Need advice for converting weird garage!

[The Digital Dan]

I have a very weird garage that I want to convert to a wood shop. A picture is here. http://24.93.200.44:5150/pictures/Ne...wer-garage.jpg It is weird because there is another 2 car garage right above it, hence the girders. It is a standard 2 car garage in size with a one car garage door opening. Even though half the garage is buried in a hill, it is very dry and well sealed.

The center support girder is about 6'6" cause I just about hit my head on it when I walk by. So in a sense it is very short. My main reason for making my shop here is that the electrical panel is on the other side of the wall and easy to get to. I can't use either of my other two garages cause the one above it is just large enough for my two cars and couldn't fit any equipment in and the other single car unattached garage won't return to my possession for a few more months and would require $2k worth of electrical work to convert over.

My main question, what suggestions are there for dealing with the ceiling? The girders and such make an excellent place for spiders and such and makes it less than useful for assebly work. Is it a good ideal to do a drop ceiling to trap any dust, cob webs, or "crawly things"? I'm still another 5 years away from building my own house, so I have to make do for now with what I have. My Unisaw gets delivered next week :)

[Larry Rine]

Dan,

If it were me, I would save the cash for lighting. From the photo, it looks like you could use some more lights. The girders are perfect for hanging lights and the DC system duct work too. You can also use the girders for hang drying frames or any other small projects.

Drop ceilings are good if there are things above it you want access to... (like pipes, duct work, and stuff you would find in most basements). Probably not ideal for your situation.

Drywall comes to mind, it would make a nice clean look... but that's up to you.

If you can deal with the spiders and bugs (think of them as admiring your work), then I think you have a pretty nice setup as is.


Larry