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Craynerd new workshop project log

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Arbalist:
I've had a couple of concrete garages as workshops and also a brick built, they all let the damp in sadly. One thing I did to improve lighting levels on one of them was to paint the walls with white emulsion, makes a huge difference. I've just recently had a concrete garage knocked down and replaced with a wooden cabin on a new concrete base.

Kjelle:
Chris, When looking at those pic's, I guess it is not properly drained under the concrete (after looking at British home improvement programs on telly, I gather it's pretty normal...). As you are to smash the concrete outside, dig down and drain all around the building. Also, a dehumidifier will help with the inside climate... Good overall lightning and point lights at the machines makes for a good working environment. Remember that a concrete building do pass humidity through the wall (not so much) and floor (depending on drainage below).

The fire door idea seems like a good idea, get one or two extra locks (one high, one low on the door), and pin the hinges and door hinge side (pins in the door, holes in the frame), and the scumbags will need a motor driven cutter to get in. If you brick up the garage door, make sure the entrance is big enough to move machines in and out without resorting to major deconstruction of either said machine or building!

Good luck!

Kjelle

Eugene:
Chris,

The big enemy you have is damp, all the rest is pretty small beer, but damp is a real killer in a workshop as I found out last winter (it has been known to rain in Wales!) when I went through a similar exercise. It looks as if most of the trouble is coming under the plinth that the wall panels sit on, plus a bit through the slinging holes and I'd tackle those issues head on.

Without seeing more detailed pics, my vote would be for the DPM and concrete raft on the inside floor; it's fast, easy and relatively cheap. Put a course of blue bricks across the thresholds of both doors, and lay the concrete making sure the PVC is turned up above the new floor level. Then make a ramp for the main door entrance to get heavy stuff in and out; you can leave the side door with a step if you like. On the outside, thoroughly jet wash the path / wall junction, and using a PVA mix plus some PVA painted on the interfaces to ensure adhesion of your cement, lay a fillet.  If you want a flexible finish, don't bother with the fillet, just give it a couple of thick coats of bitumen.

I wouldn't hand mix, that's a tedious pain; half a load of ready mix and you could have the whole job done in a day and a half. Day one, jet wash inside and out, lay the blues, drop the PVC in together with any reinforce. Day two pour the concrete, lay the fillet or bitumen, bodge the ramp. Four hundred quid should cover it easy, and you won't have any b***** digging out or rubble to get rid of, the path can stay put.

Again without seeing the penetration through the gaps / corners, a can of expanding foam works wonders.

Eug

awemawson:
I agree that Eugene's plan is a good one BUT if you lay the blue bricks on day 1 and try and concrete on day 2 be assured that you WILL disturb the bricks.

If you are not accustomed to floating concrete I would strongly advise getting someone to do it for you who is. As you are working to in-situ walls you cannot easily tamp with a board and getting it sufficiently flat and level in no mean task. I have an office in one of our outbuildings, where a previous owner tried floating a floor just as you need to do. End result it is dished, and floor standing cupboard doors and filing cabinet drawers slide open on their own  :bugeye:

It's somewhere on my 'to do' list  :scratch:

Eugene:
Chris,

Whereabouts in the country are you?

Eug

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