Converting a pig shed into something useful+ various bodges

[curtisrider]

There's some floating about as nobody wants them on these days! it's a fairly modified 924 (narrow body compared to the wider 944), lots of home made parts on there too.

 

[curtisrider]

Feather edge started going on the outside:



Two new beams went in too, that felt really good as I could start to see the space opening up

Loads of rubbish was cleared out and old support posts removed, hopefully next two beams will go in tomorrow and then I can finish studding the tall wall

 

[curtisrider]

Well progress hasn't been fast, so many little jobs that keep popping up as well as other distractions!









Supports are all out and new beams in, Window frames made and the short wall is now getting covered in featheredge. I have been trying to plan out the lighting, I think I'll have 3 rows of lights over head per bay and some smaller lights at the back of the benches that can be independently switched on if needed. I'll have 20 double sockets and 4 16A sockets in total in this section, which sounds like lots but it's better than having trailing leads everywhere as well as constantly unplugging things. I hope to concrete some of the floor near the entrance next week when the ballast arrives, then I can crack on with the doors and get it locked up!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't spend money on blanket cover lighting - put enough in so you can see your way in in the dark. Save your cash by putting the light where you need it to work. LEDs and more LEDs.

 

[curtisrider]

Each section will have a switch so I can illuminate what I need to, it gives me options then and I have got lots of light fittings to use that I got for free. I found in the other workspace it was often too dark when working on cars even with lots of lighting as it was never in the right place so i'm trying to avoid that situation. I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.

 

[morturn]

I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.

You can now buy LED florescent tubes as a replacement.

I put one in my shed last week, they work great in the existing fittings.

 

[curtisrider]

I will gradually replace with LED as the fluorescents fail, however i'm not in a position to spend the several hundred needed to cover all the lights in this place right now, sorting out the shell of it is costing me enough! I have been fortunate to get lots of free light fittings which has really helped

 

[giantbeat]

I would use LED but I can't afford new fittings right now due to the cost of sorting the building out first.

You can now buy LED florescent tubes as a replacement.

I put one in my shed last week, they work great in the existing fittings.

i have to agree, im in an old workshop (building dates back to 1860) but has been a joinery works for the last 40 years, i been in 12 of those & worked under old 6 & 8 foot strip lights.
Our hoard of replacement bulbs has run out, i was going to replace fittings & dreading the cost, but i spotted the retro fit 8ft bulbs on ebay & bought one to try, not only was it cheap (£28 delivered for an 8 foot bulb) but it kicks out twice the light as the other fittings, you don't appreciate how horrid the flo tube light is, so yellow compared to the crisp white led.

its worth doing, im currently replacing them as i can (couple a month), im even putting back up old 8 ft fittings we had take down

loving the progress BTW, keep up the good work.

 

[curtisrider]

I got given 9x8ft lights recently with no bulbs, ended up getting 20 brand new ones for a tenner! I know they cost lots to run in the long term but at that price I think I can handle it for now until I'm up and running. I also have a load of 4 and 5ft single and twin fittings too which i'll use in areas that don't require as much light. I have 2 led 4ft lights that have arrived today to try, I wanted to have enclosed lights in the lower areas where I work incase I hit them!

I have lots of stuff arriving over the next few days including the cement and ballast so I can get mixing up for the floor. I also accepted defeat as I've been working alone on this and I so have a guy with a mini digger booked in to dig a trench to the septic tank for the soil pipe, armoured cable and drainage to the ditch so that the area outside doesn't get waterlogged anymore.

 

[curtisrider]

Outside wall is now finished (well, until I attack the other half of the building!) it was a total pain as there are so many cuts to do.



One row of lights went up which felt like a mini achievement!



Two are florescent and two are LED, I can't tell much difference between them to be honest which I guess is good!

I'll get the JCB out and do the others on the tall bit tomorrow then hopefully finish the studding on the tall wall so that I can start routing the wire for the sockets. Wood arrives for the doors tomorrow so I can start those over the weekend!

 

[curtisrider]

I've been busy with the doors, built them in on piece and then cut in half afterwards. This was far easier than trying to build them on the floor and fit afterwards!

 

[curtisrider]

Doors covered and shower/toilet block nearly covered

 

[MattRoberts]

You're moving at a rapid pace! Looking great, thanks for the updates

 

[curtisrider]

Cheers Matt, I was starting to wonder if anybody was actually interested!

The big doors won't have any locks on the outside, and will be reinforced inside along with pins in each corner which will make it rather hard to break into I hope. I have a bloke with a mini digger tomorrow to smash up the floor and dig out the drains and soil pipe for the toilet. Feels like slow progress right now, I caught my finger in my table saw and it means everything I do is bloody painful! My mitre saw is also not loving life so I need to get a new one ordered.

 

[MattRoberts]

Holy smokes, sounds like you had a lucky escape with the tablesaw!

One question I had was with the framing for the doors. Looks like the verticals are complete lengths, with the horizontals sections in between. Would that not be more prone to sag in the future? Or does the cladding prevent any shear?

 

[curtisrider]

Tablesaw incident was sheer stupidity on my part, it's what happens when you get too comfortable and take risks forgetting just how unforgiving it can be.

To be honest I have no idea what is best with the doors as they were a bit of a compromise to allow me to build them alone, the long diagonals put the weight from the far top corners into the bottom hinge and certainly made the structure feel stronger after fitting. I will be using OSB inside which should stiffen things up massively and there will be spring loaded wheels on the bottom of each door too. I've had a few people visit who are carpenters and they haven't said anything negative yet... I doubt the boards will help much, it's pretty feeble wood!

 

[Harbo]

Watching with interest.

Rod

 

[curtisrider]

The old floor was smashed out today (1-2" concrete on top of insulation) ready for a new floor to go in.



My Porsche has moved in as it was in the way elsewhere, gives a sense of scale of the place!



I boshed together a rough adaptor for my extractor vent for when I'm welding/grinding, it works fine and the position is about as good as it can be to allow for good reach, easy folding and access so I'll get building a neater sealed version when I have time and cut out a hole in the wall for the extractor then that section of the wall can be boarded up.

 

[powertools]

I am am about to clad a building with feather edge boards that l want to have a black finish like yours can you tell met what product you have used.

 

[SteveF]

just so u know
i am sure lots of us are interested
cant believe the fast pace u work at, and still have good results
i like that extractor arm

Steve