictions due to the famous EPA, and being so close to the bay(about 300'), we had to make our ground floor appear to be a garage. The floor is level, walls are 8" poured concrete, with 2X 6 framing, and insulated, with 10' ceilings. To make it appear garage-like, all we had to do was put in 2 insulated garage doors, which are extremely beneficial for loading, and airing out paint fumes and sawdust. Its cool in summer, and warm in winter. Winters here are pretty mild. Better than when I lived in AZ where I saw it up to 132!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Uh-oh. Crick in my neck ;-)


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

I too hide from extreme heat here it was about 120 this summer it is 66 and nice today. already mid November and i am working on my shed to clear the storage junk from my shop. yes it is insulated and yes it has 2 doors a big on and a bigger one but it is a shop no longer a garage. I love the shop being in the front yard but if the house were on the other side of the street id have mountain views but nothing is perfect. I could use a second shed just for lumber hoarding but the city frowns on having more than one shed.before i got sick we had a ranch in the foothills for the low low price of 250k but illness struck and the land was lost to foreclosure a real drag as i never got to plant my grove of hardwood. I wanted to plant claro walnut and other California hardwoods. I am so lucky to have kept my home through all of this and the shop is now within my grasp the shop will be my place as your is yours and make the most of it whither it be a basement shop a shed a carport or a steel building it is the shop it is where we do what we love we make things no mater what we make a turned bowl or a fine cabinet a jewelery box or a box to bury a friend it is your shop love it because its yours.


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## EandS (Aug 29, 2011)

My shop is in my garage, although I do get mad when the wife calls it a garage as it is the shop 
Doing this for a living I dont have a choice of weather or not to be out there when fall and winter roll around, as well as the fact that I need the high ceilings, easy access and large space to do what I need to do. 
I invested in a gas heating system and insulate. A little bit of investment and you are good as gold.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I have the best of both worlds here. My house has a walkout basement, so when I built the house I had them put a room under the attached garage with a garage door to the back lot. So basically the shop is a garage under my main garage with access to the house via a utility door in the house utility room. I have it insulated and heated so no problem with the weather. I also put windows in the garage door so I have natural light and a view of the back yard. I would prefer not to have a basement shop do to dust issues and access. I think, untless you had easy access to the outside it would be difficult to get lumber and equipment in and out. The guy that I bought my table saw from years ago had a fantastic basement shop, but it took 6 or 7 of us to get the cabinet saw out of the basement.


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

Wayne,
I just looked at your shop and projects and now, because of you, I have my next 2 projects. My shop (garage) is drywall but will be paneled after seeing yours. The box that you built for your dovetail jig will be in my plans also.

Great shop and projects.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

Thanks Jim. I appreciate your comments. I had my shop area (long before it was a shop) drywalled and it became very mildewed from the summer humidity here, plus the contractor that did the house didnt insulate it. I was also afraid that if I banged a board against the drywall and nick it or put a hole in it and it would start to look lousy after a while. What I did do is I tore off the drywall, I put up 3/4" plywood, then covered it with 1/2" pine beadboard paneling. This way I can screw cabinets and other items right to the wall without using anchors or finding a stud. It's held up very well. The lighting isnt a problem either since I have a lot of overhead lights and machine lights. I debated staining the walls, but decided to just leave it the natural wood color. Good luck with yours.


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## doncutlip (Aug 30, 2008)

My shop is in my basement, I keep my car in the garage mostly because I don't like scraping windshields on cold winder mornings. One drawback of the basement shop is that it can be difficult/impossible to get big heavy tools down there like a table saw. For sure I would have gotten the new Unisaw if I had an above ground shop; I settled for a still heavy but not the same Grizzly machine. I would also wonder about humidity control in a garage, at least in the basement a dehumidifier will do some good. On the other hand, I bet ventilation is easier/better in a garage shop. I do have to share my space with a sizeable collection of camping equipment, general storage and laundry facilities - but I've taken over the majority of the space down there.


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Don, your story sounds familiar! I have slowly begun taking up more square footage in our basement for my workshop. I got a new SawStop 3HP PCS earlier this year. I wanted to get the Industrial model, but the extra weight and physical size of the thing were not conducive to getting it down into the basement.


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## oldretiredjim (Nov 14, 2011)

I had a basement shop and the dust and noise were a problem. I like having a detached garage/shop. It is 30' from the back door and if my wife ants something she calls my cell. Very private in the winter particularly.


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