Really slow yet fast shop build

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Guess I should start something instead of posting in random other threads.

It's been two years since I bought the house and my progress has been in spurts this year.

Plan: move old 16x24 garage, build 40x64 in it's place, place 16x24 on new slab as well for cold storage.

Old photos:

May 5th.

Garage removal with chain saw, angle grinder, and Sawzall. Cheap car hauler did not like the load, but it made it.

This is why I say slow but fast:

First cut to moved was under 24 hours. Then nothing for a few weeks until I demoed the slab two weeks later.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Had to rent a jack hammer, old slab was thick and hard on two sides. Oh, and there were poured piers down 4 feet full of rebar to the slab.

Tried getting western with the skid, but ended up renting an electric jackhammer and doing that for the first 3 feet of two sides. Then was able to "cut up" the slab and pop it with the skid.

Real classy look here, beautiful OSB for the neighbors to look at. Oh, and that pile of concrete was there for two months. The dump site was too wet to get a truck or trailer and then I was busy at work.

A full day of progress, then nothing.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Now out of order. Did this while my concrete pile sat.

Dig a hole. Let it rain to make a small lake. Also demonstrates my inability to level with a skid steer in the clay.

Had to bring a disc home from work to work it up so the skid (7000lb) could effectively dig the last 3- 6 inches. Required the skid bucket for weight. Was just right, front wheels almost off the ground when three point was up.



Then let it sit for another two months for concrete contractor availability.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Save zero pictures until this week. Concrete guys set most of the forms (geo fabric plus 10-12" of compacted fill). Panzer said to do more, I chickened out. But thinking it should work for me,l.

Full Saturday of placing foam, and an evening and morning of laying tubing.
20-30mph winds laying the foam, learned to carry two or three at a time so their combined weight keeps them from flying off.


2700ft in nine loops. Over half a mile and a billion stupid staples. Not super fun, but worth my labor to save a buck.

Behind the dog that can't look at the camera are two areas without pipe, for a future two post lift. Yeah, I could heat camera the lines in the future, but two 5 x 5 foot clear areas give me some wiggle room without worry of striking glycol.

Slab specs are 40' x 64', 6" thick with 12" x 12" thickened edge. Rebar on 2' centers, pretty standard for here.

Second slab is uninsulated and unheated 16' x 24', 4" thick (really 5ish inches), same thickened edge and rebar.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

And to today.

6am pump truck showed up and both were full of mud by 9am. Laser screen and both are flat. No floor drains, no slope. Winter melt will evaporate from floor hear and I'll run 1x2 PVC base trim so any water near a wall will have nowhere to wick (treated baseplate). Don't expect much anyways.

I had to go work on our new combines, so no great pictures, but I'm sure the elementary kids across the street were happy to watch the show.

So, got home early from work (to make sure no stray cat prints get on the fresh slab). Finished slab in all it's glory.

Only a few small problems. My 18' door is from spray can to spray can. They troweled in a 10' opening (square) and added two random J bolts in what should be the garage door opening.

Had a dimensioned drawing of doors (three 4' walls and an 18' and 10' door) verbalized it, and had all j bolt locations dimensioned. Those two were spares kept separate that someone went to find and stick there.

Damn it.

Not the end of the world, they're going to come out and regrind both front door openings to match. It'll be exposed aggregate but I realize it's not like the slab can be fixed at this point. (2:30pm).


I was even all productive and had the j bolts color coded (red big slab, blue little slab), paint on the bolt marking desired depth, locations marked with sharpie (and spray paint) on the outside of the forms for ease of installation.

That form board was put in this morning after left.


Red marks are J bolts (with blue tape they put on to keep threads clean), picture after watering slab this evening:

They also forgot to out two in the little slab (symmetrical on both ends, so pretty obvious that a side was missing). That's easier to fix.

Hoping it's not an annoyance in my side, and really a small thing in the large picture. But damn does it make me mad. If the stupid board would've been put in last week with the rest, the lack of marks for bolts would've been obvious.

Tell myself can't change it now, hopefully the concrete guy makes it right.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Oh, and it'll be 2x6 stick built walls 12.5' tall. Board and batton siding, hip roof with shingles to roughly match house. Center 32ish feet will be scissor trusses for >14' lift clearance down the middle. Existing 10' breezeway will connect it to the house. Got sick of trudging through snow at the last house, want to keep my feet warm and dry when working on my junk.

 

[ridered3]

Cool shop build and the name certainly makes sense now.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Time for some advice, what IBB does best.

So, old garage is 16 x 24 roughly 8.5' tall. I want an 8' or more garage door in it (forklift clearance). My plan is two layers of 4x8x16 block to make a 16" stem wall to raise it and set the garage on those. These seem narrow, but I think it should be fine with only two courses.

Anchor bolts are in slab, plan was to use coupler nuts and all thread to get through the block, a new 2x4 PT plate and the original double bottom plates. Tie everything together all happy like.

So, am I stupid for planning it this way? Or anything that y'all would recommend for strength. I'd like to avoid a 6" or 8" wide block intruding on the interior.

 

[arse_sidewards]

Anchor bolts are in slab, plan was to use coupler nuts and all thread to get through the block, a new 2x4 PT plate and the original double bottom plates. Tie everything together all happy like.

That's a fine plan.

If you're not cutting your own threaded rods from 10ft sections I would advise you to buy 3fters in bulk and then do however many courses of block that comes out to.

Also, price it with the wide blocks. It might not change things might.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

While I'm watching my costs closely, there is only a 50 cent per block difference 4" to 8". $22 a course won't break me.

Didn't consider more than two courses, original plan was one. I'd assume at some point it's too tall for that narrow of a block.

My concern with the wide blocks is I don't want a 2" or 4" bump on the interior side of the walls. The 4" wide block will be perfect for the 2x4 plus 1/2" lap sheathing boards on the existing garage. At worst it'll be a 1/2" bump on the interior. That would be better for setting pallets and random junk next to the wall.

I'll be jacking up and cribbing the old garage this weekend to get exact dimensions for the block work before playing mason.

 

[PAToyota]

When I built my shop, I did a 2' stem wall (3 courses) above floor level to elevate the framing from ground level to help prevent rot/moisture issues as well as to allow me to wash things down in the shop without getting the framed walls wet. This was a continuation of the foundation wall, so it is 8" block. I will agree that the jog from the 8" block to the framed wall is a bit of an inconvenience at times.

For what you're doing, I can't say that there is anything intrinsically wrong with using 4" block. I'd consider at least grouting the cells with the all-thread solid to help with stability - if you're not grouting the whole wall. You would grout the cells with anchor bolts solid to attach a sill plate even if you weren't doing the all-thread connection from the slab bolts.

As for the "fast but slow," that's how my shop build has gone as well. Save up money and time, build stuff, regroup, save up money and time, etc... You don't get immediate gratification, but you're also not left with a construction loan to pay back.

 

[WiscoF100]

Until I read through this later, I’ve just got to say F’awesome! Take a chain saw to a garage and relocate inside 24hr. I approve of that determination

 

[BustedCrank]

Agreed, that's pretty badass!

Big shop is going to be

 

[arse_sidewards]

Finished walls? If not you'll make good use of the space storing shit on the natural "shelf"

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

That little garage will be unfinished storage. I'm going to attempt to keep the main garage less cluttered by having extra axles, engines, transmissions, steel tube, a scrap steel tote, etc in it instead of all over the big garage.

My next random thought is that I should fill/seal the cut lines before they have a chance to chip.

I've heard Sikaflex self leveling with some backer rod is common. Not sure if the concrete has to be cured a certain time. I'd rather do it now before the cracks get filled with sawdust and junk.

Regular Sikaflex says it's good on green concrete, haven't found the data sheet for the self leveling stuff.

 

[Andrew S]

I filled my cut lines within a week of sawcutting, using self leveling Sikaflex. All still intact a few years later.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Harvest is in full swing, but almost done.

Spurt of progress this weekend.

Dropped a 40ish foot pine that I wanted to save, but blocks the between garage parking and is next to where I'm moving the propane tank.

Three loads in the pickup and two trips backwards in the skid steer to the town burn pile.


Spent Saturday afternoon raising the old garage 24" off the ground.

Bought two pallets of 4x4 dunnage pretty cheap so it got a lot of cribbing and raised with 3 and a half jacks. One leaks and only had enough oil for 2" of stroke, so it that corner was a pain.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Two and a half hours from trailer in to trailer out. Much less sketch than the first move, heavier trailer and more dunnage.

I also straightened the skid hitch plate and used a chain to reinforce it this time. Bent a few inches last time and I fully welded that top seam.

Used a 14k trailer from work, much better.

So now it sits 2' off the slab, will build the two courses of block and lower it onto a new pt sill plate. Should be about 17.5" taller than original, plenty of room for a 10'wide x 8'9" tall garage door on each end.

Also started the trench for a propane line, but then the tree would be in my way, and I wanted the garage moved so I can get to my top soil pile.

Big shop progress has been limited to lumber and truss ordering, but should free up once harvest is done.

 

[Lowrollin70gmc]

Oh, and only dropped the garage once.

Forgot to move a pallet off the new slab, so went to unhook the skid from trailer. Forgot I had attached the safety chains (in case it was tongue light or something, dumb idea).

Pulled the trailer off its tongue jack blocking, slamming the garage about 6" down. Broke some braces but it was still in the air so I moved it. I'll have to pull and push when lowering it. Oh well, it's a shed.

 

[ridered3]

I feel like a “spurt of progress” is a bit of an understatement.