Inside My 3000 Sq Ft Dream Workshop

The journey to finding our ultimate creative haven has taken an unexpected, yet incredibly exciting, turn! Many of you were understandably surprised when we announced our decision to purchase a new property and put our beloved Maryville home on the market. After all, our Maryville house and its accompanying garage workshop were supposed to be our forever space, the final destination for all our endeavors. The plan was set, and moving again wasn’t even a flicker on the horizon.

However, as my business evolved and expanded, it became clear that a standard garage workshop, no matter how cherished, was no longer sufficient. My work – the intricate process of renovating, building bespoke pieces, sharing knowledge, and generating online content – demands more than just a dedicated space; it requires an environment designed for growth, innovation, and serious capacity. We initially explored the idea of building a custom workshop from the ground up, but then fate intervened. We discovered THIS place, a property that not only met every single item on my workshop wishlist but surpassed them in ways I hadn’t even dared to dream. Taking the leap felt absolutely right, a pivotal step towards unlocking the next level of my creative potential.

Defining the Dream: Our Essential Workshop Wishlist

Before we stumbled upon this incredible find, I had a very specific vision for my ideal workspace, a wishlist carefully crafted to support and elevate my growing business. This wasn’t just about having more square footage; it was about creating a highly functional and inspiring environment for woodworking, finishing, and content creation. Here’s what was at the top of that list:

• A Separate, Dedicated Structure: Crucially, the workshop needed to be a standalone building, completely independent from our main residence. This separation is vital for minimizing dust, noise, and chemical fumes from interfering with our living space, while also allowing for distinct working hours without disturbing home life.
• Defined Work Zones: My process involves both heavy-duty construction and delicate finishing. Therefore, the workshop required at least two distinct, isolated rooms. One area would be dedicated to “building” – the realm of sawdust, cutting, and assembly – ensuring that dust and debris were contained. The other would serve as a “finishing” room, a pristine environment essential for painting, staining, and applying protective coats without contamination.
• Ample Space for Creativity: While I didn’t have an exact number in mind, I envisioned a generous footprint, ideally around 1500 square feet. This would provide enough room for larger tools, material storage, and multiple simultaneous projects without feeling cramped or inefficient.
• Integrated Living/Flex Space: An upper level was a highly desired feature, offering the potential for a versatile “living space.” This could serve as an office, a break area, or even a future guest suite, adding immense value and flexibility to the property.

Why We Chose to Buy an Existing Structure Over Building New

Our initial strategy involved purchasing raw land and constructing a custom workshop from scratch. We spent considerable time exploring various parcels, but consistently encountered prohibitively high land prices, especially for properties that were just land. This made the prospect of building a truly custom, expansive workshop feel financially daunting. I never truly expected to find an existing workshop that perfectly aligned with my demanding requirements. The more realistic scenario seemed to be finding a property with an existing house on a suitable plot, where we could then embark on building a separate workshop.

Imagine our astonishment, then, when we discovered not just a property with land, but THE WORKSHOP of my dreams, perfectly situated on 11 of the most breathtaking acres I could ever have wished to own! This wasn’t just a compromise; it was an upgrade, offering an immediate solution to my workspace needs combined with the natural beauty and privacy we craved. The decision shifted from building new to seizing an unparalleled opportunity, and it has proven to be one of the best choices we’ve made for the future of Sawdust Girl.

Unpacking the Details: What Makes This My Dream Workshop (and More)

This property isn’t just a workshop; it’s a testament to destiny. It doesn’t merely check off items from my meticulously crafted wishlist; it elevates them, offering features and potential far beyond what I initially envisioned. Let’s delve into the specifics that make this space truly extraordinary:

• Expansive Workshop Space: The lower level alone is a colossal achievement, spanning just over 3000 square feet. This generous footprint provides an unparalleled amount of room, ensuring I have more than enough space to grow into, accommodate new tools, larger projects, and evolving creative endeavors for decades to come. It’s a canvas for ambition.
• Optimized Workshop Configuration: Beyond the sheer size, the layout is remarkably functional. It features my absolute requirement of two separate rooms, but then expands on that with a wealth of additional spaces.
  • Two Large Loading Bays: This is a game-changer for workflow and dust control.
    • The first bay is designated for “building” – the heart of all my sawdust-producing operations. This is where cutting, milling, and assembly will happen, allowing the inevitable mess to be contained to a single, easily manageable area.
    • The second bay is thoughtfully separated and isolated from any sawdust, creating an ideal environment for painting, staining, and all finishing processes. This prevents airborne particles from settling on delicate finishes, ensuring a professional-grade result every time.
  • Five Additional Dedicated Rooms: Beyond the main bays, the lower level boasts five extra rooms, each offering immense potential.
    • Initially, these will serve as crucial storage for tools, materials, and personal items as we settle in and begin renovations on the main house.
    • However, their long-term vision is far more exciting. These rooms can be transformed into specialized zones for specific tasks or skills. I’m already envisioning possibilities like a dedicated metalworking area, a precise CNC routing room, or even a photography studio for capturing my finished projects. The acquisition of a kiln by a friend has even sparked the intriguing idea of delving into pottery, proving the versatility of these bonus spaces.
• The Upper Level: Unlimited Potential: Mirroring the immense footprint of the workshop below, the upstairs also offers a sprawling 3000 square feet. This vast area is slated to become a comfortable, stylish living space. Initially, it will serve as our temporary home during the deconstruction and reconstruction phases of our main residence. Once our primary home is complete, this upstairs apartment will transform into an invaluable asset, perfect for accommodating guests, offering a private retreat for family, or even serving as a potential rental unit.
• Robust, Industrial-Grade Construction: One of the most reassuring aspects of this property is its incredibly sturdy construction, truly “built like a tank.”
  • The lower level features an incredibly massive and robust concrete block construction. This provides exceptional durability, insulation, and stability, ideal for a heavy-duty workshop environment.
  • The upper level is characterized by steel framing and a metal roof, imparting a distinct industrial or commercial feel. While this type of construction is new territory for me, requiring a significant learning curve, its inherent strength and longevity are undeniable. I recognize there’s much to learn before tackling the upstairs renovation, but thankfully, the lower level presents a wealth of projects to keep me busy until I’m ready to ascend.

The Heart of Creation: Our Future Sawdust Making Bay

Currently, the largest of the two main workshop bays is serving an important, albeit temporary, role as a storage facility. It’s holding a significant portion of our belongings from the Richwood house, along with a considerable collection of my friend Julie’s items. This interim phase is essential for organization and planning, but my ultimate goal is to transform this bay into the ultimate “sawdust making” sanctuary.

The first priority is to address and rectify the water and mold issues in the rear sections of the workshop. Once these critical repairs are completed, we’ll systematically relocate all the stored items to those newly remediated areas. This will finally clear the main bay, allowing me to implement a super-organized layout and configuration for all my woodworking machinery and workstations. The anticipation of having a dedicated, expansive space where I can unleash my creative “making” without constraint is truly exhilarating!

The Precision Zone: Our Future Finishing Room

To ensure a highly efficient and organized transition, we meticulously relocated all other tools and supplies from my previous Maryville workshop into “Bay 2” of the new facility. This strategic decision serves a dual purpose: it allows me to systematically build out and optimize Bay 1 (the sawdust room) without being hampered by clutter, and it ensures that items are only brought into Bay 1 once a specific, designated home has been prepared for them.

Our packing and moving strategy for Bay 2 was meticulous. We carefully stacked bins and boxes, creating clear, navigable aisles. This ensures that I can reasonably access any item without having to engage in extensive digging or tiresome rearranging every single time something is needed. This level of foresight is a direct result of lessons learned from past, less organized moves.

I must extend immense gratitude to Wes, who was instrumental in the entire packing and moving process. His dedication to organization was truly invaluable. Every single bin and box was meticulously labeled, with only logically grouped items placed together. This rigorous approach was a stark contrast to our last move, which, to be frank, left me on the verge of tears and frustration, struggling endlessly to locate anything. Wes was determined to ensure this transition was as smooth and stress-free as possible, and his efforts have certainly paid off, setting us up for incredible efficiency in the new finishing room.

Exploring the Rear: Beyond My Workshop Bays

Venturing beyond the main workshop bays, we enter a central hallway that serves as a vital connective tissue within the lower level. To the left, a door provides direct access to the outside, while to the right, a staircase ascends to the loft space above. We’ve recently undertaken significant landscaping work, clearing out dense trees and overgrown bushes around the side door to create a much more accessible and welcoming entry point.

Our long-term plan is to configure this area so that individuals accessing the upstairs apartment or the various back rooms can do so without needing to traverse through my active workshop space. This thoughtful design ensures a clear separation of functions, preserving the sanctity and privacy of my creative environment – just the way I prefer it!

The Five Auxiliary Rooms: Unleashing Their Potential

Still on the expansive first level, we encounter a series of five additional rooms, each presenting unique challenges and exciting opportunities for transformation. These spaces will play a crucial role in our overall organization and the future functionality of the property.

The first of these is a sizable storage room, currently serving as a repository for various knick-knacks and miscellaneous items. Due to the ingenious design of the staircase, which wraps around this area, there’s a substantial amount of under-stair storage available. This hidden gem will undoubtedly become an incredibly valuable asset once we’ve had the chance to sort and organize everything efficiently. This particular room also features an existing cedar closet, which, despite its traditional charm, I will likely be removing to maximize usable space and align with my modern design vision.

Adjacent to this, we find a decent-sized room (Room 2) that connects directly to an even smaller room (Room 3). Room 3 is roughly the same size as the cedar closet found in Room 1. What’s particularly interesting about this smaller room is that its walls appear to be primarily constructed from solid cement blocks. Given this robust construction, I have no intention of demolishing this one; its sturdy nature suggests potential for specialized use, perhaps for housing sensitive equipment or materials that require a consistent environment.

The final two rooms, Rooms 4 and 5, are the ones I candidly referred to as the “ICKY ones” in my previous post. While challenging, they are now well on their way to recovery. Room 4, though needing attention, isn’t quite as severe as its counterpart.

However, Room 5 was the undisputed epicenter of the problem, the room with the actual, active leak! The extent of the damage here necessitated a comprehensive and meticulous cleanup.

I’ve personally undertaken the arduous task of removing all the compromised materials: the moldy floor tiles, the water-damaged ceiling tiles, the decaying doors, and all the other unsavory debris left behind by the previous sellers. This was not for the faint of heart; I genuinely felt nauseous on more than one occasion, almost losing my lunch twice while working in there! To ensure my safety, I initially relied on disposable P100 masks, discarding one after each work session. However, recognizing the persistent odors and the intensity of the task, I recently invested in a new, heavy-duty respirator equipped with P100 filters that also incorporate odor-absorbing capabilities. I am optimistic that this enhanced protection will make the remaining work considerably more tolerable and safer.

The Upstairs: A Future Vision, Still a Mystery

The upper level of this remarkable building, mirroring the 3000 square feet of the workshop below, holds an extraordinary promise. However, for now, this vast expanse will largely remain a visual mystery. This particular project is still quite a distance on the horizon, too far off for me to effectively articulate, communicate, or even defend my ambitious “vision” for it just yet. Trust me, the plans are grand, but the current reality is, shall we say, a significant contrast.

Seriously though, I have a clear blueprint in my mind for what this space will become, and I recognize it will be an undertaking of monumental proportions. But I am absolutely convinced it will be nothing short of AMAZING! At this stage, I’m simply not ready to attempt explaining how I intend to transform the current “crapfest of confusing and ugly” into the stunning apartment it’s destined to be. Every single person (and by that, I mean the four brave souls) I’ve walked through the upstairs has been left rather slack-jawed and utterly overwhelmed by its present state. Their reactions, though comical, underscore the scale of the transformation required.

So, for the time being, let’s collectively set aside our anxieties about that upper realm. Our immediate focus, and the subject of much imminent hard work, remains the bottom 3000 square feet. I have a substantial amount of work to complete on the workshop level before it’s even fully functional or truly useful. Ha! I force a laugh through gritted teeth, because deep down, the excitement of the challenge is already building, even with the daunting tasks ahead. heehheeeheheheee.