Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Jawn's 30x40 Morton in the 'burbs.

[Jawn]

Jawn's drive-under has outlived its usefulness as a workshop space, between family needs for some extra storage and the fact that all bedrooms are right above it (can't work on things when anyone's asleep). Plus it's kind of... small. And full of stuff. Couldn't get a car in it anymore if I tried.

I have recently signed papers for a new 30x40x12'4" Morton "Standard" to be built early next year. Downside is I'll have to share it with our travel trailer when it's not in use. It will still be more space than I have now, and the existing drive-under will be able to be used for parking a car in, or other such uses.

Basic stats of the workshop:

Morton Standard pole building with the following:

• MFS system (concrete lower columns)
• 30' wide
• 40' deep
• 12'4" high inside
• Morton will frame a 16' wide by 11' high overhead door opening. I plan to order a 3-layer insulated door and self-install.
• Windows - 1 on the drawing so far, more TBD. Make that two windows now. Both on the side facing the house.Scratch that, I put them opposite sides for cross-breeze.
• One walk door
• Planned electrical is separate service/meter/transformer. It looks like the power company will put an on-ground transformer with buried cables for a reasonable price. I don't want to go overhead since it'd likely require a lot more tree removal, plus I don't want more overhead power to interfere with ham radio antennas.
• I plan to do most if not all of the electrical work myself
• No water planned, although I'm sure it'd be handy to have an outside spigot nearby. Might see what it takes to work that in.
• As built, it will be an empty shell. No insulation, no electric, etc. Lots for me to have to do myself.
• Insulation method - I plan to put liner panel or something under the trusses, then blow in cellulose. Unsure what to do about walls - rigid foam between girts and cover them with plywood? Use Morton's 8' wide batts and frame up a full wall, with the batts between the two walls?
• Climate control - Thinking of a minisplit, eventually.

Overall, it's gotta be done on the cheap as such things go... but wifey says it must get built and "done" (so it doesn't become a long drawn out project). So there's some room to just shell out the money and get it done.

I initially balked at the cost of multiple windows and had only one facing the house... but thinking of adding another one. Should I add any on the other side?

I would welcome any comments or suggestions, especially now when things can be changed without incurring extra costs.

 

[karoc]

That has got to be a good feeling knowing that next yr you will have a brand new shop both function and look good with head room. Did you let Morton know that you wanted to install a ceiling and blow in insulation, that may make difference in truss size and spacing. You being in Georgia what will Morton be doing to control condensation, reason for asking is I want to build my own shop but humidity is just about yr round where I'm at. Be following your thread and congratulations on signing papers for your future happy place.

 

[Jawn]

Did you let Morton know that you wanted to install a ceiling and blow in insulation, that may make difference in truss size and spacing.

It was actually the Morton guy's suggestion. I was open-ended asking about what to do for insulation.

You being in Georgia what will Morton be doing to control condensation, reason for asking is I want to build my own shop but humidity is just about yr round where I'm at.

They're installing the "dry panel" steel on the roof. It has a layer on the inside that acts as condensation control.

 

[AZ Pete]

I would want a utility sink at least, and since you are including RV storage, I would want water and sewer for that, in addition to electric for the RV.

 

[rok_hunter]

I looked at Morton's for almost the exact same thing (except a smaller door, and yes, 2 windows). If you can, run water when they trench for your power still you've at least got an outside spicket. Go with 2 windows, you won't regret it. I've got a build thread here on my building you can look at for ideas, it's fully insulated (spray foam) and wired as well so you can take what you like from how it was done.

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[Jawn]

I would want a utility sink at least, and since you are including RV storage, I would want water and sewer for that, in addition to electric for the RV.

I suspect getting any kind of sewer connection to the shop (whether for a sink or the RV) will be prohibitive in cost. The camper is just in there for storage, not for use.

 

[toyotadriver]

Depending on where they are mounted, two windows can give you cross ventilation. I’d go with two at least.

 

[Jawn]

Ground has been broken!

This is after 2 days of them pushing over trees and digging up stumps. They've started leveling a place for the building, turns up they'll need a little fill brought in by the time they cut all the organic material off the top. Blah.

Side note... I now have a massive pile of logs and stumps. Far bigger than I'd anticipated. Not sure what I'm to do with it, it wasn't part of the deal for it to be hauled away. I guess at least some of it I could cut up and split for firewood. Would be cool to get some usable lumber out of it for random projects, guess I could see if anyone locally with a portable sawmill would slice a few of them up reasonably. The small stuff I may either chip or put in a mini dumpster.

 

[Jawn]

I'm not good at keeping this thread up to date... but here it is! Morton just finished their part of it today.

Next, I need to do a bit of final grading inside as well as for better drainage (site prep was "eyeball", building was built true to level) and get some concrete in, get an overhead door in, and get power to it.

Oh, and finish the driveway. The grading guy put some fabric and big gravel on the steep part of the hill going down, so construction equipment could reach the site.

 

[Metallitubby]

See? This is where the project comes together. I'm glad you finally got what you were wanting too.

What did you ever do with the pile of stumps and such? I don't know if when you visited if the big pile of logs/stumps I had was still there. I have a guy that will chip/shred most of it for a semi-reasonable price if you are interested.

 

[Jawn]

See? This is where the project comes together. I'm glad you finally got what you were wanting too.

What did you ever do with the pile of stumps and such? I don't know if when you visited if the big pile of logs/stumps I had was still there. I have a guy that will chip/shred most of it for a semi-reasonable price if you are interested.

I haven't touched the debris pile yet. I didn't want to have a half-finished mess in the way when Morton dropped off the building parts. Once the concrete and electrical is in so I'm not getting in the way, I'll see if I can round up a splitter... I will split at least some of it to have some firepit wood. The rest probably will have to be ground up or otherwise hauled off.

 

[weatherby460]

How much?????

 

[Jawn]

How much?????

Less than stick built, more than a tube frame carport type building.

 

[Jawn]

[*]Insulation method - I plan to put liner panel or something under the trusses, then blow in cellulose. Unsure what to do about walls - rigid foam between girts and cover them with plywood? Use Morton's 8' wide batts and frame up a full wall, with the batts between the two walls?

Funny how each little thing in a project like this has some influence on some other part of it.

I want to get it wired ASAP. I want the breaker panel to be flush mounted with eventual finished wall surface. So, I need to make some decisions on insulation and interior finish now, even if it may be a year or two before they take shape. This also lets me locate switch and outlet boxes so they'll also be flush with wall surfaces.

I figure I can do one of three options for the interior finish:

1. Hang a 8' wide insulation batt down between posts, then place 2x4s flat on the inside of the posts (like interior girts) and attach T1-11 or similar as interior wall surface. This puts wall surface about 2" inside of the posts, and would probably be less material than the next option.
   
2. Build a conventional 16" OC wall between posts, mount everything even with the posts. This puts wall surface only about 1/2" in front of the posts. Lots of framing though.
   
3. Easy but maybe not ideal... Stick some rigid foam between girts, either fasten plywood directly to outside girts or sandwich another layer of foam between ply and girts? This leaves posts exposed inside, switches/outlets would be surface mounted to those posts. I'd have to frame in around the breaker box or else leave it surface mounted.

Any thoughts on the interior walls?

Any way I go, I plan to have all electrical wiring in EMT conduit. Compressed air lines are still undecided whether I'll do black pipe, copper, or RapidAir.

 

[Jawn]

Current interior picture for reference.

 

[Metallitubby]

Any thoughts on the interior walls?

Jon, Did you see my building with or without drywall? I can't remember. Either way, I am currently running all of my compressed air lines using black iron. As usual, you are welcome to stop by at any point to see it.

 

[Jawn]

Jon, Did you see my building with or without drywall? I can't remember. Either way, I am currently running all of my compressed air lines using black iron. As usual, you are welcome to stop by at any point to see it.

It was without drywall but I don't recall exactly how the framing was laid out. It's been a while. I do recall yours was built on a slab/footing instead of posts in the ground like mine (though I did opt for the "MFS" concrete lower posts).

I was hoping to hide all my air lines and electrical conduit if I'm building walls out... if I'm just putting foam and ply over the girts, I don't really have that option.

 

[Jawn]

There's been some hard rain past few days, and it's showing the grading work that was done is not adequate to shed water around the building. I've got mud washing in onto the gravel pad inside the building now.

I think I need to hook up the box blade and cut a shallow swale on the uphill side. Should have been done in the first place, but I'm just joe blow homeowner, the guy that does grading for a living knows best, right? I guess not?

I also need to come up with something for drainage across the driveway in front of the building. Either a buried pipe french drain style, or an open trench with a grate, or whatever else?

I also need to get something on the ground (non-driveway areas) to reduce erosion... for a quick fix, I was thinking of putting wood chips down. I can get them for free and I have a small tractor with loader to move them.

 

[metalhead212121]

Damn Jon! New garage is looking great! Looking forward to updates.

 

[Jawn]

Concrete sure is a controversial thing on this site. Seems like there's nearly as many opinions about how it should be done as there are members on this site. Starting to get quotes, and it's hellishly expensive right now.

One guy wants to do 4" of 3000psi with wire mesh. He also quoted me the same thing in 5", for my own peace of mind.

Another guy quoted both 4 and 5 inch, 4000psi with fiber reinforcement and no steel but said he'd be willing to do whatever I want in the way of reinforcement... if I want mesh, he'll do mesh. If I want rebar, he'll do rebar.

Either way, I'm going to have to have some gravel brought in for leveling. Gravel pad isn't exactly level. Skirt board was dug into the ground a couple inches on one side, and is maybe 4-6 inches off the ground on the other side.

Overhead door prices are also a bit pricier than expected... current front runner is a 2" 3-layer commercial Amarr with manual chain opener.

Unexpected cost increases likely mean I can't afford an electrician... so I think I'm doing that part myself. I feel capable of doing that properly... so as long as I can show that to the county inspector, they'll sign the permit, and that's all I'll need for the power company to make the connections (plus the money to pay for underground wire and a pad-mounted transformer... sadly too far from the pole to just run it in one shot).

 

[Jcrock]

Looks like you have a good plan coming together. I'm looking forward to following your progress. With regards to insulation I'd look at Bay Insulation, pole barn vinyl faced batts. I did the same size building and have been thoroughly impressed considering half the price of spray foam.

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[WoodTime]

Great looking shop! Following to see how things go.

 

[Jawn]

Grading wasn't done quite right. As you can see, it has caused a bit of mud to wash in from the uphill side.

I hooked up the box blade to the little Kubota and started whittling away some dirt. Goal was to make a shallow swale about 4 feet from the building. Got that nice big pile mounded up and realized I was stupid. I can't leave that **** like that. So I ended up moving the pile and spreading it on the front and back sides outside the building. I think this will keep water out... but it's still to be determined whether water will flow around the front or the back... and I'll likely have to carve it down a bit more to help it along either way.

 

[WildernessCompound]

I like this a lot. Surprised by the cost of Morton being under stick frame. Even when you sign up for their email blasts, I received one saying these buildings start at this amount and are more expensive.. really trying to show away the tire kickers.

 

[Jawn]

I like this a lot. Surprised by the cost of Morton being under stick frame. Even when you sign up for their email blasts, I received one saying these buildings start at this amount and are more expensive.. really trying to show away the tire kickers.

On one hand, this is a "Morton Standard" building. Pre-engineered, only certain sizes to choose from, overhead door on gable end only, etc... Trade-off is it's a lot cheaper. Still a very solid building. I was not aware of these when I first inquired and decided Morton was too rich for my blood, then someone here on GJ suggested I look at the "standard" buildings.

On the other hand, I started this adventure when everyone had been stuck at home for months due to COVID and construction was booming... Home improvements, home offices, backyard retreats so people weren't staring at each other 15 hours a day. So prices I was getting for stick built may have already been inflated.

 

[NickH]

Beautiful building! The colors, and the lot set up remind me a lot of my building, haha. I definitely have some grading to do around my shop to get the water going where it needs to go...

Keep up the good work!

 

[Ford52PU]

Very nice building! Good luck with getting it finished and then enjoying filling it up!

 

[Jawn]

Concrete is tentatively scheduled. The plan is 5" fiber reinforced slab with #4 rebar. Should hold anything I can get down the hill, including smaller 2-post lifts should I ever decide to get one.

I chose 5" since some of the lifts I've looked at call for 4" or 4.5", and I'd rather not find that the place I choose for the lift just happened to be 3.5" of a supposed 4" pour. Also, I have not decided exactly where a lift may go in the future, so I went 5" throughout. I'll have to start filling it up and decide where is best then. A little extra concrete only hurts in the wallet a little.

Once rebar is placed, I plan to photograph and/or measure to document rebar locations so I can place a lift later without drilling into a piece of it.

Still haven't gotten the final inspection. I've been slow to get the ground cover / erosion control in place. I did finally grade it sufficiently on the uphill side so water isn't pouring through when it rains. Hopefully this weekend I'll finish that up and be able to have the Morton guy call for the final structural inspection.

 

[Jawn]

YAY! After many delays (including not being able to do much because of shift work, busy with other things, and then a broken toe), it has passed final inspection. Morton guy offered some rocks and straw he had at his farm nearby, so I took him up on that. Couple pickup loads of rocks to help with landscape and erosion control.



I had just retrieved a wood lathe from my late mother's house, needed it out of the weather... thankfully the county didn't complain about stuff already being in the building prior to the final inspection.



Soon... my '67 Caprice that has sat in a field for 20+ years will finally be under shelter. Hopefully there's enough left of it to do something with. Maybe I'll also get around to fixing that stupid old Nissan truck too. Just so much more pleasant to work on a car on concrete with a roof overhead than out in the weather.



The overhead door is still backordered. I emailed the dealer and got a reply that they're on vacation. Hopefully soon. I want to start moving the rest of the stuff in and be able to lock it up.

Still no power... I initially thought about having a separate 200A service brought in, but am still considering the possibility of upgrading the house (currently a single 150A panel) given the fact there'll be some renovations coming there.

Might go ahead and do the separate service anyway. Gets it done quicker. Looks like the power company will charge about $2500-$3000 to do underground power from the road back to the workshop. I'd be inclined to do all work myself from the meter base inwards.

 

[Jawn]

I figure the best time to do floor work is when it's completely empty. So I rolled a high gloss sealer onto the floor - the idea being to make it so spilled oil etc can be easily cleaned up without staining. Also, it just looks good.

Still no garage door... it's been about 9 weeks of the 8 weeks promised when I ordered it. Dealer finally responded to last week's email and it's expected mid October now, about 17 weeks after I ordered it. Maybe I should go ahead and start the process for getting power, since I'm not getting a door anytime soon.

 

[Metallitubby]

Looks great Jon. I do like that Chad is trying to help when he can, with what he can.

 

[Jawn]

Looks great Jon. I do like that Chad is trying to help when he can, with what he can.

Oh yeah, he's definitely gone above and beyond what is expected.

Floor was still kind of tacky when I went out there last night. I think I may have rolled it a bit thicker than would be ideal for a single coat, but we'll see how it looks next weekend. Hopefully it'll be durable enough for workshop use. If not... well, I guess I'll end up with an ugly floor.

 

[JC23]

Nice place.

 

[Jawn]

Thinking about power... where to put the box, where to put the meter, how to mount the meter...

Breaker box on the side just behind the man door (near the corner)? Or on the adjacent end wall next to the overhead door? Probably best to be on that end of the building since that's where the power comes from. Wherever it ends up, the meter will be directly outside from that point.

What's the best way to mount the meter base and seal the conduit penetration through the siding? Some kind of unistrut on the outside of the building screwed through to the girts? Or just put additional 2x4 blocking inside to directly mount the meter base (with appropriate spacer if needed)?

 

[Jawn]

One more thing I need to address is some sort of apron outside the door. I should have had it done along with the slab.

As is the gravel is about 3" below the slab. It's just a couple inches of #57 on top of red dirt. I needed to get my truck in out of the weather (big cardboard package in the bed, didn't want to unpack it yet or have a soggy mess) and it fought me trying to get over that lip (2wd truck).

I can keep adding more until it's even with the slab, but then I've got deep gravel that will spin out from under the tires easily (unless I manage to get enough crusher run / fines in the mix to lock it in place) and it'll get tracked / kicked into the building. Or I can see about putting a paved apron of some sort in front. Needs to be a slight enough transition from apron to the workshop to get anything in/out (such as my WRX, or a Corvette in the future). That may turn into having to have more fill brought in so it's not too steep.

 

[Metallitubby]

or a Corvette in the future

Fancy.

 

[Jawn]

Fancy.

Always wanted one. Little bitty Jawn riding in the back of mommy's station wagon would get excited at the sight of one. Nearly bought a C5 locally a number of years ago. Tried for a few on Bring a Trailer (C5 and C6) recently... they got pricey. Not in a super rush, but if I find the right one I may snap it up.

 

[Metallitubby]

Always wanted one.

I'd like to see you in some stonewashed jorts with white New Balance shoes while driving said Corvette.

 

[Jawn]

I'd like to see you in some stonewashed jorts with white New Balance shoes while driving said Corvette.

Damn... I thought the stereotypes had finally faded and I was safe to break out the gold chain again.

 

[Swanny1953]

Hey, now, take it easy on us Corvette guys - we're not all chain wearing, white New Balance shoes, "jorts" kids of folks (although I admit there are plenty of "lot lizards" that probably fit that description)!!

Good looking build - will be following along.