Air Conditioning

[kodydog]

How many of our Southern (and northern) friends work without air conditioning during the summer months? My garage doesn't have one but we plan to add one when we expand it but don't know when that will happen. There are no windows to add a small one unless I knock a hole in the wall so I'm suffering through it. It got up to 99* one day last week.

[sofadoc]

This one only needs a 6" round hole to run an exhaust duct through. It runs on 110 VAC.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Honeywell-14000-BTU-550-sq-ft-Portable-Air-Conditioner-with-Heater/999901015


It's rated to cool 550 sq. ft., but in my experience, that rating is slightly exaggerated. Still though, it will probably get your garage down to 80 degrees.
I used one for a while. It did an adequate job.

A couple years ago, I spent 10 grand on a new AC unit on my roof. But the AC guys caused leaks by stomping all over my foam roof. So I had to pay 14 grand for a new roof. Then another 7 grand to have it redone because they did such a lousy job the first time.

But now, I could hang meat in my shop if I wanted to. I have no patience for working with fabric while sweat is running down my face.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I have ac in my basement studio.  Half the time I wind up freezing as basements are cooler anyway.  Add ac into the mix and I start shivering early on in the day.  Go out with the dogs several times a day just to warm up half the time.

Virginia

[SteveA]

I think you may have mentioned expanding before - what do have in the works ? 

My work basement is 60 % all year round here in NY.   In the summer I run a dehumidifier - I empty the bucket once every two weeks. 
A good fan drawing the air out will help you but I agree with doc one of those portable units used now won't go to waste after you expand.

SA

[gene]

A timely topic for me. THANKS A LOT!!!  >:(

I had an AC guy in my studio yesterday.

The good news: the compressor lasted 26 years.

The bad news: the compressor lasted 26 years.

I'm not going to spend well over 10 grand for a new one for a place I rent. Yes, I'm responsible for the AC if I want it. What happens if I put a new AC unit in and I decide to move in a month, or new owners buy the place and tell me to leave. I could take it with me but what would that cost and where would I put it.

I bought a portable AC like sofaD showed and it keeps cool air blowing on me if I'm in the air flow. I vent it into the back of my studio with the back garage door open. It's too small to cool my entire place. I'll be putting a window AC in the front and with the portable I have already have and the new window AC they will suffice.

It only use AC on the really hot days. Today was fine without it. Last week was not fine without it.

gene

[MinUph]

  Air conditioning is a necessity in Florida. Even up north in Syracuse I had a window unit in the wall of the shop. I hate dripping sweat of furniture.

  I put a window unit in the wall of our garage. Just cut the block out and it is cool now. Not a big deal to do.

[kodydog]

I think you may have mentioned expanding before - what do have in the works ? 

SA

We're still kicking around ideas. When we started this plan 2 years ago there were some good commercial deals on the market. It took us 1 year to get the house ready to sell and another year to sell it. We watched all those good deals get snapped up one by one. There is still a lot of commercial real estate available but most of it is over priced. Or I should say priced where our business cannot support the expense.

Our new house has a two car garage (two small cars). Its tight and I need more room. A lot of my tools are in a rental storage unit. Our lot is big enough to build a shop but Alachuia County code says an at home business on less then 3 acres must be attached to the house. This leads us to think maybe we should find a house on three acres maybe even one with a shop. We've been looking. We'll see.

Third idea and most affordable idea is to expand our two car garage out 19'. It'll still be a little tight but if I build another shed in the back yard it'll do. We've had our builder look at it and he's working up an estimate. But he can't get to it until the fall.

So for now I'm working in my two small cars garage with no air conditioning. I have gotten somewhat use to it. The good thing is we have plenty of work.

I Have thought about a through the wall air conditioner but every square inch of my walls are filled with tools or shelves for supplies.

[sofadoc]

So for now I'm working in my two small cars garage with no air conditioning. I have gotten somewhat use to it.

I've lived in Texas all my life.

As a kid, we had no A/C.

I never.....never........never........never.......never got used to it.

I used to soak a bed sheet in water, wrap myself up in it, and lay on the floor in a circle of box fans just to go to sleep. I usually got up in the middle of the night and re-soaked the bed sheet.

I'm sure that we could've had A/C, but it probably would've added 20 bucks to the electric bill.
I'd pay for A/C even if it was $1000 a month. It would cost me more than that in lost productivity. I wouldn't get any work done because I wouldn't even have the will to live.

[Darren Henry]

I picked up a unit similar to the one Doc linked to last summer because we had a hat wave that wouldn't cool of at night and my basement apt was turning into a sauna. Love it and it worked great with no fuss no muss---just stuck the hose out the window. For that size of shop I think one would be perfect.

Before I bought the A/C unit I used a dehumidifier in the apt. That really helped as well. We are used to a dry heat here on the prairies so if it gets muggy at all we get uncomfortable.

Alachuia County code says an at home business on less then 3 acres must be attached to the house

Gotta love building codes. Here the biggy is if your deck/shed/etc.. is >100 sq. ft. OR  attached you need a permit. Every one builds their deck 9'11 1/2" X 10' and put it 1/4" from the house. Unless you put A screw into the house you save the inspection and permit fees.

In your case can you expand toward the house and attach it with a breezeway like the old dog trot houses? I think a 15 foot screw to the side of the house might not qualify LOL.

[byhammerandhand]

I visited a guy a few years ago who had built a separate workshop (hobby, mostly, I think) in his back yard.  When the zoning inspector came, he said it was too close to the house.   The guy asked if he attached a portico, would that be ok, and yes, it was.   So he put up two 2x4s connecting the house to the shop.

Same town another friend put up a shop.  "Shop" was too big, but inspector said it could be a six-car garage, as long as it didn't have a bathroom.
,

Our lot is big enough to build a shop but Alachuia County code says an at home business on less then 3 acres must be attached to the house.

[gene]

Drones.

I've been reading where more and more cities are using drones to see what you've got going on in your back yard.

gene

[kodydog]

Great! So now I have to camouflage my shop and sit in my back yard with a shot gun. Hay, I could upholster the whole thing in Mossy Oak. Covert operation. Sure hope the CIA doesn't monitor this forum.

[kodydog]

When we lived in the sticks a guy would come around about every 4 years to see if any new buildings were put up. He would walk around the property and measure each out building and take notes. You never really own your  property as long as taxes are due. You can never go totally off the grid.

[byhammerandhand]

I had a new roof put on last month.   The guy that came out to do the estimate had a satellite photo of the house that showed all the dimensions and even the pitch so he knew exactly how many shingles it would take.

You can run, but you can't hide.

When we lived in the sticks a guy would come around about every 4 years to see if any new buildings were put up. He would walk around the property and measure each out building and take notes. You never really own your  property as long as taxes are due. You can never go totally off the grid.

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Check out the radar map on the online weather channels.  I was screwing around one night and I kept enlarging on Grand Island.  Next thing I knew, I saw our house, complete with our outdoor furniture on the front porch.  That freaked me out just a tad.  Then I decided to see what our old house in Leavenworth looked like.  So, I went to KS on the weather maps, found Leavenworth and did the same drill until our old house popped up.  Knew that it was a recent picture as there were about 5 junk cars parked in front of it and our two cars were always parked in their respective garage.  I was glad to see that most of the roses and lilacs I had planted were still there and looking good.

It is definitely weird how technology has changed our lives.  And not always for the better!

Virginia