The Frame Takes Shape

Wednesday 28th of June 2017

While still working full days at Barry's house I have managed a little progress on the workshop in the evenings this week.

I couldn't wait to see what the frame looked like with sheathing on it - so on Tuesday evening I fitted three sheets.
Not easy on your own - you have to get the position just right and then get a screw in.
I will improve the technique for the next session.

A lot of rain on Wednesday and the OSB is not water proof on the walls - so I covered the sheets with some polythene to help a bit.
The outer cladding is often fixed on battens - I tried a two by one sawn and treated batten to see what it looked like - OK !

Also managed to fit all the Herringbone joist struts that I had (60) - they look good - easy to nail on.

I am 8 short to finish them - I would have had plenty at two foot joist spacing but I decided to increase the number of joist to 16 inch spacing.
Screwfix have them - no problem.

The balance of the wall sheathing OSB arrives at 3 pm today ( Thursday) and I hope to get it all fitted this weekend.

I am trying to work out the best way to cut twenty fairing strips for the roof fall - I might take the timber to Sheffield on Friday and use my band saw.
Once they are on I am ready for the roof if I can afford the materials ?

Coming along nicely.

Mike.

Roof Joists On

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of June 2017

A good weather weekend ( Light drizzle Sunday ) and I managed to buy lots more material -
So - I set about finishing the roof joists.

All twenty joists are now in place - one noggin central and two screws at each end.

All neat and tidy - but I still have four joist to trim to length on the front right hand side.

Derby Timber Supplies didn't have enough CLS timber for my order and so gave me tanalised instead - very good quality !

The joists are all set level - to give me a level ceiling and so now I have to cut and fit graduated fairing pieces to each joist to give a 1 in 80 fall front to back.
That nicely works out at 5mm less on each joist starting with 95mm at the front - showing the first one set in place on the porch overhang.

I still have to fit all the cross bracing ties to the new joists and I will have to get a few more to finish off - a lot of nailing !!

I also ordered all the external wall sheathing - 17 sheets of 11mm OSB2 but they were short of that stock as well - I got 5 sheets with the balance to follow.
When I fit that to the outside of the walls it will stiffen up the whole building which is a bit wobbly right now.
OSB2 is not water proof and so I need to keep it covered until fitted - then install the Tyvek Housewrap as soon as I can.

This is the nearly full roll that I collected last weekend on Our way to Essex.
A great bargain at £25 instead of £120 !!

It is very strong - thin - waterproof membrane plus vapour control - clever stuff.

More info at -

http://www.dupont.co.uk/products-and-services/construction-materials/tyvek-building-envelope/brands/tyvek-breather-membrane/products/tyvek-housewrap-breathable-membrane-for-walls.html

Other jobs completed - We removed a fence panel behind the workshop and cut back the boundary hedge - a big job - lots of cuttings to shred and take to the tip in my poor little car - but all done.

I plan to remake the fence behind the workshop in a way that has polycarbonate clear sheet windows above the fence sealed to the roof that will overhang the fence for rain water run off into the hedge / ditch that used to there and I believe once led into Chaddesden brook !!
That will give dry storage behind the workshop for garden tools plus keep the back wall of the workshop dry in the prevailing wind - note - that's what rotted the summer house back wall.

Another purchase last week - a Romesse pot belly wood stove - £50 on ebay - starting bid win.
It is probably 60 years old but in great shape.

It is made from, stack together, parts that match my stove in Sheffield which has parts that are worn out.
I can mix and match the best bits from both and sell the rest of it.
The grate alone is nearly new and they cost £100 I am so pleased to have it.

The part I really want is the top section - that is a flat top on my original stove and has worn / rusted to be very thin - NOTE - the flat top version was for signal boxes and were flat on top to boil a kettle.
This one is the traditional shape - no kettle facility !!

Good progress all round - Next weekend we are busy helping Fiona move back to Derby and Zoie is having another fund raising event so - maybe little or no progress perhaps.

Mike.

More Workshop Framing

Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of June 2017

I started on Saturday with a very tight chest - maybe a cold coming on - but I plodded on with the frame.

Both long walls framed - nice and plumb - a good day.

All set to start the roof joists.

Sunday

I woke feeling like a cold starting - tight chest - coughing tired.

I made a start and worked all day - slowly - fitted only four joists and made two small errors - no big deal.

I cut the joists long enough to take the fascia board when really they should be flush for the first cladding board - no bother - I will just saw them flush where they are.

I notched the canopy beams and they don't need notching - again - I can trim them.

The arrangement is for one central noggin plus two sets of cross straps for each joist - nice and solid.

So - slow progress this weekend - but there is no rush - it will be the end of the month before I can buy more material.

I did have some luck - I won a half roll of Tyvek house wrap on eBay for £25 - I will collect it on our way to Blazer next weekend.

Mike.

Concreting the workshop base at last.

15th of May 2017

The base former had sat empty for four and a half months - waiting for the funds to pay for the concrete and the pumping company.

Finally on the 15th of May I went for it !!

Cempump  - from Ripley did the job - a site visit to check my calculation - ( spot on ) and to work out how many straight pipes and flexible ones he needed.
They ordered the concrete from a company with a mixer truck - they mix as much as you need - so that you are not short or left with a lot to dispose of.

A rainy day but it stopped for us to pour the base.

The pump is a very simple device - rollers inside squeeze a rubber tube and push the concrete out - all mounted on a small truck - great.

Three guys came with the pump including the owner !
I supplied a bag of cement to prime the line and a 16 foot long screed / tamping board with handles.

The pump had been out of action prior to my job due to the engine blowing up which meant that the pipes had some hard residue inside - this caused a couple of blockages but they soon sorted them out and away they went.

We laid heavy duty polythene in the former before pouring and raked it into place as it emerged from the pipe  - easy.

The pumping itself took less than half an hour but with the blockages and cleaning up they were on site a couple of hours.

Virtually no mess - no big effort - no waste.

We screeded it twice - no floating - it looked good.
The mix was C35 - a really strong concrete that they make bridges out of !

They cleaned the pipes by pushing a sponge ball through with compressed air - I had rigged up a big polythene sheet on the fence to catch the splash as the ball came out - just as well - it was a bit of a bang !!

They cleaned up and I paid up £730 all in - great ! - exactly four cubic metres pumped - ( 10 tons !! )

After they left I collected all the overspill and made a rough path between the base and the back fence - there was just enough.

I covered the base with a huge tarp and it started raining !!

I left the former for two days - then stripped it off easily - recycled the plywood for firewood.

The weekend saw me clean up about 5 barrow loads of concrete bits and hardcore - we laid weed membrane and replaced the slate chippings around two sides of the pad and removed the dog barrier.
All clean and tidy for Jackie.

Looking good - our granddaughter Maddie modelling on the base - finished size - 24 foot 4 inches by 14 feet - 5 inches thick.

At the end of May I had enough funds to buy the timber to frame the walls  3 x 2 CLS timber and I got set up straight away.

I set up my big chop saw with thirty feet of timber to support the timber to be cut.
I set a stop with a G clamp to get every piece the same length.
I used the base as a bench - used two 6mm x 80mm screws at every joint - put in with my new / used impact driver - wonderful - so easy !!
I even set up a sawdust catcher to stop the big saw chucking stuff over the fence into Neils garden.

Jackie kindly bought me 13 roof joists for my Birthday. !!

Over last weekend I managed to frame up 46 feet of wall before I ran out of uprights - not bad.

I collected the remainder - 70 in total - on Monday - just need some fine weather now.

The construction is simple - no internal wooden floor - the base is the floor - it will be dry because we put in the polythene.
The wall sits right on the edge of the base and when clad on the outside the water will drip off onto the slate.

Uprights every 16 inches, with a double top plate for strength.
Corners framed up to form lap joints.
The bottom plate screwed to the base with plastic plugs every 16 inches.
The walls will have an 11 mm OSB cladding outside - 50mm acoustic insulation and 12 mm plasterboard inside or MDF if I have it.

The outside will then be wrapped in construction film ( Tyveck ) or similar then 2 x 1 treated uprights nailed on to the main uprights and then a decorative outer cladding onto that ( to be decided ).

The roof will be 6 x 2 CLS beams at 16 inch centres with restraining straps to hold the roof on in a gale - 60 sheet steel criss cross straps instead of noggins to prevent the joists twisting.
Plasterboard ceiling - 50 mm of acoustic insulation - 18mm OSB top ply - sat on graduated fairing strips to give a fall of 3 inches front to back.
The roof will be covered in two layers of torch on bituminous felt - no gutter - the roof will overhang the back fence and will be made water tight to the fence to keep rain off the back wall.

Not a cheap construction but will look great.

All for now ( 8-6-2017 ) - Mike.