Hello. Looking for some workshop build advice. Cheers

[Magicpickleman]

 

Hello all, 

Hope everyone is well.

 

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere on here, I searched but couldn’t find anything - but I have limited knowledge of technical building terms.

 

A year ago we brought a Victorian property that had been empty for around 20 years. We had traders come and do the main jobs but are currently doing the smaller jobs and making the place in to a home. 

 

I want to build a small workshop - roughly 14 ft x 9 ft. The area I want to put it has three existing walls - two ‘garden’ walls and the other being the exterior wall to our kitchen. 

In the one corner there is also an old privy, I am unsure if it would be best to knock down or try and integrate it into the plan, it is a solid build.

The garden walls are two bricks in width and around 6.5 foot high, in good shape other than needing to be re-pointed. 

 

It would be great to get some advice on areas before trying to move forward with attempting this, so thanks in advance for any help.

 

Would it be possible to tie in to these walls and use them for part of the structure, and would I just use a wall starter kit? (The brick is accrington brick)

 

The garden walls would need more height, I take it I could just add more brick to that to increase the height?

 

Would I have to dig down and see what the foundation is like on the garden walls? 

 

I would be digging down to put a foundation for the new front wall, would I lay a new foundation around all sides? 

 

As they are walls built at the same time as the house (1901) I would presumably have to put in a DPC, and then build block internal walls? 

 

I know I will need to check with my local council but presumably I could build it as high as the privy?

 

I’ve included a photos so people can see what the area and walls look like.

 

One last question (for the moment) - a foolish project for someone with minimal amount of building experience?   

 

Cheers for the help and advice.

 

Dave

[Tennentslager]

A sketch would help... how you design the roof and where the rainwater goes might be a good first thought.

Also, what’s the workshop for? This will influence things like heating, humidity, comfort, building regs and much more. 
Are you going to pickle stuff?

Edited May 2, 2020 by Tennentslager
Saw username and became a detective

[Ferdinand]

Welcome.

 

All of those are doable, but it revolves around your requirement.

 

Really, that is what you want to do in it, when, and in what conditions.

 

eg is it a 12 month need, or for the summer. Does it have to be bone dry, or merely rainproof? What is going to be in it?  I would start with a bullet list of "what is it for?" in about 250 words.

 

If you are right up to the boundary you may run into a requirement for planning permission.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Magicpickleman]

Very rough idea just done on Sketchup. I was going to try and do a sloping roof towards the front, there is a drain to the right of where the door is marked. 

It would mainly we used for woodworking, and some craft...and just somewhere to have as my own. 

 

I can't talk about pickling...that's top secret!

 

[Magicpickleman]

4 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

Welcome.

 

All of those are doable, but it revolves around your requirement.

 

Really, that is what you want to do in it, when, and in what conditions.

 

eg is it a 12 month need, or for the summer. Does it have to be bone dry, or merely rainproof? What is going to be in it?  I would start with a bullet list of "what is it for?" in about 250 words.

 

If you are right up to the boundary you may run into a requirement for planning permission.

Woodwork, craft, a place to be.

Would like it to be as close to bone dry as possible as electronics will be in there. 

Timescale is as long as it takes. Not in a major rush but would like something within the next 18-24 months. 

[Ferdinand]

12 minutes ago, Magicpickleman said:

Woodwork, craft, a place to be.

Would like it to be as close to bone dry as possible as electronics will be in there. 

Timescale is as long as it takes. Not in a major rush but would like something within the next 18-24 months. 

 

That says at least that you will probably want to to be a more detached from the structure job rather than use the existing walls (could be coating or lining or a close fitting buiding), as garden walls will always be conduits for damp.

[JFDIY]

Does it need to be a brick structure - is the current building skewing your vision. You can get some decent timber cabins that you could insulate and make dry, a brick or block building will have thick walls and need heating in winter to stave off the damp feeling unless it is well insulated.

 

A timber cabin kit would only need a base forming and be a quick project.

[Magicpickleman]

24 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

That says at least that you will probably want to to be a more detached from the structure job rather than use the existing walls (could be coating or lining or a close fitting buiding), as garden walls will always be conduits for damp.

So stay away from using the garden walls then?

[Magicpickleman]

20 minutes ago, JFDIY said:

Does it need to be a brick structure - is the current building skewing your vision. You can get some decent timber cabins that you could insulate and make dry, a brick or block building will have thick walls and need heating in winter to stave off the damp feeling unless it is well insulated.

 

A timber cabin kit would only need a base forming and be a quick project.

I was thinking that brick/block would need less maintenance in the long run. Plus timber would need me to have access to all sides wouldn't it? 

[Russell griffiths]

You could use the garden walls, but I would build a timber structure on the inside to separate it from the wall as it will be a pathway for damp as previously said. 

 

[Magicpickleman]

Do you mean to use the garden walls to structurally build the timber frame build to?

[Ferdinand]

29 minutes ago, Magicpickleman said:

Do you mean to use the garden walls to structurally build the timber frame build to?

 

It depends.

 

If eg you want to keep plasterboard or dry wood or paper in there, then having bare garden walls in the unit will provide a way in for damp (no DPC). So say a 6ft x 14ft lined shed may be the better option.

 

Or you could use the walls to support the structure and have a decoupled lining to isolate it from the walls and perhaps insulate.

 

F

[Magicpickleman]

Thanks for all the help.

 

Could a DPC not be put in place in the current walls, and in the floor and internal walls I put in place?

 

The reason I am thinking of building is to utilise as much space as possible. 

I had discounted timber as my though was I would have to be able to access all sides for maintenance. 

 

Cheers