Great day for me :) My garage is happening

Progress :) confirmed 6" slab but they are going to make it 8" where the lift is going by having 2 trenches that are deeper.

Driveway is started and footers going in tomorrow.

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Anyone need firewood?

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This seems so long ago that I posted this.
A few days ago I was driving home from Texas and I thought to myself "time to fire the contractor" After months of no movement on the garage I drive up and find this
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So hopefully I'll start seeing some progress. I guess the slab guys are lined up to go right after the block guys are done. Fingers crossed.
 
This seems so long ago that I posted this.
A few days ago I was driving home from Texas and I thought to myself "time to fire the contractor" After months of no movement on the garage I drive up and find this
View attachment 113250
View attachment 113251
View attachment 113252


So hopefully I'll start seeing some progress. I guess the slab guys are lined up to go right after the block guys are done. Fingers crossed.
Keep us updated, congrats on the progress! 2022 is not a good year to be doing any kind of construction. Contractors are stretched thin for labor /schedules are tight, material in short supply. The focus is definitely not on quality but to get the job done and onto the next one. That's been my experience anyways, and I only had one contractor (slab/foundation) to deal with. It's been a struggle.

You're not the only one behind schedule. I got my slab/footings poured in June (2-1/2 months late), then insulation took 3-1/2 weeks instead of the 1 week lead time I was quoted earlier in the year. I opted to let it sit all summer because the thought of putting up a building myself (with just a few helpers) in the hottest summer months didn't appeal to me. I've got help and equipment coming Labor Day weekend and I'm gonna get this building off the ground finally.

Best of luck with yours going forward!
 
This seems so long ago that I posted this.
A few days ago I was driving home from Texas and I thought to myself "time to fire the contractor" After months of no movement on the garage I drive up and find this
View attachment 113250
View attachment 113251
View attachment 113252


So hopefully I'll start seeing some progress. I guess the slab guys are lined up to go right after the block guys are done. Fingers crossed.

Normally how long would it take to build your garage without any delays ?
 
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Normally how long would it take to build your garage without any delays ?
Not totally sure but the contractor said the rest of the build will be fast. When he promised it by end of June it was the last week of may.

So 4-5 weeks. I think it's the specialists that are the issue (mason, electrician, plumber) with scheduling.

The mason told me he has jobs to hold him for almost a year. So these guys are busy and he complained he can't hire decent help.
 
So how far up the block wall is the garage floor going to be? Seem like to pack fill in there, you might blow the walls out if the floor is near the top? I guess in theory crushed 3/4" washed stone is supposed to not need much packing. Or is lots of fill being added on the other side of the block wall as they build up? Roll up doors are handy front and back, so you don't move as many things around as often, so having a "back door" for the tractor/mower/atv is nice and go pretty wide IMO.
I guess your contractor has dealt with your hills plenty times before so he knows what he's doing.

I have a 30x60 hoop barn "shop" on a side hill but I just leveled the area with my tractor and box blade using the material there. I just have a dry gravel floor though, a concrete floor and lift would be nice, but I only have 11' clearance and my fill tends to swell and shrink alot with moisture content! So before concrete I have to put a french drain or something around the up hill side to keep it dryer. I did put 12'x10' high roll up doors at each end so its nice to have a car spot ready for work up front while the atv, tractor, sled can shoot out the back at anytime.

Anyways you'll love your shop and think of a few things you'd change no matter what you do! lol
 
So how far up the block wall is the garage floor going to be? Seem like to pack fill in there, you might blow the walls out if the floor is near the top? I guess in theory crushed 3/4" washed stone is supposed to not need much packing. Or is lots of fill being added on the other side of the block wall as they build up? Roll up doors are handy front and back, so you don't move as many things around as often, so having a "back door" for the tractor/mower/atv is nice and go pretty wide IMO.
I guess your contractor has dealt with your hills plenty times before so he knows what he's doing.

I have a 30x60 hoop barn "shop" on a side hill but I just leveled the area with my tractor and box blade using the material there. I just have a dry gravel floor though, a concrete floor and lift would be nice, but I only have 11' clearance and my fill tends to swell and shrink alot with moisture content! So before concrete I have to put a french drain or something around the up hill side to keep it dryer. I did put 12'x10' high roll up doors at each end so its nice to have a car spot ready for work up front while the atv, tractor, sled can shoot out the back at anytime.

Anyways you'll love your shop and think of a few things you'd change no matter what you do! lol
So I am not sure. it looks wonky to me and I am having a hard time imagining the floor right now. Contractor says not to worry so I wont. Excavators and concrete should be here in the next week so I guess I'll have a better idea.

Only roll up doors on the front, I wanted front and back originally. After some talk we are going to make an enclosed A/C office in the back. Man cave so to speak. Doors will be 12' high and I will have a concrete pad out front.
 
So how far up the block wall is the garage floor going to be? Seem like to pack fill in there, you might blow the walls out if the floor is near the top? I guess in theory crushed 3/4" washed stone is supposed to not need much packing. Or is lots of fill being added on the other side of the block wall as they build up? Roll up doors are handy front and back, so you don't move as many things around as often, so having a "back door" for the tractor/mower/atv is nice and go pretty wide IMO.
I guess your contractor has dealt with your hills plenty times before so he knows what he's doing.

I have a 30x60 hoop barn "shop" on a side hill but I just leveled the area with my tractor and box blade using the material there. I just have a dry gravel floor though, a concrete floor and lift would be nice, but I only have 11' clearance and my fill tends to swell and shrink alot with moisture content! So before concrete I have to put a french drain or something around the up hill side to keep it dryer. I did put 12'x10' high roll up doors at each end so its nice to have a car spot ready for work up front while the atv, tractor, sled can shoot out the back at anytime.

Anyways you'll love your shop and think of a few things you'd change no matter what you do! lol

I was wondering the same thing. Here they don’t use block below grade, they’d pour a formed concrete wall. Maybe block is stronger than I realized.
 
I was wondering the same thing. Here they don’t use block below grade, they’d pour a formed concrete wall. Maybe block is stronger than I realized.
I know that this block is getting concrete poured into it, supposed to happen next week. I guess that would make it a bit stronger , also there is a pretty deep concrete footer that is under there, they poured that months ago
 
I was wondering the same thing. Here they don’t use block below grade, they’d pour a formed concrete wall. Maybe block is stronger than I realized.
Block is plenty strong in compression, but I wouldn’t want to dump or pack fill next to one unless you’re really careful. Interesting sequence for construction.
 
Block is plenty strong in compression, but I wouldn’t want to dump or pack fill next to one unless you’re really careful. Interesting sequence for construction.
guess it's called a t type foundation. I had to look it up. I think it is because technically this is not going to be a heated space and the ground has potential to freeze.
 
I was wondering the same thing. Here they don’t use block below grade, they’d pour a formed concrete wall. Maybe block is stronger than I realized.
Here we can use block for foundations and it’s fine even with heated basements usually.
I’ve seen several block retaining walls fail pretty miserably though, in our freeze thaw cycles.
I would insist that if floor level is at the top of the block wall, that the outside have the grade brought up to near that level to push back against the fill inside the block wall. It’s cheap insurance and insulation so there’s way less freeze thaw going on inside the block wall as well.
I suspect that’s the plan anyways, but it’s good to ask.
 
guess it's called a t type foundation. I had to look it up. I think it is because technically this is not going to be a heated space and the ground has potential to freeze.
A t-type foundation is what is used here but I’ve never seen it done with blocks. Not sure how well they’d waterproof for a foundation/basement vs a solid wall. Post up some more pics when they get the grade where they want it.
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