Scottish dream Garage build

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

Hi, been lurking on here for many years now and thought it was time to start my own thread.
Where I lived I only had a single garage and so had to rent unit space nearby. Unfortunately where my units are is on a flood plane and a couple of years ago the river burst its banks and pretty much destroyed everything I've spent years building or collecting.
This prompted me to find a new house with enough space to build a garage suitable for what I needed. At the end of January I moved into my new house and by May I'd had all the approval through to start construction of my new garage. With a lot of help from friends I've been building what will hopefully be a garage worthy of these pages.

ProjectBobcat · Sep 15, 2017

I'll be watching this one with interest, always nice to see a build from the UK. It must have been gutting to lose all your stuff.

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

So the site of my garage has quite a few obstacles to deal with, its on a reasonable gradient, there's several trees, a shed, a static caravan and a septic tank in the way. I sold the shed and after trying several different avenues for getting the caravan away the only feasible option was to dissamble it manually and remove it in component form which was lots of fun.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

We started off by removing all the wood cladding, then with my mates digger we had some fun smashing it up. I had a gopro on the arm of the digger and one inside the caravan. Once I get some time free I'll make up a destruction video. All the steel and aluminium was seperated and recycled whilst the remaining wood built a fine bonfire.

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

Next up was to start stripping the site. We hired in a manitou and worked for several days solid just moving earth. We also dug out the old septic tank and put in a new one elsewhere.

brit vet · Sep 15, 2017

Where in Scotland ?

I'll bet digging out the old septic tank was fun :puke:

GoldCar · Sep 15, 2017

Welcome Dunkz,

Interesting project, I will follow your progress, and very nice country. I love it...

GC

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

ProjectBobcat said:
I'll be watching this one with interest, always nice to see a build from the UK. It must have been gutting to lose all your stuff.

Yeah, it wasnt good. We knew it was gonna flood, had spent the day moving stuff up high expecting a few inches of water but you can see on the windscreen where the water level came to and that car is on axle stands.

GoldCar said:
Welcome Dunkz,

Interesting project, I will follow your progress, and very nice country. I love it...

GC

Cheers

brit vet said:
Where in Scotland ?

I'll bet digging out the old septic tank was fun

Im in the north east. Wasn't too bad, was just a small brick tank. Had it pumped out before we started.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

Next up we put the new septic tank in. Not a moment too soon either, had to hold it in for a few days as the new tank hadn't arrived and time was against us so the old one had to come out to stay on schedule. Once that was in we made up all the forms for the foundation. I was pretty nervous about setting the bolts in the right place for the frame so I made up panels to sit over the forms and marked em all up exactly. Then the first of the concrete arrived. That takes us up to the first two weeks of the build.

Jacko264 · Sep 15, 2017

Watching with interest keep up the good work
Graham

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

A few weeks later and the steel and roofing turned up. Having never built anything like this before we just got stuck in and fortunately it all went up nice and easily. If I'd have gone any taller though my mates digger wouldn't have manage to reach for the roof beams so that was pretty fortunate. I have a time lapse of us putting the building up. Just need to get time to edit it all together.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 15, 2017

Once the frame was mostly up we started on the roof. Not the easiest things to get in place. Despite how the pictures look its rarely nice weather over here. Soon as a little bit of rain gets on that roof its deadly so there was a lot of stopping and starting. I just have the two end panels to fit now which need cut down. I decided it would be easier to get the exact length once all the walls were up.
Whilst we finished up the roof I had someone come in and do the first few courses of block work. As much as I prefer to do everything myself for the price and the speed he works its just not worth doing the block myself.

Fogey · Sep 15, 2017

Also being in the UK, I know how difficult it can be to get planning permission for this sort of thing - especially that size! Did you have problems?

stamanti · Sep 15, 2017

Great looking garage. I'm looking forward to seeing it take shape.

And I'd love to see that caravan destruction video.

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

stamanti said:
Great looking garage. I'm looking forward to seeing it take shape.

And I'd love to see that caravan destruction video.

Thanks, I'm ******* with work now for the next month at least but I'll get it up once I have some free time again. In fact the rest of my year is pretty much a write off, I took me about 8 weeks of solid graft to get to the stage I'm up to just now which was to get it secure before winter arrived. The rest of the progress will slow down a bit afyer that.

fogey said:
Also being in the UK, I know how difficult it can be to get planning permission for this sort of thing - especially that size! Did you have problems?

It actually went through pretty easily which has surprised a lot of people. I put my offer in on the house subject to getting planning approval which the previous owners went for. There was no point buying it if I couldn't get my garage. The planning officer had me re-submit the planning a week before it was due to be approved as they decided they wanted a different type of application and more money which then added another month to the time scale but after that it was approved with no conditions. Once Id moved in I started the building warrant process and the day after it was approved we started construction.

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

Next up was getting all the ******** in for the floor. My mates bailed me out on this one as I'd killed my back doing the roof so they took care of the type 1 whilst I lay on my floor feeling sorry for myself. Once the ******** was in and I'd recovered several tons of sand had to go down to compact it all before the dpm and mesh. I also put in a drain line so I could add a toilet and sink in the future.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

I was pretty nervous about pouring the floor. I wanted a perfect finish and none of us had done a pour on this scale with the sort of finish I'm after before. We ended up getting a pump truck in to give us a fighting chance.
The pour started at 8 in the morning and after spending a good 4 and a half hours on the helicopter only handing it over while I grabbed something to eat quickly I was happy with the finish. That took till about 19:30. Earliest finish I've had yet.

. I don't have any finished pictures of the floor as we sheeted it as soon as it was safe to do so but theres a few in progress shots.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

Over the next couple of days all my wood arrived for cladding and framing. The concrete was poured on a tuesday and I was hoping to have the block work done on the wednesday/thursday. Unfortunately the brickie was running late due to poor weather so it was the following monday before the block was finished and I could start framing.
I thought my doors were supply only but turned out the company were fitting them for me aswell so that saved a job.

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

I attached battens to the steel work using a hilti gun, no chance those nails are ever pulling out. Went through several hammers during the build for different reasons.
I knocked up the first 5 frames pretty quickly then the weather turned sour. Fortunately having the roof on meant I could shift everything into the garage, just a pain having to move all the wood. All the other frames were odd sizes and took a bit longer making 100% sure it would fit round my doors and windows.

colin39 · Sep 16, 2017

Looking good buddy, s13 in the first pics, did it survive?

Subscribing, welcome from sunny essex, down souf

dutchgray · Sep 16, 2017

Nice garage there, nice to see you have spent the money on insulated steel roofing, makes the world of difference.
Planning wise, sometimes you just get lucky and other times you cant get anything, although its generally got easier and there are a lot more permitted development options available now which you don't need planning for.
Normally you apply for much more than you want and when they refuse you go back in with what you wanted to begin with.

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

During the next few days and battling some terrible weather I got the building wrapped, all the cladding up and my windows installed. Theres still a lot of finishing to do around the windows, doors and giving the thing a hair cut but the majority of the hard work is done. That takes us up to the present date. So far its taken me and my mates about 7-8 weeks to build this. Unfortunately the last finishing is gonna take a lot longer as I've exhausted all my free time for the forseable future.

Dunkz · Sep 16, 2017

.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Dunkz · Sep 17, 2017

colin39 said:
Looking good buddy, s13 in the first pics, did it survive?

Subscribing, welcome from sunny essex, down souf

One of them was scrapped, the units I have were damp at the best of times so old nissans don't survive too well. The black one is a long term project but its not been touched in a couple of years since the flooding. Once I get everything moved across I'll see if its worth saving again.

dutchgray said:
Nice garage there, nice to see you have spent the money on insulated steel roofing, makes the world of difference.
Planning wise, sometimes you just get lucky and other times you cant get anything, although its generally got easier and there are a lot more permitted development options available now which you don't need planning for.
Normally you apply for much more than you want and when they refuse you go back in with what you wanted to begin with.

That was the plan, i put in the biggest structure I could expecting it to get refused and reduce the size as a bargaining tool but they went for the full size one so I wasn't going to complain. A bit taller would have been nice for more mezz level space but there's big powerlines going overhead so I was a bit restricted there.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

stu999 · Sep 17, 2017

Hi Dunkz

Thanks for posting your build. Looks huge! Really starting to come together now.

Dividing Creek · Sep 17, 2017

Wasn't expecting the board and batten look. Makes a new building blend in well with the stone wall and Scottish countryside.

Dunkz · Dec 7, 2017

I've made some progress the past couple of months in between work commitments. First priority was to get the building water tight and let the concrete finish drying. I lifted all the plastic sheeting to get a look at my floor. Pretty pleased with my first attempt at doing concrete. Just the edges that need a bit of attention where I couldn't get the power trowel into.

I had the last two roof panels to cut down and fit then all the centre section to install so I got on with that to complete the roof. Was a pain pulling these in. I wasn't aware of them in the kit until we'd finished the roof.

That just left the flashings on the edge of the building to complete and make it water tight. I decided not to fit the gutters until I've dug my soakaway so the water run off is even over the building rather than flooding at one end.

Dunkz · Dec 7, 2017

I spent a couple of days adjusting some of the cladding. A lot of the boards were screwed on at the corners and around windows so I could come back when I had more time to finish up and get the fitment perfect. Once all the cladding was finished I went round with my tracksaw and gave it all a hair cut in preparation for the guys coming to do the rendering.

My original plan was to run all the electrics in next but I decided to do them in conduit rather than inside the walls for easy access which meant I could get on with finishing the inside of the building. I scored a bargain on my insulation from the builders merchants. Got the whole lot for £200, I was away at the time but my mate has a key for my van so went and picked it all up for me.

Que several days of itchiness. Can see my floor starting to dry and blend in in that last shot.

racestatus · Dec 7, 2017

good looking shop! love the wood siding!

Dunkz · Dec 7, 2017

racestatus said:
good looking shop! love the wood siding!

Thanks, I'm pleased with the way its turned out. I had the guys booked to come out and do all the rendering for me a couple of weeks ago but winter has rolled in and they don't want to risk applying it in low temperatures.

So I made a start with insulating while I was deciding on how to finish the walls. After a lot of debating over cost vs quality I decided to go with 12mm hardwood ply. Not exactly a cheap option but I think it's been the right choice.

I decided to trim all the ply to size and then paint the sheets before I mounted them.

Its not been the quickest process, with the low temperatures and the sheets needing several coats of paint the drying time has been fairly slow.

The dark nights meant I couldn't work late either so I went and dug out my old work lights. I order one of the feit LED lights as a tester along with a few others to try and decide what route to go down with lighting. Seems my work lights are well overdue a replacement in comparison to the LED units.

The majority of the interior is done. I've about 8 sheets or less of ply to trim and fit from the original 45 I ordered. Ski season has arrived however so there won't be much happening while I have the opportunity to go play in the hills.

matt_i · Dec 7, 2017

I like the way this turned out, both inside and out. Very clean!

Are you considering a heat source for warming it up during the winter months?

NTCRS · Dec 8, 2017

Really cool building!

Miss the Pontiacs · Dec 8, 2017

That is a really great space you have created. Only one thing you gotta buy better hammers.

ddawg16 · Dec 8, 2017

Huge garage by Scottish standards.

What part of Scotland? I lived there for a couple of years when I was in the AF. Fraserburgh area to be exact.

X-***** is Scottish...

Cris B · Dec 8, 2017

Looking really good and a decent size 20' x 40'?

Did you consider putting some insulation under the concrete floor?

Dunkz · Dec 8, 2017

matt_i said:
I like the way this turned out, both inside and out. Very clean!

Are you considering a heat source for warming it up during the winter months?

I have thought about a log burner/waste oil heater but thats way down the list of jobs. I have a diesel space heater for the time being that should serve me reasonably well. The plan is to seperate it off into a few sections so the ability to only heat where I'm working would also be quite handy.

NTCRS said:
Really cool building!

Thanks

Miss the Pontiacs said:
That is a really great space you have created. Only one thing you gotta buy better hammers.

I'm actually on my 4th hammer, I never knew they were an expendable item until now.

ddawg16 said:
Huge garage by Scottish standards.

What part of Scotland? I lived there for a couple of years when I was in the AF. Fraserburgh area to be exact.

X-***** is Scottish...

I'm ex RAF myself, where were you based to be living in Fraserburgh? I'm NE just not that far up.

oliviadavid said:
This is an interesting project and very nicely done, I like the outcome

Thanks

Cris B said:
Looking really good and a decent size 20' x 40'?

Did you consider putting some insulation under the concrete floor?

Its a 60'x30', I did consider underfloor insulation but didn't really feel it was necessary, there's a lot of things I could have done but I was trying to keep to a reasonable budget and not let my spending run wild. [emoji1]

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

drivesitfar · Dec 8, 2017

Dunkz: great looking garage.

since i'm a golfer and have always heard of WIND being part of the game there did your garage have to be designed with wind in mind or maybe since it doesn't look like you are near the coast that wind might not be an issue?

i love how STOUT you are making your garage. WELL DONE SIR and definitely Garage Journal worthy.

cheers

Dunkz · Dec 8, 2017

drivesitfar said:
Dunkz: great looking garage.

since i'm a golfer and have always heard of WIND being part of the game there did your garage have to be designed with wind in mind or maybe since it doesn't look like you are near the coast that wind might not be an issue?

i love how STOUT you are making your garage. WELL DONE SIR and definitely Garage Journal worthy.

cheers

Thanks, I like your choice of words. I'd imagine wind was factored into the engineers design for the steel frame. They've certainly over engineered it which ended up costing me more in steel but atleast I know its not going anywhere. I do live just a mile or so from the coast though. I'm near one of the oldest golf courses in the world. I don't think being near the coast changes things much in Scotland though, your either on the coast or up a hill so there's always a breeze in one form or another.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

drivesitfar · Dec 8, 2017

Dunkz: AWESOME looking beach too. WELL DONE AGAIN!!

St. Andrews or do tell which old golf course you are near? Old saying in Scotland was to my recollection "NAY WIND, NAY GOLF!!! cause golf courses were designed to play hard in the wind and TOO EASY if the wind didn't blow which was hardly the case. so guessing 20 mph is a fairly average windy day.

cheers and hope you are going to have a great weekend.

Whitey1 · Dec 8, 2017

Great looking garage! The board and battons against the block look perfect.

Scottish dream Garage build

Well-known member

Attachments

Active member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member