Build-Threads Garage: Framework begins!
And so begins Part 3! In the last post, the concrete had just been poured and the shed was delivered in pieces. When I first started dreaming up this garage, the plan was always to build it myself with the help of my dad and some mates. Why? Well, to keep the cost down, of course. But also because we can! Or so I thought. Once the shed was delivered and we got a feel for just how big it was and how many pieces there were, the thought of DIY started to become daunting. Also, I wanted the thing to be built as quickly as possible (who wouldn’t?), so the idea changed to outsourcing the work. Until…
Until I got some quotes! After ringing around to get some prices, I started to realise just how expensive a few days of labour for a team of builders was going to be. So from DIY, to outsourcing, we finally came back to DIY again. We decided that we’d just get a few boys together on a Saturday morning and see how we go. If things went well, we’d continue. If not, well then I’d have to bite the bullet and temporarily hand in my man-card and pay someone to do it for me.
Well, I’m happy to say that after the first day (above), we were very pleased with our progress of getting the main framework up. So the decision was made that we would build the damn thing ourselves! One Saturday at a time I would wrangle up whoever was available, and we’d hit the tools.
The next session saw all of the horizontal batons and the roller door framing completed. You can see the roller door framing on the right half of the above picture. The mullions (vertical posts) for the roller door had to be dyna-bolted into the slab, as did the other 2 vertical columns that aren’t in the first set of images). The horizontal baton above the roller door opening is actually two batons, screwed together, back to back.
Another weekend came and went, and we affixed the roof batons…
Now you really get a feel for the internal dimensions. While this may look like a few hours work, in reality it took about 3 days spread out over a month. I think that if I had to do it again, we could do the same amount in less than half the time, you really learn a lot as you go, plus the instructions don’t help much! I’m really happy that I was able to do this myself with the help of my friends and family, it’s a great feeling and it makes the whole experience so much more personal.
And with that, we were ready to start putting the wall sheeting up, which you’ll see start to take place in the next post.
Original: Build Threads