How to Build a Shop With Living Quarters

The term "shop" or "workshop" designates a building with limited environmental controls, which is designed for specific work tasks. Shop work is typically noisy, and shops are heated or cooled minimally, only while work is taking place. When building comfortable living quarters onto an existing noisy workshop, special attention should be paid to the construction features, specifically the walls in between the shop and the living quarters, and the electric and HVAC controls.

Building blueprints
6 inch fiberglass insulation
Fire rated drywall
Fire rated steel doors
2 inch thick rigid foam insulation
Standard construction tools, equipment and supplies

Instructions

- 1
  Consult the local building codes and determine if any other specific regulations apply when adding living quarters onto a commercial or industrial shop. In many cases, specific building requirements require specialized equipment or construction features.
- 2
  Build a minimum six inch thick wall between the shop area in the living quarters. Traditional walls are constructed from 2-by-4 studs. By using a six inch thick wall, additional sound-deadening insulation can be built into the wall cavities. If the living quarters are above the shop, add six inch Kraft-faced installation between the floor joists as a sound-deadening barrier, and then screw two inch thick rigid foam insulation over the floor joists before installing the subfloor.
- 3
  Evaluate the HVAC systems of the shop and the living quarters. These two facilities will be inhabited at different times of the day and with differing frequency. Therefore the planned environmental controls should involve individual HVAC systems. Shop systems are used only during the shop's operation, while the living quarters are consistently maintained throughout the 24-hour day.
- 4
  Install 5/8 inch fire rated Type X drywall on both sides of the wall separating the shop and the living quarters. If the shop wall is already covered with drywall, add a second layer of the 5/8 drywall over the existing wall covering. Walls built to these specifications provide a minimum one hour flame barrier in the event of a fire.
- 5
  Install fire rated metal doors between the shop and the living quarters. The fire rated metal door provides the living quarter occupants with a one hour flame barrier in the event of a shop fire emergency.
- 6
  Install a separate electrical circuit load panel for the living quarters. Also recommended is the installation of a second electrical meter. By keeping these two systems separate, the electricity used in each environment can be accurately measured. Since electrical codes for residential applications generally allow lighter duty wiring, by separating these two systems, construction costs can be diminished for the living quarters.
- 7
  Construct the remainder of the living quarters to any existing residential home building standards.

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