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There is a lesson here. The project may have a contract price but there is a way to protect ones self. I had two building projects that used an architect and they administered the contract. It was a good eye opener. The general submitted for payment with time sheets for the hours, rental costs...

The process is not complicated. But it takes some work on your part to make the project work. First find out if you need a building permit and what the building authority requires such as a stamped engineered drawing. If it requires drawings maybe talk to a couple contractors to see who they may...

Maybe if you do not have a firm direction of where you want the build and are tentative then they may feel there is not any real sense of commitment. Contractors don't like to spend a lot of time with anyone unless it feels like the time invested will go somewhere. They only have so many hours...

Depending on the local building codes the 2x6's usually may be placed at 24" ctrs so cost difference between 2x4's at 16" ctrs is not that much. It will allow more insulation that the reduced heating costs will quickly payback the difference. A lot of heat will be lost with the garage doors...

Insulation is cheap. Do the ceilings first and leave the walls open so they can be insulated and clad in the future. A bit unconventional but you could compact gravel then eventually put down a compacted layer of sand, vapour barrier with an inch sand then a unistone floor or concrete paver floor.

Similar to Captain's post. I worked on a site where they set up fab shops for contractors to store and fabricate. They set long sea cans parallel and bridged them with long span peaked roof trusses and put in end walls with man doors and fabricated barn doors. The ends and roof had some...

I am pretty sure that the Edmonton or Alberta building codes would allow 2x6 studs at 24"o/c with of course a double top plate. Not much more expensive than 2x4's at 16"o/c. It would allow R20 insulation to be installed at the time of construction or down the road. R20 will make the garage...

If you are trying to eliminate the cold in the space and it is heated then stopping the cold at the walls and rim joist would more likely be the better solution. Bare concrete walls have next to zero R value. There really is no need for insulation in the ceiling unless the basement space is only...

I did UT testing on boilers, pressure vessels, piping etc. The couplant was mainly glycerine but we also had a clear grease. K-Y is mainly glycerine. Test the couplant and a known thickness of the same material to be tested as a calibration coupon. We had calibration test blocks and checked...

My Friend has an old 55 ft long shop x about 25 ft wide with a 14' ceiling. The inside of the shop is clad with chipboard and it was dull. He took a roller and painted half of the shop walls and ceiling white and it was a total improvement. It made the shop a lot brighter and really improved the...

This is a solution for cutting any angle on an exhaust bend that I thought was one to save. I looks line it could work with my bandsaw. One more option. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-week-cutting-and-routing-exhaust-mandrel-u-bends.993838/

I live just east of the MB-ON border where they salt the highways and streets. The salt is hard on concrete if the concrete is not placed as concrete resistant. Ice melter products usually contain salt and is really hard on normal concrete steps. Salt will pop the concrete surfaces and they...

You are leaning in the right direction and it is a place where the money in will come back several times over the life of the door. A higher R value will pay back with heat savings. It will also make it better if you have living spaces over the garage. The minimum window would be a double pane...

I just hand bombed a piece of 16 gauge galv into a cone to replace the top on a chimney cap that the wind tore up . Just my thoughts. I would draw the pattern and draw radiating lines from the center. Put a mark at 1/2 inch spacing along the outside perimeter and draw a line from the marks to...

Sounds like you know what you want & have the right person to deliver the plans for you. That is a major leap forward in a good direction. A couple months will go quick. This is time if you have not done a lot of research on energy efficiency is to do some reading. Even in a warm climate...

There are some ways to save some professional costs. If possible put together a sketch of a layout that you sort of like no matter how crude it is. Take some photos of styles and finishes that appeal to you. The more information one can provide the easier it will be for the designer to see your...

Looking at the span table the shortest span for a live load of 20 lbs/sq ft is 8'-7". Just for the heck of it the snow loads for Fayetteville AR is also 20 psf. http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6517 The chicken coup is 9 x 26. If the walls are 2x4 then the clear span from...

I have designed houses & buildings as well as employed architects for large commercial buildings on two occasions. The architect goes through a process to develop the plans & layouts with the customer then ensures that it is structurally strong, healthy environment, aesthetically pleasing and...