My Dream Shed Build

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

40x60 build in the swamp

Ok so some may say it’s to big to be a shed but it’s what we call her.

My loving wife said I “Needed” to build a shed to put all my “junk” in and get it out of “her” garage. We had just finished our forever home build and I filled the 3 car garage with all my tools, parts, material, man stuff and my boat. This left her parking her car outside. After 2 years of walking in the rain to her car she put her foot down so I got to work.

First I had to design the shed of my dreams, try to think of all that I need to store, and how much work room I would need. After sketching resketching and sketching again I finally had a plan and brought it to a draftsman to have plans drawn.
Specs

40x60 shop, 1 1/2 baths with the full 9x13 bathroom added on one end.
2 12x10 and 1 14x10 garage doors
12’ 2x6 walls
8 on 12 roof
All brick exterior
Architectural roof shingles with Clay cap
Plywood walls and metal ceilings
Will be used to store my boat and work on my cars/toys

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

Next came ground work, while I live in Louisiana and most everything is flat our house is built on a river bank. The bank is made up of dirt and sand from when when the river was dredged in the 30’s or 40’

The bank is basically a levee ranging from 3 to 10’ tall and 15-40’ wide at the top. When we built the house we brought in 7,800 yards of to raise and widen the bank for the build. For the shed I decided to build a retaining wall to save on dirt so as to not have to fill as wide as we did for the house. This was my first attempt at building a retaining wall. We looked at all the blocks from Home Depot, Lowe’s and local landscape yards but really didn’t feel like lifting hundreds of litttle 20# blocks and stack them and hope it would hold back all my fill. I found a company that made large 4’ wide 2’ deep and 18” tall blocks that weighed in right at 2000 lbs. Being the cheep skate that I am, my wife and I went to work building our wall

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

My wife is one tuff worker.... I’m lucky she can’t/doesn’t drive the excavator as I think she would out work me.

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

After a month of rain, we were able to start forming for the slab. Multiple rain delays slow this project frustrating me and the concrete contractor.

rbrock · Dec 19, 2018

Nice start to the build, keep posting as you make progress. I like those retaining wall blocks. I have a hill side that is washing out because I got to steep of sloop on it near my lake. Do you have some info on the supplier so I can see if they are available in Ohio. Thanks Ron

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

We finials get a dry spell for the slab to be poured and then Again with the rain, we had so much rain this year. The framing contractor could not commit to a start date because of the rain. He was behind on other jobs and with us getting rain 3 and 4 days in a row it was pushing us back further and further. He was gun shy to start a project that might be impacted due to flooding. ( while building our house twice our road was flooded with 2’ of water for a week or more, and right after we finished the house we had 10’ of water in our front yard from a 1000 year flood for two weeks) so the contractor was nervous about getting his tools stranded for deer of another flood. My slab sat for 2-3 months before I could get a start date.

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

rbrock said:
Nice start to the build, keep posting as you make progress. I like those retaining wall blocks. I have a hill side that is washing out because I got to steep of sloop on it near my lake. Do you have some info on the supplier so I can see if they are available in Ohio. Thanks Ron

The product is Redi-rock. I think they sell franchise/molds to local concrete yards. The closest place I could buy them was in Mississippi and I had to have them trucked in. If I remember correctly they were $100-$130 per block. I’m sure that depends on what yard you buy them from. Was a very easy job. My wife and I built the wall in two days. I did my base with compacted limestone but if I were to do it again, I would pour a concrete base and put the blocks on top of that. It took me 3 days to dig, pack and level the limestone. It was a job. I think it would be easer and faster to just dig, set and level a form and pour. I also think the speed and less labor would be worth the extra cost of the concrete.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Here is a link to the website
https://www.redi-rock.com/

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

Once we had a dry spell, I was given a start date, I ordered my trusses and had my local lumber yard start delivering my framing material. The lumber yard I used set me up with a sales man (who I used when building my house) and he was a big help keeping the frame crew in check. He made sure the bundles of lumber were labeled for which walls and joist for my mezzanine. He had all the laminated beams labeled and even stoped by a couple times to check on the crew

1/2 Cup · Dec 19, 2018

BigBri this is going to be one awesome build :thumbup:

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

The frame crew worked fast, almost to fast.... I’ll get to that later. I will say at first they were here at the crack of dawn and didn’t leave till dark. They were always polite and answered any questions I may have had.

BigBri · Dec 19, 2018

it seemed like in no time the crew had walls up, they had moved faster that I thought they would and I was getting nervous as the truss company (in TX) was now getting pounded by a storm and had delayed shipping our trusses.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

I was surprised at how the trusses shipped, other than the wide load banner and the little red flag this was how they shipped.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

I believe the driver just got his CDL... he couldn’t keep the trailer on the driveway almost hit two trees and managed to get stuck in the pond/swamp after I warned him about 3 times he was getting close. Had to use the tractor to pull him out. Wish I had pics of that but I was up to my @$$ in mud.
He had a roll off trailer so he just raised the trailer and drove away. Super fast unload.

Then the weather that hit TX apparently found its way to Louisiana as we went back on rain delay for 3 or 4 weeks. Had to let the “dirt dry” before the contractor could bring a skylift ( booming reach forklift)
I got frustrated and ordered/hired a crane.... just had to wait for him to squeeze me into his schedule

lakeroadster · Dec 20, 2018

Wow, that's a lot of fill materials. How did they compact it?

wasfast · Dec 20, 2018

BigBri said:
The product is Redi-rock. I think they sell franchise/molds to local concrete yards. The closest place I could buy them was in Mississippi and I had to have them trucked in. If I remember correctly they were $100-$130 per block. I’m sure that depends on what yard you buy them from. Was a very easy job. My wife and I built the wall in two days. I did my base with compacted limestone but if I were to do it again, I would pour a concrete base and put the blocks on top of that. It took me 3 days to dig, pack and level the limestone. It was a job. I think it would be easier and faster to just dig, set and level a form and pour. I also think the speed and less labor would be worth the extra cost of the concrete.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Here is a link to the website
https://www.redi-rock.com/

I've built multiple retaining walls with 12" and 16" block. I learned the same lesson you came away with after the first one. It's a bunch of work to level a loose substrate compared to just pouring a simple footer.

Great choice on the large blocks for your application. Given the levee and all the fill, it was the best option IMO.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

lakeroadster said:
Wow, that's a lot of fill materials. How did they compact it?

We did 6-9” lifts, we had a large bull dozer that would spread while I pulled a sheep’s foot behind my tractor. I live pretty far out in the swamp so we had about 30 min between trucks. Gave us a lot of time to compact. We got to 98.8% compaction, according to all the test we had done.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

This is the part ware karma kicks my **** for something I have long forgotten about. My project takes a series of mishaps, delays and problems.
We finally have a date and time scheduled for the crane, Thursday at 8am. I coordinate with the framing crew to show up at 7:30 so they could be ready for the lift as the crane was costing me $200 delivery and setup and $150 per hr.
Well the framing crew shows up at 7:30 as planned but they sit in their trucks till the crane showed up at 8:00. :lol_hitti

The frame crew spends the next 30 min getting their tools set up compressor running and what not and then they start building wood scaffolding to have something to stand on while setting trusses..... why didn’t they do this last week????? Anyway, as the crane is finishing setting up his outriggers he notices that the limit switch on the boom is acting up and not allowing the crane to work properly. At this time the frame crew packs up and leaves. Never finishing their scaffolding.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

The crane company was very apologetic, even offered to rent a crane and start back the next day. I told them it was fine, fix their crane and call me when they were ready. Well 4 days later I get that call, they got I. A new limit switch and they were ready to rock and roll.
The frame crew on the other hand hasn’t come back to finish their scaffolding, or to prep for the trusses.
The frame crew showes up that Friday at 7:30 and crane shows up at 8:00. Again frame crew waits till the crane shows up to start working. The crane operator finishes setting up by 8:45 and tells me he is ready when I am. I go to the frame Forman and inform him the crane is ready. He tells me that he is going to send a guy to town to rent some scaffolding.... really! It’s 45 min to the nearest rental yard and you got to figure at least 30min to an hr to load. That’s 2-21/2hrs before anything is going to get done.
So me being the @$$ that I am, I tell the crane operator send a truss up and I inform the Forman, make it work or don’t bother coming back.
I never seen this crew work so fast. In hindsight I guess that might have been a little dangerous but they knocked out all the trusses in 2 hrs! I really think this crew never did trusses before.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

I used my mini excavator to stage the trusses. They were dropped off a little too far from the crane and he couldn’t reach them. By the time I rigged one to the excavator and drive to the crane he was waiting to pick it up from me. It was very efficient.
Btw, buying the mini was a great investment. It has gotten my **** out of a crack on mini occasions.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

Finishing the trusses

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

wasfast said:
I've built multiple retaining walls with 12" and 16" block. I learned the same lesson you came away with after the first one. It's a bunch of work to level a loose substrate compared to just pouring a simple footer.

Great choice on the large blocks for your application. Given the levee and all the fill, it was the best option IMO.

Btw beautiful Basses that you build!!!

Higgins · Dec 20, 2018

Great Project

We have a steep lot and will require some where between 9 - 12 lift. So any retaining wall footings will have to be dug from the top. I like the idea of a poured base, as i'm tired of slipping and falling down our hill, and too steep for my bobcat!

I like the retaining block that your using, will have to see if they are available in mid TN.

Just curious, how did you check the compaction of your fill??

AL

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

Higgins said:
Great Project

We have a steep lot and will require some where between 9 - 12 lift. So any retaining wall footings will have to be dug from the top. I like the idea of a poured base, as i'm tired of slipping and falling down our hill, and too steep for my bobcat!

I like the retaining block that your using, will have to see if they are available in mid TN.

Just curious, how did you check the compaction of your fill??

AL

We the company we used did a nuclear density test. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_density_gauge

There was another company that did a modified proctor test but I was told the nuclear was more accurate.... for what’s its worth, a friend of mine has a hauling company and he said that “no one” fails a compaction test. He said if the company didn’t come back with the results the contractor wanted the contractor would stop using them. Don’t know how true that is but it makes me go hmm.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

Roof decking and gables

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

Next came the roof, the roof company was fast, polite and cleaned up every nail, shingle, water bottle. Heck I think they even picked up other trades trash as well.

vekster · Dec 20, 2018

Great looking building you have going up.

Maybe i am missing it but i went through your thread twice to look for the specs?
Size, wall height, roof pitch etc..........
Thanks for the write up!

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

I then started pulling wire! I installed my outlets 48” off the floor. I really put way to many outlets. They are spaced someware between 8 to 10 feet apart. I wired 2 circuits per wall and alternated the the outlet on the wall to the circuits
(If I had 8 outlets on a wall the first, third, fifth and seventh were on one breaker and the second, forth, sixth,and eighth were on the other breaker)
I installed a few outlets to be operated by switches for fans and speakers. I also tried to install outlets where I didn’t think I would need them just Incase I needed them.
I ran lots of 220 drops as well. I have two 50 amp drops in the main shop for my welder, that way I can be almost anywhere and weld. I put in a 220 for a dryer, and 4 220 30 amp drops for for compressor or other high voltage items.
Lights, lots and lots of lights. I wired in 14 can lights in the boat port and 9 high bay lights for the main shop. I also wired for led lights in the mezzanine.

LXCam · Dec 20, 2018

Very cool build, I'll be following along.

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

vekster said:
Great looking building you have going up.

Maybe i am missing it but i went through your thread twice to look for the specs?
Size, wall height, roof pitch etc..........
Thanks for the write up!

I guess I never put that in with the plans but I’ll go back and add it.
It’s a 40x60 shop, 1 1/2 baths with then full 9x13 bathroom added on one end.
2 12x10 and 1 14x10 garage doors
12’ 2x6 walls
8 on 12 roof
All brick exterior
Architectural roof shingles with Clay cap
Plywood walls and metal ceilings
Will be used to store my boat and work on my cars/toys

BigBri · Dec 20, 2018

This is where my nightmare really begins, and was my first post on Garage Journal came as I was looking for help. I got lots of good advice and you guys helped me fix a major problem.... Thank you again!

It was around this point that we found out one of the gable walls was bowing outward at the top plate. There is a thread about it so I won’t go into great detail but my contractor quit at this point as I don’t think he had a solution on a fix. From this point on I was on my own.
The basic fix was to cut the top plate and run a 2x4 up then wall through the top plate up to the rafter.
Feel free to ask questions if you want about the fix but I think the pics explain it better.

The link to the fix
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=391640

gutted72 · Dec 20, 2018

Very nice, You should be abler to fill that up pretty quick

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

For the interior walls I decided to use CDX plywood. I had used that on my last shed and liked the look. My sales man at my local lumber yard informed me that he would not have a good price on the cdx and recommend me hitting one of the big box stores to save some money. After taking his recommendation I bought 120 sheets of 1/2” cdx from Home Depot and headed home. Once I started unloading it I noticed that most of the edges had glue build up, and that a lot of sheets didn’t even have a “good” side. The glue was so bad that even breaking it off left enough residue that it would not allow for a tight fit. I decided to return the plywood.
While trying to make the return I was informed a manager approval was need because of the $ amount. The manager informed me he would rather not have such a large return and asked if I would pick out a different wood and exchange it. Well the only other ply they had in 1/2” that was close was their sandy ply which is clean on both sides and coat $10 more per sheet. I didn’t think he would go for it but he did.... win for me!

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

We decided to insulate as we hung plywood as we have a huge problem with birds trying to nest everywhere in the shed. Was a little frustrating at times but we worked through it

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

The boat port wasnt fun to do, I didn’t have a sheet rock lift. My wife and I would lay on our backs to the scaffolding while using our feet to hold the plywood to the ceiling and then try to get a few nails in place. I don’t think we could move our armies for a day or two our shoulders hurt so bad

Styx · Dec 21, 2018

very nice build look forward to seeing it finished.

Cheers Randy

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

Styx said:
very nice build look forward to seeing it finished.

Cheers Randy

Thank you! I’m trying to put up the pics as fast as I can find them. Pulling them out of the “cloud” is a new thing for me. I don’t know why they aren’t in order so I’m digging through 1000’s of pictures

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

I’m not one to get weird out on bugs but dang this is one big spider. I’ve never seen one this big around here. He was living in a pit that houses my well. I let him live so I could show my wife. The next time I opened it this slightly smaller spider was attacking it... or they were mating. No work was done that day as all I did was spray 5 gallons of bug and spider killer around and in the shed.

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

Bricks!
We called the brick mason who did our house and we were informed that he was now working in a chemical plant and would not have time to brick our shed.
We called other masons who ether didn’t call us back or would look at the job and never give us a quote. We had one mason who we really liked looked over the job and pointed out a few things that needed to be addressed. He called us that night with a quote. The quote was fair and we accepted the quote. The next morning he called and said he was going to raise the price $50 per 1000 bricks to $550. I begrudgingly agreed. Well that evening he called back and wanted to add $1500 more to do the gables.... time to look again.
While looking my original mason called and said they had a shut down and he could start immediately.
All the bricks are reclaimed bricks from North Carolina. They match what we used on the house.

wasfast · Dec 21, 2018

That price raising thing was unbelievable but contractors in the trades can be an interesting bunch.

You have a great place and it's also wonderful that your wife is digging in to help on some "not fun" tasks. Garage doors and you're buttoned up!

BigBri · Dec 21, 2018

Managed to find a water line with a nail. Was a pain to remove the ring shank nails holding the plywood in. Practly distroyed the plywood removing it.

My Dream Shed Build

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