I started woodworking about 15 years ago. Our oldest daughter (we now have 4) was around 10 at the time and love American Girl Dolls. When I went to buy her a bed for her 18inch doll and found that they were somewhere north of $100, I figured I would just build her one.
Fast forward, I have now built full bedroom sets, living room furniture, dining sets etc. for all three of our four girls who have now moved out and started their adult lives, oh...and I just finished my first piece (a dresser) for my first grandchild that will be here in about a month - I have built it all out of a block building, no larger than a 1 1/2 car garage with no heat, no AC, mostly a dirt floor and built sometime around 1900.
We started our family very early - our first was born when we were 18, and then every four years until our 4th daughter arrived. When I got out of the US Marine Corps at 22, I was blessed to have a marketable skill, and quickly found good employment, but it was always just enough to get by and make ends meet. My wife and I have worked hard over the last 26 years to provide for our girls. However, taking the money to build a shop just wasn't a possibility.
Well - It's finally time!
The new building will be 40x64x16 with a 10x64 lean to on one eve side. It will have 2 12x14 insulated overhead doors on the gable end, 2 walk doors, and 8 windows. The plan is to use about 1/3 for wood workshop,1/3 for boat/truck storage and about 1/3 as a family gathering space as our old farmhouse just isn't big enough for our girls, husbands and grandchildren to come visit. I would love to eventually put an open loft in the back end of it, over the wood working shop and overlooking the family gathering area in the middle.
I hope to use this thread of a way to document the build, but also as a launching point for suggestions from this knowledgeable group of people. I am smart enough to know I'm not smart enough and I am always looking to gain information from those who have already been there and done that.
Site prep work is wrapping up today. Unfortunately, my builder is estimating February before he can start
But hey, this is progress!!!!
I can't believe it is finally happening.......
I have pics, but can't post yet
Fast forward, I have now built full bedroom sets, living room furniture, dining sets etc. for all three of our four girls who have now moved out and started their adult lives, oh...and I just finished my first piece (a dresser) for my first grandchild that will be here in about a month - I have built it all out of a block building, no larger than a 1 1/2 car garage with no heat, no AC, mostly a dirt floor and built sometime around 1900.
We started our family very early - our first was born when we were 18, and then every four years until our 4th daughter arrived. When I got out of the US Marine Corps at 22, I was blessed to have a marketable skill, and quickly found good employment, but it was always just enough to get by and make ends meet. My wife and I have worked hard over the last 26 years to provide for our girls. However, taking the money to build a shop just wasn't a possibility.
Well - It's finally time!
The new building will be 40x64x16 with a 10x64 lean to on one eve side. It will have 2 12x14 insulated overhead doors on the gable end, 2 walk doors, and 8 windows. The plan is to use about 1/3 for wood workshop,1/3 for boat/truck storage and about 1/3 as a family gathering space as our old farmhouse just isn't big enough for our girls, husbands and grandchildren to come visit. I would love to eventually put an open loft in the back end of it, over the wood working shop and overlooking the family gathering area in the middle.
I hope to use this thread of a way to document the build, but also as a launching point for suggestions from this knowledgeable group of people. I am smart enough to know I'm not smart enough and I am always looking to gain information from those who have already been there and done that.
Site prep work is wrapping up today. Unfortunately, my builder is estimating February before he can start
But hey, this is progress!!!!I can't believe it is finally happening.......
I have pics, but can't post yet
