New (very old building) shop
 

Finally came up with a solution for my workshop. I have posted in the past about building a work shop. I was really dreading the experience, partly because I am in a historic district and was really struggling with how to build and not make it look way out of place. I bought the building next door to our house a couple years ago, and let the local Red Cross office there for free. I also bought the two lots on the other side of that building (used to be a Sinclair station there years ago) and was planning to build on those two lots. But, like I sais, I was not looking forward to it, and there were some space considerations as well.

Anyway, to make a long story short (may be a little late for that), there is a commercial warehouse building about 120 yards from out back door; built in 1928. Pretty rough, and right down by the rail road tracks. But, it has three huge doors 13 foot ceiling on most of it, and 16 foot ceiling on the lower level. Over 5000 square feet, so lots of room. It is not clear span, but the supporting posts are far enough apart, it wont be hard to drive cars around. May be able to get some pics this weekend. The lower level is about 1500 feet, all new concrete floor. Plenty of room for a lift, and still put another car next to it. Owner is going to let me move in that part of the building right away. He just needs to remove two car hauler type trailers that are there now. I agreed to give him 6 mos to move everything else out of the rest of the building. I can sell the Red Cross building and the lots and pay for this building, so almost a wash.

So, ASAP I plan to install my Aamco two post. I already have my first project lined up; taking two cars to make one. Will start another thread about that one. It isn't what anyone thinks of when they thing muscle cars, but in a way will involve one of the very first muscle cars, predating the GTO by about 7 years.

Hey, congrats on your new old building! Given its vintage and being located in a historic area... I’m guessing it likely has a great character! Looking forward to seeing this unfold.

Cool Lynn, looking forward to seeing some photos.

Mike

Can’t wait Lynn 😎

Cool stuff for sure!

x2.

K

No pics? :dunno:

By memory this is the place you wanted but thought was not going to happen?

Ryan

Will take some pics this weekend. Pretty rough old building, but will suit my needs.

Ryan: No, my first choice is tied up at least through August. I really don't think it will ever happen on that building. It is almost as big as this one, and is clear span, but has some other issues. If, by some miracle, it becomes available for a decent price, I can always make a play for it and sell this one. We will see.

Pictures.
 

Promised some pictures. Some are not loading. Says they are too large. I thought I dummied them all down. The wooden door is on the west wall. That is the same wall Sherri is staning by on the outside. That wall is over 50 foot long. You can see that they blocked it in with cinder blocks, but left the old wooden sliding door on the inside. Also took a few pics of the original windows on that West wall.

The West end is the area I plan to make my initial work space. That West wall runs at an angle. The other three walls are square to each other. North wall is 105 feet, North wall is 105 feet, and the South wall is about 130 feet. That gives you an idea of the angle of the West wall. The work space is 22 feet at the narrowest part (North) and 45 feet at the widest part (South). Hope I got all the directions correct.

Will try to post some more in a bit.

workspace
 

This is where I plan to work for now. Floor is in very nice shape. It is on the West end, and sits lower than the rest of the flooring. The East 1/3 is all new concrete flooring as well. The middle is wood flooring. Old planks with OSB sitting on top. It is very sturdy and level, and they have been driving cars and trucks on it for years. Took a couple of shots of the supporting beams and stones that are setting on hard pack and bed rock. You only have to go down about a foot to hit bedrock here. Same as at my house. I had to use a hammer drill and drill about 100 holes in some rock to be able to chip it out with a pick ax, so that we could plant a tree a couple years ago. Six foot deep hole by 6 foot wide. I wanted shade the next summer. Tree (Shawnee Brave Cypress) is 30 foot high now.

Also took a pic of the old RR ties that are about 5 feet from the back (West) side of the building. The train still runs, but the new tracks are about 50 yards to the West now. I am not sure what year they moved the train tracks, but these were apparently still in use in 1936, as I pulled out two 1936 dated nails from a couple of ties further down this line. The old tracks have mostly been pulled, but remain out at the street. They just left them and put asphalt right over them.

Will post some exterior pics next.

Exterior
 

The East end and part of the South wall are partially earth sheltered. I looked at the building last Mon. morning right after a weekend of almost 3 inches of rain, and there was not water intrusion, so it is sealed up relatively well. I plan to do some more dirt work to make sure water is being diverted away from the building.

I think the first few pics are of that East wall, which is about 50 foot.

Then the South wall, which is the long one, about 125 foot. All the windows have bars mortered in. There are 8 skylights. Guy I am buying it from had a commercial roofing company. He used to have his office in this building. The roof and skylights are in good shape.

Saved the ugliest for last.
 

Sadly, the North wall is just tin, instead of brick. I am thinking I may wall off that West end so that all I need to heat is that small area. There is some insulation on parts of the North wall, but not much. The thought of trying to heat the whole 5000+ foot building with a tin North wall does not appeal to me.

Lots of character in that stone, brick work and the interior timbers... great potential!

Congrats

that building is awesome! i would have all the muscle car guys you know and then some park outside and in and get an awesome group shots of all the cars.also rent space for all the muscle cars that need storage.

Neat stuff so far, Lynn!

Very cool - best of luck with the new shop.

Lotta cool texture in there, Lynn!

That is pretty cool!

Congrats! Wish ya luck!!! They do fill up quick

That is a great space Lynn - character oozes out of that place.

Love the new/old building!!

I assume winters are not as intensely cold as up here? May be easier to keep warm....

Ryan

We see zero F from time to time, but overall, not nearly what you are used to Ryan.

Such a cool building and as stated, it oozes character. Put several hot rods in the shop and in front and you have awesome pics from the 1930's to the 1960's.

Finally found some time to do some work on the workshop. Besides my time constraints, I was waiting until the seller got all of his stuff out. Part of the deal was he could take up to six months to vacate. He got out a little early. Left my camera down there yesterday so can't post any new photos.

However, that big post right in the middle of my workspace is now gone. My brother cam and helped on Sat and Sun. We built temp supports, removed the post, and threaded in two 18 x 2 x 28 foot LVL beams, screwed together. It was a challenge getting beams that weigh 324 pounds a piece 16 foot into the air, keeping it up there while building the end supports and getting it all attached safely. We actually raised the middle part of that roofing over an inch from what it was while resting on the center post.

Space is 45 by 35 by 23 (actually a bit larger, but rounded it down. This pic is looking South at the small door (10 x 10). That South wall is 35'. The East boundary of my work area is 45 foot, so the shop area is 45 deep. The large door is 12 x 12 and faces North. Plan is to expand that door to 20 x 12 and install an insulated rollup. Ceiling slopes from a high of 17 foot down to about 14 foot so lots of head room. Plan to wall off the East boundary of the work space so I can HVAC just that area. Don't want to HVAC the whole 5200 feet. I mean, I like my cars, but hey they don't need air conditioning.

Sherri and I unloaded our new Aamco 7k pound two post lift Friday evening using nothing but pry bars, floor jacks and wood blocks. She said it was easier than expected. Did I tell you I am married to an angel? It is setting up at the front of the workspace right now. There is no rebar in this concrete, so I need to pour a couple of really thick reinforced pads to mount the lift. Will start busting out concrete on Wed nite.

Have a full day tomorrow, but will do my best to get some pics up by the evening.

Lynn

That space has great character. Looking forward to seeing it completed.

Hard to tell how large those LVL beams are when looking up 17 feet. Each one is 18 inches thick.

Quite the trick to get those put in there and supported on each end. They each weighed 324 pounds. Had to put temp supports up to hold the roof while we removed the old center post.

How did you lift those into place? Awesome looking shop BtW.

Thanks Tony

You want the short story or the long story?

Short story is we slid one onto the scissor lift. I crawled under the beam, drove it to where the old post was threading it through my temp posts (had less than 1/4 inch to spare on each side of the lift between my temp posts). Capacity is 500 pounds. I weigh 170 and each beam, after trimming to fit, weighed in at 302 and some change, so pretty close to capacity. Up it went until we got it close enough to wrap six ratchet straps around the old beam and the new beam. Cinched it up a bit, then muscled it upright and cinched it up tight. Put on temp metal straps to keep it there, ran a few screws just to keep it from sliding sideways, and did the same thing with the second one.

The whole project took about 10 hours, which included 3 trips to the hardware store.

Be glad to give you the long story, but most guys would get bored reading that much. Plus, given the nature of the work, I took zero progress pics. Just too busy getting it done to take pics.

I have to say that place looks amazing.Angeis are nice to have on your side

Wow Lynn, that's pushing the envelope alright. Sounds like something I would try!

Nice work,I can relate to building work and improvising.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...pssgblj4dx.jpg

Yea, nothing is plumb or level. Originally this was a three sided building where coal was stored after being delivered by rail. That is why the North side is corrugated metal.

Of course, I have seen the Taj Mahal bathroom you guys did on your place. Don't expect anything close to that on my build. My building doesn't even have hot water right now.

Haven't posted here in a while. Bummed by the red tape. Decided to go ahead with the things I can do without a permit.

Busted out a bunch of concrete last weekend, and poured concrete yesterday; got things cleaned up today. Concrete work went well, and I now have two nice pads to instll the lift. Have to wait 30 days to install my two post lift (used Ammco), but it is ready. Now, need to install a non-load bearing wall on the lower third. Talked to the City building inspector, and he says I don't need a permit to erect an interior non load bearing wall. Using a stem wall, so I can wash the floor with a hose without hitting sheet rock. Will post some pics of the latest work, and what is planned.

Man, live it, Lynn! There is soooooo much potential there!:shocked:

Looking forward to the updates. That’s the one beauty of the county I live in. Our builder asked us to have the septic permit ready before we started construction. So, down to the courthouse we went. After a 30 minute conversation with the county clerk, sheriff, and mayor...they asked what they could help us with. So, I say we need a permit to put in our septic system. They replied, “There is no permit, just a final inspection.” To which I replied, “Our builder needs a permit to start construction!” So the clerk looked at us and said! “Do you want a septic system?” I replied, “Yes.” To which she replied, “Then it’s permitted. Have a nice day.”:dunno::blush::shocked:

Good times.....:wink:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

As stated above, poured some new concrete last Friday.

Part of the new pour was a couple of 5 x 5 pads for the lift. The existing concrete was thick enough, but not reinforced. Poured these pads a foot thick, with 5/8 rebar. Lots of soil compaction to make certain they never settle. Thought I had to wait 30 days to start lift install, but turns out I just need to wait 30 days before using the lift. Install can start after four days.

So, with my angel of a wife helping me, we got one upright set up today. Didn't take long at all once I figured out the plan. I drilled for the anchor bolts, but could not bolt it down today as we are awaiting shims. I did drill all six anchor holes, using the base plate as the template. Didn't have the shop vac or air blower to blow out the holes. We decided to leave the gantry crain hooked up to it until the shims get there. Once we get shims, we will anchor this one, then move on the the left upright.

Added a couple of pictures of the excavated holes for the lift pads, and the big one I had to fill in where I removed the pillar.

Haven't posted in a while. Ran into some really weird issues, and will update later.

For now, I just got my permit to allow me to (among other things) enlarge the garage door opening for the shop area. It is currently 12 x 12. I want it 16 wide. Not sure if the height matters that much to me. I will never pull an RV in there. I have a 14 x 13 at the other end of the building for storage.

My life would be easier if I could go 16 x 10 instead of 16 x 12. Any big reason not to go 16 x 10?

Progress is progress. My only input for the height of the door is this: When I built my shop in AZ back in '04, I purposely built a door that would accommodate an RV (14' tall x ~10'? wide) even tho I had no intention of ever having one myself. Purely for resale reasons. Well, I sold the place ('15) and was able to tout that feature as a selling point. Sounds like you have another door that would accommodate a tall RV so this may be a moot point.


Keep yr updates coming Lynn...…….way cool project!!

i have 10 high x18 wide on my garage. They are nice to have that wide for backing trailers etc.
I personally think 10' height is good in for most situations.

You might not want to get an RV in there, but what about an enclosed car trailer?