Texas Saltbox Re-Do

[HOTFR8]

"@#*>"ing"

Normally I would edit or remove a post for such harsh language but in this case the context as to why you are posting all this again would be lost. Second time around I think we are gaining more information from the build.

Stumbled on the idea at Home Depot when I was bitching about the prices of knobs and handles and that there was nothing shop/garage related.

I kinda like it. Glad someone else does to!

I was thinking it would be easy to make them lockable if you had to.

 

[TheShrine]

Back to bench tops. I found some old and current pics.

This is how I wrapped the top of the bench work area with metal to help protect it. It is merely screwed in on the front lip so that it can be replaced if needed. I don't think I explained it clearly before.





As for the bench top material itself...it can be abused then simply lifted out and a new piece slipped in place. It sets flat with no screws. In this pic I used a couple of screwdrivers to lift it up to show how it sits in place held by its own weight, benchtop stuff and the cedar trim.



This pic shows how the top is trimmed out and sits flat.



I did the same thing with the heavy bench. (The grinder sitting on the bench was just waiting to go elsewhere. It was not mounted there.)



Later on I came across this restaurant prep table. I removed its wall supports and set it in place for messy projects. It sits on the heavy bench mostly but can go on any bench table I have. It has spent some time on the Harbor Freight table as well. That little HF table doesn't get the credit it deserves! I have 2 of them.







I won't say this often but...Kudos to Harbor Freight!

 

[sean Buick 76]

WOW, simply amazing!!! Its not what you can't do its about what you can...

 

[TheShrine]

Driveways! Driveways! Driveways!

As soon as the build appeared to be reaching the end of the difficult stuff it was time to pour the driveways. Simple...sure, but not here! The Shrine, at first glance, appears to be a house/home of the "Salt Box" design. Until you take a 2nd look and see 2 different driveways. One drive exiting the North side of the house and the second one exiting the East side. My design emphasis was on the space itself. Ultimately it is a garage...cars go in and then they come out! Simple but not. Simply complicated applies in my case. The longest drive, connecting it to the main house, was thought to be relatively basic in design. Form it out, lay down some mesh, pour out 4" of material, trial it out, let it cure and we're done. Unfortunately that was not the case here. This side of the garage, where this drive was going, was a mere 12" above grade. The opposite corner of the building is 5’ above grade! As stated earlier, for those that are following the build/process/nightmare, the build site is on solid rock! We had to build on top of the rock base and add fill to lay the slab. Any "unevenness" in the rock surface was addressed by the fill dirt therefore presented no problems. When it came to the East driveway there were parts of the rock base sticking well above the level of the slab (12” to 14” above grade) and had to be Jackhammered down to attain a 4" pour. The other problem was the "angle of the landscape" on the East side. If a flat, flat is relative here, drive was poured it would have served as a conduit to channel every drop of rain directly into the finished structure. A simple driveway turned into Jackhammers, Excavators, Skid Steers and boulders! After an extra 2 days of Jacking and digging it was decided to follow the lay of the lay of the land up until about 12 feet from the slab and then form a "V" or channel the slab, and angle it to the South, so that any water following the slope of the driveway would exit the driveway BEFORE it entered the building. The pics speak for themselves without my narrative so……

We started here. Don't let the green grass fool you. Just inches below the grass is solid tables of limestone. Note the 14" trenches made by the rock saw with white "dust" piled up on the sides. Never did the Rock Saw find dirt!




This was the first obstacle! Beating down the rock to a level that would allow a 4" pour to match the level of the slab that had already been poured, cured and built upon. It wasn't like we could change locations....the garage door was where it was staying!





We ended up with quite a pile of theses! I eventually power washed them and used them in landscaping projects.





These pics should help in understanding what I so poorly have attempted to explain. There are 2 angles in the drive both channeling water away from the door opening.









I did not realize that due to the slant of the drive and the "lay of the land" that I'd end up with one side of the drive 2" to 3" above grade and the other side 12" to 14" above grade. Once the forms were removed the end result was.....undesirable. It was something I'd address later.

This view sets up my upcoming problem(s). This side view shows where the front gutters dump under the sidewalk right into a boxed in area. This was planned...believe it or not. Any excess water was suppose to flow over the drive, through the formed "V" built into the drive, and head out down the hill. What I did not plan for was the VOLUME of water that the roof would catch in addition to the amount of water that would naturally flow to that area.



This all culminates in the "Dam" now called the front driveway! We started here....see the problem yet!



Then we start forming...oblivious to our mistake!





It was about here that we realized that we had built, or "was building" a physical dam to the natural watershed! The excess water that flowed from the gutters and the "lay of the land" would be damed by the driveway. I'd have a 2' pool each time it rained because it had nowhere to go!



Last minute plan = dig out the form next to the building and lay in a 4" PVC pipe for a cross drain. I still have some backed up water on heavy rains but it works.





There's more on the other drive but......

 

[TheShrine]

The water had to go somewhere! A quick, if possible, pic series showing transition of how the water was managed leaving the formed "V" in the driveway.

This is what I ended up with after the build was finished.



Then this happened. I knew it was temporary but I couldn't stand it any longer!



















My first plan was to just allow the water to run over this new planter section on over the side and go down the hill. I knew there was going to be plastic down and several inches of gravel/rock. Seemed good at the time....until the first rain! I made it TOO level and just caused another pooling effect! You can see where I put down a hose to see exactly where the water would be directed. That was where the underground drain would go. So I pulled gravel back, cut the plastic and dug a trench.













So...the drain is in and it works well. The story becomes complicated because of a wall of rocks I built years later that blocked, partially, the flow of water. I have an endless supply of rock of all sizes. A 1000 pounder is not uncommon. My downfall is the rocks that are about 40 to 70 pounds. If I could lift it or the Mule could drag it...I got it home and did "something" with it!

The landscape timbers didn't last at all! They started failing so I rebuilt the wall with stone...like I should have done originally. In this next pic you can see the wall of rocks (in the background), encasing a raised bed, that blocked the flow of water. I eventually had to pull some of the rocks up and install a small section of 4" PVC to allow the water to ....go away!

 

[TheShrine]

The Camper/Toolbox/Jeep Top hoist/lift.

I knew what I wanted to achieve before I planned/built my current space. I had installed a similar system at my home in Rockport. Rockport had an odd shaped garage that just barely allowed me to lift the camper/toolbox off using the ceiling joist but I had my vision in place.



The Shrine arrangement became complicated when I had to decide where to hang the lifting hoist and install its electrical plug. It had to be in a location that did not obstruct the 2 Post Lift that I hadn't picked out yet nor the electric stairs that were just a vision in my head at this point. The lift's location had priority so I cyphered that out (I knew I had planned specific areas (4X4) in the slab dedicated to the lift placement.) and looked up and pointed to a spot 21 feet up and told the Electrician where to put the plug. I ended up changing it 2 times!

It started here.....



After some angst, and builder annoyment, it ended up here. I figured it could be moved again if absolutely necessary.



It ended up being in a workable area. The lift went right where I needed it and the stairs weren't an issue either. I'd like to say I planned it that way but.....



This pic shows the clearance between lift and camper. It's close but......









When the camper is on the truck the lift carriage is designed to hold the Toolbox. I also put my Jeep's Rag Top on the lift anytime it is not on the Jeep.



Since all of the previous pics the hoist's carriage and hardware has been "beefed up" and the camper has been painted to match my new truck.

 

[OldSoldier]

Sweet build, thanks for sharing!

 

[TheShrine]

THE Lift!

Absolutely the best buy for this project!! I knew I would buy one I just didn't know which one. I knew it would be a 2 Post because.....that's what I wanted. No need to debate the +'s and -'s between a 2 Post and 4 Post at this point....it's done. I went into the project knowing that a minimum of 4" of concrete was required by "most" manufacturers. The "pressure specifics" in my application was irrelevant because I was in a process of pouring a slab and could dictate my desires up front. As in many ,to most, of my decisions, in reference to The Shrine, I over designed the lift area of the slab.

It begins here.... with planning and pouring the slab.







I knew the desired "general location" of the Lift...because I drew up the plans myself. When one includes the location requirements of the camper/toolbox hoist and electric stairs in the same general area, "specific", was NOT on my agenda. As a result I decided on a 4 ft X 4 ft X 2 ft Lift Footing....surely I could manage to hit that! I contracted out the transportation and installation of the unit. I probably could have managed with some prayers and miracles...but my knees are bad! These guys got it to my place and installed with me hanging over their shoulder(s) in no time at all.











It's a 9K Lift rated for 10K that I use for general "poking around and breaking things" and storage. I know...I know...there is that controversy over storing cars on a 2 Poster for long periods of time blah, blah, blah! I've been storing various cars for 10 years and, nope, no problems! Other opinions welcome but may be ignored. Just say'n.....

It's used more than I ever thought it would.













All that said....I've always been a little nervous about balancing several thousand pounds over my head and then taking a pry bar or a torque wrench and yanking away! I recently address that....concern! More to come.

 

[TheShrine]

Exterior Wainscoting

Decided up front it would be Hill Country Limestone. It was readily available and the costs fit the budget. I wasn't sure of the height so I held off on that decision until I had the walls up and could step back and look at it.

It started here with the raw pine 1 X 4 board as the height. It went well right up to the last of the job when the mason/contractor went under. I had to find another "stone man", which there are many in this part of the country, and finish the job.







We got this far and and the contractor went out of business. It took approx. a month to find another mason.









Approx. a month later the wainscoting is finished and the painting can start.








Edit...Fast Forward....what ever! Take a close look at the upper rock ledge that the 2nd mason finished off. I didn't notice at the time but it should be slanted away from the wall for drainage. Some/most are flat...some even slant back toward the structure allowing water intrusion. I had another mason remove all of upper rock and reinstall with the proper angle as well as insert cedar between the rock and HardiBoard. Silicone sealed everything up.









Rocks in at the correct angle with the cedar inserts.

 

[TheShrine]

Sweet build, thanks for sharing!

 

[gearhead1]

Thanks for redoing the thread. I found it from a search as I’m also considering doing OSB with corrugated metal in my welding/machining area. It looks like you just mounted the outlet boxes flush with the ‘crest’ or outermost surface of the corrugated metal, then simply put on the outlet cover like normal?

 

[rzims]

just read thru your entire thread...thank you for reposting. Lots of great ideas I'm going to use in my upcoming build

 

[TheShrine]

just read thru your entire thread...thank you for reposting. Lots of great ideas I'm going to use in my upcoming build

Geez ... I thought this thread had died.

Glad that it might help you in some way.

I'm considering another update. Much has changed in The Shrine. This might motivate me.