gtae07
Well-known member
Airplane factory / shop build (Completed!) Now airplane build
Background:
About two years ago I started building an RV-7 in our one-car garage (strike one). I got increasingly frustrated with the tiny workspace, which had to hold a wing jig, workbench, and storage shelving, plus all of my other miscellaneous (car and wood) tools, the bikes, etc. I kept wishing I had a detached shop or a larger garage, and swore that I wouldn't let that get missed on my next house.
Then one day my wife suggested "well, why don't you build one here?" (Oh, how I love that woman... little did she know what she was starting
)
At first I dismissed the idea as impossible; we live on 1/5th of an acre (strike two) in an HOA-controlled community (strike three). But then I pulled out the city code and the HOA rules, and to my surprise found that there was nothing prohibiting it on our lot, provided I held to a few restrictions on height and construction.
So the planning and drawing started. Surveyed the lot, drew everything in CAD, negotiated terms with the wife, put a budget and schedule together, and submitted the paperwork for approval. The city didn't care and approved immediately; it sat in the HOA's inbox for a month before a polite inquiry pushed it through at the end of October.
Of course, immediately following the approval, I was offered a new job, DST ended for the winter, and my wife's medical condition flared up. Oh, and it rained... and rained... and rained... and rained some more on the weekends. Construction started three months later than the original plan, and the site prep and foundation work that was supposed to take three weeks took three months thanks to the weather, holidays, and other factors.
The shop itself:
The shop will be 28 x 24 x 8; sizing was driven by HOA restrictions on height, a desire to be able to temporarily fit both wings on the airplane for finishing work, and the largest size I could get my wife to buy off on. I'm using 2x6s at 24" OC, rafters at 4:12, balloon gable walls, and a mono slab, all built to hurricane wind standards for the area. I have two 8 x 7 roll-up doors on one of the long sides (the largest I could do within the prescriptive hurricane codes without needing an engineer’s stamp, and I’m not the right kind of engineer), and a man door on the short wall facing the house. I’m planning on full insulation and (eventually?) air conditioning, preferably with a mini-split heat pump.
Electrically, I want outlets everywhere (including a couple on the ceiling for pull-down cord reels) and a few 240 outlets for the welder, large compressor, mill, lathe, etc. I’ll eventually acquire. Hard-line air supply is also in the plans.
Long-term, once I’m moved into the shop, I’ll be converting the garage into an art studio for the wife, adding a painting table and easel, some storage, a utility sink, and more insulation.
Current status (3/12/15):
Concrete was poured last week, and weather permitting I’ll start pulling the forms off this weekend. Lumber will hopefully be delivered next week and I’ll get started on framing.
(pictures to follow)
Background:
About two years ago I started building an RV-7 in our one-car garage (strike one). I got increasingly frustrated with the tiny workspace, which had to hold a wing jig, workbench, and storage shelving, plus all of my other miscellaneous (car and wood) tools, the bikes, etc. I kept wishing I had a detached shop or a larger garage, and swore that I wouldn't let that get missed on my next house.
Then one day my wife suggested "well, why don't you build one here?" (Oh, how I love that woman... little did she know what she was starting
)At first I dismissed the idea as impossible; we live on 1/5th of an acre (strike two) in an HOA-controlled community (strike three). But then I pulled out the city code and the HOA rules, and to my surprise found that there was nothing prohibiting it on our lot, provided I held to a few restrictions on height and construction.
So the planning and drawing started. Surveyed the lot, drew everything in CAD, negotiated terms with the wife, put a budget and schedule together, and submitted the paperwork for approval. The city didn't care and approved immediately; it sat in the HOA's inbox for a month before a polite inquiry pushed it through at the end of October.
Of course, immediately following the approval, I was offered a new job, DST ended for the winter, and my wife's medical condition flared up. Oh, and it rained... and rained... and rained... and rained some more on the weekends. Construction started three months later than the original plan, and the site prep and foundation work that was supposed to take three weeks took three months thanks to the weather, holidays, and other factors.
The shop itself:
The shop will be 28 x 24 x 8; sizing was driven by HOA restrictions on height, a desire to be able to temporarily fit both wings on the airplane for finishing work, and the largest size I could get my wife to buy off on. I'm using 2x6s at 24" OC, rafters at 4:12, balloon gable walls, and a mono slab, all built to hurricane wind standards for the area. I have two 8 x 7 roll-up doors on one of the long sides (the largest I could do within the prescriptive hurricane codes without needing an engineer’s stamp, and I’m not the right kind of engineer), and a man door on the short wall facing the house. I’m planning on full insulation and (eventually?) air conditioning, preferably with a mini-split heat pump.
Electrically, I want outlets everywhere (including a couple on the ceiling for pull-down cord reels) and a few 240 outlets for the welder, large compressor, mill, lathe, etc. I’ll eventually acquire. Hard-line air supply is also in the plans.
Long-term, once I’m moved into the shop, I’ll be converting the garage into an art studio for the wife, adding a painting table and easel, some storage, a utility sink, and more insulation.
Current status (3/12/15):
Concrete was poured last week, and weather permitting I’ll start pulling the forms off this weekend. Lumber will hopefully be delivered next week and I’ll get started on framing.
(pictures to follow)
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