Yet another garage build...this one`s an epic!

So this a build thread for my mate`s garage that I`ve been helping him with for almost a year.

Not one to do things by half, he wanted a garage/workshop/spray booth all-in-one build, so with suitable land and all the relevent permissions, we made a start last January.


First job was to carefully dismantle the existing garage, since it was to be re-used in the new build.





All the CGTI Manchester crew had turned out to lend a hand, since this was day one of what had been planned for three years, but put off until the house was finished.



The `crime scene` tent would be the temporary home of the prized Mk1.





Forget fancy expensive car covers!











All snug and safe (and still is a year on).



Garage down. The new build will go from the back wall of the old one to the tree at the back of the garden (a bit over 40ft), and be half as again as wide (15ft).



Zip forward to March, and having done some other garden prep (trees down, and new boundary fence) we were ready for the next stage; Clearing the area and breaking ground.

First load of supplies, and the first of 12...yes 12!...nine yard skips.





My `office` for the week!



More trees/shrubbery to clear before the fun starts.



First thing to go was the path, then the whole area was levelled (loads of excess soil), for accurate measuring.



Some serious root systems through the place caused endless nightmares.



Ground offically broken!



Just a small idea of how much material we`d be removing from the area (about 115 tons in the end!)

 

Eventually got rid of the excess, and got down to a depth where we could start to measure out the dimensions.



Doesn`t look accurate, but it was!



Now to get down to the final depth (450mm), and get the area perfectly level.



Done!



Now for the really gruelling stage...



Turns out were now down to solid clay, so no shuttering required, but it was hard going!





1500mm was the desired depth, so got down to that first, then worked back to open out the whole trench.







Sketchy!



Almost done...

 

Now it`s May. I didn`t help with the initial part of the next stage, but there`s a reinforced concrete base down there that the block-work is built on.



Laser line down the centre meets the centre of the gates...told you that string lash-up was accurate!



Block-work done, and topped with brickwork, which will evetually get an angle-steel frame all round for locating covering boards.



Confirming/finalising shuttering heights prior to the pouring of the main raft.



Some super accurate laser equipment...





Water, power, internet, cable TV, and soil pipe were laid in.



Depth markers placed in so we`d know how much raft prep material we`d have to drop in; back-fill soil, hardcore/MOT, sand, road-steel, then the raft itself.









Things go on hold now through the show season, summer holidays, etc, until August when the raft was poured.





Floated off.



All done in a little over an hour, and ready to cover.



Covered to prevent rain-drop craters, leaves, etc.

 

A week on and the raft was cured enough to begin building the garage walls.

For the side against the boundary fence, and back wall, we would be re-using the original garage panels. The remaining side and front would made from another re-claimed garage with more aesthethically pleasing panels.







I missed the rest of the panels going up, but by September the walls were done, and the roof trusses were up.





Now the true scale of the garage can be seen.





October now, and the roof is done, with fascias and guttering installed.



To avoid water getting in under the door the raft was deliberately built slightly higher than the existing driveway, so we needed to build a small ramp, with some drain channels for the guttering to feed through built in.

















The rear area still needs some blockwork to finish off, and a partition wall/door put in, and will become the compressor room and toilet, with a fan and filter unit in the roof space for extracting paint fumes when the back half of the garage is in use for spraying.

 

And now we`re upto this weekend.

Power and lighting (in the front half) fitted.











Today we got the sectional door in and working...mission!











The main door frame needed to be dropped by 5mm on one side, so it was out with the SDS for some `fettling`of the floor.



Frame/runners up, levelled and secure.





Building up the sections.





Now for the remote-opening motor.





After several hours of adjusting, re-setting, and general faffing to get everything right, it works...-ish...needs some fine fettling but at least it opens and closes.

So now it`s pretty much weather-tight the interior fit-out can begin. I`ll be sure to update as it goes along.

 

Nice build! All DIY?

 

Makes mine look like a rabbit hutch

Nice build

 

That looks wicked!! Good stuff

Little bit jelous

 

I wish I had one of those, Great build

 

Chuck a sink, bed and fridge in there and sell the house

I'll be watching this one, very cool build!

 

Yep, all DIY.

That`s why it`s taken this long so far, since most of the work has been done at weekends or nights.

A very nice hutch it is though.

 

Ah yes the engine crane garage panel mover.


Been there done that, they are bloody heavy.

 

Awesome, well done.

 

What was the trench for?

 

^^^ i'm guessing it's for a pit.

 

working under cars for ease?

Nice build, everytime i see a garage build i'm jealous!

 

Epic!




Jealous muchly

 

There are heavy! The crane ended up being a bit unwieldy in places, and one panel fell when the hole we were hooking through failed (old wall-plate bolt had rusted and blown out the concrete), so after that it was found that manning up and just lifting them was easier.

Yep, with power, lights, compressed air feeds, and jacks running in the steel frame too.

I too am ridiculously jealous...I`ve told him I`m buying the house off him...

 

waa going to say, bet he's moved next year when the misses wants a south facing garden and an extra bedroom

looks great, imagine being able to work all year round!! would be spot on

 

i need to book my car in with jay now...top work..