Decided to build a garage. Now the fun begins.

[Scooterwrench]

Not sure about heat,down here we don't have long spells of cold but this is what I used in my shop to keep it(me) cool in the summer;

Way Cool Evaporative Coolers - Big Fogg Misting Systems & Solutions

WayCool® portable evaporative coolers use the natural cooling process of evaporating water to reduce temperatures up to 30°F at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning

bigfogg.com

They work good and don't tear you up with the power bill.

I've heard they actually work better in dryer,more arid environments than in our pretty much 70% year round humidity. Brother in law was out in Arizona for awhile and said they use them in a lot of warehouses. He said you'd catch a chill walking in to those places. I've still got mine but now I have a heated/air conditioned shop so I don't run it anymore.
The few times it did get unbearable cold I just threw a piece of 1" steel plate up on a turkey fryer burner and things got toasty quick,

 

[South VA]

Not sure about heat,down here we don't have long spells of cold but this is what I used in my shop to keep it(me) cool in the summer;

Way Cool Evaporative Coolers - Big Fogg Misting Systems & Solutions

WayCool® portable evaporative coolers use the natural cooling process of evaporating water to reduce temperatures up to 30°F at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning

bigfogg.com

They work good and don't tear you up with the power bill.

I've heard they actually work better in dryer,more arid environments than in our pretty much 70% year round humidity. Brother in law was out in Arizona for awhile and said they use them in a lot of warehouses. He said you'd catch a chill walking in to those places. I've still got mine but now I have a heated/air conditioned shop so I don't run it anymore.
The few times it did get unbearable cold I just threw a piece of 1" steel plate up on a turkey fryer burner and things got toasty quick,

That evaporative cooler looks interesting. I’d still have to figure out the heat, but it’s definitely worth a look.

 

[GrimsterGMC]

Progress.

It’s October 1st. The new concrete contractor, who will also remove the stumps, is on board. He will have to rent a larger excavator to remove the stumps, and plans to do so this coming week, weather and equipment availability permitting. Forming and pouring the slab will happen within a few weeks after that.

His bid is a bit higher than what we had budgeted, but turned out to be almost 30% lower than our original contractor’s bid. This new contractor was referred by a trustworthy general contractor, who used him for his own house and garage. Going with him was an easy choice.

On another note, this morning it occurred to me that building this garage plus getting the Subdivision to the point of being Road Trip Ready will cost not very much more than what I’d have to pay, including sales tax and fees, for a nicely equipped new ¾ ton tow vehicle alone.

Think about that.

Moreover, the recurring costs for a new truck (insurance, registration, and annual personal property tax) would be significantly higher than on my current ride. And I wouldn’t have a garage.

Puts a different perspective on this project.

Everything in life is about perspective, you can be happy or sad just depends on your perspective.

 

[South VA]

Everything in life is about perspective, you can be happy or sad just depends on your perspective.

Isn’t that that the truth!

And speaking of perspective, one of the many reasons that I find this forum to be so danged good is that more than a few members here really help each other to get back on track when we lose perspective.

As a participant on a few other forums (fora?) I have yet to see the level of support, commentary, and information provided that I see here.

Some of those other boards are pretty good, but I believe gmt400.com really is different. A cut above, if you will.

Now you all are going to have to buy new hats!

 

[Scooterwrench]

That's a hat I'd wear if my head weren't so small,hats make me look goofy!

 

[Keeper]

I've got a small mini-split system sitting on a shelf. I added a separate stop-gap system to an office addition on the cabin, then one year later relocated outdoor units and eliminated that one zone. So I shelved it. Take it. You'll need a line set, but that's it.

Model - Mitsubishi MUZ-HM09NA2

If it helps with the ol' budget, budget, budget... plus, I get to clear off some shelf space for more 400 goodies

I'm a big fan of stuff getting used

Pm if interested

 

[South VA]

I've got a small mini-split system sitting on a shelf. I added a separate stop-gap system to an office addition on the cabin, then one year later relocated outdoor units and eliminated that one zone. So I shelved it. Take it. You'll need a line set, but that's it.

Model - Mitsubishi MUZ-HM09NA2

If it helps with the ol' budget, budget, budget... plus, I get to clear off some shelf space for more 400 goodies

I'm a big fan of stuff getting used

Pm if interested

Thank you! Pm to follow

 

[thinger2]

Thanks! I hear you. For context, this is a working farm, but the cropland is rented out, so the farmers use and maintain their own equipment. They have the big stuff.

Our smallish 1970 JD row crop tractor, which unfortunately doesn’t have a cab, is the tallest piece of equipment we have. At first I thought that we don’t actually need that 10 x 10 door - until I measured the tractor with me sitting on it.

Taking the door into account, and using the high-mount door rails suggested by @Trio, a 10 x 10 is large enough to safely drive the tractor into the garage. So I think we’re good on that front.

But now you have me thinking that I may want to swap one of the 9 x 8s for another 10 x 10. The reason is that the lift is currently planned for the 10 x 10 bay, but I may want to pull the tractor in, but not where the lift is.

While we’re on the subject, any thoughts on a minimum width between doors? I’m thinking 2’ from the left hand building corner, and 18” between the doors, resulting in the maximum amount of wall space between the right hand door and the building corner where the workbench will be.


That’s a good idea. He’s going to pour an apron, but we haven’t decided how wide it should be. I’ll see when I get his bid, and adjust accordingly.



This is something I haven’t quite figured out yet. The eaves run across the front of the building, so rain will drip down in front of the garage doors. Not ideal. even a small shed roof would help this. I’ll ask the sales gal what it would take to fashion some sort of shed to the front.

That is something that I hadn’t thought of, and could definitely build myself. Thanks for the suggestion! A blast cabinet is already on the wish list.

Epoxy is another thing that I hadn’t really considered. Clearly, more research is needed. But it totally makes sense to do it before moving in!

Speaking of stuff, my GF has already said (more than once) that she wants her Christmas stuff stored in the garage.

Which is fine, I suppose, especially since she’s helping to pay for this project. Now I just have to figure out where to put it. Probably on shelves, high up on a wall, so as not to take up valuable floor real estate. Hopefully it won’t take up too much room.

Of course I will strongly resist further incursions.

But we all know how that could go…

You probably want to wait a couple of years before you epoxy that floor.
Just try to keep it clean in the meantime.
Concrete "hydrates" as it cures and a big pour needs a long time to stabilize.
That pour needs time to reach its designed strength and its correct moisture level and cure time before it will become long term stable.
Epoxy as it cures gets very hot.
It will actually smoke as it cures.
The problem with epoxying a green floor is that that chemical reaction will dry out the "cream" of the new concrete and it stops moisture from evaporating out of the concrete.
That slick top layer of the floor dries out and is now bonded to the glue instead of being bonded to the pour.
It is very much like making a frozen pizza in an oven where the outside is crispy but the inside is goo?
You have made a crunchy crispy floor over an uncooked concrete dough.
This is why coated green floors spall and why that entire pour ends up failing.
This is why aircraft and heavy equipment hot track the floors and pull them loose in little chunks.
Let the concrete do its concrete thing for at least two seasons before you try to coat it.
I was the chief glue sniffer at McChord afb and Ellis afb and a whole bunch of missile factories and Pepsi canning plants and slauterhouses and the friggin Revlon perfume factory.
Do not ever epoxy coat green floors.

 

[South VA]

You probably want to wait a couple of years before you epoxy that floor.
Just try to keep it clean in the meantime.
Concrete "hydrates" as it cures and a big pour needs a long time to stabilize.
That pour needs time to reach its designed strength and its correct moisture level and cure time before it will become long term stable.
Epoxy as it cures gets very hot.
It will actually smoke as it cures.
The problem with epoxying a green floor is that that chemical reaction will dry out the "cream" of the new concrete and it stops moisture from evaporating out of the concrete.
That slick top layer of the floor dries out and is now bonded to the glue instead of being bonded to the pour.
It is very much like making a frozen pizza in an oven where the outside is crispy but the inside is goo?
You have made a crunchy crispy floor over an uncooked concrete dough.
This is why coated green floors spall and why that entire pour ends up failing.
This is why aircraft and heavy equipment hot track the floors and pull them loose in little chunks.
Let the concrete do its concrete thing for at least two seasons before you try to coat it.
I was the chief glue sniffer at McChord afb and Ellis afb and a whole bunch of missile factories and Pepsi canning plants and slauterhouses and the friggin Revlon perfume factory.
Do not ever epoxy coat green floors.

I was planning on using a concrete densifier a month or so after it’s poured. Is that too soon? Based on what I’ve read here, I’m not going to use epoxy.

 

[thinger2]

I was planning on using a concrete densifier a month or so after it’s poured. Is that too soon? Based on what I’ve read here, I’m not going to use epoxy.

Just wait for awhile. Let it cure.
That also allows you to find out if they poured it correctley.
Epoxy will hide all of those sins but those sins are now glued to that top layer.
That heat cured top layer of the pour is now glued to the epoxy and not bonded to the conctrete pour.
That "smooth" surface is not a part of the the convcrete anymore.
Is is glued to the bottom of the epoxy.
That thin top layer that smooth surface of your pour gets cooked while the epoxy cures.
And you also need to take a look at what is actually 2 part epoxy or maybe air cured single stage urathane
The stuff they sell as garage floor coating is likely not 2 part epoxy.
No matter what you do.
Prep is everything.
And look real hard at the expiration dates on the product before you buy it.
Any type of anything that has a cure time will go bad.
Glue, fiberglass resin, whatever.
It is really commen to find 3 year old cans of crap garage floor paint on the shelf at home desperation or blows.
If you pay someone to do the job,
Demand to see the certs for the product.
There is a grey market for out of date uncertified epoxy that can no longer be used on a commercial project so that clumpy never gonna cure crap ends up in the residential construction world
.