Mini Workshop Build (transforming a dumpy garage into my boat-building shop) 

Sometimes I go sit in my workshop with Rhonda my cat and look around enjoying how I have it set up. Don't need to touch a tool, just sit and enjoy the calming space. Great job on getting your space organised, it will definitely pay dividends on the boat build.

The first boat I built was nerve-wracking! The following three were much more fun.

This episode was filled with wise decisions, great choices, good lighting and heat. What more could you ask for? Great Job, Emma!

Super smart idea using the filing cabinets! Crazy how much you’ve grown as a builder. Keep killin it friend

You might try one of those Chinese diesel heaters 8kw. Run the exhaust through an outside wall. Make a large hole and make a metal collar so as not to set the wall on fire. Really enjoy your videos. Good luck with your new build!

Great job, Emma! Get a can of spray foam and fill all the cracks in the walls you can see daylight through and cover the round exhaust hole in the wall (maybe foam it first and then cover). Small investment, but big return on keeping the wind, damp, and cold out while helping to hold the heat in 😀👍!!

Way to set yourself up for success and longer workdays in the cold and dark season! Just one suggestion -- that Dreo may be great for an insulated or finished indoor space, but I suspect it will go through tons of electricity and send your bill thru the roof using it in your workshop. Better idea would be to get a small propane fire-pit. Not sure where you are, but if it gets really cold you'll be glad you did and likely save $$$ in the long run. As for dealing with miscellaneous items, just cut the bottom quarter or third off a jug of winsheild washer fluid and voila -- a plastic basket for all the little paraphenalia. Cheers!...from North Vancouver

A little organization can go a long way when it comes to productivity. Also don't underestimate the usefulness of a simple screw sticking out of a wall stud for hanging stuff like your level or anything that has a hole in it.

I would be very tempted to cover the walls at least with craft/tar paper or a semi-permiable house wrap. Even cutting the wind is going to make a huge difference. Probably 2hrs work and can be ripped down even faster if a landlord is not into it some day. Amazing differences in unheated warehouses I've been in if a small section is even walled off with thin plastic and heated.

Nice job on the workshop. I always think that being organized makes everything go a lot smoothier.👍

A well organised workspace is very helpful for any project. 😍You might need more of the pegboard, because if you have several tools hanging in front of each other, following Murphys law you will always need the tool that is covered by all the other tools😁

Hey Emma one tip don’t leave a gap between the counter top and wall ,thing will fall down there trust me, a 2x2 will be very helpful

Well done Emma, I never would have thought of using the filing cabinets, but seeing how you have used them it totally makes sense. And I am glad to see you have eye protection.

Your doing great so far. I suggest getting a 12g extension cord (actually get 2 if you can afford them), one with an light in the end to tell you that you have power. When you blow the fuse, the light in the extension cord will go out, I promise that will save you from having to chase your tail to find the problem. The heavier gage wire will help protect all your devices from under voltage from the long cord. At some point, you will want two lines, each from a different circuit, the heater will need it's own when it is on high. And you might need a second heater, especially using any paints or epoxy.

After watching this video, I guess I will be following your boat build after all. I live in a townhome and having a space like this has always been a dream. You are filling, arranging, and utilizing this space almost exactly as I would if I had one. If for nothing else, I'll be watching it for that. I see all these other RU-vidrs that have workshops that seem to be staged by designers and don't feel real at all to me. Thanks for realism.

Lighting is soo important, especially multiple sources so you don't fight your shadow. Your shop is looking great!

Workspace preparation is an important step. You did a great job. 👍

What a fantastic idea for a work bench and storage space

Cover the walls and ceiling with this queen to help keep the cold out some form of vapor barrier is what you need anything to keep the draft down. You don’t have to insulate the whole thing because it’s not your garage anyway.

One of the houses I'm currently working at put down drywall on the garage floor just as a protective layer while all the works been done on the house. it would help with the uneven concrete and its relatively cheap compared to some other options. :)

Very nice upgrade to the shop. Thank you for sharing. Maybe a diesel heater would be best for your needs. HF LED lights are wonderful and very inexpensive for the light they produce. I have several of them in my shop. Everyone stay safe, warm, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

yaaaaaay emma is back! i love how you find a project and say screw it and jump in and get to it!

I love how you leveled your work surface. How clever!

I’d suggest getting an old bar fridge…nonfunctional is fine as it won’t be running…to keep your paints, caulks and glues in. Freezing of any of these materials will make them fail and the insulated box will help keep them from freezing when the heat is off.

your new garage is looking great, you're so organized, way 2 go Emma !! ❤

Yea! Emma video day

having a proper work area is a must to build a boat Think of it has building a box Study the plans sure they are designed for the average person Details on materials needed How to get the boat squared,etc Also, contact company support if needed WE KNOW you can do it

Emma screw a piece of 2 by 4 along the back edge of the bench top to stop stuff falling off the back ,doing a great job girl

I think you were smart to create an organized work space, it makes all the difference when you're working on a project (I'm saying this from experience).

You are so creative. Love those lights.

I have found laser levels are super handy as they self level the lines and give you horizontal and vertical reference lines. A lot easier to handle than the big spirit level you have. Also works well when you are trying to create neat straight lines when cutting, set it at the start of the line and draw the lines along the laser line.

Hello Miss Emma, glad to see you getting started!!!

congrats on the workshop. oh the feeling to have a dedicated workspace and dedicated places to put your tools its so good! wishing you smooth work. in the colder days when you are in your workshop put some pallets on the floor to stand on them to lift you up from the ground so you dont feel as much cold breeze to your legs.

Good start. That place has tons of potential. ❤

Great Job Emma I think being organized will help a lot also don’t forget to cover that hole! 😂

Looks good. As for peg board, I found huge 4x8 sheets at lowes cheaper than the small stuff. An I dont know if you want to budget for it, but a 3d printer is great for making baskets for odd shaped things on a peg board. Usually others have made the files already, just download, slice an print. Its a useful tool once you have an excuse to buy one. I print templates, drill bit guides, clamps an other random tools I need all the time. Its a time suck in itself through.

Emma; You should put up some light weight plastic tarps or thick plastic drop cloth on the inside of the walls of the garage/workshop to hold in the heat from your heater so You won't turn into a "Emma Popsicle" while You're working!😁😸😹

That round hole looks like it's for a wood-burning heater. Put plexiglass over it for natural light 😊

Just a thought for supplemental/backup heat. Remember the diesel heater installed on Birbie? That stove pipe sized hole in the wall could be utilized with the diesel heater.

Nice to hear good music, not bump and grind.

Hi Emma While you might think that this isn't "doing anything on the project", this is actually the best way to start. Getting your workspace organized will go a long way to helping your build. It's going to save you a lot of frustration and down time.

Emma a little tip with your cordless tools get some 3 inch poly pipe cut pieces 12 inches long cut a u shape in one end screw to wall facing outwards at a 20 degree angle then slide your cordless tool in each piece they will be out of the draws not lying around and easily accessable cheers from down under

You are quite the inspiring young woman. You're videos are very enjoyable and I look forward to following our new project. Cheers from Oregon.

Get yourself a couple of power cord strips so you can keep stuff plugged in that needs to be plugged in so you’re not messing around with it saving yourself sometime

Good to see you Emma! I want to say Happy Holidays to you and yours. 😁 E

Awesome keep it up, looking forward to see your boat build begin😊 Your garage reminds me to the place where I did some renovations for my winter project car some years ago. You definitely make the best out of that place✌️

Don't know how much money you want to pour into the space, but if you want the floor to be level and fix the cracks, look into liquid floor putty (think that's what it's called in English). It's basically liquid cement that you pour and it floats out, covers the floor and levels itself. Great for garages, workshops, etc.

Nice organization Emma. Makes working on things so much better. See you on the next one.

This is going to be so exciting to follow.

🎉 Good for you! This is a great start! Keep it up! The skills you are gaining are going to be so handy in the future!

Might wanna put screws in the middle stud behind your pegboard

I organize like a hoarder so this was inspiring

Great Video and Great Job on your work shop 👍

I always keep my tomato basil bisque in the top left drawer of my tool chest, for easy access.

I hope your extension cord is rated for the power you're planning to draw. I'm not an expert in electricity, but that's one thing I would ask about. It's not the biggest heater, so there might not be any problem. But if it's a heater, plus lights, plus power tools, then it might be more dangerous. How wide will the boat be? You have enough space length-wise, but how much space width-wise? I assume you'll have to maneuver around it quite a bit. Can't wait to see how it will shape up! This houseboat (or boathouse?) will be quite the learning experience. I'm sure it will help you for the next project, the housesubmarine!

That's a great starting point. Thank you for sharing Emma. 🙂

Oooh Emma, what a great start of this weekend! I just love to see you at work and thinking ahead how to improve this build. You’re more more looking like a pro and acting like a pro. So inevitably you’re becoming a pro according to me. Beauty&brains& humor is an awesome combination and you have it all. Merry Christmas and a happy NewYear bc I don’t know if you’ll make another episode this year. Sure hope so. 👏👋from 🇳🇱

Love watching you, and you work well with what you have ❤

Nice job. Its a pleasure to work in an organized space 😊

Emma Dunno if anyone has given you this tip: Go to HD and get a 4 x 8 sheet of styrofoam insulation. Lay in on top of whatever cutting board you use, then when you cut through sheet materiel you can scar up the styrofoam. It saves your cutting surface and causes less wear and tear on your blades. Hope this helps. Good Good Luck on your build.

You know some of those tools you can actually the cabinets that you got behind there. The green cabinets, they might, they make plywood pieces, people cut notches in them to where you can't slide your grill straight in tomb and you can take another section and you cut a piece of plywood and where the metal plate is on the skill song. You lay it up on there and where it fits between the motor and the sticking out, pass the motor on each side. You cut your plywood a nonsense that I'll slide right into and then your skill soul will hang upside down and slide right up into it, and then they people make little chills under it for the batteries and you slide your battery chargers in there. I want to angle, put the shelf in an angle with a board down to bottom to hold them on, and then you take that and you hook your battery chargers up on that. And then you just reach up very little and since you got that board sitting down here to bottom. Your battery is consent at an angle home bat. As long as you make it tall enough that your batteries won't phone off at the bottom. So just like a shoe rack

I was going to give you a long list of improvements and better ways to do what you did... but I just realised... you did it! And moving forward is such a powerful thing... well done you. Please, before you put together you actual boat pieces... get things really really flat and level. I promise, every hour you spend getting your foundation level will pay you back... saving days and days of trying to fix stuff that would come out wonky. If it were me I would borrow a couple of big RSJs (steel beams) to put on the floor to build on.

12:30 get someone in to do electrics in the garage so that you don't need to run the extension cables back into the house, depending on if your landlord will allow it

You are the most ❤adorable, authentic person on RU-vid

What a great idea getting those filing cabinets to make bench and tool storage. Looking forward to seeing your progress on the houseboat .

You should install a wood stove in your garage. The hole in the wall behind you when you’re making your closing remarks at the end of the video looks like it was from a stove pipe. Just a thought! Good luck.

Hey hun you might want to cover up your holes and gaps in the walls of your garage before your tools get wet or draw moisture and ruin them. Not being sarcastic this just comes from experience. Love your channel very much! Stay positive and enjoy life!

Nice workshop, better than mine.Love the filing cabinets.

You’re off to a good start. Best Of Luck!

Looks great Emma! I watched while trying (maybe succeeding) to clean my shop to get back to work on MiniD ! New job and many interruptions left the shop as a dumping zone! Watching ou go offerred good encouragement! BestRoy

Workshop looks good for what it is. May I suggest your next piece of equipment? You will be cutting alot of miters and compound miters and angles! You can fight through all this with the saws you have,,or you can do the intelligent thing and buy a medium sized compound miter slider saw!I've used nearly every choice there is. Mostly this is a get what you pay for. Milwaukee,,Dewalt,,Metabo,,all excellent, expensive good equipment. On the other end of the scale is Harbor Freight 8 inch compound miter slider. Mostly crap,,if not full on crap,,probably since this is a boat,,a future anchor,, I have used this and I'm not adverse to less expensive tools,,I have a few that I love. One of these tools that I own is a 12 inch compound miter slider saw. If you adjust things once,,things stay adjusted,,it is a Kobalt brand from lowes,,I paid 190 for it 10 yearsago,,300 bucks now. Delta schoolmaster 10inch saw is 190 bucks,, a 7 inch kobalt from lowes 140 bucks good saw. I've never used Ace hardware brand,,but they look pretty good. Have fun Emma,,be safe . I can answer most questions,,Ttyl,,,Marlon

Get some infrared heaters, we use those at work and they work good considering the dock doors stay open a lot

Great start, smart start..... This the process of learning thing that will follow the through life. Going to love watching you grow. Just a thought. Put the heavy things in the bottom drawers for stability. Add a couple of screws in the center of the pegboard. When you add text to the video might want to leave it longer to read. Kinda fast for us slow people.

Good video!

Very cool 👍 the only thing I have to say is that your space heater should not be on extension cord too much amps for the extension cord can't wait to see your boat

We live in Texas and was out in our 5th wheel at Canyon lake for Thanksgiving and your bus pulls into our campsite. 😊

Again you have proven that you are awesome 🥰

Well done!

I use file cabinets for my tools, works great.

Looks great!

💚

You go girl!!

Your thought was a bit early there, as if you levelled the 2x4 first and then put weight on them it could made them uneven, due to the force of the cabinets pushing down on the frame.

Close up hole to keep mice/rats,bugs and COLD out. 1 piece of scrap plywood should suffice between 2 2X4's over the hole. caulk on outside of hole Wa- La !

Seems to me fixing the holes in the walls and some cheap insulation would have been job one. Just covering the walls inside with plastic and cardboard helps loads

Yeah you’re going to need like a salamander or wood stove cause that little things not gonna get it. Maybe if it was buttoned up tight with insulation. And now a good lock for the garage door so your stuff doesn’t get stolen

Looking good, but….. Cover the wall holes!

Move the metal cabinet were you have the cut, this way you don’t have to add anything to support the wood

Also a cheap fix for small air leaks == Gorilla Tape.

I'm gonna be building a catamaran in my shed 16 by 12

Look good. You will fine tune it as you go. Cover the hole in the wall

Is the big round hole in the wall needed for anything? If not, cover it up. It will save you some heat and me a constant distraction 😀

Oh Good! It looks like you still have your Monkey in the corner. And on a separate note, I am glad to see you wearing eye protection (most of the time).

Wow last I saw you built a bus

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💖💖

Good job :) Will the boat also be called Birbie ? or Birbmaid ? or ? :)

Assuming that the boat happens, will it also be a Birbie? Interesting functional area, now it is time to see some production. 🤔 This could turn into a long term project... I once was an incurable project person but age cured me. I had no way to fund my projects like a computer, internet, social media or RU-vid so they had to be after work and days off.

Shouldn't caulk,stains and paint be stored in warmer conditions?

I have just found your channel now that you are going to build a boat and don't know about your bus, please don't hold that against me. I have worked in residential construction and lived where it was very cold in the winter and would like to pass a couple of suggestions that may help you have an easier time. You mentioned several times about the cold. Make sure you drink enough water. In the summer your body tells you to, but towards winter it doesn't. That means your blood doesn't get thin enough to get to the extremities like fingers and toes. Especially in a long days work. You also put all your chemicals like silicone in a drawer, is it going to be warm enough for them or will they be ruined? Might need to keep them in your house. The last suggestion is about the screws use. Many people use #2 Phillips and the have problems with them stripping out. If you change to torx also known as star they cost the same and you don't have to push as hard to get them to go in without stripping. You are doing great getting your shop ready for you and you are the one using it. Good work. Don't forget to take care of holes or animals will move in to this nice new home.😊

You can do it young one..