Blue Gum Workshop Build

sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

I have been enjoying some great garage and shed builds on here for a while now and am finally getting around to sharing mine.
I live in Queensland Australia on a gum tree covered half acre in a valley. So acres of bush views, but it makes for a steep building site.
This is an ongoing build and I'm 3.5 years in and hoping to finish before November this year (based on the council deadline).
For the first 2.5 years I was building every weekend and holiday, but am now working part time and studying full time (Bachelor of education for high school tech teaching).
For the last 6mths the shed work has ground to almost a full halt.
I plan to upload pics and details as my study breaks (am avoiding a painful assignment right now).

This is a pic from about half way through, just to give an idea of where it is all going.

RivennHewn · Jan 31, 2015

Interesting project.

We're going to need more pics.

sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

So here is the start of the whole big job.

The site before work started

The footings I used. No dig (apart from levelling a pad big enough to take the base), No concrete and no big machinery.
Aussie invention, only just out on th emarket when I found it. I think I'm the first in QLD to use the full system (which caused some council issues).
if anyone is interested here is a link to the site. They were great to deal with and very helpful.
http://surefootfootings.com.au/

Site setout took almost a week due to the two direction fall of the land.

Just an idea of the fall. So ****** slippery and heaps of loose rocks to trip and fall over.

Had to move the log as it was in the way of a footing. Used a highlift jack, levers and my 70+year old father inlaw (so amazingly fit and healthy).
Took a day of digging and filling to make the flat pad. Looking at it now it looks like nothing, but middle of summer in the full sun digging out endless rocks on a hill takes it's toll.

Looks much the same, but if you look closely you will notice some footings are in.

sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

Not workshop related, but if anyone noticed the termite nest in the tree (3rd image last post), you will have noticed the entrance of a kookaburra nest. the termites will close it over the year and the kookaburras will come back and open it up again each nesting season.

SBogaCH · Jan 31, 2015

wow! post please more pics. it's a very interesting project.

HOTFR8 · Jan 31, 2015

WOW. That is some location and slope to work on. Do you have a weight limit on that floor ?

sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

Thanks for the interest. I'll have another go at more pics tonight.
Here is a link to another of my projects that is a bit stalled. Got a bit carried away just before starting study. Don't expect much in the way updates on the bandsaw for at least a year or too though. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249768

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sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

Hey hotfr8, can't recall off hand the floor's rating, but was engineered for a few cars, metal lathe and mill and dead weight of storage racks and contents. As the pics progress you will notice the number of joists and close spacing.

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ajohno · Jan 31, 2015

Looks great so far.

sideroad · Jan 31, 2015

Original plans approved by council. Due to it being a 'shed' it has pretty lenient regulations. Council found it hard to deal with as they are used to a simple slab on ground and basic 6x9m garage.
I was still able to get it through though(much arguing and engineer back and forth).

Had to make a very temporary scaffold to jack hammer one of the piers in. With the slope of the land and the added angle of the 2.4m long pier I needed to be out on the end. During the buld, any risks were taken by me and I was always the one at the top of the ladder. If anything was to happen, my cost saving antics wouldn't injure any of my tireless helpers.

A shot of me driving the easiest piers in. The others were a mission. 30-45deg slope with 2.4m long piers going in at angles was not easy, took a whole week.

A finished one

Lost a day cutting my way through a sandstone bolder to make a pad that the piers could be driven through.

Back left corner is over 5m high. Issue was the bracing could only be added off a ladder once it was braced, so straps were the go. They also worked out well as they could be dropped to bring in the bearers and adjusted to make all the tops line up.

Scored some free truss beams from work to use as scaffolding during the build. I am still using them and couldn't have done it all without.

First of 6 bearers. I had pre-welded all the angle for the joists as working off the drive way was a much better option then hundreds of vert welds off a ladder.

I went with LSB bearers due to the considerable weight difference to PFCs. Seeing as they had to be carried down the hill and manually lifted in place I figured the extra cost was worth it.

Pretty happy that all my planning worked out.

A good days work. It now started to look huge.

Out come the truss beams again. I was able to use them to get out to the ends to align all the bearers to parallel, then screw the truss beams in place until the joists go down. Short bearer is for the workshop pit opening in the floor. re: detail on the plan.

Notgrownup · Jan 31, 2015

Darn, that Is way cool dude....It is very interesting how it is braced....the engineering aspect is cool.....

metalhead140 · Jan 31, 2015

Wow, awesome project! Love the suspended garage, Ferris Bueller anyone? I hope you have a fake Ferrari to put in it! Seriously though, I really like it, and it looks like a lovely spot. Unusual project and no doubt a lot of work, I can't wait to see more!

Ajustable · Jan 31, 2015

Wow, Very Cool project!!! You guy's running outta flat land. :lol:

Modern Jess · Jan 31, 2015

That's a really interesting construction approach. At the first picture, I was really skeptical, but now I see that the base plates are anchored in a really novel way.

Do you have to worry about seismic considerations in your area?

hoho98925 · Jan 31, 2015

Wow, that's quite the structure!
:beer:

1/2 Cup · Jan 31, 2015

Wow, great build. :thumbup:

You have some pretty challenging terrain, well done and many thanks for posting.

930dreamer · Jan 31, 2015

Nice build, I need to visit Australia sometime.

theoldwizard1 · Jan 31, 2015

sideroad said:
A finished one

These are INGENIOUS !

Perfect for a site like yours.

Aaron P. · Jan 31, 2015

id **** me pants working on a floor that far of the gound.....intersting feet of engineering all the same.....keep the pics coming

Hephaestus29 · Jan 31, 2015

Wow, you don't have any flat ground
or less slope ?

HGFS · Jan 31, 2015

awesome effort mate. many people would have given up after that log. look forward to updates.

Bears Fan · Jan 31, 2015

Wow that's a very steep slope to build on...interesting :thumbup:

roscoe2000 · Jan 31, 2015

Can't wait to see the finished building
....

mustangmike6996 · Jan 31, 2015

Thats going to be a sight to see when its done!

sideroad · Feb 1, 2015

Thanks for all the comments, I hope I can keep up the pace of providing the pictures I know we all demand.

Modern Jess, where we live, we don't have any issues with earthquakes, just cyclones. I am a about 50km from the coast, but still have to allow for low level cyclonic wind ratings.
When we found this place it met the dollar mark we were hoping for and the house was something the wife loved, but I had always said any place we get must be able to have a shed.
This place took some thinking, 7 months of arguing with the engineer & council, a hell of a lot of work and considerable money, but I have done it for a song in comparison to paying for labour and retail priced materials.
Ajustable, 1/2 cup & Hephaestus29, I will admit I can now see the wisdom in all the advice of never buying on a hill, they were right and I will be buying a flat block next time. Though I suspect I will be buried under this workshop, as I will never want to leave it once it's done.

To give an idea of the site, here is a google map. I have outlined the block and the small house. As you can see the site has some limitations eg. ****** steep and limited access. 130m sloping driveway with accommodation for only one car makes for some serious planing when it comes to dropping off materials.
Not sure if any of you have seen the old classic ozzie movie 'The castle'Darryl 'Oh Steve could you move the Camira I need to get the Torana out so I can get to the Commodore. Steve – I’ll have to get the keys to the Cortina if I’m gonna move that Camira. Darryl – Yeah watch the boat mate.', but I had my own version going on here.
At the time we had a 1968 land rover, 1985 Pajero, Toyota corolla, ducati monster & a 1977 suzuki 750 with a sidecar to allow for.

As for locations, the only other option I considered was lifting the house a bit and digging out more underneath to make a workshop.
I hated that idea, as all the noise would go straight through the timber floor into the house. I know how loud a power planer or angle grinder is and I couldn't do that to my wife.

sideroad · Feb 1, 2015

I'm just going to let the pics do the talking for a bit.

The flashing was to prevent splitting issues with the engineered bearers. They were rated for external use, but were not up to the claims.

This shows the slope of the ground well, I was so happy to get the joists done and start working on joists, flat level beautiful joists!

This gives an idea of the driveway limitation.

Instead of using timber decking as would generally be the case, I went for hardwood sleepers. Big strong and chunky, but also much cheaper!.
Part of the choice also came down to the fact I have always loved old timber bridges and wanted one. I love how they sound like they are almost falling apart when you cross them, though when it's going to be approved by council that is not a plus.

I took the edges off as they were very rough and it it looked great. Turns out to be a **** idea, as now the wheels of all my tool chests, trollies, etc get stuck and I have rolled my ankle a few times. DON'T DO THIS, IT'S A BAD IDEA!

I liked the look, but not worth the hassle.

That night it was wine and cheese on the new deck.

You can see the house in perspective to the workshop site. yes the workshop will be about the same size if not bigger.

I know, more of the same stuff, but I figure i have the pics, might as well share them.

The termites don't only repair Kookaburra nests, they also grow over ropes. This was one of the stays for the far corner post when I was standing them up. Now I was able to get to it to pull it down.

May not look like much, but I have cut all the joists and are stacked half way through being painted.

2 packs of flooring. 'A' grade BLUE GUM flooring! I picked it up very cheapl as both packs had gone under in the brisbane floods, the first one. the same flood 80WTI_55_CHEV showed in his thread,

80WTI_55_CHEV said:
here is a photo looking out my door on the top level of my house

and this is normal

Just to jump ahead a fair bit.
Here is a sample of the beautiful flooring just after laying and a coat of linseed oil. Due to budget I had been looking into particle board flooring, but it just wouldn't stand up to workshop wear and tear. I have seen it disintegrate from radiator coolant, blow out from heavy items being dropped on it and it looks ****. So after much searching I tracked down the Blue Gum for the about the same price the particle board would have cost ($3600). Retail it would have gone for about $12,000!
Sadly the flooring in the house is nowhere near as good as the stuff in the workshop. Yes I do get some grief from the wife about that.
More pics to come next study break.(late tomorrow night)

Radix2 · Feb 1, 2015

Amazing build! One of those jobs that pros hate to take on because of all of the fussy detailed work involved, but that come out so well for the skilled and determined individual.

Can you take a picture away from the road? We want to see the amazing view you must have down the hillside!

To my eye it seems like you need some sort of cross bracing to provide lateral stability to all those tall posts - will there be some coming? Or how does the system work?

sideroad · Feb 2, 2015

Radix2 said:
Amazing build! One of those jobs that pros hate to take on because of all of the fussy detailed work involved, but that come out so well for the skilled and determined individual.

I used to work as a trade qualified carpenter and my boss was the guy you called when most others would run away. I did most of my time with him as an apprentice doing mostly renovations and extensions, but also out of the norm new builds. A lot of the jobs we did in Brisbane were on steep hills, they make every thing so many times much harder and pricier, but often have good views.

Can you take a picture away from the road? We want to see the amazing view you must have down the hillside!

I'll see if I have taken/can find one. Not keen to take one just now as the weeds are meters high due to all the rain we have just had. (the weeds are making the best of my study based neglect)

To my eye it seems like you need some sort of cross bracing to provide lateral stability to all those tall posts - will there be some coming? Or how does the system work?

Not to worry, bracing is yet to come. Hard part was getting enough structure up to build the structure. As you can see, I did without normal scaffolding as it would have cost about $10,000 due to the duration of the build and this made for much strategising of the build sequence.

sideroad · Feb 2, 2015

This isn't a study break, more just avoiding my assignment.

Painting the internal grade LVL joists in between showers. They will be exposed to the weather until the floor goes down and having only weekends to do it that may be a few weeks.

Another angle. This shows a little of our view. Trees, trees and more trees and the odd Koala with baby every now and then.

Another angle showing the site in relation to the house and driveway.

Joists going down. They were coach bolted through the angle brackets.

To ensure spacing and parallel of the bearers I walked the full length joist out to the end. Kind of like a building tight rope walk with trip hazards (angle brackets).

Yep, I'm wearing a skirt, well it's a kilt, but all my family, wife and mates call it a skirt. It's great in the summer, but not too good with windy days or ladder work with helpers.

Oh and I have some more joists down!

Joists are down, had a few issues with mucking up a few of my bracket spacings around the pit (only out by the thinkness of the joist, not cool, but I wasn't cutting and welding just to hide my shame).
Over all it worked out fine. Just used packers of joist offcuts and longer bolts.

Bracing attachment. This was MK2 version (my version). The first one was the engineer's design and was attached bellow the post adjustment and pulled all my posts out of plumb. Other issue was the bracing allowed the structure to rack due to the movement in the post adjustment screws.
So over all I have out of plumb posts and twisted LSB bearers that couldn't be remedied. I am still a bit pissed about this, partly because I notice it every time I do anything underneath and also because I looks like I screwed up.

This why I had to wait till later for the bracing, well the second version. First was done off the ladder and wasted 5 days of work as it had to be removed and redone and I also had to lengthen every brace and weld up the new brace attachments. I could have throttled the engineer. (he was the young one in the engineering office, he has since been moved on)

Left corner you can see my old man's ladder was only just tall enough to get the job done.

Again, I have 'em so I might as well post 'em.

1/2 Cup · Feb 2, 2015

Looking great sideroad, thanks for the update. :thumbup:

.

Xporter · Feb 2, 2015

Looking forward to the progress, definitely an interesting build.

HOTFR8 · Feb 2, 2015

Why the gap in the floor in the last photo ? Stair access to underneath ?

Ripcurl · Feb 2, 2015

Very cool footing alternate and interesting build. Looking forward to the rest. I noticed you welded the footing/anchors, instead of just using a tek screw like their site says, any reason for the additional weld?

metalhead140 · Feb 3, 2015

HOTFR8 said:
Why the gap in the floor in the last photo ? Stair access to underneath ?

I think he said that is for a pit. I guess it could alleviate a lot of the normal issues with a pit (cleaning, damp, etc).

Lippyp · Feb 3, 2015

Whoa, a hanging inspection pit, absolutely needs to have a glass floor! or at the very least some windows in the sides. That's very James Bond bad guys lair!

sideroad · Feb 3, 2015

Yes the 'gap' if for a mechanics pit, but also to allow the lowering of machinery to the lower level. Yep this build is 2 levels. Well really 4, I was going to allow it all to unravel, but what the heck. There is a lower level with 2.8m head height, same timber floor, but due to the slope of the land I have to have it stepped. This gives me a 1/3 size level for storage shelving 1500mm head height (the 3rd level). As for the 4th, as the pics will show in good time, that is for a 20,000ltr watertank and more storage under the lower level about 2.0m heat height. Confused yet? i don't blame you, hang around and it will all be revealed.

Very observant Ripcurl, yep I welded instead of screwing as per designers recommendations. It was partly a cost saving on screws (yes, this build is that tight) as weld rods are cheaper and also because of access. I haven't shown many pics of the levelled pads I cut for the footings, but many of them had high (about 300mm+) dirt walls that would have had to be dug out quite a lot (more work then needed) to get a drill in to drive the screws.

sideroad · Feb 3, 2015

I was going to wait till later, but here is is the second version of the build plans. Had to pay the entire council application fees all over again as it ticked all their boxes. Sitting, Aesthetic etc. Crazy thing is the sitting was the same and the only people that can see it is us. So far $2400 in fees to council and if I don't make the November deadline it will be at least another $1200. Can't understand why the council are worried it is going to be a house.

80WTI_55_CHEV · Feb 3, 2015

I can't believe i have missed this build sideroad, i take my hat off to you for taking on a build of this nature, working at those heights i am out. I am looking forward to the end result as probably you are, i like that new plate system for the posts and i have never heard of them until this thread but just wondering if they will have much movement once the soil dries out as i know with my place when it really dries out i can push a 3 meter length of conduit all the way down the cracks in the ground.
Keep up the great work and i hope you make the deadline so you don't have to pay the council more fees. Lee

udderlyoffroad · Feb 3, 2015

Absolutely awesome build - I grew up in Switzerland, where they do amazing things on hillsides, but usually by throwing lots of money and concrete at the problem! This build on the other hand, appears to use some thought and really clever footings. Please keep the updates coming,

From a subscribed and impressed pom...

Carves · Feb 3, 2015

sideroad said:
.................... Can't understand why the council are worried it is going to be a house.

ummmm ... maybe, its the fancy blue gum floor ??

Heck of a spot to build on,

... good job on overcoming the issues and utilising the area underneath .. :thumbup:

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