Hobby Room Build
I purchased a new house in 2023, and realized that I needed a workspace for my butterfly hobby, so I hired a contractor to build an additional room in the back of my garage, a 20 x 40 RV garage. I photographed most of the steps, shown here.
The area before the start of the build. I have a 20 x 40 foot RV garage, and this is next to the living area.
The delivery of the material.
The frame build.
I have a post-tension slab for the house, which has cables spaced 2-4 feet apart in a grid pattern, but you can't assume where they are without scanning. The cables are anchored at the perimeter of the slab — they run through the concrete and anchor to metal plates on the outside edge of the foundation walls. If one drills in the wrong spot, damage is immediate, and a snapped cable can shoot through concrete. Repair is extremely costly and difficult, sometimes requiring removing large sections of slab. I had an engineer x-ray the foundation to identify where the contractor could position the bolts, seen in the two spaces on the right.
The far side of the frame.
Another view, toward the far left top corner.
Another view.
The garage entry way.
Another view. Incidentally, the carpenters were very agile, walking across the top with no problem.
The electricians did their thing, these are the outlets.
More outlets.
Prepping for electrical work. BTW, I learned to cut the drywall to expose the struts, which can then be used to attach the new piece of drywall. When I repaired my last home, I would place wood strips behind the cut, and screw them into place, and then add the new drywall, and screw that into place. Too many steps!
Wiring for the heat pump, which would be placed right there near the ceiling.
The light sockets.
Another view.
Another view.
Now prepping for the insulation installation.
Done! Making progress. Each step had a 3-4 week wait, so the job started in October, and finished in early February.
Another view.
From the outside.
One more shot.
And again.
Purchased a 6 and 8 foot bench from Home Depot, these are heavy, and I can't lift, but swing from side to side to move.
Now adding the plywood walls, this is one side.
And the other side.
Now the drywall.
The other side.
Done.
The inside, testing a strobe light.
Another view.
Now adding the mud.
Another shot.
And another.
Finished! Forgot to turn off the strobe light.
The other side.
Now prepping to sand, so everything gets covered with plastic to protect from dust.
This shows my insect cabinets. I originally planned to move the water purifier, but realized it was already positioned ideally. To get everything built right, I hired an engineer to develop the plans, which was about a quarter of the total project cost.
My spreading boards, and the storage cabinets, where I leave the specimens for a week or two to dry.
The side to the right. That map is for the Bug Creek region in NWT, where I visited in 2011.
And to the right, this shows my camera rig, where I photograph the specimens.
I purchased a new house in 2023, and realized that I needed a workspace for my butterfly hobby, so I hired a contractor to build an additional room in the back of my garage, a 20 x 40 RV garage. I photographed most of the steps, shown here.
The area before the start of the build. I have a 20 x 40 foot RV garage, and this is next to the living area.
The delivery of the material.
The frame build.
I have a post-tension slab for the house, which has cables spaced 2-4 feet apart in a grid pattern, but you can't assume where they are without scanning. The cables are anchored at the perimeter of the slab — they run through the concrete and anchor to metal plates on the outside edge of the foundation walls. If one drills in the wrong spot, damage is immediate, and a snapped cable can shoot through concrete. Repair is extremely costly and difficult, sometimes requiring removing large sections of slab. I had an engineer x-ray the foundation to identify where the contractor could position the bolts, seen in the two spaces on the right.
The far side of the frame.
Another view, toward the far left top corner.
Another view.
The garage entry way.
Another view. Incidentally, the carpenters were very agile, walking across the top with no problem.
The electricians did their thing, these are the outlets.
More outlets.
Prepping for electrical work. BTW, I learned to cut the drywall to expose the struts, which can then be used to attach the new piece of drywall. When I repaired my last home, I would place wood strips behind the cut, and screw them into place, and then add the new drywall, and screw that into place. Too many steps!
Wiring for the heat pump, which would be placed right there near the ceiling.
The light sockets.
Another view.
Another view.
Now prepping for the insulation installation.
Done! Making progress. Each step had a 3-4 week wait, so the job started in October, and finished in early February.
Another view.
From the outside.
One more shot.
And again.
Purchased a 6 and 8 foot bench from Home Depot, these are heavy, and I can't lift, but swing from side to side to move.
Now adding the plywood walls, this is one side.
And the other side.
Now the drywall.
The other side.
Done.
The inside, testing a strobe light.
Another view.
Now adding the mud.
Another shot.
And another.
Finished! Forgot to turn off the strobe light.
The other side.
Now prepping to sand, so everything gets covered with plastic to protect from dust.
This shows my insect cabinets. I originally planned to move the water purifier, but realized it was already positioned ideally. To get everything built right, I hired an engineer to develop the plans, which was about a quarter of the total project cost.
My spreading boards, and the storage cabinets, where I leave the specimens for a week or two to dry.
The side to the right. That map is for the Bug Creek region in NWT, where I visited in 2011.
And to the right, this shows my camera rig, where I photograph the specimens.