First workshop build

[dlowry_uk]

Made a start on the OSB. The window cutouts are done, so should get finished easily tomorrow. I invested in a Makita plunge saw with guide rails specifically for this, and it was well worth it.

Drew

 

[Charlie Woody]

Looking very good ... well done!

 

[dlowry_uk]

With the OSB sheathing on, I made a start on the roof trusses. I used 2 x 4 timber , with 12mm OSB for the gussets, glued and screwed.

I decided to use fink trusses for the added strength, although the gussets are a pain to cut. I made a "master" set of all components, and use them to prepare batches of parts, generally enough for 3 trusses which is about all I can make in a full day. I need 9 in total, so 3 or 4 good days should do it, weather permitting.

Drew

 

[Cegidfa]

Morning Drew,

Isn't it amazing how fast this part of the build comes together (said Dick, who still hasn't finally finished his build)
You have done a grand job so far, and the fink trusses look fine. Using this method will make the roof assembly fly as well - it is so satisfying.
Having done this kind of roof, can I offer some advice (that you might have already decided on) When errecting the trusses, use a pair of stopblocks that you either screw or clamp in place to position the trusses accurately. Then you can just slide them into position and not have to struggle. Also, if you make the blocks L shaped, once the truss is in position, you can immediately clamp the truss to it for stability - very handy if windy, or working on your own. We also had another L shaped bracket cut to the truss spacing that we clamped to the top of the adjacentt truss so that the next truss could be slid into place and held upright whilst clamping - I hope that makes sense. That is how we two old farts managed to make a heavy and awkward job into an easy one.

So keep up the the good work, and best wishes for a speedy conclusion.

Oh yes, and I am deeply envious of you neatly stacked and very large wood pile

Regards...Dick.

 

[dlowry_uk]

Morning Drew,

Isn't it amazing how fast this part of the build comes together (said Dick, who still hasn't finally finished his build)
You have done a grand job so far, and the fink trusses look fine. Using this method will make the roof assembly fly as well - it is so satisfying.
Having done this kind of roof, can I offer some advice (that you might have already decided on) When errecting the trusses, use a pair of stopblocks that you either screw or clamp in place to position the trusses accurately. Then you can just slide them into position and not have to struggle. Also, if you make the blocks L shaped, once the truss is in position, you can immediately clamp the truss to it for stability - very handy if windy, or working on your own. We also had another L shaped bracket cut to the truss spacing that we clamped to the top of the adjacentt truss so that the next truss could be slid into place and held upright whilst clamping - I hope that makes sense. That is how we two old farts managed to make a heavy and awkward job into an easy one.

So keep up the the good work, and best wishes for a speedy conclusion.

Oh yes, and I am deeply envious of you neatly stacked and very large wood pile

Regards...Dick.

Hi Dick,
Thanks for the kind words. The framing does go up quickly, but things are starting to slow down a bit now I'm onto the roof structure. With the weather we've been having, I'd like to get a roof on asap, as the OSB has already had several good soakings. I didn't see the point of wrapping the walls without the roof on, as rain would just get behind the wrap and take longer to dry out, so I'll fit the wrap after.

Thanks for the tip on fitting the trusses I'd been thinking about it, and had decided to use stop blocks, but hadn't thought of making them L-shaped for clamping. I'll also try the top spacer. How did you ensure the final structure was plumb? I'd thought of using 2 lengths of 2x4 with notches at the truss positions. The idea is to slot them over the trusses near the top, 1 on each side, so the set of trusses is tied temporarily. Then I set the end-truss plumb and attach bracing along the bottom of the rafters to hold everything in place. Does that make sense?

Don't remind me about the woodpile. it took me 3 days to stack, and I still have to chainsaw half of it for this winter - they're 50cm logs, and our stove doesn't take anything bigger than 30cm. Never mind, keeps me off the streets

Regards
Drew

 

[Cegidfa]

Hi Drew,

Your method of holding the trusses upright sounds good to me. Even though the first truss will be set as perfect as can be, beware - drifting can take place, so check the trusses with a long level at regular intervals...to be sure. But to be honest..a slight deviation won't make a jot of difference to the end result - it will just dent your personal idea of 'perfection. :shock:
I think of myself as a 'failed perfectionist'. In that, I try to do my absolute best, but know that it won't be perfect..but it will still be better because I tried.

Regards...Dick.

 

[dlowry_uk]

9 trusses neatly stacked and ready to install =D>

I'm glad that's done - gets repetitive after the first 2 or 3 :wink:

The top one is a gable-end, where I've already attached the exterior sheathing. Makes it a bit heavier to manhandle, but much easier to measure and install on the ground than up a stepladder.

Drew

 

[neilyweely]

DL

This is absolutely great for me, as I am about to start doin exactly the same, in essence. I will be building 'mikes way' but thats not far off what you have done anyway, if at all.
What will you be doing for insulation? Did you get the electrics ready yet? And will you be using the roof space for storage?

Thankyou so much

Neil

PS - how did you do the concrete floor? Did you go down the full distance? Its so tempting to cut corners here, I even considered building it all on posts/slabs/something else

 

[dlowry_uk]

Hi Neil,
Glad that you find it of interest! I also strongly recommend you look at Cegidfa's thread https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/new-workshop-build-with-a-difference-t44368.html which has been of great help to me.

What will you be doing for insulation?

Probably rockwool or similar for the walls, as it is supposed to have good acoustic insulation properties as well. Not sure yet how I'm insulating the roof. Although I'm using trusses, I want to keep the roofspace at least partially open for storage (see below), which complicates things. I intend to put a floating floor over insulation boards, as referenced at the start of the thread.

Did you get the electrics ready yet?

Apart from having conduits installed when the slab was laid, no. I'm not overly familiar with the French system, but I'm lucky to have a friendly local guitar-maker with a huge workshop who will advise me on electrics when the time comes.

And will you be using the roof space for storage?

Yes, I want to partially cover the bottom chords of the trusses with loft flooring, probably a strip around the outside, leaving an open access area in the middle. The plan is to use that for wood storage, and also to install worklights etc. Not completely sure how that will work out. The design is still evolving as I go along...

how did you do the concrete floor?

I didn't! That was one job I decided I wasn't confident enough to tackle, so had it done by professionals. They laid a border of hollow concrete blocks, then hardcore, dampproof membrane (not sure if they protected it with sand, I only found out after that should be done...), then 100mm of concrete, also filling the blocks, which gives a good foundation for the weight of the walls.

Good luck with your build, look forward to seeing photos!

Drew

 

[dlowry_uk]

With a helping hand, the roof trusses were installed in an afternoon.

First the gable-ends...

I then ran stringlines between the rafter ends to help aligning the interior trusses. I pretty much followed the procedure outlined by Dick (cegidfa). I screwed stopblocks at the truss position and clamped a longer stop to the top of the previous truss. The truss to be installed is then hung inverted, raised against the stops with a batten, and clamped to the stops. Its then aligned and screwed. To speed things up I'd pre-drilled as much as possible.

Here you can see the stops in position ready for the next truss.

And the final result!

The gable-ends are braced to prevent take-off if a wind gets up, and I now need to plumb and brace the whole structure.

Drew

 

[wallace]

Thats a mighty fine looking workshop, makes my little box of an extension look positively poltry
Nice work
Mark

 

[dlowry_uk]

Today I plumbed and braced the trusses. As I aim to tile the roof, I also added a ridge to provide a fixing base for the ridgetiles. It has the added bonus of stiffening everything up and holding plumb. I'll eventually remove the temporary bracing on the underside of the rafters.

regards
Drew

 

[dlowry_uk]

I got half the roof panelled this afternoon.

The "roof-ladder" is actually part of an attempt to extend the roof to provide an eave at the gables. It didn't work out, so I'll do without, but it made a sturdy (aka heavy...) roof ladder, once I screwed on a stop.

I should get the other half done tomorrow, then its out with the breathable wrap. I managed the panels myself as it was dead calm today, but will probably need a helper to get the wrap on neatly.

Regards,
Drew

 

[buffalobill]

Hi drew
Its looking very good your shed (hammer) keep the pictures coming.
If you want to extend the roof in the gabels you can do it with the roof laths and nail a bit of 2x4 on the underside. just cut the 2x4 the length you want the overhang and nail it to the roof laths.

vidar

 

[dlowry_uk]

Mark and Vidar, thanks for the comments
I got the breathable membrane on the roof yesterday evening with a couple of helpers, and aim to finish wrapping the walls today, with some pics to come later. I've had a good run of weather this past week, but its due to break over the weekend, so I want to get the structure covered to give at least some protection from the rain.

Drew

 

[dlowry_uk]

I finished the breathable wrap, apart from taping the joins on the roof - ran out of tape

Although we fixed the wrap nice and tight on the roof last night, its wrinkled up quite a lot in today's heat, is that likely to cause a problem? The gable ends look untidy, but its just some overlap I left to allow for a small gable extension, stapled temporarily to stop it flapping too much.

Not sure what to do next. I have my windows, so could go ahead and install them, or continue with roofing.

Regards,
Drew

 

[billybuntus]

Looking good. I'd stick the roof on to keep the weather out. The rest can be done when you are ready.

Make sure you allow enough overhang for your finished exterior cladding or whatever your applying.

 

[dlowry_uk]

We've had heavy rain for the first time since I got the wrap on. I noticed wet patches on the inside of the blocks and on the floor. It seems water is wicking right through the blocks. Is this to be expected? I was planning to lay dampproof sheeting on the concrete, bonded to the DPM on top of the blocks, but I didn't expect to see quite so much water ingress through the blocks.

Is there anything I can apply to the outside of the blocks to reduce seepage, as they seem to soak water up like a sponge at the moment?

Regards,
Drew

 

[Dibs-h]

Is there anything I can apply to the outside of the blocks to reduce seepage, as they seem to soak water up like a sponge at the moment?

Regards,
Drew

What kind of blocks are you using? 7N or 3.5N ones - or something else?

I'd be tempted to reduce the ground level around the perimeter - got to be worth a punt as it don't cost much.

Dibs

p.s. As someone said - I'd finish the roof before fitting the windows.

 

[dlowry_uk]

What kind of blocks are you using? 7N or 3.5N ones - or something else?

Something else, I'd say. I used these hollow lightweight blocks

which were recommended by local builders merchants here (France) for things like garage walls etc. The classification system seems different here - they're classed as B40, meaning they'll support a pressure of 40 bar, not sure what that's equivalent to in the UK.

I'd be tempted to reduce the ground level around the perimeter - got to be worth a punt as it don't cost much.

Ground level is already at least 50mm below the top of the slab all round ie 50mm below the mortar line of the blocks. I think the problem is that the slab is not exactly square, so in some places it extends a few cm beyond the blocks, leaving a small plinth where water can gather.

Drew