BBR HQ - backyard shop

[BBR]

Finally getting started on a shop after moving here back in 2011. I had a 20x24 at my previous house and it was fantastic, but ugly. It looked like a boring garage in my backyard. This time around, we decided to build a pole barn style building, corrugated tin and all. This one will be a 24x24. I probably could have gone a little bigger, but this will be great. Way better than what I currently have.... which is nothing!.

Actual construction will likely begin in the Spring, because I just dropped a ton of money on storm shelter, concrete sidewalks, this slab, getting the house painted and new garage doors for the house. Ouch.

We decided that since we plan to live here for many years, we should go ahead and have a storm shelter installed. It's one of those things that is expensive and just sits there empty in the ground 99.9% of the time, but when you need one, you NEED one. Trying to rush over to the neighbor's house when a storm is looming sucks big time.

These guys showed up at 9am and were done by 1pm. The shelters are built here in Amarillo and they said they install 10 a week during the summer months.





Pouring concrete in for the floor.



Storm shelter: done!

Next we needed to have a slab for the shop poured. We decided it would be a good time to pour sidewalks and have the brick patio redone in concrete. The flat work was right at 1800 square feet (which does not include the shop slab).






Looks awesome. The sidewalks and patio are something we have talked about doing for quite some time.

[BBR]

Shop foundation begins! And they promptly found the one sprinkler line that was still pressurized.... haha.




My disaster of a backyard. It will be nice when finished!


Inspector arrived today and we are good to pour tomorrow. Whoo Hoo! Can't wait!!!

[milner351]

Yahoo! I thought concrete reinforcement steel was supposed to be in the middle of the slab - not laying on the bottom?

[Huskinhano]

Yahoo! I thought concrete reinforcement steel was supposed to be in the middle of the slab - not laying on the bottom?

Isn't that the lost sand casting process?

[Huskinhano]

That's a good idea with the storm shelter. About 15 years ago we had a tornado go through our area before we moved. At the time we saw first hand the damage right afterwards. You hear that it looks like the lunar surface or apocalyptic but until you see it first hand, that's something else. We've had several smaller ones come through too. And this in NE PA.

You really don't want any bigger then 24x24. You'll only store more stuff that you don't need. My barn is 60x30, I'm speaking from personal first hand experience, lol. Need some junk for your new garage?

[Huskinhano]

A guy on the VMF is having a garage built. Poor guy is totally getting it up the poop shoot.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/general-discussion-non-vintage-mustang/1008490-today-s-word-incompetent.html

[SuperBuickGuy]

barn and bunker - you're ready for zombies now!

[Huskinhano]

barn and bunker - you're ready for zombies now!

Or Margaritas

[SuperBuickGuy]

A guy on the VMF is having a garage built. Poor guy is totally getting it up the poop shoot.

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/ge...competent.html

As a former contractor, and now a lawyer - that guy is one I would have run away from. The inexperience of the form guys simply supports that notion. Years ago, I had a case where the clients wanted a remodel done, and it wasn't done how they wanted it done. They would leave for work, the mother-in-law would come to "supervise" and the addition was done exactly how she wanted it done.... or thought it should be done... or was drunk.... maybe all of the above? As a contractor, you run away from those jobs - of course, it'd be crass to simply say no, so you find their "must not" and use it to avoid the job. In this case, the guy "had to have it done" - so all the other contractors said "oh, we simply can't do it then" then gave him a date well beyond what he was willing to accept.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - be the perfect customer. Be available for questions, be thorough in your calling of references (especially asking the, what would you do different question), and worry about how to pay for the expensive contractor rather then how to pay to fix the work done by a crappy contractor. He blames the shortage on all the good ones being unavailable, I blame the unavailability on being the customer that everyone (lawyer and contractor) run away from.... or to put it another way, be the customer that everyone wants. Has working knowledge of the project, has built things before, is willing to ask questions, and even more willing to shut up and let the guy you hired do his job. That last one... largest source of lawsuit there is.

[BBR]

Yahoo! I thought concrete reinforcement steel was supposed to be in the middle of the slab - not laying on the bottom?

They came by and installed the plastic rebar stands this morning.

[DanStokes]

How tall will the new shop be? I can't stress enough that taller is better! You'll get room for a hoist and the possibility of a mezzanine if you find you need storage (and who doesn't?). Twelve feet at the eves is nice though I made 10" with scissor trusses work in the Ann Arbor shop. You might think you can get by w/o hoist but I'll GUARANTEE you that as you age (and you said you want to be there a long time) you just won't do those jobs that require rolling around on a creeper. So even if it's out of the budget for now it pays to plan ahead on this.

And I disagree with Tom - you can't have too much shop and the junk WILL find you either way. The trick is to at least semi-organize the junk! That's how I have the mezzanine set up.

Dan

[Dan Barlow]

Congrats on the garage slab and side walks . STORM SHELTER ! WHERE'S YOUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE ? LOL It probably wouldn't do me any good as I wouldn't was to just go down in the shelter when ever there was a tornado watch and if the warning started after the rain started I wouldn't want to get wet . We sit in tornado alley as well and when I did have a basement for 6 years, I only went down once . and that was when some neighbors came over seeking shelter .All kidding aside your a smart man .

[BBR]

It will have a 10' ceiling. I plan on doing the trusses as attic trusses so I will have overhead storage. The first shop was 8' with no overhead and it was not ideal. This one is my do-over. Trying to correct all my "I wish I would have's" with this one.

[67 Malibu]

I built mine about '91, 40x40 with a walk up loft that is 40x24. Yes, the bigger, the more you tend to save. If I were doing mine again I would go with a ceiling high enough to run my drive on lift all the way up & park another car under it. But the hobbyist lifts were not very common back then. I would also add floor heating but that should not be an issue where you are. .

[milner351]

James as I recall you and I are nearly eye to eye and I think you're a bit taller than I am.
you want a 2 post lift - and you want to be able to stand upright under it.
I beg you - if the city allows it - make your walls 12ft, or at least 10ft plus the scissors trusses.
You may not think you can't live without a hoist - but the fact is - you CANT!
plan for a 2 post.
or plan for an addition with scissor trusses and a Hoist!

What I'm trying to say is - GET A HOIST YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT EVER!