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My Build: Simply a Mr. Jack Olsen inspired 1930 Auto Bunker House Geobarn Homage

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flybefree

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View media item 10724
As I recall it looked something like this. I can also recall waking up (in the right seat) after a brief nap on the A-6 heading south and groggily trying to: 1) Estimate our speed in KMH based on how far the needle was buried beyond the last idicated speed of 230 on the dial. 2) Then apply the MPH to KMH conversion to try and wrap my brain around how fast we were going (neighborhood of 150MPH, slightly faster on the downhills) 3) Then try to figure out what the odds were that we could safely slow to a normal human speed if a truck pulled out in front of us to pass in the left lane 4) The apply a correction to compmensate for reduced reaction time due to the fact that this all was happening... AT NIGHT!

After a few minutes of counting fingers and toes I came to the conclusion that it was just better to take a nap and not worry about it. I'm really good at napping, it's a gift.
 
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FlyBeFree's Wife

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That was a darn good looking car!! And I am really a good driver. You were completely safe. And now in the mini-van, you are probably safer. People tend to frown upon moms driving 150mph with carseats in their vans, and Americans often have questionable driving skills, so I have toned it down a bit. :)
 
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flybefree

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Yep, that would be a comfortable cruise...it's just not as relaxing at those speeds on the ground, at night, in the passenger seat...
 
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Dennis Cavallino

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Great build! I love those old E28's M535i. When I first picked up my GF we left her home and I drifted onto the freeway. Full lock is really sideways in those E28's. Than I thought; omg there's someone on the passenger seat now...'. I drove gently to the city I lived in, and when I turned off the freeway I didn't drift. Than she said; 'why don't you go sideways here?'. That was the moment I thought 'let's keep this one'. :)
 
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flybefree

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View media item 10734
As they finished up the roof on the main shop they started setting the posts for the 24 x 24 office.

Dennis: I had forgotten what a great car that old 535 was until we started talking about it the other day. Given that I drive a beater Scion and a minivan I am not what you would call a car guy, but that one was special. Yeah, keep the GF...she obviously has great potential.
 
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flybefree

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Charles: Forgot, the door is steel, like the one I had in my old hangar. I looked at the ALUM version at Sun N' Fun this year (just before the tornado sent us running for cover) and left still liking the heavier door...I thought the steel door just looked stronger. I liked the stack door you have...I was worried about keeping the tracks clean as my door faces out into a field, so I went with the ole bi-fold.
 
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FlyBeFree's Wife

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In town checking out the progress. Looking great!! A little excitement yesterday when the door guys and the builders thought the door was not going to fit. That was resolved and all is well! Going to walk through later and figure out the plumbing layout. This is exciting. Hubby is doing a fine job managing this project. I guess years of lurking on GJ.com and all of his research/planning have really paid off thus far. As he is fond of saying, "Nothing could possibly go wrong!". :)
 
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mws444

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flybefree said:
View media item 10660
View media item 10661
The delivered the building package in one truck load two weeks ago...doesn't look like much sitting there does it?
Click to expand...

Hey I noticed the Spray Coupe you have. Nice spray rig! I have an old tricycle version with a water cooled VW engine and the really pain in the **** electric actuators to raise and fold the booms. But hey when my Dad bought the thing it was state of the art!
Poor thing is in the scrap heap now, Only have 170 ac. of outland left. All the rest is in orchards now.
 
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FlyBeFree's Wife

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Well, the door got hung, thanks to a small bit of "Chumley Engineering". This is the kind of farm boy engineering where plans are written on paper napkins and it can all be accomplished with random materials and a skidloader. **Note: all plans were actually approved by both building and door engineers, but I just chuckle that the original concept was proposed by Shaun's dad as he peered up at the problem and tossed out an idea! They all scrambled to call Higher HQ, and in the end, they went with his idea just as suggested. He is a smart man who has been maintaining this farm and the buildings for years...it is no surprise that he came up with the final solution. I just tease the boys about their frequent Chumely Engineering projects.**
Back to the door. It goes up. It goes down. It does not, however, go up AND down. Some electrical relay something or another. They have it all under control apparently.
It was fun giving tours this weekend. Anytime a new building goes up, everyone wants to know what is going on. Since we were in town, we gave Gator rides and building tours. While Shaun refers to it as "the shed" or "the barn", his family is calling it "the giant hangar with the guest room suite attached"!! **Note: while there is a guest room and bathroom, the attached space is really the office, not just a guest suite. Everyone is excited to see the final product.
 
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flybefree

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View media item 10701
Cellphone shot of the roof going on the office...

Neuswede: Thanks...watching your build as well.

Zengineer: We decided we missed that car too...everytime we passed a less attractive performance car this weekend we commented on how cool that 535 was.

MWS 444: The Spracoupe rocks! It has the Cummings upgrade, pretty fuel efficent and sprays like a champ...just sprayed the double crop beans we put in the wheat by the hangar this weekend. "Are those weeds in my fescue? Oh no, it's round up to the rescue" Quote (sort of) from the Dad's Life Youtube video.
 
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flybefree

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View media item 10789
Red Leader: This one's for you...my folks bought mini-donkeys when my son was born...kids love them, I think you could make an awesome art-deco craftsman inspired space for them in your garage. Think about it...what with all the extra time and money that you get issued with the car seat and all.
 
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shopnut

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FlyBeFree's Wife said:
Race deck? Epoxy? Stained concrete? So many possibilities...
Click to expand...
Whatever you do - don't wait until it's half filled with stuff. Figure out your needs and make it a priority to get it done before you move anything in.

Edit: I've done DIY epoxy and acid stain and am happy with both after 6 years. Epoxy might be a good choice for a hangar, but I'm not sure what else you plan to do in the shop. IMHO, acid stain would look good in the office.
 
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flybefree

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Shopnut: You are right...I am not moving anything in until that floor is done! Still thinking it through, but I am thinking stain and seal. We have lots of windows in the office but none into the shop...that might be neat.
 
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flybefree

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View media item 10795
View out the bi-fold door...wouldn't want to see anything else.

MWS 444: What type orchards do you have? I planted a little "pie" orchard so my wife would be able to bake some pies for the boys during the summer...I have had a hard time keeping the cherry trees around.

Shaun
 
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flybefree

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View media item 10816
Thanks RL.

Installing the bi-fold door wasn't as easy as it should have been. Bottom line is the motor controller was bad so many, many hours were spent in the heat chasing a simple hardware failure. The door manufacturer apologized and sent out the parts first thing MON so we are going to finish the install this week.

The installer, recommended by the manufacturer seemed to struggle with the install a bit. He was concerned that the door was too short since the hinge plates placed the through bolts only 1 inch above the bottom of the truss. The picture above sort of shows how the door fastens to the truss...7 steel hinge plates bolted trough the double trusses on the end of the building. The manufacturer maintains that one inch is all that is needed, but we welded up some 1/4 plate to effectively double the size of the hinge plates (with approval from the manufacturer)....just to be sure. While I am no engineer, I tell you it just looked like a problem waiting to happen. So, that is what all the hub-bub was about out on the farm...we just didn't like the way it looked so we fixed it.
 
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Bronson

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Hey, I love the shop-hanger-Navion Home! Subscribed! Since You asked for input, I have had some experience moving Aircraft on Epoxy hanger floors. From C-150 to V-22 Osprey. Of course a lot depends on the tug, but the epoxy is fine, except when it is wet. Then it is like ice, and is dangerous to even walk on. Of course, You can add the "grit" but that makes it harder to keep clean....Just a thought. Keep the progress reports coming!
 
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mws444

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flybefree said:
View media item 10795
View out the bi-fold door...wouldn't want to see anything else.

MWS 444: What type orchards do you have? I planted a little "pie" orchard so my wife would be able to bake some pies for the boys during the summer...I have had a hard time keeping the cherry trees around.

Shaun
Click to expand...

We are way too hot for cherries or apples around here, we have Pecans. I am a third generation farmer, about ten years ago I got into the pecan shelling business. We used to grow a lot of produce I think I put about 5,000 hrs on our old Spray Coupe.
 
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jrmylmach1

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Shaun,

That is looking great. As a fellow NoKy person and pilot, it is great to see a beautiful build like that going up close by. It has given me something to pass the time while sitting in the hotel here in Bangkok. Keep up the good work and keep posting pics.

Jeremy
 
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flybefree

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Mws444: i planted two pecan trees in my pie orchard...supposedly the hardiest variety out there...7 years in they look great but no nuts yet. Our family has been farming around here for a long time too, it 's just a great family tradition.

Bronson: I do appreciate the input, and slipping is a concern. I have been talking about a stain and urethane seal...i would let the first coat dry and then test for grip...if it looks like it will be a problem I will top coat with tomw anit-slip stuff. I loved the mini trail resto...good work.

Jrmlymach1: glad you stopped by...UPS taken you on trips?
 
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rieferman

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It's looking really awesome, congrats. Also, the writing style of you and your wife make for great reading. Thanks for documenting the build!

(the "chumley engineering" portion literally made coffee come out my nose.. so, yeah.. thanks for that... :) )
 
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flybefree

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Andres: Thanks. It has to be big to accomdate the equipment we use in farming...but to make it interesting, that is the creative challenge.

Rieferman: glad you enjoy it, our pleasure. My wife is really funny...and Chumley Engineering is a way of life on our farm. I could write a book (that nobody would ever want to read) about all the great things you can build/fix with a skid loader, a D-15 tractor, some scrap material, and a bunch of farm kids with time on their hands and active imaginations. I say kids and include my Dad, who while over 60, is still a kid at heart...he was the genuis behind our greatest chumley engineering achievements.
 
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FlyBeFree's Wife

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Have been a little distracted with large piles of work in my inbox this week, but the build appears to be progressing along nicely.

There was one little hiccup was with hanging shutters. 2 sides of the hangar will have the lovely Mr. Jack Olsen Green along the bottom (as seen in pics above), and the other two (facing road and house) will have stone. The problem arose when they realized that the windows go a few inches down into the top of the stone. This would have been fine, except that we also chose to have shutters on the windows for greater curb appeal. The shutters could not lay flat on both the siding and the stones, since the stones/bricks obviously stand out a bit. After reviewing the offered options, I believe that we went with cutting out the bricks aorund the shutter bases and using an additional piece of flashing behind the bottom of the shutters. Once again...crisis averted!! Looking forward to the next challenge.

Going back this weekend to hopefully see/supervise the completion of the door hanging and operational checks.

As the main building continues to progress, it is time to think about the plumbing and layout for the office area some more. Intent is to have guest room for fly-in friends, bathroom, and office. Remembered after reading one of your GJ posts that we needed to add in the hot water heater space somewhere in there. Bathroom will be full bath. Bedroom will have the guest room basics. Anything we ought to consider with regard to what else needs to go into the office/BR/BA space? (**Already planning on the fridge for beer...got that message loud and clear!!) While hubby is getting excited about planning the floor design (and probably also considering what kind of napping couch he will buy), I am trying to make sure I don't miss opportunities to make this a great man space while also ensuring it is suitable for the periodic outside visitor. That may be a thread that should go on some HGTV blog or cottage living website, but I figured that some of you gifted garagers out there would have some fun ideas to make the most of a small space!
 
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shopnut

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FlyBeFree's Wife said:
I am trying to make sure I don't miss opportunities to make this a great man space while also ensuring it is suitable for the periodic outside visitor.
Click to expand...

A few quickly come to mind:
-Kitchenette (Small counter, coffee maker, microwave, sink, and of course the beer fridge you mentioned)
-Entertainment center (plan plenty of outlets where the components will be; also in-wall speaker wiring)
-Sleeper-sofa for even more guests
 
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FlyBeFree's Wife

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Shopnut: good ideas! not sure how he will get the coffee maker to operate, though...I may have to run out from the house each day before the sun comes up and press start...or just buy a Keurig!! Luckily I have some time to refine that plan. LOL!!
 
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Bronson

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A Friend of Mine is just finishing up a motorcycle retreat, in the mountains near Show Low Arizona. He added a small bugalow to the side of the main, shop,barn,dorm area. He built in a window settee that opens on the top, to store bedding, pillows etc for Guests. It is a nice usable, space saving unit.
 
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flybefree

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Shopnut: Thanks...the sleeper sofa will also have to be "nap rated"

Honey: Keurig coffee is too expensive...sorry!

Bronson: Look at you...on one hand the motor cycle guru with the uber cool garage and the war trophies from THE MOST FAMOUS BATTLE in USMC history and on the other hand the interior decorating panache of a HGTV design star...renaissance man alert!
 
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jrmylmach1

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Shaun,
No UPS. I'm flying for ANA in Japan. Spend 20 days in Asia and 10 days at home each month. Going home this Sunday and have a list a mile long of home improvements that need to be taken care of. Doesn't leave much time for the garage.

Jeremy
 
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