Above 1200 Sq/FT Barn Workshop build

[ururk]

Amazing job so far. This is one of the nicest builds I've seen on here and that's saying a lot. The tolerances in those joints is top notch!

Thanks! Mike did a beautiful job! I hope I can do his work justice.

Sunday, Dec 6: Only got four hours of work in - but we got 44 2x6-8' boards planed, which is about 1/3 of the boards.

Please forgive the horrible looking surroundings - this used to be a garden made up of cinder blocks - I started to tear it apart so that I could use the blocks to level the boards, this spring it will get leveled. Not too sure what to do with the blocks - if I can't find a use I'll probably put them up on craigslist. Over the past two years I've replaced this garden with smaller, 2x6 cedar raised beds which are much easier to maintain, and which look much nicer.

 

[FTWingRiders]

a beautiful build, and amazing craftsmanship!! I'll be following along, if you don't mind.

 

[ururk]

Friday, Dec 11: Planed the remaining 71 girts (65 2x6-10, 2 2x6-12, and 2 2x6-14). Took most of the day, but I had a system going towards the end. The most I could plane off at a time was 3/128", but most of the boards were just above 2" so they only required three or fewer passes.


Start of the day:

One of the rougher boards:

Magic! All done:

With all the building supplies inside the barn, I now need to build a bigger one now:

 

[ururk]

Saturday, Dec 12: A beautiful 60 degree December day in... Michigan. I only got a little bit done - I had a prior commitment earlier in the day.

Since the boards are 2" thick, I'm using 20D nails - 4" long. This gives me 2" of nail penetration into the post. OSB will go on the outside of this. I'm leaving the first row for last, as I'm waiting for some custom flashing.

116 1/4", not 116". Sigh:

 

[ururk]

Sunday, Dec 13: Another 60 degree day, t-shirt weather in December.

I modified my adjustable planing table to hold the miter saw. The miter saw has two grooves that fit on top of parallel 2x4's. I made an "adapter" out of 2x4's that fits into the planer table, so I can now swap one for the other as needed. The only annoyance is that my saw has a 10" blade and cannot fully cut a true 2x6 board. It would cut a 1.5x5.5. So I used a flush-cut Japanese saw to trim the little corner the saw couldn't get.

Rear corner. You can see some 2x6's sticking out - I'll trim those off later with a sawzall.

[/url]DSCN8565 by John, on Flickr

Trimmed:

About 1/3 done I think, 10 hours of work.

 

[ururk]

Oh, and my compressor went up in a puff of smoke today. It had been unplugged, and tank was full. I hammered in two nails, and no pressure - realized I had left the power off. After turning it back on, I went to sink a few more nails. Keep in mind it is practically silent, and with hearing protection on I can't hear it run. Well, I didn't get the pressure I needed and noticed a burning smell. A bit of smoke was coming from the motor and it turned over once or twice.

At this point I'm not too sure what to do. I wasn't overdriving it - maybe it was turning on every other 5 minutes, but it wasn't running continuously. I can still return it to Amazon (until Jan 31), but for now have contacted the mfg. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[joe6749]

I think you might need a larger extension cord. I burned up a compressor like that with a 12 gage cord.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[rayra]

Really some amazingly stout beams. I would expect such things cost far less in MI that they would here in L.A. Really looks tremendous. It will indeed last for centuries.

 

[ururk]

Saturday, Dec 19: Though it was cold I made some progress, though worked alone. The barn is fairly crowded right now - enough room to move and work.

A stack of wood cut, numbered, and ready to get nailed in, on a pair of cabinets from an estate sale:

Five boards on this side are done, had to tuck them into the tarp ropes:

This is my basic process. I don't use an 18" spacer block because the 2x6 boards are anywhere from 0-1/4" bigger than 6". I didn't want to plane/ruin the rough top/bottom edges, so I measure the bottom offset to make them "perfectly" centered (in this case, 8' - 3.125"). This is why I can't hire anyone to do this for me, either they would quit in frustration or force me to stand and watch

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5694/23559362180_ef7c13bea9_z.jpg[/i
mg]

Last board of the day:

[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5623/23226931124_ee0f21a786_z.jpg

 

[ururk]

Compressor update:

Amazon sent a new (replacement) compressor. There were some differences from the previous one - it was set for a slightly higher cutoff pressure than the previous one, the manifold is properly aligned this time with the cutouts in the front, and sounds quieter.

However, there was a slight scraping of the clearcoat on the bottom tank, and the top tank has a defect which could be part of the tank or just a bad paint job.

This time I'm running only a 25' - 12 gauge power cord (per mfg), and 100-150' air hose to the barn. It works well - didn't notice any issues with the palm nailer.

 

[ururk]

Sunday, Dec 20: Got nine more boards up.

Shot of the palm nailer in action:

Only one row left, will have to remove the tarp on each side to get it on - I'll wait till sheathing day to put those boards on:

 

[ururk]

Thursday, Dec 24: So, I made a misjudgment on the lean-to roof decking. I had the bright idea of nestling the 2x6 girt between the decking and posts. The pictures below illustrate what I'm describing. In order to get the 2x6 girt to fit I had to trim away a sliver of 2x6 T&G.

It fits!

Instead of putting the girt between the decking and posts, I should have gotten a 2x8 T&G board for the last row of decking, and put my girts on top of the decking.

 

[Grizz1963]

I so love these barns.

Yours looks just awesome.

 

[Sunbimmer]

I so love these barns.

Yours looks just awesome.

Yes Rian exactly that! Beautiful

 

[ururk]

Thanks for the encouraging comments!

Friday, Dec 25: Merry Christmas! Got quite a bit done today, weather was perfect and the next few days look "nice" too. Cut some boards, put up a few on the front and back. I have all next week off, so will be doing what I can, rain or shine, warm or cold.

Side note: planning isn't my strong point. I meant to get another box of 20D nails this week, but never found time. I was going to run to the store last night, but, uh, evidently home improvement stores close early on Christmas Eve, who would have thought . So, I nailed up what I could, cut what I couldn't, and swept the floor. I expect a rainy weekend, but as long as it isn't windy I'll be able to cut all the short boards and possibly get them up in between rain.

I'm still down a towing vehicle, so need to figure out a way to get the 2x6 treated boards home (for the sill girt).

 

[ururk]

Meant to show a picture of this a while back - when I got those two cabinet/benches from the estate sale I also got this cool gas can:

 

[1953mercury]

Nice job on the post and beam. Almost makes me wish I was home working on mine, but spring will come soon enough, and I can't in all honesty say I miss the cold weather. Looks like it might still be pretty mild where you are, no snow on the ground. Will continue to follow along. Thanks for posting. Mike

 

[ururk]

Saturday, Dec 26: Got a bit more done, a bit cooler than I had hoped (38-40), but warm for this time of year.

The yard between the barn and private drive looks like a disaster zone. Once I get the OSB done, provided it isn't freezing, I'll try to tackle some of the landscaping work.

The pile of lumber is shrinking!

Close, very close for the next phase, OSB. Sorry for all the repetition and slow progress.

 

[ururk]

Sunday, Dec 27: Set six boards around the top inside perimeter up to the eaves:

Plus some smaller boards on the front, and this 14' board at the back:

Setting this board (top board in this picture) in place was easy - I had a roof to step on:

The other side will have to wait - it is sleeting/hailing today (Monday), and I was only able to get two small boards up. Flashing arrives Tuesday, and I just have to figure out a way to get some longer boards home for the sill girt.

 

[Ajustable]

A gorgeous building, what can I say. Thumbs up

 

[ururk]

Monday, Dec 28: No pictures, just got two boards up before a horrible storm came through.

 

[ururk]

Tuesday, Dec 29: Cleaned up the worksite, got two more boards up, took delivery of the flashing, and planed the bottom girts to thickness.

The two boards I had to put up needed an angle cut so they would fit flush against the lean-to roof. If I ever do this again I'll cut a steeper angle so that there isn't the chance of a gap showing where the bevel meets the ceiling:

Perhaps the most ridiculous delivery ever, 13 pieces of flashing came on this (they were in my area making another delivery):

Yes, I've invented a new tool combination - the planesaw:

 

[ururk]

Wednesday, Dec 30: I have the week off, but it feels like I'm not getting anything done. The flashing I had made up is stepped - it drops down 5/8", so the foam needed to be cut. I trimmed that with the sawzall, then took an angle grinder to the concrete to smooth over some imperfections. I think those are my two new favorite tools. I don't know how I've lived without a sawzall for so long, or an angle grinder for that matter.

This doesn't show the final layup, but it demonstrates how the flashing steps downwards. I know some will disagree with me - but I'm not using treated wood on that bottom layer. I'm using a piece of 2x6 ripped and planed into 2" wide pieces. I'll be screwing in tapcons to compress the foam/flashing/foam sandwich. A 2x6 girt will sit on top of this board. OSB will be on the outside, and will step down and pushed against the flashing. Moisture can't penetrate the flashing, and I have the foam set so it can't wick water up - the only concern would be some form of moisture buildup due to temperature differences.

Then I found out my cordless drill in hammer drill mode can't drill through concrete, and my neighbor's rotary hammer drill can't either apparently. That's a trip to the rental store for an SDS Plus Bosch tool. Sigh.

If I can get the bottom band of boards done tomorrow, I'll start putting up OSB Fri-Sun.

 

[ururk]

Thursday, Dec 31: Progress was made! I rented a Bosch Bulldog rotary hammer drill - SDS plus. I'm sinking 3/16 tapcons to hold down a sort-of sill plate. Ultimately the 2x6 girt will hold down the 2x sill, but I wanted some extra reinforcement and something to keep it from wandering in/out.

The process was a little unconventional - I used Super 77 spray to tack the sill foam to the flashing on one side, then flipped it, more spray glue and foam, then the wood sill. I got half of it done - I expect to finish tomorrow and get the bottom band of boards on. The biggest challenge was learning how to work with the tapcons - they snap fairly easily, and making sure the dust is evacuated from the hole is crucial.

 

[ururk]

Friday, Jan 1: All done with the girts! Some blocking remains, but I'll put that on as the OSB goes up. I plan to cut window openings, frame the main door, and side door in the spring. The next goal is to hang the OSB.

Today was... cold and slightly snowy. Somehow I was able to spend all day (10:00-4:00) outside. I hate cold, cold weather, have I mentioned that? Not too sure why I live in Michigan

I finished the "sill girt", attached the bottom girts, and all of the flashing that is going on this phase.

Flashing and sill seal detail. I didn't show it, but all flashing ends were overlapped and silicone caulked, sill seal was butted up against where there were cuts:

Tomorrow I start hanging OSB. The little bit of foam that is hanging over will be folded down to provide a seal between the OSB and flashing, as the OSB will drop 1/2" below the level of the concrete.

I bought two: ropes, pulleys, velcro hang-all straps, small c-clamps. My plan is to have two helpers pull a sheet of OSB up (hanging the hang-all straps off the top-most girt) using the rope/pulley/c-clamp combination, while I tack four corners of the OSB with the framing nailer. Some 6D nails in the framing nailer should make quick work of fastening the OSB, I suppose (note the skepticism - at every stage on paper it seemed really easy, but then took 10 times as long).

 

[ururk]

Saturday, Jan 2: Hung 7 sheets of 7/16" OSB, about 30 more to go.

You can see the pulley system I rigged up - works really well. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to attach to the OSB - I don't want to use screws so have been using a ratcheting hold-down strap. It works, but takes a bit of time to tie/untie.

I've got another stretch of 'nice days'... if by nice one means no snow/rain.

 

[bww_mnm]

This is a great build and I've really enjoyed watching the progress on a beautiful building.

I may have missed it, where's the hesitancy on attaching the OSB w/ screws or the more than the 4 corner nailing areas per sheet?

Thanks again for sharing your build.

 

[stg454]

This is a great build.

 

[ururk]

This is a great build and I've really enjoyed watching the progress on a beautiful building.

Thanks!

I may have missed it, where's the hesitancy on attaching the OSB w/ screws or the more than the 4 corner nailing areas per sheet?

I was going to use GRK R4 screws - but someone convinced me that putting in screws per the required nailing schedule would take a long time as opposed to a nail gun. After thinking about it for a while I agreed with his assessment. At close to 2,500 fasteners, it will take too long to screw it in.

I'm setting 6D HDG ring shanks every 6" at panel edges, and 10" in the field (12" required). I haven't blocked the panel edges yet - not too sure if I really need to. The OSB is rated for 24/16" spacing (24 rafter/wall), if I had gone for a thicker sheet that number could have been higher, but for this application I was fine with the thinner sheet.

 

[J_French06]

Lookin good

 

[ururk]

Sunday, Jan 3: Finished the first course of OSB:

It's going to rain at the end of this coming week, so might take a day off to get the second course up and get it wrapped before the rain.

 

[ururk]

Saturday, Jan 9: Set up pump jacks, almost completed one side of OSB.

I made quite a bit of progress - set the pump jacks up for the first time, and got 7 sheets up. The pump jacks are great from a variable-height standpoint - unlike scaffolding you can adjust them to a specific height and work from there. They are difficult to setup - the poles are heavy and awkward, the walk platforms are heavy too. I'm not looking forward to moving them to the front and other side. Though I'm not regretting my purchase - the alternative would have been moving pieces of scaffolding around and working dangerously at incorrect heights.

Setting one of the brackets into the roof:

DSCN8929 by John, on Flickr

Setting the first pole:

Walk planks on:

Almost ready to go up some more:

I didn't get pictures of the finished OSB - too busy and it was too nice out (45!) to take a break. It's supposed to snow Sunday for a bit, but provided it isn't too cold I'm going to finish up the 22" of board that I couldn't get to.

Though I'd like to, I won't be putting up house wrap this weekend. I had ordered a cap stapler for the house wrap - but it didn't come with the 'short nail guide' (it was a refurbished unit). The vendor listed a swivel air fitting as being included, but when I emailed them that it was missing they told me to contact the mfg. Bostitch is kindly sending the parts to me, but I'm kinda miffed that the refurbished tool was missing three parts (guide, screw for guide, air hose fitting). I'm not used to ordering refurbished, but it would seem to me for the cost of the tool, even at being refurbished, it would have come with everything. At least it should have come with the swivel fitting, since that was listed as part of the sale.

 

[BuickFarmer]

All of this sounds so easy/quick on the internet.

From post 53... still applicable today?

Just now stumblin in. Man what a build, one piece at a time, you're doing great.

 

[ururk]

From post 53... still applicable today?

Just now stumblin in. Man what a build, one piece at a time, you're doing great.

Well, funny you should ask that. Installing the OSB was as easy as it looks! A little awkward, but once I got the hang if it, installing it isn't too bad.

 

[ururk]

Thursday, Jan 14: Took a day off because the weather was forecast to be warm - 35. It'll even be warmer tomorrow, but it's going to rain all day. Finished one side, including housewrap, plus an extra sheet on the back.

I had a few strips of OSB left to put up, and an odd-shaped piece on the end.

This is the first time I've done housewrap. It went on OK, and the button cap stapler worked perfectly. Bostitch shipped the replacement parts for free, and ended up sending me four swivel air fittings! I was expecting one, so it was kind of nice of them to ship more than they needed. The rolls are 10' long - I cut one in half to do the top portion of the wall (13.5' high from top of the concrete):

Not as tight as I wanted to get it:

 

[Grizz1963]

Just Love Love Love your build.

You guys do have a lot of space and more sensible building laws.

 

[1953mercury]

Keep on keeping on. Should be a great looking building when you finish. I see You have the nice alum-a-pole scaffolding. I've been getting by with my 40yr old pump-jacks and spliced 2x4's. Cheers, Mike

 

[ururk]

Keep on keeping on. Should be a great looking building when you finish. I see You have the nice alum-a-pole scaffolding. I've been getting by with my 40yr old pump-jacks and spliced 2x4's. Cheers, Mike

I kind of wish I had gone with the wood-based pump jack systems - I imagine they'd be lighter as I could have made the poles the exact height+2' of my walls. My biggest concern - as a novice - was selecting wood carefully and splicing it correctly. Same for walk planks (they sell scaffold grade planks, don't know where to get them locally). Overall, I figured I'd feel safer on the aluminum system, but I feel like I could have worked with the wood system.

 

[bloomingtonmike]

What a great build. Outstanding. I definitely feel your material in the shed size feeling with my walls stored on pallets. Great job. THANKYOU for documenting this.

 

[rpenner54]

I kind of wish I had gone with the wood-based pump jack systems - I imagine they'd be lighter as I could have made the poles the exact height+2' of my walls. My biggest concern - as a novice - was selecting wood carefully and splicing it correctly. Same for walk planks (they sell scaffold grade planks, don't know where to get them locally). Overall, I figured I'd feel safer on the aluminum system, but I feel like I could have worked with the wood system.

As someone who has used both. You have selected wisely! The wood ones when they slip on the way down is quite the ride.