I am in the planning stages for having a shop built by a well know custom shed/shop/garage building. I am looking at a 14' by 30' building. The standard floor construction is 2x8 joists on six 4x4 skids, the joists are 16" on center and the floor is 3/4" tongue and grove boards (not sure yet which ones). I have the option of having the joists 12" on center and I could double up on the 3/4" boards for a 1.5" thick floor but I'm wondering if this is even necessary. The heaviest piece of equipment in my shop will be my Powermatic 3520 lathe which weighs about 750 pounds.
Is the standard floor sufficient for the load? The cost to go 12" on center is minimal so I'll probably do that. The cost to double up the floor with two layers of 3/4" boards is $540, the cost to upgrade one layer of 3/4" to 1" thick boards is $225.
While I'm at it, are double pane windows worth the extra cost of $61 per window? ( have six windows planned).
Thanks for your input.