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I have a small woodworking hobby. I used to practice by hauling tools onto the deck of my rented apartment. Then I got a house and worked in the 1-car garage. Now that's gotten too cramped (I can't buy any more power tools!  ), so I'm working on building a workshop in my back yard.I bought a couple of books, downloaded the building code for my area (San Francisco Bay Area), drew up some plans, and applied for a construction permit. They denied it. I read the code more carefully, fixed the plans, applied again, and again got denied. And again. On the fourth try, though*, Which means now I have to actually build the thing. Uh, crap. I'm going to post photos of progress in this thread, and also ask questions, because frankly I feel way out of my depth here. I've done a decent amount of handywork on my house, but the largest builds I've done were a standing desk and a 5'x5' picture frame. If any of y'all want to share your expertise, I'd appreciate it greatly. * The linked plans don't have some final corrections from the planning office -- easily-modified things like using 5/8" anchor bolts instead of 1/2", and adding a motion-sensor light outside the door. If anyone's interested, I can see about scanning the corrected plans and uploading them. And hell, if you want the Blender file I used to generate the plans in the first place, I can share that too.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:04
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First up, the foundation slab. I'm hiring contractors to do this; I'm not dumb enough to think that I can manage a 16'x24' concrete pour on my own. Here's what the site looked like before getting started:  And here it is after the first day:   This day was mostly spent on delivering supplies (rebar, 2x4s, the concrete form, etc.) and removing vegetation. After day 3:     All of the top-level dirt got distributed to the rest of the yard (which had all gone to weeds anyway). The lower-level fill was hauled away. Those pink things around the perimeter of the form are holding the anchor bolts. They're in completely the wrong locations (just placed every 4', as opposed to the somewhat more precise locations in the plans I drew up), but fortunately they can easily be adjusted. The current plan is to have the inspector check things out on Thursday and do the pour itself on Friday. Meanwhile, my dog Pavlov is going nuts because I won't let him check the back yard out to his satisfaction and there were Strangers back there.
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Jan 27, 2015 04:09
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Could you go into more detail about your design and building permit process -- how much it costs, why they denied your first few attempts, etc.? It sounds like from your first post, you designed it all yourself? I'm looking to buy a house in the near future and would like to build my own workshop, but the whole idea of designing a space that's structurally sound and that and will pass inspection is really daunting.
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Jan 28, 2015 04:27
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nobody- posted:Could you go into more detail about your design and building permit process -- how much it costs, why they denied your first few attempts, etc.? It sounds like from your first post, you designed it all yourself? I'm looking to buy a house in the near future and would like to build my own workshop, but the whole idea of designing a space that's structurally sound and that and will pass inspection is really daunting. Sure thing, just keep in mind my knowledge level is still pretty theoretical. The first thing I did was a lot of reading. In particular, I found this book to be quite helpful for getting a visualization of how things go together and what the different options are. Also very important is reading the building code for your location (in my case the California Building Code). The exact rules for what is and isn't allowed are going to vary depending on location; in California there's more of a focus on earthquake preparedness, for example, but we don't get tornadoes or (in most parts of the state) snow, which affects what kind of roof you can have. Reading the building code is a bit of a slog, and as a newbie you'll probably need to look up a lot of terms, but if you're going to do your own design, then you have to do at least as much as what the code prescribes. Code is a bare minimum; you can overbuild (e.g. using thicker/wider beams) but you can't underbuild. You also aren't really allowed to get fancy with your structure. For example, originally I wanted to do a vaulted ceiling, where the weight of the roof rests on a ridge beam, which in turn rests on two posts at either end of the building. This would have allowed me to avoid having ceiling joists, resulting in a more open room with a higher ceiling. But the planning department said I'd need to get signoff from an engineer for such a design, since the code didn't cover it -- and engineering calculations are expensive, so forget about that. As I was doing all this reading, I was also building up my design in a 3D modeling program. I used Blender, but that's mostly because I have familiarity with it from other projects. I'd recommend SketchUp if you haven't done any 3D work before. Just the process of constructing a virtual building taught me a lot about how things actually fit together, and I made a few iterations before I had something I was willing to show the planning department. Which is when I learned that there are lots of other documents you need to get a permit. In particular, for my case I needed to have a site map, showing the entire lot my house was on, all distances, setbacks, where the road is, and how much of the yard was developed (i.e. built on) vs. landscaped vs. wild. I also needed to include a copy of the parcel number map for my neighborhood; fortunately, the planning department just gave me a copy (so basically they demanded I include something that they gave me; whatever, as long as they're happy). Basically I'd recommend calling up your local planning department and asking what all they need. My department was perfectly happy to answer questions as long as I was respectful. The last thing they want is someone deciding they don't need a permit, going off to hack together something on their own, and getting hurt. Anyway, that's why my first proposal got shot down -- insufficient documentation. My second attempt lost out largely because of the vaulted ceiling, and my third mostly because I hadn't documented all of the spacings properly. I needed to show things like how far apart the studs were, what kind of nailing pattern I'd use to secure the plywood sheathing to the studs and rafters, how far apart the anchor bolts were, what the load path was from the rafters through to the foundation (and how the rafters were secured to the studs/joists), and maybe a few other things that I forget now. All of these except the first were marked up on the plans that I'd submitted, and again, they were happy to answer questions. As far as total cost for the permit, I think it was something like $500-750. A drop in the bucket compared to the cost of actually building the thing, especially considering that it also pays for the inspectors to come out and point out any problems in the construction. Remember, the inspectors are looking to make certain that your building meets code, and code, again, is the bare minimum -- so if your building doesn't meet the bare minimum then something's seriously wrong! I'm perfectly happy to pay for that extra peace of mind. Oh, incidentally -- I'm saving a lot of potential hassle by simplifying this project as much as possible. While electrical is included in the plans since an unpowered workshop is pretty useless, I'm omitting water (which would require hooking into the sewage system, which would be an awful lot of plumbing work), the structure is not considered habitable space (i.e. it's not insulated and has no climate control), and it's not attached to my house. Changing any of these would add a lot of extra work to the process, and it's a big enough project already. Anyway, current status: a bit ahead of schedule. Inspectors will be out tomorrow morning to check the framing of the foundation, and if all is well then we may be able to do the pour itself tomorrow!
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Jan 28, 2015 06:15
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The slab is in! My back yard is now about 40000 pounds heavier. A last-minute addition: the inspector recommended adding an electrical ground wire inside the slab, so here's 25 feet of 4-gauge copper. We could also have used a 20-foot segment of rebar, of which this slab has plenty, but it would have involved altering the rebar to poke up out of the slab; adding the wire was easier.  The truck arrives. It only has 9 yards of concrete in it, so there's a short break (about 45 minutes) most of the way through the job while it leaves to get the last 2 yards needed.  The concrete pours into a hopper provided by the contractors, which in turn pumps it into the back yard and into the form. The pump operated rythmically, and every few seconds the entire length of hose would propel forwards or backwards as concrete moved through it.  You can just about see a little concrete spilling through underneath the form; this stopped pretty quickly, and the excess concrete just got shoveled back in if it got too thick.   This is where the truck ran out of concrete, so that's what about 9 yards' worth looks like.  The hose continued to poop out little segments of concrete for a bit after the pump was turned off  Surfacing work:  
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Jan 29, 2015 01:23
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Today I cut down a tree in my back yard that was in the way of the building. And because I don't own a chainsaw, I did it entirely with a pruning saw and a pair of 3' loppers.    I estimate the tree was 20' tall, based on how long the branches are and how much of the trunk I left behind. Right as I was finishing up, my neighbor popped over the fence and offered to lend me his electric chainsaw. So at least I know how I'm going to break down the branches into more manageable pieces. Might need to rent a green waste dumpster to get rid of them though. Or spend the next month+ slowly disposing of it in my yard waste bin. I'd like to try to turn the trunk into workable boards. It's some kind of cedar, and the trunk is 9" across and 5' tall; plenty to make some small boxes or something.
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Jan 31, 2015 21:09
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Nice thread. I like the play-by-play. I wish I lived somewhere that would permit outdoor work this time of year. Guess I'll just go fire up the snowblower again.  I just want finish siding my garage.
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Feb 3, 2015 01:25
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Cool! I'll be following this project. Do you have an estimated budget?
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Feb 5, 2015 09:13
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Devastated that I saw this thread so soon after you have begun, cant wait to see more!
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Feb 5, 2015 10:49
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Kenning posted:Cool! I'll be following this project. Do you have an estimated budget? I'm hoping to be able to make it in under $20k. I've already blown $13k or so on the slab, permits, and removing an old shed that was in the way. And I think that the slab was overpriced; I just literally couldn't find any contractors in the area willing to do it for less.  Current status: making contact with a lumberyard to figure out how much the materials are going to run me. I wish I knew how likely it was that I'd have to deal with thieves. The site's not visible from the road, and I can lock the gate, but that doesn't necessarily mean people won't try to steal boards/plywood from me.
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Feb 5, 2015 16:49
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I'm hoping to be able to make it in under $20k. I've already blown $13k or so on the slab, permits, and removing an old shed that was in the way. And I think that the slab was overpriced; I just literally couldn't find any contractors in the area willing to do it for less. If it's fenced in, I've heard of construction companies renting guard dogs.
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Feb 5, 2015 16:53
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Did you straighten up the bolts before the concrete set? That's usually the most annoying part of slab work. After the concrete is in but before it's set, going back and straightening conduits/rebar/bolts/etc. I'm sure you noticed that the concrete pump isn't a precision spray tool and a lump of concrete the size of a coffee can can pack something of a wallop. Another pre-concrete thing to do on anchor bolts is to wrap the threads in duct tape (sticky side out first, then sticky side in) to keep the concrete off of them. Saves having to wire-wheel the concrete spray off before putting nuts on. You can also spin a nut about halfway down each bolt and just use that to strip the concrete spray off, but then the screed guys just get annoyed that their boards don't get as close to the bolts as they want. Are you going to go with conduit or romex inside? What kind of lights?
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Feb 5, 2015 23:35
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Did you straighten up the bolts before the concrete set? That's usually the most annoying part of slab work. After the concrete is in but before it's set, going back and straightening conduits/rebar/bolts/etc. I'm sure you noticed that the concrete pump isn't a precision spray tool and a lump of concrete the size of a coffee can can pack something of a wallop. I didn't do either of these things, since I didn't know to. The anchor bolts were held by little plastic things that were tack-nailed onto the foundation frame. They didn't get knocked completely off, but some of them are a little crooked. That's probably going to make getting the sole plate latched down a bit more annoying, but I don't think it's going to worsen the holding power any. As for spray, I can take my dremel to any bits of concrete that are making it hard to get bolts on. Something to keep in mind if I ever do this again, though! quote:Are you going to go with conduit or romex inside? What kind of lights? Since it's not going to be a "finished" / conditioned space (i.e. no insulation or drywall), I have to run the wires inside of conduit. I haven't really gotten as far as thinking about lights (beyond speccing a circuit for them), but either fluorescent tubes or LED bulbs will do just fine. Before I worry about this stuff, though, I need to upgrade my main panel, which is just barely large enough for the house -- there's exactly one spare breaker on it, and the capacity's too small to hook a subpanel to that. For the build itself, I can run extension cords from the house; there's an outdoor outlet reasonably close to the slab.
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Feb 5, 2015 23:57
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I didn't do either of these things, since I didn't know to. The anchor bolts were held by little plastic things that were tack-nailed onto the foundation frame. They didn't get knocked completely off, but some of them are a little crooked. That's probably going to make getting the sole plate latched down a bit more annoying, but I don't think it's going to worsen the holding power any. As for spray, I can take my dremel to any bits of concrete that are making it hard to get bolts on. Something to keep in mind if I ever do this again, though! You'll be fine. A wire brush will take the concrete off the threads (especially if you do it within a couple days of the pour) and even if they aren't 100% straight you're just going to be dogging them into wood so they'll still work well enough.
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Feb 6, 2015 02:40
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I didn't do either of these things, since I didn't know to. The anchor bolts were held by little plastic things that were tack-nailed onto the foundation frame. They didn't get knocked completely off, but some of them are a little crooked. That's probably going to make getting the sole plate latched down a bit more annoying, but I don't think it's going to worsen the holding power any. Get a piece of trade size 1/2 or 3/4 black iron pipe and use that to bend them vertical. It should fit pretty snug over the whole length of the exposed bolt and not mess the threads up any. That way you don't have to hammer an ovalized-hole sill plate down. All will be forgiven by fender washers. Be super careful about "upgrad[ing your] main panel." That can, in some places, mean bringing your entire house up to current code. Absolutely not cheap nor easy.
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Feb 6, 2015 03:06
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Be super careful about "upgrad[ing your] main panel." That can, in some places, mean bringing your entire house up to current code. Absolutely not cheap nor easy. Oof. Hadn't considered that. I'll ask the city planning department tomorrow about that. In the meantime, I should double-check how much headroom I actually have. My current panel is rated at 125 max amps according to the text on the inside of the cover; the current layout looks like this:  (click for full size) Assuming the 20's on the switches are the amp ratings for those switches, this panel is already "over capacity" in the sense that the panel could be overloaded without any one of the switches being overloaded. Realistically I'm not going to have enough devices active at the same time to do that, but I have no idea how much actual (read: safely usable) headroom I have. The subpanel for the workshop is, in the plans, 2 30A 220V circuits (for power tools and the dust collector), 2 20A 120V circuits (for two sets of general outlets), and 1 15A 120V circuit (for the lights). The subpanel itself is supposed to have a 60A capacity. Again in practice I doubt I'll be actively using more than the lights, dust collector, a power tool, and maybe a battery charger at the same time. Can I actually just get a 60A breaker and slap it in my existing panel?
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Feb 6, 2015 04:05
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Assuming the 20's on the switches are the amp ratings for those switches, this panel is already "over capacity" That's not how it works. "Oversubscribing" a panel with breakers is not an issue. Some jurisdictions put a limit on it (which is stupid) but what matters is your total peak amp draw. If money/labor was no object I'd put just about every drat thing on it's own home run/breaker and have about 1000% of the panel max in breakers on it. That doesn't change my max usage at all, nor what the main breaker will trip at. This is a question for your building inspector. Make sure you don't have any ill-conceived regs related to this, thrown in a 60 amp breaker and run it to your subpanel with appropriately sized conductors. Done. Edit: Budget $rape per breaker in the subpanel (like $60-80 a piece for 120v 20 amps) because you will be required and should have GFCI breakers for everything other than lighting circuits. Sure, you can get around that with a GFCI outlet at the beginning of the run, etc. But just do it right and be done with it from the beginning. Motronic fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Feb 6, 2015 |
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Feb 6, 2015 04:16
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Okay, thanks for the info. I am learning a hell of a lot on this project, I must say! All of the outlets in the workshop are required to be GFCI; maybe that's the local board's way to ensure electrical safety. I can ask about the breakers though. It'd be a lot cheaper to have GFCI breakers and normal outlets; those GFCI outlets are expensive. I mean, cheaper than having your house burn down, but still pricey.
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Feb 6, 2015 04:32
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Okay, thanks for the info. I am learning a hell of a lot on this project, I must say! Actually, it's cheaper to use a GFCI outlet, since you only need one at the beginning of each circuit to GFCI to text the entire circuit.
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Feb 6, 2015 04:44
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Dragyn posted:Actually, it's cheaper to use a GFCI outlet, since you only need one at the beginning of each circuit to GFCI to text the entire circuit. Well, the plans have a note from the reviewer saying "All receptacles (110) shall be GFCI protected." So, another thing worth clarifying with the city.
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Feb 6, 2015 05:17
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Well, the plans have a note from the reviewer saying "All receptacles (110) shall be GFCI protected." So, another thing worth clarifying with the city. Right. Anything downstream of a GFCI outlet is GFCI a protected. You can certainly confirm it with them, but it's extremely common practice for kitchen and "unfinished space" circuits.
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Feb 6, 2015 15:11
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Cool thread/project/dog. I'm a young dude living in a rental house right now with hopes to buy in 2016 or 2017. Learning about 'code' and 'permits' are blowing my mind right now. Dragyn posted:If it's fenced in, I've heard of construction companies renting guard dogs. I am incredibly thick -- is this real?
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Feb 6, 2015 16:13
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zfleeman posted:I am incredibly thick -- is this real? In cities, yes. Desperate people do desperate things. Sheet wood is expensive and copper is even more expensive. Also, some people just want to destroy things for the sake of causing trouble. All of these add up to more costs on a large site with a lot of materials and equipment than hiring guards. Putting a dog in a fence means fewer human guards and therefore lower cost for adequate coverage. Ever hear the term "junkyard dog"?
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Feb 6, 2015 17:31
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Well, yeah, but the idea of that in a backyard seemed a bit silly. Cool, though.
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Feb 6, 2015 18:20
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Sent a few emails to a local lumberyard last week, got no response, so I'll be headed down there later today to talk to them in person. Over the weekend I got a hardhat and some collapsible sawhorses (as opposed to the regular kind mostly so they'll fit in my Civic) that will form the basis of my work table. The compressor, nailer, 25' of air hose, and fittings are en route. I think the only other tools I'll need for the job are a stapler for the housewrap, and a tracksaw or something similar to cut the birdsmouth notches in the rafters. I mean, I could do that job by hand, but there's 26 rafters and, assuming I keep everything straight and square, they should all be identical, so I'd rather set up a jig and just cut them all to pattern. Logistically, though, one thing is bugging me: how do I brace these walls? Around the outside of the structure, I have at least 5' of dirt to work with before running into fence; it's not a lot but there should be enough room to sledge in a 2x2 spike and nail a 2x4 to it. And I could probably brace to the fences as well...best not to trust them though. But from what I've read you want to be braced on both sides of the wall, and I'm not gonna be able to hammer a spike into concrete. I guess I could cut mitered inside braces that are tightly-fit and really securely attached to the wall, so that it can't collapse inwards, but that seems kind of a hokey approach. Especially since I expect the braces will need some fine adjustment to ensure the walls are plumb.
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Feb 10, 2015 00:25
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Maybe one of these to make some temporary braces in the concrete? http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ramset-Hammer-Shot-0-22-Caliber-Single-Shot-Tool-00022/100091715
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Feb 10, 2015 05:43
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Laminator posted:Maybe one of these to make some temporary braces in the concrete? http://m.homedepot.com/p/Ramset-Hammer-Shot-0-22-Caliber-Single-Shot-Tool-00022/100091715 From the manual for that product: "A powder actuated fastener, after it has been installed, is considered a permanent fastening. Do not attempt to pull a fastener out of concrete or steel. Attempting to do so may result in serious injury." So while the braces might be temporary, the bolts or whatever that they'd be attached to wouldn't be. It occurs to me that I could potentially have all my braces on the outside of the building if I used chains with turnbuckles. Basically put a stake in the ground, hook a chain onto it, put a turnbuckle on the chain, attach the other end to the wall. So I have one traditional, rigid brace holding the wall up, and then the chain pulling the wall against that brace so it can't fall inwards. It'd be kind of expensive though; a decent heavy-duty turnbuckle looks to cost about $12 and I'd need 20 of 'em (2 per wall segment), plus the chains of course. Assuming that the idea is even sound.
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Feb 10, 2015 06:16
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This is a good time to consider dust collection, infact if I was you I'd have put it in the concrete. But the attic should work, I assume you'll have a drop ceiling and not open rafters?
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Feb 10, 2015 07:07
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His Divine Shadow posted:This is a good time to consider dust collection, infact if I was you I'd have put it in the concrete. But the attic should work, I assume you'll have a drop ceiling and not open rafters? Haven't really worried about the ceiling, to be honest; I'm gonna leave it open for the time being (and I'm not bothering with insulation/drywall either, for that matter). I'm putting a ton of stuff off until later because it doesn't affect the structural integrity / weather-sealing of the structure. I had originally planned to have dust collection ducts and electrical runs in the concrete, but given the difficulties I was having with writing up a plan that the planning office approved of, I shelved them to just do a bog-standard slab. Plus, if I run the dust collection in the ceiling, then it can drop down anywhere in the room, which gives me more flexibility with layout compared to if I had a couple of fixed ports in the floor. I think I can also put an outlet or two off of the ceiling joists, to avoid having power cables strung across the floor.
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Feb 10, 2015 15:58
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Got the quote from the lumberyard; it came out to around $3600, plus another $10 for shipping ( ). That's all the lumber, plywood, roofing felt, Tyvek house wrap, and a few small miscellaneous items. I forgot the shingles and some braces and a few smaller items, so I'll need to amend the quote, but I don't imagine that'll take long, and I hope to have the materials delivered sometime in the next week. Theft-wise, I'm going to see how much of the materials I can store inside the house -- I have a sun room that isn't being used for much, and at the very least I can fit all of the plywood and the studs in there. The 16' ceiling joists are a trickier proposition. The sun room isn't exactly secure, but thieves would have to break a window if they want to take anything. The name of the game here is to make it inconvenient enough that nobody wants to bother, or if they do bother at least I (and my dog) should hear them coming. Regarding wall bracing, I happened across a pair of contractors on a walk, and asked them about it. They said they basically build an A frame around the wall -- nail a 2x4 to the plate and attach the brace to that. That sounds eminently doable to me.
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Feb 10, 2015 22:44
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zfleeman posted:Cool thread/project/dog. Yep, and in a month when it thaws the rest of the way I'll see local examples of why, as the places that had pipes and copper stripped flood.
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Feb 11, 2015 19:40
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Placed the order yesterday, then realized about half an hour after the lumberyard closed that I just asked them to deliver something like 3-4 tons of building materials to my front driveway at an indeterminant time on Saturday. I'm in pretty good shape but that's still a crapton of heavy labor to get that all moved into my back yard and reasonably secured, and I can't exactly call my friends and say "hey, want to hang out all Saturday to help me move a bunch of crap whenever it gets delivered?" So I called them back up this morning and got the delivery split. I'm getting 40% of the plywood, the sole and top plate, the studs, the braces, and the ceiling joists delivered in the first shipment; the rest can wait. Losing 30 sheets of plywood alone saves me something like 1500 pounds' worth of materials to deal with. I'm left with a pretty big schlepping job, but one I'm also pretty sure I can handle. In an ideal world I'd have some kind of cart or truck to help me move everything into the back yard, but the only path is narrow (less than 4' wide) and has about a 7' vertical clearance. So at the very least all the plywood is gonna have to be carried in one sheet at a time. Fun!
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Feb 12, 2015 18:07
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:In an ideal world I'd have some kind of cart or truck to help me move everything into the back yard, but the only path is narrow (less than 4' wide) and has about a 7' vertical clearance. So at the very least all the plywood is gonna have to be carried in one sheet at a time. Fun! get one of these at the very least. I can usually get 2-3 sheets in one go with it.
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Feb 12, 2015 21:35
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Magnus Praeda posted:get one of these at the very least. I can usually get 2-3 sheets in one go with it. EDIT: disregard below, misunderstood how product worked. That looks pretty similar to the C-clamp idea but probably a lot more comfortable. I'll stop by the hardware store and check them out. I have a small hand truck that would do similarly, but like I said, the path is less than 4' wide and less than 8' tall, so you can't fit a sheet through unless it goes in edge-first. I'm gonna see if I can save on trips by attaching a C-clamp each to two sheets and using the clamps as handles. If nothing else, the handles would make the sheets a lot easier to, ahem, handle. I do also have a small dolly that I could maybe rest a couple sheets on, but it has office chair-style wheels, so I don't think it's a good idea to test it out on pavement while carrying 100-pound+ loads. Though maybe I could just buy some new wheels and replace the old ones. Hmm. TooMuchAbstraction fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Feb 12, 2015 |
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Feb 12, 2015 22:13
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Stopped by Home Depot on the way home, picked up two 2x4s and some wheels, and whipped this hand cart together in about an hour and a half: Also pictured: my deathtrap of a garage, with tools strewn everywhere. This is why I want a proper workshop where I have room for everything. That said, I could be doing better with the garage. The cart's pretty janky; I had some trouble driving screws into a knot in one of the 2x4s and two of the wheels aren't held on by their full complement of screws because the wheel plate is the wrong orientation. I can fix those issues later, though; this should hold together through Saturday, and I'm sure it'll be a huge help in transporting things. Each wheel can support up to 90 pounds, which means I should be able to transport 4-5 sheets of plywood at a time or a bunch of 2x4s or 2x6s. The diagonal braces are leftovers from a picture frame I made awhile back, incidentally, hence the profile.
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Feb 13, 2015 04:09
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http://youtu.be/XOhceKclbv4 It's a horrible video but is the best one I could find. Using a clamp or a rope or really anything to help with your plywood is going to slow you down and that means you're going to be holding the sheets longer and you'll get tired. The way he spins the sheet to get it in the right position to grab it is a little showy but his technique when it's in his hands is spot on. The trick though is to lean the plywood on your shoulder as much as possible, keeping the weight off of your hands. I hung drywall during the winter (my occupation is seasonal) for about five years and it's actually pretty easy to move heavy Sheetrock and plywood around like this. Good luck!
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Feb 13, 2015 07:21
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Oh my god there are people that do this for a living. Four hours of heavy labor, and I am damned glad that I got the order split into two shipments, because there's no way I would've been able to handle the full thing. As it is, I got 20 sheets of .75" plywood, 100 8' 2x6s, 25 each of 8' and 10' 2x4s, 13 16' 2x8s (  ), and a few other things.That cart I built? Useless. The wheels are misaligned so it tracks heavily to the left, and they're so small that it gets hung up on every crack in the pavement. So I spent four hours picking up heavy things, walking them 50', and putting them down. Thanks for the video on proper sheet manipulation, kenny; it definitely came in handy. Y'know, I wondered how they were going to unload the delivery. Turns out they just kind of roll it off the back of the truck and it goes boom.  Consequently one of the 2x8s got crunched by the curb, and will need to be replaced.  All of the 16' boards and some of the studs and the pressure-treated wood ended up inside:  Everything else is here, resting on 3 old 2x4 boards I had lying around.  Now, a few questions: * Many of the boards were damp, and some of them had black marks on them that I assume is mold. Is this common? Do I need to bleach the boards or something once I get them into place? * The 16'-long 2x8s are ceiling joists, and I specced them as #1 grade or better (they only need to be #2 or better, but, y'know, overbuilding). Obviously the one that got slammed into the curb needs to be replaced; I also have one that has a rather large crack in the middle, and a few that, uh, don't maintain a rectangular cross-section for their entire length. Like they were on the edge of the tree or something. Anyone know if those meet the #1 grade? * Do I need to cover the outdoor boards/plywood with a tarp? They're liable to get wet anyway once I start building with them...
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Feb 15, 2015 02:48
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Y'know, I wondered how they were going to unload the delivery. Turns out they just kind of roll it off the back of the truck and it goes boom. Really? Seems really unprofessional to just be dumping the stuff you've bought like that with no regard for damaging it (which they then did!). At least when I was receiving loads of timber and the like they came in cars that could safely lift it off and put it down without damaging it. I covered everything in tarps myself, it was going to be outside for months in my case during rainy autumn and crappy warm winter so it was cover up or be destroyed.
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Feb 15, 2015 08:55
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Delivery cost all of $10, and I'm confident I can get the damaged pieces replaced. So hey, if that's how they want to run things, that's their call.
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Feb 15, 2015 16:16
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His Divine Shadow posted:Really? Seems really unprofessional to just be dumping the stuff you've bought like that with no regard for damaging it (which they then did!). At least when I was receiving loads of timber and the like they came in cars that could safely lift it off and put it down without damaging it. A roll off truck is pretty typical in my part of the US. But it's not just randomly dumped: it's stacked a specific way and usually has scrap wood at the bottom to prevent damage. You have to pay extra if you want something with a crane/knuckle boom to get it somewhere other than a surface they can back up to and dump. TooMuchAbstraction posted:* Many of the boards were damp, and some of them had black marks on them that I assume is mold. Is this common? Do I need to bleach the boards or something once I get them into place? Damp is normal. Black marks are normal, but not mold. TooMuchAbstraction posted:* The 16'-long 2x8s are ceiling joists, and I specced them as #1 grade or better (they only need to be #2 or better, but, y'know, overbuilding). Obviously the one that got slammed into the curb needs to be replaced; I also have one that has a rather large crack in the middle, and a few that, uh, don't maintain a rectangular cross-section for their entire length. Like they were on the edge of the tree or something. Anyone know if those meet the #1 grade? Tell them to bring more because what you got is unacceptable. It's completely normal to get a delivery, sort the pile and have rejects. They don't scrutinize these things individually: they get them in huge pallets. It's expected that some of them might not be good enough. They'll take back the bad ones and replace them for you. I'm pretty sure this steady stream of reject returns is where Home Depot gets their lumber from. TooMuchAbstraction posted:* Do I need to cover the outdoor boards/plywood with a tarp? They're liable to get wet anyway once I start building with them... Sheet stock definitely needs to be covered. Everything else is fine for a few months, but if you can cover it all the better.
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Feb 15, 2015 18:49
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