Looking for ideas for new shop

[Belair-o]

Chevynut,
Good job on dealing with the lack of execution by your SIP contractor. Good move to Plan B that (mostly) achieves your objectives.
Regards, Doug

[BamaNomad]

The name on a company doesn't mean much anymore... It's all up to the 'manager/worker' who is doing your project, and with the way people come and go these days.. Almosta anything contracted out is a crapshoot!

[chevynut]

The name on a company doesn't mean much anymore... It's all up to the 'manager/worker' who is doing your project, and with the way people come and go these days.. Almosta anything contracted out is a crapshoot!

My brother used Premier Building Systems for his 2600 square foot shop and said it was a smooth project and everything went fine. That's one reason I chose to go that route. The biggest problem in my case was an incompetent, lazy project manager.

I also used the same concrete contractor as my brother. His foundation was footing/wall/slab not a monolithic pour. I did mine monolithic shallow frost protected slab to save labor cost. I just found out from my framer last night that the slab is 6" too long on one end. The bolts completely miss the bottom plate. They can't even read a goddam tape measure! I was going to check everything before they backfilled, but got too busy with other stuff. I also wanted to check things before they poured and ended up working on other things to get ready. I shouldn't have to double check a contractor's work.

I just hope my builder is competent, and so far he seems to be.

[chevynut]

Ryan is making progress on the shop. They set trusses yesterday and are sheathing the roof. Hopefully we have metal by snowfall. You can see that I decided to install a 10x8 door between the west and center sections of the shop to push stuff from one side to the other. I got a big surprise from Premier, they decided to refund my entire $5000 deposit.

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[BamaNomad]

Outstanding CN! money back from the failed vendor, AND moving right along on your structure! We'll keep our fingers crossed for you on getting your building 'weathered in' before snowfall and winter!

[WagonCrazy]

This is some serious progress man. Congratulations. You'll be "encapsulated" there in no time. Get yourself a big space heater and keep the doors closed so you can work in there finishing up this winter. You do have the doors on order, right? Once you get those and any windows installed, it's wind proof.

[chevynut]

Ryan said he's about done with as much as he can do before winter. He can't work on the roof until late morning because of frost, and he needs a lift to finish some fascia and a few things that are up high. He can't install the attic floor because the glue will freeze. He could build the stairway and the bathroom walls, and finish up some other odds and ends which I'm going to try to get him to do. I plan to cover the doors with tarps for the winter, and get the wiring, insulation and drywall done in the spring. I still have to make a wiring diagram and get a meter and electrical panel installed. At this point the electric company can't install the power until the ground thaws. Then I have to figure out my doors, get a siding list together, and pick the roofing. This thing seems a lot bigger than I expected it to be. the 16 foot walls in the east end seem especially tall, and the whole area seems huge even though it's divided into three parts.


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[WagonCrazy]

Looking good.
The smart arse in me says "it's too small Laszlo" but I will tell you that after building my 1700 sq ft. 5 car garage, it seemed big on loading day. Then a few years went by and now I have it stuffed full. Same things gonna happen to you. You'll find that you have the room to move around and you'll slowly start to fill it up. That's a good thing..

Get some tarps on those doors to keep out the snow and cold.

[567chevys]

Looking Good Laszlo
Hope all is well with you & the family.
Like one says they are never big enough. Almost all my Friends say they end up working on there stuff in the drive way . I now have 3 Big shops and I have no room I will post Pictures in a few Days under another Post

Thanks Sid

[chevynut]

Well we're back working on the new Montana shop after half the summer is gone. Ryan got hung up on a remodel job and it was wet and muddy up at the house this spring. He's working on finishing the roof now, and has the attic floor about done. I added a dormer to make it look more like the front of the house which is next to it. I am now in MT and working on mounting the meter base so we can get power connected in September. Doors and windows will be here next week and I still have to get four garage doors. I'm hoping to get it closed up before winter and all of the siding and interior framing done. Then I still have to install heaters, do all the electrical work, and plumb the bathroom.


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[WagonCrazy]

Nice to see some progress Laszlo! It always feels like its coming too slowly, but you are almost "sealed up" now. Get those big doors on order so you aren't waiting for them into the late fall. Once you can seal it up, then working in it over the winter becomes easier.
How are you getting it all done? Seems you've been focused on that Nomad interior.
Great progress here. Hurry up and finish and we'll drag our 5th wheel trailer northwards next summer and pay you a visit for a few days while in the area.

[chevynut]

How are you getting it all done? Seems you've been focused on that Nomad interior.
Great progress here. Hurry up and finish and we'll drag our 5th wheel trailer northwards next summer and pay you a visit for a few days while in the area.

Yeah Paul I have way too many things going on. I have the Nomad interior stuff I've been working on finishing, and had to trailer it to Denver and back and take several trips down there to discuss things with Javier. I have stuff to do in Fort Collins on the house to get it ready to sell next year and just regular yard maintenance. I'm also trying to sell a lot of parts and I sold the 56 parts car. I'm trying to decide which projects to keep and which to sell. I have the shop in Montana that takes me quite a bit of time coordinating things and buying materials, I've been designing some landscaping and trying to find someone to do it, I designed some steel railing for the deck to replace the rotting wood stuff and I'm getting quotes on that....can't believe what guys want to fab stuff. I may end up doing that myself too because it's hard to justify the cost. I just found out that my in-laws want to come live with us in Montana and I may have to build yet another small home on our property so they're not in our house...it never ends.

[tasadduq]

When setting up a new shop, I’ve found that planning the layout around workflow is the best starting point. Make sure tools and equipment are positioned where you’ll use them most, and keep plenty of open space for movement. Good lighting is also a game-changer whether it’s a garage or a customer-facing space.

I went through the same process when setting up my own shop, and I drew a lot of ideas from different industries. For example, barber shops put a big focus on layout, lighting, and customer comfort —

Sometimes looking outside your exact field gives you fresh ideas you wouldn’t normally think of.

[chevynut]

Ryan has been really lagging on getting the shop done. I confronted him about this and gave him a kick in the pants. He wanted payment for all the siding but had a bunch of work left to do so I gave him a list of things that weren't done on the shop, and how much I was going to withhold from payment. Bottom line is he went back to work on it.

While I was there in September I tried to get the propane company to install the lines and regulators for the shop and garage. They told me they couldn't get to it until spring, so I had my excavator friend come over and we did it ourselves. I still have to get the interior propane lines run, and order 4 heaters for the shop and garage. I have the four garage doors from Menard's and will be installing them when I go back up in mid November. Here's some pics showing the STEEL log siding, TruLog, made in Colorado.

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