Adventures in Shop building with link to Pics

[Jerry McFalls]

Yes it's time for yet another workshop story. I hope you enjoy my new shop. I'll edit the pictures with explanations some day but in the mean time...

http://sawblade.dyn-o-saur.com/gallery2

login with username jerry password jerry

I tried but couldn't get the guest account to work right but hopefully my username account will work fine.

[Rob Russell]

I tried but couldn't get the guest account to work right but hopefully my username account will work fine.

Jerry,

I'd suggest asking the site owners for help in getting the guest account to work. You're a lot better off not having your id and password posted ...

Just a suggestion.

Rob

[Don Bullock]

It looks great Jerry. Your pictures do a good job of documenting the project.

2 1/2 working days left and counting down!!!

[alex grams]

Very nice.

Is that floor heating I saw? (PEX?)

Outside of the slab, it looks like you did a lot of the labor yourself?

[Jerry McFalls]

Rob,
Thanks for your concern and advice but the account is restricted and I only use it for this purpose. In effect it is a guest account.

Don,
Thank you for the kind words.

Alex,
I did do a lot of the work myself. My best friend and I prepared the monolithic slab area by doing the grading, form work, insulating and rebar. I did the PEX piping for radiant heating. The PEX is 15 inches on center throughout the slab.
I did most of the carpenter wall building and all of the electrical. In my city if you take and pass a test you can pull your own permits on electrical.
I did the natural gas piping including tankless water heater but had to get a licensed plumber to pull the permit as if he did the work.
I had a crane lift the trusses up on the walls then my best friend and I set the manufactured trusses in place.
I subbed out all the masonry work including slab, block and brick.
I subbed out the roof OSB and 33 square of shingles.
I subbed out sheetrock, insulation, garage doors, vinyl siding and painting.

The project took 4 years from initial inception to completion.
Year 1 was figuring out exactly what I wanted to do.
Year 2 was having the plans drawn up and getting a variance on the zoning law to build 18" closer to the property line and pulling the building permit.
Year 3 was breaking ground, slab and foundation work.
Year 4 took off like a rocket and finished the project.

[alex grams]

Thats an awesome project. I love doing that kind of work.

Why did you run one steel beam on one side? Was it just a larger span, or are you using it as an overhead rail for moving/lifting heavy items?

[Jerry McFalls]

Alex,
The roof is canter levered over the steel beam by 7 feet then the shop gable ties in to it. I had to have something strong to support it. The beam and columns cost $2700 to manufacture and the engineer charged $300 for the drawings with his seal. The building inspector required the seal and certified welds. Since the welds had to be certified I had them manufactured by a steel fabrication company. The cost of a larger beam that wouldn't require a middle support would have been way too much for my Pepsi-cola pocketbook. I didn't want the columns in the way so that's why I placed them 7 feet inside the roof line. The idea was place them near the interior walls. I could have used a glue-laminated beam with wood columns but I went with steel so I could use it to lift with. I have a trolley installed on the long beam with a chain fall. I can do the same with the short one over the door.