TOPIC: Shop Build- FINALLY!!

Howdy strangers. I know I have been scarce recently- BUSY times here.

We moved a few months ago to a new house, closer to my work. I had no intention of moving for at LEAST another year or so, but we were doing some house shopping and found a deal that we couldn't pass up- A fannie Mae foreclosure that was going up for auction online. It is officially my BIGGEST online purchase to date- and pales all of my past E-Bay purchases combined! Believe me, it was tough to click that 'bid now' button with such a big number in the box... But- No risk, no gain, right??

The house is a nice 4br 2 ba, 2000 sq foot ranch style on 3 wooded acres outside of Athens, TN. When the bidding ended and the smoke cleared, we were the winners, and bought the place for less than 1/3rd of it's appraised value. Of course- we knew NOTHING about the house, and hadn't even been inside it when it became ours. But all ended well- It needed paint, carpet, and a new water heater and it was good to go.

The only drawback- and this was a big one- is there is NO GARAGE. My old house had an oversized 2 car on the main floor, and a basement with a garage door, so I had all kinds of space to park and work on my toys. But- Ive got plenty of land, though it's sloped and wooded... But That's nothing a dozer won't take care of-

This is the new driveway just cut in to the woods, leading to where it will be built-




Farther down the road... It's about 150 feet or so off my main driveway



And, the clearing taking shape behind the house.

They just started excavating today, and should finish it up tomorrow. I don't have a lot of level land, so I won't know the final dimensions of the building until they level out what they can. The plan is to build as big as I can- Hopefully at LEAST 24 x 36, but possibly a bit larger. Hopefully, I'll be able to get all the 'stuff' I need in there and still fit within the budget

-Andrew

From the photo's it looks like a great place to build. I wish I had that dozer when I was at the farm clearing up the woods. All I have is a '75 John Deer 400 with a loader to pick up the cut logs, and the Ford 8n to pull the trees down. Next year I'll be making the clearing for the pole barn!

Excellent find Andrew!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm jealous, I wish I had that much room to build. My 12 x 28 was as big as I could get but needed to be about double that. Congrats!!!!!!

Bob

They're done for today- Probably about 1/2 done with the major dirt moving- Here's the new road-


It's 15' wide, and about 200' long back to the building site. They still need to do the finish work on it, and then it'll get a good covering of gravel.

This is the back of the building site, looking towards the house-


They will be dropping this area down another couple of feet, which will widen it considerably. They are going to be packing it all in, but I am going to give it some time to settle before building.

They also continued the road all the way behind my house, so it connects to my existing driveway, so I've got a loop all the way around my house now (can we say RACETRACK?? )

Rick- I wish I could keep the dozer- It's a fun toy. It belongs to a neighbor, though- Who happens to be a logger/excavator as well as a VERY skilled pole barn builder...

I'm going to be adding a tractor to my list of toys soon, too- And I've got my eye on an N series ford...

Bob- I'm going to build as big as I can fit/afford. One thing you will NEVER hear is someone saying "Man, I wish I'd have built that garage smaller... I've just got too much space!!"

-Andrew

Good to hear from you again Andrew, looks like the new homestead is coming along very nicely! Charlotte is going to love that fenced in back yard, and I have a hunch we're about to see a great boat house going up out in the woods there. Please give my best to the Mrs..

Despite the HOT weather, they got the site prep work done this week. It looks VERY different back there
now. They had to cut a new driveway back to the site, the old location would have been too steep of an approach, and I'd have spent a small fortune on fill dirt to make it work-



The old driveway will be covered in stone, and used as a parking pad. I can fit a LOT of boats down there- and it's in the woods so the wife will never know

This is the pad where the building will go- Looking towards the house. I'm going to be able to fit a 24' x 48' building there- I had planned to do at LEAST 24 x 36, but that extra space is always welcome!

I'm in the final planning stages now- This is an idea of what I'm going for-

This shop is 24 x 36 x 12, mine will be longer, and I think that at the one end I'm going to do a single 14' x 10' door rather than two 10 foot doors, in case I ever want to get anything wide in there...

-Andrew

That's a great plan Andrew!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see it done.

Bob

Very cool plan.

After lots of delays, quotes, and bargaining, I think I have FINALLY selected my builder. There are a LOT of people building these here, and the quotes vary considerably. I sketched out the final plan, and I should be meeting with the builder tomorrow to finalize & write the first check.

I am going with a 24' x 48' building. I am going to put a single, large roll up door on the front (gable) end, and a 36" walk through door on one side. I MIGHT put another roll up door in the side, we'll have to see if I can squeeze it in the budget! The most important thing was to get the building up, as big as I could- I can always add a door later, but increasing the size later isn't easy.

As of now, it looks like the building itself is going to come in at about $13k installed. Extras, like the concrete slab, electrical, etc will add to that, of course. The goal is to be in the 18-19k range FINISHED. Not too bad when you consider I'm getting roughly 1150 square feet of shop space out of the deal!

If all goes as planned, we should get some posts in the ground soon- hopefully as soon as this week!

Excellent, and that's a good price considering the size and all.

Bob

sure is..i paid 24k for my 24x30 on a 6"slab.

Ron, that's a nice looking building!

One of the advantages of pole barn style construction is the low price- It is supposed to be the least expensive form of construction out there. It also allows bigger buildings- Especially higher walls- than 'conventional' frame construction, for a lot less money.

One of the big areas I will save in is the cement work, the pad is poured inside the building after the posts are set, and will cost $3k - $4k or so, a fraction of what the excavation and concrete work for a building on a foundation would cost.

Of course, living out here in the 'boonies' makes it even easier, since I don't have to worry about codes & permits

The final meeting was pushed back 'till tomorrow, though we're still hoping to break ground this week!

-Andrew

Sounds like a plan. when I moved out here in the sticks, I built a 30x40 Pole Barn. Man what a nice size building. Flash forward ten years and Man, what happened to all that room I used to have? Well Up went another Pole Barn attached to the other. Only this time I had it built big enough that I wouldn't need anymore room and would marvel at what room I had and could kind of unpack things and spread them around. Yea, right. Can you say BIG YARD SALE? I'm kind of a hoarder of old cars and boats. Classics, Street Rods and Boats and do some Powder Coating. Oh well, Like I said big yard sale. But I like your plan...

Well, the final meeting with the contractor went even better than expected!

We looked over the details, to make sure we were both on the same page. Then he told me "I've got my crew, hole digger, and lumber here- You want us to set the posts tonight?"

Of COURSE!

So, The posts have been set and trimmed, girders installed, and top plates on-

This is the approach from the driveway. The big (12' wide) door will be on this gable end-

The next step is to have the concrete pad poured...

-Andrew

Great to see that you have got a start on your new shop. Keep the pics coming. Skip.

Yes, keep the updates coming. Some action shots wouldn't hurt the thread either.

I'll try to get some action shots as the process continues- But a lot of this work happened at dusk (and even in to the dark!), I was holding a flashlight for the guys so they could keep going. They were determined to get it done so they didn't have to come back the next day.

Hopefully I'll be meeting with the concrete contractor tonight, and we can get that slab done. Once that's done, it's only 2-3 days of construction work to finish it all up.

-Andrew

I've made some progress. I installed the bottom boards around three sides of the building, to serve as the concrete form-



I've got 22 tons of gravel on the way tomorrow sometime... It'll arrive while I'm at work, so hopefully the wife and daughter will get it all spread and leveled for me

The pad was pretty level- The front corner was a few inches low, but I'll be able to make it up with gravel pretty easily.

I DID get to use my 'mini bulldozer' for some finish work here and there-



I cut down some high spots with it. It should come in handy for spreading gravel as well!

Hopefully, All the gravel will be done this week- Then it's time for concrete.

I spoke with the concrete company today, and it looks like I'm going to be using a 4000 psi mix w/fiber. There seems to be some debate about what strength is required- Some say 3000 is plenty, some say to use 3500, others say 4000. It is a minimal price difference, only about $4 more a cubic yard, to use the 4000 vs. 3000, so I figure it's not going to hurt.

It looks like I am going to need around 17-18 cubic yards, between the floor and the pad outside the front roll up door. Around here, it's about $100/yd. Finishing is going to run about $40 or so a yard, including all the forming work, relief cuts, etc. Add in 22 tons of gravel at $375, and about $100 for vapor barrier and we're going to be just under $3000, including the pad outside.

Looking good there. Nothing like new concrete going down to really see progress. You did tell the wife about spreading the gravel, right.

The gravel was delivered while I was at work, and I had a few hours after work to start spreading it. The dump truck driver did a good job of the initial spreading, which saved me a LOT of work-



Luckily, a helper showed up with her bulldozer to help-



After a couple of hours of raking and shoveling, I had it 'roughed in', and the back 1/2 or so leveled, using string running from side to side-



It'll need a bit more leveling up in the front, where the pad was a little low, but I should be able to get it all done before the weekend!

The Gravely with it's grader blade was a lifesaver on this project- it made quick work of moving the gravel!

-Andrew

Andrew sorry off the grid over the weekend. Fantastic!! Love the new little helper with her bulldozer! Daddies little girl!

Bob

Love the "action" shots! I hope since she helped she'll be able to put her footprints in the concrete.

Yeah those mechanized tools sure do help.

It's CONCRETE TIME!

I took the day off so I could 'supervise'.... The crew was supposed to show up around 11am, but the concrete company had an earlier opening, so they got here around 8-



The got the vapor barrier down, and waited. The first concrete truck arrived-


Then the second-



It was a pretty quick job once they got going-





Now, they are waiting for it to cure enough to do the final troweling and finisih work.

Originally, I was going to go with a 4" slab, but after I got the gravel down and packed, the single truckload (22 tons) that I had left more like 5". I could have ordered more gravel, but I decided just to leave it as-is and go ahead with a slightly thicker slab. It meant buying a few more yards of concrete, but that is really a minimal cost as compared to the project as a whole. I ended up ordering 20 yards, which is two full truck loads. We had about 1/2 yard too much, which isn't too bad. I used a 4,000 lb, fiber reinforced concrete mix. In my area, it's about $104 /yd delivered.

They should get the troweling done today, then they will come back tomorrow to do the relief cuts.

-Andrew

A slight change in plans- The slab is done....
They were going to have to wait until tomorrow to do the relief cuts, but one of the 'extras' they brought on to help had a different saw that let them do it TODAY.

Power trowling-



They couldn't get the machine running at first- Luckily, they had another! They got it all smoothed out-



Then, they cut the relief cuts-



And, It's DONE-



It looks NICE, too.

With the labor costs, This 'stage' of the project was about $3k... Not counting gravel. A pretty big expense, but can't be avoided. I ended up spending a little more to get a thicker, stronger pad- But I think it'll be worth it in the end.

My builder will be coming by either tomorrow or saturday to put the roof on... I'm starting to get excited

-Andrew

Excellent, she's looking great and hey what's an extra inch of cement slab among friends right?!?


Bob

You will be glad you got the extra inch of concrete down the road. Looks great and it should be a fast build after this. Skip.

Real progress today- The builder started on the roof when I was at work, and when I got home it looked like this-



The trusses are up, and the insulation is going on. They worked 'till dark, and got the metal on the roof tonight. I'm sure that they were anxious to get the roof complete, as that is one of the 'milestones' in the construction that means they get another check



It is starting to look like a building now. It also looks much bigger, too! I'm sure that'll change once I start putting all my toys in there.

I also found what I plan to use to organize the inside- Pallet racks. They are available in a lot of different sizes, and hold a LOT of wieght... I plan to do something like this-



Workbenches, shelves, motor racks etc.

I found a good (and local) source for surplus racks, and they are much cheaper than even the industrial shelving that you find at home stores.



-Andrew

Excellent, that's going to be a great setup!

Bob

I got to have some fun with the Ditch Witch this weeked-





It made quick work of the trench- About 100' of it, 32-36" deep.



And, the builder was back today. This is what I found after I got home from work-





They've got the siding here, and the doors should be ready to go. I ended up making a last minute change, and went with a 14' wide door rather than the 12', since it was only $130 more.

I also had cut the insulation out of the walls, for budget reasons. It was going to be $700-$800. But, I found a guy on Craigslist last week that was selling 6' x 125' rolls of radiant barrier bubble insulation for $70 each, and at that price, I couldn't pass it up. So, the walls will also be insulated.

They are supposed to be back tomorrow, and will hopefully get some siding up! They are supposed to be done this week sometime. It won't be long before the toys are moved in!

Okay, looking good now! I'm getting ideas for my pole barn. Hopefully next summer.

All better now- Fixed the photos.

I am a little mad- The builder was supposed to spend the day working. He didn't show up. His laborers were here, but we left to run some errands, and when we got back they were gone. There were only a few boards added, they had promised to have the bulk of the siding up today.

I DID find another great deal. I had planned to line the inside walls with pegboard someday, when the budget allowed it. At Lowes prices, it would cost about $975 just for the pegboard, plus the cost of studs in the walls, etc. I found a guy on craigslist that had sheets of pegboard for $1 EACH- I bought enough to do all the walls, and the ceiling if I choose. It's still going to be in the future sometime as time/budget allows, but I couldn't pass it up at that price. It'll give the insides a much nicer, more finished look.

-Andrew

Insulation is done on the side walls-



And, the siding is going on-



Coming along now. Other than the garage door, it should be done this week... I can't wait to start moving in!

Excellent, it's cranking right along!

Bob

great step by step updates, makes me want to build a pole barn instead of a conventional garage for that price. keep the updates coming as you move in!

Cheers

Walls are up, you should be moved in by now. Skip.
Oh yeah, looks great!

Looking good. Are you going to insulate the ceiling? And maybe hang some fans? What will you use for lighting? Details, details.

Shelby18 wrote:

Looking good. Are you going to insulate the ceiling? And maybe hang some fans? What will you use for lighting? Details, details.

The roof is insulated with radiant barrier/bubble insulation. Since I don't plan to keep it heated full time, that should be sufficient for my needs, so I'm going to leave the ceiling as is for now.

Lighting will be fluorescent, I plan on putting 8 fixtures up (one per 12 x 12 bay). The fixtures will be low profile, so they don't get in the way- I'm not SURE what I'll ever need the 12' plus headroom for, but if I ever DO need it, it is there!

I don't plan on using ceiling fans, since they'll be hanging in the way. I have a couple of big industrial floor fans that I use, which should move PLENTY of air. Heat will come from a portable propane forced air heater, which I'll use only when I plan to be working.

They are working on it today- and things are getting REALLY close... It won't be completed until the middle of october due to a delay in getting the 14' wide door, but once the walls are complete, I can start on electrical and start moving in.

-Andrew

Sorry, I couldn't see the insulation.

I would recommend T-4 fixtures. The 8' bulbs are getting hard to come by, at least on the left coast. So it's only a matter of time before everyone else gets hit. Plus they are more efficient. If you are doing painting I'd get daylight so you can see what it will look like in the sun. I just went through this exercise in my factory. Thought it might help.

I'm going to be using 4' fixtures- They're cheap... Of course since the shop isn't going to be heated full time I will make sure that the ballasts are good for cold areas! I've made that mistake before, may of the ballasts out there don't function correctly under 60 degrees!

They got most of the siding on today, just have some trim to finish up now... Of course it was too dark to get photos of it by the time I got home, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

-Andrew