Building to build!
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:01 pm
by uteboy
So, Andy Walker has constructed a 12x24 aluminum workshop building and is converting his den into a garage and selling the other to continue his build. I saw on the Sonex website some cool pictures of a Xenos coming out of a New York? townhouse - now that is commitment…Even tho my build is yet to start (one or two precursors to be dealt with) I have relocated the kitchen to where the dining room was, thus extending the garage. The dining room was always too small but is a great size for a kitchen. It did take some persuading tho…
Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to learn what others had to do to enable a build to start? Hopefully restricted to re-configuring where one lives as opposed to re-configuring who you live with :shock:
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:42 pm
by Mike53
I suppose my situation would be considered slightly left of odd .I have a one car garage where we now live but it is used for a kitchen Cabinet business I run (I’m a retired Ford worker and started the business to supplement my pension)so the garage is not available for the plane.So the Tail kit I ordered will be put together in the basement.The Fuse and wings will go together in the workshop I built at the property we bought on Manitoulin Island which is located,here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoulin_Island I have hydro and a well drilled already.
We live in southwestern Ontario near London .It takes 7 hours to get there from home,5 hr’s driving and a 2 hr ferry ride to the island.So the plan is once I start the fuse I will take a week at a time when I can spare it and stay in the trailer I have on the property and get at least 40 hrs in building the plane.I like the plan because there will not be any day to day distractions not even my wife as she will stay back home while i’m up there.Based on my current work load for the business I hope to realistically get at least 6 weeks a year up there in which to build.6 X 40 is 240 hrs so I think I can get the wings and fuselage done in 2 to 3 years.
Mike
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:34 pm
by Sonex1517
Great topic!
We are starting in the basement and building the entire tail there, and starting the wings. Once it gets to the point where we are assembling the wings, everything goes into the attached garage.
We put the compressor in an electrical closet with good ventilation and some noise muffling. Ran the compressor hose over the drop ceiling and into the workshop area in the unfinished part of our basement. I installed a regulator and two tool balancers to hang the air tools from. As we move, putting the air line up into the hall closet and out into the garage will be easy.
We currently have two workbenches basically the same as most people build from EAA plans. Will add a mobile one in the garage.
I am extremely lucky as my wife was raised around homebuilts, and saw her step dad build a Smith mini-plane in their garage. She helps me on the project when she can and never complains about the aluminum shavings or constant tool purchases. It probably helps that we met at and were married at an airport. 
Giving up the garage will be a major hassle for me, but one to be expected. Hopefully this past winter’s blizzard got it out of its system for years to come…
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:42 am
by Andy Walker
I’d consider my situation a lesson in what NOT to do. My wife originally said she was fine with converting the den back to a garage, and actually preferred that over placing an outbuilding. Being stubborn I didn’t want to lose the living space of the den (even though our house is too big for us really already). So I ended up doing BOTH. If I had just done the garage conversion first I would have saved time, energy, and money. :oops:
The 12x24 building is large enough for the fuselage OR the wings, but not both. I’d have had to move the fuselage to my back screened porch to do the wings. Plus the AC unit I have in the shed is really not adequate for Georgia summers. The soon-to-be garage has its own heat pump, and is brick, and will be very comfortable to work in year round. It will be about 20x20, about 30% larger than the current workshop and should easily allow me to work on large parts like wings while having plenty of space for the fuselage and other assemblies. I’ll post some pics when it’s all done.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:29 am
by chris
I’ll be converting a carport into a garage.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:22 am
by Andy Walker
chris wrote:I’ll be converting a carport into a garage.
Good deal, that should not be too expensive and will provide a great workspace!
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:50 am
by chris
Andy Walker wrote:Good deal, that should not be too expensive and will provide a great workspace!
True…and it will be nice to have after the plane is finished as well.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:43 am
by kmacht
I started in the basement but ultimatly ended up having a 2 car detached garage built. I found a place out in Pennsylvania that is owned by and employees all Amish workers (www.horizonstructures.com). They built pre-fabricated one and two car garages. What I ended up with was a 24x24 2 car garage that was 2 stories high. I have the Sonex in one of the bays, a classic pickup truck project in the other and since it is 2 stories tall I built a nice shop upstairs where I built the wings and do all my other work. The total cost was right around 20k delivered, painted, and finished. The amazing thing was that they went from taking my order, 3 months later they delivered it on one trailer, and then the following day they set it up, painted it, and handed me the keys. I went from having no garage to a completely finished garage in the matter of 2 days. I highly recommend looking at the pre-fab route for garages if anyone is considering having one built for their project.
Keith
#554
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:41 pm
by Dan
I’m trying to decide whether to build in my garage or hangar. The garage is 15 footsteps away from my recliner and the hangar is 27 miles away. BUT the hangar is away from all distractions. I have a small motorhome in there so spending nights is possible. Right now I am retired (that may change if the bozos don’t do something about our economy) so I am hoping to build this plane as quickly as funds will allow.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:22 am
by Andy Walker
Dan wrote:I’m trying to decide whether to build in my garage or hangar. The garage is 15 footsteps away from my recliner and the hangar is 27 miles away. BUT the hangar is away from all distractions. I have a small motorhome in there so spending nights is possible. Right now I am retired (that may change if the bozos don’t do something about our economy) so I am hoping to build this plane as quickly as funds will allow.
Dan, I highly recommend the garage route. The closer and more convenient your workspace is, the more progress you can make. I usually get home from work, eat something, then work a couple of hours. I would not be doing that if I have to drive 27 miles each way (that’s an HOUR of driving!), so there’s ten hours a week of building I would not get done. Not everybody works the same way, but from my experience I’m sold on the “do a little bit every day” style of building. Then on weekends I get in my 6-10 hour days at it as well.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:35 am
by Andy Walker
BTW, the builders finally hung the door on my garage yesterday, and claim they are going to finish up today. If that’s the case I’ll get everything moved in this weekend and post some pics of the new space.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:40 pm
by Dan
I have to agree with you Andy. When I was building the RV-9A tail section it was really nice to be able to just walk into the garage and start to work and I’m sure that is the way to go. BUT I have put more junk into the garage now so something is going to have to go either outside or down to the hangar. On the plus side I won’t have the wife coming out asking when I’m going to stop making all that noise with the rivet gun. Right now I believe the tail section will for sure be built in the garage. After that…time will tell.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:43 am
by Andy Walker
My new garage workshop is done. Here’s a view from one angle…I’ll post some more later. Ignore the big pile of trash in the foreground.
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:10 pm
by N111YX
Just for giggles, here was my shop area. Often 90 derees+ in the summer. If you look closely at the first pic, you will see my wheel pants and fuel tank on a shelf. Behind that is an air conditioner from an office and the exhaust provided some extra heat in the summer… 
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:26 pm
by Mike53
Workshops look great guys but where are the pin-ups ala Tim the tool guy. 
Mike
PS Something I just discovered if you click on the pic’s with the side bars they go full size.I never new that :idea:
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 12:28 pm
by Andy Walker
Yikes Kip! My old workshop was like that – if it was 95 outside, my shop would be 90 with the AC running full bore. The new shop yesterday was 75 and low humidity. Aaaahhh… 
Here’s a view looking the other way:
Re: Building to build!
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:11 am
by XenosTed
Great work, Andy. We’ve got to get by there again soon. Like the new digs. Nancy and I split up the location for the Xenos construction. Fabrication of smaller stuff was in the heated/AC basement. The AeroVee was totally built there (except for the oven in the kitchen). All the angles etc. were done in the basement - bandsaw, shopsmith, mill, lathe, work tables, etc. The assembly was at the hangar (outside temperature and worse). We dedicated ourselves to completing the project - insulated hunting coveralls in winter, wet-cold-water bandanas in summer. We never whimped out. We planned the construction using critical path method thinking. We planned the canopy work for August in Georgia. The inside of the hangar (closed on purpose) was about 104 F. No plexi cracks though! The paint etc as planned for medium temp, low humidity days. When the weather did not suit what we had planned, we retreated home and deburred something in the basement or went the PDK and bugged Kip :-). Being retired for both of us has made all the difference. We took off for church on Sunday, grocery day on Wednesday and 3 months to assist our daughter-in-law in the last days of a difficult pregnancy. Otherwise, 10 hr days were usual. On hot days, I began in the hangar at 4 a.m. - knock off by early afternoon. In winter, begin at 11 a.m. end when too cold after supper. Never let up and hang around positive people. Avoid nay sayers. Worked for us. Xenos Dragon Lady Bug 75 hrs and soarin