My New House & Workshop

[19Walt93]

Seriously man.

In the summer I don't turn on the hot water tank in my camper. I generally take my shower around noon or 1pm. The water is so hot coming through the water hose that I use the water in my 6-gallon hot water tank for cool water, and the cold water for hot water. I know, sounds confusing. If I need to shower early, or I'm going out late at night, I turn on the water tank. It only takes about 10-minutes to heat the water. Turn on the hot water in the morning and take a shower in the early afternoon, and you're taking a scolding shower with no cool water.

My water comes out of my 455 ft deep well at less than 40 degrees, I don't shut off my water heater.

 

[97RangerXLT]

I see your bathroom closet without a door and I raise you a kitchen cabinet toilet.

 

[sgtsandman]

When you gotta go, you gotta go...

 

[Curious Hound]

I see your bathroom closet without a door and I raise you a kitchen cabinet toilet.

View attachment 51523

That's handy!

 

[Jim Oaks]

I see your bathroom closet without a door and I raise you a kitchen cabinet toilet.

View attachment 51523

You win.

 

[Jim Oaks]

​

Where's out construction workers?

I looked at a house that has a long building made out of concrete block with a cement floor. Might have vinyl tile on it. I don't remember.

I struggle finding a house with a garage. I looked at this wondering if I could lift the roof, and frame in a foot or two above the block, and set the roof back on it to give it height. Then cut the front out, and ad a garage door. Bonus us that it has a half bath just to the left of this die door:

I'm thinking the doors on the other side could get partially blocked closed at the bottom with a window added in each one.

I tried to buy a 40x40 shop on an empty lot, and then have a house built. Then I thought about buying a house and having a garage built. Here's I'm thinking about buying the house, and having the building converted. I'm wondering if it would be cheaper to add a garage door and raise the roof than to build from scratch. Plus I kind of like the idea of a block building over a pole building.

What do you think? Especially those that have done construction work. Does this sounds doable?

 

[Snoranger]

That seems like a pretty good idea... I’d put windows around the top where you raise it. That will let in lots of natural light and keep thieving eyes from seeing in.

 

[Jim Oaks]

That seems like a pretty good idea... I’d put windows around the top where you raise it. That will let in lots of natural light and keep thieving eyes from seeing in.

The 40x40 building I looked at had a fiberglass panel on each side of the building that allowed light in to the building. I was thinking about something like that. Probably cheaper than adding windows along the top.

I feel like the biggest task would be trying to raise the roof to add framing to the top of the block.

Plus, how would you secure the wood framing to the top of the block? Would it be better to just add another row or two of block? I feel like that would cost quite a bit more than adding wood framing.

 

[Bgunner]

That roof is already wood so there is a way to connect wood to concrete. Usually you dill holes and use lag bolts with brackets. Personally I think adding blocks would be stronger than using wood but I am not a construction worker or an engineer.

 

[Snoranger]

The 40x40 building I looked at had a fiberglass panel on each side of the building that allowed light in to the building. I was thinking about something like that. Probably cheaper than adding windows along the top.

I feel like the biggest task would be trying to raise the roof to add framing to the top of the block.

Plus, how would you secure the wood framing to the top of the block? Would it be better to just add another row or two of block? I feel like that would cost quite a bit more than adding wood framing.

The same way you secure any sill plate to a block foundation. I’m not in the construction field so...

How to Anchor a Sill Plate to a Cinder Block Foundation

In order to anchor a sill plate to a cinder block foundation, you need the right supplies....

homeguides.sfgate.com

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

We have the fiberglass “skylights” at work. They leak like a sieve when they get older.

Of course ours has a different pattern of corrugation than new steel/skylights so they can’t just be replaced without re skinning the whole roof. And our steel roof is like twice as heavy as new steel...

Boss says if he redoes the roof the skylights are gone, he has fought them for 20 years and won’t miss them.

 

[Jim Oaks]

That roof is already wood so there is a way to connect wood to concrete.

LOL. I had a stupid moment.

 

[stmitch]

At current material prices, it might not be cheaper to do traditional wood framing. You'd need framing lumber, sheathing, Tyvek and some sort of exterior siding vs just block/mortar. It's worth doing the math to see what prices might be.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

There are some threads on Garage Journal about raising the roof on a garage, but not one on block walls. But the raising the roof part would be the same. Iirc one used an engine hoist to lift the roof.

 

[Rick W]

I’ve seen several over the years, as well as commercial buildings with metal studs, structural steel and metal siding and roofs. I’ve also seen some similar construction that is 30 or 40 years old, and we tore one down. I think the metal and masonry is far superior to the wood, but like anything, you have to install it right and there are some tricks.

Metal buildings are great in many ways, but they're also harder to insulate than conventional wood framing.

Typically, the metal construction has rubber or vinyl insulator strips or sealant strips between the panels and the joints like one of the cheap aluminum camper caps. They are a sieve at best. And the insulation is typically fiberglass against the metal with a continuous plastic sheet on the inside. It does not provide consistent insulation. The better solution after all of the framing is done and the siding is on and all the plumbing and electrical is installed, is to do the spray on expanding foam insulation, like crazy foam in the can, except there are professional insulators who do it with an industrial machine. It truly provides an airtight seal, but it’s very hard to go back and change things after you do it.

I know they're like crazy loud in a rain storm...

Ditto. & if Uncle Gump thinks it’s noisy with his vintage ears, you have to know it’s a roaring racket! The spray on foam can handle this as well. There is a catch 22 though: you really like to have an air space between the living space and the roof exposed to the weather, so the heated air from the sun can escape. That means putting on a double roof which alters the economics of the metal structure.

And perhaps most important, is you have to lay down a combination mastic/rubber/vinyl barrier between the metal framing and structure and the concrete slab. Don’t trust/believe the metal warranty claim. It decreases with time and it’s typically worthless when you actually need it. Think of the insulating putty & vinyl that goes on the straps around a gas tank. If the metal touches the concrete and there’s condensate, the bottom of everything rusts out in a fairly short time, like 15 or 20 years.

The other thing you might consider along the same lines, is to put on cathodic protection. Basically you have a sacrificial magnesium/aluminum cathode in the moist dirt attached to the metal structure. The cathode decays instead of the steel structure. or you can use one of the direct current rectifier units (make sure you wire it correctly!!). It’s not a bad idea to coat the bottom foot of all the metal touching the concrete with coal tar epoxy or something like that, including the bottom surface that touches the concrete. On metal buildings “rust“ is the equivalent of termites and rot...

Hope it helps.