Building our dream home : a chronicle of Grafton Keep

We decided to put in a new door for the workshop

 

Knowing that the ground floor will eventually be our blacksmithing / metal working area, we wanted a good way to be able to move heavy items into the building.  By putting in a double door, we can easily lift items into the building using the tractor pallet forks.  This means that when we get Amy her power hammer, we will be able to get it into the building and set up without a ton of hassle.

 

Step 1, remove the old door & re-frame a new hole.

 

 

Step 2, put new sheathing around the door & weatherproof everything properly.  This includes building out a new pan to keep water from leaking in under the door.  I did this by hand, and for a first attempt, it turned out pretty well.

 

Step 3, Install of the door went somewhat smoothly.  Amy and I were not able to manhandle the thing into place as easily as we hoped, but it eventually went in.  There was a good deal of swearing, but that counts as communication as long as it's not directed at each other right?  This door was designed for a 4" wall, and these walls are 6".  Due to that, I will need to build extensions from the door to the trim.  This will be installed shortly, along with finishing touches such as spray foam around the entire door to help seal everything.

 

 

The workshop is the first of many stages to finishing our dream home and property

The workshop has 3 floors.  The ground floor will become our metal shop / blacksmith studio.  The 2nd floor will become our woodworking and pottery studio.  The 3rd floor will be turned into a 1 bedroom apartment that we will move into for the duration of the build on the primary house.  

This is the workshop building on the day we took ownership of the property.  Many changes need to happen to make this less craptastic!