Taking a poll on Studio Planning

[IBQLTN2]

I have a few questions that I would like some input on. If you were designing a studio:

1. what type of flooring would be ideal?

2. Where would be the best place to put the outlet for the

long arm, floor, wall or ceiling.

3. what type of lighting would you install over the, machine? I dont mean attached to the machine but rather ceiling type fixtures Halogen, flood lights, florescent etc.

4. What other suggestions do you have that I might want to think about.

5. What was something you wished you had thought about earlier and would do different next time?

I am just in the plannig stages of having a garage built with a studio over top to connect to my existing studio which is over existing garage. So in essence doubling the space upstairs which is now 16 x 16 floor space, but the sloping ceilings and staircase take up some of that which brings headspace to about 12 x 12. the new part would be higher and wider. so that part about 14 x 24.

I am trying to think of everything now so as to not give the builder a bunch of changes along the way.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

[Katydids]

1. I have cork floors and love them. They are soft and cushy to stand on. I would recommend some kind of laminate or wood over carpet. JMO

2. Ceiling with a track that the cord will slide back and forth. you can see this in my studio pictures on my website.

3. Depends on how high the ceiling will be. In one part of my room (low ceiling) I have recessed lighting with the flourescent bulbs and it is very bright. In the other part with higher ceilings, I have track with hanging pendants.

4. built in shelving, closets for quilts, cutting space and sewing space, pressing, etc.

[DoryJM]

I've only had wood and concrete floors, so I'm not much help there. I do have those pads that look like puzzle pieces though, and that's what I stand on--especially now that I'm on concrete. You might give some consideration to matching what you currently have, whether you'll have dogs/cats in the room, how much mud/snow/wet weather you have, etc.

I put the outlet on the floor for my Lilly. Its turned out to be the perfect spot. Then I attached an outlet strip to the middle bar with zip ties that I plugged into the main outlet, plugging Lilly into the strip. I also have my fabric advance plugged into the strip as well. Works really well.

No help there. Dennis attached lights to the top of my machine and they are my main souce.

I would also consider how much other stuff you'll have in your space. Do you buy batting on rolls? You'll need a place for that (I have to store mine vertically--something I didn't think about in a round building:o) What will your windows look out at--if you do mostly freehand, make sure your machine will fit where you can look out and see something you enjoy. Will it be hot up there or cold? You'll want a ceiling fan. Also a place for a really big table for opening quilts and measuring, etc. Do you want to be able to walk around both sides of your machine?

Now that my space is done, I realize that a 30' yurt would have been so much better...and also more expensive and it wouldn't fit where we put it. But, I love my space and that's the important thing.

Oh, outlets. Put outlets EVERYWHERE! When Dennis was marking where I wanted outlets, he said, "Why do you want so many?" I responded, "Why are you asking me that?" I still could use even more--you can never have enough! And having them in the floor is a good thing, too.

Okay, end of book...sorry!!

[yankiequilter]

I have hardwood and it is fine, however I wish I had put cork on the floor. Same as Patty, I wouldn't use carpet. We have cork in our downstairs family room and it is so nice to stand on. I have purchased the exercise/play foam pieces available at Sam's Club or Lowes, and they are nice to stand on for cushion. I placed 4 across the front and 4 across the back, so both sides are covered. Lucky lady, you will have a wonderful studio when you get the project done!

[IBQLTN2]

Katy

Did you mean to put wood or laminate flooring down on top of existing carpet, Can that be done? My existing studio is carpet it is very thick and plush but old and somewhat stained. Could a laminate be installed over top? Sure would beat tearing it up.

Dory good idea about lots of outlets and some up at the base of the slant against the wall would be good as it would be easier to reach for sewing machines etc. I am going to have a dormer put in so I can look out onto the front of the house, so I can keep track or who is coming and going, I hate not being able to see the driveway now and knowing who is at the door, etc.

how does cork floors clean? are they porous?

[yankiequilter]

My cork has a seal on it, however I wouldn't want to spill grape juice on it as I think it is still somewhat porous. I clean it with a damp Swiffer mop. Cork comes in natural cork color, both light and dark and also other colors such as red, green, and white. It also has a variety of patterns available and installs easily. Could be a do-it-yourself if you wanted to do so.

[shirleyl]

Well I'm in an unfinished family room. Working around a pool table, much to my son's dismay my cutting table. The layout is not working, have attempted to make it work for 2 years. So pool table will be leaving, as soon as he finds enough help to get it out. I have flourescent lighting and I do like it, I keep my son moving it until I found a position that worked. Well the kid has gotten one wall sheetrocked and now he has to frame the three remaining walls in sections, since I still have to work in there and he didn't want to move out so I had a place to put my stuff while he did it. So he works on my room on his days off. After all I have to get something out of my free room and board for 23 years. He also asked me why do I want so many outlets, I agree you cannot have enough.

As far as where to put the outlet for your longarm if it is going against a wall on one end, like I'm going to try I'm putting an outlet there. Otherwise in the floor or overhead. I also have a powerstrip stuck to the middle of my table with my longarm and power advance plugged into it, and that won't be changed.

Any ideas on storage, building a DSM cabinet, etc would be appreciated. I can build it if I know what I want. Just still deciding what I want.

As for flooring I have painted cement with the puzzle piece mats in my entire room, sure alot warmer and better to walk on then concrete, and that is what I will have for some time to come, as flooring is not first on my list of stuff I want.

I did find a 3 drawer dresser at IKEA for $70 and my quiltazoid fits in it wonderfully. I went with measurements and found one that worked. Wanted to keep it all together and out of harms way, during all the shuffle.

Sorry this is long, but I'm in the same situation. What do I want!!!

[JustSewSimple]

Patty's floor is lucious. Expensive but Hooooo so good to stand on and beautiful as well.

[meg]

IMHO - if you know where you will be putting lenni - i think a floor outlet would be awesome. the cords all running around the floor bug me.

[Hollyrw]

1. what type of flooring would be ideal?

I have vinyl tile and I wish I had carpet. The vinyl is really hard to keep dust free. I have 740 square feet that I am constantly sweeping. I think it would be easier to vacuum.

2. Where would be the best place to put the outlet for the

long arm, floor, wall or ceiling.

I have lots and lots of outlets along the walls and one outlet in the middle of the floor. If I had it to over again I would put an outlet on the floor under the long arm like Dory has. As it is, I have a power strip that sits under the machine and it works pretty well.

I also had some 4 plug outlets placed at desk top level so I wouldn't have to crawl under a desk or table to plug into them.

3. what type of lighting would you install over the, machine? I dont mean attached to the machine but rather ceiling type fixtures Halogen, flood lights, florescent etc.

I have recessed lights around the outside of the room wired with 4 different zones and switches. Above the machine I have track lighting also on a separate switch. I can turn on just the lights I need for whatever task I'm doing.

4. What other suggestions do you have that I might want to think about.

If you can, put in skylights. Preferably some that open for ventilation. The skylights provide a lot of light during the day.

Use low-e glass in all the windows if possible.

When we remodeled our kitchen, I salvaged the base cabinets and put them along the back wall of my studio. We got prefab counter tops from Lowes or Home Depot and I painted the cabinets to give them some new life.

I have french doors going into the studio so the opening is big enough to move things in and out with ease. It's something we always swore we would do if we ever built a house and since my studio is a separate building, we took the opportunity to do it.

I have one wall that has no windows that I put my design wall on.

We had stereo speakers installed in the ceiling.

5. What was something you wished you had thought about earlier and would do different next time?

Mainly the power outlet under the machine.

[Front Porch Quilting]

Jeanne

I think what she was saying is that she would choose wood or laminate or cork instead of carpet ( not on top of carpet ):)

[Quilting Heidi]

I have laminate flooring that has a foam backer on it and it feels nice. Hubby also put in a subfloor over the concrete so the laminate is not directly on the concrete. I think that also helped with the comfort factor. I have couple of small area rugs but I really like having the flooring. I have recessed light. Hubby put in 6 lights in each section of the room so 12 in my quilting area that is 13 x 32ft. He also put them on two different switches so that I can have on just 2 or have on all 6 or have just 4. That works out really well. I can also just turn lights on in one half of the room or the whole room, which was an added bonus. I have my plug in the ceiling but still need to add in some tracking for it that the cord can pull on. The one thing I want more of is storage. There is just never enough storage space! I have 2 rolls of batting stored under my table. I'm getting ready to bring down my wardrobe into the basement and I will use that to store a ton of stuff. I'm sure that will help clean up my room too. Make sure you have a good cutting area if you do piecing too. I wish my space were a little bigger so that I could spread out a little more but it works. I have my sewing area set up so that I can cut, iron and sew without moving any where. That works out wonderfullly. When I cutting big things though I wish I had a big open area that I could dedicate to that. Oh and Dory is so right...put outlets everywhere. I have them about every 6 to 8 ft and I'm so glad to have them.

[Hollyrw]

Oh, I forgot about the ceiling fan. It definitely helps with circulation on those warm days. It has a light but I rarely use it because it doesn't give off much light.

[IBQLTN2]

Roxanne

Dah! the light just went on thank you. I didnt read it that way but yes, that is what she meant, I had heard of people putting laminate over linoleum but never over carpet:o I am thinking too hard something must be burning lol

Such good ideas keep them coming.

[PattyJo]

I love my laminate floors. I bought a $19 small broom vac @ Walmart and use that rather than a broom to keep my floors clean. OR I just turn on my air compressor and blow everything out the door!!!! And I have some of those cushy squares with locking sides that run on both sides of my machine so that my feet don't get so tired..

I would wire a plug in the floor under where the machine would be. I hate having cords running everywhere.

I have some track lighting spots on one wall, a ceiling fan with lights in the middle of the room all with florescent bulbs in them, but I plan on changing all the bulbs back to normal lights cause it's frustrating to have to wait until they get bright enough

Try and have one wall that you can have your batting on a horizontal rod and roll down onto a cutting table so that you get a clean square cut (my next build job in my studio)

These are just a few things that I can think of right now. enjoy the process of getting to design your new studio.

[Katydids]

Yep, that is what I meant! I should have said "rather than".

Thanks Sylvia. The cost for cork was not too bad. We got it on sale and did the work ourselves, so really it wasn't bad at all. check out Lumber Liquidators for cork if you are interested Jeanne. Yes, it is sealed and then you seal it again after installation to seal the joints.

[wnott]

1. anything but carpet- carpet & straight pins do not mix well - Ask Sue Garmon about her $20,000. toe!

2. My plug is centered above the frame in the ceiling. I wish I had a track sys but extra long cord works.

3 I want DeLoa's 'Dee-Light' but I have a fluorescent fixture in the ceiling.

4. Custom Cabinet that everything folds up into, the ironing board, the cutting surface, the whole studio...fold it up and while I'm dreaming, put that whole cabinet on heavy duty casters....Wa La...portable studio. (I'll be needing a truck to haul it in too.)

You guys think I'm being funny but just last week I packed it all up and 'longarm' stuff is going to cc storage and piecing stuff went up into a small finished attic space. DS has just been discharged from the USAF & joined the ANG. They are taking him for 8 mo training but not until June? The attic space was OK for him for a couple of months but then this moving truck came and brought 2 giant crates of his stuff from Korea! I'm thinking ahead here....when he leave in June I can address major issues; 1. flooring (its cement w/carpet now) and insulation in 2 walls (this is S TX - they didn't think they needed insulation between the garage/house walls?) and the exterior wall is facing the street - very noisy and distracting. DH won't consider moving so sheets of foam insulation are going up on the interior wall - ah ha - that's a design wall!

[Lynne in Iowa]

My Lenni lives in her own 12x16 room with heat/AC in my husband's farm shop. Not real big, but I have another sewing room in the house. My wish -- I have no radio or TV reception, way too quiet. I think I need to buy an Ipod. Also have a small window but can't see who is coming or going. Had the bejeebers scared out of me more than once when I had the machine runnind and someone walked in!

[IBQLTN2]

So excited, got a quote on the garage/studio and looks like as soon as permits come through we have a tenative start date of Feb 4th and an estimate of 6 weeks to completion!!

[JustSewSimple]

I don't have a "proper studio" but just a converted large bedroom but I have carpet and rather like it. I use a king-size sheet under the front of Lenni for lent prevention but the carpet saves my legs and keeps me warm in the winter. No dust and I like that part. That part I have no problem with. I do have problems with the lack of wiring. If I turn on the iron and the floor heater I trip the breaker. Next Christmas I am buying my "studio" a new wiring arrangement.

[IBQLTN2]

I used to have that problem with the window a/c and we had it give it its very own circuit to solve that problem.

irons take alot of electricity as well so the two together didnt work well.

I hope I can talk the builder into lots and lots of outlets but not all on the same circuit so we dont overload them.

[LadyLake]

Jeanne,

I recently moved, so had a new studio space to organize. This time, I oriented my longarm with the back facing the room. Two advantages are that since I usually quilt from the front of the machine, I am looking into my room rather than at a wall. Second, I can use the longarm table for additional table space in my room.

[Lynne in Iowa]

I like the idea of your back facing the wall. I have castors on my table, if I have enough room to actually turn it, I migh try it. I had a light fixture put above her spot when we built the room as well as a dedicated circuit for the plug in. The only problem with turning would be having to step over the cord all the time.

[Linda G. Craig]

1. what type of flooring would be ideal?

Well, you've had responses with all types of flooring. I think it also depends on where your studio is located. I'm in the basement about 950 sq ft, on a sub-floor, and I chose carpet for it's warmth, it's ability to absorb sound from my machines, and I don't mind vacuuming at all.

2. Where would be the best place to put the outlet for the

long arm, floor, wall or ceiling.

I too have tons of outlets and love it. If I could have, I would have loved one under my machine, but that's not possible with a basement here in Canada, so I have a power bar under my machine and it works very well.

3. what type of lighting would you install over the, machine? I dont mean attached to the machine but rather ceiling type fixtures Halogen, flood lights, florescent etc.

I have a row of florescent lighting that runs the length of my Lilly, 14'. It's pretty good, although my eyes are not what they used to be and I'm really happy with the lights on my 2009 machine.

4. What other suggestions do you have that I might want to think about.

Lots of storage. I have a wall of shelves for my fabrics and I just love it, but then there are all the dodads that need a place to live and I like having drawers and cupboards that I can close and hide things away. I find it all too messy if it's out and about.

5. What was something you wished you had thought about earlier and would do different next time?

Nothing at this time, this studio is fairly new and I'm really happy with it.

Added features to suggest:

An armchair and footstool that you can sit down and peruse your patterns and books, with a good reading light.

A big TV to watch as you stitch and to play instructional DVD's on. And a stereo to dance to while quilting.........so nice.

Enjoy!

[IBQLTN2]

great ideas everyone

Linda I remember your basement studio, it was to die for. I can see why you would use carpet down there for warmth, Mine will be up over the garage so I am leaning towards a hard surface,either laminate wood, or cork. Depends on how much is spent already by that point in the construction. We are having the entire house re-roofed along with repairing and painting the soffets an fascia and installing a new front entry door and residing the porch to match the garage sideing. Pretty much the whole exterior gets a facelift with the addition of the garage/studio.

As far as storage goes the builder is putting shelve for storage the the whole 14 t on both sides under the knee wall. So although it will be low storage there will be lots of places to tuck things away. I will have him make sure they are the correct size to put my long template boards for the CL

Hope I don't overlook anything too important. My room now is not very light so I hope the dormer windows and extra lighting will change that.

All suggestions are welcome, if you have any other ideas or input please let me know. thanks Jeanne