Above 1200 Sq/FT Post frame Shop in the 'country'

[LanceMc]

In 2021 we bought a tiny acreage in central Texas to build our forever home and our dream Shop/gym. It is a post frame building which is unusual in this part of Texas. It measures 32'x60' with 14' high walls. We have a Property Owners Association so there are some limits to what you can build for an out building. Here's a picture of a rendering from online software of what I was thinking of-

 

[LanceMc]

And here's the completed building.
I had the windows moved around some for differing reasons. Construction began on February 22, 2023 and was complete in two months.

 

[kitdoctor]

Now that's the quickest build I've seen from rendering to finished result.

 

[RoninB4]

-Congratulations, rendering and actual build look nice. You don't have problems with soil movement? I used to live in South Central Texas (Austin area) and was told it's an issue for some of the areas and why basements are uncommon there.

 

[LanceMc]

Now that the quickest build I seen from rendering to finished result.

From the day we purchased the property until we moved in was a little less than two years. It did seem like it was taking forever at times though.

-Congratulations, rendering and actual build look nice. You don't have problems with soil movement? I used to live in South Central Texas (Austin area) and was told it's an issue for some of the areas and why basements are uncommon there.

Thanks
Where we are it is pretty much solid limestone about 8" below a thin layer of soil and rocks. Near the house where the septic system went in, the contractor had to basically chisel a hole in the limestone deep enough for the tanks with a mini-excavator.
Stay tuned, I'll be posting the whole build in the coming days, weeks, months.

 

[LanceMc]

Here are a few pictures of the slab from setting forms to completion.
Feb 25, 2023
First day of forms by the concrete sub contractor

This is the west end of the shop looking south. This is the tall end of the slab.
Filled with "crusher fines". Basically crusher fines are powdered limestone with small limestone pebbles. This is the way it's done around here. Seems a bit goofy, but I guess it works.


Beam trenches cut or dug into the crusher fines.


We had provisions for a bathroom installed in the slab.


Plastic sheeting and rebar installed. Almost ready to pour the slab.


One big ol' monolithic slab of concrete.
31 March 2023 one day following the pour.

 

[RoninB4]

-From your soil description and scenery photos I'm guessing you're West of I-35. Where I lived, East of I-35, it was a mix of clay deposits, chert, and sugar sand that was always in motion and changed composition from one location to the next. Houses were mostly built on piers or a unified concrete structure referred to as a "boat". I miss the BBQ. Thanks for the scenery photos that jogged my memory of living there for 2 years.

 

[kitdoctor]

One big ol' monolithic slab of concrete.

@LanceMc did you do some post pour saw cuts for crack control joints? Did the slab end up with any early drying shrinkage cracks?

 

[LanceMc]

@LanceMc did you do some post pour saw cuts for crack control joints? Did the slab end up with any early drying shrinkage cracks?

No there were no control joints cut. There are some cracks but nothing I would consider problematic.

 

[LanceMc]

A few days after the slab was complete, the truck with the building arrived.
April 4, 2023

A few days later the 2 man crew that built the shop arrived and got to work
April 8, 2023



It was moving pretty quickly
April 10, 2023

Frame nearly complete
April 11, 2023

 

[LanceMc]

April 12, 2023
Cutting a trench with a rock saw to bury the water and electric service.

 

[LanceMc]

Most of the metal is on at this point and you can see the trench that was cut for the utilities.
April 13, 2023

 

[LanceMc]

April 14, 2023 (seventh day of work by the carpenters)
A few more walls with metal installed.
In the last picture you can see how little soil we have here when looking at the trench cut into the rock for the utilities. It's amazing that anything grows here at all.
The two guys that built this building worked hard every day from start to finish, non stop. They even worked on Easter Sunday which brought a little bit of complaining from the neighbors. They were a travelling crew from up north so I guess the sooner they got done and got paid the sooner they could get back home to their families.

 

[LanceMc]

Pretty much complete except for the roll-up doors.

 

[LanceMc]

The easy part is done. Now for making it mine. Have a look.

 

[LanceMc]

26 June, 2023
I used a bunch of the leftover big stones and some 'road base', as it is called here, to make a ramp for the west roll up door.

5 July, 2023
Then I could get our Airstream in there

 

[LanceMc]

The beginnings of a gym
This is a wall mounted 'rig' is from when I owned and operated an olympic weightlifting gym.
It's a multi use item for squatting, pressing and pulling. Eventually I'll have to move it when we build the bathroom.

 

[LanceMc]

The juice box
I wasn't too impressed with the breaker box install. I'm not an electrician. This box isn't as tidy as the very similar box at the house. They were done by two different electrical subs. We don't have any inspectors out here so I guess it's fine.

 

[Geoff289]

Looks great.

That's how buildings like this are done down here in Australia - start with the slab and build the frame on top of it, although a steel frame would be more common here. I guess they work fine but I always find the common approach over there of sticking posts in the ground and building from there, with the slab the last step rather than the first, a bit strange.

 

[LanceMc]

Thank you!
Metal frame buildings are way more common here in central Texas than wood post frame buildings. There are lots and lots of good welders here and fairly low cost steel, mostly from Mexico. A wood post frame building is what I wanted and the post frame contractor matched the price I was quoted from the all metal building guy so I was very fortunate there. I'm from up north and wood post frame buildings are more common than steel frame. The farther north you go, the deeper you have to dig to get below the frost line. Drilling a hole three feet deep and sinking a post is much cheaper than digging a three foot footer the entire perimeter of the building and having a stem wall then the slab, then the building etc...
I really enjoy watching a fella named Kyle Stumpenhorst on youtube building post frame buildings.
Here's his channel

Looks great.

That's how buildings like this are done down here in Australia - start with the slab and build the frame on top of it, although a steel frame would be more common here. I guess they work fine but I always find the common approach over there of sticking posts in the ground and building from there, with the slab the last step rather than the first, a bit strange.

 

[LanceMc]

Moving really *****. No doubt about it.
When I moved out of my shop I was renting in 2015, it was hard to get all of the things I had in my 2,400 sq/ft shop in a little one car garage in the back yard where we lived.
When I unloaded it all it looked like this-

When we moved out here in the 'country' all my stuff looked like this inside the new shop.

Basically just piles of boxes and tools.
I managed to start with some high shelves to get some big stuff off the floor-

Shelves above the toolbox nook

I built a new workbench and added shelves for all my little plastic boxes full of nuts, bolts, etc.

 

[LanceMc]

Insulation-
You may have noticed that I started insulating with polyiso foam board in the post above. It is a tedious process, but you can get good R value from cutting and fitting inch and a half board between the the 2x framing. I started on the east wall because in the morning the sun beats on the wall and turns the shop into more of an oven than a pleasant place to work/workout. I've been buying used take off panels from Facebook Marketplace. It's slow going and lots of up and down the ladder but It is amazing how much cooler it is in the shop at 11:00 am after finishing the east wall.
27 Aug 2023


30 Aug 2023



Another load. This time I bought some 3" for the roof. 3" is kinda hard to deal with. More difficult to cut and heavier to carry up the ladder.
9 Aug 2024


10 Jan 2025
The roof will be the worst so I decided I'd finish that first. I'm sure it will make the biggest comfort improvement.


Back wen I built the bench I insulated the wall and added vertical strips to mount the shelves to.
21 Feb 2024

 

[Jacko264]

Loving this build well done so far

 

[LanceMc]

I think I have enough polyiso to finish the ceiling now.



It is a big ask of my tiny tractor.

 

[LOW1]

That electrical panel does not look messy compared to what I have seen or (especially) worked on myself.

How did you determine the size of the windows you have? I like natural light and would have put in more and bigger ones. Others obviously disagree.

 

[LanceMc]

That electrical panel does not look messy compared to what I have seen or (especially) worked on myself.

How did you determine the size of the windows you have? I like natural light and would have put in more and bigger ones. Others obviously disagree.

I love natural light too and when you open up those big ol doors there's tons of light. Down here we have a different set of things to consider. Generally, we have the doors open whenever we are in the shop/gym.

Yeah the panel is OK, but I guess I was just expecting better.

 

[LanceMc]

My buddy saw this Quincy compressor on an auction and thought I needed it. It should be plenty of volume for what I do. It was a chore to move with no real help from the auction people. The guy who did help me a little worked at the buisness being sold for 20 years. It was sad.

 

[LanceMc]

The last few days I've been installing insulation. It's a super slow process. It always takes a day to get in the groove before some real progress takes place. Cutting 3" polyiso is a dirty and very itchy job. The table saw works the best but it makes a huge mess so I rolled my old Craftsman 113 outside and got to cutting. Here's a detail picture of the spacers I used to make sure there is good airflow under the metal roofing.

 

[ipgenie]

When installing polyiso in my shop, we found a cordless jigsaw with a long blade to be about as fast and clean as anything. We'd mark the cut line with a pencil and the narrow blade made a lot less mess than thicker bladed saws. Once in place I'd use foam to seal the gaps. It was still painfully slow compared to my dad using bats at about the same time but now I'm glad it's in (most of it anyway) and the high R value is nice all year.

I found a picture of the first couple of of ceiling sections.



Sooo much work but I found a deal on a full semi load of new insulation, enough for the whole 36x78 building, delivered for under $4000.

 

[LanceMc]

Thanks for the tip! I have used my jigsaw and it works pretty well. I have a hard time getting square cuts with it on 3" sheets. It is corded so it's a bit cumbersome. I should probably invest in a better fence for it. Something like a track saw clamp thingamajig.
I know it will be worth it when I'm done, like you said, but that just seems so far away!

When installing polyiso in my shop, we found a cordless jigsaw with a long blade to be about as fast and clean as anything. We'd mark the cut line with a pencil and the narrow blade made a lot less mess than thicker bladed saws. Once in place I'd use foam to seal the gaps. It was still painfully slow compared to my dad using bats at about the same time but now I'm glad it's in (most of it anyway) and the high R value is nice all year.

I found a picture of the first couple of of ceiling sections.



Sooo much work but I found a deal on a full semi load of new insulation, enough for the whole 36x78 building, delivered for under $4000.

 

[LanceMc]

Time consuming and tedious. I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it someday.

 

[FTWingRiders]

Even the biggest job can get done one bite at a time! Looks great, and once it’s done it going to be a great shop!

 

[LanceMc]

Even the biggest job can get done one bite at a time! Looks great, and once it’s done it going to be a great shop!

Thank you!

 

[LanceMc]

I’m down to just two sheets of the used FB marketplace 3” foam I bought back in August of 24. I brought in a bundle of 2.6” new foam I got from my buddy October ’25. 2.6 and 2.2 sandwich should get a decent 27 R value. The paper backer on the new stuff is much lighter so I guess it’ll look like a patchwork quilt until I paint it white.

 

[Jacko264]

Looking good keep up the good work you will get there in the end
G

 

[LanceMc]

It's been a while since I've posted on this thread but I've been working on the shop build out almost all the available time I have.
To make things safer and easier on my body, I bought a double baker scaffolding on FB Marketplace. It came with the orange outriggers but it was still pretty unstable with wheels, so I bought some screw jacks. I also replaced all of the lower quick pins with 1/2" bolts to tighten things up. That made things very stable.



After working on the ceiling insulation for a few months I decided to switch it up a little and work on finishing the south wall. I had stacks of 1 and 3/4" off cuts stacked everywhere and it was getting hard to move around the shop so I figured I'd use the off cuts and odd size pieces to put between the girts and get it off the floor and in the wall. To keep things flush I furred the girts out with some 1/4" plywood strips.



I decided to do some framing for mounting cabinets and shelves. I ripped 2x4s down to 2 and 1/8th so the insulation was flush.


Insulated-
I used canned foam to fill the gaps. The big cans with the Pro gun works pretty well.

 

[LanceMc]

I also decided to use some 1/4" DexCell glass mat roof board as a finish covering on the wall up to 8'. Initially I thought I'd use the DexCell just around the metal working area, but it looks pretty good as a finished surface so I think I'll put it on all the walls up to 8'. My buddy that I got the polyiso from also bought a bunch of the DexCell on the same auction as the insulation so at $10 for a 4x8 sheet, its a great value.

 

[LanceMc]

I have these cool old cabinets that were built by my great grandfather in the 40s or 50s. I have one installed already and I'm going to put the others up in my shop as well. They are made out of redwood I believe. One has overlay doors and the other two have inset doors.



This one seems to be a little older. It is put together with brass screws. No nails, dowels or glue.

 

[LanceMc]

Cleaned up and mounted on the wall.

 

[zanyad]

I have these cool old cabinets that were built by my great grandfather in the 40s or 50s.

Super cool!