My shop build

[clean8485]

I know what you mean I built a 30x26 with an upstairs storage loft thinking it would be plenty big enough. Nope I was wrong!!

I have known a number of people who had large buildings built, thinking that they would have room to spare. It never really happens. Everyone that I've talked to has told me to build something as big as I can possibly afford. For me, this is pretty much it. If all I was looking for was a storage building, and I had no intentions of using it as a workshop, I could have gone bigger. I have a friend who has a 40ft by 60ft building, which he has divided into a workshop side (20ft by 40ft), and a storage side (40ft by 40ft). Its full. He also has a couple of shipping containers that he stores stuff in. He wishes that he had built a bigger shop building. I'm going to be looking for a 20ft shipping container to store some of my stuff in.

 

[pagrunt]

I know what you mean I built a 30x26 with an upstairs storage loft thinking it would be plenty big enough. Nope I was wrong!!

Yea, you see them empty & think of all that work space then reality kicks in. It's worse when you have one car in a two bay garage & it takes up both sides.

 

[CopperNick]

Hey, no need to apologize, priorities are priorities and a budget is is a budget and the cost of everything is outrageous. If A/C isn't a critical subsystem, then it just becomes something to add to the some day list, and ya move on.

For myself it is on my someday list and I just happen to have a big wall mount job that I can move, provided I can get it removed out of the window and the window reconstructed and.................................you know the drill.



Nick

 

[Hurricane77]

Looks good. I did a metal building near Ottawa about 1.5 years ago. Also did the in floor radiant heating. Makes for a very pleasant experience. You don't have to keep it too warm, I think I had it about 12 degrees and could go out and work in jeans and a sweatshirt without too much problem. But with that type of heating, don't bother trying to turn the temp down when you're not using it, just set it and leave it. Unless you're heading out of town for a week or more and know you won't use it.

What are you planning on using for the boiler? Do you have natural gas? That would still be the cheapest option I think. Originally I was thinking propane, but with the way the prices spiked last year, it's actually about the same price, if not cheaper to use electric. And the electric equipment is cheaper. You planning on doing the system yourself? If not, there's a few places that will do up the board for you with the boiler, valves, manifold, pump etc.

And definitely insulate under the slab if you're going with in floor.

 

[clean8485]

Looks good. I did a metal building near Ottawa about 1.5 years ago. Also did the in floor radiant heating. Makes for a very pleasant experience. You don't have to keep it too warm, I think I had it about 12 degrees and could go out and work in jeans and a sweatshirt without too much problem. But with that type of heating, don't bother trying to turn the temp down when you're not using it, just set it and leave it. Unless you're heading out of town for a week or more and know you won't use it.

What are you planning on using for the boiler? Do you have natural gas? That would still be the cheapest option I think. Originally I was thinking propane, but with the way the prices spiked last year, it's actually about the same price, if not cheaper to use electric. And the electric equipment is cheaper. You planning on doing the system yourself? If not, there's a few places that will do up the board for you with the boiler, valves, manifold, pump etc.

And definitely insulate under the slab if you're going with in floor.

A friend of mine who lives close by, and who is an older gentleman with arthritis, had the builder that I'm using build a storage building for him. The main reason why I went with this builder is that he's local, and I was impressed with the building he did for my friend. He went with in-floor heating in his building, and he loves it. If he's in a building on a cold concrete floor for more than about an hour, he's hurting because of his arthritis. In the building with the heated floor, he can be out there for 3-4 hours, and he's fine. He says that he sets the temp on the floor heating to about 70F, and the air in the building is about 65F. I may not keep mine quite that warm-I'll see once its up and running. He has 1 big ceiling fan for air circulation. He says that the floor isn't even that warm to the touch, because 70F is below your body temp. His floor is insulated below the heating grid, and mine will be too. The walls and ceiling will be insulated as well. I'm also going with a ceiling fan. We're both using propane, as we live in a rural area, where there are no natural gas lines. The builder is looking after all the sub contracting for the building, including the in-floor heat. I'm really looking forward to having a proper place to work, especially in the winter. Its been a dream of mine for many years.

 

[clean8485]

Well, its been awhile, and there's been some more progress. The final grading and packing down of the sand/gravel material was done, then the R11 insulation was laid down on top of that. After that, there were plumbers here, who installed the PEX piping on top of the insulation, and connected the piping to a manifold assembly. There are 6 "zones" for the piping in the floor, which are separate "circuits" in the piping, in which the flow of the coolant that will be heating the concrete floor pad can be controlled. The flow can be increased to areas where the floor is cooler, and decreased in areas where the floor is warmer. The plumbers explained to me that in a building the size of the one I have, I probably won't notice much, if any, areas of great temperature difference, and I should be able to run all 6 zones with the same flow of coolant. We had marked out the area where the hoist will be installed, and no piping was installed in that area, so as not to run the risk of accidentally drilling into any of the piping when the hoist installation is done. On May 29, the concrete floor was poured. There was a crew here, of about 5-6 guys, not counting the cement truck operators. Since the chute on the cement truck wouldn't reach to the rear of the building, the crew was taking cement to that area in wheelbarrows. The concrete was 5"-6" thick after it was spread out and levelled. It only took a couple of hours to pour the concrete and level it out, but the guys were here most of the day. They used one of those big circular gas powered concrete "polishers", to go over the whole building, to make sure that the floor is flat and smooth. They returned the following day, to make relief cuts in the floor, to allow for expansion and contraction, then applied sealer to the concrete surface.
The interior walls have been insulated (done before the floor was poured). They measured the interior walls for the steel siding that will be installed on them. The siding arrived this past week.
My builder left for a 2 week vacation in Italy on May 29. He should be back in Canada now, so I'm thinking that things should be starting up on the shop build again this week. I think we're on the downhill side of the build now. I'm hoping to be moved in there sometime in late July, possibly early August.

 

[Hurricane77]

Looks good, congrats.

I feel bad for the wheelbarrow guys, that's not fun

Mine was a monolithic slab (floor and foundation all in one pour), so they just used a pump truck. But that's harder to do when you have a roof on the place.

 

[clean8485]

There's been some more progress on the shop. All of the interior and exterior steel siding work has been completed now. The electrical is finished, and the wiring has been connected from my house to the shop. The lights, both interior and exterior have been installed. This past week, the builder has been doing site work outside, removing excess earth that was excavated from when the foundation was dug, grading my backyard to ensure proper drainage away from the shop, and prepping the area where the outside concrete pad around the shop will be poured.
As of right now, outstanding work to be done includes, completing the insulation of the ceiling inside the building, completing the installation of the heating system, installing the bay doors (still about 2 weeks away), completing the grading and outside concrete work, Installation of the hoist (its inside the shop on the floor now), I need to find an air compressor, and get it installed. There are probably some other minor things that I've forgotten, but its definitely on the downhill side of things now.

 

[Rt Jam]

Who did your drawing for the building and foundation?
Is that 4' below grade?

 

[clean8485]

The builder did the drawings, and yes, its 4 feet below grade, and insulated.