Building a shop

[stryped]

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I am needing extra garage space. I have been thinking of building a pole barn type garage across form my attached garage. The problem is money right now. I can only afford a gravel floor. I would like to complete this project myself with maybe some help lifting and things from my brother. My thinking is 24 feet wide by 32 feet long. (I can get pre made trusses at 24 feet.)

Is it ok to have a gravel floor? Right now, the lot where the building would go is about 10 inches different from the highest point to the lowest point.

Also, I read somewhere of a construction method I had never heard of before. You would gig holes just like for poles in a pole barn but you would put posts in there that only stuck out a foot or two. You would put purlins similar to what you put on the top of pole barn posts around these lower posts. Then, conventional stick framing similar to a house was used on top of this. I dont know of anyone around here that builds that way but it seemed interesting and easier for a man to do himself because htere were no tall poles to deal with and fiddle with getting perfectly square and the walls could be built in sections.

I live out in farm country and codes I dont believe will be an issue.

[brianlanning]

no

You'd be better off with joists and a plywood floor over a gravel crawl space. Or just wait and pour concrete.

I think you'll want to make a space that is as livable as possible. You want it as much like your livingroom as possible, except no carpet.

brian

[arw01]

I would agree, the gravel floor will be a major PIA to deal with. No way to clean up sawdust, and having sawdust on top of the gravel would mean taking that entire layer of both off prior to concrete. The sawdust would decompose and start to leave voids where the concreate can break out.

Now if purlins are the same as using pier blocks to create a raised joist floor so you can put electrical and dust collection in the floor, then you could do that yourself over time. Maybe making a 20x20 pad to start with and then adding on from there.

In my local area a 30x30 x 2" concrete pad is about $2250 + sales tax.

Alan

[Dukes909]

What kind of woodworking are you planning on doing in there? I can't imagine using power tools on a gravel floor. If you're not using power tools (neader route) do you really need a 24'x32' shop? Could you get by with a smaller garden shed type building?

You'll still have to "fiddle with" getting the structure square regardless of stick or pole construction unless you want a Homer Simpson-esque building. I've built my own shop and pole barn - stick construction on a slab, and a pole barn for my tractor & implements. I would say the stick construction was easier for a 1-man job. Even with the help of your brother, I wouldn't want to attempt hoisting 24' trusses unless one of you has some serious know-how or heavy equipment.

I would think long & hard about what you want, save your money, then do it right the first time. Make do with the garage - somehow - until then. Mobile bases work wonderfully.

Cheers! Duke

[Don Dando]

I would be concerned about moisture reeking up through the gravel and rusting the tools and surrounding your project wood with a higher moisture content than you may want.

If you are not too off the beaten path often times you can make an arrangement with the local concrete company to let them dump their surplus at your place. Obviously this assumes that you and a helper will be present and available during their business hours. They want to dump the surplus, wash out the hopper and be on their way.

This is how I got footings 2 ft wide and 3 ft deep for my shop expansion at no cost as well as several foundations for out buildings and a boat ramp 75 ft long, 8 ft wide and 8 inched thick on my pond.

My worst experience was when they showed up with 3 trucks with over 18 yards total at one time!

Don Dando

[Pop]

Actually, I've found carpeting to work out very well in my wood shop. I started out with just scraps between my feet and the concrete and liked it so much the next time a used carpet came available, I grabbed it. Lots easier on breakage and damage when you drop things, and less of a problem when a board end has to sit on it. I'd miss it if I didn't have it now. You'd think it'd be a problem to clean, but it isn't; got an old, retired Hoover that keeps it looking pretty good.

Pop

[bent]

I'm curious, what is the going rate for surplus?

[stryped]

x-no-archive:yes

I have never heard of a slab that was only 2 inches thick? The other problem is I cant use a wood floor as I also do some welding and cutting of metal and need a space to park one car.

arw01 wrote:

[stryped]

x-no-archive:yes

I know it has to be square, I was just saying that it might be easier sqaring a series of short posts vs tall posts for one person.

I do some welding and cutting too and have two small welders and cutting torch. SO a wood floor is out.

I also need room to park a car.

I thought about a concrete slap and putting framing directly on top of it. But the guy quoting the concrete said I would have to have a footer which ads drastically to the cost. Why would I need a footer?

Is it possible to pour a concrete slab yourself? Is it hard to do?

[Dukes909]

I guess it's possible. For something that large you better know what you're doing when the truck(s) gets there. What part of the country are you in?

Cheers! Duke

[stryped]

[Doug Schultz]

Ask your concrete company if they do fiberglass reinforced concrete. that is about as strong as I have ever seen. We use it up here in Vancouver Canada for radiant floor heat. We pour it only 1.5" thick on top of the plywood. I think if you can get the gravel level and compacted you could do a pretty thin floor with that kind of concrete still wouldnt want to drive heavy machinery on it though.

Doug

[Leon]

That greatly depends on the location and where it will be delivered. do you live near him?

[Paul Franklin]

I've a basement shop in what was a recreation room. When we moved in, it had pretty tired, low pile glued down carpeting, along with a big paint stain in the middle. I decided to leave it for the time being and figured I'd rip it out if it got to be a pain, and then replace it when (if) we ever moved and turn the room back into a rec room. It certainly is a lot easier underfoot, and as Pop says, not as hard to keep clean as I expected. And it really helps muffle the noise.

I don't think I'd put carpet in a shop on purpose, but after living with it for 10+ years, it's proven to be more practical than I expected by far. Now we are preparing to move, and it's cleaned up well enough with a good vacuuming that I'm just going to leave it be. Even the old paint stain is mostly gone from the repeated vacuumings.

Paul

[Woodhead]

I've often wondered if a floor of rock dust and cement, mixed dry & poured over coarse gravel, then compacted, and moistened with a fine mist would provide a servicable floor? It would be a sort of mortar mix over the rock. Rock dust compacts easily and can be very smooth. Would it work?

Jim in the Bluegrass

[Jay Pique]

We just had a pole-barn floor poured with it. It's unbelievably strong. The drill bits that come with tap-con screws couldn't handle it. JP

[Odinn]

On 3/8/2006 2:48 PM stryped mumbled something about the following:

At least now we know where you live that you don't want archived. Ooops, it's now archived. Not that you'll ever explain why you don't want your posts archive. But that's okay, Tom and I will make sure they get archived.

[bent]

down on the corner, you know where to eat

[Bubba Wood]

Gravel?? How do you set shop tools on a gravel floor?

I just finished a 24x32 shop/garage. The slab floor was $4000. It is fiberglass renforced, has re-bar per code and plastic under liner. That also included a 6 foot x 24 foot apron in front of the doors. The roof is truss built and we hoisted them with a stick boom fork lift. Also used that to raise the walls. All built by an old man (me) and my 25 year old son.

You can see the results at

are a few build process photos up there right now.

Bubba

[stryped]