Previously, my shop was always MY working space. This shop is a family shop and needs to accommodate all of us. This shop was purposefully built 2x the size of my last shop; it has to do twice as much. This is a working shop, warehouse, and living space.

The warehouse side is pretty much done. Pallet racking for vertical storage. And a pallet jack and forklift for bulk movement. Basic stuff.

Eventually, the living space, or apartment, will be a glorified "break room" with sleeping quarters for guests. Until then, we will live in the apartment until the house is built. Before the apartment can be built, the woodshop must be put together, so I can use it to help build it.

Before I finish setting up the woodshop, I need to work outside to get the shop's perimeter buttoned up. I need to bring in about 10 loads of material to finish building up the foundation perimeter on two sides. I plan on getting that started this week. Once compacted and potentially covered with limestone, I can move the camper out of the shop and hook it up behind it. The shop will partially shade the camper as the temperatures begin to climb outside and we begin work inside.

Affiliates/coupons:

JK Boots:

Hands down, without question, the best outdoor working boot that I have ever tried. They aren't cheap and they aren't inexpensive. The break-in period was brutal for me. But after some boot oil and a few working days for them to conform to my feet, I've never worked in anything as form fitting and comfortable. I wore mine all summer and immediately realized how comfortable they are after being forced to switch to a mud boot when the wet season hit. Once we get the extreme mud under control the rubber boots will get the boot and I'll be back to good foot comfort in my JKs. I have the O.T. Bison - Canyon. Yes, the JKs can handle mud, but excessive full submersion in mud is unnecessary. They have a good sizing system and you can order different sizes for each foot if necessary. JKs are an investment, for sure, so I wanted to wait until I had 6 months of experience before I promoted them. THUMBS UP. Here's my affiliate link. Your cost doesn't change but if you use my link I get a commission when you purchase. USE THE CODE jaybates TO GET 10% OFF!

https://www.jkboots.com/products/o-t-bison-rust-roughout-smooth?bg_ref=BwlWA71DVt

Update 4/5/25
My O.T.s are still great. Heavily worn and holding up great. Still my go-to work boot. I recently got a pair of the square toe western boots (The Buck - Indigo | Chocolate) for days where I prefer the speed of getting in and out of the boots or days where I'm mostly on hard surfaces all day or running errands. Very comfortable right out of the box with zero break in for me. THUMBS UP AGAIN.

https://www.jkboots.com/products/the-buck-navy-chocolate?bg_ref=BwlWA71DVt

P.S. Did you know the first French fries were not actually cooked in France? They were cooked in Greece.