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Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

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Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 10 Jul 2020, 21:59

Hello all

This is definitely the place to learn the intricacies of workshop building, so here goes with what what will probably be the slowest project seen to date.

The idea is a lean-to workshop/garden room for my wife, who is an amateur potter. I'm not shifting my own woodworking shop from inside the house where I can make much more noise and take advantage of central heating.

Measurements will be approximately 5.6X3m, width varying slightly as a result of two external chimney breasts along the house wall that the workshop will join to. Construction will be the earlier Mike G suspended floor design where the cladding overhangs the brick plinth rather than being flush (I like this look and it sounds easier).

In another thread Mike and Bob pointed me on the right way to dealing with an existing uneven slab. I've found out that the old one doesn't run the full length of the wall that I want so I'm going to attempt to extend it with a C20 mix and some steel mesh - all new for me. Today I dug a 6/7 inch deep trench with the faithful Irish Shovel - it was an easy job as it was all builders sand and gravel that had been underneath some paving slabs so came away like confetti. Tomorrow I want to order some materials and get cracking with mixing up the concrete next week.

Hopefully I can upload a couple of photos...
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 17 Jul 2020, 12:38

I've now done the extra concrete slabbing after borrowing a mixer from a pal.

It was the first time I've used a concrete mixer and that part was good fun, but carting the ballast from the top of the drive to the wrong corner of the back garden in multiple wheel barrow loads was damn hard work, although I did get the help of my wife for a few hours.

I put a DPM in. I also cut out some concrete reinforcement mesh the day before and...forgot to put it in. With the excitement of multiple concrete mixes I clean forgot about it. Well, learn from your mistakes and all that. I'm just going to hope that a little extra bit of concrete like this won't move drastically. And if it does, it won't take the walls down.

So now while the concrete is drying, I'm thinking about the next stages, so may I try and tap into some knowledge? Any thoughts welcome. I've attached a very basic hand-drawn floorplan - sorry, but it's not properly to scale.

1) The slab as a whole will be not be at all level, so I want to make a suspended floor with joist hangers. Is that the easiest option? Presumably they can be screwed into the brickwork on both sides? (no sole plate on one side)?
2) I want to maximise light from the front, as the other external sides are over-shadowed by a tall hedge and retaining wall. Would double French doors that are, say, 1.8 or even 2 metres wide be structurally sound in a front wall of 2.8 metres? Maybe with an 8X2 header?
3) I want to step the front part of the shed so that the width is slightly narrower as the concrete edges of the patio slope inwards. I can see that doing a little step inwards of one brick's length should be ok to execute in bricklaying terms but would such a little step be sound practice in stud-framed shed walls?
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Woodbloke » 17 Jul 2020, 17:50

Blevins wrote: The slab as a whole will be not be at all level, so I want to make a suspended floor with joist hangers.

I'm no authority on this malarky at all, but that's exactly how I did mine, but I didn't use a concrete base; simply pads of 50mm thick concrete paving slabs stacked one on top of the other. The pads of concrete were bridged with proper 'old skool' railway sleepers and the structure of the 'shop went on top of the sleepers. Thus far it's been sound as a pound for the last 15 years and the floor's supporting a lot of heavy machinery - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 18 Jul 2020, 15:23

Good to hear. The heaviest item that will be in this workshop will be a small kiln, but one that two can lift reasonably comfortably and weighs less than my little planer thicknesser.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 18 Jul 2020, 15:29

I've returned the cement mixer and whacker plate (too big to be of any use on such a small area as couldn't properly turn it round), and tried to figure out the plith/floor before I start ordering bricks etc.

Here is a plan of the plinth.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Malc2098 » 18 Jul 2020, 15:44

Hiya. Others can probably comment on the drawing so far, but my three ha'peth is that your timber joists will need ventilation underneath them to avoid premature rotting. I achieved that with air-bricks in the plinth.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 19 Jul 2020, 06:42

Yes, I could stick some in on the second course of bricks.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 27 Aug 2020, 19:33

Finally, an update.

I have about finished the brick plinth - I just need the final course on the front. The bottom rough bit of the front bricks hopefully won't be visible as I am laying flag stones to join with the plinth around where the first proper course starts.

It was a real challenge for me with the uneven ground (difference of 1 1/2 courses of bricks between highest and lowest point). To level the first course, I cut bricks lengthways with a 9" grinder. Doing around 30 wasn't a wholly enjoyable experience as I am a hand tools guy, but I got there slowly. I made a little jig to grip the bricks - there was no way I was using a foot. Then I laid the first half course at the same time as the next full course with a lot of muck to level.

There are innumerable things which didn't go to plan - perps/bed thicknesses which varied drastically, bits of slate popped it from time to time, a string line level which later on turned out not to correspond with my other spirit levels, but hopefully this will do the job.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Malc2098 » 27 Aug 2020, 21:26

It's coming along.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Mike G » 27 Aug 2020, 21:55

What sort of roof is going on this? I can see some tricky issues ahead with that shape.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 28 Aug 2020, 14:08

The basic plan is a mono-pitched roof with the rafters joining a wall-plate on the house wall and then birds-mouthing them to the opposite workshop stud walls probably with an overhang that gives a continuous rather than stepped line (ie. more overhang in the front narrower part).

Ideally I'd like to get to a pitch of about 30 degrees but from some calculations I did a couple of weeks ago that might not be possible with the suspended floor and the 3 metre maximum height for permitted development. Having said that, at that time I was considering using ceiling joists joined to a lower wall plate for extra stability but maybe this is overkill? I think I'd like the sense of space in seeing a higher roof sloping upwards from inside.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Mike G » 28 Aug 2020, 15:47

The "wall plate on the house wall" thing is one issue. As I see it, you'll need 4 different plates, at two different levels. The other issue is having a stepped wall at the lower end of the roof you'll need two different plate heights there as well. It's perfectly do-able, but you are going to be checking and re-checking a few times. You'll also have very few rafters the same, so there'll be a bit of messing about with them.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 28 Aug 2020, 18:30

Yes, I see what you mean. Instead of trying to work everything out on paper first, maybe I should identify the correct height of the longest rafter, attach it, and then try to align the others with that on the job, putting the wall plates at the appropriate height to achieve that.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Mike G » 28 Aug 2020, 20:24

For me, that is the exact approach to take. I would do the two furthest-apart long rafters and rest a straight edge across them to locate the intermediates.
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Re: Simon's Lean-To Workshop Build

Postby Blevins » 29 Aug 2020, 07:26

That's reassuring to hear, ok.

I'm off to do the last bit of brickwork this morning. From then on I need to get to grips with walls/roof. I don't intend to worry about fitting a suspended floor until the stud frames/roof rafters are in place to keep the rain off anything below.
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