One of my requirements when we moved back to St. Louis was finding a house with a walk-in basement that had room for a shop. The unfinished basement in our St. Albans house met these 2 conditions. While my shop lacks natural light, it doesn’t lack space. It’s about 800 square feet. To make sure I had plenty of light I installed 10 large fluorescent fixtures and have task lighting I can move around for even more light. As the shop is directly under the family room, I wanted to insulate for sound (as well as for energy control). I filled every space behind the framing and all of the rafters with fiberglass insulation and covered the ceiling in acoustical tile. My wife can watch TV and I can run anything without disturbing her.
Since I hate dry walling (at least the sanding part), and wanted a more functional wall, I opted for painted plywood above a simple exterior paneling for a wainscoting effect. I made all of the trim with a few router bits and MDF stock. For electrical outlets, I opted for dual outlet boxes on 2 circuits. They are all positioned at bench height. Another circuit covers miscellaneous outlets for the retractable ceiling mounted power cord, the room air filtration and TV. I also include 2 240V circuits one for my dust collector and a second for my as-yet-to-be-acquired cabinet saw. I also plumbed my air compressor and have a centrally located retractable air hose.
I converted one of the recesses left by the upstairs fireplace foundation into a cabinet, and one corner as a closet. The insulated closet also contains the air compressor so I don’t have to listen to hit as it cycles.
