Focalplane
Western Thunderer
I think this may be a good time to recap the planning and building of the Motor House as an outbuilding which happens to be for holding and working on a vintage car but could just as easily have been for a reasonable size model railway layout. The title of the thread also implies a comparison between an in-building and an out-building and I now have one of each though in different countries.
Planning
All important, every minute was worth while. First to research what is available, find out how suitable the build structure will be and then compare costs.
I ended up choosing a log cabin structure from logcabins.co.uk (KEOPS). This was a good choice. I don't think the structure is particularly expensive to buy and erect when compared with typical shed offerings from garden centres and the like. Some "bespoke" shed type structures turned out to be more expensive which is surprising (if the National Trust name is on the product, you will pay more!). My structure ended up costing around £13,000 for slab, kit, erection and paint. However, I did the site preparation for the pouring of the slab and also did the wood treatment and painting myself.
Do check up on local planning regulations. We could have had problems if located in a nearby National Park, for example, and we were also able to stay more than 2m from boundary lines, a big consideration.
Obtain estimates for work and in particular to compare with jobs you can do yourself. I was able to combine the slab pouring with other landscape work which saved a lot.
Execution
During the CoVid-19 lockdown I could not visit sites to see examples of the products being considered. In this case KEOPS have an excellent web site, by far the best out there. Contact by email and telephone to WFH employees was always timely and friendly. All the people involved, from designer to accounting, to logistics, delivery and construction were really helpful. Management was never involved and never needed to be.
The construction site in our vegetable garden proved to be a bit of a nightmare with greenhouse and other foundations built to frustrate a simple land clearance. A Gorilla Bar turned out to be a saviour! A greenfield site would have been very simple to deal with. Drainage should be a consideration as well during the planning process. Better to be elevated more than less.
As noted above, the concrete pouring was combined with other work. Definitely a cost saving given the distance from the road to the slab site.
I was worried about the location and access for delivering the kit packages. In fact I need not have worried at all. The main delivery truck used a Moffett to carry the packages from the main road, down our private cul de sac and onto the front lawn. Subsequently the construction team unpacked and carried the components to the construction site. Construction by two employees took two days. They worked hard!
My second stint of work involved treating the timber outside and in and then painting the outside. I am very pleased I chose the materials recommended by KEOPS, namely Cuprinol 5 star and Sadolin opaque paint. It is important to follow instructions and not apply coats too quickly, they need to soak in and dry out (Cuprinol) and cure (Sadolin) before recoating. Wet weather in July and August proved to delay the painting process from an expected 2 weeks to a month.
Impressions
Visitors have been impressed with the quality of the log cabin design and many were surprised that the company custom designed what I wanted, not provide what they could offer from a limited range. This was a big plus in my opinion.
I did not let the slab dry out completely before painting the floor. My mistake which will be rectified next year. This problem is not over the entire slab, I was just too hasty.
Wood can and will shrink across the grain. The window and door designs take this into account but full instructions are provided for making any additional adjustments that may be required.
The Future
I have yet to install electricity though a supply is already present adjacent to the site. This will be a priority.
I have also not addressed the surrounding area, including a short driveway to the up and over door and a small terraced area outside the French doors.
Water butts will be added to both gutter downpipes.
Comparisons
A loft conversion is an option for model railways but not for vintage cars! However, an outbuilding can offer garden railway running where a loft cannot.
Brick built garages can be very cold and damp, I am hoping the timber walls and roof will reduced dampness during the winter. Double glazing may help keep the log structure warmer than the existing garage. We'll see!
The converted home movie theater in France is, in many ways ideal for that location, given the higher summer and winter temperatures and lower overall humidity, but I am not so sure it would be as ideal in damp, cold England during 6 months of the year unless it has central heating
Good lighting will always be important and I am finding the new LED offerings to be an excellent choice for both locations. Portable battery powered lighting is also now inexpensive and ideal for working under cars and baseboards!
Any questions I have not addressed will be answered in the posts that follow.
Planning
All important, every minute was worth while. First to research what is available, find out how suitable the build structure will be and then compare costs.
I ended up choosing a log cabin structure from logcabins.co.uk (KEOPS). This was a good choice. I don't think the structure is particularly expensive to buy and erect when compared with typical shed offerings from garden centres and the like. Some "bespoke" shed type structures turned out to be more expensive which is surprising (if the National Trust name is on the product, you will pay more!). My structure ended up costing around £13,000 for slab, kit, erection and paint. However, I did the site preparation for the pouring of the slab and also did the wood treatment and painting myself.
Do check up on local planning regulations. We could have had problems if located in a nearby National Park, for example, and we were also able to stay more than 2m from boundary lines, a big consideration.
Obtain estimates for work and in particular to compare with jobs you can do yourself. I was able to combine the slab pouring with other landscape work which saved a lot.
Execution
During the CoVid-19 lockdown I could not visit sites to see examples of the products being considered. In this case KEOPS have an excellent web site, by far the best out there. Contact by email and telephone to WFH employees was always timely and friendly. All the people involved, from designer to accounting, to logistics, delivery and construction were really helpful. Management was never involved and never needed to be.
The construction site in our vegetable garden proved to be a bit of a nightmare with greenhouse and other foundations built to frustrate a simple land clearance. A Gorilla Bar turned out to be a saviour! A greenfield site would have been very simple to deal with. Drainage should be a consideration as well during the planning process. Better to be elevated more than less.
As noted above, the concrete pouring was combined with other work. Definitely a cost saving given the distance from the road to the slab site.
I was worried about the location and access for delivering the kit packages. In fact I need not have worried at all. The main delivery truck used a Moffett to carry the packages from the main road, down our private cul de sac and onto the front lawn. Subsequently the construction team unpacked and carried the components to the construction site. Construction by two employees took two days. They worked hard!
My second stint of work involved treating the timber outside and in and then painting the outside. I am very pleased I chose the materials recommended by KEOPS, namely Cuprinol 5 star and Sadolin opaque paint. It is important to follow instructions and not apply coats too quickly, they need to soak in and dry out (Cuprinol) and cure (Sadolin) before recoating. Wet weather in July and August proved to delay the painting process from an expected 2 weeks to a month.
Impressions
Visitors have been impressed with the quality of the log cabin design and many were surprised that the company custom designed what I wanted, not provide what they could offer from a limited range. This was a big plus in my opinion.
I did not let the slab dry out completely before painting the floor. My mistake which will be rectified next year. This problem is not over the entire slab, I was just too hasty.
Wood can and will shrink across the grain. The window and door designs take this into account but full instructions are provided for making any additional adjustments that may be required.
The Future
I have yet to install electricity though a supply is already present adjacent to the site. This will be a priority.
I have also not addressed the surrounding area, including a short driveway to the up and over door and a small terraced area outside the French doors.
Water butts will be added to both gutter downpipes.
Comparisons
A loft conversion is an option for model railways but not for vintage cars! However, an outbuilding can offer garden railway running where a loft cannot.
Brick built garages can be very cold and damp, I am hoping the timber walls and roof will reduced dampness during the winter. Double glazing may help keep the log structure warmer than the existing garage. We'll see!
The converted home movie theater in France is, in many ways ideal for that location, given the higher summer and winter temperatures and lower overall humidity, but I am not so sure it would be as ideal in damp, cold England during 6 months of the year unless it has central heating
Good lighting will always be important and I am finding the new LED offerings to be an excellent choice for both locations. Portable battery powered lighting is also now inexpensive and ideal for working under cars and baseboards!
Any questions I have not addressed will be answered in the posts that follow.
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