The Skunkworks Build begins

[bluesman2a]

So I've been lurking and researching for a while, and thanks to those who have answered my questions. I'm finally ready to join show-and tell. This week I signed on the dotted line with a contractor to build out the rest of my project.

Background:
We've just moved into a new (to us) home a little further out in the county. It's not in a subdivision, with plenty of room to grow. We currently have 2 garages, a 2-car attached to the house and another 2 bays detached. Space wise, I'm OK, but in the detached shop, there's just no way I can get a lift. Happily, my wife is VERY supportive of my addiction(s) and has determined that I cannot live any longer without a lift. I've been debating a separate building, or putting an addition onto the existing one. This week I decided the bid was better for adding on, with the added bonus of having all my tools under one roof.

On to the pictures:

Our existing attached-

The existing detached -

The plan is to add on an additional 18' wide bay, with a reverse gable, and a 14' wall, and cathedral roof for maximum clearance on the lift. We'll demo the existing/crappy lean-to.

Floorplan --

The challenge is that we will need to completely replace a retaining wall, and will have about 100' of new wall down the side, creating a new side parking area beside the bay.

This entire bank will be contained by a new 10' wall and we will have new/level area behind the shop.

(Yes, you are seeing it correctly, the previous owner never put stairs to the loft above the detached. Those will be forthcoming after this project is complete.)

So next week the permits get pulled, the engineering drawings get completed and we start dropping some trees. All tolled, from the permit, I've got about two months until we're dried in.

 

[JMURiz]

Looks like a cool project, will there be a door attaching the old part to the new part (inside the garages)?

 

[bluesman2a]

Yeah, that was just a 10 minute model I banged out of some software called Punch. There will actually be 2 openings framed for doors.

 

[JMURiz]

Excellent, I believe Punch is kind of like Sketch-Up, right?

 

[Grim Reaper]

So when is the first dysfunctional wrench weekend? I need to bend some sliders on your bender!!


Looks sweet! Congrats!!!!! I am so jealous!

 

[Morrisman]

Looks like a dead cool project.
Don't forget to take loads of piccies.

 

[car-nut]

Looks really good. Your plans seem great. Rock on!!!!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Well at least two of us agree on the name for our think tank/shop/garage. Notice my signiture!

 

[volvo]

.
Cool plans, I like them. Pick out a hoist yet?....H

 

[BoCRon]

Looks like a great project. Take lots of pics, it's really a blast to look back on the before/after shots.
OT, everytime I see you post I think it's my brother posting. He also lives in Atlanta and is very into the blues, and his email is bluesmanz. But then I realize he would NEVER spend a penny on a garage, his spare cash goes to drums.
Good luck with the build, can't wait to see your progress.

Annette

 

[bluesman2a]

Made some progress today. With the tight timelines I have for my contractor, and my work schedule it made more sense to bring in some pro's for the tree removal. There were some REALLY healthy trees, in kind of a tight space while I could have dropped them myself, I couldn't have done it as easily and it wouldn't have been all in one day. Another bonus is that they took all the trash with them too! For that kind of service, I don't mind writing a check, they EARNED every penny!

Here's a shot to give you an idea of where the wall will be going in (red lines), the trees immediately behind it are all 30-50' or more:

Here's a shot of all the trees that are to be removed (red spots):

Here's a shot of one of the taller ones. It's sitting 10' below-grade, the lean-to is about 8' tall, and the tree has already been topped.

Here's a good shot of the crew topping (2nd time) the one in the previous picture so you can get an idea of the scale.

 

[bluesman2a]

Looks really good. Your plans seem great. Rock on!!!!

Thank you sir!!! That means a lot ... I've been keeping an eye on your build, it's one of the nicest I've seen

.
Cool plans, I like them. Pick out a hoist yet?....H

I am torn between Rotary and Bendpack. Both would be 9-10K# Asymmetric. I have heard LOTS of positives about Rotary, but I can get bendpack at cost, I'll need to SEE the difference to make a decision. Anybody have either of those two models around the Atlanta area that would mind sharing a tour?

So when is the first dysfunctional wrench weekend? I need to bend some sliders on your bender!!

That's gonna be kind of hard. The existing electical plan for the shop is pretty lame, I've got about 60AMPS total, and no 220 outlets yet. So far, I've been more focused on building the new part than anything, so the compressor isn't setup yet, and no juice for the welder or plasma either.

 

[bluesman2a]

Got a little better photos in the daylight today.

Before:

After:

 

[curlyws6]

Look like you will be having some fun with a build the next few months! Keep us updated with plenty of pics.

 

[99E36M]

I'm very curious

So any pics of the inside of the old garage? What is the ceiling height?
________
YouWantMeXXX live

 

[bluesman2a]

So any pics of the inside of the old garage? What is the ceiling height?

Here's a pic of the interior of the old garage. For a frame of reference, the truck in the picture has 39" tall tires.

If I were doing just cars, I could probably go with a low-rise lift in this space but as you can see I need a bit more vertical space. The real problem is the beam that runs across the space, right behind the garage door opener. It comes down a good bit.

 

[cdrewferd]

Good looking space. Can't wait for more progress pics of the addition. Also, what are the specs on the Jeep?

 

[99E36M]

Here's a pic of the interior of the old garage. For a frame of reference, the truck in the picture has 39" tall tires.

If I were doing just cars, I could probably go with a low-rise lift in this space but as you can see I need a bit more vertical space. The real problem is the beam that runs across the space, right behind the garage door opener. It comes down a good bit.

That is a cool Jeep! What is it?

I elected to trade the loft upstairs for a 13' ceiling. I need a lift!
________
Volcano Vaporizers

 

[christian]

Any updates on this? It's been over a month. Thanks.

 

[bluesman2a]

Any updates on this? It's been over a month. Thanks.

Sadly... Not really. My contractor has been dragging his feet a bit much for my tastes. We had a meeting on Friday, he brought in the sub for the retaining wall, we cleared permitting for the building on Friday and cleared permitting for the wall today. Supposedly we'll break ground for the footers on the wall on Wednesday.

I'll tell you what folks, I am REALLY ready to start seeing some motion here.

 

[adams77]

Dang man, you dont do anything small do you! Your vehicles keep growing and now the garages do to.


Looks great. My old welding table should look real good in that shop.

 

[bluesman2a]

Dang man, you dont do anything small do you! Your vehicles keep growing and now the garages do to.


Looks great. My old welding table should look real good in that shop.

Well they say that the first step is admitting you have a problem: Hi my name is Herb and I'm a garage-junky. I started out light with just unfinished furniture projects. Then I got into gateway activities like Jeeps. Now I just fabricate... You know, they heavy stuff...

Speaking of heavy, there's a funny story about your old welding table... When we moved we had a huge crew of like 6 LARGE corn-fed men. I kept telling them they weren't gonna just manhandle a 4' X 3' slab of 1/2" plate like normal furniture. After about 30 minutes of nearly killing one another they believed me and let me break out the engine hoist to get it up on the truck.

 

[bluesman2a]

OK, so I'm FINALLY through the entire permitting process, and we FINALLY broke ground today on the retaining wall.

Some pics of the work done today:

The bottom of the retaining wall:

Same leg from the opposite direction:

Bottom corner of the wall looking uphill:

Top of Wall looking downhill:

Couple of big root-balls that had to come out:

 

[bluesman2a]

So my next trial is to get electrical priced out. You wouldn't BELIEVE some of the estimates I've been getting just to install a 400Amp meter base and 2X 200Amp panels!!! No frills, nothing else, just what's needed to get through electrical rough inspection... These guys are talking like $3-5 THOUSAND dollars!!! Then they're wanting $50+ per outlet installed!!!

Unless I can find somebody to do it cheaper, I think I'm just going to get it done myself.

I mean based on what I'm seeing Home Depot is wanting $250 for a 200 AMP Square-D QO series panel, and the 400 Amp meter base is about $200 from the power company. Call me silly, but that looks like all the basics for about $700!

 

[Uncle Buck]

Electrical, YUP, Bend over and say cheese!

 

[V-10 Killer]

Just one thing to consider. I'm having my service upgraded from 100A to 200A from the mast down to the exterior disconnect. You could have your utility drop the wires and upgrade the box, but you need to make sure that everything up to your 400A box has the properly rated wires (main power lines, and inside the mast down thru the meter to your box). This is usually where the electricians know best...

 

[bluesman2a]

Just one thing to consider. I'm having my service upgraded from 100A to 200A from the mast down to the exterior disconnect. You could have your utility drop the wires and upgrade the box, but you need to make sure that everything up to your 400A box has the properly rated wires (main power lines, and inside the mast down thru the meter to your box). This is usually where the electricians know best...

This is all "new" construction, there's nothing there now, and all the old stuff is coming out. I'm all about making sure it's done properly, but this isn't rocket science, certainly not $5K worth of know how here. I've found the engineer at the power company who is responsible for my project to be very helpful, so this isn't something that really intimidates me... I mean hey, worst case, I do a little research, and/or come on here to ask some dumb electrical connections. After I get the meter-base wired to the boxes, then I'm back into more familiar territory.

 

[adams77]

Herb,

If you get in too far over your head, give me a call. I am a quasi electricain and I work with industrial contractors daily. I could put you in touch with great vendors (I hate Home Depot) and contractors.

 

[78fj40]

I mean based on what I'm seeing Home Depot is wanting $250 for a 200 AMP Square-D QO series panel, and the 400 Amp meter base is about $200 from the power company. Call me silly, but that looks like all the basics for about $700!

Wait, you have to pay for the meter base? I didn't pay a dime. When I got them to approve bringing power to the garage/shop all I had to do was go to the the Dominion (power company) supply depot and tell the guy the size of the meter base. He just pointed me to a rack and let me take my pick.

Bummer for you....

 

[bluesman2a]

A little progress this week: Footer for the retaining walls.

Rebar:

More Rebar:

MORE Rebar:

The concrete truck and the pump truck just pulled up about 15 minutes ago, so I MIGHT have a complete footer today.

 

[comp]

i love these threads,,,,looking good

 

[bluesman2a]

Well, I've been a bit remiss, but things haven't been going very fast.

If you care to see the whole story on that, check here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10903

The GOOD news is that all that junk is behind me now. I have what I think (knock on wood) is a great new contractor for my wall. I signed the paperwork with them on Friday at 9:00 AM and when I got home from work on Friday evening they were pretty much DONE setting up both matts of steel and I should be ready for inspection/forming on Monday.

 

[bluesman2a]

Another good thing I managed to get done was to get rid of the lean-to that was on the left side of the garage.

Before:

After:

 

[bluesman2a]

So today I GOT ME A FRIGGIN' WALL!!!!

 

[bluesman2a]

Tomorrow they come by to remove the forms, then I just have to find some dirt and wait for the wall to cure for 2-3 weeks.

 

[d110pickup]

Herb,
It's hard to tell from the photo's, how long is the wall?
Also, what did you decide about electrical service? New meter?
Mike

 

[bluesman2a]

Herb,
It's hard to tell from the photo's, how long is the wall?
Also, what did you decide about electrical service? New meter?
Mike

Mike,

The wall is 140 feet long and goes from a minimum height of about 4' to a max of 10' in the back of the shop. Here's a little hack-job from MS paint that may help give some idea of scale:

On the meter, I will be going with a separate meter on the shop set-up for a 400Amp service. Yes, Yes, I know it's overkill, but I NEVER want to have to worry about power in there again in my lifetime...

BTW, YOUR shop is looking REALLY good these days sir!!! I called Socket Systems, and while I may not use them for my shop build, I'm probably going to use them for my garden/utility shed sometime next year.

 

[d110pickup]

Herb,
Thanks for the response. I'm going with a sub-panel from the house right now, but it won't cost me any more to go with a new meter in the future.
Thanks for the compliments on the shop build; come over to see it sometime soon. I'm actually closer to Alpharetta than Canton (about 15 minutes form 400).
Mike

 

[bluesman2a]

So the wall guys just left... we're now complete on the wall. Just have to wait on curing to back-fill. Last updates for a while:

 

[78fj40]

nice....very nice. Mind if I ask the cost?