A workshop is born

[brianw]

My first workshop was a table in the upstairs hallway. This grew into a workshop in a cold damp mobile home in the garden. Our daughter needed to live in the mobile home for a while so I migrated the workshop into my son's bedroom who had moved to Australia. Recently my son came home for a few weeks and needed his bedroom. All my tools and clocks are now packed up in the garden shed.
So the seeds were sown for a proper workshop which I have been building for the last few months.
Here are some photographs of the progress so far. I'll add one every month or so. Hopefully you will enjoy watching it grow into a proper workshop fitted out and operational.
Brian

At this point I could have changed my mind

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Formwork installed for the concrete base

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Raft concrete foundations complete

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Bricklaying begins

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[brianw]

For some reason I couldn't add any more photographs, so here are the rest.

The windows and doors start to appear

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The workshop today the 3rd of July 2017

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I plan to build a pitched tiled roof with three velux windows so that I get as much daylight as possible.
The four windows you can see face south and east and the other walls have no windows but plenty of room for shelves and cupboards.
My plan is to get the roof on before winter sets in so that I can work on the interior during the winter months.
I have built cavity walls with foam insulation and I plan to install a wood burning stove and double glazed windows so that it is as warm and dry as possible in the winter.

Watch this space ......

[Bob Tascione]

Brian this must be a very exciting project for you. I can understand your incentive to construct your shop although it looks like it could be turned into a perfect tiny house. Better get those shelves and permanent benches in there super fast else you may be heading back to that damp mobile home! Looks like you're going to have a beautiful work area with good natural lighting. The perspective from the pics makes it difficult to guage the actual size of the building but from what I can tell you're going to have a lot of space. I'm counting the blocks and coming up with 14 X 7? Problem is I don't know what size blocks you use over there in the UK. They appear larger than the blocks used here in Mexico.
Hope you can get all your tools and equipment up and running soon.
Can't wait to see your next batch of pics!
I'll dig around the admin area to see if I can figure out why you had a problem uploading additional pics. Might be a setting that changed.
Thanks Brian!
Bob

[willofiam]

Brian...that is fantastic...I am going to guess 10' x 20' I have never done brickwork like that..gets me thinking about building something.....I love it.... So the blocks on the interior are to create a airspace between them and the exterior for insulation? How do you keep the bricks from tipping over, are the tied in with the interior blocks somehow? I cant wait to come over and mess up the shop.

[brianw]

Hi Bob, Hi William
Thank you both for your encouraging responses. The size of the building is actually 22ft. long by just over 16ft. wide. So it's quite big. The more I think of the equipment I'd like to put in there the more the space seems to shrink though.
I'm using thermalite blocks for the inside wall with foam insulation sheets inside the cavity. The outside wall is made from standard clay fired bricks. The two walls are joined together with stainless steel wall ties which are also used for attaching the insulation sheets to the inner wall.
This is quite a project for me to take on, but I am very motivated with the thought of getting it finished and finally having a proper workshop.
I'm not a builder, and I'm not as young as I used to be, so figuring it all out as I go along is keeping me thinking and laying the bricks is keeping me fit.
I'll keep you posted with more pictures and info as the building grows.
Brian

[brianw]

The workshop is progressing. Not as fast as I would like, but I think I am still on target to get the roof on before the winter sets in.
I'm hoping to start adding tiles within the next two weeks weather permitting.

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The roofing timbers are in place and almost ready for roofing felt and tile battens.

[Bob Tascione]

That's moving along beautifully Brian!
Going to be the perfect shop. Bet you can hardly wait to get it sealed up to start detailing the interior?
Thanks for the update and please keep the pics coming.
Take care way over there,
Bob

[rgmt79]

Hi Brian,

As a fellow Brit, I realise that you have to observe strict building regulations with buildings like this, the cavity walls being traditional. I can't see, but I assume you have a damp course just above the ground with 'engineering' (high density) bricks below...the foam in the cavity is a new one on me, does it let the air circulate freely? Here in the Czech Republic, they build walls with thick clay blocks with vertical holes to allow the air to circulate without the need for a cavity and then they just render the outside to cover the unsightly blocks...although quick and effective, I prefer the traditional English method...I look forward to following your progress.

Richard

[brianw]

Hi, You are quite right Bob. I just cannot wait to getting on with using it as a workshop. I haven't touched a clock for ages, and really look forward to the day when I can start getting it equipped.
I have been very careful to keep just within the limits required for planning permission. Anything over 4 metres in height and 2.5 metres at the eaves would require planning consent, building control, added expense and a lot of red tape. I am however using the building rules as a guide to the build and have made sure that everything is as it would have to be if I did need permission. The foundations are reinforced concrete, so those machines are going to have a good solid base.
The roof battens will start going up in the next few days and the tiles very soon after that.
I'll keep you posted.
Regards, Brian

[willofiam]

Brian, looks fantastic BUT I have some bad news, you wont be able to work on anything in your new shop now.....
if I can talk you into it you will be traveling to Minnesota USA....oh...and bring your masonry tools....I mean we can meet and have a visit...I will make some tea

[brianw]

William, You are welcome to my masonry tools. Building this workshop is killing me. I have tennis elbow in both arms from all the work I have been doing. I really could do with that cup of tea....
Seriously. I am getting too old for this kind of thing. I will be sixty seven this month and clambering about on roofs is not much fun anymore. I really do have to recognise my limits. I reckon I have about two to three more weeks work, depending on the weather, to get all the roof tiles in place and then I'm going to have a rest for a bit.

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I quite like the idea of one day of attempting a restoration of an old turret clock and fitting the dial in the front end of the building, roughly where the top of the ladder is resting. That way I am not only building a clock workshop, but also a rather large clock case.
Brian

[rgmt79]

Looking great Brian, are you doing this on your own or you have some helpers? Where are you located in the UK?

Cheers,
Richard

[brianw]

Hi Richard,
So far I have been on my own apart from recently when my wife has been passing up tiles to me from the scaffolding to be loaded onto the roof before installation.
Once the roof tiles are all in and everything is watertight I'm going to get someone to do the floor screeding and I have a glazing company lined up for the windows.
The windows in the house are pretty rotten, so we are having them replaced at the same time which means they will all match.
We are located in Sussex, near Hurstpierpoint, about 12 miles north of Brighton on the south coast.
Brian

[willofiam]

Very nice Brian

[brianw]

The roof is finished at last. The days are getting shorter and the days colder so it's a big relief to have a watertight roof before winter really closes in.

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The windows are going to be installed in two weeks and I'm trying to find someone to screed the floor. I am not doing anything myself for a few weeks. I need to recover.
I'll post some more pictures when the windows are in.
Brian

[rgmt79]

Good progress Brian and timely with the winter approaching, once the windows are in you can relax and start thinking about fitting it out inside...

[brianw]

As you can see, the windows and door are fitted.
All I need to do now is fit fascia, soffit boards and guttering, seal, insulate and screed floor, install roof insulation and ceiling plaster board, connect electricity and water and waste pipes then install wood burning stove and sink.
Hopefully that will all be done by late spring and I can start thinking about machinery, workbenches, tools and everything else.

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I'm pleased that I now have a building which is watertight and secure. I feel like a milestone has been passed.

[rgmt79]

Well done Brian, seems to be coming along nicely

[jim1228]

Very impressive Brian, I love the brick.

Jim

[mrgutzmer]

WOW What a beautiful shop!!