The Start of Something Beautiful!

[KPSquared]

I've been planning this garage for over a year and as of June 7th, it finally started to become a reality. I am building this all my self on day off and after work. Have had a few friends help me out along the way.

It's 30x36 with 12'6" ceilings. The attic space built into the trusses is 14' wide. It's 6' tall on the sides and 8'2" in the centre. On the house side, there is a smaller garage door beside the man door for the lawnmower.

We live on a big, steep hill, so first we had to move a bunch of dirt and extend the giant lego block retaining wall...

Next we poured footings and 4' frost walls.

Got it all back filled (the old Bobcat worked HARD this day...

Built the walls and hung the trusses... this is where we are up to as of right now. Hope to finish sheeting the walls and roof next week. I want to have this place closed up by winter!

I'll keep updating as we move forward. I'll answer any q's you may have!

 

[luvit]

wow. your lego set is.. bigger than mine..
.

 

[KPSquared]

Those stupid blocks are like 4500lbs each...

 

[930dreamer]

You are ONE motivated builder, way to go. Keep the pics coming.

 

[csp]

Purely out of curiosity, why did you use insulated concrete forms?

I can see using them for a basement (we have them on ours), but not really for footers that are underground and not around a conditioned space.

 

[Red Leader]

Hmm...lets see: dirt, heavy equipment, power tools...wood...


you're right! It IS the start of something beautiful!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Great start; its looking good. You have some beautiful countryside around you. What area do you live?

 

[tinbender 66]

That's going to be an awesome gagage! The attic room is a real bonus. Keep em' comin'.

 

[MarcB]

Nice work. Why did you leave the opening in the retaining wall in the back? I see you have what looks to be beautiful soil conditions, is there any problem with surface water runoff?

 

[rogsmart]

Love the overhead shots from the lift. "4 foot frost walls", you gotta be some
place way north. A great beginning.

 

[bgarrett]

4 foot frost walls? Are you building in the Artic Circle?

 

[KPSquared]

Great start; its looking good. You have some beautiful countryside around you. What area do you live?

I live in central Alberta, Canada

Nice work. Why did you leave the opening in the retaining wall in the back? I see you have what looks to be beautiful soil conditions, is there any problem with surface water runoff?

The opening was there when we bought the place, I just extended that wall... it used to turn just after that opening. I assumed the previous owners had intended to put a stairway in up to the top of the property. We're still going to.

As far as surface run off goes, we basically live on a giant sand dune... all the rain goes straight down... If it stops raining and gets hot for more than a day, my lawn starts to dry out. No water stays on top at all.

Love the overhead shots from the lift. "4 foot frost walls", you gotta be some
place way north. A great beginning.

4 foot frost walls? Are you building in the Artic Circle?

Our local building code says anything over 760 sq. ft. has to have 4' below grade. It's gets down to -40 here in the winter and pushes the frost a long way down.

 

[KPSquared]

Purely out of curiosity, why did you use insulated concrete forms?

I can see using them for a basement (we have them on ours), but not really for footers that are underground and not around a conditioned space.

I used ICF partly for the insulating value (plan to keep this place toasty) and mostly because of the ease of contruction.

I don't own forms and I didn't want to rent forms as I had no idea how long this would take me. It took me 3 weeks to get everything formed up and ready to pour. The ICF was happy just sitting there waiting for me to find the time to work. An hour here, a couple hours there... Trying to do this and working full time is a challenge to say the least.

Now I have a nice shelf inside the garage all the way around, so that's cool...

 

[csp]

Makes perfect sense since you were doing the foundation work yourself.

 

[Wingnut65]

Nice Start. You are ambitious.

Are they 6" ICF walls?

 

[KPSquared]

Yup, 6" ICF. So, the wall is 12" thick total... 6" concrete, 6" foam.

We have the roof sheeted now and the front wall on. Hopefully get some shingles up soon. Time has been thin lately.

 

[Red Leader]

Time has been thin lately.

I hear ya

 

[theoldwizard1]

I'm a bit surprised you did not coat the outside of the ICF for additional waterproofing and abrasion resistance from the back fill. I guess sandy soil helps a lot.

 

[KPSquared]

So, I started planning my cabinet layout last night at work. This is just version 1. . .open to suggestion!

 

[KPSquared]

Ok so, here's version 1.1 . . .

A few changes. I'd really appreciate some feedback on what I should leave out or what looks good!

Sorry for the quality, I drew it with pencil and took a pic with my phone. . .

 

[Wingnut65]

KPS, Glad to see the project is moving forward.

I guess the question is what do you plan to do in your shop? The first layout could be for anyone's garage, meaning the puzzle pieces are generally universally found in any garage. The second one shows that you are making it your own and have specific needs for the work you will be doing. The parts washer with exhaust fan is a great idea and good planning to put on the outside wall. And adding the throne room is a good step. Do ya have a place for a cold one?

One other thought is that the computer set up will be handy, but consider the dust that your shop may be making. When you get to that point, consider putting the tower in a closed cabinet with filtered holes for ventilation and dust control. Just a thought.

Keep up the great work. Any progress photos since the last ones??

 

[KPSquared]

The garage will be mostly used for vehicle maintenance and also will be storage for my truck and my wife's Jeep. I basically just want storage for my tools, enough space to tear down and clean parts, and space to fab and create stuff for my wheeling rig.

As far as more progress, I've had a a bit of a rough go since November and the garage has pretty much been on hold. Wrecked my back, started to heal, got rear ended and jacked up my back again, then once I started to get over that I had a month long bout with bronchitis. Its been a slow, unproductive winter to say the least.

Should be getting progress worthy pics up soon. Hope to start wiring next week. Lots to do, not a lot of time. Wiring isn't my forte so I have a ton to learn. I just want to do it right so I don't have to change anything later. Just in the planning stages got that now.


Fat Fingered from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[KPSquared]

So slow. . .

Got my heater (Calcana 75,000 BTU Radiant tube). . .and my garage door openers (2 LM 3800's). . .and my lights (28 4' 32 watt 2 bulb T8's) but little to no real progress made. Life keeps getting in the way. Just a big pile of parts growing.

Going to start wiring this week. No floor til June due to road bans coming on before I can have all the prep done.

Oh well. . .

 

[upndown]

Hey KPS, great looking build!! Take care of your back man so you can enjoy it when it's time, I know it's easier said than done.. been there! where did you find those big *** leggos haha. Looks like one helluva view from the loft area.looking forward to seeing more when you can!! Take care and Good Luck,

 

[KPSquared]

Any progress photos since the last ones??

I just realized that I've been really lax at updating photos. There hasn't been a lot done as far as me feeling like it's getting any closer, but compared to what I have up here, there's been a bit done.

Here's a couple as of 20 minutes ago. . . (it's now 1:57 PM MST, April 14, 2012)

Here's the view from up top. . .and my ceaseless photographer/greatest wife in the world. . . (who incidentally HATES ladders) She's a trooper!

So, there you have it. . . not much, but still moving forward. I'll get a lot more done with warm weather and some motivation.

 

[KPSquared]

Oh, and we finally picked our exterior colors! It's been a giant pain in the ars but I think we have a clear direction. We needed something we could transfer onto the house as it's in need of an update as well. I'll post a pic of the house we got our inspiration from, and then the samples we have decided on.

Still have to decided on textures (Horizontal siding with either fake shakes or board and batten up high)

 

[flybefree]

Like the colors....you motivated me to post up on my floor work, thanks. Floor turned out OK...full story on my thread if you would like some details. Will share what I know.

Shaun

 

[Wingnut65]

Nice progress on the place. Beautiful assistant and photographer! And I love that view (out the trusses)

28 4' lights??? Wow! And my girls say that my place is as bright as heaven! Are you going to have an operating room in there as well?

Take care of your back and health. If they go down, it doesn't matter what the shop looks like.

Collecting all the puzzle pieces is fun now. Try 2-hours a week in the shop and at the end of the month, you will be a month older and a lot further along than not doing anything out there. Small steps can get the project further along.

 

[KPSquared]

As far as the lighting goes, I was told 1.5 to 2 watts per sq.ft. Was desirable for a really well lit shop. I'm at 1.88 W/sq.ft so I'm happy. No shadows. . .

Things will move forward slowly but surely. If this damn snow would just melt.

I gotta quit taking overtime shifts at work as well. . .but there ain't no time like double time. . .

 

[kippieland]

Does the snow ever melt up there!

Looks great.

 

[KPSquared]

Apparently not. . . Got another skiff this morning.

 

[Oldbear]

Purely out of curiosity, why did you use insulated concrete forms?

I can see using them for a basement (we have them on ours), but not really for footers that are underground and not around a conditioned space.

It may have been answered already, but...

Concrete has next to no R-value by itself. The ICF blocks would bring it up to better than a normal insulated/drywalled stick-frame wall. My dad sells and builds with these and has built many homes to the rafters and even a few shops...

Be honest, many of us live in our garages; why not make it as comfortable as our homes?

 

[KPSquared]

DIY simplicity is my only reason.

 

[KPSquared]

I guess I had my lighting discussion in another thread. . . so here's my plans for the lighting layout. . .

28 2 bulb 32 watt 4' T8 fixtures. works out to 1.88 watts/sq.ft. Should be able to pick it out from space. . .

 

[c hardy]

Cool to see another Alberta guy on here. Dealing witha short building season and Long cold winters. I'm starting my 30X40 shop as well. I also plan to heat witha radiant tube heater.
Hope all goes well for you.
Chris from Cold lake.

 

[KPSquared]

Good luck with your shop!

I finally caved and hired an electrician. I just can't find time to get at this thing. He'll be coming soon to start wiring.

Got a the garage doors stood, one actually opens. Should get one more opening this morning and maybe the other one tomorrow.

One step at a time!

 

[Tomas95]

Another Canuck on board...

I really enjoyed the photos of the build. I've been up in your neighbourhood before - it's a beautiful part of Wild Rose country.

But I doubt it could be any better than the view through the 'attic' or observatory you built into the garage. Stunning concept and I, for one, wish I had the resources, space and everything else to do just that. It totally transforms the place/space! Kudos!

Oh, and keep the photos coming...

 

[shopnut]

Nice functional shop layout, KPSquared. Reminds me of V-10 Killer's 30x36 detached.

You won't regret having all those lights - you can be sure of that!

I might have missed it, but is the loft just for storage, or are there other plans for it?

 

[KPSquared]

Nice functional shop layout, KPSquared. Reminds me of V-10 Killer's 30x36 detached.

You won't regret having all those lights - you can be sure of that!

I might have missed it, but is the loft just for storage, or are there other plans for it?

V-10 Killer's was my most exciting find on Garage Journal . . . my wife and I had all these plans and all of a sudden there was a shop laid out exactly like what we had been planning. I was so stoked. I reference it often when I need inspiration. . . I can only hope my cabinets turn out as nice as his. . .

As far as the upstairs space goes, as long as you're not the building inspector for Wetaskiwin County, it's going to be a guest room and storage space. If you are, then it's strictly storage. . .

Here are a few updated pics of the recent progress.

Plumbing rough in . . .just dirt and some pipes. . .exciting hey?

Garage doors arrive. This would be great if they weren't sitting on my still unfinished floor. . .

Guess the only solution is to install them and get them out of the way. . .

Small one on lawnmower garage:

We should have all the doors buttoned up in the next day or so then I can continue on my floor. . .

 

[Wingnut65]

Beware of that first step, it's a Duesy!

For the grade difference, it looks like you will be adding quite a bit of insulation under or in the slab?