Focalplane
Western Thunderer
After years of living in a small English cottage and traveling with suitcase at work in Africa I finally retired and during the past year we sold up in the Cotswolds and moved to Hampshire, buying a somewhat neglected but interesting 1970s bungalow with half an acre of garden and a double garage. The latter was not an attraction for modelling purposes but for cars. I already have a railway room in southern France which is a converted home cinema in a village house.
The latter location is off limits due to Covid-19 so my attention has switched to my other pastime, classic and vintage cars. The double garage is not conducive to much more than storing cars. At the moment it is cold and damp and is not well insulated, with gaps around the up and over doors. Even in summer it doesn’t get much better due to its northerly aspect and the English rain.
The good news, though, is that the rear garden has great potential complete with a driveway at the side which allows access to the old kitchen garden. The past few months have seen a lot of clearance of unpruned vegetation, moss clearing from roof and pathways and the rather pleasant experience of discovering things that we never knew existed at the time we purchased the property - it really was a jungle out there!
A large kitchen garden was designed 50 years ago, complete with tool shed, potting shed and wooden greenhouse. The greenhouse is rotting away and has become a hazard so it must go.
The photo shows the “better side”, glass sheets are sliding off the roof on the other side.
The kitchen garden area was screened by several 6ft high trellises. These were all rotting away so have been replaced. The tool shed was rescued by the previous owner and has electricity and is dry. This will become my paint shop (most vintage cars come, or fall, apart easily so each part can be worked on separately) and will also be available for spray painting models. It has a “guaranteed” rubber coated roof. One window will have an exhaust fan installed with filter. The compressor will be located in a sound proofed cabinet with quick connect hoses, etc.
The potting shed will be for the garden equipment. Having spent many years in Texas and where Sears’ Craftsman Tools were available to mechanize every garden chore I have even convinced my wife that such equipment is a bonus to easy living.
So, there is a relatively blank canvas to work with but also a few problems to be overcome.
I have opted for solid wood walls, a.k.a. Engineered Interlocking Log Construction. This is not the quaint “hillbilly” structure from Arkansas but an accurately designed and pre manufactured kit using slow growth northern European pine. Solid wood ticks several boxes, not the least being it’s good for old cars and model railways! Brick, concrete and metals buildings all have disadvantages, mostly in that they can encourage a damp atmosphere, particularly in the damp British climate. Coupled with a flat concrete foundation, double glazing and a good fit on the garage door to reduce drafts, this is, I believe, a cost effective solution.
Planning Permission
There are many official and helpful sites on the internet to guide answering the question “do I need planning permission?” I am managing to circumvent this due to location, size of the property and most important, position of the new structure with respect to the property boundaries.
The Septic Tank
This is located near the proposed site. Nobody seems to know its precise outline but there is an inspection cover above the sludge tank and a small brick vent several meters away which is probably over the second chamber. The good news is there is a further inspection cover “down stream” that indicates the waste water flow does not appear to interfere with the garage workshop plan.
But more research is needed on this.
Energy Efficiency
The 45mm thick log walls have good thermal insulation properties and modern outbuildings generally offer double glazing. The good fit of components also insures against leaks.
Thicker walls are an option, adding to the cost of construction. Wood does engender a warm feeling due to the lower humidity compared to brick and concrete.
Good Lighting
Fluorescent lighting would be the logical choice but new LED strip lighting is, in my opinion, even better. I installed 9 units in the 7x4.5 meter railway room in France (which has no natural light having been a home cinema) and these are excellent, instant on, low energy consumption, etc. Some people find a flicker effect to be annoying so this is something to consider.
Security
Last but certainly not least, good security is essential. This would apply even more to an expensive model railway layout because it’s a lot easier to walk off with a few of our expensive scale models than a 4 meter long car! Good locks on doors and windows are essential as are security lights on infra red sensors. Silent alarms are now available connected to smart phones, complete with cameras and image recording.
To summarize, I am still in the planning stage and there will be changes and tweaks to be expected. Next, some design ideas and also some recognized pitfalls to a working solution. After all, the perfect workshop has yet to be invented! There will also be comparisons between the indoor railway room in France and the outbuilding alternative here in England
There will also be, in the WT tradition, lots of photographs!
Paul
The latter location is off limits due to Covid-19 so my attention has switched to my other pastime, classic and vintage cars. The double garage is not conducive to much more than storing cars. At the moment it is cold and damp and is not well insulated, with gaps around the up and over doors. Even in summer it doesn’t get much better due to its northerly aspect and the English rain.
The good news, though, is that the rear garden has great potential complete with a driveway at the side which allows access to the old kitchen garden. The past few months have seen a lot of clearance of unpruned vegetation, moss clearing from roof and pathways and the rather pleasant experience of discovering things that we never knew existed at the time we purchased the property - it really was a jungle out there!
A large kitchen garden was designed 50 years ago, complete with tool shed, potting shed and wooden greenhouse. The greenhouse is rotting away and has become a hazard so it must go.
The photo shows the “better side”, glass sheets are sliding off the roof on the other side.
The kitchen garden area was screened by several 6ft high trellises. These were all rotting away so have been replaced. The tool shed was rescued by the previous owner and has electricity and is dry. This will become my paint shop (most vintage cars come, or fall, apart easily so each part can be worked on separately) and will also be available for spray painting models. It has a “guaranteed” rubber coated roof. One window will have an exhaust fan installed with filter. The compressor will be located in a sound proofed cabinet with quick connect hoses, etc.
The potting shed will be for the garden equipment. Having spent many years in Texas and where Sears’ Craftsman Tools were available to mechanize every garden chore I have even convinced my wife that such equipment is a bonus to easy living.
So, there is a relatively blank canvas to work with but also a few problems to be overcome.
- Planning permission.
- There is a septic tank nearby.
- Energy efficiency.
- Good lighting.
- Security.
I have opted for solid wood walls, a.k.a. Engineered Interlocking Log Construction. This is not the quaint “hillbilly” structure from Arkansas but an accurately designed and pre manufactured kit using slow growth northern European pine. Solid wood ticks several boxes, not the least being it’s good for old cars and model railways! Brick, concrete and metals buildings all have disadvantages, mostly in that they can encourage a damp atmosphere, particularly in the damp British climate. Coupled with a flat concrete foundation, double glazing and a good fit on the garage door to reduce drafts, this is, I believe, a cost effective solution.
Planning Permission
There are many official and helpful sites on the internet to guide answering the question “do I need planning permission?” I am managing to circumvent this due to location, size of the property and most important, position of the new structure with respect to the property boundaries.
The Septic Tank
This is located near the proposed site. Nobody seems to know its precise outline but there is an inspection cover above the sludge tank and a small brick vent several meters away which is probably over the second chamber. The good news is there is a further inspection cover “down stream” that indicates the waste water flow does not appear to interfere with the garage workshop plan.
But more research is needed on this.
Energy Efficiency
The 45mm thick log walls have good thermal insulation properties and modern outbuildings generally offer double glazing. The good fit of components also insures against leaks.
Thicker walls are an option, adding to the cost of construction. Wood does engender a warm feeling due to the lower humidity compared to brick and concrete.
Good Lighting
Fluorescent lighting would be the logical choice but new LED strip lighting is, in my opinion, even better. I installed 9 units in the 7x4.5 meter railway room in France (which has no natural light having been a home cinema) and these are excellent, instant on, low energy consumption, etc. Some people find a flicker effect to be annoying so this is something to consider.
Security
Last but certainly not least, good security is essential. This would apply even more to an expensive model railway layout because it’s a lot easier to walk off with a few of our expensive scale models than a 4 meter long car! Good locks on doors and windows are essential as are security lights on infra red sensors. Silent alarms are now available connected to smart phones, complete with cameras and image recording.
To summarize, I am still in the planning stage and there will be changes and tweaks to be expected. Next, some design ideas and also some recognized pitfalls to a working solution. After all, the perfect workshop has yet to be invented! There will also be comparisons between the indoor railway room in France and the outbuilding alternative here in England
There will also be, in the WT tradition, lots of photographs!
Paul