Workshop - Starting the inside

It's been a while since my last update, but the lack of pictures doesn't mean no work has been happening.

I've known for a while that the 8' ceilings called for in the plans were going to be inconveniently low. (Especially given that I'm going to raise the floor 5" - see below.) My original plan was to just insulate between the rafters and then drywall the underside, giving me a cathedral ceiling. Fortunately, the roofer tipped me off that this would cause trouble with moisture build up unless I built and insulated the roof in a completely different way. Unfortunately, it was a bit late for that sort of change (and it would have added a lot of cost).

So, after some research, I found that I could raise the joists about 18" without risking the structure of the workshop. This still left me with enough of an attic that air can circulate properly while giving the extra headroom I wanted.

Once that was done, it was time to wire up the workshop. The electrical inspection was a bit depressing - a couple minor issues with what I had done and eight problems in how the professional had wired the workshop into the house. I was able to fix everything up though, and I got my electrical inspection passed.

After that, it was time for insulation and vapour barrier. Figures - get the place insulated just as the weather starts to get warm. I must have done something right though - as the summer heat is starting, the workshop is staying comfortably cool with just the windows and the skylight open.

Another part of my plan was to put in a raised floor. I wanted this so that I could get some insulation between my feet and the concrete, and so that I would have space to run power and dust collection to the table saw under the floor. Originally I was going to lay 2x4 sleepers with plywood over top, but with the high density styrofoam insulation, the recommendation is to lay down a layer of insulation and just put the plywood over top. That made the job a lot easier.

Finally it was time to hang the drywall - the end is in sight! As I mentioned before, I have to use firecode drywall, and that stuff is heavy (80 pounds a sheet). Fortunately, I've had mom, dad, and Christine around to lend a hand at the points where I couldn't support a sheet and drive the screws in at the same time.

Next up - mudding! (I don't think Emma believed me when I told her I was going to put mud on the walls.)