Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Atelier 2.0 : new workshop on the French Riviera!

[Sham]

Hi everyone,

So 7 years ago (damn time flies), back in 2013, I introduced you to my underground garage.

I've been tinkering around in this garage sine I was a teenager, so almost 30 years now. It was time to find a more comfortable place, but il my region real estate is at a premium, so it's difficult to afford a big workshop...

Then comes 2018, I managed to buy a little house, which had a major wow-factor to me, that actually triggered the purchase : in the backyard was this hangar :

OK, I know, it doesn't look like much, but the hangar is legit, in that it had been declared on the land register, so I could renovate it to make it a proper workshop, just 15 meters from my house in the back garden! Yay!

The original structure had been built in the early 70s as far as I know, and had been a motorcycle repair shop at some point. Time to give it a second life!

The target being this :

It took a 9 months before I managed to get the authorization to renovate it though (don't get me started, regulations in the area are ridiculous). Anyway, in November 2019, construction work could get started...

 

[4xdog]

Wow -- that's a rare space to find on the Côte d'Azur. Nice!

Normally, I would be in your part of the world this week, for my annual visit to see friends in Èze Bord de Mer, La Turbie and Monaco (and watch the Grand Prix). This must be quiet in the Alpes-Maritimes this year, yes?

 

[Sham]

Hi 4xdog,

Yep, you're right, this kind of space is pretty rare in the area! Well, unless you're flushed with money... Which I'm not.

And yes, it's pretty surreal this year, extremely quiet... The tourism industry will hit a all time low this year for sure. There's a bit more traffic with the end of the quarantine on May 11th, but until then the roads were absolutely empty. If you know the area, you know that never, ever happens...

 

[littlebean]

only gonna follow this if the cars really are aircooled............

ok i'm going to follow it anyway, nice find

 

[Vette60]

Really liked your old space and looked forward to seeing what you do here Sham!

Antibes looks like a really beautiful part of the world!

 

[anth]

Very interested in this! Can't wait to see more progress

 

[landroversforever]

Looking forward to seeing updates as you renovate it!

 

[Dru]

A great space to make a workshop ��

 

[Fredriz]

Beau projet

 

[Sham]

I plan on installing a car lift at some point ; the existing slab being too thin for that, a section was cut, dug out, and a 20cm thick concrete + rebar was poured in.

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The existing structure being extremely rusted, most of it had to be replaced, we only kept the sturdy parts... Which called for a big steel delivery.

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I wanted the structure to be very sturdy to be able to have a ceiling rail with a hoist... So we kinda oversized the structure beams.

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Structure was then coated with a rust-proof paint, and the back wall refinished with a waterproofing plaster.

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Time to put some roofing on ; roof tiles will come on top of that.

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Finally we got the slab level with a concrete screed...

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Panels of insulated cladding came in...

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Installation of said panels :

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The 4 meters wide window is installed :

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The aforementioned hoist rail :

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Preparing shelvings to organize the space and store bulky stuff ; there will be one such big shelf at each end of the garage :

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[Fredriz]

Qu est ce que vous avez utilité comme enduit d étanchéité?

super atelier bien mieux que le souterrain

 

[Sham]

only gonna follow this if the cars really are aircooled............
ok i'm going to follow it anyway, nice find

Really aircooled, and actually the same as on the 3D rendering : 1968 White Karmann Ghia, 1959 Black Beetle and 1970 Green Thing.

 

[Sham]

Qu est ce que vous avez utilité comme enduit d étanchéité?

Lime plaster with Sikalatex additive! (enduit à la chaux hydraulique + Sikalatex)

 

[Fredriz]

i supposed that was lime plaster because of color. thank you

 

[joey1320]

I like the selection of cars

 

[Sham]

100mm insulation and plasterboards went onto the ceiling... With 8 pre-installed electric tubes for lights :
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Almost ready for paint...
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And after a couple of coats of white paint :
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Painting the shelves structure with the same RAL7035 Light Grey as the rest of the structure :
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Shelves structure being installed ; the ones on the back wall are spaces so that I can fit in the standard Euro boxes I use to sort out stuff :
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Rolling shutter behind the window for security :
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And finally installing the 4.30m wide custom-made garage door... Which the factory made 15cm too short!!! Gotta wait 3 weeks at least for them to deliver another one!
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[ConCretin]

Very cool build! Congrats and thanks for posting.

PS; Went back and checked out your underground garage, which I apparently missed at the time. Enjoyed that one too.

 

[Sham]

Thank you LLWillysfan!

I especially appreciate your comment since I've been following and been subscribed to your Concrete Underground build since 2013!

 

[Brian R]

This is awesome! Please post some pics of the air-cooled cars especially the Green Thing.

Not to hijack your thread but mine is Blizzard Whit and I just installed green plaid interior.

Nothing beats seeing how folks in other countries use and modify their space - thanks for posting.

Ok - now I've linked to your other garage. Love the boat and the scooter and saw your renovation of the Thing - outstanding. Good luck with the new space.

 

[Jayman17]

Quite the transformation so far, I love the overseas shop builds. Nice VW's too.
I will check out your old shop too.

Jay

 

[wasfast]

You're making great progress and doing a really GREAT job. Congrats.

 

[Modern Jess]

I'm a sucker for overseas builds -- always learn something new about construction techniques and styles elsewhere in the world. Subscribed!

Oh, nice cars, too!

 

[landroversforever]

That's looking amazing!

 

[Fredriz]

One question, the sikalatex will prevent the wall from breathing, the opposite of lime....no?

 

[wout]

Very nice build and car collection! Did you bought your 181 back?

Really liked what you did to your underground garages.

Greetings from a 'neighbor' aircooled enthousiast.

Wout

 

[Sham]

One question, the sikalatex will prevent the wall from breathing, the opposite of lime....no?

Well, that was my question too, but my contractor, who has used it many times in the past, told me that with the right mixture ratio in the lime plaster, it still lets the wall breathe, but prevents humidity from going though. We'll see how it goes....

Very nice build and car collection! Did you bought your 181 back?

YES!!
13 years after I sold it to a friend of mine, I'm buying it back!
It has gained some rust in the meantime, but I'm so happy it's coming back!!
BTW, I went to your Vintage Tools thread, imma big fan of you Hazet trolleys!

 

[Fredriz]

Well, that was my question too, but my contractor, who has used it many times in the past, told me that with the right mixture ratio in the lime plaster, it still lets the wall breathe, but prevents humidity from going though. We'll see how it goes....

I am surprised by this mixture ... with little sikalatex, it must be able to work .
I have the same problem of wall in my garage (I have to make its presentation one day )

 

[Sham]

So, June 8th, time to start what will be known through the ages as the Great Migration : time to car machines and cars into the workshop.

We started with my milling machine, weighing 450kg (900 pounds) ; a healthy baby, but not really easy to manipulate in my former underground shop. Fortunately I had 3 guys with me who knew how to work around heavy equipment, and probably prevented me from breaking my back!
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Now back at the new workshop, the hoist on a rail made it feel like cheating to take the machine off of the trailer! It took us over an hour to lay it down on its back, then put it on the trailer... But just 5 minutes to take it off the trailer!
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Side effect, I now know for sure my hoist is rated up to 450kg. Nice.

Then, same player play again : let's do the same with the lathe, a hefty 350kg (700pounds) chunk of steel :

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Same thing, an hour or so to put it on the trailer, 5 minutes to get it off. Cheating, I tell you.
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So here are the two beauties in their new home... They look so small now in that big workshop! And hopefully I won't have to move them any time soon!
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Finally we towed the Beetle (just a 15mn ride from a garage to the other):
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Closely folowed by the Ghia :
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On an emotional note, as I took the Karmann out of the old garage, I drove in instead my trusty 1988 VW Golf mk.II... Since I've recently acquired a new car, a Daddymobile more suited to my fatherly duties, it was time to retire the old Crapeau Bleu (Blue Toad).
Almost 24 years of daily driving with this one. She deserves that break, but I'll admit a manly tear was shed. Thank you old friend, you can have some rest now.

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Looks like she had a foggy eye too.

 

[Fredriz]

Nice tools

 

[twistedstang]

I'm a sucker for a good VW workshop. Very nice build!

 

[Sham]

Yesterday was a good day, as the new door panels were delivered, so I now have a fully closing door aaaall the way down to the floor! Yay!

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Cherry on the cake, I also received my new rolling tool chest :
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Chinese made, but pretty heavy gauge metal... And it was on sale, I couldn't resist!

The construction workers came back today to finish the back of the roofing covering, so their work is now officially finished.
My turn now, next step, installing some lighting in there!

 

[ned911]

Love the Fuchs on the Gia!!!!

 

[wout]

Nice progress on the shop!
Really like the cars, bit similar collection as mine .
Wow 24 years with the mk2.

Wout

 

[Sham]

After 13 years, I finally bought back my VW Thing from the friend I sold it to back then.
So last week, it joined its two aircooled friends in the workshop :

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Needless to say, I am one happy camper right now.

In parallel, I'm slowly bringing in all my tools & parts from my former workshop, and sort'em out at the same time... Takes time, but I really want to avoid turning this one into an overcrowded mess.

 

[Jayman17]

Congrats on bringing home your old friend.

Jay

 

[wout]

Nice to see an update on your shop! Congrats on getting back your 181! Would love to get my 90 all black golf convertible back I sold 20years ago but don't think it survived.

Good luck on organizing your shop! It's not easy to get all the tools/machinery you like and still keep it organized.

Wout

 

[gearhead1960]

Really like the new workshop. Looking forward to seeing the progress and any new builds you bring into it!

 

[Sham]

Quick update as the latest greasy bit of of steel just arrived at the workshop.

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SR375 bandsaw, 350 pounds of 1960's French steel.
This is a tank, built to last several lifetimes, can cut wood and metals alike.
I was looking for that specific model as it has a rather small footprint compared to others... Took me a while, but I found it!

 

[Bob Heine]

Sham, my apologies for missing your posts over the past 7 years. My thanks for the size of your Garage Journal threads as I feel like I have caught up with very little time invested. The transformations of both workshops is just amazing and your tool, boat and vehicle restorations are amazing as well. I breezed though a bit of your blog but had to come back here to comment. I will return there and perhaps even put those 5 years of French classes to work. Congratulations on your very handsome son and condolences on your father's passing. My son just turned 57 and my father died 52 years ago when he was 55.

I have two frail links to France. The first is an ancestor who came to America from La Rochelle, France and established a farm in New Rochelle, New York in 1689. A remnant of the farm is the Coutant cemetery where my dust will eventually reside. The second is the IBM facility in La Gaude, France. I never got to visit La Gaude but I worked at IBM's Boca Raton, Florida site until 1994 when I retired. Both facilities were Marcel Breuer designs. IBM sold the Boca Raton facility in 1996 but I believe still own the one in La Gaude.

Found a drone video of the La Gaude site that offers a taste of your part of France:

 

[Sham]

Hi Bob,


Thank you so much for your kind message!

I surely don't want to get in the way of you honing your french skills, but just know my blog is also available in english here :

http://shamwerks.com/index.php?lang=UK

As it happens, I had a cousin working at IBM La Gaude for like 20 years... The company has left this site in 2015 though, moving to Nice instead. The 1960's architecture building had become too big in regards to the IBM activities here, and was not adapted any more.

Have a great day Bob!