I'm surprised of the amount of red clay you have there. I guess I thought that vein was more in Kentucky on through Georgia. That stuff is nasty and "sticky" to deal with when it's wet. Gets like firebrick though when it's dry.

Quite an undertaking Gerald but coming along nicely !

Paul

Today’s results. Moved lumber into shop. Had an idea to put brick under eaves of shop to control erosion til grad gets started, but have to get the dirt work done before can start grass. Got half the battens up for anchoring the walls. Ordered nails from HD and the delayed delivery til Tuesday. Guess I will go to Ace now.

 

by the way it rained in the middle of this project.

 

I'd call the builders back if your roof is leaking already

23 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

I'd call the builders back if your roof is leaking already

Not inside but it sure was outside. Shooting off the roof like it was rocket propelled.

What are you planning for lighting in the shop? I definitely recommend you consider LED lighting. Provides lots of light and definitely saves on the electric bill. Also recommend for your new home.

Edited July 28, 20251 yr by Al B

I already had leds all over the shop except for two fixtures and bought 4 more when HF had them on sale for $12. And they are linkable.

Congratulations Gerald! And I have a very real shop envy of you!

Yesterday was a hot one. A friend is helping me with the walls. After making a few mistakes we got rolling. Managed to get one 10 foot section of wall up and put the next section together. As we knocked off noticed we did not frame out the window. 
 

On 7/23/2025 at 8:51 PM, Gerald said:

This is the all thread I installed yesterday to mount the mantle.

 

Just a suggestion from my experience- Add some blocking to mount a tv, plus an outlet and a box with fittings for catv, hdmi, etc. Amazon has an all in one accessory for that.  

Reading your posts, you’re the type to have already thought of this, but it’s still worth a mention.
Then take a picture with the measurements. 
 

3 hours ago, JimM said:

Just a suggestion from my experience- Add some blocking to mount a tv, plus an outlet and a box 

Just not the way I watch. Looking up like that hurts my neck so I like it at eye level. If in the future someone wants that it is easy to access thru attic. 
 

 

Yesterday they taped and put on scratch coat of mud. We worked on shop wall framing and finished the East side except the windows. Also got the top and bottom battens in on the West wall and laid out studs to frame tomorrow. Hopefully we can get the framing finished tomorrow.

 

Finished the stud walls today. Stayed till 9 last night getting garage door installed. Turns out the opening is 1 inch taller on one side so will be looking for solutions. Started installing boxes for outlets today. 

 

Door opens/runs best if level.  Add beveled strip to the bottom if the floor isn't level.  Top can be done best way if it is the culprit.

Lots of progress today. Trim carpenters started . Pictures are from about 3 so they did more after I left. Most of wiring in shop done today and finish tomorrow. Insulation will go in Friday. Worked on trench to bury cable to shed.

 

Kitchen and door to porch

 

 

The other side of kitchen.

 

 

 

After anchoring walls also put final bolts in the overhead lighting studs

Gotta be exciting seeing things moving along this well.

Nothing at the house today but got insulation at shop and I moved most of two loads of dirt to reduce grade around shop for mowing.

 

Guess I forgot to post this yesterday. Today I moved the plywood to shop . Scraped the foam off surfaces to allow top plates and ply to be mounted. Installed the top plate and called it a day.

 

 

Almost forgot they installed stair treads and handrail today. 
 

Really moving along!

Look like it won't be long before the house becomes a home and your shop will be ready to work in.  Not that you're not already working in it.😀

Exciting times ! It’s a lot of work but when it’s done you’ll have a new home and shop. Having a purpose built shop is such a luxury !

Paul

@Gerald...just thinking (well typing) out loud. Looking close at your shop picture, while the ceiling is still exposed and easy to route wiring, any considerations for outlet boxes and supports to possibly hang a couple ceiling fans? Might help in that Mississippi mud humidity circulating air from the mini-split. Just a random thought on my part.