It’s Workshop Build Day!
Y’all, I was beginning to think that this day would never get here! When I purchased my workshop, I knew it would be a few weeks before they could work me into the schedule, especially since mine is a larger build-on-site building rather than a smaller storage building that they can build in their workshop and just deliver fully built to the site. I was originally scheduled last Wednesday and Thursday, but they realized they had double-booked, so mine had to be bumped a week.
The day is finally here, and I’m so excited! But the day started off pretty crazy because, once again, I had a case of tunnel vision.
Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time outside cutting away branches from the trees that line our (not actually real) driveway. The trees hadn’t gotten any attention in quite a while, and they were looking pretty wild, with branches hanging down way too low for a vehicle to get back there without the branches scraping. So I got all of the branches cut away that I could so that the truck and trailer could pull in easily. Mission accomplished (although I need to get a pro out here to do a proper tree trimming job and get rid of those junk trees altogether).
So when I came in last night after getting that done, I was feeling pretty good about myself! I had done the hard task, gotten all the branches dragged away and piled up out of the way, and had cleared the drive to make room for the truck and trailer.
And yet, I somehow overlooked the biggest, most glaring, most obvious problem — this massive limb from our big oak tree int he backyard that was hanging directly over the spot where my workshop was going to be built.
I mean, talk about tunnel vision! So when they arrived this morning at 7:30, and I showed them the spot where the workshop was going to be built, they asked the obvious. “What about that tree?”
My gosh. I feel like it could have been wrapped with flashing neon lights, and I still wouldn’t have noticed it because I was so focused on the trees in the driveway. So at 7:30 this morning, I frantically called my yard guy and asked if he could come ASAP to cut that big limb down for me, and he got here in about 20 minutes. How awesome is that?!
I’ve been a customer for a long time, and I always make sure that I pay literally within seconds every time he texts me an invoice, so I knew he would come if he could. But still, calling at 7:30am, when they’re usually out working by 7:00am, and needing him to come immediately when they have customers scheduled every day all day throughout the week, I knew that there wouldn’t be any guarantees. I was so relieved when he said, “I’m on my way!” And I was even more impressed that he charged me a very reasonable price for that last minute emergency work.
So while the building guys were unloading their truck, my yard guy was cutting the limb out of the tree. Once the big limb fell, it was way too big to drag away in one piece, so he had to cut it up into smaller limbs and then cut the big part of the limb (about 10 inches in diameter and 20 feet long) into smaller pieces. I couldn’t just stand there and watch, so I helped. As he cut away the limbs, I dragged them to the side and piled them up. It took us about 30 minutes to get the whole thing cut up, dragged away from the work site, and piled up to the side.
Thankfully, because he got here so quickly, and the building guys were still going over their build plans, marking the site, and unloading the truck, my tunnel vision didn’t cause any delays at all. By the time Gerardo was moving the final two pieces of that big limb, the building guys were just starting to lay out the beams for the building foundation.
Everything worked out fine, and nothing was delayed. Gerardo saved the day for me. We didn’t even discuss a price before he came, and quite honestly, he could have charged me anything he wanted for coming to my rescue on such short notice. But he charged a very reasonable price ($140), and the day progressed as it was supposed to.
I was really amazed at how fast these guys work. I guess that’s to be expected. When you build these buildings every day, you’re going to get really good at it.
The only part that they brought pre-built was the trusses, which you can see piled up behind the guy in the red shirt. Everything else is built on site.
The workshop is going to be 18′ x 27′, and it will sit 14 feet away from the carport.
By the time I was ready to sit down at my computer, it was about 9:00. I went out to see the progress at that point, and they already had the entire foundation built.
The foundation was built, and they were just about to put it on the concrete blocks and the level it.
The workshop is essentially built like a pier and beam foundation except that it doesn’t have the solid concrete footing around the perimeter like our house does. Some houses are built this way (i.e., without the concrete footing around the perimeter), and there’s a specific name for this type of foundation, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head.
Anyway, it’s a very exciting day! I’ve been waiting to have a workshop for years now, and it’s finally happening. I’ll be so interested to see how much they get done today. It’s supposed to be a two-day build, with the building being completely finished, paint and all, by the end of the day tomorrow. We’ll see!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Gerardo is a TREASURE! How blessed you are that you have him. He’s not only responsive, but doesn’t price gouge you. I think $140 is an excellent price for taking down that limb and coming out so fast! Amazing!
I can’t wait to see your finished workshop. I bet it will be glorious!
I couldn’t believe that price! How wonderful!!!
Wow, finished n painted in 2 days. Exciting!
Kudos on the quick recovery of the tree limb. You rock girl. Now, remember to breathe in, breathe out, and repeat as necessary throughout the day. Today deserves a Sonic run and something ice cold at the end of it. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Cheers!
Two day build???? That is even more impressive than getting a limb cut and moved last minute. I lived in Texas for 25 years and no matter what the task was it always seemed it was hurry up and wait on the people actually doing the work. A workshop in two days would be fantastic. Keeping my fingers crossed all goes well for you.
Wow how Exciting!!! That will be such a game changer for you as you work, and store projects, tools, supplies. I’m so happy for you. Looking forward to seeing more. And, what a good guy you have working on the yard. Good help is so hard to find…you got a great one! Congratulations of the progress! Some days things move so fast…other days, not so much. ENJOY!
Looking good!
So exciting! Can’t wait to see your next post!
So excited for you. You’ve waited a long time for a workshop.
OMG! You are going to be so organized!
Woohoo! So exciting! Can’t wait to see it!
Work has been busy (in a bad way) today. The equivalent of discovering your floor damage button a bigger project. I’m glad you got some good luck and things are going ok. This was some positive movement on SOMETHING I needed to see today. I look forward to seeing the finish.
Woohoo!! I’m excited with you!
Kristi! How are you going to focus on anything else come tomorrow evening? It’s going to be a lot of fun moving things out to the workshop and getting it organized. I hope the weather in Waco is cooperating and it’s not a billion degrees out! When will electric go in? And I can’t remember…will it be insulated and cooled?
The high today was 90 but tomorrow it’s supposed to be 94. Texas doesn’t know it’s fall yet.
I won’t be adding electrical right now. That will have to wait because of budgeting and more pressing things. Bedroom and closet/laundry room are a higher priority right now. But that doesn’t mean my workshop will be useless! For now, I do plan to install lights and get all of my tools plugged into power strips. Then, when I want to work in there, I’ll wheel my Jackery to the workshop, plug everything in, and power everything with the Jacker for now. I’m pretty sure it can and will last a full work day, powering all of my tools for a day. Then when I’m finished for the day, I’ll unplug everything, wheel my Jackery back in the house, and recharge it.
I will eventually add a/c and heat, but I still need to look into the options and determine what’s best for the workshop.
I think the other kind of foundation is ‘post and pier’ or ‘post and pile’…
Oh, you are thinking, that Lauranette Lewellen will shut up about the workshop now!! I’m so glad to see it being put up. You will be using it before you know it. I know you are excited. Now you will have room for your equipment to get it out of the driveway/carport. You are going to be a REAL builder. I’m just curious as to why you changed you mind about the kitchen being built out from the house to using a room you already have? Also curious about the cost of the new build addition VS the original new build addition. Is the smaller one really that much less expensive? You are going to have every room in your house torn up…….time to go on a trip!
It is going to look wonderful when it is all finished.
Hooray for Gerardo! Send that man some cookies! 😀 Glad to see your workshop progress coming along, it’s so exciting to see it in motion.
Awesome!!!
Wish Gerardo was based in my neck of the woods.
Kristi, I know you’re focused on your renovation (as you should be) right now, but having seen your photos of some of the vegetation on your property, I have to say this: your entire property is a tangle of just the kind of fuel that’s most dangerous in any kind of wildfire. I know your area has high relative humidity, but that is little protection in a hot climate in the presence of that much dense vegetation and underbrush. I suggest while your renovation is getting underway, you start a serious sinking fund to have a good tree service work on planning a program to thin and clear, starting nearest your buildings and working toward the far extent of the property, before you consider future landscaping or anything else. Plan and save, paying as it goes in stages, until the whole property is thinned and trimmed down. You’ll be glad you did. I come from a long line of firefighters and smoke jumpers in several states, and your photos just make me think, “Eek!”