Shop Houses in Knoxville, TN

Shop houses, sometimes called shouses, put a working shop and a home under one roof or side by side in one building. Around Knoxville they suit land with room to work: a farm with equipment, a contractor's trucks, a bass boat for Norris or Fort Loudoun Lake, or a hobby that needs a lift and a welder. The shop usually gets the taller section and the big doors; the living quarters sit beside it at house height.

How a shop house differs from a barndominium

FBi Buildings describes a barndominium as mainly residential, usually one rectangle at one height, while a shouse combines living and working space, often with a taller shop section and a shorter house section. Extra Space notes that owners tend to plan the shop first, and that its size sets how much living space remains.

Keeping the shop and the house apart

An attached shop needs a proper separation from the living space: the wall between them, the door, and how fumes, noise and dust are kept out of the house. We design the wall and door between them to the residential code that applies to your parcel.

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The slab is different too

A shop floor carrying a tractor or a car lift needs more concrete and steel than a living room floor. Many owners want a floor drain, an air line, a wash bay or a 240-volt circuit for a welder. We plan the shop slab, the doors and the electrical before the building package is ordered.

Steel frame for clear span

Red-iron steel framing spans wide shop bays without interior posts, which keeps the floor open for vehicles and equipment. Post-frame works well for smaller shops.