Progress

Determining workshop footprint.

Layout of the footings. The following photos are taken from the SE corner.

Footings poured.

12 yards of gravel (hand-shoveled).

Vapor barrier laid down over the gravel prior to slab being poured. This photo is taken from the NE corner.

Slab poured level with footings.

First course of Fox Blocks set out and glued down along tight-string baselines.

Door and window sizes determined, bucks built and installed as course after course of ICF blocks pile up.

Six courses of ICF block, 7 bucks installed, HV clips, and rebar complete. Now for the interior walls - one in concrete block, one in 6" ICF block.

Stabilizing the walls with 12-ft tall verticals and diagonal turnbuckle bracing, OSB strapping, 3" drywall screws, concrete anchors in the slab, and elevated scaffolding (not shown) prior to pour of 8-ft high basement walls.

Concrete poured, J-bolts set, and a mountain of bracing removed.

Bottom plates bolted down and 2x12 joist box construction underway. Spacing is 12" o.c. with joist hangers, long overlaps, and continuous blocking.

Twenty one sheets of 3/4" tongue and groove sheathing glued, screwed, and nailed to the joists.

First floor deck completed.

With layout marks on top and bottom plates for all four walls complete, I scatter the first bunch of 2x6s and ready things for construction of the west wall.

I built the two long walls on the deck and continued on with the two butt walls, right on top.

Three walls done with a portion of the fourth under way (far right). The 10-foot garage door header has been installed. The other, a 9-footer, is ready to go (sitting by saw stand). I let in several 2x6 and 2x4 diagonals to stiffen each wall. Nine foot tall walls: Framing is 2x6 and 16" o.c. Full studs are 103-1/2", cripples are 41-1/4", rough window openings are 48" square with 51" sills, double top plates, and continuous blocking at 42" and 92" measured from the bottom plate.

I went with Smartside 8" clapboard siding on the upper floor and 12" T-111 on the lower. 1-1/2" x 6" cedar belly band, 1-1/2" x 4" window/door trim.

I primed all the raw cedar trim and T-111 with Kilz Original oil-based primer, then applied 2 coats of finish on everything (in-progress here). I bought 50 gallons of finish paint from Sherman Williams because they gave me 30% off. It still cost me $1100. Trim color = "Moth Wing" #SW 9174 (semi). Siding body color = "Foothills" #SW 7514. T-111 body color = "Well-Bred Brown" #SW 7027.