I'm building a shop!


Robert Morse

Recommended Posts

31 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

The green stuff from cutting that PVC is horrible i just did some modifications to my system last night. Did you glue the PVC together? Was that just regular duct tape that you used on the joints?

I'll take some rocks but beings that i'm doing you a favor you have to deliver them. :D You should be able to find a place that will take them for free if you can't find a use for them. I know the landfills or some construction companies take rock and end up using them in various places.

I glued the pvc and as added insurance, I added a few wraps of 20 mil pvc tape over the joints. Belt and suspenders since it will be under the slab... 

We have a low spot on the back side of the shop where I'm leaving the rocks. They look a lot nicer than the mud puddles which have been there the past few weeks. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Robert Morse said:

Gutters went in as a single piece last week.

I wish I could find a company here that does on site fabrication of Ogee style gutters.  All they do here in California is the big fascia style gutters which detract from certain styles of homes.  When I replaced mine a few years back I had to use 12 ft sections from the home center.

The shop is coming along and pretty quickly too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, wdwerker said:

So is the driveway going to be done later or stay gravel ?  Progress is looking good !

it will likely stay gravel. We have some drainage issues we need to address on our lot, and that will dictate what we do. As much as I like the gravel, it would be really nice to wheel a tool outside to work in the sun (if it ever comes out again!). 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Tom King said:

It's amazing how much work a pump takes out of it.  20 years ago, around here, it would have all been moved in wheelbarrows.

Yeah, the finishers said the same thing. The guy in the orange had been doing this for 35 years, as a result they spent more time sitting in the truck waiting for it to harden between smoothings than they did actually smoothing... He said the floor was well graded, and it was a super easy pour and finish.  They advised to keep off of it for at least 24hrs, and mentioned I could and should seal it in the next few days. I need to do some research on sealers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Tom King said:

The time sitting, waiting probably hasn't changed at all.  They're just less sweaty, and tired than they used to be.  I would think that if it's to be slick finished, that they will be there for a while yet.

Yep, I opted for "shop smooth" but not a slick or polished finish. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, wdwerker said:

You could add a 12 x 12 or so pad outside the door to work on. Maybe with a carport type cover considering you are in the moist Pacfic Northwest where rain is just a matter of time.

yeah, we've talked about a couple of options for either a pad, and/or covered parking.  Originally, we had thought to maybe have a shed roof below the windows down the long side of the building.  That would have given room for outdoor wood storage, as well as covered parking.  But we had to move the building a bit, and there are trees which we don't want to remove now in the way.  We've talked about a carport of some kind in front as well, but whatever we do will have to wait until next year due to funding.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I looked in the garage door this morning at 5:20 on my way to the bus stop: the floor looks good from the outside by the light of my flashlight. The finisher said I could walk on it after a day, but I opted to give it as much time as I could. And I moved my makeshift barriers so they garage door crew could get inside. Tonight will be my first visit inside since the floor was poured. 

The garage door is going up today (theoretically).  Theoretically because my wife had meetings at school this morning, and I'm at the office, wishing I was at the shop to watch them install it.

Our final inspection is scheduled for Monday, but there's a few punch list items which I think the builder needs to fix before that... Things like leaving exposed metal building insulation under the high eave, 2 wall panels which have gaps/aren't seamed well, and a corner trim which needs to be reinstalled so it funnels water away from the corner, rather than into it.  Oh, and the new guy on the crew over-tightened a whole mess of screws installing the front wall above the garage door on their last day on site.  It looks like crap up close, so that's on the list too. But, all in all they've done a great job, especially considering the speed at which it went up, and the weather they were working in.  

I offered our 6 and 7 year old a few bucks each if they could get the trench for the electrical service filled in this weekend - I've got a feeling I'm going to be out there helping them make their goal. At least the rain finally stopped for a little while. 

Work has been crazy busy this week - so I haven't even had a chance to research floor sealers yet. If anyone has product recommendations on what to seal a new slab with (or what to avoid), please let me know. My plan is to seal the floor, and get the trench filled in this weekend. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Robert Morse said:

Work has been crazy busy this week - so I haven't even had a chance to research floor sealers yet. If anyone has product recommendations on what to seal a new slab with (or what to avoid), please let me know. My plan is to seal the floor, and get the trench filled in this weekend. 

When I built my shop I did a ton of research on sealing the floor.  In the end I decided not too, primarily because of cost.  A couple of years into the shop and it has some stains, but it is a shop after all so it doesn't bother me.  I did most of my research here:  https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/index.php .

There is a lot of good info there.  If I was going to seal the floor I would use an epoxy made for the job.  Your shop is looking great, I bet you can't wait to start using it.  Where are you located?  I am up in Skagit county.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Robert Morse said:

...Work has been crazy busy this week - so I haven't even had a chance to research floor sealers yet. If anyone has product recommendations on what to seal a new slab with (or what to avoid), please let me know. My plan is to seal the floor...

I used epoxyshield on mine 14 years ago and it has held up well. Having said that I would want the cement fully cured before sealing it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Just Bob said:

When I built my shop I did a ton of research on sealing the floor.  In the end I decided not too, primarily because of cost.  A couple of years into the shop and it has some stains, but it is a shop after all so it doesn't bother me.  I did most of my research here:  https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/index.php .

There is a lot of good info there.  If I was going to seal the floor I would use an epoxy made for the job.  Your shop is looking great, I bet you can't wait to start using it.  Where are you located?  I am up in Skagit county.

I would second the info over at garagejournal. When I was planning to install the gas fired heater in my shop I came across garagejournal. A lot of great info on there on all topics related to shops and garages. A lot of nice people too.

Some dealers and reps (for flooring solutions etc) hang out there as well and can help with product info/issues.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

To be honest, when I first started getting into woodworking, the most exciting time for me was building my shop. It has become a beast these days…littered with every tool you can imagine! I always found this blog helpful and it’s what inspired me to get up and start my favorite hobby. I also grab plans from them every now and then when I want to make something new. Nice shop. Happy woodworking!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for a few weeks of radio silence... My day job has been incredibly busy, and we took a short family trip to California.

The builder took care of our punch list with no issues.  However, immediately prior to the final inspection, we hit some snags related to our original site prep and drainage.  The short version is: we had to re-grade the perimeter of the building and also re-grade the driveway. Even though the site county had approved it, our initial site prep didn't provide enough slope around the building for effective drainage, as evidenced by the recent rains.  The building itself was fine, but there was a moat all around the back half of the building which needed to be addressed. It was an expensive lesson for sure... we had tried to keep as low of an impact as possible on the site, but we should have been more aggressive to better manage the water. We also had to remove the chain link fence to allow for the excavator: replacing that fence will be a project for later this summer. 

That work is done as of last Sunday, we spread bark as ground cover, new crushed gravel all around the building, and all we have left to do is seed the disturbed area in the backyard (not part of the build, but it was disturbed by the excavator doing the additional work), and cover it with straw.  We even had the invisible fence re-buried, so the dogs can come back to the front yard. 

Having said all that, the site now looks FABULOUS.  We'll do some planting once the weather warms up a little - probably a big rhododendron up front by the stump to the left of the building, along with some more ferns, and some periwinkle as ground cover near the driveway. I'm looking forward to the final inspection completed next week and getting started on setting up the inside. 

5a7c95ebaedbd_Shopanddriveway.thumb.JPG.4fe000256bd9b99ff960fb03eafadfed.JPG

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 32 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    422.2k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,784
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    walo47
    Newest Member
    walo47
    Joined