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Thread: Shop Build

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Northern UT
    Posts
    762

    Shop Build

    Seems to be the year for new shops getting built. I started mine a few months ago and thought I would share some pics. It will be 26' x 38' with 12' walls. I started off planning on a foundation / footings build, but the cost was more than double what I had anticipated. Went back to my engineer and had change the design to a monolithic slab with thickened perimeter. He ended up with 24" deep sides that were supposed to be 12" thick. By the time the concrete guys gut done with the excavation, the edges ranged from 24" to 30" and around 18" thick. I was happy with it as I suspect it will survive an earthquake of up to 9.0. I also wanted to do 24" on center for the walls, but was told the 7/16" OSB had to be nailed every 16" to comply with the wind requirements. City requires all buildings to survive 150 mph wind speeds and going 24" on center would have only provided protection up to 142 mph winds. I am told the highest winds ever recorded here are around 110 mph. Oh well.

    I am doing in floor radiant heating so in the photos you will see the tubing I installed. After sitting for over 90 days, the lines are still pressurized to 100 psi. I had them at 60, but the inspector required them at 100 before he would pass it. The end of the building with the garage door (10' x 10') will also have a car port for parking trailers, loading in bad weather, etc. The overhang will be an extra 16' with 6" x 6" posts supporting the roof on that end.

    IMG_20171006_133417409_HDR.jpg IMG_20170929_115832632_HDR.jpg
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    I am envious! I wanted in-the-floor radiant heating but didn't want to run water to new shop I built. The city put some heavy restrictions on it so I went with a gas furnace. It works well but would much rather have the radiant heat.

    Enjoy the process!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Northern UT
    Posts
    762
    Thanks Ken. The city here is funny. Heavy wind restrictions, won't allow but one meter per address, yet gave me no issues with the heating. I am not running water to the building as I didn't want to pay the cost of digging into the street. I will fill the system using a hose and top off as needed. As a closed loop, it shouldn't be a big issue, I hope.

    As you will see from the photos, I did not insulate under the outer edges of the slab. The concrete guy's engineer wouldn't let me even put down the thin bubble insulation. I did put insulation around the perimeter after the slab was poured and before it was backfilled. I tried to be bids from 6 or 7 concrete companies, but could only get one to actually respond. They have been so busy around here that unless you were giving them regular work, just weren't interested. The company that did the pour is owned by a neighbor, so he was kind of obligated. However, the day they poured it was supposed to start at 9 a.m. That got pushed to noon, then to 3. They showed up at 3, moved a wall that was placed wrong, the pumper showed up at 3:30 and the first truck at 4 p.m. This was the first part of October, so the sun went down around 6:30 and full dark by 7. That much concrete, with insulation and a water vapor under it, then add in the temps, and they didn't finish the slab until 2:00 a.m. I knew it was going to take them until late so I invested $20 in pizza for the crew. Under the circumstances, they did a nice job.

    The framing photo was taken yesterday and is where I am at present. About half the trusses are in place and I hope to set the remaining ones on Tuesday. I will get the posts for the beams on the carport up on Monday. Slow going when you do it all yourself. I hope to have it finished by March, but my wife asks March of what year?

    Heat Tubing.jpg
    Concrete Pour.jpg
    Wet Concrete.jpg
    Concrete Finished.jpg
    Framing.jpg
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  4. #4
    I hope you backed the pressure off the pex before pouring the floor. You don't want the pipe to pull away from the concrete once the pressure is lower.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bloomington, IL
    Posts
    6,009
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    I am envious! I wanted in-the-floor radiant heating but didn't want to run water to new shop I built. The city put some heavy restrictions on it so I went with a gas furnace. It works well but would much rather have the radiant heat.

    Enjoy the process!
    In floor radiant heat does not require running water to the shop. It is sealed self contained pressurized setup and does not require filling much at all and you only do what very little is necessary during a yearly maintenance job.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    Mike,

    What is needed and what a city inspection department requires can be two different things.

    The city of Lewiston required I either have a water source in the shop or safety devices to prevent the boiler (a water heater was my plan) from continuing to try to heat water in the event of a loss of water or catastrophic leak. The contractor I contacted locally quoted me prices in the range of $18,000 to provide such a system. In as much as my wife delayed her retirement to finance the $16,000 for the empty shell of the shop to be built by a contactor, I elected to forgo radiant heat. Two years later my wife had a 75,000 hanging gas heater installed in my shop. Even paying for running a gas line to the shop, digging the ditch, purchasing the furnace and installing it (all done by the seller), she paid a little over $2500 IIRC.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Mark, that's going to be a very nice space!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    Mark, looks like a very nice shop. Even though they are challenging, they are rewarding.

    Martin, on the pressure in the pex..I kept mine under pressure the entire time, and to this day, it's still holding the same 50 psi. I'm not putting the boiler in until my inside is finished. I was told by several folks to keep it under pressure during the pour, to keep the concrete from collapsing the pex.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Northern UT
    Posts
    762
    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Henry View Post
    Mark, looks like a very nice shop. Even though they are challenging, they are rewarding.

    Martin, on the pressure in the pex..I kept mine under pressure the entire time, and to this day, it's still holding the same 50 psi. I'm not putting the boiler in until my inside is finished. I was told by several folks to keep it under pressure during the pour, to keep the concrete from collapsing the pex.
    And you have to keep it under pressure while pouring so if any pipes are punctured, it is immediately obvious. I spent the pour with a bucket of repair parts on hand so I could jump in and effect an immediate repair if needed.

    Ken - I am planning on using a water heater as well. I have not asked, nor will I, if any provisions are required in the case of a loss of coolant. Better not to bring the subject up.
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Henry View Post
    Martin, on the pressure in the pex..I kept mine under pressure the entire time, and to this day, it's still holding the same 50 psi. I'm not putting the boiler in until my inside is finished. I was told by several folks to keep it under pressure during the pour, to keep the concrete from collapsing the pex.
    You want pressure on it while pouring to spot problems if the cement heads knick a pipe, but you don't want much more pressure than what the boiler will produce which is about 30 pounds. A hole becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly.

    You're probably okay at 50, you just don't want the pipe to expand, pour, then have it shrink and pull away from the concrete at the lower operating pressure of the boiler.

    I researched the crap out of it before pouring my floor, which was decent sized and had twenty four loops.

  11. #11
    Used to set up similar pours, and would use a board vertically on edge in the footing with a board to hold the sand out, and would pour the footing first, then lift the inside form out then finish the pour, eliminating that huge thick footing eating up yards of concrete.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Northern UT
    Posts
    762
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Andrew View Post
    Used to set up similar pours, and would use a board vertically on edge in the footing with a board to hold the sand out, and would pour the footing first, then lift the inside form out then finish the pour, eliminating that huge thick footing eating up yards of concrete.

    In this case, the engineer called for the thickened edge instead of an actual footing. He originally called for a 42" foundation wall on top of footings, but the cost was way outside what I had planned. He agreed with this arrangement thinking that even though we are not below the frost line, the weight of the thickened edge will alleviate frost heaves, or if there is any raising, the entire slab will go up at the same time. Me, I think it will be bomb proof and I am hoping able to survive a strong earthquake. I figure my house will come apart if/when we get hit with a 7.5 or better, but hoping the shop stays good. The family will just move into it for as long as we need.
    I am in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection, but with Montana it is love.... It seems to me that Montana is a great splash of grandeur....the mountains are the kind I would create if mountains were ever put on my agenda. Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans. Montana has a spell on me. It is grandeur and warmth. Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.

    John Steinbeck


  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    859
    Looks like a great start to a great shop Mark.
    I added a room to my house several years ago. Did most of the work myself and played general contractor on everything that I subbed out. The concrete guys were the worst. They never seemed to show up on time and most of them showed up drunk. Still, everything worked out fine.
    Congrats on the new shop.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Marietta, GA
    Posts
    389
    Great looking shop.

    You probably won't like this...but now is the time to remove or relocate those trees. Trees can and will cause crazy amounts damage. Rule of thumb is to keep the building outside of the full grown trees' drip line (leaf canopy). The one on the left is already violating that rule.

    I am am a bit confused about how you got around not digging below the frost line. Can you elaborate?

  15. #15
    Substitute the word perimeter for the word footing in my post and maybe it will make sense to you.

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