The one thing I hate about having a hobby area (or 'puter) in a guest room is that its off imits when you have guests… Most annoying, as its unlikely you can get an extra 15 minutes of drybrushing done while they’re sleeping…
I use the spare room in my house, Its about 5 x 11. I have an old drafting table as a work bench, file cabinet, 6 foot high metal shelving unit, and my tool and paint chest. At the end of the room is a 4 foot table with my computer on it…
When a project gets out of control I start taking over other rooms in the house… I do all of my painting in the Kitchen my compressor…(10gal) is under the kitchen sink. Its nice and out of the way.
This area works well though I would like to move my computer somewhere else at some point… Though it is nice because I have a lot of ref pictures on my computer so I just have to turn and look at them while I am working. I have a dual monitor card so I am trying to find a used LCD monitor to put up on the wall in front of my desk so that its a little more conveniant…
All my reasearch materials are at a study desk in the living room that way I can keep SOME of the clutter out of the shop.
My kits (about 100 or so) are stored in a cabinet off the kitchen…
Dream shop would be about three times as big with cabinets to hide all the stuff thats out and about…
Comon, we need to see pics of your messes…I mean, work areas
Here is my workspace, located in the bedroom. My computer and reference books, are on the other side:
As for model storage, I have them in a cabinet, in the garage:
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Haha, I can imagine what you mean Michaelvk. See there’d be just one tiny problem with me putting my modeling things where others can get at them. I don’t WANT any others to get at them, the mere thought of it makes me flinch uncontrollably 
I wish I could post some, but no digital cam at the moment. All money went on buying models.
That’s quite a nice ‘mess’ you have there Erock. at least you can see the surface of your desk
Kennethc, I was actually planing to have the same kind of setup on my machine, since I have a couple of spare PCs lying around the house. Good luck finding a reasonably priced used LCD. They’re not cheap, even used.
When I lived in California, I simply threw an old soil amendment advertising poster face-down on a slab of plywood atop a pair of plastic 15-gallon nursery pots (the black ones they sell trees or large shrubs in) and called it my workbench. It was OK, but the pain and some of my tools were inconvenient to get to as they were several feet away in a drawer (to keep them away from the cat). When I moved to Arizona, my former roommate gave me a bookshelf-like piece of furniture. I fixed it so it wouldn’t wobble, glued some white poster board to the shelves and front so it would look nicer (and less messy than applying a new coat of paint), then I screwed the aforementioned piece of plywood to the top. I then placed a three-drawer “lamp table” (as I called it when I had insulators on it and they were marked on a location chart) so that all the tools and paint are right within arm’s reach yet the cat can’t get at them with the drawers closed.
About five years ago, my wife and I bought a house which was plenty big for two adults and a Lab that spend alot of time outdoors. 2 small boys later and I found myself insulating, sheetrocking and laying floors in the attic. Two thirds go to the boys and their thousands of Thomas trains, and I’m left with the rest. I just finished the airbrushing area, complete with a 350 cfm shaded pole motor vented to the outside. It’s already sucked up a couple of Aber PE parts and sent them to oblivion. The room’s not finished but I couldn’t hold off on a 1/35 r/c tiger I from Tamiya. I’ve been sitting on that and Jentz’s book since Xmas frothing at the mouth to begin an early Carius tiger.
I have an area in the basement set aside for modelling. Got my spray booth, model dryer, airbrush setups, and kit storage within arms length of one another. I have a set of drawers behind me with paints and accessories. No pics yet.
I use a spare bedroom that is 8’ by 10’. I have an unfinished wood computer desk that I use for model building. Unfortunately, I store my bikes, unused SoloFlex, rollaround tool box, extra clothes, art easels and storage shelves, all my guitars, basses and sound equipment in there as well. So, I am always tripping over something or having to move things around to build…
Regards, Dan
wow Erock! that’s a neat workplace! are those boxes empty?
what do you do with empty boxes? you throw them up or save 'em for reference?
The boxes on my workbench are those I am currently building. The ones in the cabinet are unopened (my modest collection compared to some around here [;)] )
very modest compared to my 4 1/72, 2 1/35, 1 ship, 1 plane, 8 accesory sets. (guys, spare afv equipment and weapons)[:p]
My wife has the spare bedroom in our condo. Even if I wanted to move in there I couldn’t. Her scrapbooking stuff is all over the room. I have a spot in the basement that is all mine. I built myself a table for working. It’s basically two cabinets with a piece of plywood on top. I built the cabinets to meet my needs, one has a paint “organizer”. I am currently in the process of replacing the paint organizer with a box that can be taken upstairs to help keep the paints the right temp. My desk is pretty much a wreck most of the time. But hey it’s my own little space. Although when we get a house I refuse to be in the basement.
Chris
What’s your collection/work area like?
A complete and utter mess. I am lucky to find myself when I am in there.
But I love it.
[#ditto][#ditto]
couldn’t have said it better