New shop build, beginning stages with questions

[rangerfredbob]

Got the rest of the outlets installed tonight and now it's got two light switches instead of 7 pull chains! I'll get the rest of the lights installed this weekend most likely. I've got my bosses laser level now so I'll level the gravel this weekend, I'll get it marked tomorrow night while it's dark...

 

[EddieWalker]

What are you going to do for outside lights?

 

[rangerfredbob]

Um, I just started thinking about that a couple days ago... For the post between the two big bays I'm thinking about one of the bigger solar dusk to dawn LED units I saw on someone else's barn thread. Other than that maybe a motion activated unit by the man door I'm not sure I'd need anything else.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Um, I just started thinking about that a couple days ago... For the post between the two big bays I'm thinking about one of the bigger solar dusk to dawn LED units I saw on someone else's barn thread. Other than that maybe a motion activated unit by the man door I'm not sure I'd need anything else.

If you have insects don't put any lights beside your doors. Put them up high or well off to the side. Why would you want to attract insects right to the spot where you walk in and out of a building? You can see well enough to use a door if the light is 10' off to one side. Just my thoughts and the way I do lights on my buildings.

 

[rangerfredbob]

Good idea, I have a plethora of mosquitoes and "mosquito hawks" as well as stink bugs and I think box elder beetles (the red and black things kinda like stink bugs), not too many moths but don't need to attract things... I could put it over the 10' tall door that has almost 4' over it or in one corner or the other which would be 12' from a door... I'll figure it out.

I got 8 more lights mounted tonight, now I'm up to 15 LED lights, it is NOT dark in there .

I'm working on concrete quotes, it's looking like around $9-10k for a 5" slab if I do the reinforcement work and vapor barrier... I have two quotes so far, I might get one more before I decide...

 

[rangerfredbob]

Here's the latest pictures... One is the stupid big hole in the depth it's been for a long time, once I finally got gravel I put it in from the inside and let it get it's natural angle on the outside then I filled it with top soil and compacted it with my jumping jack and now it doesn't look like anything as you can see in the other picture.

The other picture is my sweet power inlet to the shop for now, extension cord going to a splitter going to the switch box so I can power other things if I need to... It's temporary, electrician will be calling me on Wednesday hopefully to see about working on my wiring stuff, will need to get a bigger box tot he house so I can safely transfer power to the garage and shop from the house, don't even currently have a main power cutoff but at least it has breakers...

 

[EddieWalker]

Looks really good. You should be in good shape for winter!!!

 

[rangerfredbob]

I'm hoping! I think I found the guy to do the concrete but still have some work to do before I get there... I think I'm going to go down to a 5" slab to save some $$ as 6" is likely overkill for my plans... With cutting the top for crack relief and getting a pump the quote is $10,108 with me doing vapor barrier and reinforcement with remesh... Hopefully it's a mild winter so they can pour in December...

 

[ovrszd]

I'm picky about concrete. I use my shop every day. I'm sitting in it right now. I expect the concrete to be stable, no settling, no wandering cracks, flat and smooth enough to easily broom.

My shop is 1872 sqft. An inch of concrete is 5.75 yards. Concrete here is $125 a yard. An inch would cost me $720. I'd have to be in a serious financial pinch to cut that inch. I'd look long and hard at other cuts to save the money rather than my concrete.

Other's uses and priorities will vary.

 

[rangerfredbob]

I'll rethink that before I get too crazy adding gravel... Both quotes are adding $.75 a square foot extra per inch thickness past 4" so around $1300 per inch. 5" should be overkill for what I'm doing but more overkill never hurt anything...