Building my heated doghouse AKA the garage
#31
Windows and doors were next. The big doors are all 10' wide by 12' tall. I went with basic HAAS commercial doors without insulation. I'm working on insulating them now actually, but I think I regret not spending more for the insulated doors. As it is, big doors like this aren't cheap! I got them from a local door company, and when I went to pick them up, the guy looked at me like I was from Mars or something when I told him I was putting them up. Yes, there are all sorts of horror stories about garage door springs, and yes they are true. But it doesn't take a genius to observe reasonable precautions and put them up. They come with 29 step instructions and there are a couple pretty good you tube videos for doing it. These were the first doors I ever did and they came out great. Very smooth and well balanced. Took a day for the first door, and a day for the second 2. As we said with every project.... "We're learning!"
#32
Doors were just standard off the shelf doors made for 2x4 walls because I was too cheap to pay double the price for the same door with a jamb for a 2x6. The finish carpenter will deal with that later. 2 of the windows I scored on CL for $50. They were leftovers a guy had who had rehabbed some houses and he just wanted them gone. Not top quality, but decent quality replacement windows and they are huge! 48X60 as I recall. The rectangular window was part of our old sliding patio door we replaced a couple years ago. The hoarder in me couldn't toss those 2 beautiful pieces of glass and they came in handy, made for a nice window that adds a lot of light inside.
I honestly not that worried about security. Out here in the country, if I am not around it doesn't take much to get in and nobody would hear anything. I don't see the windows as making much difference either way. Fortunately, things stay pretty peaceful out here, aside from the near daily gunfire any one of the neighbors is making.
On to the siding and some random pictures.
This table saw burst into flames not long after this. POS anyway.
This radial arm saw was something that's not mine, yet seems to live here. I had it out by the road a couple years ago trying to get 20 bucks for it. Nobody even bothered to steal it! I don't like radial arm saws at all, but the one thing they are good for is cutting siding.
I honestly not that worried about security. Out here in the country, if I am not around it doesn't take much to get in and nobody would hear anything. I don't see the windows as making much difference either way. Fortunately, things stay pretty peaceful out here, aside from the near daily gunfire any one of the neighbors is making.
On to the siding and some random pictures.
This table saw burst into flames not long after this. POS anyway.
This radial arm saw was something that's not mine, yet seems to live here. I had it out by the road a couple years ago trying to get 20 bucks for it. Nobody even bothered to steal it! I don't like radial arm saws at all, but the one thing they are good for is cutting siding.
#33
The last several rows up to the peak was a PITA. Only had 1 ladder tall enough to get up there so putting up a piece required going up the ladder, snap the piece in as best you can, put in 2 nails, go down the ladder, move the ladder, climb the ladder, 2 nails, down the ladder, move the ladder and finally up the ladder to put in 2 more nails.
But here is the back all done!
But here is the back all done!
#34
Time for some electrons! I put in 100 amp service which should be adequate for most anything you would want to do out there. The local electric company came out and moved my house meter to the pole and both the house and garage are fed from there. It's about 315' of wire, so to avoid too much voltage drop I put in 4/0 aluminum wire. 100 amp breakers can't take such a big wire, so I used polaris connectors to transition to #3 copper wire at the pole and at the panel in the garage.
I also ran a trench over to the house for the water line. Water goes to the garden first, and then into the garage. It's just going to be a seasonal line I blow out every year.
The rental trencher did a nice job!
I also ran a trench over to the house for the water line. Water goes to the garden first, and then into the garage. It's just going to be a seasonal line I blow out every year.
The rental trencher did a nice job!
#35
I thought I knew about where the wire was going from the house to the old pole barn. Had the kid dig 15' of the trench by hand looking for it, finally decided it must be deeper. Not so much, it wasn't were I thought it was and the trencher went right through it. (it was off just in case) Used some underground rated splice kits to fix it up. They seemed to work well with 2 pieces if shrink tube to cover the splice.
#36
#37
#38
My final heat plan won't happen until next year. For this season, I picked up this lil wood burner off CL for $100. A little paint and it's a peach! The final plan is to move the oil burner from the house, it's time for an update there. Ran out of time to get things done this year. The chimney system is rated for gas/oil/ wood, so this is working good for this year. Not big on a wood burner inside, but it's fine for this year while I am still finishing out the inside.
Pre-insulation, it's cozy in there.
Pre-insulation, it's cozy in there.
#39
#40
#41
#42
#43
#45
I'm planning a 4 post lift and they call for only 3.5 inches of 2500 PSI concrete. I have 5 inches of 4000 PSI concrete. Even many 2 post lifts only call for 4 inches.
I would expect everything up in AK is more expensive??? Plus you have to build to earthquake prone specs however that changes it.
Are you building it?