SimRig build*..........*build includes building a shed for it 1st

[john_smith]

I wasn't planning on doing this but in another thread it was suggested I should do a build thread as it might generate some interest. So here goes.

Background. I'm a triathlete, my wife is a runner and our kids are also triathletes. Our house at the moment only has an old garage (eventually will be knocked down to form a new room) that's used as a workshop / bike store and my zwift setup. I've got a system in there that used to host zwift before I switched over to an iPad Pro so now the PC just runs youtube / amazon / netflix / plex to keep me entertained. I've wanted to get back into Sim Racing for a long time (just checking my iRacing account I 1st joined in 2009) Life gets in the way but i'm now in a position to have a play again.

Terrible existing setup photo:



As you can see it's pretty grim and during the winter very cold.

I've been planning the Rig build, the PC build and the shed build in my head for about a year now and it's getting close to being "finished".

I'm a computer engineer by trade and haven't built anything like this before. Apologies to any professionals reading this for the crimes against building you might see me comitting, i'm just doing little bits at a time myself between watching youtube videos and reading forums.

Right, off to dig out some photos and fill this thread up

 

[john_smith]

The 1st job was to make some room for the shed. There was some "overgrown" area that could be stripped back meaning i'd get the shed without losing any of my existing usable outside space.



Fortunately i've access to a mini digger so that really helped speed this along.

 

[john_smith]

With some reclaimed brickettes we built a path so we could access that part of the garden without having to walk around the house. There's no photo but initially this area was complete grown upto the house.

 

[john_smith]

Clearing the area ready for the base:





Looking back at these photos I wish i'd have spent more time on it in the summer...I did the actual building over the winter. FML.

 

[tyler_jrb]

If only... very nice job that will be some setup there once completed.

 

[john_smith]

If only... very nice job that will be some setup there once completed.

There's probably less than a weeks work for a building firm, a month for a competant full time builder. I'm gonna take 6 months over the worst. Some weeks i've only managed a couple of hours. Ironman training + wife and kids + work! leaves little time for building stuff.

 

[mikehhhhhhh]

Sim racers are taking over the Project Logs section!

 

[john_smith]

Spirit level out! Initial size pegged out for the footings and some hardcore delivered for the base.





Edit: Mini digger been upgraded to a new one

 

[john_smith]

Sim racers are taking over the Project Logs section!

 

[Gray2233]

Subbed to the thread!

I love seeing things like this come together.

 

[john_smith]

Subbed to the thread!

I love seeing things like this come together.

Cheers Gary.

 

[john_smith]

Footings, wall and my lad involved on a whacker plate








This was in June 2020 and pretty much the end of progress while I did other stuff as "winter is ages away"

 

[john_smith]

28th October 2020, made a start again. I'm such an idiot. I'd have had it built by now if I continued in June. Sigh.





I mixed all of that concret in a mixer. 4 solid hours. Good cardio training, unfortunately you can't get Strava points for it.

 

[john_smith]

1st week of November and we've bought some timber. The trailer load I bought locally from a company who have "stuff" delivered on massive pallets. They rip them down and sell the timbers They are 75mm sq and 2.4m long. They cost 75p a meter and for those that dont know it's a bargain. The rest I bought from a builders merchants, expensive .

 

[john_smith]

We're into December now. Looks like November must have been very wet / I was busy as there's no progress photos....and I usually take photos.

So we're onto the framing now. I'm using 3x2 for the bottom, 2 x 3 x 2 for the top plate and the cheapo 3x3s for the walls. 18mm OSB on the outside.

Shed, external, dimensions are approx 6.2m x 3.4m.










They weigh a tonne!

 

[john_smith]

Just before christmas and we have an erection!







I must have bucketed gallons of water out of the base over the winter before I got the roof on. Should have bought a pump.

 

[john_smith]

It's the Christmas holidays now and as it's a lockdown i got to do a bit.

Testing out how i'm going to fit my roof joists.






Boxing day, lol.

 

[john_smith]

29th of December and we're watertight (ish) 22mm OSB on the roof sat ontop of some furring strips to give the flat roof a run off for the rain. Window hole cut out. I'm going to use one i've had in my garden for a year from a previous house extension where it became spare. I think the frame was seen in an earlier picture where I used it to template around on the wall.

 

[john_smith]

Happy new year. Shed wrapped and batten started for the cladding. Measured wrong and cut them all so I needed to add some extra bits at a later date. Doh.

 

[john_smith]

Into the 1st week of Jan and as we're dry the electrician came and did a 1st fix. Difficult decisions needed here about socket and ethernet locations. Hopefully i've chosen right.

Oh, and my old house window I had a local firm spray to modernise it and fit in with my final colour scheme.