The start finally ....Garashmahal
March 2nd, 2011, 06:16 PM
#1
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The start finally ....Garashmahal
There's been a lot of road blocks and set backs but its finally happening. My new shop broke ground today.shop109.jpg?t=1299118144
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March 2nd, 2011, 07:26 PM
#6
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March 3rd, 2011, 06:35 AM
#8
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Congratulations, Richard! Keep us posted on the continuing status of the new shop. You make a lot of us envious, of course. I'm sure, when it's finished, if you have a mind to, you might find a few Members of the Club desirous of your working on their Oldsmobile's, with the type of work you performed on the '66! Once again, congratulations, and full speed ahead!
lol!) Seriously, best wishes on your project and HOPE you're USING it real soon! 
March 3rd, 2011, 05:59 PM
#18
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Congratulations, Richard! Keep us posted on the continuing status of the new shop. You make a lot of us envious, of course. I'm sure, when it's finished, if you have a mind to, you might find a few Members of the Club desirous of your working on their Oldsmobile's, with the type of work you performed on the '66! Once again, congratulations, and full speed ahead!
We are talking building right?
That hammer is a bad bitch. 2-3 hits and and it busts right through 4" concrete. I hired it out. They have done in two days what it would take me a month worth of weekends to do. I will help and electrician friend wire it and I will run the plumbing for air lines.
March 4th, 2011, 07:45 PM
#22
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My wife went outside and took a few mid-day pictures. They are a lot farther along but it was too dark to take pictures when I got home.
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March 4th, 2011, 08:12 PM
#23
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Location: KY
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Congratulations. I had a 30 X 30 built a few years ago and only had one (toy) car at the time. 4 years later, it's full.........
Some friendly advice, do NOT let them talk you into doing a monolithic pour of the foundation and floor. That's when they form and pour the foundation and floor at the same time. It was sold to me as being "stronger" because it was all one piece. BS!!! The weight of the walls caused the footer to settle more than the 4-5 inch thick floor causing the floor to crack, literally, all the way around the perimeter of the garage about 5 feet in from the walls.
I also let them talk me into using fibermesh in the concrete as opposed to wire fencing. So my driveway is cracked everywhere too.
Oh, and don't believe them if they say they can pour a concrete floor with a drain in it that will actually drain toward the drain. Unless it's pitched like crazy, you're going to have puddles that you will have to deal with every time you wash a car or clean the floor. Floating floor with a reasonable pitch toward the doors is the way to go there.
So, floating garage floor and old school wire in the concrete for me in the future.
Leave yourself an empty conduit from the house incase you want to run something else out there in the future. PVC is cheap and you've already got it dug up.
It's funny that you named it that, mine's not as big but it was big to me so it got dubbed the "Taj Ma Garage".
Good luck,
Randy
Some friendly advice, do NOT let them talk you into doing a monolithic pour of the foundation and floor. That's when they form and pour the foundation and floor at the same time. It was sold to me as being "stronger" because it was all one piece. BS!!! The weight of the walls caused the footer to settle more than the 4-5 inch thick floor causing the floor to crack, literally, all the way around the perimeter of the garage about 5 feet in from the walls.
I also let them talk me into using fibermesh in the concrete as opposed to wire fencing. So my driveway is cracked everywhere too.
Oh, and don't believe them if they say they can pour a concrete floor with a drain in it that will actually drain toward the drain. Unless it's pitched like crazy, you're going to have puddles that you will have to deal with every time you wash a car or clean the floor. Floating floor with a reasonable pitch toward the doors is the way to go there.
So, floating garage floor and old school wire in the concrete for me in the future.
Leave yourself an empty conduit from the house incase you want to run something else out there in the future. PVC is cheap and you've already got it dug up.
It's funny that you named it that, mine's not as big but it was big to me so it got dubbed the "Taj Ma Garage".
Good luck,
Randy
Last edited by W70442; March 5th, 2011 at 02:10 AM.
March 4th, 2011, 10:52 PM
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March 5th, 2011, 04:28 AM
#26
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Looks like it will be great! I made a mistake when I built my 30x40 3 stall and did a 9 1/2 ft ceiling thinking it would be easier to heat, but not high enough for a decent lift. No matter how big you built it, it is amazing how fast they fill up. A neighbor of mine built his 40x60, put in a bathroom with a shower, an office area, big screen etc. His wife hasn't seen him for months LOL.
March 5th, 2011, 08:24 AM
#27
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A friend did his at the same time and used wire, he has a lot cracks. Maybe use both? The fiber is not expensive. I think the main thing is to have your sand packed very hard. I poured the foundation & added the sand one year and poured the floor the next. So it sat for almost a year compacting itself. MHO
March 5th, 2011, 09:18 AM
#28
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Man your building A "man cave" and i am stuck workin in the basement...LOL.. Man I can not wait to retire and move from this house love the house but a single car garage is weenieville!!
man I am getting excited and it isn't even my garage!!!
I think we are all like goldfish here, all excited someone makes it outta the bowl....
March 5th, 2011, 11:03 AM
#30
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Looks good so far.
The control cuts should be a 1/4 of the thickness of the concrete, 3/8th of an inch don't do it unless the slab was an inch and a half thick.
I've never used fiberglass but I'm old school, if the old technique has worked for over a thousand years why mess with it now?
If you pitch the floor to the doors and don't have trench drains inside in front of them you're asking for trouble in a number of different ways.
You can rebar the trench and tie the floor wire mesh to that to prevent cracking but most guys just roll the wire into the trench.
If you heat the building and don't have footers down to the frost line (36-42 inches around here), and have a frost wall under the door/s, in the winter the floor will heave and crack all around the edges, wall weight can do it too on a slab with no footers, especially in the winter with a heavy snow load.
I don't know code in Texas but I imagine that deep frost and snow wouldn't be a problem there.
When I did my last garage I used a six sack mix then sealed it as it was drying, hard as a rock and shined like a waxed floor, Home Depot style.
It was summer and really hot so I had a couple of sprinklers going to keep it cool so it wouldn't dry too fast and crack.
The garage I built at my last house was a house with garage doors and no
inside walls, all to human dwelling code so I could turn it into one in case the old lady threw me out becuse of all the cash it was costing to build.
It sat on a steep grade dropping off in back, I should have used pre-cast for the floors and put in a basement and garage under it too.
The control cuts should be a 1/4 of the thickness of the concrete, 3/8th of an inch don't do it unless the slab was an inch and a half thick.
I've never used fiberglass but I'm old school, if the old technique has worked for over a thousand years why mess with it now?
If you pitch the floor to the doors and don't have trench drains inside in front of them you're asking for trouble in a number of different ways.
You can rebar the trench and tie the floor wire mesh to that to prevent cracking but most guys just roll the wire into the trench.
If you heat the building and don't have footers down to the frost line (36-42 inches around here), and have a frost wall under the door/s, in the winter the floor will heave and crack all around the edges, wall weight can do it too on a slab with no footers, especially in the winter with a heavy snow load.
I don't know code in Texas but I imagine that deep frost and snow wouldn't be a problem there.
When I did my last garage I used a six sack mix then sealed it as it was drying, hard as a rock and shined like a waxed floor, Home Depot style.
It was summer and really hot so I had a couple of sprinklers going to keep it cool so it wouldn't dry too fast and crack.
The garage I built at my last house was a house with garage doors and no
inside walls, all to human dwelling code so I could turn it into one in case the old lady threw me out becuse of all the cash it was costing to build.
It sat on a steep grade dropping off in back, I should have used pre-cast for the floors and put in a basement and garage under it too.
Last edited by Bluevista; March 5th, 2011 at 11:06 AM.
March 5th, 2011, 11:47 AM
#31
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Location: Genesee,Mi.
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The floor is 4"+ and the control cuts did their job, not a single crack anywhere else. I did a 9x20 pad last summer using the same method and so far so good, no cracks.
March 5th, 2011, 03:17 PM
#33
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Yes and no. I planned it out to the best of my knowledge and did a lot of research but when it comes down to doing everything every internet computer chair builder on all the building forums says you need to do I would blow all my money on just concrete. In the end I talked with several contractors and ended up with this guy. He was recommended by a local racer and is a racer himself with a 7 sec street legal Nova. We know mutual people local and run in the same circles. I am trusting him to get the job done as best as he can and still meet my limited funds.
March 5th, 2011, 04:26 PM
#34
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I got home tonight and it was still daylight so I shot a few of where they stopped Friday. As you can see we left the old slab from the other building. The slab will be 6" above that and they added trenches directly around the old slab and trenches for the footers for the new building.
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March 7th, 2011, 07:26 PM
#36
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Its was a long day today for the crew.I left for work as they were pulling up at 6:30 AM. Tonight when I got home at 7:30 they were still at it. I can't wait to see it in the light.
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March 8th, 2011, 08:29 AM
#37
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Richard, that's lookin' great! Before you start fixin' Oldsmobile's, you need to have a barn dance and hoe down to celebrate the build!!! LOL! Those guys working fast. Really going to be a nice facility, and of course, you make all of us jealous...................
