Shop design champ

After losing their farmstead near Edwardsport, Indiana, to the construction of a new power plant, the Villwock family was forced to move. “Prior to that, we were operating out of a great 64×80-foot shop, which we'd still be in today if we hadn't lost the farmstead,” says Don Villwock.

So Villwock and farm manager Jason Misiniec set about putting together a wish list of ideas they wanted in a new shop. Thus armed, they erected a 104-foot-long by 80-foot-wide structure with 20-foot sidewalls. In addition, they attached a 64-foot-wide by 32-foot-deep structure to the west end of that structure to house an office.

Door placement is key to the success of Villwock's shop floor plan. Three main doors, all located along the south side of the shop, face out into a massive yard easily accessed from the farmstead's entrance. The first (west) overhead door is 24×18 feet. The second (center) overhead door is 20×18 feet. A third (east) overhead door provides access to a 32-foot-wide by 68-foot-long wash bay.

On the opposite (north) side of the shop and located directly across from the center door is a fourth 20×18-foot overhead door. “We added that to allow machinery and semis to drive through the shop,” Misiniec explains. “Plus, it provides great ventilation in the summer.”

The walls of the main repair bay are kept free of shelves or bins. All parts and fasteners are kept in a separate parts room. Workbenches, located along the north side of the repair bay, and a welding table are the only items taking up wall and floor space.