The garage in back is already a 1-1/2 car detached garage with a carport. I decided to enclose the whole thing and will knock out the wall so we’ll have a small workshop and park both vehicles inside. As I aim to finish the sprinkler system tomorrow (Monday), I decided to frame in the east wall so we could mount the sprinker system control box inside.

It is always best to install the control box in a place where you can view the yard. This way you can test zones and be sure they turn on or off. Here are some photos of my progress. I still have to cut a remaining sheet and then add some screws in some areas to really secure all the sheets to the studs.

I took measurements and planned out my “shopping list” before visiting the local Home Depot. As they were open on Sunday and I got the urge for this project just around lunch time, we didn’t shop around and just bought everything there.

The sheets were only $12-13 each and the studs (8-footers) were only $1.99 each. The treated 2×4s were just under $5 each and boxes of nails were $3 and $5 respectively. We bought 24 studs, 5 treated 8-foot 2×4s and 6 sheets of 5/8″ sheeting for just over $150.

I pre-cut all the lumber before clearing an area to assemble the walls before putting them in place.

Rather than trying to build the walls in place, it’s best to assemble them on the ground and then put them in place. As you can see, I used pressure treated lumber for the section that touches the concrete and ground and standard lumber for the rest.

My professional photographer, Jamie, caught this “action-packed” photo while I was raising the first wall section. I should have placed some thin foam strips on the ground first under the treated lumber for moisture and bug barrier but instead I will simply use caulking and glue to seal the floor.

Fitting the wall into place before making it plumb with a level, then tacking it into place with nails. After I finish the job I will rent a hammer drill and use a special bolt called “Red Heads” to anchor the bottom plate to the concrete.

Installing the 2nd wall section

New wall with all studs in place. Now I prepare for installing the sheeting.

Installing the first sheet is very important. You must make sure it is square so all the other sheets you install and butt up against it will all fit.

View from the inside. Now I did not take into account the 4×4 posts that existed so you can see that the sheet does not end on a stud. I will correct this by screwing in 2×4s between the studs that I can nail the sheets against to ensure they have a good hold before siding the garage.

I simply need to cut the remaining sheet and finish fastening the walls. As I have not purchased the garage doors, I am unsure on the rough opening specs so I cannot build the front and back walls yet. Depending on how busy I am this week with all my work projects and meetings, I will try to get those measurements and purchase the materials to finish the garage.

Inside view of new wall. Soon the entire garage will be enclosed and then I will install a beam in the center of the roof so I can knock out the existing wall, opening up the entire garage for 2 cars and a small workshop.

More to come…

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 17th, 2006 at 10:18 pm and is filed under Home, My Projects. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. This post has been viewed 1,888 times.