It's going to be a while before my wife and I settle down somewhere, but when we do I'll be setting up a new workshop. In the intervening time I'm sort of planning out some things, and one thing I'm wondering is, how far away would be a good distance for the forge to be from the house? I'm planning on a coal forge. My current one is about 50 yards from the house and separated by a lot of trees. My drill press is in the garage near the house, and I do all my finishing work in there as well, but I'd sort of like to have it all in one building.

How far away are your shops from the house, if they are on the same property? Do close shops end up with a problem with smoke and noise?

Cheers,
Nick

My shop is aout 20 foot away, no great problems noise wise, occasionally smoke when initial start up, but this could be eliminated by highering chimney, haven't bothered because of planning reasons.

It is also useful as I work on my own, and if I go quiet for a bit, wife pops over to make sure I am OK, also coffee doesn't cool off too much on its journey over, and its far enough away from telephone to get called away from work unless its really urgent or important. ( usually in the middle of some delicate forging moment)

So many more factors: prevailing winds, do you keep the windows open on that side of the house; how big a powerhammer do you plan to use; how big is your lot, separate street access, power line access, security issues, type of construction ....

My shop is about 70 ' away from my house and it's on a side that the windows don't get used much. Prevailing winds are neither to nor from the house. No intervening brush. The first half of my shop is a 20'x30'x10' metal building with concrete floor. I have a large Fisher as a shop anvil and so no noise issues. My neighbor's house is seperated from mine by a large field and hsi stables/paddocks (he was quite disappointed to find out that while I am a blacksmith I am not a farrier...)

65 ft back door of house, to door of shop.

about 30 feet or so, but my neighbors are a loooooong way away.

Where you can't hear the wife yell from the back door!

Mine's about 100' away but I have an insulated coffee cup for the commute so it's not too horrible.

Frosty

My shop is just out the back door, hot coffee just a few steps away, my neighbors don't complain, most times the neighbors think i am cooking something, go figure

Mines about thirty feet away. I also use one half of my two car attached garage as a cold work welding area( weld just outside garage door. My forging shop is out in the open. House and shop sit about dead centre of ten acres with about eight acres of open grass all around. No problem with smoke or noise bothering the neighbours.

Terry

Mines about 50feet contains welding/fab/CNC plasma and smithy.
AC in the office as well as microwave, fridge, coffe maker and water cooler. Heat in both spaces.
Ken

mine is about 50' away from the house and about 50' away from the closest naighbour, and i have very little complaints, maybe only if i start at the crack of dawn....

Mine is about 200 feet from the house, and normally unlike Frosty, I sue an insulated cup to keep my drinks cold!/Selden

Yeah but you have twice as far to commute!

Frosty

Mines about 60' to the shop, 200+' to the closest neighbor. Never any complaints.

Adam

60 paces from the house door to the forge door. that is via the concrete path. Less distance across the grass and I do have only very short legs!

Edited March 23, 200917 yr by philip in china
Putting a second s on grass!

60 feet to the workshop, same again to the nearest neighbour,but it is a pub and the pub garden goes right up to the shop wall, so I have to show a bit of restraint in the summer;)
Regarding noise and smoke,some times I have to tell the wife to turn down the TV or stop burning the biscuits;):D

Mine's about 70 or 80 feet from the house and I have a kettle in the forge... So that I can have as much tea as I want.

Thanks all

I'll definitley have a kettle in the shop, and a percolator, too!

Prevailing winds, topography, woodland, etc. are all things I've thought about but can only really factor in when I know where we'll be. But they will be part of the final desicion.

I had originally planned on having it a bit of a way away, but I'm thinking now that if it's closer it'll be easier to hook up to the electrical and water lines. That way I can have a hose to easily replenish my quench tank (and fill that kettle). I have no access to water right now, except in jugs I carry to the shop, and I've always thought it would be a good thing to have.

Mines about 100 feet from the house and I am about 250 yards from the nearest neighbors (my in-laws). No problems on smoke as I use propane, but the tumbler I placed outside the shop can be heard at least a 1/4 mile away. One neighbor came over to investigate the noise, but was happy to stay with a cold adult beverage from the in-shop frig!

Nick, consider that if you have a gas forge you likely won't have problems with smoke or odor like you would useing a solid fuel(coal, coke, or charcoal).
I live a ways out in the counrty with my nearest neighbour about a 1/4 mile away.
My smithy is in the back 1/3 of a former livestock barn that's probably around 200 yards from the house. This alows me to work very late at nite if I want to and keeps the smoke and dirt from the house. We have a set of two way radios if needed.
I use hardwood charcoal to start my coal forge and sometimes the fire flees going up the flue make me nervous when it's dry in the summer.

Frosty, I'm glad to see your avitar finely got up and did something. :rolleyes:

Morkling baby goats is doing something. Just ask Deb.

Still, something with a bit more color seemed like a good idea.

On the tumbler noise issue. If you glue felt to the outside of the drum it'll deaden the noise nicely.

Just because the neighbors don't mind doesn't mean they won't appreciate measures taken to make living next door more pleasant.

Frosty

Mine is probably 30 yards away in the back yard. I live on a contry road and have a neigbor across the road. Once when i was starting up the forge and the wind was blowing the smoke straight over the house they came running thinking my house was on fire lol. Othe then that, no problems

I work out of an attached garage in a residential area. Even have the "Ding-Ding Man" in the summer:D

I used to live in a trailer court and my nearest neighbor was 30' from my trailer so the forge was closer still. I kept peace by sharpening knives and other doing minor metal repairs gratis for any of my neighbors. I was also very careful not to make noise after dinner time or before mid morning, nor when someone close was having a BBQ or other get together.

The trailer court owners noticed me forging one day and tried to give me a hard time but the neighbors jumped on them like white on rice. I didn't have to say a word.

PR is worth a lot.

Frosty