Circle D Transmission’s new back office

In March 2025 Circle D Transmission, off Hempstead in Houston, asked us to turn a back corner of their workshop into a proper office. The room was painted concrete block with a drop ceiling, a steel door, surface mounted conduit and a bare concrete floor. It was a bare back corner of the shop, not a space anyone wanted to work in. Our first photo, taken the morning we started, already has the first three furring strips on the wall.

Before we started, we hung plastic over the shop’s pegboard wall and the shelving right behind it so dust stayed off their parts. We then fastened horizontal furring strips to the block walls from floor to ceiling, set a vertical strip beside the steel door frame, and fitted rigid foam insulation board into every bay between the strips. The existing conduit and outlet boxes stayed right where they were.

With the framing in, we installed wood look slat wall panels, sourced from a Houston supplier, over the furring on all three block walls, cutting each panel around the outlets, the conduit fitting and a data plate so everything sits flush. A black band at the ceiling line and black base trim finish the edges and wrap the corners.

We had all three walls paneled by the end of the first day and photographed the finished room the next morning. We left the floor and drop ceiling as they were. A bare block corner of a transmission shop is now a warm, finished office the moment you step through the door.

Scope of work

• Inventory protected with plastic
• Furring strips fastened to block
• Rigid foam board in every bay
• Wood look slat wall on three walls, cut around outlets and conduit
• Black ceiling band and base trim

Service: Finish Carpentry

Planning something similar?

• Turning a corner of the shop into a real office
• One accountable contractor vs. juggling subs yourself