Above 1200 Sq/FT Harley Jim's place

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

But you see Pat has OCD and has it bad. part of ocd is balance of proportion and things have to be equal to her site. So after pulling in the driveway for about two months she said something had to be done about the imbalance of the shop (see where this is going).

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Shortley after the shop was built Pat and I had an accident. We left the house with our 95 Tahoe (aka Flakey)and a trailer load of bricks headed to the dump about a mile down the road the tongue latch on the trailer broke and released the trailer from the hitch but the safety chains held. This caused the trailer to jerk and the bricks shifted and fell over. Long story short we spun several times and landed in a ditch wheels up. I fractured several vertebrae in my neck didn't bother me for a year or so but eventually had to have 4 vertebrae fused and the 5th is in limbo. so that was March and in September I had both knees replaced then in December I was diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine and the 3 lowest vertebrae were out of alignment and needed surgery. We elected to not have surgery as I was half dead from the first two. This effectively took me out of circulation for about 2 years. So in order to keep the shop build going Pat and her brother built the second addition.so now the shop is 54'x 36'

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Had to have a bench to sit and rest after all that building

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[Glory]

Re: Building my dream shop

Bad *** bench!

 

[Farmall450]

Re: Building my dream shop

Sorry to hear about the accident, but nice bench, and awesome wife!

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Thanks Glory and Farmall 450
I ain't the man I used to be but I don't dislike the guy I have become. No regrets just new adventures in a different gear.
Lots more shop comimg!!!

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I like the before and after of these pics.

View media item 35980you can see that the first coarse of block is flush with the floor in this pic. lots of extra concrete in there, never know what may end up parked in there.
View media item 96608So much has been done and there is so much to do yet.
we are going to pour concrete tomorrow, adding a sidewalk to the front of the house, pouring a new cap on the root cellar, and pouring a footer in the ditch in front of the garage where four drainage tiles intersect. I am going to build a brick box with a grate on top to allow me to mow that area.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I am making the last addition or bay three my main build area so it got lots of extra attention. I found enough insulation on letgo to do all the walls for 70 dollars and I had three rolls of 6 ft. wide insulation left over from a pole barn that I cut and fit into the ceiling. I also added a 1" layer of foam to help support the insulation in place til the OSB was installed.

View media item 96627The foam is a special blend that a local company uses to make inserts in cases, like instrument cases then they cover it with felt or what the customer wants. the pieces I got were the left overs. I thought it would act as a vapor barrier, sort of
View media item 96625the road sign hung on my friends shop in Cookville Tn. for years when he passed his son brought it to me. yes that is my name
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View media item 96626All of the electric is in the speaker and data cables are in, I scratched my head for days trying to make sure I had thought of everything. I am sure there is something that I forgot. And now its time to paint, I had lots of partial 5 gallon buckets of paint sitting around so I mixed them together and put two coats on the block and one on the OSB.

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View media item 96617The brother in law (AKA Dude)
View media item 96615I finished the last coat using semi gloss white on everything except the knee wall. when I get the last of the lumber and siding used up I will clean and paint the block with a coat of block sealer followed by a coat of semi gloss. I do paint vehicles so the white paint and led lights were very important for me.

 

[coljar]

Re: Building my dream shop

Nice place you have there Jim. Looking forward to your progress.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Had to have heat and air to survive here so a wood heater was purchased from a local recycle yard and rebuilt before installing.

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heating is not as important as air conditioning here since it is only cold Nov, Dec, Jan, And part of Feb. but it is HOT the rest of the time

View media item 96606also added a 3 speed fan to help keep things clear

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Thanks Clojar it is something I have always wanted to have but was always too busy with work or something.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I railed up a couple spots in the yard and called My buddy Scott who owns a concrete company to come pour me some concrete. It took him about a month to get here(He works with contractors that are building subdivisions so he is always busy) But he poured 17 yards at my neighbors house where Donnie is building a new shop, then he poured about two yards at my brother-in-laws house next door where we are going to do a small addition to his garage, then we poured two and a half yards at my place where I recapped the root cellar and added a sidewalk in front of the house. I also poured 1/2 yard pad in a ditch out front where I am going to build a storm drain box.



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Our Grand daughter lives with us and we are converting the root cellar to a workshop for her. She wants me to build a round wooden door on it, she calls it her hobbit house, so I am contemplating on how and if I want to do it!!!

I did not get a picture of the drain basin yet but I will add it later

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

got the car moved it was inside the shop in the way and the other was outside in the way. Now there in the carport in the way. they need to find a new home. Now my truck is sitting outside, don't like that

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I need to get rid of six cars and trucks and one trailer. then it would be easier to move around here

 

[mikehaugen]

Re: Building my dream shop

Sounds like you need more buildings

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

That is not a bad Idea. Would need to buy more land

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Well I once again lost the before picture but anyway I bent the ram of the top cylinder somehow so i tied it to the bucket cylinder and pulled it back straight it came out ok.

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I am running a water line and electric to the camper on the hill so I need to take the dirt down in front of the hobbit house so I can determine how deep I need to be to keep from freezing the water line this winter. I have removed about a foot of dirt and it looks good. I am going to add block walls on either side of the hobbit house so I also dug some of that back to get an idea of where it needs to be. still have more to dig but good enough for now.

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this is the well house, I have 1 pex going to the house, 1 going to a freeze proof in front of the shop, 1 will go to a freeze proof behind the shop, and 1 for the camper. had to move two cars up top to clear the way. need to get rid of some cars.

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This is where I started

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That is where I am going

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The dirt pile is getting big

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Started getting dark so I stopped here. Tomorrow I am going up top and dig a trench up the bank then get the trencher and go from the bank to the camper.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I have a question for everyone. My granddaughter has claimed the root cellar and now calls it the hobbit house. She has asked me to put a round door on the front which means cutting the block and building a round door and frame. I can cut the block not a problem. I need some Ideas or direction on the round door. Im thinking 2x10 lumber maybe for the door? What do you think. Thanks

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[HOTFR8]

Re: Building my dream shop

Why not just make an ordinary door then make a round door to fit across the normal door. That way you get the look without all the work cutting the brick work.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

That is not a bad idea. Just make 3 pieces and attach the left and right to the block and hinge the center. Thanks for that sometimes I get burried in the details.

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[HOTFR8]

Re: Building my dream shop

That is not a bad idea. Just make 3 pieces and attach the left and right to the block and hinge the center. Thanks for that sometimes I get burried in the details.

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This is what makes the GJ so great. Keep us posted as to how it works out.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Well I didn't get to do any dirt work today Donnie needed the tractor at the powder coat shop to move racks to the blast house. so I ran around town looking for a piece of something with a 14" inside dimension. Found a piece of pvc pipe at a buddy's salvage yard, Thanks Carl. brought it home and cut it to fit the odd angle of pipes that are in a drainage ditch in the front yard. I am trying to build a basin and need all of the pipes to end up inside the basin. It didn't last too long as the temp got up to 96 degrees.

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I borrowed my wife's umbrella from the picnic table but it didn't help so I gave up for today. I have a buyer coming tomorrow to look at the corvettes
(I'm hoping he is a buyer) then I have to go to Dayton to look at a trailer so I probably wont get anything done tomorrow. The ditch gets shade about 5:30 so maybe Wednesday I may get some bricks in.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

The corvette buyer didn't make he had to go to the doctor so We went to dayton and bought a 6'x 10' enclosed trailer to use for flea market stuff. Got to lay about 10 bricks tonight before it got dark. Weather man says it may rain tomorrow, if it dose the mud will burry my slab and brick work. That wont be good!

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Had to run a load to Ooltewah this morning and the return load was not ready so I sat there til 12:00 before I got out of there. Got home and started on the brick, the heat is just a killer (I am never going to complain about the heat as I used to plow snow in Chicago for a municipality and promised God if he would get me out of this minus 60 below wind chill hell that I would never complain about the heat) but I kept going til I had to stop.

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Had to stop for some nourishment and refreshment.

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I had to add a little hot sauce to the salsa it just wasn't hot enough

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The jar of peach wasn't bad either

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Didn't get to lay any brick today had too many other runs to make. I did get some pictures of the trailer I bought Tuesday, this is what happens when you wash your trailer with straight cleaner(I think he said it was mean green) to get it ready to sell.

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I got back to the electric and water going to the camper today. I ran a 3/4" pex from the well to the camper and added a tee in the middle for an extra freeze proof for the garden. I ran a 60 amp direct bury cable from the shop to the camper where I put a power pedestal then I ran a 20 amp to the root cellar and a 20 amp to the storage building, It will be nice to have a light in those places. I am going to build a weather proof enclosure around the electric pedestal and freeze proof so it can be heated this winter . The back yard looks like a mine field it will take a while to put it back together.

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I had to make a custom fitting to couple the two boxes together

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I was able to get the tractor for a couple of days this week so I got back to digging out the front of the hobbit house. I am prepping to build two wing walls off the sides of the building.There is a lot of dirt to move I think I am about half way through the dirt.

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Some of the dirt in this picture was left from the garage addition but it is going to need to go also. we are now thinking about adding a sweat lodge right about where the dirt pile is. It will be about 12' in diameter and the block will be about 5' high the roof will be figured out later, maybe poles and canvas.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Today I went to my neighbors house and helped him put up his trusses he is building an addition for his boat

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I was able to get back on the drain basin today. We took down an old chimney and piled the brick in the woods several years ago. I cleaned the mortar off about 200 bricks in the past two days. Tomorrow I will start the metal work for the top, I think I know where there is a stash of bar grating and I have some 6" square tube I can split for the frame.

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I am going to backfill with some washed 1" stone to allow drainage around the brick

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I got the gravel and dirt in and compacted. was kind of rushing to get to this point as the weather man says lot of rain coming in Sunday and Monday, now if I can get the dirt cut down behind the shop I will be happy.

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I am so happy to get this project near completion. this hole has bothered me too long.

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I had a 10 ft section of 6" square tube so I cut it up and made a frame

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found some bar grating in the stock pile and cut it to fit and welded it flush with the top and added a 1.5"x 1.5" square tube under the bar grate down the center for extra support. I was moving so fast trying to get it to the powder coat shop that I didn't get a picture of it. but it is there getting blasted and coated, not sure what color he will put on it, just said get it done best way.

 

[slodat]

Re: Building my dream shop

I ain't the man I used to be but I don't dislike the guy I have become. No regrets just new adventures in a different gear.

Great words!

The drain basin is looking great!

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Thank you Sir. I am having the time of my life...Finally

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I finally got the drain basin finished. grass seed and strawed hoping to get a little grass started this year. the grate came out nice, powder coated brown, I told him what ever was easy, he had brown in the gun. I am just excited to be able to mow that area instead of weed eater or spray.

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

We have grass

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[Strouty]

Re: Building my dream shop

Looks great Jim. Looks like you have kept moving despite all the pain and I am willing to bet you won't have to worry about minus 60 windchills.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

Looks great Jim. Looks like you have kept moving despite all the pain and I am willing to bet you won't have to worry about minus 60 windchills.

No sir. I lived in Chicago for 43 years worked for a municipality and plowed my share of snow brother, I spent too many nights in that damn 60 below ****. I do know where you are right now it will pass.

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[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I have been working in the new addition which I refer to as the fab shop since that is where the metal working tools are landing. I have been doing projects and christmas gifts in there and trying to decide how to start setting it up and I find this hard to do because as soon as I decide where to start within 30 minutes I had to move the first two cabinets I hung about three inches. I had the neighbor come over with his lift truck and move one of the tool boxes from the main shop to the fab shop and started cleaning out tools I don't want in the fab shop and adding the tools I do want there. I have also started hanging some of the welding tools on the other wall. My wife bought me the kobalt work bench for christmas it has two drawers and an overhead box for storage it came with a real nice led light and a power strip with phone charger its lightweight but I dont use it for heavy work I use my portable welding table to beat on. The blue cabinet is just storage and the HF machinist box holds all of the measuring tools.

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

I got my stool back from powder coat today, Dalton sprayed the arms silver to match the bench drawer pulls. It was a found stool and was brush painted green, after blasting it they found the Lyon Metal stamp on it, I took the back off of a stool I use for a bike stand and added it. They take good care of me over there.
Pro coat plus in cleveland tn

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[bp460]

Re: Building my dream shop

Thank you for sharing your shop project. You have a beautiful piece of property!

Cheers,
Brad

 

[harley jim]

Re: Building my dream shop

BP
It's a work in progress. I hope to add a little more to the building in the spring. Thank you for looking .

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[tbecktold]

Re: Building my dream shop

Love it! Looks like you have a 2-car drive-under in addition to this shop? If we ever get to build our own place I intend to use your lot layout, side-entrance garage on the house with shop facing street and large 'barnyard'. Please keep sharing your progress! Maybe a photo with all 3 doors open so we can see shop layout?