# My new carport & workshop project



## mgp roofing

I've been on this forum for a couple of weeks now, just got finished reading the "German house rebuild" thread, what an awesome project! Now here's the beginning of my own project. I'm building a 6x7m workshop with a 6x6m carport on the front. I'm working on it as I have time, mostly at weekends, I spend most weeks living/working in Auckland, a large city just over 2 hours drive away so don't get much done on it during the week.
I bought the land, in Morrinsville, a small town near Hamilton, New Zealand, back in around 2005, planning to do this soon after, but the recession hit just as I was about to have the plans drawn; I put the project on hold due to not having much work at the time. That did, however, give me plenty of time to source cheap/free materials for much of the project.

I got the excavation done on a Friday about 6 weeks ago, then myself and a local builder got it ready for concrete on the Saturday. The following Saturday, we poured and finished the floor slab.


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## mgp roofing

Here's the next few weeks' progress, walls and roof framed & plywood roof deck installed. The wall framing and bracing sheets were freebiees,I know a guy in the demolition business who I got much of it from (and most of the clay tiles on the left as well, they are for my roofing business). The bracing was cover sheets from packs of flooring ply. I had to buy the trusses, beams and steel posts.


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## kwikfishron

Looking good, I like the galvanized post.


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## mgp roofing

I now have the fascia, barge boards and ceiling battens in the carport done. I would have got more done, but a brick wall got demolished at a site I was on during the week, I scored the bricks then had to remove them on Saturday morning. One load is stacked in front of the garage, another load is at my Auckland home awaiting transport to Morrinsville. They will come in handy for the landscaping.
This weekend I hope to start on the roof, if the weather plays ball & I can get the inspector on site on Friday.


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## mgp roofing

I passed inspection today, so tomorrow its all go on the roof.


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## Thadius856

Grats.


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## mgp roofing

Today, I shingled one side of the roof, and completed the framing for the skylight. I have a part roll of safety mesh left over from a commercial job, so I decided to play it safe especially since my uncle fell through a similar skylight while painting his shop roof some years ago. Broke his back, but thankfully he was ok after having surgery.
I have some fibreglass sheeting from a factory reroof which I will use for the skylight.


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## mgp roofing

Most of the second side of the roof is done. I would have got it all done but for that annoying "liquid sunshine". Forecast is for more of the same tomorrow so I will finish the roof then; this crap spring weather is no good for doing the many reroofs that I have on the books. The rest of the week is looking better weather wise.


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## mgp roofing

Well, the weather gods wanted me to finish that roof!:thumbup: The forecast was crap, had torrential rain all day at the site of a reroof I had planned to do; not a drop at my place!
So the roof is complete except for the over flashings around the skylight. One of the Top-glass sheets has a 30mm long crack in it that I hadn't noticed until I was fitting them :furious:. I will have to repair it, somewhere I have some fibreglass mat and resin.


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## picflight

mgp roofing said:


> Well, the weather gods wanted me to finish that roof!:thumbup: The forecast was crap, had torrential rain all day at the site of a reroof I had planned to do; not a drop at my place!
> So the roof is complete except for the over flashings around the skylight. One of the Top-glass sheets has a 30mm long crack in it that I hadn't noticed until I was fitting them :furious:. I will have to repair it, somewhere I have some fibreglass mat and resin.


Why not get the skylight replaced, will fixing the crack work in the long run?


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## mgp roofing

I will see how long it works. I'd say it will last a few years if I do it from the underside so the uv protective layer on the sheet is not affected. I have another big (and expensive) project I plan to start soon so trying not to spend on things that can wait a couple of years at least! The sheets are fibreglass so compatibility should not be an issue.


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## mgp roofing

Another wet weekend. I did, however, get the wall wrap on & the 3 smaller windows in place. They need final fitting but at least most of the weather is kept out now. Sorry no pics, forgot my camera  !


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## mgp roofing

I now have the spouting completed, and the windows & door are fitted but will need final adjustments once the wall cladding is installed. 
I started to install the wall cladding sheets, what a pain! This is the first and last time I do it this way! I like the look, after it has been painted - I am doing it on the cheap with used sheets.


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## cocobolo

This wall cladding you are using...is that the same stuff that was used at one time for roofing?

I know the Aussie's are big on metal roofing, is it the same in Nazillun?

Now, the roofing shingles look exactly like the type we have here called "Harmony" and made by BP. Yes..no?


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## Snav

I'm impressed - that looks great!


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## mgp roofing

cocobolo said:


> This wall cladding you are using...is that the same stuff that was used at one time for roofing?
> 
> I know the Aussie's are big on metal roofing, is it the same in Nazillun?
> 
> Now, the roofing shingles look exactly like the type we have here called "Harmony" and made by BP. Yes..no?


The walls are old roofing sheets. Still very popular here though its losing ground to concrete tiles and asphalt shingles because steel prices are so high now. The modern version is not as good as it used to be, i think the galvanising is thinner now - I am replacing 20 year and 50 year old roofs that have the same amount of corrosion in the same areas! I will be doing one in a few weeks, will post some pics for you.
The aussies are big on metal roofing too.
www.roof.co.nz is one of our suppliers' websites.
The shingles are Certainteed Landmark Premium, the colour is Graphite. Those "Harmony" shingles are on a few roofs here but no one imports them anymore which is a pain when they need repair because they are wider and longer than what we have available these days.


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## mgp roofing

I now have most of the walls done, though I probably won't have time to do much more for a couple of weeks because I have 2 reenactment events back to back. This weekend I have to do the copper rim on a Greek "aspis" (shield) I have been making over a number of evenings. I fly to Australia on Friday 4 nov for a reenactment of the Battle of Marathon, and we are taking part in a Armistice Day event the following weekend.
Thank God for the local woodturning club, that aspis was too big for my lathe!

P.S. No, I didn't break the window, it was like that when I got it! Another job to do...


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## Thadius856

Yikes!

I used to craft and sell maille ('chainmail') to Renaissance re-enacters and sell maille cord wallet chains, etc. to a local skate shop.

But you're on a whole 'nother level. lol


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## Snav

The aspis is awesome! . . . Totally jealous over here.


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## mgp roofing

The aspis is now complete with its copper rim. It was a quicker job than I expected, so I had time in the afternoon to do a couple of much needed handyman jobs around the (rather neglected) place I board at in Auckland when I am working there, i.e fit a shower caddy, replace the cracked toilet seat, tidy my truck toolbox and a sort out of the club "war room" which was in a terrible state!

Still to do before Friday: Polish all my brass/copper equipment, wrap the aspis in corrugated cardboard, and pack ready for the flight on Friday morning. Not to mention that I have the woodturning club meeting on Tuesday night. Once I arrive in Sydney, the carrying cord on the aspis needs final adjustment for length once I am in the presence of other hoplites to help. I am participating in this: http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/furballx/marathon/main.html

I will post pics after the event.


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## mgp roofing

The Battle of Marathon reenactment was well worth the trip. I now have plenty of ideas for improvements to my own Greek kit, and ideas for projects that will benefit both my Greek and Roman impressions (beds, chairs etc) Once the workshop is finished...which may be a while, next weekend I have a Roman event, after that its time for me to move house...
Here's some pics.


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## Snav

Way cool - I love it.


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## mgp roofing

Here's some pics from the Armistice event I was involved in the weekend before last.


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## mgp roofing

Now I am back to the serious business of DIY; my next project is underway. That involves moving a house from a site in Auckland onto my property. Last weekend, I helped the site owner clear the trees from the front of the property, then I removed the baseboards from the back of the house. I would have done more, but had to keep the place dog proof until they move out this Saturday. I also had a tidy up at my place & mowed the grass and took down part of the back fence to give the truck access.


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## Thadius856

Moving a house?! WTF.


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## mgp roofing

Now I am back to the serious business of DIY; my next project is underway. That involves moving a house from a site in Auckland onto my property. Last weekend, I helped the site owner clear the trees from the front of the property, then I removed the baseboards from the back of the house. I would have done more, but had to keep the place dog proof until they move out this Saturday. I also had a tidy up at my place & mowed the grass and took down part of the back fence to give the truck access.


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## mgp roofing

Thadius856 said:


> Moving a house?! WTF.


Yes you read right, its not uncommon here. Half the price of building new and I get a solid native timber house not cheap chipboard and pvc siding.


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## Thadius856

It's trucked nearly whole, or fully disassembled?


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## mgp roofing

I had a busy day today; the rest of the baseboards are off now, down pipes removed and the roof lowered except for the ridge beam and a few rafters supporting it that I will deal with tomorrow.


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## mgp roofing

Thadius856 said:


> It's trucked nearly whole, or fully disassembled?


Its shifted nearly whole. Larger houses get shifted in 2 or more sections.


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## PPBART

Thadius856 said:


> Moving a house?! WTF.


Not that unusual down here (south Louisiana) -- several years ago my sister and bro-in-law bought a house, had it moved to some acreage.


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## mgp roofing

Yesterday I dismantled the deck, and disconnected all the services, a job that took a lot longer than I thought it would!
Today, the moving company arrived and jacked up the house & loaded it on the truck. They had a few issues with one of the extensions; it was rather poorly attached to the rest of the house, so needed quite a bit of bracing and strengthening before and during the lift. Despite this, it was amazing to see how easily they did this with all the flash hydraulic lifting set up they have now. Around 25 years ago, my uncle had the same comany re-pile his house, back then it was all hand cranked jacks and a lot of muscle!


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## mgp roofing

More pics, showing the addition that caused the problems.


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## Snav

Wow - that's amazing. . . looking good so far.


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## mgp roofing

Yesterday, we loaded the laundry/wc part onto another truck, and readied the main house for the trip. I loaded all the deck parts and the remaining baseboards onto my truck, then travelled to my parents place for the night.


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## mgp roofing

The trucks left the house's old site at 11pm past night, and arrived at 6.30 this morning. My father and myself, got up early this morning to get photos of it on the road outside Morrinsville, then drove ahead of it to the entrance of the new subdivision behind my property.
We then spent all day getting the house into position, which required use of the big winches on both trucks simultaneously to get up the small bank at the back of my land. We also had to jack up the house, move the trailer back, and build supports beneath and set it down on them when it became apparent that there was too much of the trailer protruding in front to clear one of my steel carport posts. Its now in position ready for construction of the new foundations.


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## mgp roofing

Here's pics of the foundations being constructed and the house being set down.


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## mgp roofing

More pics, I have got the roof back together now, needed some ingenuity to sort out the slight misalignment of the laundry to the main house before securing the 2 parts together, porior to refitting the metal roof sheets. 
I have gotten one gable end back together, just before the weather turned bad. I spent the afternoon doing inside tidy up jobs and framed around the strengthening blocks in the corner of the office ready for drywall, after I have fixed the leak outside this same spot.
Unfortunately I have to go back to work tomorrow, so can't do any more until the weekend.


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## mgp roofing

I would have posted this sooner but for having been on holiday with no internet access! 
I had to spend Xmas eve helping my parents have a clean up at their place, they had some old ponga (tree fern) trunks that I put to good use. (my neighbour is a builder.. started to buld his garage 27 years ago.. ran out of time before he finished.. got sidetacked by other projects, still not finished! I don't want to see that eyesore everyday!


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## mgp roofing

I came back from my holiday earlier than usual to work on the house, 4 days at it this week so far. I have made significant progress on the extension and reconfiguration of the small and inefficient laundry/hallway area now, including moving the back door from one side of the leanto to the other to suit my property layout better. 3 more days, then I have to go back to work for everyone else


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## mgp roofing

I now have most of the outside trim work done, base boards around half of the house, the inside of the old laundry gutted & new full size doorway to the hallway framed, and my new (recycled) tawa floor boards installed.
I have to get back to work in Auckland, I will however be spending a few evenings this week restoring a nice 1930s timber window to replace the leaking 1970s louvre one in the WC.

P.S someone had a infestation of Wasps in the wall!!!


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## mgp roofing

More pics.


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## ink

Fun read; thanks!


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## mgp roofing

Well, its been a busy summer doing everyone elses work, and not much on my own place! One good thing about that - I now have around 1500 fewer roof tiles stacked around the section.
A couple of weekends ago, I ran the power, water and phone lines across the driveway. Now I have been working on the place the last 3 days; so have the drainlayers, so now I have sewerage and water connected to the house - hooray! I also have fitted the replacement window in the wc and replaced the ceiling in there also; the laundry is insulated ready for drywall, and has passed inspection from the local council. My brother has been on site the last 2 evenings doing the electrical in the laundry and a couple repairs elsewhere that were needed because of wiring that got disconnected under the house for the move. There's a little more work for him, then the power co. can connect the mains.


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## mgp roofing

I have started to set up the storage area for my woodturning blanks in the corner of the shop, while the drainlayers started on the storm water drainage; I had to go back to work before they finished so as yet no pics of that job completed. I'd have gotten a lot more done over Easter, but I spent 3 days at a reenactment event which included training from 2 Australian swordfighting instructors, so it was worth giving up those days!
And here's a pic of the new home that is being built on my home's old site.


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## mgp roofing

too many pics for one post.


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## mgp roofing

The stormwater system is complete. I had a couple hours free this afternoon so I called in to take pics; I have a big mess to clean up as time permits. I started cutting up & stacking my big heap of firewood ready for when I install my new woodburner, which arrived earlier in the week, I just need to go and collect it.


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## mgp roofing

I have now had the electrics connected, just waiting on the power co. to do their inspection, install the meter and fit the pole fuses etc. While the electrician had everything apart, I took the opportunity to re-route the main supply cable inside the wall, which required removing a few boards so I could drill through the wooden angle brace that had prevented pulling the cable through the wall when the house was re-wired sometime in the past; no more ugly pvc conduit run down the wall. 
I have also prepared and painted much of the extensions' outside walls, I wanted to get this done before it gets too cold for paint to dry in areas that don't get much sun. The house will get a full paint job this coming summer; I just want to protect the new timber until then. Most of the firewood is cut up now, I just need to stack the rest of it. The stacked wood is covered with a sheet of poly so it'll be dry when I want to use it.


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## mgp roofing

Its not everyday you get to watch new power lines getting strung with a helicopter! This is the view from what will be my front lawn.
There was a lot of resistance from the locals to the construction of these new pylons and transmission lines. They are far enough away to not be overly obtrusive from my place; if they had been closer like half the distance away, I would have kicked up a stink about them. Some of the new pylons are like 70 metres high!


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## mgp roofing

I have spent 2 more weekends working around the house, my parents also put in a day's work a couple of weekends ago; among other things, they paved in front of the garage with a stack of bricks I had, moved some of the dirt that was on the driveway, and cleaned up inside the house; a lot of dust got everywhere inside during the lifting and transporting of the house. The same day, one of my brother's friends installed the sectional door in the workshop. Unfortunately, some vital parts are missing, so i'll have to contact the manufacturer this week to get them so that the install can be finished.
I have also paved the storage area beside and behind the workshop, using a big stack of secondhand pavers I had kept for this very purpose, and moved most of the roofing materials that were stacked in odd corners of the section into this area. Its great to no longer have pallets of tiles in front of the carport! This job wasn't finished when the last pics were taken, the wet weather arrived & I didn't want to get the camera wet! - I carried on & finished the job.


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## Pittsville

The pavers look great!


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## mgp roofing

Last weekend was a 3 day one (Queen's Birthday), and Tuesday's weather was crap, so I got to spend 4 days working on the place. I have drywalled the laundry & toilet wall where I replaced the window, also the adjacent bedroom wall where the window used to be. My new broom cupboard is complete aside from paint and whatever shelves etc I decide to fit. I have done the ceiling with recycled rimu tg&v panelling that I guess must be something like 90 years old; that will look great once I strip the paint from the few painted boards, clean & finish them. My brother installed the 2 downlights and relocated the alarm keypad from the lounge to beside the laundry door, since thats the door that I use most now. I just need trim, stopping, paint, and refinish the floor, then I can call this area finished! I am enjoying this project again now that I see real progress with everything I do.


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## mgp roofing

At long last, I have a decent amount of roof work in my local area, so any spare time I have gets spent working on/around the house, or training at the local kendo club! Over the last 3 weeks I have:
cleaned up the mess left by the drainlayers out back,
cut up the remaining firewood,
installed barge board, fascia & refitted the old spouting on the addition,
done all the drywall stopping,
done quite a bit of tidying out the front,
and lined one wall of the shop with plywood.

My uncle is doing major remodelling of his home, including replacing his kitchen. I've always admired his solid macrocarpa kitchen, so when I heard it was getting replaced, I was quick to claim it for my own place! Its in pieces all over the house at the moment, thats a project to start once I finish all that is half done now! The last pic is the kitchen before it got taken apart.


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## mgp roofing

I got rained off at work on Thursday last week, so I spent the day making a box for the firewood, cut up and stacked half a dozen pallets that had accumulated over the last few weeks, and installed the siding on the front of the shop. Over the weekend, I completed the flashings around all of the shop windows, completed the skylight flashings, and sheathed the front gable, ready for cedar shingles.
My brother completed the installation of the sectional door, having that functional sure makes life easier, and the shop is now weatherproof apart from needing sealant down the sides of the windows and in the old nail holes in the wall sheets.


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## mgp roofing

I've spent the last 3 or 4 weekends sorting out and shifting stuff out of storage and into my workshop. Still a lot of organising to do there! This weekend, I pulled apart and insulated the exterior wall in the living room. There's no building wrap in a house this old, so I stapled some in between the studs, figuring it will help the insulation do its job better. 
My brother relocated a power point that needed shifting because it was where my new wood burner will be installed. I have also mounted the TV aerial mast and the satellite dish, ready for my brother to wire it all up next weekend. Then it'll be ready for drywall. Here's a pic of the wall as it stands now, sorry about the bad quality, had a flat camera battery (again!) so had to use my phone.


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## mgp roofing

The living room wall is now drywalled, I also have pics of the wall before drywall, and the aerials installed. Now that the nice spring weather is here, I am back into the outside jobs. I spent last weekend clearing out the overgrown vegetation on what will become my front lawn; I had totally forgotten how much rock was stockpiled there, must have been at least 40 wheelbarrow loads! I have also constructed a retaining wall, from broken concrete slabs, where the section slopes down in the corner. The lawn will still slope, but it'll be a gentle slope now. I've also fitted the wood storage racks in the shop, which I made over various evenings during the last few weeks. They're full already, gotta do something with all that timber!


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## mgp roofing

Its been very windy, not nice for doing outside jobs today, so I got on with finishing the back wall of the workshop. Roughed in the wiring, lined with plywood, and undercoated. So that's all the walls in the shop done, aside from top coating this one, and painting a couple of corners that have got stuff stacked in the way of!


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## mgp roofing

This weekend's projects were, strip the wallpaper & do the drywall stopping in the corner where the woodburner will go; that area is ready for its final skim coat once the compound is dry - and install the cedar shingles on the carport gable end. I'd bought some shingles for this, however before it got done, I got a contract to install a large cedar roof, which I finished on Friday; so I had an extra pack of good shingles and a big pile of offcuts and narrow shingles as well. So I have plenty left over to do something else around my property sometime. I had time left at the end of the day, so fitted the barge flashing on the laundry in place of the temporary one.


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## mgp roofing

I am continuing with landscaping the front yard, yesterday I cleared along the front of the house and installed some timber to keep the soil from going under the house once the yard is leveled. Finished mid-afternoon, went over to the local Kendo club's training.
Today, I transplanted all the shrubs and ferns from the area that will become the new turning bay, and dismantled the old steps in front of the shed. The risers were made with Allan blocks, which I thought were no longer available in NZ... until early last week - I noticed a wall being built at what used to be a mushroom farm just a couple mins' drive from my place (building visible in background of first pic). My enquiry at the local concrete products place revealed that they have recently bought the rights to this product in NZ; the old mushroom place is now the manufacturing plant for the blocks... very handy indeed! There was an old path made of thick, reinforced concrete slabs running through the garden; breaking those up is heavy work best taken in small doses; I have broken up 5 of them, there's at least another 6 to go!


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## mgp roofing

During the christmas holidays, I leveled the front lawn, reshaped & edged the drive, and built the deck outside the living room. Having the Allan block plant just down the road proved handy when, while building a new step in front of my old ww2 army hut, I needed some more of the capping blocks. 
I even transplanted a palm tree that was in the wrong place. One of my first jobs out of school was at a company that did this quite a bit... I knew that skill would come in handy again one day!
Before Christmas, I stained the shingles on the front of the carport, and completed the porch ceiling.


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## mgp roofing

More pics.


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## mgp roofing

I have now painted the wc room's walls & trim; all the trim in the laundry is completed & painted & drywall sealed. My office has had a "extreme makeover" over the last 3 weekends, new drywall on one wall, prepared and painted walls, ceiling & trim... bye bye ugly brown ceiling... yaay, it made the room so dark!
Unpacking and sorting out decades of books, magazines and reenactment gear took a whole day, and its not all done, though, apart from the uniforms, its all in the room. I used 2 of the kitchen cabinets to store some of it... add Build bookcases to my list of things yet to do!
I've also added a pic of the stained cedar shingles, didn't have a pic handy when doing my last post.


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## mgp roofing

I've done a few more projects over the last couple of months--front path and steps onto the deck, completed & painted the carport ceiling, painted the end wall of the house, and laid the finish layer of gravel on the driveway.
This Christmas, I built the retaining wall and replacement fence where I took down the old fence to give the house removal guys access. That was an ideal opportunity to get rid of the mess left by the drainlayers, and dispose of a pile of rubble that had accumulated from the paving & driveway projects.
Both house and workshop have been signed off by council now, leaving me to do all the finishing off bits.


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## handyman_20772

Nice job...subscribed..!!


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## BigJim

Thanks for coming back and letting us see how things turned out. I had forgotten about your project but it was very interesting to follow. It looks great.


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