My man cave build - UK edition

[911 Rod]

As amazing as this whole build is, I can see guys standing around with a pint in their hands watching a car going around. Each talking their turn saying “cool”.
If you are considering it, you can afford it.
When I do projects, quite often I will reward myself with a new tool bought with the money I saved.
I say go for it!!

[billybek]

Now, if you could build a lift into the turntable you would have the whole community hanging around with a pint in their hand saying "Cool" as the car slowly rotates, raises and lowers at the same time!
You came to the wrong place if you were looking for people to talk you out of this, Cap.
Love this thread and looking forward to more progress photos.

[tevake]

No doubt you NEED one of those turntables.
The new lawn and amazingly rebuilt wall are spectacular!!

Standing by for more delights with your build.

Cheers Richard

[javadog]

Given the cost, I think I would wait until I had completed the garage and tried it out a few times with whatever vehicles you’re going to park in the garage to see if it’s really going to be that much less hassle. If you wanted to, you could stub out some conduit now for running future electric wires.

I assume the thing would have to have some sort of a sump drain, I don’t know what provision you could put into place for that at this point.

[porsche tech]

How do you access underneath of it if something goes wrong with it? Amazing skills and perserverence demonstrated by you and your wife!

[daepp]

Oh my gosh - that's so awesome. I really really hope you go for it!

[968cs]

Originally Posted by javadog

Given the cost, I think I would wait until I had completed the garage and tried it out a few times with whatever vehicles you’re going to park in the garage to see if it’s really going to be that much less hassle. If you wanted to, you could stub out some conduit now for running future electric wires.

I assume the thing would have to have some sort of a sump drain, I don’t know what provision you could put into place for that at this point.

+1 to this. Unless there's something that speaks against the installation being done at a later date?

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Thanks for the compliments and I have passed on your kind comments to Mrs Ahab (the management)

Glen, there is nothing stopping insects setting up home, in fact the guys occasionally have to fend off bee's that get evicted when replacing old thatch

mgatepi, Mrs Ahab does it all, everything a professional builder does, digging, lifting, demolition, concreting, stonework, landscaping, painting, structural steel work lifting, loading/unloading materials, roofing, walling, block work etc etc Please send your wife over for a Cotswold Building Spa Break, she'll have a great time

Rod, bottom of the wall is semi-supporting as I'm sure without it over time the upper, old wall would move

Exciting week this week, our builder was back on site to finish off the pillars for the man cave entrance. Not quite as impressive as the pillars on the Pantheon but they do add a little something to the rear aspect



The stone around the last window was finished too, couple of obligatory arty shots. 2nd photo showing our front door, it all looks old but it's not as we added the porch when we built the rear extension





Mostly tidying up this weekend, easy job this morning was freshly painting the garage opening steel beams then followed by some heavy lifting by Mrs Ahab and myself getting everything in place for hopefully the last big lift this week



The 'oak' beam I thought was oak isn't. After sanding and cutting it to length I quickly realized it wasn't as it's easily the hardest wood I've ever come across. It's 9" x 9" square and nearly 20ft long but with less than 0.5" curvature so almost as straight as a straight thing



After a bit of internet sleuthing I found out that it's an African hardwood (can't remember the name) with a higher specific gravity than water so it weighs in around 300kgs or 660lbs

Ipe? It's rot and insect resistant. Hard as nails.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by javadog

Given the cost, I think I would wait until I had completed the garage and tried it out a few times with whatever vehicles you’re going to park in the garage to see if it’s really going to be that much less hassle. If you wanted to, you could stub out some conduit now for running future electric wires.

I assume the thing would have to have some sort of a sump drain, I don’t know what provision you could put into place for that at this point.

Originally Posted by daepp

Oh my gosh - that's so awesome. I really really hope you go for it!

I agree with both these views. The practical side is that real life testing (in bad weather especially?) of the space and your vehicles would yield a requirement. On the other hand, it is super cool, and after all, you deserve the benefits after a lifetime of work.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

Ipe? It's rot and insect resistant. Hard as nails.

The wood is called Ekki or Azobe and hard as nails too

[RWebb]

That Fisher Price garage is 3 stories tall. So....

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by RWebb

That Fisher Price garage is 3 stories tall. So....

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Finished the last of the man cave roofing today,

The original design was for a 8 panel roof, outer panels covered in lead due to fire regulations for the upstairs window and 6 centre panels in glass.

I decided a glass roof was just too much for what is just a garage, I'd be giving away valuable storage space too and the money it would cost could be put to better use on the build

Keeping to theme of fighting to maximize heights this roof was no different, the roof tiles are rated to a minimum 35deg pitch but this has a pitch of 25deg. To get around this I used a very expensive roofing membrane, it provides the waterproofing and the concrete roof tiles protect it from UV degradation.

6" X 2" roof joists 1st up



Then on to tile battens and roofing membrane, slight dip between the joists to allow condensation/moisture to run off away from batten nail holes which were waterproofed with a strip bytul sealing tape, The membrane overlaps sealed with double side tape, Should be tight as a drum



All tiled with lead flashing butting to the rear wall stonework. The tiles are worthy of post in the 'Craigslist and Garage Sales Scores' thread as they are all new and thanks to Ebay and Facebook Market place cost me the grand sum of $50 instead of $750 if I bought them from my building supplies shop



Once I loft it out and fit a couple of access hatches my extra storage space will be put to good use as I'll fill it with junk no doubt

[RWebb]

the membrane just sits on the boards, with no panels under it?

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by RWebb

the membrane just sits on the boards, with no panels under it?

Randy, those are called rafters.

Joking aside, I'm good with the lack of solid sheathing, Allows better air circulation under the tiles. Roofs aren't always a complete sealed system. Many are simply designed to shed water from above and at reasonable angles. Otherwise they breathe and that's one good reason to not shoot the hose at a roof level to the horizon.

Thinking stoopid painters and their pressure washers.

Note: if you have a vaulted ceiling with no attic or space (interior finish on bottom of rafters), you need a sealed roof.

[A930Rocket]

Nice work, Captain.

What kind of garage doors will you have? Thinking they would go up and in (here in the US), will yours swing out, due to the low height?

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Thanks A930, up and over won't work for my internal layout, doors will be 4 folding doors per side that slide behind each pillar. I'll make them myself from reclaimed oak beams, really looking forward to it too!

Mrs Ahab has been busy lowering the boundary and last wall, same as before dig down, dig under, cut/chisel back old footings, pour new concrete footing, build up new stone to match old stone



Hard to imagine this used to be a waist high dry stone wall when we bought the house, combination of rebuilding it taller and lowering the village it's now a lot higher than I can reach on tip toes!



Finally got round to doing the stone reveal's (vertical return to meet the internal wall) and stone sills for the rear windows, still have the front to do. Doesn't look like much work but a lot of vertical distance was traveled to make sure each stone was a good fit



Started on lowering the driveway, easy peasy for a man with a mini excavator but I need the exercise as I sit on my a$$ all day so it's small demolition hammer, shovel and bucket for me. I have a cunning plan for getting rid of the spoil heap

An hour an evening is quite a work out!



Waved goodbye today to my faithful 16" Husqvarna stone chop saw, sold for a great price, quite sad seeing it go, easily spent 2.5 months of my life happily chopping away with it, really got my money's worth out of that buy

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Mrs Ahab has been busy lowering the boundary and last wall

...

by hand?

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by RWebb

by hand?

Yes, she added an extra 18" to the bottom of the original wall which she built, I did the neighbors side as she is better at it than me

She does all of it, digging out with a demolition hammer, mixing/pouring concrete, mixing mortar and laying the stone courses, it's all her own work

I only get involved when a 9" angle grinder with diamond tipped blade is needed

[RWebb]

Wow! Is she a cyborg, or Polish?