Possible new Reloading Space/ House?

[Peter M. Eick]

19 ft by 13 ft. Tall roof, useless fireplace, hardwood floors, running water, kitchen, fridge, bathroom, shower, hot and cold water, full heat and AC. Full security system. Heavy wood construction, fire suppression, rock facade and structure support, all cement foundation below the hardwood floors.

No windows on the back wall, two windows on the front and one on the side. I can and do shoot off the porch but given it is a southern face I get a lot of sun in my eyes so I will find a better spot to blast in the future.

Short version is that the in-law house will possibly become my man-cave. No real need for an in-law place and we would rather have company stay in the main house. One side will get the guns and reloading, the other side my model trains. The sides are mirrors so it really does not matter which is which.

I do have to share with the neighbors.



They come right up to the sets and trim the grass and plants.

So while I am in no rush, do I compromise with this option or do I build a separate man-cave reloading place? Thoughts Opinions suggestions?

 

[Okcafe86]

Very jealous

 

[Nanook]

That looks like a really nice place to turn into a hobby area / man cave. Plenty of room with amenities, compared to the usual garage.

That would work for me. Have fun setting it up if you go that route.

 

[oneounceload]

Pool table in the middle with reloading gear set up along the walls.

 

[wlkjr]

Wucky wrascal.

 

[Savage Shooter]

your neighbors look tasty

 

[steelerdude99]

If it has it's own parking and 24/7 access, I would consider renting the place out for extra $$$. The extra $$$ can go to guns, loading supplies or even your non-shooting lifestyle.

 

[Dave P]

If you spend too much time there, your wife may declare it as your dog house!!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

So what your sayin is, you don't only have a room but a small house for your reloading and stuff! I thought I had it good taking part of the basement over, nope....

 

[SwaneeSR]

Wow. My reloading room is shared with a furnace, hot water heater, water softener and 24 years of valuable stuff being stored in plastic totes.



I need to upgrade. But how do you keep the spent primers out of carpet?

 

[TexasDon]

I'd jump on it myself.
My little shop I reload in is just 12 x 25 thats usable. It's actually 35' long but the rest is storage.
The extra appliances etc. would make it very nice to work in, just don't put a TV and a leather recliner in there or your wife will think your MIA..!!

I have the same neighbors as you, but they turn into pests after a while....Not to mention the other critters like Skunks & Bobcats
My dog hates both.....

TxD

 

[cfullgraf]

I

I have the same neighbors as you, but they turn into pests after a while....

Yes, these kinds of neighbors tear up my horse fences. Fortunately, my ponies are easy to catch.

If you have any opossums, please make them NOpossums. They carry bad diseases that affect horses. (We got lucky, catching the disease early and are finishing up a treatment on one of our horses).

Having a "mother-in-law" house for a reloading area would be great. All the comforts of home and separate from the main structure, I assume it is separate.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The more I look at the pictures the more i want to build a place off the back. Of course that will never happen because I can't finance a project like that but it's still nice to dream.

Man, that would be a great space to have especially because of the heat/AC, running water and security system. (especially the security system)

 

[stavman11]

You my friend... are an ASS

Just the thought of a seperate House for my Toys..... heck just my 30 RC Planes take up 1 room in our house

And the neighbors are sexy hot.... Jump on them as well

Id have my 6 TV's on One Wall, My reloading stuffs at the windows ta watch the neighbors... keg-O-Rator in the Kitchen..... and Barby on the Porch
Security system would be sweet ta warn me when the Wife is on her way over

DIALED!!

 

[BSA1]

[QUOTEIf you spend too much time there, your wife may declare it as your dog house!!][/QUOTE]

On the other hand it makes for a long marriage if you hardly ever see each other!!!

It looks too expensive for me. It would be costly for a big flat screen TV, leather furniture, fridge stocked with mandrinks for friends, long reloading bench filled with reloading supplies and several reloading presses, other bench for your train hobby, pictures and posters to hang on the walls....

er...

I got lost. What was I complaining about?

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Thanks for the advice and insight.

The house is about 80 ft from the main home. It is an "in-law" home built by the previous owners for their parents and relations. We are not encumbered that way so for us it is just an empty space that I shut down for the winter. Fridge is off, heat set at 40F and water shut down. If the wife wants me she can walk over easily. Or just yell at me when I come out on the porch to test a load.

Plenty of parking by the way. I could easily put 3 F350 crew cabs side by side at the main gate. 75 ft away I could drop a 52 ft semi trailer and still turn the tractor without backing up.

We are planning on building a garage and I don't want the full reloading room in the main house. I like the separate space so I can double my powder storage and stay legal.

The deal is I could have this place if I wanted it or I could wait and build out a custom place in the new garage but that may be a year or so until I can occupy it. This place just makes some sense to me but I think it is a bit small at 13 by 19 ft although I do like the rest of the amenities. If I wait on the garage, the current plan is 35 ft by 12 ft but I get complete control over the space. No running water though is the current plan which I think is an issue and why I am looking this way.

What I am thinking is a 13 ft long bench along the back (solid) wall and then bring it forward about 6 ft on both sides till I hit the kitchen on one side and the closet on the other. I would then put in industrial shelves along the rest of the walls and put the safes on the other half of the house and in the main house.

I am toying with a standing island in the center of the room made up of two 4x8 ft sheets of plywood to make a big 8 ft by 8 ft workspace/work bench. I would have to tape it out on the floor to see if I had enough walk space around it but that would make a nice staging work area to clean rifles and take things apart.

That way I can keep the bench spaces for only reloading and not compromise any projects at once.

Comments and thoughts?

 

[witchhunter]

Looks like you will have enough room for everything you need in there. Even that case of .357 maximum brass I've seen you post! I built a shop about 150 feet behind my house, it is 2700 square feet. My house is only 1500, my wife says I have my priorities straight! Oh she can just call you on your cell phone, mine does. That looks like a great place for your gun stuff by the way. Don't plant any rose bushes, deer think they are like crack, every time they bloom, they get pruned back in one night.

 

[mdi]

Reloading/gun room? Heck, I'd move in! If I had that as my "gun stuff room" my wife wouldn't see too much of me...

I think a few rounds out of the back door would scare off those "pests".

 

[horsemen61]

That would make a great man cave for sure

 

[GW Staar]

Pete,

Studying your pictures I have a few questions about your intentions.

If the room is 13' wide and you are going to return the bench on both sides, then assuming the bench is 2' deep, you will actually have a 9' bench and two 4' benches on each side making a "u" shaped reloading area. Correct?

Assuming the bench wall is pictured in the corner where the closet & fireplace is, I don't see 6' (or even 4') from the edge of the closet door to the corner, so I'm confused. Seems from your pictures an el-shape might work better....or maybe you are planning turn the closet into bench.

As for the 8'x8' island table....that's a lot of wasted space. I'd probably have it covered with junk all the time and have to clear off a space for a project. (yeah I'm messy when I have a project.)

What about an island wall with shelves to the ceiling on the side facing the bench and a 4x8 table (short side butting the wall) off the other. I'd double-top the table and hinge it length-wise, so I could fold it out to get 8'x8' but only when I need it. Otherwise is would be folded over and make more space.

I'd definitely use the space! What else is it good for? Also have you considered building the garage connected to this house? That would give you more room in the future and could even shorten the distance between the two buildings.

Happy for you....hope I have some money & health left when I get to retire....

I just built a "little garage" for a recently retired engineer......his hobby is restoring ancient trucks! It's huge! The three overhead doors are 12' wide by 16' high...we built a car lift inside one bay....the other is a separate painting bay. He also has a little wood shop in one room. No kitchen, just a 3/4 bath and a lounge/office. I shoulda picked engineering I think.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

GW,

You are correct, I don't have 6 ft on the closet wall. Closer to 2 to 3 so I made an error on that side. The other side I have the space as it is the same wall that the kitchen sink, oven and work space is on. So really I have an L where I could have about a 3 ft deep continuous bench that is 13 ft long by about 6 ft long and 3 ft deep all the way. That would be very similar in depth to the work space I have now and like it.

I agree with your second point after I taped it out. 8 ft square bench is too big as an island. I can't reach the middle if I do it. So 4x8 would be closer. Your idea of 4x4x2 (8 ft hinged) makes a lot of sense if I mount it between the windows on the front of the room so I can keep a big open area in the middle. Someone pointed out a lounge chair or two might be useful for sitting and reading a few minutes and that makes a lot of sense when I consider it. I do that at home. I just leave the work bench and go to the office to thinking and hit the references.

The garage has to be separate from the house. Just the way the lay of the land is. We will build that probably this summer or next spring. We need the 4 bays for the cars and trailer but we are planning 5 or 6 bays. One bay would have been reloading if I did not do this space. I am now getting pretty committed on this space for model trains on one side and shooting and reloading on the other.

The ranch was not something I was planning on buying. I was going to do land then build in when I retire but the opportunity presented itself and it worked so I took the gamble and bought it.

Any other suggestions or ideas? I really do appreciate the help and ideas!

 

[Blue Thunder]

I have a new Man Cave/Reloading Facility to build in the terrace level of my Retirement Villa. It is 28x20 feet in size and has a HVAC system that takes up an area 8x12 in that area off to one side. There is plenty of room for a 12Foot wide loading bench plus wall mounted shelves and a locker for things that need to be locked up, (primers and powder in two isolated areas). I have a scaled grid drawing of the area that I am using for planning of things. The hardest thing is finding benches big and strong enough to be used for reloading presses. I had them hand built at my last home and likely will have to get a repeat here. Fortunately I have many sources of input both here and in other sites to use.

 

[GW Staar]

Pete and Blue Thunder,
Here's another idea. In AR15.com in their tacked threads I posted a thread with plans on building a very strong yet simple to build wall anchored bench. (and inexpensive to boot)

You guys are welcome to use (or ignore) this method of course. The link is: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/319362_.html Like I said, it is tacked so there's no danger of losing it to archives.

What's unique about it is the method of resisting torque without a lot of expense, material, and framing in the way, using a torsion beam. I wanted to have knee space so I could use a drafting stool at each of my presses.....yet be able to add Drawer stacks wherever I want.

The only top framing required is the cleat against the wall and the massive front beam.....cross framing would be superfluous. Likewise any more than a single 3/4" plywood top would be wasted material. Top choices could be Formica like I did, or just use Hardwood veneered plywood. Matching 3/4"x1.5" hardwood edge finishes the job.

Here's an old picture of my bench built that way:

 

[Peter M. Eick]

That looks real nice. I was planning something similar just the length of the wall so I can have different stations active. One for Shotgun, One for Rifle and One big area for handgun. I hate having to move things around when I switch projects.

 

[GW Staar]

Notice the open drawer is fully extended? I used expensive Accuride heavy-duty full extension slides so that besides being able to carry sizable weight, I can lay a piece of plywood on top while it's open and open my books on it.....makes more space around a press.