Moving right along with my workshop

[Bill Jobe]

Not too much later than this time last year I launched plans for a workshop to free up space in my 2car (that's pronounced "1 1/2 car") garage.
I have great news to report....I have a penciled in slab pour next week.

I can't believe things are moving along so quickly.

[Jefferey Scott]

Look forward to seeing your build, Bill. Be sure to post pictures so we can follow along. Thanks for sharing!

[Mike Heidrick]

Congrats Bill.

[Bill Jobe]

Thanks.
It's hard to transmit sarcasm via text.
If there are ways to screw up getting a slab poured and a shed delivered I think I have found them all.
Perhaps I'll write a book about the subject.
No, I lack those skills as well.:rolleyes:

[Bill Jobe]

I've mentioned elsewhere that I have a drainage problem beside my garage.
The contractor ( who tells me he can start on the slab tomorrow.
My question is, the shop will be farther back that will be tucked a couple of feet behind the garage due to a 5' side setback.
Is there any reason why I can't place a pvc or drainage pipe under the top of the slab, angled toward the back and attach the downspout on that corner of the garage to it?

[Bill Jobe]

They are going to pour a 4" slab with a 12" footer. 11x20

[Bill Jobe]

Nevermind. I'm going another way.

And that was 12x20. Not 11x20.

[Bill Jobe]

Folks, I can't believe after perhaps a year, my slab gets poured this afternoon.
This thing has been dragging along so slow, what with all the excavation and concrete crews unable to keep up with new constructon in the area, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen.
Then my Amish garage boss, who plans to take a look at it to decide how best to go about setting it in place, says he'll be here Friday. The garage is over a hundred miles away.
And with extended pipe for both downspouts and covering the whole thing with plastic, they had a dry work area in spite of some heavy rainfall lately.

[Bill Jobe]

The slab's poured, the concrete will soon be ready to support my portable shop sitting 110 miles away.
Today one of the owners of the shed company came by to make sure everything was ready to go.
He takes some measurements, we chat for a while, then he leaves.
Less than 10 minutes later he comes back and proceeds to tell me how, in his opinion, the shop will not fit between the garage and fence.
When you're hot, you're hot.
I'm on a roll, man!!

So far I'm in for over $2800 on the shed and another $2200 for the slab. ,

[John K Jordan]

...Less than 10 minutes later he comes back and proceeds to tell me how, in his opinion, the shop will not fit between the garage and fence.
...

Most fences can be taken down and put back up or rebuilt. Some people even work a deal with a neighbor to move something across their property, if that would be easier. But if out of options maybe sell the shed - for that money you can built a lot of a small structure like that if you shop carefully for materials and do the work yourself.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

Temporarily remove the fence to provide more clearance...you wouldn't want your garage to get damaged and providing a little more wiggle room is a good way to help with that.

[Rick Potter]

I hope we are all around to see the finished job. ;)

Hang in there. It's worth the wait.

[Bill Jobe]

I'm looking at all options.
Taking down the fence would require either pulling the 4x4 posts that are buried in concrete, or cutting them off, leaving enough sticking up to secure a replacement
to the side of the old one. I built it using 3 2x4 cross sections which would also require being cut, or if I'm lucky, simply removed by the screws that secure them. I don't have a problem doing that but the corner post, a 4x6 will need additional support after cutting it off, and when i pulled the metal post of a chainlink fence that was here when we bought the place, a huge hole made it nessecary to use a lot af additional concrete to set it. I couldn't bury another any where near the same spot without digging up and removing all that concrete. It supports a 4.5x6 gate, also made with 2x4s.
I'm also looking at the posibility of having a structure built onsite. I lack the skills/experience to build it myself, though I'd love to give it a try. But the wife responded with a firm "no" to that idea. She cannot cope with the mess and, obviously, length of time for me to pull together a project like that. Very impatient with such things. It would be very easy for me to become discouraged in that senerio.
But that's a whole 'nother subject.
Another problem would be getting another extension to the permit, one the city so graciously extended when winter set in before I could get someone to pour a slab last fall. Technically they expire in 6 months without a refund.

I must admit that I am becoming discouraged with the whole thing. Anthing and everything has thrown itself before me in an attempt to prevent my moving forward.
I am well aware of Who is in control of this project, but He isn't thus far revealing much beyond each day what exactly His will is.
Perhaps there is a much better plan for my shop. All I can do is wait....and thoroughly search out what options are before me.

Anyway I look at it I'm facing a much higher cost for a shop. I've checked out big box kits, but I understand they come with poor quality materials.
To add to my frustration the sales rep took a close look at the location last fall, believing that the structure would pass through the opening without any problem. They simply say that they need at least a foot of total clearance for their buildings. According to what I was told you simply take the width of the shed you are buying and add one foot. It's a 12x, so she said the 13'7" would suffice. She failed to mention that this particular building has a 6" overhang on each side. The models they had on display were smaller with just enough roofline to span the walls.
I thought with all this data I was good to go.
I simply doesn't fly.

[Rick Potter]

Sorry you're feeling discouraged Bill. I am confused.

Is this fence taller than the eaves of the building? If not, why would the offending eave not just fit over the fence? If you were happy with the sample building with short eaves, could they not be trimmed? Your first idea of removing part of the fence sounds reasonable also.

There has to be a way to work this out. Like I said, hang in there.

[Bernie May]

Why not just have them cut the overhang?

[Bill Dufour]

You do know that posts should not be set in concrete unless soil is pure sand? Where do you live? What country, what climate.
Bil lD

[John K Jordan]

You do know that posts should not be set in concrete unless soil is pure sand? Where do you live? What country, what climate.
Bil lD

Can you explain that? I have never heard of that as an absolute.
All types of posts?
Does non-sand cause movement when freezing? If so, in what climate/part of the country?
Or do you mean wood posts only, where concrete can cause drainage problems? Or something else?

I drive round wooden PT fence posts 3' into the ground with a hydraulic ram, depending on the soil. (Our soils is mostly red clay and chert but with areas of deep topsoil) Hydraulically set wood posts in red clay can't possibly be pulled out. I set wooden posts in 12" dia augered holes with a bit of gravel on the both and the dirt well tamped at the bottom and in layers while setting. Depending on the soil (if it's mostly topsoil), they will still loosen occasionally and need concrete reinforcement, especially for gates. When reinforcing like this I use only a collar of concrete near the surface.

The chain-link installers here auger a 4" diameter hole, set the post, then tamp in dry sackrete.

When setting posts for a structure I pour a concrete "punch pad" in the bottom of the hole, put in a layer of gravel for drainage, then pour a concrete collar near the surface or integral with the slab. The gravel layer allows water in or entering the post to drain out the bottom. I usually embed rebar into the post itself and/or the concrete collar and weld it to the rebar in the structure's slab. I have read to never encapsulate the bottom of a wood post in concrete or water drain though the wood and collect on in the concrete pocket at the bottom to rot. The job of this type of post is to keep from settling

From one concrete company: https://www.quikrete.com/settingposts/

Bill Jobe: I'd take down the horizontals and any wire of that section of fence, pull out or dig up the posts, move in the building, then rebuild the fence. If you have to dig a big hole to remove a post an easy way to reset it is fill it in with tamped gravel then put topsoil on the surface for grass. Removing and putting a fence back up is done all the time by farmers, tree cutters, and people who deliver portable buildings. Not a big job compared to putting up a shop. And perhaps make the wife happy - rebuild with a very pretty fence and new gate. Plant flowers. Sit with her and plan your next vacation. Venice is nice this time of the year.

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

C
Bill Jobe: I'd take down the horizontals and any wire of that section of fence, pull out or dig up the posts, move in the building, then rebuild the fence. If you have to dig a big hole to remove a post an easy way to reset it is fill it in with tamped gravel then put topsoil on the surface for grass. Removing and putting a fence back up is done all the time by farmers, tree cutters, and people who deliver portable buildings. Not a big job compared to putting up a shop. And perhaps make the wife happy - rebuild with a very pretty fence and new gate. Plant flowers. Sit with her and plan your next vacation. Venice is nice this time of the year.


I agree with this 100% and it's absolutely what I would do in this situation. It doesn't matter that posts are in concrete...the whole thing can be pulled out. It might require renting a machine for a few hours, but that's done all the time.