Not exactly a woodworking question, but related. I bought an old house and there’s a nice spot in the basement for me to set up my shop, but it’s completely unfinished. Cinder block walls and concrete floor. As far as I know, if I want to actually finish it, I need a permit and inspections, which seems like a lot of hassle. All I really want is to seal the floor (not sure how best to do that) and have a way to hang cabinets. Do I just drill into the cinder block? It feels weird to put a bunch of holes in the foundation of the house. Or do I put up some basic framing to hang things off of? Or does that start to require permits? Any advice? Just not sure how best to proceed.
You might be able to make some basic framing without any sheating without a permit. Then hang your cabinets on that. Best would be to ask your local permit office though. Any new power runs will need a permit regardless.
However, I will say if you want to do any power wood cutting then you’ll want to enclose it real well. (ask me how I know, actually on second thought, don’t lol)