My Build: Simply a Mr. Jack Olsen inspired 1930 Auto Bunker House Geobarn Homage

[flybefree]

Chris, your comment just cost me a ton of pain and suffering out in the blistering sun with a paint brush in hand...hah! Things are going well, can't complain a bit.

Crooner: We try to keep the self improvement around here related to garages...apparently things can get out of hand from time to time.

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Detail of what the shutters will look like...

 

[onewaydave]

Hey folks, I don't know if I should thank you or apologize. I use that word at work and didn't think about using it here. It is a neat word, though. Some of the other words at work (Emergency Department) are much less appealing.

The sutters look nice and I do notive the tip of the hat to Jack there.

Dave.

 

[mws444]

Shaun, you are truely blessed! Great Family, great toys, and a great shed......what more could a guy want out of life?
Thanks for sharing!

 

[Wingnut65]

Shaun, Don't go too wild on the color coordinating. Just be glad Chris didn't ask if you were going to put some wainscot on the silo as well.

The place is coming along great. And I love the shot of your sidekick on the tractor. Thanks for posting it!

 

[mws444]

I was thinking about his plane, is'nt it red? Major clash going on there!

 

[flybefree]

Oneway you rascal...I saw you "notive" the tip of the hat...and I went straight to the dictionary...not there. Thought it might be Latin since you work in the ER...not there. Either you are a pulling my leg or it's a typo...I choose to believe you are just a really funny guy. Well done.

MWS: not a thing, I'm so blessed it's really silly...but I am grateful and we try to share our blessings. If grandma wants to babysit we might share'em both for a long weekend! My plan is to repaint the plane...not this year...it will be silver with green tip caps. I am dead serious, green accents...see below, I might need help.

Wingnut: I will try not to go too nuts...but the color schemeing (hah, add that to our vocab) is sort of addictive...it's oddly satisfying. WRT the 40 inch fan club, I love picture...I am a hopelessly proud Poppa.

 

[The Crooner]

Crooner: We try to keep the self improvement around here related to garages...apparently things can get out of hand from time to time.

No problem, I wont be back, enjoyed the build, dont like the attitude.

 

[flybefree]

Crooner: my appologies, absolutely no intent to knock on anyone...enjoyed oneway's word choice and was joking about that being self improvement for this guy. Pm sent as well.

Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

Shaun the progress looks fantastic. The colors look great! Can't wait to see what you do with the inside!

-Dave

 

[flybefree]

Dave,

As the outside gets closer to completion I am starting to think maybe I need a plan for the inside! I have a plan for the office, but I need some time to think about what to do for some key items in the shop.

1. Lights
2. Heat
3. Electric
4. Floor plan

It took my a long time to come up with exactly what we wanted for the building so I expect it will take me a while to figure out the inside...which is why I am here every day looking and learning from everyone else.

Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

Shaun, Here are some ideas:

1. Lights.... YES.
2. Heat...... YES. And we currently have pently to share..
3. Electric... YES. For an office, at least one outlet per wall. At laeast one wall should have two, closer to the sides rather than centered behind furniture. For the shop, the more the merrier.
4. Floor plan... Talk to the builder. Hopefully he has one he can share with you. At least, he should be building from some sort of floor plan.

Hope some of those help.

 

[mws444]

Hey, I like you build and your attitude.

 

[tomstin]

View media item 10929

Is the downspout for the hanger roof dumping into the office gutter and then into the downspout for the office roof? I'm no expert on gutters but that's one big roof! I'm wondering if that configuration will handle a good rain?

But congratulations on the build! I'm jealous!!!!!

 

[flybefree]

Wingnut! I am going to put all those things in...I just can't "see" it yet. I know i will have the airplane parked down by the bifold...have the shop by the overhead door...just don't know EXACTLY what I want to do. I am still contemplating all this things...copy you on the outlets.

MWS, thanks amigo...I really try to be respectful and appreciative of everyone I talk to on GJ.

Tomstin...I don't know...let me look at that, great point. Thank you for pointing that out!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

With that big bi-fold door, there is no way to operate it manually. If a thunderstorm ten miles away takes out the power, you cannot get it up or down. Run the power from the building to a twist lock receptacle near the door control box, and use a cord and twist lock plug to make the connection to power. Leave enough cord that you can unplug the cord from the wall and plug it in to the twist lock receptacle on your generator, allowing you to operate the door in an emergency.

Charles

 

[Wingnut65]

I just can't "see" it yet.

I have AutoCAD. PM/E-mail me and I can throw something together. I fit an RV-7A in mine.

 

[flybefree]

Wow, that would be great! PM sent.

Shaun

 

[cdncowboy]

Beautiful build!!

 

[thomask]

Shaun,

I am a Garage Journal fan and friend of Jack Olson's work, too. Jack has given me inspiration for better organization and many great ideas for making any garage/shop a really workable area.

Just read through all your thread and will be riding along with you. Life is good and having your dad and family involved will make great memories.

That plane kinda trumps a lot of our "Boys Toys" LOL

Life is a journey and many thanks for sharing your build.

Just can't wait to see the garage, shop and the runway progress.

 

[flybefree]

View media item 11031
Got the plumbing rough finished last FRI...so we will eventually have some water in the shop when it's done. Work also started on pouring the footers for the block around the front side of the shop. Took some good advice from you all and added a window in the office looking back INTO the shop...I never would have thought about that.


Shaun

 

[flybefree]

Charles: Good point...working the back up generator plan right now...will have the building wired to accept power from our farm's back up plant...and by plant I mean the old PTO driven generator that we use.

Wingnut: Sent you a couple files and thoughts via email....AUTOCAD save me!

Cdncowboy: Thanks much and for stopping by...I am trying my best is all I can say.

Thomask: Thanks for the encouragement...the plane...I can't help it, my Dad is a pilot, my FIL was a pilot, two of my uncles are pilots...I never had a chance! I am lucky to have this time to spend with my Dad and my boys, it is a special gift. I will need help making the inside work as well as the outside...I have not found the right inspiration yet for a combination working farm shop/hangar/garage/hang out...any ideas will always be welcomed.

 

[Wingnut65]

Got 'em. Its like trying to fit 5 pounds in a 25 pound sack with space for 15 pounds of farm equipment and still make everything functional.

As for the lineage of flyers, trying to fight it would be plane crazy! Pilots just have a special air about them. Navioneers are another story...

 

[Red Leader]

Awesome awesome awesome!

This thread keeps getting better and better (while my garage keeps getting messier and messier!)

Oh well, at least I have something to look forward to!

More updates! More pictures!

Hopefully that's not too demanding

 

[flybefree]

RL:not a problem...I have moe pics to post today. Yesterday the internets would not come to my office...boon to productivity but a bust as far as the important things, namely reading Garage Journal! Assuming we are back on line I will post more today...were you up early feeding the baby? Hope that everything is going well with your wife too. I am looking at vintage drill presses on CL now all thanks to you....and that's a good thing.

Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

Huh? Why stop at the drill press?

Just wait till you see what you can pick up for $50 here and there...table saw...radial saw...shaper...wood lathe...

It's dangerous I tell you!

I'm kicking myself because it reminds me of a time that I passed up a Darra James 95 12" table saw for $50. If I had only known that those things are built more robust than an Unisaw.

But...I found my Uni for a buck and change, so nobody should feel too sorry for me

But YES...start with a drill press, they are an easy restore, look good, and are infinitely productive. I definitely see an old 1930s/1940s Walker Turner/Driver Line or Atlas/Craftsman in your shop

 

[flybefree]

View media item 11030
Masons were out pouring the footer for the block wainscotting around the front of the shop and getting ready to pour the slab for the porch and approach ramps to the big doors in the main shop area....oh and little stoop pad for the man door facing the grain bin which WILL not get any block wainscotting Chris!

 

[flybefree]

View media item 11029
Another shot back through the front of the shot towards the back where they are prepping for the approach ramp pour.

 

[mws444]

View media item 11029
Another shot back through the front of the shot towards the back where they are prepping for the approach ramp pour.

Man you guys are moving fast! Since you are a farm boy I know a 6" thick slab is in the works, how many yards?
Yours being in a the shade and the higher humidity up there you should have to dump a bunch of water on it everyday like I did.
You have to let your 40" fan to put his handprint in there somewhere!

 

[flybefree]

Things are moving right along, I really dont' know how many yards total are going to be poured...I would have to dig up the numbers of the office, shop, and outside work combined. It is substantially less than 230 yds, that is for sure. Going with 5" in the shop...6" was my first answer, but the experts talked me down to 5", said if 5" won't hold it means the site prep was wrong...if the site prep is wrong then 6" will crack. We have 4" in my Dad's shop and have not had any cracks in 25 years...of course that was a DIY job that cost little and will last forever.

I hope to get my 40" AND my 30" (stand by for pics of the expanded fan base) fan club members hand prints in there somewhere. Since we don't live/work there full time I don't know if we won't have to have a special feature made where we mix up some quickrete and do the Holywood walk of fame thing for the boys. At my Dad's place everytime we poured anything we had our hands in that stuff...by the time we were in college you'd think we would have outgrown that...we did not. I will put my hands in it too...because that is how I roll.

Pouring after getting the roof up is to help moderate the curing process...we shall see. I am nervous about the pad...everything else contructionwise I am either familiar enough to be confident it has been done right or I am too ignorant to know any better...but if the pad comes out lopsided and cracked I will be sporting a very sad face. I don't like my sad face...it gets all srcrunchy and it makes me look really old.

 

[Red Leader]

I've heard about the importance of keeping it wet for a while, but that is just from reading what others do. Like you I know very little about concrete.

But still, sending you warm and happy concrete curing wishes

 

[flybefree]

You know...helped pour a few projects on the farm and never worried one little bit about it. I mean, we always figured if the darn Romans could do it in sandals and togas how hard could it be? Maybe we were always just lucky...maybe it's like anything in this life, the more you read about it on the internets the more worried you get.

*Unsolicited advice warning* Speaking of that, RL do not let your wife read all the internet forums for mothers of young children...you spend one day reading that stuff and you will be convinced something bad happens to every baby every month.

If I were to write a screen play about the build this is what I would be saying in this scene (to nobody in particular of course) with the sunsetting over the fields and an American flag in the background as the pour starts:

"I am an AmeriCAN not an AmeriCAN'T. I will not take the counsel of my fears...I may have to do it twice, but I will do it. Did the founding Fathers get it right the first time? Did Lewis and Clarke ever have to double back? Did J-Lo have to marry more than once?"

And star-swipe...

roll the credits...

it's a Eurpoean type ending, leaves you with more questions than answers. (no offense intended to any European film makers, students, or fans...it's more about the overly simplistic storylines common to American films)

 

[flybefree]

http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/concrete-acid-stain-sample-kit-p-172.html

Plan for this weekend: pick a floor coating

I bought the Legacy Industrial Flooring concrete stain sample kit last week and scabbed together a 4' x 4' test frame that the masons filled with extra concrete during the first pour. Per Scott's suggestion at Legacy by the way, and I am going to get out there early and try out the colors that I have been considering on actual concrete. I have been leaning towards the light tan or sand color as a good neautral tone.

I also am aiming to get the fan club up at sunrise to watch a hot air balloon race kick off...I think it will be a bit more sedate than a day at the salt flats.

I will try to do a better job documenting this process for you guys.

Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

Take some pictures

I'd definitely be interested in seeing the test samples you put down, as I'm sure the rest of us would. Don't worry, we'll help you decide. Heck we'll just decide for you, take the load off for ya. You know what an opinionated bunch we are

 

[tinbender 66]

Awesome place and I really like that Navion. I have a friend that picked up a derelict one and actually flew it home. It's being restored now so I haven't gotten a chance for a ride yet. I don't own an airplane but I do have a license to fly. I don't know about you but I can have the most stressful day, hop in a plane and as soon as the wheels leave the ground all that stress just evaporates.

 

[nkachur]

Shaun,

Unbelievable, you have structure and I have the start of a base. Congrats on the speed that things are coming together for you. And things look great so far.

 

[flybefree]

RL, I have no doubts opinions will be voiced...would not want it any other way.

Tinbender, thanks so much....I feel the same way about flying...haven't flown enough recently.

Nkachur, it looks fast because the months of planning worked out I guess...the builder is doing a great job...progress will slow once we get inside because that is where my plan stops right now!

 

[Red Leader]

Soo...any updates on the concrete color choices?

 

[flybefree]

View media item 11161
Updates....why yes we have some updates today! My mission this weekend was to pick a color to stain the floor, and I did succeed.

So, I scabbed together a little frame and asked the masons to fill it when they poured the footer for the block wall. I took some soap and water and a stiff bristled brush and scrubbed the pad shown above and let it dry.

View media item 11158
IMG]http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1275&pictureid=11158[/IMG]

I read the directions (again) on the sample kit from Legacy Industrial, the bottles are all 4 oz. and it came with 10 colors and a sample of basic sealer which I did not use. The directions were pretty straightforward. Went to Wallyworld and bought a few $.99 spray bottles and brushes to apply the stain with.

View media item 11157
I tried three colors (Desert Amber, Shifting Sands, Cola) on this first attempt. The left is Desert Amber applied in three ways, spray, brush, and spray with brushed in Cola brown to see if the combination would work well. The product makes a cool "fizzy" sound when applied and it does let off that noxious "acid" odor so wear a mask like the directions say.
View media item 11154
I was sure I was going to like the Desert Amber, but sitting next to the building it did not match the khaki siding and looked more yellow. The cola and shifting sand were OK, but I decided to try some more colors.

View media item 11153
I found some clean concrete beside the milk house and prepped it then I applied the avacado (some say JO) green, seagrass and on the right English Red. The English red really looked good, in fact it noticed that Wallyworld had the same color in their store and it looks pretty good.

So, I am going to go with the English Red (really looks like a light red/brown) in the shop. Concrete will hopefully go down this week.

Got back late last night so I will download some more photos later.

 

[Wingnut65]

Glad you made it back safe. What, not even one balloon shot?

Great idea to try out the samples. Nice color choices. Those greens and blues and yellow could make interesting floors.

Not sure if the concrete texture would give any variation to the finish, but the first pic looks like the form was just filled and leveled off. The pad in the last photo is broom swept finish. What finish will you have in the hangar - smooth or broom? Smooth finish may give a better consistency to the finish.

 

[shopnut]

Took some good advice from you all and added a window in the office looking back INTO the shop...I never would have thought about that.

Shaun

Once in a blue moon, someone actually takes my advice - Only problem is now you have to keep the shop cleaned up to avoid looking at an eyesore out the office window!

I took a better picture of the Asylum apartment floor on the last trip out. Note how every random detail of the base concrete shows through. If you look closely, you will see some lighter lines running the full width of the picture (horizontally) and this is where the tape line held down the craft paper. I guess after a month, some of the glue transferred to the concrete surface and slightly inhibited the acid from soaking in.