My brother-in-law is a modeler and a contractor, too. When I was trying to negotiate more space for trains in the basement, he suggested excavating under the garage. After a couple of years of off again, on again discussion, I hired an architect to look at that option. The architect said it would be easier and cleaner to extend our second story over the garage and to go up instead of down. Now I have a 2 car garage size room with cathedral ceiling for my RR. Of course that was just when my company gave me one project after another that meant out of town trips. I’ve finished about half the benchwork and plan to but my DCC system to start learning how it works while I build the rest.
Also adding to the problem is the fact that the ceiling is covered with little bumps (don’t ask me what the technical term for them is) so painting it blue would be useless without sanding [soapbox]!!! Great.
soumodeler
The Southern Serves the South!
My layout accually is limited to 1" x 10" boards around the extra room which is 14’ x 11’ so thats my layout at about 6 1/2 feet up lol until I build a attic or basement for this single wide trailor thats where I’m stuck could use my storage shed its 12’ x 16’ but then everything would be in here and its not completely wheather proof (gets damp at time not acually leaks but does get damp not good for electric trains lol.
I put down office but it is more like a combination of my office and computer room. My newest section clears the top of the computer by about 4 inches. In other areas my recliner, desk, and TV are under sections of layout. The layout is 52 inches off the floor and fills most of my 12 by 13 room. Mostly a 2 ft shelf with an 8 by 4 foot section extending into the middle.
I put down “other” because my trains are set up on several shelves (mainly in boxes)! When I get around to building my layout, I plan to build it in my storage shed after I insulate the shed. I will still have room for storage under the layout, but will also be able to build a large enough layout to actually have some fun with. If I end up not building the layout in the shed, I would end up with it in the garage, but that, too, would need to be insulated and finished before the trains went in.
My layout is in my computer room/office. It is a loft area outside our bedroom which overlooks the living room, dining room and kitchen. I kind of like that setup because I can be working on my layout (or wasting my time on internet bulletin boards) [;)] and not feel like I’m isolated from what is going on in the rest of the house.
Unfortunately that location also limits the size of my layout. I would have a hard time going larger than 4’ x 8’. But since our house doesn’t have a basement except for the furnace room and a small storage area, that is all I have to work with. Someday I hope to talk my wife in to giving up the spare bedroom or the formal dining room (which we never use) for a train room. But so far I’ve had no luck with that!
[:)]
I said “No where”, and after all the comments in this and another thread, I don’t know if I WANT to put my layout out in the garage…It’s not dust I have to worry about, but mildew or mold, as it’s kinda wet up here…maybe I SHOULD go back to modules, just so I can work on something…