And so it begins...

After some back and forth with local barn builders and equipment operators I was able to determine where the barn should go on the property. My original plan was too big and too expensive. So I downsized but the new plan will still have plenty of room for the projects I want to tackle.

The barn will be 40’ W by 50’ L and 16’ H with two 12’ x 14’ overhead doors. The best place for access and minimum lot prep was located about 50’ from the road in the pasture just north/west of the house. I also plan on a 20' concrete patio off the back side, a good place to sit and relax and maybe wash a vehicle or two. Here is a rough approximation of the pole barn in a satellite view of our property. The yellow is where the building will sit, it doesn't show the 20' extension off the back.

Our 41’ fifth wheel will fit inside without the Freightliner but will most likely stay stored outside. When I need to perform some work on it, inside it will be. I really hate rolling around in the gravel to work on it. Six inches of concrete will support any of the toys we have as well as the 10,000 two-post lift I plan to buy. The pad will be stubbed out for a bathroom/shower as well as a small kitchen area. Layout to be determined.

The first step:

• Get the ground prepped. This included fence and post removal, staking the foot print, grading the driveway and fill to level the building footprint.

Fence removal:

• Remove the wire
• Pull the posts (click for video)
• Store for later use.

Driveway:

• Prep the culvert
• Install 40’ of 12” culvert pipe (Later replaced with smaller pipe due to damage and height)
• Fill with gravel

Building footprint:

• Skim off any top soil and pile South of the building site. This will be used later for backfill and grading.
• Bring entire site to grade (many, many loads of fill brought in). Additional area on sides (10’) and rear (20’) brought to grade as well
• I will compact this area per concrete contractor’s guidance.

Here are some pictures of the progress (click for larger photos):

Stay Tuned!

Welcome to the Backend of Nowhere Garage!

For as long as I can remember I have always had an interest in cars. Well, anything that had a motor and some wheels really. Before high school, I wanted to go to the Vo-Tech School but the parental units put a stop to that. I ended up in a college prep program that ended poorly. (I still regret I didn't pay attention during Spanish.) I ended my senior year in a work/study program, working in a local gas station. All this time, I was working with my friends on whatever car we could get our hands on, repairing and breaking them in a very rapid pace.

Poster we bought for the future garage

After high school, I enrolled in Lincoln Technical Institute for a year long program to become an Automotive Technician. Shortly after I was done, I was certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) as a Master Mechanic. In those days it was difficult to make a living fixing cars, I found myself employed by some rather shady outfits. I soon found another calling with the Fire Department and the rest, as some say, is history.

However, I never lost my enjoyment with fixing cars and working on all things mechanical. I always dreamed of fixing an old car and turning it into a Hot Rod or even just a cruiser. Ten years after retirement and leaving the full-time RV lifestyle, I am returning to that dream.

It all starts, for me anyway, with a dedicated place to work, with a lift and other equipment to fix, restore, modify or otherwise create the vehicle of my desires. Now we build the Pole Barn! (nicknamed “The Backend Of Nowhere Garage”)

When Donna and I were looking for our place to put down roots and RV less often (we will still “snowbird”), we needed to have enough property to put up a building where I could set up shop. Our original property in Jamestown was 5 acres, more than enough space. It was mostly flat and out of the way. A bonus was it being in a county that had little in the way of restrictions and no permits.

Fast forward a few years and the dream was modified to our current residence in the same county. We needed a house and decided not to go through the building of one on the Jamestown property. But the goals were the same.

Much (many) measurements were taken, changed, enlarged, decreased - finally, the land was staked and the excavation and materials ordered. Some may remember this as the pasture where a neighbor stored his cows for a couple of months.

Now the ground for the pole barn has been broken and by the end of summer the shop will be well on its way to a reality. I will chronicle our progress via this blog and then, hopefully, on the various projects I will tackle.

Stay Tuned!