Garage / workshop project

[gasstingy]

It’s been too long since I’ve written about any progress to building the garage / workshop. About three weekends ago, I started working outside again, this time to build a pair of temporary garage doors until time comes to install an overhead door. {The only things keeping me from installing the real door is blocking the ceiling joists so I can hang sheetrock, wiring the downstairs and insulating the walls so I can hang sheetrock, hanging the aforementioned sheetrock and finally installing trim around the overhead door opening. Oh yes, and the money to buy all that would be nice, too. We’d run too low on money to do any serious materials buying.}

So, the criteria for the door was that it look presentable and be something that would be relatively secure. After all, it may have to be here for quite some time. I’ve added some pictures to show the basics of how I designed and built the doors.

Picture 1 is to show off the only joint I know how to build somewhat correctly with the tools I have on hand. I make half lap joints, and then glue and screw them together. Picture 2 is the first door frame hung to see if it actually fits the opening. The door frame you don’t see is the one that the joints weren’t made tight enough, so it sagged a little. Aargh! Picture 3 is the sag solution. Cut some scrap door skin material into a sorta’ triangle, liquid nail and brad nail into all the corners. Picture 4 shows how we cave men drove screws before cordless drill/drivers. My trusty speed handle with a ratchet adapter and socket. {I stripped out the only ¼” socket I had that would fit my drill, so as Gunny Highway would say: I improvised, adapted and overcame!”} Picture 5 is the door nearing completion showing how I am securing them shut.

The doors are each skinned with three pieces of matching roof metal, bought from the company that supplied the metal on our roof. Each of the upper pieces of metal needed trimmed lengthwise. The first was easy to cut, using a metal cutting blade on a RotoZip. When the blade was worn out, the cutting attachment broke while I was trying to remove the old blade to replace it. I cut the other one with a set of ‘aviation’ snips. Then, I got another cutting attachment in case there is a next time.

The outside of the building is getting close to being finished. We still need to buy about a dozen pieces of Hardi Plank to side the south wall. That is something we are trying to get before this next weekend. Then we'll cut the pieces lengthwise before we paint them. Finally, paint them, hang them and caulk them. I love progress you can see!

[Daox]

I think that it looks pretty nice for a temporary door.

[gasstingy]

I thought I’d draw my garage workshop build to a close. The outside is complete, short a few more tubes of caulk, so I have taken the time to add up all the receipts I could find and for the couple I could not find, I guesstimated. Then I compared it to an estimate I got at the Home Builders Show held back in March for a similar building. They bid a bit over $35,000 to build it. I’m a little over $11,000 short of that figure using a lot of free labor from family. The differences between what I asked them to bid and what I have are few, but I’ll describe them and let you draw your own conclusions. (1) My building has a manifold and Pex tubing for a radiant floor system, to come at some later time. The bid did not include that. (2) As built at present, I do not have the manually operated insulated 12’ x 8’ overhead door that was in the estimate. (3) I have no stairs to get to the loft room. (4) We painted the siding before hanging it, the estimate did not include any paint.

I've attached pictures of the last of the siding going up. Thanks for letting me show off what can be accomplished by a small group, if you take your time. Many folks helped with this project and for that, I am truly grateful.

[Daox]

I think it looks great. It would be great if you could keep updating things, even if its just a little here and there.

[gasstingy]

I thought I'd do an update on the project today. Life seems to get in the way of working on the project continually, but we have done a little here and there. I took a few pictures to share.

First picture is where we finished blocking the trusses. The How To Build book I have suggested to put blocking about every 8', so that's what we did. Using joist hangers for all the blocking, I used the special nails made for the purpose and filled most all the holes. 17 nails per hanger, so don't even think about getting the small box of nails. The other thing it shows is the temporary lighting.

The first restroom picture was to show the pressure treated (PT) bottom plate. We laid the floor out, built the walls, stood them up and plumbed them and then marked the floor in pencil to show exactly where the PT lumber goes. BTW, all PT lumber has a chemical bath under pressure to make it PT. I say that because a little preplanning is called for. This stuff has to dry out before you use it. Anyway, I cut out the doorway opening in the bottom plate, glued it in place and stacked concrete blocks on it until the Liquid Nails cured. Liquid Nails says it has a working time of 10 minutes. What it did not say is how long before fully cured. We waited 48 hours to put a wall up.

The second restroom picture shows the relationship to the side door if you look closely over to the right side of the picture. It also shows the restroom has a window and finally, it shows that we have been caulking all the seams in the material before we do our wiring.

The last picture show the restroom straight on with the end wall framed.

We have also started putting up {what they call} dead wood. Dead wood is simply wood put in as a nailing surface for doing the wall covering, which in most cases is drywall, aka sheetrock.

My boss has donated a good used breaker box to the project, complete with 8 20 amp breakers. When he found out how I was going to light the place, he told me I could rummage though the stack and pick out however many 8' fluorescent light assembies I needed to light the entire building. I think I'll be getting two or three for the downstairs.

That's all for now.

[Daox]

Nice to see an updated.

I'm curious why you used joist hangers for blocking the trusses? I've only ever seen them just nailed in diagonally or on the end.

[gasstingy]

Originally Posted by Daox

Nice to see an updated.

I'm curious why you used joist hangers for blocking the trusses? I've only ever seen them just nailed in diagonally or on the end.

Ahem , it's mostly because: (1) I'm not that good of a carpenter and (2) working by myself, I can use a Quick Grip clamp on each joist hanger to hold it in place so I make sure it's where I want it. That way, I don't pound my fingers as often when I'm nailing the blocking in place.

[Daox]

Do you think the blocking is necessary if you were going to put up an OSB or plywood ceiling? I assume the blocking is for rigidity. I ask because I have no blocking on my garage trusses, but I am planning on putting some form of rigid ceiling in.

[gasstingy]

Keeping in mind my amateur carpentry status, this is what I found when I looked it up under a home inspection service.

{This bridging serves a couple of purposes, but will primarily function to strengthen the floor structure, once the home is beyond a few years old. Initially this cross blocking will help prevent twisting of joists, as they dry out after initial installation, but this is not their main purpose. These braces help to add rigidity by providing continuity between all the joists in a floor, utilizing the entire joist depth, rather than just the tops, which are attached together by the floor sheathing.

Cross bridging gives the floor structure considerably more strength, and will help reduce deflection or the bounce you feel. This will only reach its maximum effectiveness if the bridging is continuous throughout the entire length of the floor.} from:
Floor Bounce - Articles - Trained Eye Home Inspection

I wanted to say yes it does from the top of my head, but chose not to because if I was wrong you might trust me and spend money that was not necessary. I know you said ceiling and this reference material is about a floor. I would do it anyway, because I would want to be prepared for when I put OSB on the top side of those boards so I could store stuff up there.

[Daox]

Hmm interesting. I'm not sure if I am going to store stuff up there. Its a relatively shallow pitch roof. There isn't a ton of height up there. I had planned on just blowing some cellulose up there and calling it a day. On the other hand I am a pack rat and one more place to store goodies is always nice.... Tough decisions.