Author Topic: Converting My Structure to a Garage (Read 14306 times)

ryeguy2006a · « **on:** May 28, 2021, 08:50:58 AM »

I'll do my best to restart this thread, but since I started it last year the prices of plywood and 2x4's have gone crazy. I'm hoping that maybe towards the end of the year they will come back down because I would like to get it enclosed this year so I don't have to look at this unfinished project anymore haha. Plus it would be nice to have it functional as a garage.

Here is where my project started. The building started off as a heated dog shed, then the previous owner installed an outdoor wood boiler and added a large lean-to off the side to keep the wood dry. We sold the wood boiler, so I figured it would be fairly quick and easy to convert it to a useable garage space. Either for the yard tractor or my car.

The "trouble" with this is that the lean-to off the side tapers about 15" from the lowest grade to the highest grade. So I need to dig down on the high side so that I have a flat and level floor.

I decided that it would be easier to start on the back side and that is where I began deconstruction.

Pretty stoked that this first wall went up fairly quickly. As long as this continues to go this way, I'll be a happy guy. (Spoiler, it doesn't go my way)

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #1 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:03:48 AM »

Everything is going great, let's move onto the next section! Then I found this when I started pulling off of the siding... I guess that explains why it leaked when it would rain.

Pretty rotted the whole way across. So I completely replaced the bottom 2x4 and replaced with a pair of treated boards, then cut out the bad OSB and spliced in new.

Then per a recommendation from Kerry, I added some flashing to prevent the water from entering again.

After a little thought, I really didn't like where the door was and if I moved it to the lower section, I wouldn't have to cut into the soffet like it was currently. Made for a cleaner look to me. So I framed it up and wrapped it.

Then as I was working on this, I was also keeping an eye out for some garage doors for the front. So far I'm really happy with the way it's turning out. I'm just a handyman and not doing this for a living.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #2 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:07:29 AM »

Now that the walls were framed up, I wanted to get the siding put on one side to keep my better half happy.

Again, not a professional, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. So far I've only had to buy some screws, 2x4's and plywood.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:35:04 AM »

Next up was to frame the garage doors. Since there is a lot of tension from the doors, I opted to replace the boards that were there with a header board and frame up the top.

Then I added some plywood to the outside and wrapped it up. I was pretty lucky, or skilled however you want to look at it, but this was all done with one piece of plywood!

Now it was time to turn my attention to the lean-to side and how I wanted to approach it. So I decided to add a few knee walls up the sides between the posts. Then I can level the floor up to those walls.

First one was done and easy!

The next few weren't quite as easy, but still making progress.

And the last one on the long side is done.

It was getting later in the fall now and I was really just trying to get the most solid wall coverings at possible, so I turned back to the garage doors. I started out by building a header panel.

Then framed up around it and installed both doors.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:41:15 AM »

Moving around the building I framed up the next section between the posts.

Then I started framing up above the second garage door.

Now that I was about done with all of the walls for the fall, I came back around to at least finish the one complete side of the building with siding and soffet.

Finished and my buddy was helping me clean off the grass clippings from sitting all summer.

That brings me up to the present day. I've been tinkering on it here and there. I'll try and get some new and updated pictures as I continue to work on it.

Cheers,
Ryan

« **Reply #4 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:41:15 AM »

Jack · « **Reply #5 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:56:53 AM »

I'm glad you posted some of the old pics., good progress.

roadking77 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 28, 2021, 01:22:55 PM »

x2. Nice looking finished structure. Not an ordinary box thanx to the adaptation to the original design. Def would add 40% to the cost of the garage if it was planned to be built that way from the beginning.

MNBob · « **Reply #7 on:** June 17, 2021, 11:14:19 AM »

I agree. It looks differently stylish and that is a whole lot of gained useable space! The flashing near the slab is a great idea to prevent moisture from getting near the OSB. Well done.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #8 on:** July 19, 2021, 11:12:17 AM »

Thanks guys! I'm pretty happy with the way that it's turning out. It's been a slow process, but I've been slowly moving the stones and leveling out the floor on the side. I also painted the doors on the front to match our house garage.

I need to re-adjust the door on the left.

Right now it's an absolute mess... It's just a catch all, but once the floor is finished off I can work on getting the structure enclosed. I also scored a deal on another insulated 9 x 6' 6" door with an opener for $200 bucks! It's actually way nicer than the ones that I got last year. I would have liked to get a taller door, but the way the roof pitches, I couldn't sneak in a proper header panel with anything taller than 6' 6". So it worked perfect for me.

It's a little cleaner now and I'm almost done removing the soil underneath. I can't wait to get an even surface to start bringing in some shelves that I have.

Once the floor is finished, I will reluctantly buy the rest of the materials to finish enclosing it. I need to get some siding on the front so that my wife will quit bugging me haha.

Cheers,
Ryan

roadking77 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2021, 06:51:26 AM »

Turned out nice Ryan,

737driver · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2021, 11:02:46 PM »

Looks really great! I’m sure you will be happy with it when it’s all done!
Jim

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #11 on:** July 21, 2021, 06:08:43 AM »

Well I'll need a place to put that TATA if I end up with Kerry's old project.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #12 on:** August 04, 2021, 06:43:58 AM »

Making a little more progress. Starting to get the soffit and trim tin installed. I'm going to plug away to finish off the front of the building.

5th T/A · « **Reply #13 on:** August 04, 2021, 07:51:31 AM »

Ryan,

This turned out really nice. I like the architecture, much nicer than a typical garage. I bet you are anxious to get the outside completed before it starts getting cold.

kentucky yeti · « **Reply #14 on:** August 04, 2021, 08:10:40 AM »

It’s completely unrecognizable from the “before “ pictures when you started. Simply amazing!

« **Reply #14 on:** August 04, 2021, 08:10:40 AM »

roadking77 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 04, 2021, 03:25:54 PM »

Trust me, you will have a huge weight off your shoulders when you come home from work and see a finished product, not something that you know you need to work on. Its nice to have a project to keep you busy, but after awhile it becomes a job.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #16 on:** August 05, 2021, 06:03:41 AM »

I know what you mean Kerry. I've been looking at this half completed side for over a year now and I want to just wrap up the front side so it at least looks finished. Then I will turn my attention to the back sides of the building. I'd love to get it fully enclosed this year, even if it's only boarded up and wrapped on the back sides.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #17 on:** August 09, 2021, 06:35:25 AM »

I've been plugging away over the last week, but got a few hours without kids around to get some real work done yesterday. I was able to get the entire section above the garage enclosed and wrapped. The section near the peak where the lean to meets up had some tricky sections, but I got it all to match up and I'm very happy with the results.

Next up is trying to find some siding that will match up closely with the existing siding on the other side. I want to get it close enough that most won't notice that it's a different color. Wish me luck.

JJ 109 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 09, 2021, 07:25:52 PM »

Nice work. Looks good

kentucky yeti · « **Reply #19 on:** August 10, 2021, 06:30:22 AM »

You're going to love that this winter!

jonathonar89 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 10, 2021, 09:10:44 AM »

I’m waiting for the business sign “Ryan’s Muscle Motors” or something of the like to go up on that garage. Do it! haha

Jack · « **Reply #21 on:** August 10, 2021, 10:26:38 AM »

Driveway next?

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #22 on:** August 10, 2021, 02:02:45 PM »

Haha, thanks guys. I can't wait to get it fully enclosed for sure. I need to get some shelves, hooks and storage bins to get stuff off the floor!

I wouldn't mind flipping cars if I had a place to do it. Maybe that could be my next business venture.

Jack, I'd love to do a driveway to that but.... Looks are deceiving. The right "bay" of the garage has the floor tiered every 10' or so, so it's not a straight through. The left side will be flat and 30' long and 11' wide so it will make for a nice work bay. The rest I will have to get creative on to make it all useful.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #23 on:** August 17, 2021, 11:25:24 AM »

Made a little more progress this weekend. I was able to get the main beam built and installed. I also framed up the area where I'll be installing the 6.5' x 9' door. Now that the prices of lumber are coming down, I should be making more progress toward getting the rest of the building enclosed. I'm looking forward to having more walls built so that I can add shelves and hooks to get stuff out of my way. This building has unfortunately become a catch all for stuff I don't want to look at.

Next will be framing the section above it and covering it with OSB and sheathing. That shouldn't take too long since I already have the materials. Then I'm need to dig down and get the back footer wall poured. That will be very interesting, so I'll keep you all posted.

roadking77 · « **Reply #24 on:** August 17, 2021, 04:55:41 PM »

Nice!

My old neighbor had a very large shop/garage. The owner before him worked on his tractor trailers in it for an idea on size. Charlie (now deceased) was an avid Pontiac guy and primarily worked on flipping/restoring cars. At one time he put up a large banner that read "Charlies Garage". The county came in right away and shut him down as the location is residential. He still worked on cars, just got rid of the sign. Sometimes its better to fly below the radar.

« **Reply #24 on:** August 17, 2021, 04:55:41 PM »

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #25 on:** September 08, 2021, 01:24:56 PM »

Made some more progress on my garage build. Got the section above the main beam framed in and ready for some OSB. I also grabbed some more siding J channel to finish off the front side of the building. I found a perfect match for my siding from Lowe's, just have to drive to a slightly farther store to get it. I'm hoping to pick that up tomorrow or Friday so that I can get started on the finishing touches on the front side of the building. My wife will be SOO happy once that is done.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #26 on:** September 20, 2021, 07:23:29 AM »

Made some huge progress yesterday towards getting this building weathered in. I have been working here and there digging down where the footer wall will go. I finally got it dug down to where it will be below the eventual slab of concrete that I'll pour. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to build the forms, but once I had that figured out, it went pretty quickly. I still had a little deformation of the forms on the one side, but overall I'm super happy with how it came out. I had to build a little, step in the concrete for it to meet up with the existing slab.

23 bags of concrete was right at the max bed capacity for my truck, and I could definitely feel that weight back there. Was pretty happy too, I found an air stapler at Lowe's that was marked down 50% since it was a display piece. Got it for $24 bucks and it is a quality Bostitch piece. I tested it out and it does a much nicer job than the manual one I have.

And here's the final product after I finished it. The wall took 17 bags which was a lot of mixing! I probably should have just rented a mixer, but I got a good workout so it's all good.

I'll let this cure for a few days and then pull off the forms. The walls should go up pretty quickly, and I'm pretty sure I found a really good match for the siding at Lowe's. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Ryan

5th T/A · « **Reply #27 on:** September 20, 2021, 10:44:54 AM »

Looks great!

Mixing 17 bags by hand is an awful lot of work, my back and arms would be hurting big time.

kentucky yeti · « **Reply #28 on:** September 20, 2021, 10:28:39 PM »

I’ve said it before and will say it again- your progress is amazing!

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #29 on:** September 21, 2021, 07:06:19 AM »

Thanks Mike! Hopefully once the walls go up and it's sided, it will be my last home improvement project for a while.

And yes, 17 bags was a lot of work. I had my boys help spray the water when we mixed. They had a lot of fun too with the extra concrete so that was fun to see them out working along with me.

pancho400cid · « **Reply #30 on:** September 24, 2021, 11:12:56 AM »

As said....looks like a great family project.

You'll enjoy it for years to come!

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #31 on:** October 11, 2021, 06:28:48 AM »

With fall in full force here in NY, I'm really trying to make a push to get the structure enclosed before the cold weather hits. It's hard to tell from the pictures exactly what is going on, but on the left where the ladder and the right where the air compressor stands is roughly the level of the floor that I need. That should give me roughly 5" of concrete which will be fine when I go to pour the floor this spring.

It doesn't look like much, but my goal for the weekend was to get the remaining soil removed and the smaller concrete pad removed. I was only using a pickaxe, shovel and my garden tractor with a small wagon. This would have been wayyy faster if I had a loader tractor. But that wasn't an option for me unfortunately. Here's where I started on Friday after work.

After about 10 wagon loads of soil or concrete chunks, this is what it looks like.

I came so close to finishing, but didn't quite have enough time after the kiddos woke up from naptime. I think that this turned out to be a good thing, because I think what I want to do is actually pour the step right now rather than after the pad is done. I had always planned on pouring the step last, but I think I'm going to do it now, because I have about 8 bags of concrete that I need to use up. I think it will work out pretty nice.

I'm excited to get back to the framing and siding part of the build. I definitely enjoy doing that more than the soil work. Although pouring the concrete has been pretty fun too. The next updates should hopefully be filled with closing off the back of the building and installing the garage door.

It won't be in the cards this year, but my neighbor is selling me a wood pellet stove for a really good price. So maybe next year I can get it insulated and wired up for 220v.

Thanks,
Ryan

kentucky yeti · « **Reply #32 on:** October 13, 2021, 04:09:59 AM »

You moved a lot of dirt/rock in a short time. Ah, to be young again! You probably should use that concrete, as it will draw moisture over the winter and be useless by spring.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #33 on:** October 13, 2021, 06:50:34 AM »

Yeah, that's a good point actually. I'm going to work on forming up a step that will transition that slab where my miter saw is down to the level where my lower level will eventually be. Hopefully I can just use up the bags I have. My kids poked holes in all 7 of the bags I have so there's no returning them now...

roadking77 · « **Reply #34 on:** October 13, 2021, 08:13:16 AM »

Yes, those sacrete bags will def. harden over the winter and you will have some more blocks of concrete to cart around. The comment about your kids poking holes in them brought up a funny memory. We were at a rest. when my daughter was about 1 or 2. She is 30 now. There was a bowl full of coffee creamers on the table. The kind with the foil tops. She took a bite into each one of them with her 2 front teeth. By the time we realized what she was doing she had gone through the whole bowl. Each one had two punctures. Kinda looked like a vampire was making his mark.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #35 on:** October 22, 2021, 11:16:42 AM »

Yeah, I'm going to frame up a few steps to get from the uppers section in the rear down to the new lower level. Hopefully I can do that sometime this weekend to use those bags up.

After looking around for quite a while, I was able to find some siding that matches really closely to the old siding. I had to go to another Lowe's that was a little farther away, but worth the trip. I've been plugging away at getting the trim up around the inside of the doors and the J-channels re-used. I'm trying to use as many leftovers as I can to make this project easier on my pockets. I had my helpers out with me a few times.

Blends together really well.

Now I'm halfway done with the siding on the front. I'm so happy with the way that it turned out. I should be able to find a few minutes here and there this weekend to install the rest of the J-Channel and door trim. I still need to buy one more corner siding piece and then I'll be able to finish the siding above the other door. Once that is complete, I want to either finish enclosing the building or work on pouring those steps. Either way I'm getting very close to having a weathered in building!

Best,
Ryan

kentucky yeti · « **Reply #36 on:** October 22, 2021, 12:34:53 PM »

looking good, as always. I think you are going to beat the winter weather.

roadking77 · « **Reply #37 on:** October 22, 2021, 03:11:16 PM »

Looks really nice. You will be so happy when the outside is buttoned up.

Jack · « **Reply #38 on:** October 23, 2021, 08:37:00 AM »

It's always nice to have a weather tight building also to protected the wood.

ryeguy2006a · « **Reply #39 on:** October 25, 2021, 06:47:06 AM »

I made some time around lunchtime Saturday when the kiddos were sleeping and then buttoned up the front Sunday afternoon. It feels great to have this part done, and so nice looking at a finished building. Although as my older son pointed out, "But the inside still looks terrible Dad." Kids are great aren't they??

I was able to get this far on Saturday. That piece right above the doors was very tricky. I was able to get it in one piece though so I was pretty happy with that.

Then I was able to finish Sunday. Feels great having a finished appearing building.

I didn't work on the step in the back, but instead worked on my fuel pump for the old Camaro. I really wanted to drive it again and did just that.

« **Reply #39 on:** October 25, 2021, 06:47:06 AM »

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Author Topic: Converting My Structure to a Garage (Read 14306 times)