# Building a Shop-Help Me Understand Why I Need 10ft High Ceilings



## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

Guys,

Now in the process of designing my new standalone shop building. It will be "stick built" (not a pole building).

My original shop was in the basement of my former home, and had only 6.5ft ceilings. I know the ceiling in the new shop will have to be higher, but not sure I need 10ft.

I've thought about previous and future cabinet, furntiture, and chair projects and the processes involved in building these pieces and have yet to see where more than an 8 ft. ceiling will be needed.

So, thought I'd ask all you Lumberjocks for help-tell me about a project you did where you were glad the ceiling height was 10 ft. And, let me know if I'm missing anything.

I live in Northern Idaho, and while the winters are cold, they're not like the Great Lakes area I left. However, I heat the house with propane, and will heat the shop with it as well, so the added cubic area a 10ft vs. 8ft ceiling yields translates in $$'s spent to heat it. (Assume at this point I'll have R30 in the walls and R50 in the ceiling of the building in insulation). And, 10ft ceilings translate into higher building costs because of the height of lumber needed for the stud walls, and additional siding for the added height.

Help me understand why I want 10ft ceilings, or let me know I'll be OK with 8ft

Thanks in advance for the help guys.
Gerry


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## RobHannon (Dec 12, 2016)

I'm not going to be much help with what you want to here. Wall space, like every other type of space in a shop, is very valuable. I have been paper napkin designing my retirement shop for a while now and it always starts with 12' ceiling height.

Are you doing traditional stick building or post frame? In my comparisons post frame has a less significant increase in material costs than stick framing does when making a building taller. Post frame also lends itself to thick exterior wall cavities to have better insulation thickness.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I guess the 10' ceiling was due to handling of 4×8 sheets of plywood. If you never will use 4×8 sheets of plywood, then an 8' ceiling will work. If your shop floor plan will be large, a 10' ceiling avoids the 8' "tunnel" aspect. Remember lighting fixtures will intrude into your 8' space. As a tip, use plenty of outlet receptacles and put them 4'-6" above the floor. I have 200 amp service in my shop with separate circuits for lighting, receptacles, machines and a DC. Electrical service is something I would not skimp on.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

My first shop had 9' ceilings, we moved and the second shop had 8' ceilings, then we moved again and I had to have one built and went with 10' ceilings (all were freestanding buildings). At some point I thought the 9' height was ideal, I actually got that weird height by having the slab curbs poured 7" high, and then the walls framed using full length 8' studs. But if you put 6" DC ducts, lights, furnaces, and air cleaners on the ceiling you will wind up with some spots in the room that aren't quite tall enough to twirl an 8' board (my standard for adequate ceiling height). With 10' ceilings I find it looks too tall, but actually works out well. There's no concern with htiing anything on the ceiling, and even the LP furnace (a Modine type) is high enough to be safe. This last shop is very well insulated (R19 walls, and R50 ceiling) and I heat 30×32' of the building, this past winter was very cold for us and I burned about 300 gallons of LP heating it (65º daytime, 55º night usually). I'm not sure you need 10', but I'm fairly certain I wouldn't go back 8'.


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## HerringImpaired (Mar 13, 2019)

I guess it all comes down to perspective. I'm 6'8" (Or as I like to tell people when they ask, 5"20"). 
Having ceilings of 9' or even 10' would be nice in one way, but as it is now, I don't need a stepladder to change light bulbs, plug in equipment to the 110V outlets I have in the ceiling, or reach the other stuff I have stored on the ceiling. (fishing rods, flashing, molding, and other miscellaneous stuff). 
If I were to build a shop, I'm not sure I could justify the added expense for heating, cooling, etc… Just to be able to flip an 8' board end for end. On the other hand, it's another foot or two for cabinets, shelving, etc… for storage.


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## Kirk650 (May 8, 2016)

I have an 8' ceiling in my workshop. After 10 years, I wish i had 10' ceilings. My ceiling fan and ceiling mounted Jet air cleaner are often in the way. If you have a choice go for the higher ceiling.


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## Rayne (Mar 9, 2014)

+1 if you're planning to install air cleaners and especially duct work for Dust Collection. The added space to move 8' boards/plywood helps a lot. Even now, with my 10' ceiling, I occasionally hit the air cleaner with a 4×8 ply.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Just do it you'll be glad you did someday. Put in a ceiling fan to help move the hot air off the ceiling. Nobody ever said that woodworking was a cheap hobby.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

I have 10', giving clearance for DC, air cleaner, light fixtures,vand a little space for clearance. My main garage is 8'4", and it feels like a cave withe fixtures hanging down.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

And check into the new super efficient inverter heat pumps from LG and others. Mine heats down to -10, and heating a 16×24 x 10' high to 60 + only cost about a dollar a day.


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

I have had four workshops over the years, the first was a spare bedroom and I won't go into that one. My second shop was a basement 7' ceiling height. things were definitely squeezed, little room on the walls for storing material and the ceiling which was sheathed was to close for some operations. I remember wishing the ceiling was higher when I was finger joining the corners of a set of beds for the boys, ended up cutting them by hand. The third was to be my dream house and shop that I built from scratch. The shop 22' X 36' had 10' ceilings, ceiling hung electric heaters, R20 and R52 insulation and more room than I had tools to fill. I felt guilty working in it, all that space made me feel like I should be producing something for sale, rather than just playing and experimenting with my different interests, which was my only interest.

My current shops, three main areas all have different ceiling heights, the metal working shop has a 9' ceiling, lots of wall area above the machines for hanging and storing things like extension cords, air hose, welding cable, welding helmets, pipe clamps, etc. etc. The second space is a ventilated shop space. The ceiling hight starts close to 11' and slopes to 7'6". It is ventilated so I can do the roughest work, protected from the elements. In winter it is used for parking. In summer I can do welding , grinding, metal melting, wood construction, etc. all protected from the weather and still well ventilated. Last summer I built and Installed a hoist so the extra height comes in real handy.

My woodworking and little machine shop is part of the shell of the main house. Half of the house is living space and sealed off from the other half which is my wood shop and little machine shop. Ceiling height is 8' and I would choose it over the former 10' height. I feel comfortable working in the smaller space, the passage of time can easily disappear puttering away at something. I never felt that way in the big shop with 10' ceilings. Insulation is R20 and R60, winters up here regularly hit -40 I heat the house with a wood stove and electrical backup. Living space back-up is set at 65 and workshop back-up is set at 55. If I make no long trips and pay attention to my wood stove I can go a whole winter without paying a single dollar in electrical heating back-up.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

I like 12 ft. I use a lot of longer lumber up to 16 ft. If I wanna use the other end of board at chop saw, i like the extra room.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

If it were me, I would have the 10 ft ceilings. Easier for lighting, dust collection, storage and many others. Also, if you ever sell it, would be great selling point.


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## Berto (Apr 27, 2014)

At a minimum, I would go with 9' ceilings. Most lumber yards carry 2"x4" - 105" (for 9' walls - at a cost of $.60 more per stud than 93" precuts). If you're planning on finishing the interior walls with drywall, they also make dryall in widths of 54" (4'-6" x 8' or 12') so you only have one line joint at midwall.


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## Hermit (Oct 9, 2014)

My shop is 22×20. My walls are 9'6". I use the added room on top for lumber storage/drying. Also put air cleaner and fans up there. Just keep in mind that your light fixtures reduce ceiling height also. It's a personal choice you'll have to make based on your own needs.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Help me understand why I want 10ft ceilings, or let me know I'll be OK with 8ft

I went through the same thought process, when I built my shop, I live in west Montana, so similar climate as you. I opted for 10" ceilings. Why, because I didn't want to worry about smacking my lights every time I moved an 8' board around the shop. More than likely your light fixtures are going to be below the ceiling height, also you may want to suspend other things from the shop ceiling, like an ambient air filter. It also gives you a lot more room for shelving. I have room above my windows for lumber racks. It will cost you more to heat, obviously. I opted for pellets to heat my shop and I have it on every day. I have the thermostat set at 46°F night time and 62°F daytime, this last winter I spent $330.00 on pellets.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Gerry, what are you thinking after reading these replies????


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## Theokwoodworker (Mar 26, 2019)

I have 10' ceiling and my old shop was 8. I'd go 10' for sure! I'm in Minnesota and I understand the price related to heating the shop mine is 30×40. My bill is about $60 more per month to heat and that's only heating it when I'm out there. That said I think the extra height is worth the cost. Once you get air filters, lights a ceiling fan if you want one it's great plus you can build storage along the edge of your ceiling and it won't interfere with your work. Just my thoughts but not every shop can be absolutely perfect you have to decide for yourself if the extra space is worth the extra cost. For me it is.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I moved into a space with 9'6" ceilings, absolutely love the added height.

Of course the down sides, as stated, are heating/cooling and non-standard for common sheathing like drywall, etc. (extra waste)

The extra height for overheads like long term storage and ducting, swinging a sheet of plywood, etc. are big pluses. You don't really appreciate it all until you go back to an 8' space.
Tall ceilings are getting more common and lumber lengths like the mentioned pre-cut studs are showing up in more places. Alternatively a short stem wall with the foundation can let you use 8' products and still get the taller heights.

Either way, when you are starting from a clean sheet now is the time to consider these options.


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## OleGrump (Jun 16, 2017)

The first answer which JUMPS out is overhead lumber storage, which is a HUGE advantage to tripping over it stored near the floor. Not only limber, but a lot of other items can be stored in the overhead space. Family Handyman shows an air compressor mounted up high which saved a lot of floor space. Another answer is, for those with Tim Allen like tendencies, the extra height will be advantageous in the long run. Dad took out so damned many fluorescent light tubes carrying lumber, ladders and the like it was ridiculous. I can only remember two occasions when the tube actually BURNED out. Most of them didn't make it that long. Sooner or later, someone who is supposed to be "helping" you will wind up doing something like this.


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## ClayandNancy (Feb 22, 2010)

When I built our home, I opted for a garage/shop to be 36' by 36' with a twelve foot ceiling. that gave me room for an auto lift in the garage side. that also made the wood shop 12'. too high, I wish I had 10'. that gives you plenty room for over head lights and duct work for your vac system. Also room for an air filter unit.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

The added height won't add that much to your heating bill. It has nothing to do with volume of the space, just surface area of the walls. There may be other concerns with heat rising, but fans or a room air filter will keep it stirred up.

Going from 8 to 10 feet is a 20% increase in wall area. It all depends on the details, but your walls may only represent 1/4 to 1/3 of the total heat loss. So a 20% increase in wall area may only be 5-8% more heating load. And it sounds like you will be insulating it very well, so I wouldn't expect heating costs to be crazy high anyway.

A single extra window may be equal to or more heat loss than adding 20% to the walls. From an expense standpoint, I would think additional construction cost would dominate. Lot's of other details may have as big an impact on heating cost. Things like how well you insulate the floor or slab, quality of windows and doors, that type of thing.

I have 9 ft ceilings and I get by fine. I whack the ceiling or a light once in a while. Could I get by with lower ceilings? Sure, but if I were building a purpose built shop, I think I would go with 10 foot over 8 foot. I would of course accurately evaluate the construction cost. I would guess it would simply make the wall cost about 20% more.

In the end, if you get the 10 foot ceiling, you'll never regret NOT getting 8 foot. But if you get 8 foot, I suspect there will be days you'll think you should have gotten 10 foot.


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## Scott410 (Aug 29, 2018)

I have just over 7 ft ceilings and I would love to have something bigger. I just put in an air filtration system and had to put it above the rafters so I wouldn't smack it with everything in my shop.


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## Mainboom (Jan 24, 2019)

i have 9ft 9" ceilings in my garage. after finishing it and only using r13 in the walls and above my loft using r19 in the roof. I heat mine with a 5000 watt heater and it stays at about 50 in -32 degrees. the loft is sealed off with 2 inch foam board. I sometimes will bump the heat with a propane heater but once you get it warm in there and use a fan to circulate the air its just fine to me. but I do work outside for a living so the cold don't bother me as much as it might some people.

my shop is 24×30 I stick built it myself. I just went to menards and bought a garage they had "plans" for that was 10k. so after concrete electrical insulation. im only into it for about 16k. that opposed to having someone come build it for me for 33k. all I can say is if you do it get help I did 85% of it all myself and I wont do it again lol


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I've had several shops over the years. Only one had high ceilings. Building new, as a shop, I'd never go less than a ten foot ceiling.

In addition to more easily being able to flip a 2x without taking out a light or gouging the ceiling, it can make lighting easier. Then there is the storage advantage many mentioned.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

My shop has 12' ceiling. I never once walked in and said " I sure wished I had 8 or 10 foot ceiling. Not one single time.


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## becikeja (Sep 12, 2010)

I have to say until I read this thread I never thought about the ceiling height. About 6 years ago I moved from a basement shop (i'm guessing 7-8 foot ceilings) into a dedicated shop. I measured the height yesterday at 9'4" 
I have to say it is much nicer having the higher ceilings, just never thought about it…...


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

I guess it really depends on what projects you plan to do.

I have 8ft ceilings in my shop. Not really much of a concern. Most boards and sheet goods can be moved around fairly easily without hitting the ceiling.

I had my 3 car garage built and if I were to do it again, I'd definitely go 10ft for two reasons:

a) Extra storage space. I'm pretty tall, so going up in height to get more storage space wouldn't be a problem. From lumber storage to extra wall space. They say a wood worker can never have too many clamps. Well, you need somewhere to store all of those clamps.

b) Working with built-in furniture. While 8ft boards and sheet goods can be moved around fairly easily, not so for an 8' tall cabinet. Thanks to geometry, the corner to corner dimension of any 8 foot tall, 3D object is going to be more than 8 feet. If you're going to be building that kind of furniture regularly, you need to remember that most new houses have 9 to 10 foot ceilings, so you'll never get that stuff upright in your 8ft tall shop.


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## Mr_Pink (May 20, 2017)

I have a small basement shop with ceilings that are just under 8 feet, and masonry walls. One thing I've noticed when taking classes in a more open workshop is that being boxed into a small area with hard surfaces makes noise more unpleasant. The sound of a mallet or hammer is immediately bounced back at you in a way that makes it feel louder than it would if you just heard it once.

I don't know how much the size of the space versus the composition of the walls and ceiling influence this issue, but I think both are worth considering. (Since I can't move my walls and ceilings, I'm currently trying to reduce their tendency to reflect sound.)


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

i think the vote is definitely in favor of 10' or 12' ceilings,as said ive never complained about too tall a ceiling.if your concerned about heating issues do as AG said and install some fans to circulate the air,thats what my dad did in his shop in oregon during the winter,worked great.youll regret not doing it later.


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## JeffHeath (Dec 30, 2009)

My shop has 12' ceilings. My former shop had 10' ceilings. Not high enough. 8' isn't even close, if you're actually going to be working out there. You won't be able to flip over or carry around plywood, or full length timbers, and a low ceiling is very limiting to future options of larger tools, like big bandsaws, etc…..

Anything hanging down from the ceiling, like a fan, or an air cleaner, or lights, or electrical cords, will be in your face and working height in a hurry.

10' should be the minimum for a well functioning work space.


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## Jared_S (Jul 6, 2018)

I have 11'4" ceilings and wouldn't want anything much lower. My last shop was just over 8' and it was miserable.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

most wood comes in 8 foot lengths.. just as others mentioned for sheet goods, but if you want to stand something up, it is convenient. 
Of course you are already used to working with 6.5' basement ceiling… but if you get hanging lights, or a dust collector… 8 foot will seem low, and you may regret the small materials savings you got up front.

YMMV


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## Fresch (Feb 21, 2013)

You could go with the 8' ceiling but I would drop the floor down 2'. 
Put paddle fan/s in it will help with heating, cooling, moisture.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Because of a slight break in communication my stick built shop has 12' ceilings. We had been having a pole barn conversation, but I wanted concrete floor, Vinyl exterior, and a shingle roof. My builder just sent me a bid on a stick built, as I was asking for. Price was so low, I just said do it, never gave a thought to saying, ohhhh let's just do a 10' ceiling.

It was strange. I came home from work, and thought oh dear Lord, Noooooooooo.

Now I love the height. There is stuff you absolutely MUST have. BUT you only use it once in a while. It is easily stored up, and out of the way. Long boards, you need not learn a new dance step to turn them, just do it. I am NOT a single one unit MONSTER DC guy, but if I were the ducting would be up there. I don't do car/truck work, but if I did bring on a lift. So many things you CAN do if you have height, and the cost breakdown to add that space when you are building, is negligible.

I know I would never go less than 10'


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> Because of a slight break in communication my stick built shop has 12 ceilings. We had been having a pole barn conversation, but I wanted concrete floor, Vinyl exterior, and a shingle roof. My builder just sent me a bid on a stick built, as I was asking for. Price was so low, I just said do it, never gave a thought to saying, ohhhh let s just do a 10 ceiling.
> 
> It was strange. I came home from work, and thought oh dear Lord, Noooooooooo.
> 
> ...


hey that mistake was a good one,i wish i had 12 but the 10 ive got is good but yours is better.


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## DBDesigns (May 29, 2018)

I have been woodworking in a basement for years now. I am not a tall man but I sure am jealous every time I see tall ceilings in shop photos. My new shop has 8' ceilings. It will work but I will be improvising to move and store long lumber and plywood. The issues of ventilation, vac location, and storage are real.


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

Well it sounds like 8' ceilings have been thoroughly spit on, haha. Doesn't change a thing for me but only because I have 9 and 11' ceilings in other areas more suited to the work I do there. The largest work a hobbyist will do, like bed rails, bookshelf units and workbenches, are all between 6 and 7' in length. No problem for me to turn end for end at the table saw. Anything larger or longer than that is broken down before it comes into the shop or at the RAS. A warm comfortable place for the hobbyist.

There is no doubt it all depends on the type of work you are doing. Specialty work, production work for a small going concern etc. definitely 10 or 12' ceilings. A turner can comfortably do mountains of fine work with 8' ceilings, but if he is going to turn a 54' X 4' column like this guys father https://hobbyworkshopprojects.blogspot.com/2018/09/secrets-of-production-turner.html (shameless link) then 12' ceiling is a must for material handling (hoist or forklift).

My workbench is 78" long. Preparing the top was more trouble setting up the planer for infeed and outfeed clearance for the 78" X 14" X 3 1/4" half top than ceiling height was. Can't remember hitting it once and my DC piping and flourescentes are all up there.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

A turner can get by with 6' ceilings and recessed lights.


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## Zonker (Oct 22, 2018)

I finished my shop last August. I included 10' ceilings. The pro's are the ability to turn/ flip long boards at will, more wall space for shelves/cabinets/wood storage, and a general feeling of having more room to breathe, I haven't put in DC yet but I can see where the higher ceilings would also be a big bonus. The cons are: harder to service the light fixtures, maybe a little extra expense heating and cooling ( For me in North Texas, I run heat at 64 and cooling at 77). 
My advice would be to go with the extra height and you'll be happier. One caution though, check with your local building codes, the height of my shop was limited by the stand off from the property line and the height of my house (Shop can't be taller than the house). Good luck and post us some pictures when you're finished.


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

> A turner can get by with 6 ceilings and recessed lights.
> 
> - ibewjon


I said comfortably not walking around, stooped like a midget, waiting for a loose spindle to crack you across the head, haha.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

At 5' 10" that's 2"of clearance, how much do you need? Kind of like 15 amp circuts instead of 20 amp circuts!!!


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

My shop has 9' walls, which are set on about a 4" concrete sill around the perimeter - which makes 9' 4" from floor to the bottom of the trusses. I haven't hit the lights once turning over a board.

When I was talking to the builder, (who only builds garages and shops, not houses), I started by asking about 24×24. The price was too low. ;-) So, I asked about 24×40. That was ok, but I could afford more. So, I asked about 28×40 (which by the way, with "storage trusses" and a walkable roof slope also gives me almost 6' headroom in the center 7' of the attic). The price was pretty close to what I was thinking I might spend. I asked about 9' walls. "+$360", they said. Oh yeah! I'll buy that.

Now my shop is open studs, no insulation nor sheet rock. But the 136' perimeter could be lifted a foot for only $360. I since have thought that I should have asked for 10' walls, but I'm happy with what I have.

Still, if you want to cut tenons on the end of a long board (like a bed rail) on the table saw using a tenonning jig, the upper end of the board will pretty high.

-Paul


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

> At 5 10" that s 2"of clearance, how much do you need? Kind of like 15 amp circuts instead of 20 amp circuts!!!
> 
> - ibewjon


Whine whine, cry cry, bitch bitch, common man.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

hey if your building a shop why would you even want to go less than 10', the cost is minimal.


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

> My shop has 9 walls, which are set on about a 4" concrete sill around the perimeter - which makes 9 4" from floor to the bottom of the trusses. I haven t hit the lights once turning over a board.
> 
> When I was talking to the builder, (who only builds garages and shops, not houses), I started by asking about 24×24. The price was too low. ;-) So, I asked about 24×40. That was ok, but I could afford more. So, I asked about 28×40 (which by the way, with "storage trusses" and a walkable roof slope also gives me almost 6 headroom in the center 7 of the attic). The price was pretty close to what I was thinking I might spend. I asked about 9 walls. "+$360", they said. Oh yeah! I ll buy that.
> 
> ...


Sounds like a beautiful shop. Those dimensions would make any woodworkers mouth water. If you feel like I did when I built my previous shop you will want to go into production. Mine was smaller as noted in a previous post but had 10' ceilings. I never had it long enough to convince myself to go into production. I know what your saying about the tenons, I felt the same way about finger joint corners for beds at one time, in a low basement shop. Nowadays I like to cut tenons by hand. All of the tenons on my workbench were cut by hand, didn't take much longer than if I would have done them on the saw. The bandsaw helped out on the double tenons for the bottom stretchers.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> At 5 10" that s 2"of clearance, how much do you need? Kind of like 15 amp circuts instead of 20 amp circuts!!!
> 
> - ibewjon


In Alaska at 5'10 and a ceiling height of 6', in the summer time you'd be bumping your head on mosquitoes.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

And snow over you head in the winter. I know, not all of Alaska is snowy. I spent the winter of 83-84 at prudhoe bay.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

> Sounds like a beautiful shop. Those dimensions would make any woodworkers mouth water. If you feel like I did when I built my previous shop you will want to go into production. Mine was smaller as noted in a previous post but had 10 ceilings. I never had it long enough to convince myself to go into production. I know what your saying about the tenons, I felt the same way about finger joint corners for beds at one time, in a low basement shop. Nowadays I like to cut tenons by hand. All of the tenons on my workbench were cut by hand, didn t take much longer than if I would have done them on the saw. The bandsaw helped out on the double tenons for the bottom stretchers.
> 
> - Carlos510


It would be a more beautiful shop if it did not also serve as a storage building for a large family. There are 2 upright freezers near my table saw and various outdoor power equipment near the planer plus some furniture from my parents' house that I couldn't part with, plus my two large lumber racks. But I'm not complaining.


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## klassenl (Feb 13, 2011)

I was all set for 8' ceilings. Then when I got home the day all of my framing was delivered I noticed that my studs were all 10'. I phoned my general contractor who was helping me and he told me "I just ordered 10 ft material for you." Maybe the best thing he did for me


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## zzzzdoc (Mar 6, 2010)

My shop has 17' tall ceilings. I put in a raised access floor, so now they are 15'6". That has been quite a bear to cool, put up hoists, LED lighting, etc… So let's say that's too high. But having the DC and electrical run under the floor is fantastic.

My last shop had 9' ceilings. They worked, but hoists, and Jet air cleaners were lower than desired.

I really feel that 10' is idea. FWIW. IMHO.


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## rbrjr1 (Nov 2, 2017)

I've got an 8' X 8' sectional door in my shop, my ceilings are just over 9'. The rails for my door are close enough to one wall to make it an absolute PITA to put anything 8' high along that wall. I'd love it if my ceilings were 10', then I could lift the door closer to the ceiling and be able to use a smaller footprint for my sheet goods storage.

from a lighting standpoint, I'd rather have the lights higher off the work surfaces and brighter, than closer to the work surface. washing the room with multiple lights (which you can do more effectively with taller ceilings) will cut down on shadows cast on the work surfaces.

for heating my small shop, I can use a plug in heater, I run the air purifiers (located 12" below the ceiling) and they circulate the heat around the shop effectively..


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Instead of why how about why not. Why not have a 10 or 12 foot ceiling.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Gerry, did you come to a conclusion about the ceiling height you want yet?


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## farmfromkansas (Jun 16, 2019)

If you are building a new shop, you can now get 9' pieces of waferboard for boxing. Mine is 9' and I am happy with it.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

wow this is still going,how hard is this topic to figure out,10ft ceilings =*good* anymore questions-LMAO!!!.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> wow this is still going,how hard is this topic to figure out,10ft ceilings =*good* anymore questions-LMAO!!!.
> 
> - pottz


There is a post about sharpening pencils that is 52 posts deep. I figure this one is only half full.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> wow this is still going,how hard is this topic to figure out,10ft ceilings =*good* anymore questions-LMAO!!!.
> 
> - pottz
> 
> ...


ha ha,no topic too insignificant for lumber jocks-lol.


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