Re: Dream shop?
 

I haven't hired out any cement work in a long time. I know I won't pay what it costs for a contractor to do it so I won't waste their time for a bid. I do have some experience in slabs. Its back breaking but it's not rocket science. The most recent job was at my house. I poured and finished the road going down the hill to my barn in June 2017. That job was a 32 yard pour. My cost on that was a little over 5k. I built and set all the forms and rebar. It was a bear of a job and I had some crazy leg cramps but I saved a ton of cash.

I imagine the price per yard is higher now, but the amount I will need for the barn floor is only about 15 yards, so I'm hoping to come in at around 2500. It'll be a bonus that I'll be working in the shade since its covered.

One of my mentors used to say, do your best to estimate the cost and time needed, then double it to find out what it actually be. On many occasion this has been very close to what happens. Thankfully, I have just enough experience in this kind of work to do a decent enough job for me to be relatively close to the financial budget... but I still haven't managed the timeline worth a crap.:lol:

Re: Dream shop?
 

here is my shot yesterday of the state of my 30x50

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1583513172
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1583512966

i happened to have taken those pictures because I was there dropping off a 2 ton outside :lol:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1583513058



but to be fair, that is mostly (except the 56 BBG) stuff I wouldnt have a problem leaving outside, so when I start to move in over there most everything will go outside on racks.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Is that an IH cab in the middle of the shop ???

Re: Dream shop?
 

yes, and the front clip is to the left. I have a bad habit of dropping treasures and running. :lol:

the IH is for my brother, now we need to figure out how to get it to him.

besides that and the 56, there are 4 cabs, 6 shortbeds, 21 doors, 7 front clips.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Hey, I'm with you. I always tackled concrete in manageable squares. I formed and poured what I could screed and finish with one helper, then doweled the next section to it at the edge.

I was just raggin' you anyway. That pole shed would make a shop.

Re: Dream shop?
 

I could always use a good raggin'. It keeps me in check. I have a tendency of being very interested in starting a new project. I'll get the major part of it done then find another project to get excited about before finishing the first one. A couple examples... my gables were clad in 30 year old cedar board on batton that needed replacing, as well as the eves and trim. In 2017 I replaced it all with Hardie board. I did manage to finish all the carpentry but somehow I'm ok with not finishing the paint job... Another example, On Thanksgiving day our wall oven crapped out one hour into cooking the turkey. That got me all fired up to finally remodel our kitchen. That job is now 80% done and here I am again, wanting to start another new project. I've always wondered if I was ADD before there was such a thing.:lol:

In time when the kids all move out the wife and I will probably move down to the other house on my place. My mom built it to retire in back in 2005 or so. She passed on in 2014 and I've had it leased out since then. Its much newer, only has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, and way more efficient. The pole barn would most likely become a shop at that point.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Give us your wife's email. We can help keep you on track. :lol:

Re: Dream shop?
 

The way we used to do it was with pieces of angle iron, about 1" or 1.5" ? There were holes drilled at intervals right in the corner of the angle iron. So after setting up the 2x6 forms, we would nail these angle irons to the forms with the two edges against the wood. After the slab was poured and the forms came off, a V-shaped groove was left in the edge of the slab, which was of course a mortise for the concrete that would be poured next to it.

When doing a truck apron for a major chemical outfit, you can't begin to pour it all at once. We poured in strips about 20' wide and a few hundred feet long, since our vibrating screed allowed that width. And we formed and poured every other strip so the ones in between could be poured without forming.

It was a horrible job and I never want to do that kind of work again, but that is how we did it if it helps any ...

Re: Dream shop?
 

We have nailed a V shaped piece of wood on the inside of the form to create that notch.

Re: Dream shop?
 

My dad has always been the kind of guy that has 10 project cars, and nothing to drive. He's gotten a bit better, but I learned long ago that I never wanted to be that way, so my stuff is pretty much all runners and I try to only tackle something major one car at a time. I prefer driving over building. My dad is more of a builder.

Re: Dream shop?
 

That's probably a lot cheaper for a one-off job.

Re: Dream shop?
 

My 24 x30 garage has a cement floor since it's a permanent structure according to the town me and a grew of my relatives did the floor. 3 trucks because I pourd it 8 inches. Used a power float. my dad's pole barn 30 x 50 has a wood floor taxes much cheaper no footings or poured floor . We excavated about 12 inches out from the floor. Made a grid of 4x8 squares with 4x6 ground contact timber filled each one with item 4 tamped 6 mill vapor barrier then 5/8th exterior plywood painted both sides with oil based paint. Been down for 29 years not a problem . Even have a 4 post lift setting on 3x3 steel plates in there.

Re: Dream shop?
 

I built mine into a hillside and it has its pluses & minuses. My recommendation is to do a poured wall rather than a block wall and do tons of irrigation control. There’s plenty of other “shoulda’s”, but these are the biggest ones.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Attachment 1989288

I'm getting ready to start on mine, well not my dream shop but it will work for now.

Re: Dream shop?
 

:eek: :whine: Man, I wish I had a piece of property!

Re: Dream shop?
 

Thanks for the advice Carter. Please elaborate on irrigation control. I definitely have to be concerned about this since it tends to hold moisture, even standing water for a couple days after a heavy rain. I'll look into a poured wall also.
Anyone else have anything to add in regard to the back wall up against the dirt?
I have marked off the corners for the location of the piers, and hope to start digging them out this week.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Poke around on this website for inspirational and an engineered ceiling. You've already obtained the I beams.

https://americansaferoom.com/

Re: Dream shop?
 

I don’t guess I really meant irrigation as much as just keeping water off the wall itself. My cement filled block wall is 8’8” tall and hasn’t been backfilled since the building has been completed. I’m going to put dimple board on the wall itself and I’ll be doing 2-6” diameter perforated pipes (drainage tile?). One just slightly below the top of the footings and another about 24” up (the second one will have the downspouts from the gutters feeding it). I’ll be backfilling most of the ‘hole’ with stone & gravel. First 2’ with 3” stone, then the 2nd drain pipe and then CA6 gravel for another 4’ with a landscaping fabric to keep the dirt out as much as possible. It’s probably overkill, but we get a lot of rain here and my soil is a LOT of clay, which is horrible to hold water and “swell”.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Since I was referenced in the first post, mine is finally starting to look like something. 28x52 with 10x52 attic storage (6'ceiling)

I finished the underlayment on this side of the roof over the weekend.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1583118914

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1583118914

I left everything open/exposed too long. We had multiple 65*+ days around Christmas, so I pressure washed everything before finally tarping the entire roof.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1578000883

There's about 9-10' in front of C10 and behind 'Bird.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1581950501

Re: Dream shop?
 

I did a poured wall but it's only about 36" or so into the hill. I'm not a fan of blocks, I had a house that had block foundation and a barn with a block stem wall and they didn't seem as strong as poured. I've only built a few buildings but the footings, stem wall and floor I always go extra and save elsewhere.

Re: Dream shop?
 

That wall in front of those 71-72 trucks is below grade. Being below grade and with the foam insulation, it is super easy to heat.

The key to building below grade is keep the water away from the building.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Makes me want to get started on a shop at my house. Looks great.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Block foundations usually fail due to poor grading, waterproofing, and drainage. A properly done block foundation can stand the test of time. I've seen plenty of cracked concrete foundations. A failure can be more dramatic with block because it can blow-out a section. But it's easier to repair (properly) than a broken concrete foundation. Put rebar and fill that block, laid using durawall, with concrete and you have a real wall. I've built earth shelter homes using that method. These walls supported a pre-cast roof with slab poured on top plus 18" of soil. 2/3 of the house is in the ground. Cope the wall to the footer, bed of stone, perforated drain tile, paper over, then more stone. On some builds the dirt cut to make the foundation is not a good backfill material. It's all about drainage and what you can do to enhance that. On the surface it's grade. Swails are required to halt and direct water around the foundation. Then it's keep the roof drainage off that ground with gutter

Re: Dream shop?
 

It was a lot of extra work, but my stem wall is rebared to the foundation and the block is fully grouted. It was a ton of extra work, but should pay off in longevity.

Block walls are terrible for adsorbing water when used in a "basement" condition. They LOVE water. Set a block in a little puddle of water and it will suck it up (conversely, if set in the sun, they also dry out very quickly). You have to do a really good job water proofing block if used in a basement condition, even if fully grouted. So many people cheap out on the water proofing and drainage part.

Re: Dream shop?
 

Beautiful addition to your property Jesse. I'd bet all that money spent was way better than keeping in a 401k. You just added huge value to your place.

How far up the back wall is under grade?

Thanks Tim! I've been holding out for your response. I have a bunch of reading to do...now, where'd I put that dictionary?:lol: