Finally starting... let the adventure begin.

[ArmyDoc]

I have been told that they leave them open to prevent moisture from collecting between the roof and the water proof membrane. Just like the insulation in your home, you want some air flow.

That is a beautiful shop building. Maybe it is the picture, but the image of the front of the building, the bottom of the foundation seems to be exposed. Generally the contractor will sink the edges to prevent this exposure. Maybe it is left that way to allow for connection of the drive way.

Did you have them install the plumbing and electrical conduit before the cement was poured, or will it all come up from the outside. Even though you indicated you will be waiting, It would be good to get the conduit and piping in before you add the driveway and/or gravel around the building. That way you are ready when the time comes and you won't have to disturb the work already done.

Thanks. I figure they know what they are doing, as they came highly recommended, but you know what the first commandment for success is... "Thou shalt check and make darn sure..."

The grading was level, about a foot higher than the area "up hill" from the shop, and the 6 in slab sets on that. Once complete, we'll do final grading and add crusher run about 3ft on the sides all around, and for the driveway.

No plans for plumbing. Permits for plumbed buildings are on a whole different level, and we would have had to put in another septic system. Just a bridge too far...
So I'll have to run into the house, which is only ~70 ft away.

Electrical will come frome the pole about 40-50ft away. Suspect they will run that to the eves and down the side rather than under ground.

 

[FOMOGO]

Should be a really nice work space for you. That's the big advantage to a metal building, and paying someone to do it. Quick build time, as they need to get it done, and down the road to the next paying job. As to your lack of plumbing, you may want to try what I did. Dug a short trench, filled it with screened stone, and ran 2" pvc to a urinal I stuck on an interior wall. Used the condensate water from the shop furnace for flushing. Worked out great over the winter. Don't really use it in the summer, just go outside. One of the great joys of living in the country. Of course this would be installed after your final inspection. Cheers, Mike

 

[ArmyDoc]

Should be a really nice work space for you. That's the big advantage to a metal building, and paying someone to do it. Quick build time, as they need to get it done, and down the road to the next paying job. As to your lack of plumbing, you may want to try what I did. Dug a short trench, filled it with screened stone, and ran 2" pvc to a urinal I stuck on an interior wall. Used the condensate water from the shop furnace for flushing. Worked out great over the winter. Don't really use it in the summer, just go outside. One of the great joys of living in the country. Of course this would be installed after your final inspection. Cheers, Mike

One nice thing about georgia, even in winter, it's really never too cold to pee outside.

 

[NCjeeper]

Man I wish I had hired the crew you did. They sure did rock and roll.

 

[Dhal22]

I have been told that they leave them open to prevent moisture from collecting between the roof and the water proof membrane. Just like the insulation in your home, you want some air flow.

That is a beautiful shop building. Maybe it is the picture, but the image of the front of the building, the bottom of the foundation seems to be exposed. Generally the contractor will sink the edges to prevent this exposure. Maybe it is left that way to allow for connection of the drive way.

Did you have them install the plumbing and electrical conduit before the cement was poured, or will it all come up from the outside. Even though you indicated you will be waiting, It would be good to get the conduit and piping in before you add the driveway and/or gravel around the building. That way you are ready when the time comes and you won't have to disturb the work already done.

You mean a footer? I agree, looks odd without a footer.

 

[ArmyDoc]

You mean a footer? I agree, looks odd without a footer.

I think he was refering to the foundation being exposed. The entire footer is not exposed - it goes down 2 feet or so, only the top ~6 inches is exposed. When the final grading is done, it should come up about an inch or two under the edge of the metal.

 

[Papa Charlie]

This is the area that I was referring to. It could be an illusion from the image but seems as though the cement edge is not very deep.

 

[ArmyDoc]

This is the area that I was referring to. It could be an illusion from the image but seems as though the cement edge is not very deep.

View attachment 370242

Good eye! Kind of freaked out when I saw that, and ran out to look.

Turns out it's OK.
The frame for the 6 inch slab was set level with the dirt. At the perimeter, plans call for an additional 1 ft x 1ft footer ( actual was deeper and wider. I didn't measure, but I would guess 18 to 24 inches). The reason it looks like the edge is thinner that the edge of the footer didn't fit flush with the form for the slab, and the concrete oozed out forming a shelf.
You can see it better in this picture.


To the right you see the footer extending straight down from the slab. To the left, there is a shelf sticking out where the edge of the footer trench wasn't as crisp of an edge, allowing the cement to form a shelf where the straight form and dirt edge didn't line up.

During the month or so that the slab just sat there before they started building, we a LOT of rain (~6inches). Some of the loose dirt around the edges washed away a bit, which exposed the shelf. In the worst areas, its about 6 inches of exposed footer.

Have a call in to the guys who leveled the site. They are supposed to come today to give me an estimate for re-grading the site to remove the rutts left by the construction crews equipment, and bring in crusher run for the driveway. So, my plan is to have them back fill the dirt around thr footer, as well as put a small trench and secondary french drain to divert the water from the downspouts, and finally to put a top dressing of ~2-3 inches of crusher run around the entire building, and as a driveway up to it.

The site does slope away from the building all the way round for about 6 inches or so before reaching the regular grade. It was built up with clay sand for about 6 inches to a foot deep to get the site perfectly level. The slab sits on top of that. On the up hill side of the shop, about 5-6 ft away, there is a depression/path/gulley? for water to run off. Its about 4-5 feet wide, and the bottom is about a foot or so below the bottom of the 6 inch slab. In the bottom of that waterway is a 2ft wide x 2-3ft deep trench filled with rock, with a French drain in the bottom. Hopefully that will be enough to control water coming down from the hill, especially once grass starts growing on it. I think it will be. Even with 6" of rain dumped the course of 3-4 weeks, we never had standing water within 3 ft of the building. There was a puddle over the water way that was maybe an inch deep on 1 or 2 days, so I do need to improve the slope in that portion so it runns off faster. Don't want it too steep or it will erode, but want it steep enough that it doesnt stand there either.

 

[Papa Charlie]

Sounds like you have a good plan to handle the run off. Always a big concern when you take that much roof surface area collecting rain and channeling to the down spouts. May want to consider routing those down spouts into underground lines that take the water out to a ditch or a reasonable distance from the building before you have them bring in the surface rock.

On the "Crushed Rock", Make sure they use either 1.5 minus or 3/4" minus. The minus indicated that there are tailings that range down to a sand like grain. This locks the entire surface together and will create a concrete like surface. Without the "minus" the rock will just move around from the weight of vehicles and will allow the water flow to flush out the dirt from under the rock.

You probably already know this but thought I would mention this. Where I grew up in Tillamook Oregon on the coast, back in the 60's-70's we averaged about 110 inches a year in rain fall. Dealing with run off was a major concern. I worked in a rock crusher plant for several summers. Learned a lot about controlling run off and building a solid road base. Drove dump truck and had to fix roads when people could no longer get up their own drive ways. Got real good at spreading base backing up the driveways, building the road as I went.

Hope this helps.

 

[ArmyDoc]

Sounds like you have a good plan to handle the run off. Always a big concern when you take that much roof surface area collecting rain and channeling to the down spouts. May want to consider routing those down spouts into underground lines that take the water out to a ditch or a reasonable distance from the building before you have them bring in the surface rock.

Yes - that's what I meant by a secondary french drain. Not really a french drain, I guess, since it doesn't have holes. Just a pipe under ground that directs the water from the downspouts well away from the building.

On the "Crushed Rock", Make sure they use either 1.5 minus or 3/4" minus. The minus indicated that there are tailings that range down to a sand like grain. This locks the entire surface together and will create a concrete like surface. Without the "minus" the rock will just move around from the weight of vehicles and will allow the water flow to flush out the dirt from under the rock.

That sounds like what I mean by crusher run. It includes everything up to about an inch in size. I think it is the first thing screened off? We used it for our driveway and it compacts nicely, must be the same stuff.

You probably already know this but thought I would mention this. Where I grew up in Tillamook Oregon on the coast, back in the 60's-70's we averaged about 110 inches a year in rain fall. Dealing with run off was a major concern. I worked in a rock crusher plant for several summers. Learned a lot about controlling run off and building a solid road base. Drove dump truck and had to fix roads when people could no longer get up their own drive ways. Got real good at spreading base backing up the driveways, building the road as I went.

Hope this helps.

Thanks! Wow that is alot of rain. We get about 45 inches here. Wouldn't want more (also wouldn't want less!) What you describe for the roads sounds like what we do here for our driveway. I've gotten to be good friends with the guy who delivers for me, and he will pour it out the back leaving an amazingly even layer about 2 inches thick. Very little left for me to do with the tractor when he's done.