Finally built a workshop! Ideas/opinions welcome!

[BoxerPitMix]

Planned on waiting until I moved back to Kentucky, but I think it'll just add to the resale of this house. I finally built a shop to play in! Hope you guys don't mind me sharing this here! Pretty proud of it! And don't really know anyone here since I moved to Texas... Had to share it with somebody! lol Also looking for ideas!
Actually had it built a few months ago, but I've been playing with it on the weekends and it's finally starting to come together.
It's 38'x60' - not including the horse run on the side. I was an independent contractor for years and really wish I could have built it myself as I would have saved a ton of $$$, but I really just don't have the time - not to mention I still don't know anyone around here to hire for help.

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The idea is just have a space large enough to easily store all my junk. I put a side door in the rear right side with a ramp so that I could back the horse trailer against the back wall and out of the way. It's also a piece of cake compared to backing in the front and then trying to position it against one of the side walls. Depending on how long I plan on staying here in Texas, I would LOVE to have a car lift in there one day!!!

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Next came the lighting... I'm a little obsessive when it comes to lights - especially if it's somewhere I plan on working. I do a ton of woodworking as well as wrenching on my junk and I wanted a well lit area to do it in.
I picked these up on Craigslist. $100 for all 6! 1,000 watt metal halides. Not the most efficient, but then again they're not going to be run all week... Maybe average a few hours on a weekend. Bulbs weren't cheap!

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I had every intention on putting all 6 up... Until I hooked one up. Holy crap, these things are bright! I ended up installing 3. The front one on one switch, the rears on another. These things pull some amps so I wired them 220.
This picture is at night with the doors closed. It's pitch black in there with the lights off. I'm just gonna hang on to the other 3 for parts in case I ever kill a ballast or anything.

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They were a nightmare to hang. The bucket on the tractor didn't go high enough - and my ladder wasn't quite tall enough... So this was my answer for hanging them. Wedged the Grizz against the bottom to keep it from sliding out from under me!

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[polar]

You got some balls going on that ladder. But nice shop


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[IOWNJUNK]

I wish I had that shop, or one half that size, or even a third.
Or the balls to get on that ladder.

 

[slippy3002]

Those lights suck! We have them at work and they do a horrible job.

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[BoxerPitMix]

Balls I dunno about... Maybe stupid? LOL I hate heights. Like get sick at my stomach and start sweating hate them... No matter how many thousands of times I've been on extension ladders, roofs, it never gets any easier for me. But with my job, I have to so I just try to look straight ahead or up and pretend I'm only a couple of feet off the ground!

Those lights suck! We have them at work and they do a horrible job.

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What problems have you had with them?
We have several of them at the plant I maintain as part of my job. They are only 400w, though. Aside from being a little power hungry and taking a couple minutes to fully ignite, they've been great.
The closest I could find to these lights from one of the vendors I use for work was around $450-500 without the bulb. For $100, I'm not complaining about them. They ignite every time (surprisingly quick) and at night time the entire shop is literally as bright as daylight. They won't see nearly as much runtime as they would in a warehouse or shop, so I don't see them dying on me anytime soon.
I've had trouble with MH lights igniting in cold weather... But that really isn't an issue here in the giant sauna they call Houston. LOL

 

[BoxerPitMix]

Here are a few other things I've done...

To the right of the front garage door when you walk in I built a small junk/tack room that I am going to put a saddle rack in. Off that I built a work bench with a shelf underneath. I plan on putting my compressor on top of the room in the corner and running it through a switch below so I can turn it off during the week. At some point I think I may run a shelf across the top of the work bench and put some lights beneath that. I tried to keep it somewhat simple... But when it comes to any woodworking or remodeling, I can't do plain. I'm sure it will get much more elaborate as time goes on

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Inside of room. I just built the little cabinet door to cover up the break box.

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On the opposite side near the entry door I put in a wash sink and counter. Next to that I stuck my $35 Craiglist refrigerator! Once again I only planned on building a counter and a couple of shelves on each side below it... And it turned into this LOL

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[IOWNJUNK]

Don't know the specs on those lights but they look like the ones we have at work. Went years constantly replacing them and watching them turn yellow or taking 20 minutes to ignite. Changed over to a different type of bulb/ballast (no clue on specifics) and haven't had a problem since, and they run 15 hrs a day 7 days a week. If I had them at home and only used them as needed they would likely last forever.


Houston summers SUCK, you should pick up a swamp cooler and park it in the doorway for those sticky late summer days.

 

[BoxerPitMix]

Don't know the specs on those lights but they look like the ones we have at work. Went years constantly replacing them and watching them turn yellow or taking 20 minutes to ignite. Changed over to a different type of bulb/ballast (no clue on specifics) and haven't had a problem since, and they run 15 hrs a day 7 days a week. If I had them at home and only used them as needed they would likely last forever.


Houston summers SUCK, you should pick up a swamp cooler and park it in the doorway for those sticky late summer days.

Aah, sounds like probably a bad ballast. You can also have problems with them I believe if you don't use the correct wattage bulbs for the ballasts.
I have 2 400w ballasts in the shop here at work I need to replace. They're old as dirt.

And yes, I hate the summers here. Last summer was my first and it was miserable. We've already had several days that have been so humid the concrete floor out the plant is soaking wet.
But, I was able to wear shorts nearly year round LOL Still isn't worth the summers to me... Or my 45 minute to an hour 11 mile commute to work. I wanna move back to KY or TN.

 

[slippy3002]

Balls I dunno about... Maybe stupid? LOL I hate heights. Like get sick at my stomach and start sweating hate them... No matter how many thousands of times I've been on extension ladders, roofs, it never gets any easier for me. But with my job, I have to so I just try to look straight ahead or up and pretend I'm only a couple of feet off the ground!



What problems have you had with them?
We have several of them at the plant I maintain as part of my job. They are only 400w, though. Aside from being a little power hungry and taking a couple minutes to fully ignite, they've been great.
The closest I could find to these lights from one of the vendors I use for work was around $450-500 without the bulb. For $100, I'm not complaining about them. They ignite every time (surprisingly quick) and at night time the entire shop is literally as bright as daylight. They won't see nearly as much runtime as they would in a warehouse or shop, so I don't see them dying on me anytime soon.
I've had trouble with MH lights igniting in cold weather... But that really isn't an issue here in the giant sauna they call Houston. LOL

They take about 10 minutes to ignite and turn yellow. The light is just to focussed in a single area.

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[twomanymontes]

Nice looking shop! And you do some nice work with the cabinets. I need a place like that, but no room to build or money to rent.