I decided I should go ahead and document some of the progress my building went through. This all occurred last September 29th through November 5th. I kind of got lazy about getting this posted up.
There are plenty of better documented builds than mine and also better looking. The only slightly significant thing about my building is where it's built. It is in the city limits of Fort Worth. Fort Worth does not allow a second garage building on a property. I was shut down by permits and inspections before I even got started. This is when I began to learn about how the system worked.
In Fort Worth any building that was larger than 400 sq ft (determined by lot size) or had a door wider than 6'-0" feet was considered a garage and was not allowed. Also, to be used as a garage it had to have a driveway. So I gave up. A month later I went back and asked if there was anything I could do to get a second garage and was told I could apply for a variance. I was also told that I would probably not get one since this was not common.
Looking over the paperwork I saw that there was a place to get my neighbors signatures for support and place to list occurrences of second garage buildings in my neighborhood. The subdivision I live used to be an agriculture district but not anymore. All the lots are 1/2 acre or an acre. It turned out at least 60 people had second garages in my neighborhood. So when I went before the variance board the existence of so many garages made mine a slam dunk.
Since it was a while back, I have some thoughts and input on what I should or could have done. A lot of things I just didn't know and in hindsight I would change. This goes a long way to picking your subs and the line of communication that exist between the two of you. Some problems came after the shell was done.
I posted the beginning of my electrical work here first. Still ongoing.
Setting forms & dirt Work with Boomer the beagle
I asked for some thicker pads in the concrete for a 2 post lift. I said I needed 6" inches total. The concrete guy, Ronnie went 6" inches below grade. So now I have 10" pads
Rebar done
Concrete at the break of dawn
They power troweled the foundation and knocked off the forms. This is where I realized my first and probably biggest mistake from a cost and labor standpoint. I should have had more dirt work done to slope the property behind the building more to drop the height of the slab. My property naturally slopes back to front. So the front of the building is almost 12 inches above grade. To get a driveway and sidewalk to the from of this building will take a lot of dirt. It never crossed my mind even once beforehand. Have a lot of dirt coming soon.
The more talented the guy behind the trowel the more mirror-like it gets
Delivering the building or The Forklift Ballet
He had to go under the electrical over the neighbors bush and not hit the house
Framing begins. This was the last under construction pic I had. I either lost the rest or did not take any.
Shell Complete
There are plenty of better documented builds than mine and also better looking. The only slightly significant thing about my building is where it's built. It is in the city limits of Fort Worth. Fort Worth does not allow a second garage building on a property. I was shut down by permits and inspections before I even got started. This is when I began to learn about how the system worked.
In Fort Worth any building that was larger than 400 sq ft (determined by lot size) or had a door wider than 6'-0" feet was considered a garage and was not allowed. Also, to be used as a garage it had to have a driveway. So I gave up. A month later I went back and asked if there was anything I could do to get a second garage and was told I could apply for a variance. I was also told that I would probably not get one since this was not common.
Looking over the paperwork I saw that there was a place to get my neighbors signatures for support and place to list occurrences of second garage buildings in my neighborhood. The subdivision I live used to be an agriculture district but not anymore. All the lots are 1/2 acre or an acre. It turned out at least 60 people had second garages in my neighborhood. So when I went before the variance board the existence of so many garages made mine a slam dunk.
Since it was a while back, I have some thoughts and input on what I should or could have done. A lot of things I just didn't know and in hindsight I would change. This goes a long way to picking your subs and the line of communication that exist between the two of you. Some problems came after the shell was done.
I posted the beginning of my electrical work here first. Still ongoing.
Setting forms & dirt Work with Boomer the beagle
I asked for some thicker pads in the concrete for a 2 post lift. I said I needed 6" inches total. The concrete guy, Ronnie went 6" inches below grade. So now I have 10" pads
Rebar done
Concrete at the break of dawn
They power troweled the foundation and knocked off the forms. This is where I realized my first and probably biggest mistake from a cost and labor standpoint. I should have had more dirt work done to slope the property behind the building more to drop the height of the slab. My property naturally slopes back to front. So the front of the building is almost 12 inches above grade. To get a driveway and sidewalk to the from of this building will take a lot of dirt. It never crossed my mind even once beforehand. Have a lot of dirt coming soon.
The more talented the guy behind the trowel the more mirror-like it gets
Delivering the building or The Forklift Ballet
He had to go under the electrical over the neighbors bush and not hit the house
Framing begins. This was the last under construction pic I had. I either lost the rest or did not take any.
Shell Complete
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