Workshop beginnings

One of the first things I did on moving to our present home was to build a workshop, this also entailed landscaping the back garden as not only was it very overgrown but also the lie of the land meant that the ground sloped from side to side.

So after removing 3 large trees & numerous large shrubs I was able to dig out the footings for the shop the spoil being used to level the land. Wanting to keep the ground from the house to the shop at the same level a retaining wall was built from the workshop to the house to hold back the soil.

The footings consisted of strip footings around the perimeter with steel mesh left sticking out which was bent over when the concrete had set, further mesh was then welded to this & a concrete slab poured on top.

All the concrete for the base was mixed by hand as access at this time was limited, the final slab measuring 28` x 10` 6" & containing over 10 ton of balast.

Once the concrete was set brick laying could commence, as the side of the shop was to act as a retaining wall for the lawn this was built from blue bricks, I`d also decided on insulated cavity wall construction as one of my main concerns was noise escaping from the shop when in use.

 With the brick work above ground level the rest of the land was prepared ready for turfing.
Whilst the front of the shop was going to be facing brick the sides & back were to be of block construction, not only did this mean a saving in cost, but also in time. Progress on the block work was quick & it wasn`t long before the roof could start & go on.

The roof was designed as an A frame to maximise the internal ceiling height, sarking ply was fixed to the exterior of the roof to prevent movement in the frames. This was all sprayed with preservative before being insulated & then OBS board being fixed to the under side of the trusses.

The roof was hipped at the back of the shop so as to softten the visual impact on our neighbours behind.

A pair of wooden doors & frame were made from redwood, T&G boards rebated into the front of the door frame, insulation behind this & then 1/2" plywood fixed to the back of the doors.

Behind these doors a double glazed patio door was fitted, not only did this give extra security & help reduce the noise emmited when working in the shop but also as no windows had been fitted this would be the only source of natural light.

Internally a DPM was put down & a fibre screed laid after which the walls & ceiling were lined with plaster board & skimmed, these were than emulsioned with white vinyl silk. All electrics were surface mounted in conduit & a hatch made to access the small space within the top part of the A frame.

The roof was tiled with reclaimed concrete Marley modern tiles, the sarking being batterned in line with the trusses, roofing felt layed over these, cross batterned & the tiles fixed.

With the hard work done the fun was just about to begin, but that`s another post.