What's this??

[tfi racing]

Found this machine in my backyard last week...

Only if I had the key and a clue how to run it..

Nevermind,this guy rocks!

Its amazing how level and smooth a good operator can make the hole...

Rottweiller approved!

I went ahead and had the hole dug because the machine was already here doing some clean-up grading for the home builder.Hopefully my drawings are finished real soon so I can get the permit and start building!

 

[DynoDave]

It's a shame someone left that laying around on your property, but I'm glad you were able to put it to good use!

 

[tfi racing]

I can't believe it has taken so long to get the drawings done and permit approved,this is what I have been floundering through the last two weeks...

Cribbing and levelling the footings,better not screw this up or it will cause nothing but grief to the end!

Safety supervisor,always vigilant(when he's not sleeping)

Setting up rented forms

Was planning on finishing the final squaring,levelling and double checking the forms today and pouring tomorrow,but a lovely Pacific Ocean monsoon decided to blow in.The rain can be a PITA,but at least its not freezing and snowing.Trusses are ready to deliver,they are running ahead of schedule at the mill.Hopefully I can get back on it tomorrow!

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

While you have the backhoe, why don't you knock a basement wall out and pull out a Lambroghini?

 

[Junkman]

While you have the backhoe, why don't you knock a basement wall out and pull out a Lambroghini?

That is not a backhoe, but rather an excavator. Minor difference of about 3 or 4 times the break out force, 3 or 4 times the weight, and definitely 3 or 4 times the cost to purchase.

 

[russlaferrera]

IMO. I don't think you are to bright. Some one leaves a machine in your back yard, starts digging it up. What do you do? Put up a fence to keep the machine from escaping.

I did learn one thing. When we built our house I never knew you could rent wood. I bought mine plus the bricks.

Well I guess you have to clean up the mess a build a shop/garage something to clean up that mess some one made. Gotta say though, nice size hole.

 

[tfi racing]

While you have the backhoe, why don't you knock a basement wall out and pull out a Lambroghini?

That would be a trick,we don't usually have basements around here,something I'm not used to!The ground doesn't freeze but it sure gets wet.

IMO. I don't think you are to bright. Some one leaves a machine in your back yard, starts digging it up. What do you do? Put up a fence to keep the machine from escaping.

Yeah,I'm stupid alright.I put up the fence after the machine escaped!But really,what kind of fence can keep one of those beasts contained?As for renting the forms,I could have used OSB then reuse it for sheeting on the garage later like some builders around here do,but I thought this would be a better method and produce straighter walls.The smart thing is to pay someone to do this,but I have a lot more time than cash available right now.Besides,I have done pretty much all other aspects of construction over the years why not challenge myself with something new?I'll let you guys know if its worth it later,after all an education is never free...

 

[cyclopsblown34]

Is that a german rottweiler? Good sturdy breed with an excellent temperament.

 

[russlaferrera]

Tfi, Whenever possible, could post some specs on what size hole and hole cover you are planing. From the start you have a very nice piece of property big and flat.

Hope everything falls in place and you get to build your dream as you vision it.

Keep the pictures coming . It's nice to see what people who have money can do!!

 

[tfi racing]

Not sure on the background of Angus,the rotti,he was a freebie that I adopted about 8 years ago,once the garage is closed in I will be looking for a playmate for him.He is a very affectionate couch potato,but can intimidate strangers and convince them to move on when necessary!

The lot is a half acre pie shape,but the placement of the house and the restrictive covenant for the septic field and reserve field,kinda screw up the size and location of the shop.Its basically a 30x40 with a 10x10 corner notched out to clear the deck on the house,it also helps asthetically.It will have a 12 foot ceiling for a lift later on,and a small bathroom to help keep the muck out of the house(too bad the dog can't figure that out!).The house has a two car attached garage for parking so I can make all the dust and sparks I like in the new one.I'm putting in a small o/h door at the back,next year I will pour a pad at the rear and put up a "temporary" carport to free up more space inside.

I better get outside and get some work done,the sun is out for the first time this week and the concrete and pump for the stem walls are coming Monday!

 

[tfi racing]

Called in the heavy artillery yesterday,the pump cost a few bucks,but its really the only way to do this stuff.

There were a few issues with my formwork and bracing,hopefully the rookie mistakes are mostly cosmetic and won't be a future issue.We'll see how it looks once its stripped in the next few days.

 

[Torque1st]

You can capture one of those beast machines by removing part of it's heart...

 

[e-tek]

You can capture one of those beast machines by removing part of it's heart...

Jokes over...let it go.

 

[mpraddict]

What is your frost depth? Those foundations look really shallow!

 

[chaingang]

That is not a backhoe, but rather an excavator. Minor difference of about 3 or 4 times the break out force, 3 or 4 times the weight, and definitely 3 or 4 times the cost to purchase.

Funny how it depends on where you are as to what something is called. Down here in the South that would be a trackhoe.

 

[tfi racing]

What is your frost depth? Those foundations look really shallow!

No frost around here!Good thing,my water meter is in a ground mounted box in the front yard,the septic line is only about two feet deep.Depth requirement for footings around here is 18",not many places on Vancouver Island where you can dig much deeper than that due to shale or rock.I could have went with a shorter stem wall,but I like concrete at least a foot or two above the floor line to keep the rot out.

Here's a couple of shots after stripping,it looks better in the pics than actual results.Hopefully I can get my drainage inspection done Monday and start backfilling,there won't be many of these sunny days left...

 

[bluesman2a]

Funny how it depends on where you are as to what something is called. Down here in the South that would be a trackhoe.

depends on where you are in the south too... in-town atlanta that's is NOT a trackhoe... a trackhoe is generally in running shoes, and they can be REALLY hard to catch on foot.

 

[wrigh003]

Funny how it depends on where you are as to what something is called. Down here in the South that would be a trackhoe.

And if you get far enough off in the weeds, it's a Trek-O.

 

[tfi racing]

After the drainage inspection,time to fill the hole back in.

Over 100 tons of 3" crush and running this unruly 1000 pound shaking beast for 8 hours,it took more than a beer or two to get rid of the jitters.

I was agonizing over which framing crew I was going to hire,then I had a stupid idea looking at the lumber pile.

Hey,what the hell,its a nice day,why not start building some walls?

I would prefer sheathing the walls before standing them up,but this is the best I can do by myself,ya go ahead and laugh at that window opening framing below,I'll fix it tomorrow along with that corner detail.I haven't done this in about twenty five years,its coming back to me slowly...

Holy ****!!! twelve foot walls are really,really tall,my old shop had 10 footers,its amazing what a difference two feet makes!

What's that rule about the top rungs of a ladder?Not everyone should try this on a 12' stepladder...

Looks like the weather is going to be unseasonably dry this week on the island,should be able to get the structure up and maybe shingled if I'm really lucky.I'm planning on calling in some pros to get the trusses up and sheeted, thats if they aren't rolling on the ground laughing at my poor framing skills...

 

[tfi racing]

More hammering in the ever persistent drizzle which just slows everything down including the motivation...This is the back side of the shop,in the future there will be a concrete pad the width of the garage and a carport roof lean to,if something is in the way,just shove it out the back door.It will be a relatively dry and secure storage area.

Mud can be fun,just not on a work site!Dreary weather sure gets in the way of progress!

This side will be landscaped in the spring,bark mulch,shrubberies,flowers,the usual **** that someone else will be responsible for.

One more wall to finish tomorrow,the main 12x10 O/H door and lintel.On Monday I have a framing crew coming to place the trusses and help me sheet everything in.The door and 3800 opener I ordered have arrived,so this thing should be at the lock up stage by the end of the week if everything goes to plan.Oh wait,that never happens,something always manages to go sideways...

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Looks awesome!

 

[tfi racing]

A bit more progress,it went OK even with the framers having to leave town on Thursday,they should be back to finish the small details I don't finish today on Monday.

I'm sure glad we didn't have to lift these suckers by hand!

Wind,wind stay away!Good thing it didn't get windy this week,would have made for some tense moments!

Yes,that is a twelve foot stepladder,there will be plenty of height to stack junk.

The rear escape hatch,it will be handy for pushing those frustrating projects right out of the back door.

A couple of tarps to try and keep the inevitable rain from totally saturating the OSB.

The shingles and paper arrive on Monday,hopefully the monsoons hold off for another week,I have been lucky so far,this November has been drier than normal,hopefully December is as well.

Now I'm starting to realize how big this building is,it is sure drawing a lot of attention in this little neighbourhood.I should have put up a taller fence!I guess I'll be planting some new trees in the spring...

 

[woodbutcher]

nice compound you have , you need a german guard shack at end colors and all imo.HALT SPECKIN ZEE ACTUNG.

 

[Kevin54]

Just remember that bales of straw can be a mans best friend. LOL!!!! I'd get quite a few and spread them around. Better than walking in mud all the time. And by Spring, just till everything together and do what is needed.

 

[6 Grrrs]

lookin' good

 

[WH0DAMAN]

That is looking great!!!! Thanks for the updates.

 

[porschedude996TT]

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[porschedude996TT]

So we havn't heard what the specs are on the build. Give us a run-down please. Looking good by the way.

Hey, did your Truss Supplier put them on top of the wall for you? Mine didn't...

 

[Torque1st]

I already used the report post function for spam. It just took them a while.

 

[tfi racing]

I did put some specs on the first page I thought,but here ya go.It is 40x30 minus the front corner 8x10(1050ish sq ft) to clear the deck with a 12' ceiling inside.It is pretty much standard for the truss co. around here to crane the trusses up for you if you tell them where you want'em.I arranged delivery when the framers were here so they could put them as they desired and get started building the roof right away.

 

[tfi racing]

I didn't get as much done as I should have this week,just the way it goes.Had two young guys show up and shingle the roof,money well spent,I wouldn't want to spend two days in the drizzle up there!I was in a hurry to get it done,I didnt want the OSB to get so saturated it wouldn't dry.The weather forecast on Thursday called for 1-5 cm of snow on Friday and Saturday,this is what I woke up to,I thought by moving to an island in the Pacific I would avoid this...

WTF!!!1-5cm(2")? More like 15 inches!!!!

The GF won't be driving her Mustang for a few days...

The snow is up past the poor dog's chest,that's gotta be cold on you know what...

The framer and I were supposed to finish off this door opening and a few other details today,hopefully tomorrow will be more productive,forecast calls for -5C and cloudy,coolddd and sunny the rest of the week,well below normal for this part of the country...

Damn glad I got it roofed this week with shingles not snow!This is gonna make a huge mess when it melts,good thing the temp is going to ramp up slowly,so it all doesn't melt all at once.If we are lucky,this should be the bulk of the snow until February.The siding and soffit guy was wanting to start ASAP,wonder if he still wants to?

 

[naki kid]

Fantastic photo's looks just like christmas cards but i'm glad we live in New Zealand.No snow where we live.I se you use a lot of that OSB or what we call chip board,is it weather proof.

 

[tfi racing]

No,its not weatherproof at all,it needs to be covered asap,that's why I needed it shingled so the rain wouldn't soak in and never dry out.The eaves keep the walls somewhat dry,so there is no huge panic there.The snow *****,there is usually a couple of big dumps a year and mostly rain in the winter.Its minus 12C(10F) right now,but it is sunny!That's right,I don't feel like heading outside just yet...

 

[tfi racing]

Holy ****,its been a month since anything really got done!Between the weather(+3 feet of f#$%^^& snow),the holidays,and a couple of side projects and a general lack of motivation,progress has come to a crawl.This was the "once every twenty year" record setting snowfall and cold snap,at least we are not getting the flooding that W.Washington state and the BC lower mainland are suffering through now.It was so treacherous,all the concrete plants shut down and the O/H door guys cancelled all their installations!All the rest of the snow should be gone in a day or so,then back to the regular scheduled program of rain until May!

Time to get this mess cleaned up.The firepit is calling...

I changed the windows from 4x2 to 4x3 for asthetics and mainly because I found these new vinyl sliders for half price!

Just waiting for the door installers to get back up to speed,then time for the floor,till then I'll continue with the black paper,windows and maybe attempt some electrical...

I better get a job soon,time to start on the next round of big spending...

 

[russlaferrera]

thi, looking good! Making some progress. Next year this will be a memory.

 

[tfi racing]

Not too much getting done,due to lack of cash,job searching, and general winter laziness, not sure which is a greater detriment to motivation...
10x12 door and opener is in,installer who was to come back and install back door is AWOL,I guess I'll just do it myself.

I had a choice between the 3800 and this Manaras industrial opener,I took the tough looking one.Wiring is temporary,the finished product will look a lot better.

I welded up my own supports,better looking than handistrap angle.

Lot's of over the roof clearance for this one,I could almost stack three of them.

Federal 100A panel,subfed with #2 ACWU from 200A house service.I have just been poking away at the wiring,maybe I'll finish it up today,and get it inspected mid week.

Conduit for power,tel/tv,and eave pot light 3 way switch from house for backyard landscape highlighting.

Time to get this material used up so I'm not tripping over it and I can get the floor poured as soon as some cash rolls in.Hopefully I get a job soon,this thing needs to get finished before convertible/racing season gets here.

One wall double papered with PT strips for rainwall separation from the siding.They sure are fussy around here about rainproofing structures. The pot lites will be handy for backing the trailer in after dark without worrying about knocking fixtures off the wall.

 

[tfi racing]

Unemployment is taking its toll, its frustrating when one has all the time but no spare money to buy materials,for now I can only tinker around with the stuff that I can do for little or no spending.Here's the view from the street last week,it snowed today,global warming my ***! Oh well,at least I can hold off getting to that landscaping.

The door guy never returned,so since I have more time than money,and plenty of ignorance and recklessness in my favor,I decided to try installing and converting a used door to raised tracks by myself.After picking up a new spring,drums and cables,the install went smoothly with no injuries and it seems to work fine.

Time to clean up a bit and see how much space there really is,too broke to get the floor done right now.The bright side to this delay is that concrete prices are dropping,should be saving a few bucks on the floor compared to last summer.

Lets try these three units in the fleet for size,there will likely be a long term project or two in here full time and I need an open space for parking or short term repairs.

This rear door will come in handy for pushing annoying jobs out of sight and out of mind ,there will be a concrete pad and a lean-to roof across this side in the future.

No matter what one builds,one always wishes for more.These vehicles fit with enough room around them to work and a large area this side of the Vette for benches and a big rolling welding table.The old and very long Cummins will only be in here for service,the other cars will stay in the attached garage.

 

[UN4GTBL]

Nice! hope you are able to find a job soon to keep at this!

 

[vvk645]

looking real good so far, hope your work/$$$ situation gets better so you can finish up the shop.

 

[Jpfreak33]

Unemployment is taking its toll, its frustrating when one has all the time but no spare money to buy materials,for now I can only tinker around with the stuff that I can do for little or no spending.Here's the view from the street last week,it snowed today,global warming my ***! Oh well,at least I can hold off getting to that landscaping.

I love your house!!! (and garage)