Yesterdays progress; more groundworks with a fair bit to go before digging the footings. Uncovered some old outbuilding foundations and concrete slabs that need to be removed to make way for the new drainage system and driveway levels:
Also and a huge old tree stump that took some time/effort to get out:
Old tree stumps are evil to get out!
We spent some time considering different lift options, in the end we went 2 post as it provides the best level of flexibility, worst way you might have to strap down the front depending on on what you are doing.
I must admit to being a bit nervous to put my friends MGB on the ramp and only in this circumstance would I prefer a 4 post ramp till I’ve see how rotten it is.
looking good there mate!
im in the process of knocking down my old shed at the back of the garage and making that into a machine shop, i cant wait for it to be finished!
Steady progress with the ground works; levelled most of the area ready for the garage footings to go in next week. Also removed the dilapidated boundary wall and cleared the trees/hedges to be replaced by a new boundary wall 19m(L) x 2m(T).
You can see the footprint of the garage starting to take shape below. Also the gap in the boundary on the left hand side where the new wall is going:
Rapidly burning through the budget with seven grab wagons required to clear the waste, hopefully just a few more to go at £200 a pop! Still a huge saving in comparison to standard builders skips, with each grab wagon taking a minimum of 3x skip loads! 
The old trees/hedges were chipped and removed from site (£300). Just the problem of that giant tree stump to get rid, Will probably end up burying it, as can’t find anyone willing to take it 
Thats going to be a massive garage!
Slight delay due to bad weather, but the footings finally went in today. They ended up a fair bit wider than needed, as the sides kept caving in. At least they’ll be nice and strong, especially with the added rebar.
Also got the footings in for the 19m boundary wall 
That’s going to be massive!
Good work. You’re not going to be short of space there!
Not much happening due to the weather, so I’ve been thinking about internal lighting.
We have planning consent for a couple of Velux type roof lights in the garage (as shown in the model below), but can’t decide if they are really necessary/beneficial. Either way I’ll also be installing a minimum of 9x 72W LED Panels (1200mm x 600mm). What are your thoughts, will I regret not installing the Velux Windows???
Yes, fit the biggest you can get in!
Even with good lighting units, you can’t beat having natural light. I worked once in a building with none and it was awful…no idea what time of day/night it was, what the weather was like, etc. Might sound trivial but I would bet you’d notice.
Also they will give you ventilation and - when the sun is shining - a fantastic amount of free heat.
Fair points, I never considered ventilation in the summer months and the natural light sounds like something not worth omitting from the build
The windows are spec’d at 78cm x 140cm, will consider increasing the width, but need to remain conscious of increasing costs, particularly as those windows are the price of new car mats! 
Getting out of the ground; engineering bricks are up to DPC level and block work half way up to wall plate level. Older style facing bricks will be going up next week and possibly making a start on the new boundary wall.
Nice to get a feel for the size/layout. Internal floor area is approx. 7m x 7m, with a 1.8m oak veranda across the front. Garage door openings are just over 2.7m wide, with a 0.9m wide side entrance.
That garage is bigger than my first house!
Looks impressive and following with envy
Cheers Andy
It was only 5 years ago we were living in a 2 bed terrace with a smaller footprint than the garage. It’s taken a lot of effort to get to this stage, so really looking forward to the end result
Looking good. Can’t wait to see the finished article
Wow! Solid job.
