I've been asking a lot of questions over the last several months and figured I would start a new thread to show whatever progress I make on the shop. I finally got my building permit on Monday for the workshop next to my "new" house in the Adirondacks. The shop is to be 16x32, built on skids without a foundation since there is a town water line buried near one wall. There is no other space in the yard to put it in without being on a pretty substantial slope, so this is how it ended up being designed. I would have preferred a square footprint on a slab with a small loft above, but that's life. First world problems, as Jim Becker wisely said in another thread while I was planning.
I went up on Monday and got the permit, unloaded everything out of the bus(tub/shower unit, 2 toilets, a sink, metal roofing, 2 metal chimneys, lot of electrical stuff, a pile of treated lumber for the skids, some joists for the kitchen floor, a wheelbarrow, etc), and drove about 5 miles over to a place that sells screened tailings from an old iron mine. I asked for a ton and a half but got a little over two. I shoveled it onto a tarp inside the bus, drove it back to the site, rolled out some plastic and shoveled it out and spread it. The inspector required the plastic and gravel.
Tuesday I got another ton plus on my first trip, and then half a ton on the last trip. After loading the half ton I went to the nearby lumberyard only to find out that they didn't have 4x8x16 solid blocks, so after unloading the second lot of gravel I drove 45 miles to Potsdam and bought 60 blocks, and a bit more wood. Once I got back I spent some time placing and leveling blocks for the 36 support points. I put the treated wood for the skids on top of the blocks and basted them together with a screw at each end of each board.
Wednesday I spent most of the day working on the outside part of the electrical installation. The crew came that morning and took down the drop that was still live to the old meter. About 4:30 I got done with that, started the generator and drilled 100 1/2" holes, 25 in each skid. I had bought some 5" bolts on eBay but they turned out not to be actually quite 5" and the ends were a bit tapered, so I was not able to actually put in the bolts. I ordered some 6" bolts that night that should be here soon. The inspector said not to use carriage bolts. The last picture shows the state of the job Wednesday evening. Thursday it rained so I mostly worked inside. I am supposed to be able to get my first installment of lumber from the Amish by Tuesday and am going to go back up Wednesday. My plan for next week if everything gets here in time and it doesn't rain too much is to put in the bolts and install the floor joists and the floor deck, which will both be rough cut pine. If that doesn't work out I'll spend my time putting the sills, joists and plywood into the kitchen floor instead. It will be nice when I have a floor in there, not just an aluminum plank across the void.