Phase one

Phase two

Phase three

The garage project started when I bought this U.S. Marine building from Curvco Steel early 2004. The USMC cancelled a contract for 30 of these buildings. They placed deposits on the contract and when they backed out they lost the money so Curvco was unloading them "reasonably" priced.

It's a 20x30x12 foot steel arch design. Getting a contractor to pour the pad/footer was a problem. Most were already booked for the season when the building arrived on a flatbed in March 2004. Greg, Ted and a few guys from church helped unload the truck onto the front yard.

The next few days I moved it all to the back yard. I stored the sections under my old pavilion and inside the Brown Barn. As it turned out that's where the progress ended for 2004. I started looking for a concrete contractor. 2004 was a bust so I had to wait until Spring 05. Early in 2005 I moved the metal shed from beside the garden and winched the Brown Barn back across the yard in its place.

Early in 2005 I had one low bid from a "contractor" who shall go unnamed that was about half what of three other bids . I later learned he wasn't reading the drawings correctly. When I cancelled it was too late to go back to one of the other bids. They were all booked solid. I finally got one to do the work in Sep 05. That was phase one.

It soon got colder, the holidays and hunting season approached and I was running out of time. I didn't want store the garage another winter so I dragged all the pieces out and put the 14 arches together in a few days.  I spent another week or so drilling holes in the concrete (5000psi) and bolting down the wall channels with 58 4" Hiliti bolts.

Finally I picked a weekend at the urging of my sons and they agreed to help me put up the arches. We were blessed with two very calm, warm days in Nov 05. My threes sons Eric, Greg and Ted along with 2 volunteers from church, both named Gary (one is the minister), we got all 14 arches up and braced inside with enough lumber to support it against bad weather.

I spent several more days doing a re-torque of all the arch bolts, then took a break for Thanksgiving and hunting season. After that I spent the next couple months finishing up the end walls, grouting the outside wall channels, installing electricity and lights, a man door, a contractor installed 10x10 main door, etc, etc.

Other than the concrete slab, the main door and help raising the arches, it was practically a one man show including moving the metal shed and the Brown Barn. I don't think I'd do it again!