About this Project

If you're serious about doing carpentry work around your house, you will need a convenient, comfortable, well-organized place in which to work and store the tools and materials you will accumulate. Your carpentry headquarters can be a full-fledged shop, or it may be a simple tool container and a corner set aside for lumber. But you need a work center--and the sooner, the better.

You can build your workshop in a basement, garage, seldom-used room, or even a closet or attic. A basement has several advantages. It's off the beaten path, so you needn't worry about disrupting family activities as you work. In most homes it's also one of the few areas with a sizable amount of unused space -- an important factor if you want to use stationary power tools. However, if your basement tends to get wet or if it will be difficult to get sheet goods into it, you may want to investigate other areas.

Once you've decided on the tools you would like to have, plan your space carefully.