Preparing a practical workspace requires a lot of planning; the need to balance what is needed against budgetary, space, & other constraints. I've had a shop most of my life, but none have been very satisfactory until a decade ago when we moved to our new farm & I finally had the opportunity to build a shop from scratch. While it's a real step up from all my previous work spaces, I still had a limited budget & other factors that limited my dreams. I'll describe the process from planning through construction; what worked, what didn't, & some things to watch out for. Maybe you won't make the same mistakes I did & you'll find some ideas to incorporate into your own.