Everyone needs someplace to tinker. Some people use their desks, some use their garages, some use the kitchen counter and table when their garages were impossible to navigate (that would be my dad, Fred Sanford). Here's where it gets problematic, my family moved from a large home (a geek haven with computers and tools around every corner and more stacked in the recesses) to a small home. I lost my 2 car man cave... Now to give an idea of scale, 2,200 sqft with 2 car garage to a 864 sqft stilt home with a carport underneath and 2 storage rooms.

The carpenter in me was screaming, "Where are we going to put the table saw? How can this work?". I was in agreement all around. It is a small house, but so far it is just me, my wife and our beautiful 1 year old daughter. It's small and easy to take care of and gives us a sense of closeness, because we are... However, where will my tablesaw go? I have an enormous 4x8 work table and lots of tools. So begins the renovations to make this smaller space functional.

To give you a sense of the space, the house is a rectangle with the skinny end facing the street. The driveway leads from the street, underneath half of the rectangle all the way from the covered porch to the back. The other half of the rectangle is enclosed and is divided into two rooms. Each room has only 1 outlet, 1 door, 1 window, and a closet. One room has a ceiling light, and the other has none. The following posts in the Workshop Series, will involve the evolution of these spaces into; a workshop, a bathroom, and space for family and friends.

I will be adding in some sketches to illustrate the issues I have been facing. See you soon!

-Handy Andy