Well. I am finally beginning that garage build I've discussed and planned for some time. Linda really wants my shop, tractor, equipment, & parts collection out of the basement. So, with her blessing, I began the process October 2016. I have been intentionally slow to allow myself analysis time to decide what exactly I want and, to allow some adjustment in Linda's expectations (looks, colors, landscape, etc).

October 10, 2016 my friend and contractor Mike Schneiders brought his track loader in to clear and level our an area for a garage behind our house.

 

Topography here is rough w/steep grades so it was critical to excavate in the location chosen to get the area I wanted (initially 30x30). When finished Mke announced "it looks like you'll be building a 24x40 unless you want a deeper cut. 24x40 it will be. Above is the finished cut viewed from our deck. A neighbor & I groomed, sedrd & mulched quickly to get a grass stand to hold the soil.

 

Nosey neighbors.

 

This shot is of a diversion ditch I cleaned out that runs along the hill just above the the garage site. Lots of rain water runs off the hill especially in springtime and it'll be helpful to divert from the garage area. 

 

A tree beside our house was removed to make room for a drive. 

 

A shot from the site towards our deck and screened-in porch from where I'll take several pictures. Removing part of the tree w/my newly acquired Sovereign 3012 Hydrolift and Agri-Fab Utility 10 Carry-all.  

 

September 13, 2017 my concrete contractor, Greg Rackers and his crew (Grey Stone Foundations) dig and pour footings.

 

Cole County Industries, Jefferson City supplied the concrete. These drivers can back a huge concrete truck up, around, down and into some tight places. Kudos to their driving and backing skills!

 

Greg Rackers, Grey Stone Foundations and his crew hard at work. 

 

The footing pour complete.

 

On Sunday September 17, 2017 we received the nicest all day .07” rain you could ask for. On Monday, September 18 a 2” downpour came in 40 minutes. Needless to say I’ve been digging off the footings. Will finish shoveling today (Sept 23) then brush and blow dirt off concrete. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again before walls & floor are poured. 

 

I scooped, broomed, and blew off the footing to get as clean as I possible and ready for the concrete retaining walls. It was two hot and humid Indian Summer days in Missouri and I sweat a ton but it was worth it in the long run. Ready for the concrete crew. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2017. Our concrete construction crew Grey Stone Foundations arrived and began the process of setting forms.

The 4 man crew worked non-stop through the morning and, just as the last of the forming was complete and inspected by the foreman, concrete trucks arrived (early afternoon). 

 

 

Forms removed Wednesday, September 27, 2017. Picture taken facing westward from our deck. In the foreground is the retaining wall for the floor that will be under the 8' overhang on the east side of the shop. In the background is the 4' retaining west sidewall of the shop and front wing wall. 

 

Standing on the west side of our house and facing northward,  the wing wall and west sidewall of the shop. You can also see the 3'x 4' concrete front corner of the shop (southwest)  and 3'x4' concrete rear corner (northwest).   And of course, to the right is the retaining wall for the east side "porch".

 

Friday, September 29, 2017: while I was in Bloomington IN at the Executive Committee meeting with Kent Thomas (Kent), Josh Thornton (Talntedmrgreen), and Carl Harcourt (CarlH), my carpenter Dale Feeler coated the sealed the retaining wall. Pictured looking southward from the rear of the building toward the back (north) and side (west) of our house.

 

Cooper, our English Cream Golden Retriever surveying the work. 

 

From the back northeast side of the shop building site. The topography of our property is shown better here and we are lucky as most Jefferson City construction jobs encounter bedrock. As you can see we are blessed with soil, heavy clay soil that dries hard as a bulls horn! Dale delivered drainage tile that will be laid on top of the footing and next to the outside of the west sidewall, then covered with aggregate. 

 

So on Saturday, September 30, 2017: I decided to have a little fun and to get an idea of how much floor space these guys will take. I needed to remove the sickle from the Early B-10 anyway and pallet it for shipment, knock down and smooth some of the dirt around the construction, and mow some grass so this was justifiable... A neighbor showed up during the operation and asked if I wanted to borrow a tarp.

 

Forecast of rain this brought the Raithel Plumbing in ahead of schedule on Monday, October 2, 2017. Tractor is a 29hp New Holland w/loader and backhoe; amazing what this small machine can accomplish. 

 

Jerry Raithel used a tool I'd not seen before: an small electric device that takes the place of a transit. He could readily find the elevation off the floor at any given time by punch of a button. I should've gotten a picture of the $700 piece of technology. 

 

Dale also came to insulate and coat again the outside west concrete wall and install the drainage pipe on the foundation of the west wall. Plumbers used the New Holland loader tractor to cover with aggregate before Dale covered with filtration fabric.  

The rains came on Tuesday evening and have not stopped as of Saturday October 7 collecting 4.05" so far.  

I guess now is a good time to share my plans as they’ve evolved: 

Shop will have a bathroom w/stool and utility sink located next to the stairway to the attic. Wood stove on north wall, 14’ garage door & 2 walk-ins. 

 

Have decided on scissor trusses in front 1/2 to allow more vertical workroom area. 20’ of upstairs storage should be enough and, I’ve found a person fills up whatever storage they have so I decided to limit that for me (and Linda). 

 

A rough idea of the front (south facing) view. Overhead door will be significantly larger than it appears. 

 

October 14, 2017: we've made no progress w/exception of me scooping dirt from the footings that washed in w/the rains. It's been dry this week and warm for October, but not warm enough dry the dirt to get cement trucks into the job site. Today, a cold front is scheduled in that may bring more rain. 

 

October 27, 2017: today is windy, overcast skies temp in the low 40s. Dirt is working nicely for Mike Schneiders. He backfilled w/dirt from excavation and gravel hauled in by his brother Ron. My contractor is on huricane mission work duty in Houston, Texas this week and he will be pleased we've progressed.

 

October 28, 2017: I finished replacing the starter/generator and hydrolift belts and throttle cable on the 3012. The original pull/twist throttle had been replaced by a simple lever off a lawn mower at some point and earlier this week while bringing in wood the cable broke. I found a throttle lever and cable from a AC 712 on the parts shelf. I like these and have converted several flat hoods, however the 712 cable was too short so I opted for a cheap choke cable from O'Reilley for now.  I also replaced the badly worn starter/gen belt and found the O'Reilly cross over to be too short and $2 higher than the correct (2)157524(sm) from the Simplicity dealer.  Hitched the Brinly disc I got from Howard Tews (aka HTews) several yrs ago, worked the soil around the building site, and sewed wheat for a cover. 

 

 

Tuesday, November 21, 2017: concrete floor pour. 

 

Thursday, November 30: Lumber delivered for framing. 

 

Monday, December 4, 2017  While I attended the Missouri Farm Bureau Annual Conference with Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn, look what was happening at home. Linda text these two pictures of the crew framing. You'll probably pick up some revisions made.  6' framed stud wall on top of the 4'concrete (west) wall. 

 

10' east & north stud walls going up.  (Construction crew: Dale, Jeff & Nathan)

 

When I came home from work last night, December 5, 2017 the cement porch had been poured and finished and all walls up. The temperature was to drop to low 30s and the blankets were laying there, so I texted Greg to see if he cared if I covered. I guess the crew was supposed to do that but instead, Linda and I did that at about 7:30p. 

 

The structure looks big right now. Guess it's the 10' walls that make it appear that way.

 

Trusses arrived a day early on December 20. 

 

And were set on December 21 rather than after Christmas as earlier scheduled. Trusses weighed 300#+ so a boom truck was brought in to do the heavy lifting. 

 

Starting to take shape and I am beginning to get a visual of what it will be. The next 2 pics are from the shop door on the southeast side looking to the northwest corner. 

 

 

From the walk-in door looking west. 

 

Trusses w/tiptops on and a view of the porch.

 

Progress is slow. Missouri winter weather has caused some delays. Fully boxed in and 1/2 the roof has decking.  

 

Crew worked to get the roof decking on 1 side and covered w/Titanium before a winter storm is supposed to come through. Prediction of freezing rain and zero temps. Titanium overlay is touted to shed rain for up to 6 months and not curl like felt.

4' steps will allow a wide load to navigate the stairway for those big storage needs. 

 

 

 

A look at the upper room.  Picture taken from the steps southward toward our house.

 

Roof sheeted & covered, windows ordered, ready for foam insulation & outside wrap. 

 

March 2 photo below.  Windows & walk-in door in about 2 weeks ago. 

 

March 6: electricians began wiring and finished bldg work on March 7, 2018. Dale dug in the water line and electric from the house. And, I contracted to have the roof and 3 sides metal installed late March. 

 

Sometimes communication just doesn't come easy. When I instructed the contractors that I wanted conduit imbedded in cement to bring electricity into the building they heard it. However the conduit was placed on the outside wall and beside the walk-in door. So now I have a box on the outside and this on the inside to get electrical service to my breaker box. All will be hidden inside however a little extra expense.

 

Although not far from the house I wanted a simple bathroom out here w/a urinal and a utility sink. Linda put the kibosh on a urinal so a stool sits here. 

 

And the utility sink here. Next challenge, no room to swing a door into the bathroom w/o hitting the sink. Solution: we will be modern and have a sliding bathroom door in this shop!

 

2 electrical outlets on the porch and a frost-free hydrant.

 

4 canned neon lights out here and a white metal ceiling. The stump is for the anvil (I'll cut it to correct height).

 

March 21, 2018: foam insulation applied.  Picture east corner of shop door toward west wall & rafters

 

From shop door toward north wall. The foam really brightens it. I had them foam the stairs/risers in the utility room/area behind the bathroom and under stairs where the water heater will be. Will also install a H20 shutoff in our basement.  

 

Foam in the upper room. Picture taken from stairway toward the south wall.

 

Standing at the south window in the loft facing west and downward. 

Caleb Zimmerman (A-1 Construction) and his crew from High Point, MO. 2018 Spring is cold, many days in 30* w/wind, snow and rain. Caught this picture of the crew unloading on the best day they worked. From this day forward they worked in rain, sleet, snow and mud. They had to catch the nicest of part of the days to do the high work. 

Frontier Metal, Versailles MO supplied the burnish slate 26ga G-Rib metal roofing

white #2 29ga G rib metal ceiling

Clay 26ga G-rib metal siding

March 29, 2018 - Finally a little sunshine for a decent picture.

North and west sides show the all metal exterior look. Those side windows are exact mower hight so this may be interesting..

Left the front for Linda. She wants the shop to look good with the house. 

Initially the porch was for storage..7' trailer, wood, etc. Now looks like a great place for bbq grills, lawn chairs, and some maybe some dry wood. 

April 4, 2018 Metal workers finished and pulled out. 

April 9, 2018 Drywall on bathroom begins the downstairs finish. Dale Feeler, my general contractor and friend along with another friend, Bob Bell are my drywall crew.

 

City inspectors approved a wall vent for the bathroom drains. 

A look into the utility cubby under the stairwell and the bathroom. 

 

This picture taken on April 9, 2018 at noon. It was a partly cloudy day in Central MO but with the white ceiling and white foam brighten the shop. 

Late friday April 20 Gerry Lage started Linda's brickwork. Saturday 12:50p picture (he doesn't mind working weekends). The brick used on the house is still available from Midwest Block & Brick here in town; has a few more black bricks than original but Gerry pulled those or placed them low so the house and shop look similar. 

Gerry finished around 6p Saturday evening. He enjoyed winding down for a short while over a Sam Adams. 

April 30 - May 3  I attended a regional milk regulatory seminar in Reno. Rooms were a bargain at Silver Legacy and look at my view!

May 3 & 4, 2018 Dale & Bob hung drywall. Picture toward the bathroom, stairwell & north wall. 

With only natural light it’s not bad in here. From the north wall looking toward the shop door. 

Another picture showing the light through the shop door. 

Inside the utility cubby under the stairs. Drain is for the water heater. 

I bought the 6” insulated flu pipe along with a wood stove from a fellow who inherited a cabin from his in-laws at Lake of the Ozarks. When the guys located the flu holes in the roof and ceiling they didn't have the black flange that was to be boxed between ceiling joists. As you see, we will improvise and run the black stove pipe through the metal ceiling connecting into the flu here. Will need to pull a staple, move the wires, and secure the black flange to the truss. Also buckled the roof boot when we repositioned the flu so will need to get someone on the roof to fix that before long.  

 

Englander wood stove I bought when I first started this idea. It's in excellent condition, firebrick show little use, as does the insulated flu & stovepipe. Looks like I have 2 - 35” joints flu pipe left over if someone has need.   

 

Stairwell is a bit dark but wide steps & risers are a pleasure to navigate. Neon lights will help. 

Loft. There was a Carolina Wren nest w/fledglings in the truss so the crew worked around them on Friday.  By Saturday May 5 the babies were gone from the nest. I'm told this is a sign of good luck so I'll take it. 

  

May 23, 2018

 

May 30, 2018  Tuesday following Memorial Day.  While I am away on business in St Louis and then in Lake Ozark 3 contractors converged at our shop. Caleb and A-1 crew arrived at 5:45a to install the vinyl siding for front gable and to position the flue. May was the hottest on record for Missouri so crews worked when cooler. 

June 6, 2018  Jerry Raithel dug in the sewer, installed the frost free outside hydrant,  
  

and installed the water heater in the utility cubby. Decided on a 20gal rather than my original planned 6gal. May want to wash something big. And a utility sink and stool in the bathroom too.

 

Dale mudded and taped before leaving May 31 for a 3week cruise around Alaska w/his wife Dr Lory. While he was gone I cleaned, painted, and did some other small  jobs to ready the shop. I've been surprised so far how the foam insulation really keeps the upstairs at a bearable temp during the hot days. I am not installing an air conditioner initially but holding the option for heater/air conditioner wall unit later if needed.

 

June 14, 2018  I told someone yesterday they have to understand, I am working on a year-long project that's taking 3 to complete. I do have a lot more patience than I did 30yrs ago! Between work and family trips I am starting to cut in the ceiling, corners, windows/doors, etc so I can roll paint on the walls (and ceiling upstairs). Electricians are ready to come back when painting is complete so pressure is on me. Leave Sunday for a week long FDA training in Dallas so hope to get some paint slapped on b/f I leave.

 

Dale returned June 20. He finished mudding upstairs, built the barn door for the bathroom, and installed trim around the bathroom and walk-in doors. 

 

June 22, 2018  I returned from Dallas on a 6a flight to St Louis. Our neighbor Mark Blume has offered to cut, stain, and install window trim made from old ruff sawn oak fence lumber to give the shop a rustic look. I am painting all walls and ceiling upstairs white as well and will summon the electrician as soon as finished painting.

 

 

Walls painted, windows  trimmed, 10’ tall pallet rack ends & 8’ rack supports ready for assembly. I see one ceiling light will need to be moved from directly over the rack.

 

July 25, 2018  Trimmed out the garage door with metal. I liked the look and would have stained or painted the wood anyway.  

 

July 30, 2018  Mark Blume is retired, my neighbor, and woodworking is his hobby. He offered to trim the windows in old rough sawn oak and after that he said "why not use some scraps to trim out the wall. Today after church we cut, sanded, stained, sealed and nailed 3/4" trim to the wall where the workbenches and pallet racks will stand. 

 

July 31, 2018  14' overhead door installed. My builder told me the insulation and door would keep the shop cooler in summer and he is right. Working inside on pallet racks, trying out different shelf heights, and its much nicer when the door is closed & fan running. 

 

Stained & polyurethane coated the bathroom door & trim and added a pull handle

 

Figured and reconfigured the pallet racks. These were used and some a bit abused I think so the erection didn't go as easily as I thought it should. Also, I couldn't set them up exactly as I had planned because you do what you can do with used right?  This will work or I'll buy some new parts to make it work later when I determine my needs better. 

 

August 11, 2018

 

Throughout this project Cooper and our resident deer have been pictured a lot. In August 2018 these two fawns, their mother, couple of doe friends and a buck are frequenting our yard and backyard. Linda sprays the costa every week to keep them from feasting so much. Today as I walked to the shop after work these two fawns were as interested in watching me as I was them. My view from the porch.  

August 27, 2018  Electrician has been swamped and hasn't returned. According to code I have to either use a licensed electrician or I can do the work myself. So, for the past several nights after work I'be been installing breakers, tracing wire, installing GFCI and regular outlets and switches.

Linda picked out the bathroom light fixture. A little big & bright but well lit necessary room. 

Overhead door works smoothly but the contractor charged me for, yet didn't install, the wireless keypad and 2nd remote. They told me to drop by & pick them up - no problem for me to install myself.  So I deducted the cost of 1 remote ($30) and 1 wireless keypad ($45) and sent the check. Ordered new wireless keypad remote from eBay for $20. 

 

September 4, day after Labor Day holiday Gary Schulte called to finish the electricity. He didn't change out much of what I did; changed out 2-15a breakers for 20a, changed out the LED bulbs & replaced w/LED fixtures on the porch, and pretty much left the rest. Passed city code inspection so Woohoo! Electricians installed the hallway 3way switch & asked Linda to get matching lights to those we used upstairs from Lowes. LED lights installed in the workshop area really brighten the place! 

Took picture below at 8:00p September 3 after finishing over seeding the backyard.  

Trip to Ft Collins, CO to see our son, daughter in law & especially the grandkids so I'm off shop duty for a week.   

 

Upon return I needed to mow our property at the end of the street. I use the Bumblebee 10 out there; its rough and tumble and the B-10 handles it very well. When done I parked it inside the shop so now we have 3 resident vintage foot dragger Simpletractors. In the foreground you see more 1x8 pine boards. Neighbor Mark Blume & I will sand, stain, seal and nail up these baseboards downstairs. 

 

Newest acquisition for the shop is FB Marketplace find: Black & Decker Workmate 200 for $25 delivered.  

October 1, Mike Schneiders excavated the new drive and spread the gravel base for the concrete.  Had to remove a dogwood tree. Mike moved it into the woods behind the shop.

 

October 3, 2018  I had to really beat and pry to get some of the pallet racking up and when finished the uprights were visibly whopperjawed. So I measured and found I had 3 different length cross bars. Tore down the left side (mostly orange crossbars) and reconstructed until I had 2 crossbars left - one orange 96.5" & one green 97". The lower orange crossbars are all 96".

October 6, 2018   The move has started. I need my tools in the shop instead of the basement. Put the equipment to work moving my Craftsman tool boxes and power hack saw.  

Cut the pallet rack crossbars with an Excel Mfg power Hack Saw (purchased from Ed England auction, Galesburg IL). Its old style, slow and I have to baby it to keep it from hopping but does a nice job

 

Spot welded with the Hobart flux core mig that I moved as well

And put the cross bars on top with help of my daughter visiting from Boston. 

 

October 14, 2018  Stained 1x4s for baseboard and picked up backer board and screws to erect behind the wood stove.

 

October 27, 2018  Wood stove up. Earlier this week we screwed 2-3'x5' 1/2" cement backer boards to the wall directly behind the stove. After firing yesterday I may likely sit a stove board against the wall behind the stove too as it gets pretty warm back there. Neighbor Mark is installing the baseboard.

 

And more implements loaded onto the pallet racks. The Deere (rebranded Brinly) implements have extra long handles that don't fit my configuration. So I mfg short ones to accommodate my needs. Not sure how easy it'll be to unload when I want to use but this one man setup is working ok. Loader may be in my future...

 

Personalized things a little. Lizard was given by by girls back when they were in middle school. It was a crazy gift but a gift nonetheless. Their mother wouldn't display it in the house so I've hung it in my shop for 20+ years. Pop's Shop was this year's birthday gift from my grandkids.  

 

The sign from the old voting precinct in the rural township where my paternal and maternal grandparents' lived and farmed. Politics has one place in this shop

 

And nearly 4 years after we started we're done! Well actually, we're done with concrete. For some reason I could never get the original concrete contractor back to finish the drive. Being your own general contractor puts you behind the big guys I think. After major frustration I finally contacted Terry McDaniel, another reputable long time concrete contractor and competitor for the shop pour. After only 2 weeks the stars aligned, well actually the clouds aligned and rains drove his crew from a commercial job nearby on Monday, July 20. 2020. I received a call at 9:30p that night asking if it'd be ok to come tomorrow. So Tuesday, July 21, 2020 the drive pour started.

And this pictured prior to expansion cuts on Wednesday evening July 22, 2020. 

I suspect I will never be done with modifications because I am going to add 2 more 4' LED  lights inside before winter, ceiling fans to the porch before next summer, and probably a split mini unit one day (???). Will add a landscape wall on both sides of the drive soon too. 

Now that I am looking back through this log I can see where things were placed and how I can do some other modifications as well so....

so, you’re never done, right?  Upstairs needed a barricade to keep the grandkids safe (and me too). Found a FB Marketplace buy for $40 so neighbor Mark and I moved the boxes that hid the problem and installed this bannister

Next up, Linda got me 2 new ceiling fans for the porch for my birthday 2020. Waiting for cool(er) days to put install them…

June 24, 2021 after a long dry spell we received some much needed rain overnight and this morning. I came home from Friday morning coffee & debotion to find a red oak had splintered and fallen onto the shop

Hot muggy weather is not really chainsaw f time but it had to come down

Turns out God provided some nice firewood in a convenient location

and minor sign of the impact

July 2021  My builder and older, more nimble friend Dale Feeler helped run wire I and installed electrical boxes during cooler weather. 

8/03/2021. I am officially retired this week. Time to install the ceiling fans Linda got for my porch. The rib panels on the tin ceiling presented some challenges because that’s something we didn’t consider when I  pinpointed fan location. So we decided the north fan would be easiest and, it was.

 

Got out the Dremel and cut off wheels to modify the tinwork for the near fan

 

With a few more cuts in the ceiling to get enough area to mount the fan base, and help from neighbor Mark, we installed the south fan. Makes a great place to cool down or just sit and enjoy watching the wildlife and birds.  Now Linda would like me to clean up our here but I think the porch storage works just fine…