Project Thread: Garage Office/Workshop
Discussion
I'm gonna use this as a bit of a project thread. Mainly for me to keep a log of it, but thought a few on here would enjoy reading through it.
I have little DIY knowledge so all of this is a bit of a learning curve for me. I work full time and have hobbies/kids so finding time to do it is difficult!
The aim is to build a Office/Workshop room in the back half of my garage and insulate it. Working in a single skin block garage in the winter is ruddy cold, so I want to improve it and make it a much nicer place to be.
When lockdown hit, I had a perfectly useable spare room I could use. Within a couple of months that quickly changed as my oldest daughter needed her own room and the youngest was transitioning from Moses Basket in our room to the youngest's room. Annoyingly, there wasn't anywhere else in the house I could setup a workstation and not be bothered by noise or be in the way, etc. So my only option was to move into the garage.
Initially I just put everything on my workbench and stood at the desk. This was OK for a few days, but quickly got old uncomfortable when doing 8+ hour days at it:
As you can see, there is very little space and lots of stuff in there. So the next stage was to start sorting through everything, selling what I could and scrapping the rest to make room for a better setup. I then moved onto version 2, which was much more comfortable. I essentially made room for my desk and chair to go. I also spent £20 on some second hand carpet tiles so I didn't wreck my wheel chairs.
There was still a lot of stuff in the garage. I'd sold all my car parts from the days I used to do motorsport and scrapped a lot of stuff. With still lots of stuff to store, and more stuff accumulating due to kids, I decided I needed a Shed.
Behind my garage was a Log store I'd built a few years ago. Whilst it was useful to have it there, once full it had enough wood in it for 4 years worth of burning, so I've moved to a smaller log store and sold this one:
Once cleared I had a decent sized area to work with. I wanted an 8x8 Shed, but getting one during Lockdown was very difficult. All online retailers had huge waiting lists. I ended up calling the suppliers and finding out when shipments were due so I could F5 during that day to ensure I got anything I could. I ended up with a Keter 8x7 plastic Shed. To lay the shed on I bought a plastic interlocking shed base.
The area itself was chippings and soil and looked fairly level, however after setting out my base dimensions it was clear it was anything but!
(Fence is rotten, I paint it every year but its my neighbors and they aren't keen to replace it!)
So as the area was hugely out of line, and I didn't want to raise the level against the fences or the garage wall, I decided to dig all the chippings out and see what I was left with
This bit of timber was sat level, so you can see the difference in level I had to work with.
After much thought, I decided my only option was to essentially build an island out of the chipping I had removed, lay a strong weed membrane then put my shed base on that and infill as a slope to the fences and garage wall to ensure I didn't cause any damp/drainage issues, and it also meant the shed could sit on the base, level with the hard standing area I had:
This picture is poor and doesn't show the difference in level. The back half of the island was about a foot tall and it reduces to barely nothing towards the slabbed area
Weed membrane down and shed base laid:
Finished off Weed membrane:
I then ordered 1x bag/ton of chipping and filled up the Shed base and then infilled the edges to tidy it up
Finished and ready for when the shed arrived. It arrived on a day when it was howling it with rain and wind, but as it was delivered in unwrapped cardboard I decided I'd get on with it. Not the easiest task on your own (especially the roof in the rain and wind) but I managed it. Here it is finished:
I then put up some shelving to move everything I could left in the garage to the Shed:
This now gave me half of the garage empty, enough space to build my box/room for my workshop/office:
From the strut pilar to the back wall was 2.7M, and it's 2.7M wide. This is ample enough space for a small room and it meant I could keep the front half of the garage for storage, etc.
To be continued...
I have little DIY knowledge so all of this is a bit of a learning curve for me. I work full time and have hobbies/kids so finding time to do it is difficult!
The aim is to build a Office/Workshop room in the back half of my garage and insulate it. Working in a single skin block garage in the winter is ruddy cold, so I want to improve it and make it a much nicer place to be.
When lockdown hit, I had a perfectly useable spare room I could use. Within a couple of months that quickly changed as my oldest daughter needed her own room and the youngest was transitioning from Moses Basket in our room to the youngest's room. Annoyingly, there wasn't anywhere else in the house I could setup a workstation and not be bothered by noise or be in the way, etc. So my only option was to move into the garage.
Initially I just put everything on my workbench and stood at the desk. This was OK for a few days, but quickly got old uncomfortable when doing 8+ hour days at it:
As you can see, there is very little space and lots of stuff in there. So the next stage was to start sorting through everything, selling what I could and scrapping the rest to make room for a better setup. I then moved onto version 2, which was much more comfortable. I essentially made room for my desk and chair to go. I also spent £20 on some second hand carpet tiles so I didn't wreck my wheel chairs.
There was still a lot of stuff in the garage. I'd sold all my car parts from the days I used to do motorsport and scrapped a lot of stuff. With still lots of stuff to store, and more stuff accumulating due to kids, I decided I needed a Shed.
Behind my garage was a Log store I'd built a few years ago. Whilst it was useful to have it there, once full it had enough wood in it for 4 years worth of burning, so I've moved to a smaller log store and sold this one:
Once cleared I had a decent sized area to work with. I wanted an 8x8 Shed, but getting one during Lockdown was very difficult. All online retailers had huge waiting lists. I ended up calling the suppliers and finding out when shipments were due so I could F5 during that day to ensure I got anything I could. I ended up with a Keter 8x7 plastic Shed. To lay the shed on I bought a plastic interlocking shed base.
The area itself was chippings and soil and looked fairly level, however after setting out my base dimensions it was clear it was anything but!
(Fence is rotten, I paint it every year but its my neighbors and they aren't keen to replace it!)
So as the area was hugely out of line, and I didn't want to raise the level against the fences or the garage wall, I decided to dig all the chippings out and see what I was left with
This bit of timber was sat level, so you can see the difference in level I had to work with.
After much thought, I decided my only option was to essentially build an island out of the chipping I had removed, lay a strong weed membrane then put my shed base on that and infill as a slope to the fences and garage wall to ensure I didn't cause any damp/drainage issues, and it also meant the shed could sit on the base, level with the hard standing area I had:
This picture is poor and doesn't show the difference in level. The back half of the island was about a foot tall and it reduces to barely nothing towards the slabbed area
Weed membrane down and shed base laid:
Finished off Weed membrane:
I then ordered 1x bag/ton of chipping and filled up the Shed base and then infilled the edges to tidy it up
Finished and ready for when the shed arrived. It arrived on a day when it was howling it with rain and wind, but as it was delivered in unwrapped cardboard I decided I'd get on with it. Not the easiest task on your own (especially the roof in the rain and wind) but I managed it. Here it is finished:
I then put up some shelving to move everything I could left in the garage to the Shed:
This now gave me half of the garage empty, enough space to build my box/room for my workshop/office:
From the strut pilar to the back wall was 2.7M, and it's 2.7M wide. This is ample enough space for a small room and it meant I could keep the front half of the garage for storage, etc.
To be continued...
With the garage now mostly empty, next on my list was to add more light. I did consider velux/tunnels but decided their cost/value wasn't worth it, and instead opted for a Window that would be big enough to let light in, but not too big so that it looked on in the garden where the ground is higher.
When I measured the Window size for ordering, I went for a size that meant I'd only be cutting a block every other row. The Window and glass took months to arrive, and when it did I had no time to fit it, so I got a builder to do it for a reasonable price (£250). Not the tidiest of jobs, but good enough!
Here's the wall before the Window was fitted. The wall is slightly stained due to a plant/bush being there before which I cut down to make space for the Window:
During/Post Window fitting:
I'll need to tidy up that rendering and re-paint the garage once the project is finished inside.
When I measured the Window size for ordering, I went for a size that meant I'd only be cutting a block every other row. The Window and glass took months to arrive, and when it did I had no time to fit it, so I got a builder to do it for a reasonable price (£250). Not the tidiest of jobs, but good enough!
Here's the wall before the Window was fitted. The wall is slightly stained due to a plant/bush being there before which I cut down to make space for the Window:
During/Post Window fitting:
I'll need to tidy up that rendering and re-paint the garage once the project is finished inside.
With the Window now fitted and some space available, it was time to order some materials to start the room build. The plan is essentially build a Stud box/room inside the back half of the garage with a door in the middle of the Timber wall as you walk up to the room. The floor will be floating chipboard on top of the PIR Insulation, PIR Insulation in the walls, Rockwool in the ceiling. There is already power in the garage, but its a simple circuit so I'll be having a small consumer unit put in, and new rings run for sockets/lights. I'll be getting an electrician to do most of the electrical work.
Material prices are currently mental, but I want to crack on so after a few quotes from local merchants this little lot turned up:
My brother is a carpenter and owes me a few favors so he came round with his Paslode gun and we made a start on the stud walls for a few hours. I've spaced the timbers 50mm off of the walls to make sure the timbers wont be getting damp/creating and cold-bridging.
After Day 1:
Day 2:
This takes us up to the current stage.
I now need to order some more timbers for the roof as the span for the plasterboard is too long and some additional CLS for noggins.
Some questions:
Material prices are currently mental, but I want to crack on so after a few quotes from local merchants this little lot turned up:
- 38x63x2400mm CLS for the Stud walls
- 60mm PIR for the Floors and Walls (Will probably use rockwool for ceiling insulation)
- 22mm Chipboard for floating floor
- Tapered Edge Plasterboard for the walls
My brother is a carpenter and owes me a few favors so he came round with his Paslode gun and we made a start on the stud walls for a few hours. I've spaced the timbers 50mm off of the walls to make sure the timbers wont be getting damp/creating and cold-bridging.
After Day 1:
Day 2:
This takes us up to the current stage.
I now need to order some more timbers for the roof as the span for the plasterboard is too long and some additional CLS for noggins.
Some questions:
- My walls will be infilled with PIR Insulation. My research says I should have a membrane on the WARM side of the room to prevent cold and hot air mixing and condensing... What sort of a membrane should this be? Can I just staple the same sort of membrane I used on the floor ( Damp Proof Membrane 5m x 4m Blue (300mu) (toolstation.com)) or does it need to be something else?
- What lights would people recommend for this? I'll ask my electrician, but was considering downlights but know they can be expensive and cause hassle with insulation, etc....
- Heating - I would have liked to of got a Air Conditioning system fitted, but cost/space means this is a no go. Should I instead opt for a wall mounted electric heater? Any recommendations?
Edited by PageyUK on Wednesday 30th June 21:00
Edited by PageyUK on Wednesday 30th June 21:03
Hmm that DPM approach worries me. Whats to stop the damp tracking up the wall into the space? Are you venting the cavity? I'm worried moisture will build up in-between and rot the frame.
Yes its the same stuff essentially, just needs to be the correct weight (I can't remember offhand). Fit your insulation, staple it over, fit the PB. Avoid puncturing it wherever possible or reseal (e.g. around cable entries, lighting etc).
Yes its the same stuff essentially, just needs to be the correct weight (I can't remember offhand). Fit your insulation, staple it over, fit the PB. Avoid puncturing it wherever possible or reseal (e.g. around cable entries, lighting etc).
Pheo said:
Hmm that DPM approach worries me. Whats to stop the damp tracking up the wall into the space? Are you venting the cavity? I'm worried moisture will build up in-between and rot the frame.
Yes its the same stuff essentially, just needs to be the correct weight (I can't remember offhand). Fit your insulation, staple it over, fit the PB. Avoid puncturing it wherever possible or reseal (e.g. around cable entries, lighting etc).
Hi Pheo - Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand what you mean about damp tracking up the wall? The DPM is taped to the wall, but the CLS is spaced 50mm from the wall... Yes its the same stuff essentially, just needs to be the correct weight (I can't remember offhand). Fit your insulation, staple it over, fit the PB. Avoid puncturing it wherever possible or reseal (e.g. around cable entries, lighting etc).
OK, is there a certain gauge of DPM I need to go for? I'm guessing it needs to be plastic and not breathable? Does the PIR offer this?
Thanks.
Apologies I'd forgotten to update this thread as I've gone alone. I'll post some updates to bring it up to date. It's been slow going trying to do this in between holidays, family stuff, work, sports, etc. I normally get about an hour or 2 a week I can spend on it so its been slow progress. Now that the colder weather is approaching I really need to get it finished.
So, with the stud walls complete I decided that additional timbers were needed for the roof/ceiling to help support the plasterboard. The price difference from my first order of timber and this order of timber was eye watering.... Either way I had to do it so I got some ordered. That was the first job:
After the timbers were finished I had a few minutes spare, so I started cutting up some of the PIR Insulation and pressure fitting it between the studs. I cut it 1-2mm too big so its a snug fit....
I borrowed my brothers Jigsaw and a breadknife type of blade to cut it which seemed to be fairly easy and created very little dust.
Currently still trying to find time to continue with it, but it may have to wait for the weekend.
Questions still in my mind before I continue:
How can I properly secure the DPM I've taped to the wall with Gorilla Tape? On some bits it has come away a bit... Do I just ignore it because it can't fall down or is there a proper method used to do this?
Still unsure of what Vapor barrier I should buy the the walls... I read I need to prevent the hot air and cold air hitting each other and creating moisture/condensation... I know this needs to go on the warm side of the room top of the PIR before I PBoard...
Order of things to do still:
[LIST]
Properly affix the DPM to the wall
Finish doing PIR in between studs
PIR on floor, then Chipboard on top (allow 10mm gap around the edge for shrinkage/expansion)
Silver Tape all around the edge of each PIR Board
Fit Vapor Barrier with staple gun
Fit Counter battens (battens on top of CLS to crate a service void for cables, etc between PIR/Vapor barrier and plasterboard and allow things to be screwed to the wall without piercing PIR/etc)
Get Electrician in for first fix/run cables/fit consumer unit/etc
Loft Roll insulation in ceiling
Plasterboard ceiling
Plasterboard walls
Electrician in for second fix
[/LIST]
Anything I am overlooking or have forgotten?
So, with the stud walls complete I decided that additional timbers were needed for the roof/ceiling to help support the plasterboard. The price difference from my first order of timber and this order of timber was eye watering.... Either way I had to do it so I got some ordered. That was the first job:
After the timbers were finished I had a few minutes spare, so I started cutting up some of the PIR Insulation and pressure fitting it between the studs. I cut it 1-2mm too big so its a snug fit....
I borrowed my brothers Jigsaw and a breadknife type of blade to cut it which seemed to be fairly easy and created very little dust.
Currently still trying to find time to continue with it, but it may have to wait for the weekend.
Questions still in my mind before I continue:
How can I properly secure the DPM I've taped to the wall with Gorilla Tape? On some bits it has come away a bit... Do I just ignore it because it can't fall down or is there a proper method used to do this?
Still unsure of what Vapor barrier I should buy the the walls... I read I need to prevent the hot air and cold air hitting each other and creating moisture/condensation... I know this needs to go on the warm side of the room top of the PIR before I PBoard...
Order of things to do still:
[LIST]
Properly affix the DPM to the wall
Finish doing PIR in between studs
PIR on floor, then Chipboard on top (allow 10mm gap around the edge for shrinkage/expansion)
Silver Tape all around the edge of each PIR Board
Fit Vapor Barrier with staple gun
Fit Counter battens (battens on top of CLS to crate a service void for cables, etc between PIR/Vapor barrier and plasterboard and allow things to be screwed to the wall without piercing PIR/etc)
Get Electrician in for first fix/run cables/fit consumer unit/etc
Loft Roll insulation in ceiling
Plasterboard ceiling
Plasterboard walls
Electrician in for second fix
[/LIST]
Anything I am overlooking or have forgotten?
The PIR got done in stages whenever I had an hour or 2 spare. Annoyingly, every time I wanted to do some work on it I had to empty the area of slides/trampolines/bikes/etc which just wasted time before I could actually do anything. I continued to cut up the 60mm PIR and pressure fit in between the CLS studs.
Once the walls were done, I repeated this on the ceiling with the same 60mm PIR
I then laid the same 60mm PIR Insulation on the floor on top of the DPM and taped all the joints. We then laid the floating 28mm Chipboard flooring and glued it together with wood glue.
Here you can see my current desk area, with the office space in the back half of the garage
Once the glue had dried I then started taping all of the joints with foil tape:
So this brings it to where it is right now.
You will see some odd gaps need the edge of the room on the ceiling, I can't get PIR in there so plan to put some rockwool or similar in there ( Knauf Insulation Earthwool Dritherm Cavity Slab 32 Ultimate 100 x 455mm x 1.2m | Wickes.co.uk) Will I need to foil tape over the Rockwool?
Next stages:
[LIST]
[*]Vapour Barrier - Although over the top as I've been foil taping, I've got a Vapour barrier on a roll, so will fit this next over the top to make ultra sure I wont get any damp/moisture issues. I'll affix this with a Wacker tacker or a staple gun.
[*]Counter Battens - These will be nailed/screwed on top of the CLS to give me a service void for cables in between the plasterboard and the insulation.
[*]Electrics - Been waiting a few weeks for an electrician to come over and assess/do first fix. He's busy so I'll wait a bit more before chasing
[*]Plasterboard
[*]Electrics - Second fix
[*]Tape and join
[*]Fit door lining and door
[*]Skirting board/architrave/coving
[/LIST]
I still need to fully think out how I want the room. Currently I'm thinking of having a electric desk on the left (opposite side to window). This will help me decide on socket positions.
Also need to consider:
[LIST]
[*]Heating - Should I go for electric under floor or just a wall mounted panel heater? Either way I want it to be Wi-Fi connected so I can operate it remotely/set a schedule
[*]Flooring - Should I go for wood or carpet?
[*]Lighting - Considering downlights, or should I look at alternatives?
[/LIST]
Any feedback/questions welcome!
Once the walls were done, I repeated this on the ceiling with the same 60mm PIR
I then laid the same 60mm PIR Insulation on the floor on top of the DPM and taped all the joints. We then laid the floating 28mm Chipboard flooring and glued it together with wood glue.
Here you can see my current desk area, with the office space in the back half of the garage
Once the glue had dried I then started taping all of the joints with foil tape:
So this brings it to where it is right now.
You will see some odd gaps need the edge of the room on the ceiling, I can't get PIR in there so plan to put some rockwool or similar in there ( Knauf Insulation Earthwool Dritherm Cavity Slab 32 Ultimate 100 x 455mm x 1.2m | Wickes.co.uk) Will I need to foil tape over the Rockwool?
Next stages:
[LIST]
[*]Vapour Barrier - Although over the top as I've been foil taping, I've got a Vapour barrier on a roll, so will fit this next over the top to make ultra sure I wont get any damp/moisture issues. I'll affix this with a Wacker tacker or a staple gun.
[*]Counter Battens - These will be nailed/screwed on top of the CLS to give me a service void for cables in between the plasterboard and the insulation.
[*]Electrics - Been waiting a few weeks for an electrician to come over and assess/do first fix. He's busy so I'll wait a bit more before chasing
[*]Plasterboard
[*]Electrics - Second fix
[*]Tape and join
[*]Fit door lining and door
[*]Skirting board/architrave/coving
[/LIST]
I still need to fully think out how I want the room. Currently I'm thinking of having a electric desk on the left (opposite side to window). This will help me decide on socket positions.
Also need to consider:
[LIST]
[*]Heating - Should I go for electric under floor or just a wall mounted panel heater? Either way I want it to be Wi-Fi connected so I can operate it remotely/set a schedule
[*]Flooring - Should I go for wood or carpet?
[*]Lighting - Considering downlights, or should I look at alternatives?
[/LIST]
Any feedback/questions welcome!
Not sure if anyone is still reading this/interested in progress but will add an update for my own sanity:
Next on the list was putting up the Vapour barrier, which qas a fairly quick job with a wacker tacker & staples. I also filled the small voids at the edge of the room with loft roll/rock wool cavity insulation.
The next stage was to install the counter battens to give a service void for cables and attach the plasterboard to:
I then contacted my electrician and got him to do the first fix electrics. When he arrived I still hadn't fully decided how I wanted the room laid out, but made it up quickly and should hopefully have enough.
I've got cabling for:
[LIST]
[*]4x LED Downlights (these will be dimmable)
[*]4x Double Sockets (2x on desk side, and 2x below window)
[*]1x Single socket for a TV above Desk area (opposite wall to window)
[*]1x Single socket on large back wall for panel heater (will be a Wi-Fi controlled heater so I can turn it on/off remotely/on a schedule)
[/LIST]
The hole removed for the downlights from the insulation is quite large and will obviously break my vapour barrier. Agreed they will put some Rockwool on top of light to aid insulation but still disappointing (is this normal?!)
So that's where I currently am up to. I now need to consider network. I want to have Ethernet and Wifi out here. I haven't done anything like that before, but suspect I will dig a trench from the side of my house to the workshop in my garden and bury some ethernet cables in some conduit. Once inside the workshop I'll need to run them to the office part and decide if I want wall sockets/switch/etc. From memory I've got a Wireless AP but is PoE so will need a PoE switch as I doubt my EE Home Hub will offer that!
To do list:
[LIST]
[*]Finish Alliminium taping.
[*]Run Ethernet cables
[*]Plasterboard
[*]Electrics - Second fix
[*]Tape and join
[*]Paint walls (White)
[*]Decide on what flooring to go for
[*]Order/fit panel heater
[*]Fit door lining and door
[*]Skirting board/architrave/coving
[/LIST]
Getting there but struggle to find time to do it!
Any feedback/questions welcome.
Next on the list was putting up the Vapour barrier, which qas a fairly quick job with a wacker tacker & staples. I also filled the small voids at the edge of the room with loft roll/rock wool cavity insulation.
The next stage was to install the counter battens to give a service void for cables and attach the plasterboard to:
I then contacted my electrician and got him to do the first fix electrics. When he arrived I still hadn't fully decided how I wanted the room laid out, but made it up quickly and should hopefully have enough.
I've got cabling for:
[LIST]
[*]4x LED Downlights (these will be dimmable)
[*]4x Double Sockets (2x on desk side, and 2x below window)
[*]1x Single socket for a TV above Desk area (opposite wall to window)
[*]1x Single socket on large back wall for panel heater (will be a Wi-Fi controlled heater so I can turn it on/off remotely/on a schedule)
[/LIST]
The hole removed for the downlights from the insulation is quite large and will obviously break my vapour barrier. Agreed they will put some Rockwool on top of light to aid insulation but still disappointing (is this normal?!)
So that's where I currently am up to. I now need to consider network. I want to have Ethernet and Wifi out here. I haven't done anything like that before, but suspect I will dig a trench from the side of my house to the workshop in my garden and bury some ethernet cables in some conduit. Once inside the workshop I'll need to run them to the office part and decide if I want wall sockets/switch/etc. From memory I've got a Wireless AP but is PoE so will need a PoE switch as I doubt my EE Home Hub will offer that!
To do list:
[LIST]
[*]Finish Alliminium taping.
[*]Run Ethernet cables
[*]Plasterboard
[*]Electrics - Second fix
[*]Tape and join
[*]Paint walls (White)
[*]Decide on what flooring to go for
[*]Order/fit panel heater
[*]Fit door lining and door
[*]Skirting board/architrave/coving
[/LIST]
Getting there but struggle to find time to do it!
Any feedback/questions welcome.
OK so the initial plan for internet/Ethernet was to just run a couple of cables up to the garage and/or use Powerline Adapters.
But with a week to think about it, I've had some major scope creep...
So I'm now essentially going to:
[LIST]
[*]Run 2x CAT6 Cables from the House/Router to my garage and terminate into patch panel which will be housed in a mini comms cabinet
[*]Run CAT6 Cabling to 1x 4 Port CAT6 face plate where my desk will be, 1x Wireless AP on the ceiling and 1x 2 port CAT6 face plate to the wall under the window & terminate in patch panel
[*]Install Mini Comms cabinet on wall with patch panel and a 24 port PoE switch
[*]Fit Ruckus PoE AP on ceiling/wall
[/LIST]
I've already purchased pretty much everything and its been delivered:
[LIST]
[*] Mini Comms Cabinet / Shelf
[*] Outdoor Direct Burial CAT6
[*] CAT 6 Face plates
[*] Patch Panel
[/LIST]
I've got a Ruckus AP and a 24 port PoE Cisco switch which I can utilise with it. I'm probably going to get some normal CAT6 cabling for the socket wiring in the office room as the external stuff is super thick and wont be very easy to work with for that.
So yeah, I've gone way over the top as usual but hopefully it should be sufficient once finished and future proofed for a bit.
My priority for this weekend is to get the internal CAT6 wiring done in the office room so it wont hold me up plaster boarding the room.
But with a week to think about it, I've had some major scope creep...
So I'm now essentially going to:
[LIST]
[*]Run 2x CAT6 Cables from the House/Router to my garage and terminate into patch panel which will be housed in a mini comms cabinet
[*]Run CAT6 Cabling to 1x 4 Port CAT6 face plate where my desk will be, 1x Wireless AP on the ceiling and 1x 2 port CAT6 face plate to the wall under the window & terminate in patch panel
[*]Install Mini Comms cabinet on wall with patch panel and a 24 port PoE switch
[*]Fit Ruckus PoE AP on ceiling/wall
[/LIST]
I've already purchased pretty much everything and its been delivered:
[LIST]
[*] Mini Comms Cabinet / Shelf
[*] Outdoor Direct Burial CAT6
[*] CAT 6 Face plates
[*] Patch Panel
[/LIST]
I've got a Ruckus AP and a 24 port PoE Cisco switch which I can utilise with it. I'm probably going to get some normal CAT6 cabling for the socket wiring in the office room as the external stuff is super thick and wont be very easy to work with for that.
So yeah, I've gone way over the top as usual but hopefully it should be sufficient once finished and future proofed for a bit.
My priority for this weekend is to get the internal CAT6 wiring done in the office room so it wont hold me up plaster boarding the room.
evenflow said:
Thanks for posting - following with interest as I hope to do similar soon!
Looks great even though I couldn't tell a decent job from an awful one as I have zero experience of this type of thing
Thanks! I suspect it's not top notch but I'm hoping I've considered most things. Will see once its finished but I'm a bit OCD so it will have to be a good finish.Looks great even though I couldn't tell a decent job from an awful one as I have zero experience of this type of thing
I had some time on Saturday afternoon so I decided to get the network cabling done. Having not done this sort of cable running before, it was a but trial and error, but got into the swing eventually.
I've run:
[LIST]
[*]5x Cables to left hand side wall where my desk will be (4x ports on face plate, 1x spare I'm hoping I can leave behind face plate in case of any issues in the futute)
[*]2x Cables to middle of ceiling where POE Wireless AP will be fitted (1x for AP and 1x spare)
[*]2x Cables to right hand side wall in case I want to put another desk there
[/LIST]
I also finished foil taping the ceiling and sealed around the vapour barrier.
4x Ports where my desk will be:
Trimmed the excessive ends (hopefully I've left enough!)
2x Cables for the AP:
2x Ports to the right of the electric sockets (didn't run a spare to this port, hope I don't regret that!)
Foil Tape / Vapour Barrier complete:
Routed all cables to here which is where I plan to mount my Mini Comms cab and terminate the cables into a patch panel:
Luckily I labelled them with a Sharpie, but have taken [USER=226618]@Chockymonster[/USER] 's advice and have ordered a Dymo Label Maker to make this better/neater.
I'm ready for Plaster boarding now but would like to find a way to test the CAT6 Cables in situ without terminating them.
Apologies if I have made some mistakes with my network cabling. Keen to hear feedback if I've done this right or not so I can make improvements/changes before I plasterboard.
I've run:
[LIST]
[*]5x Cables to left hand side wall where my desk will be (4x ports on face plate, 1x spare I'm hoping I can leave behind face plate in case of any issues in the futute)
[*]2x Cables to middle of ceiling where POE Wireless AP will be fitted (1x for AP and 1x spare)
[*]2x Cables to right hand side wall in case I want to put another desk there
[/LIST]
I also finished foil taping the ceiling and sealed around the vapour barrier.
4x Ports where my desk will be:
Trimmed the excessive ends (hopefully I've left enough!)
2x Cables for the AP:
2x Ports to the right of the electric sockets (didn't run a spare to this port, hope I don't regret that!)
Foil Tape / Vapour Barrier complete:
Routed all cables to here which is where I plan to mount my Mini Comms cab and terminate the cables into a patch panel:
Luckily I labelled them with a Sharpie, but have taken [USER=226618]@Chockymonster[/USER] 's advice and have ordered a Dymo Label Maker to make this better/neater.
I'm ready for Plaster boarding now but would like to find a way to test the CAT6 Cables in situ without terminating them.
Apologies if I have made some mistakes with my network cabling. Keen to hear feedback if I've done this right or not so I can make improvements/changes before I plasterboard.
Can’t help you on the networking (after some effort and plenty of advice I managed to terminate 2x Cat 5 for my “temporary” desk last year).
But the rest of the job looks great and a fantastic solution to the challenges you have faced. Lots to do but keep going..!
But the rest of the job looks great and a fantastic solution to the challenges you have faced. Lots to do but keep going..!
Edited by OMITN on Sunday 17th October 23:38
OMITN said:
Can’t help you on the networking (after some effort and plenty of advice I managed to terminate 2x Cat 5 for my “temporary” desk last year).
But the rest of the job looks great and a fantastic solution to the challenges you have faced. Lots to do but keep going..!
Thanks very much. I can sort of feel/see the end now and feel that once it is plaster boarded and tape/joined it will feel a lot more like a room. Hoping to plasterboard this evening. But the rest of the job looks great and a fantastic solution to the challenges you have faced. Lots to do but keep going..!
Edited by OMITN on Sunday 17th October 23:38
Looking good.
I built a garden office last year out - fully networked and connected to the house which is 50metres away. The easiest way I found to test was to put connectors on all the cabling and use a network tester like this (but i did already have one) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incutex-Ethernet-Network-...
The only way I thought about doing it was to create a patch lead with one end on terminal block and one end with a cat5 connector and use the same network tester.
I found it simpler to just crimp a connector on the end
I built a garden office last year out - fully networked and connected to the house which is 50metres away. The easiest way I found to test was to put connectors on all the cabling and use a network tester like this (but i did already have one) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incutex-Ethernet-Network-...
The only way I thought about doing it was to create a patch lead with one end on terminal block and one end with a cat5 connector and use the same network tester.
I found it simpler to just crimp a connector on the end
just to add - do you need an AP on the ceiling?
I did the same thing - ran 2 cables for the AP in the centre of the room but when I was testing it all, I had the AP in my little comms cabinet and realised that in my 3 x 4 metre office, the AP being centre of the room would probably have very little impact on connection speed.
Instead I put a smoke detector where the AP was supposed to be (wireless and battery powered) - which is smart so notifications to my phone as well as I wouldn't be able to hear the alarm as its at the end of the garden.
I did the same thing - ran 2 cables for the AP in the centre of the room but when I was testing it all, I had the AP in my little comms cabinet and realised that in my 3 x 4 metre office, the AP being centre of the room would probably have very little impact on connection speed.
Instead I put a smoke detector where the AP was supposed to be (wireless and battery powered) - which is smart so notifications to my phone as well as I wouldn't be able to hear the alarm as its at the end of the garden.
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