Many of you know we moved to FL to do some coral aquaculture. Long story short - we ordered a building over a year ago, hired an excavator and concrete contractor, had that work completed by January of this year. Payed in full for the building and began waiting with high expectations of getting it erected and setting up the necessary aquariums and equipment to get fragging and growing. After five months and no building, and nothing but excuses from the sales company, I contacted an attorney. It seems the guy spent the money and lived too high on the hog. I found out he had sixteen orders at the factory in the same situation. This guy liked to sell buildings but not pay the factory for them. We threatened to take the case to the DA. The guy realized he was facing 3 to 5 years in the big house on just my case. If I proceeded it would have brought the rest of his sales to light and he would have been put away for a lengthier time. It took him three weeks but we got our money back. The factory sold us the building direct. It was delivered 12/3/07, the day before my 70th BD.

Here's what a 25' x 44' building looks like without air inside.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/100_2644.jpg

I found it difficult to believe that my building was just the three pallets in the center of this flatbed.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/100_2730.jpg

My son, Keith, came to FL from Montana for my BD and to help put the building together. We got a small start before he was scheduled to return home.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/100_2762.jpg

That's a bucket of 1500 1/2" nuts and bolts I'm sitting on, there are three of them. You can quickly do the math and come up with 4500 to install before the building is done. I guess there are a few extra. In any event, that's a lot of nuts and bolts.

Stay tuned, I'll keep this thread updated as progress warrants.

Dick

Dick ... that is SO freakin SWEET !! i gotta move to florida !!

Oh man, that's SOOOO COOL! I can't wait to follow this build thread!

Sorry it was such a PITA to get the building, but man this is gonna be sweet!

Dang...it sure looks nice and warm there. I wont be able wear short sleeves outside for another 5 months! Do you need any help putting that thing up? :D

Absolutely, come on down. Today's temperature was 78 tomorrow their predicting 80.
Man I love FL.

YIPPEE! I think that 4500 nuts & bolts sounds kind of intimidating. If you put about a dozen bolts a day on a nut you ought to be ready to host a TR frag sawp next Christmas. :)

Hahahahahaha, that figures about right, Carmie.

That's a bucket of 1500 1/2" nuts and bolts I'm sitting on, there are three of them. You can quickly do the math and come up with 4500 to install before the building is done. I guess there are a few extra. In any event, that's a lot of nuts and bolts.

Woah. I almost complained last night when it took me over 30 minutes to put together one of my kids Hanukkah presents. I'll keep your task in mind next time I feel challenged...

:hb: Oh, and happy 70th birthday Amph!

Woah. I almost complained last night when it took me over 30 minutes to put together one of my kids Hanukkah presents. I'll keep your task in mind next time I feel challenged...LOL, I remember those nights. At 19 mine just wants money and gift cards.

So, I want to know if buildings are like toys, there is always a missing thingamajig or some holes that don't line up.

:hb: Oh, and happy 70th birthday Amph!Thank you! I really don't feel old most of the time. A little slow on the "Giddie-up-go" from time to time. Considering what my body has been through, I feel blessed.

So, I want to know if buildings are like toys, there is always a missing thingamajig or some holes that don't line up.I hope nothing is missing, Carmie. As far as lining up the holes, that has been a little challenging. I bought three drift pins for that purpose. Once Keith and I got the hang of things it went pretty well. Unfortunately, he had a job to go back to in MT. So things have slowed down until I can get a crew out here to help lift the three arches we have bolted together vertical and get them anchored. I'll keep a running thread on progress.

So things have slowed down until I can get a crew out here to help lift the three arches we have bolted together vertical and get them anchored. I'll keep a running thread on progress.

This building is like a Quanza Hut, correct? Does it come with insulation/ventilation/HVAC or do you have to retrofit all of that? I'm also interested in seeing how you plan to layout your tanks/equipment in this space...

Yes, sort of except with vertical sides. Here is a picture from the factory web site. This building is smaller than the one I bought but, you will get the idea.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Econospan_Custom_End_1.jpg

You buy just the shell. Any accessories, such as insulation, heating, cooling and electrical are purchased locally.

As far as the aquaculture is concerned, I have scaled back considerably from my original plans. I have aquariums and tubs totaling about 1200 gallons. These will be housed at one end of the building. I also installed 525' of 3" thin wall PVC 60" under the concrete floor for geothermal cooling of the system water.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/GeothermalPiping-1.jpg

The excavator rough graded first and then leveled by hand the area for the geothermal loop. There are 25 loops, 20' lengths PVC and then the return run of about 25', so about 525' of cooling circuit.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/GeothermalPiping-2.jpg

Finishing the loop.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Fill-2.jpg

Bringing in the fill dirt to raise the building foundation 3' above the nearest blacktop road. A little insurance against flooding. Notice the height of the stand pipes.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Fill-3.jpg

Filling and spreading went on for days until...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Fill-4.jpg

It was nearly as tall as my wife.

Looks great!!! keep posting pics of your progress!!

I'm not even involved in this project, and I'm excited. Pretty cool idea on the geothermal cooling. Any estimates on how much heat the system will be able to pull out?

Are you going to be using natural sunlight, or MH?

Oh my, this is serious :)

If you don't mind me asking, what market are you targeting for what looks like will be many frags? Did you hook up with a big distributor or are you going local and web?

i know where my frags and colonies will be coming from when the time comes !! looks like good progress Dick. if we make it down to Florida on vacation this year ... i will definately look you up and see if there is anyhting that i can do to help out with this.

When the earthen pad was finished it looked like this...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FinishedPad.jpg

Rough graded above.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FinishedPad-2.jpg

Finished grade ready for the concrete contractor to come in and do his thing. Compare the stand pipes here to the pic in the post above. That's a lot of fill dirt, about $10,000 worth.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Footers-1-26-07-4.jpg

The footing form boards.

More pics to follow on the preperation for the building.

Dick

You buy just the shell. Any accessories, such as insulation, heating, cooling and electrical are purchased locally.

It all looks fantastic so far. My father had two 10,000 sq ft buildings erected in a small "industrial park" (upstate NY) when I was growing up...one for his Polymer business and one for a Fishing Tackle store. I remember the construction vividly, and the businesses provided me with employment through the later half of my teenage years.

I like how the side walls are integrated with the roof. Will wear much better, and require much less maintenance than a more traditional roof. I remember painting the eves of my fathers buildings on a sweltering summer day. Pretty messy work...

Very cool Geo-thermal install. I'll be excited to hear how it works. Looking forward to updates...and for purchasing frags... :up:

-Scott

I'm not even involved in this project, and I'm excited. Pretty cool idea on the geothermal cooling. Any estimates on how much heat the system will be able to pull out?

Are you going to be using natural sunlight, or MH?I don't have a clue about how much heat transfer will occur. In FL the ground temperature is pretty warm all year with exception of a few weeks. I wanted the pipe buried as deep as possible. Our ground water is 12" under grade level during the wet season. I went 2' below grade. It was damp but not wet (dry season). Then 4' of fill compacted to 3', then the slab on top of that. I'm hoping for sufficient cooling, what ever that is. :o

No sunlight, it's a steel building. I have three skylights but the building,s code book won't allow me to group them together so, they are for general lighting. MHs are not for this Solaris lover. :)

Oh my, this is serious :)

If you don't mind me asking, what market are you targeting for what looks like will be many frags? Did you hook up with a big distributor or are you going local and web? This project originated in my feeble brain 5 years ago as a full blown aquaculture greenhouse 36' x 40' until three aquaculture friends had their GHs destroyed by hurricanes. I'm too old to recover from that kind of disaster and start over so, we scaled back and beefed up the building to this. I have changed plans so much that I'm not sure just what my market will be. This building has taken a year and one half just to get here. The sales company scammed me out f the money and we had to threaten lawsuit and jail time for the AH!!! However, there will always be frags for TR members. You guys have been the best!

i know where my frags and colonies will be coming from when the time comes !! looks like good progress Dick. if we make it down to Florida on vacation this year ... i will definitely look you up and see if there is anything that i can do to help out with this. Anytime any of you are in FL, I would welcome you to visit. If you got kids, we'll through them in the pool!

Dick

Keep in mind as you go through this thread, the excavation began in August of '06, then we hit a rainy period for four months and didn't start the concrete work until late January '07 finishing the concrete in February. I paid for the building in full on February 26 and six months later still didn't have a building. This project is a good year behind schedule.

Ok, let's get ready for a concrete pour. The footing forms are in and the steel set. Call for concrete...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FootingsPoured-2-8-07-1.jpg

David, my concrete man, and I confer on something.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FootingsPoured-2-8-07-3.jpg

By evening the concrete is set, some of the form boards have been removed and my wife approves.

Preperations for the BIG pour begin.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/CenterFootings-2-13-07-1.jpg

The specs for the building called for footings going from side to side with steel reinforcing rods tied together.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/CrossFootings.jpg

We are ready for the big pour. Vapor barrier, steel mesh and cross footings ready to go. Of course every step along the way had to be inspected by the county building inspector.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/SlabPour.jpg

Let's pour some concrete. The big pour was 25' x 44' x 4" thick with those cross footings dropping down 12". They started at 7am and David was floating the slab around 2pm.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FloatingSlab-1.jpg

Things are looking real good at this point. To be continued....

Dick

Pearson's right, this is exciting!

Awesome thread. I can't wait to follow the progress.

Pearson's right, this is exciting!

Awesome thread. I can't wait to follow the progress.Thanks you guys.

I too am getting excited again. The wind had been taken out of my sails for a long time over this incident. Now, I can see it begin to take shape. I had David, my concrete guy, over yesterday. He's been in construction for a long time and is a great asset to me. He knows a guy with a small crane which will help tremendously in erecting the arches from horizontal to vertical. The manual shows 4 guys lifting them vertical with ropes. We could do that but a crane, at a reasonable price, will make short work of it.

Back to the project. Sue is developing a green thumb and does a lot of potting, rooting and generally making a mess right in front of our garage door. That's been OK for now because the garage is stuffed full of boxes we haven't unpacked yet (mostly her treasures). The building will house her treasures which frees the garage up for our vehicles. What a novel idea, a garage for vehicle storage. :rotfl: But, there is all this gardening stuff in front of the door. It looks like this...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Plants.jpg

Not conducive to getting car and truck into garage. So, I asked David to pour a 5' strip the length of the building on one side, like this...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/SideSlab.jpg

This worked out so well, I'm going to do it on the other side, too. When I saw it I immediately claimed the far end 10' for LR curing. Sue gets the rest for her green thumb thing. http://www.theculturedreef.com/12A91C~1.GIF Shehttp://www.theculturedreef.com/a-sail4.gifsauntered over and gave me a bighttp://www.theculturedreef.com/01F0B5~1.GIF and said, "You are such a clever man. I'm glad you're mine". Ha ha ha.

Man, this has been a long time coming. Look at the dates on these pictures.

Awesome project Dick!

Nothing like a dedicated reef building to show what a psycho hobbiest one can really be.


I went with a more traditional NewEngland look for mine :p

Green house section
https://017e1c5.netsolstores.com/images/barn/backSideR%208-13-06.jpg
hybrid post & Beam
https://017e1c5.netsolstores.com/images/barn/Sat%20Morn%207-1-06.jpg
5 geo loops at 125' each
https://017e1c5.netsolstores.com/images/barn/Inside%20rough%20Geo2.jpg


Man would I love to come down get warm and do some work with you.
we just got ~8"of snow last night and more expected this weekend.

Storing vehicles? In a garage? What's up with that?

A garage is where you keep the stuff that you haven't found a place for in the house, old exercise equipment, and your fish tanks. At least, that's where my 4 tanks are!

Ampage, you know those threads that somehow slip under the radar, i believe this might be one of them:unsure:

How come you dont do things in half measures like the 80% of the population my friend....lol..... fantastic effort bud!

Do i here you say exclusive export?

You could have custom frag containers made up & this coined phrase from the Ozzie brain is free for an old friend ok......you could call them "Ampules".

One thing my old friend, how far's that dam away from this project, if it was close i thought you would tap your cooling potential off that.

"Ampules" I love it!

Good luck with getting a car in the garage. Ours houses the lawn tractor, Ping Pong table, tool chests, work bench, sports equipment, some extra tanks, bicycles, wagon and boxes that we have not unpacked from when we moved 12 years ago.

Awesome project Dick!

Nothing like a dedicated reef building to show what a psycho hobbiest one can really be.Oh, yeah, I've been considered a bit whacko when it comes to this hobby/business.
Storing vehicles? In a garage? What's up with that?

A garage is where you keep the stuff that you haven't found a place for in the house, old exercise equipment, and your fish tanks. At least, that's where my 4 tanks are!Yes I know, keeping vehicles in a garage is a novel idea. For 2 1/2 years since we moved in, there has been a narrow path from the inside door to the garage door. The rest is 90% Sue's "treasures" as she calls them.
Ampage, you know those threads that somehow slip under the radar, i believe this might be one of them:unsure:

How come you dont do things in half measures like the 80% of the population my friend....lol..... fantastic effort bud!

Do i here you say exclusive export?

You could have custom frag containers made up & this coined phrase from the Ozzie brain is free for an old friend ok......you could call them "Ampules".

One thing my old friend, how far's that dam away from this project, if it was close i thought you would tap your cooling potential off that. I've seldom done things half-a**ed. It's all the way or not at all, Bush Boy.

Ampules, I'll have to work on using that term.

"Ampules" I love it!

Good luck with getting a car in the garage. Ours houses the lawn tractor, Ping Pong table, tool chests, work bench, sports equipment, some extra tanks, bicycles, wagon and boxes that we have not unpacked from when we moved 12 years ago.Carmie, I did notice all your vehicles outside when I Google Earthed your home. :love!:

Carmie, I did notice all your vehicles outside when I Google Earthed your home. http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/../images/smilies/love3.gif Including my boat that I have not sailed since I got hurt and our camper that we have not used since I got hurt. Of course we haven't ridden the bikes in the garage either. Or played golf. Or tennis. Maybe we need to have a garage sale. :)

WOW!....JUST AWESOME, I wish you The best of luck with the new building!!

EJ

WOW!....JUST AWESOME, I wish you The best of luck with the new building!!

EJThanks, EJ.

Things have been progressing. Here's some pics to update.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Toast.jpg

First a celebratory cocktail in honor of the birthday boy and the arrival of the building. There were times when I thought this fiasco would not turn out in our favor. Cheers!!!

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Keith%20and%20me.jpg

My son, Keith from MT, was here to help me get the building project underway. I'm sitting on a bucket of 1500 nuts and bolts. There are three such buckets.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Stanchions-1.jpg

I had to devise a method of stabilizing the panels while lining them up and bolting them. They were flexing all over the place. These stanchions did the trick. Made the job much easier.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Stanchions-3.jpg

Using drift pins to align the holes was a breeze after we made the stanchions.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Crew-1.jpg

After my son left for MT, I hired my concrete contractor and his employees to help with the project. Things really moved along after that.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arches-7.jpg

This represents two days work with four of us working.

Next comes erecting the arches to the vertical position. Stay tuned.

Dick

You are a lot further along with all those nuts and bolts than I thought! Are you going to get the crane or go the barn raising route?

its starting to look like something!

Woohoo!

Looks great. How do adjacent arches form a water tight seal when connected? Is there a gasket or mastic involved? Curious to see pics of that...

my frag room is noting compare to this project lol

You are a lot further along with all those nuts and bolts than I thought! Are you going to get the crane or go the barn raising route? Carmie, I love you. A barn raising. That is so you! We tried raising the first arch "barn raising" style and after a near disaster, we lowered it back to the ground and called in this "Bad Boy" ... $300 minimum for two hours time. OUCH!!! But we got two arches erected and anchored.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Crane-1.jpg

His name is Paul (the operator, not the crane) and he was a great operator. I haven't used crane operator signals in years, yet he anticipated my every signal. During a break in lifting, I went over to him and explained I'd been out of the construction industry for 7 years and forgot the crane signals. He replied, you're doing great. Of course, he knew what we needed.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arches-4.jpg

Here's what we accomplished with the crane and then we braced and anchored it so it wouldn't blow down in a good wind. At this point the building is very vulnerable to being blown down.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/SueArch-1.jpg

My wife, Sue, so happy to see progress. She had been with her mother tonight and was jubilant to see the arches up. She hasn't seen the bills.

Woohoo!

Looks great. How do adjacent arches form a water tight seal when connected? Is there a gasket or mastic involved? Curious to see pics of that... Hey Scott,
Yes I am sealing it with butyl tape. I'll see if I can find a pic of that. Between my wife and I taking pics with two cameras, we must have one.

my frag room is noting compare to this project lol Please realize this building is mainly for storage of Sue,s junk, umm excuse me, Sue's treasures. Her treasures now take up 80% of a 2 1/2 car garage. My junk takes up another 15% leaving us 5% for a pathway. One end of this building, about 1/4 the capacity will be devoted to frag production. maybe 1000 gallons, +/- a little.

I attempted to erect an arch one piece at a time today. It took me three hours to put two pieces in place. Meant to take pics but I was hot, sweaty and in dire need of a shower. So, while showering, a female friend/neighbor of mine came around the back of the house (we shower outside on the patio by the pool), and said, "Oh Dick, Knock, knock, I'm sorry". There I was with nothing on but a 70 year old birthday suit. Oh well, she was a friend. One of life's embarrassing moments. Sorry, no pictures!!! Life is so good!!!

More progress due tomorrow. thanks for your interest.

So, while showering, a female friend/neighbor of mine came around the back of the house (we shower outside on the patio by the pool), and said, "Oh Dick, Knock, knock, I'm sorry". There I was with nothing on but a 70 year old birthday suit. Oh well, she was a friend. One of life's embarrassing moments. Sorry, no pictures!!! Life is so good!!!

More progress due tomorrow. thanks for your interest.

hehe...I'm guessing saggage? Hopefully not shrinkage! :D

LOL, at 70, both I'm sure. we had a good laugh Carrie, me and her boyfriend Ron. Carrie has a 125 empty in her rec room built into a wall. She was over for my BD party and got hooked on my reef. I'll help her out of course.

Carmie, I love you. A barn raising. That is so you! What can I say? I grew up 30 miles away from Amish country, am one generation off the farm, and worked summers in agriculture. Of course I think barn raising!

nice progress !! i am a few arches closer to having a place to buy more stuff from !!

BTW ... when this project is done ... im gonna need a bigger tank !!

What an awesome project you have going on there! I know it had to be very frustrating dealing with a dishonest person, but I am glad that you finally got that worked out. I can see that you have put in many back breaking day's labor, but that you are finally beginning to see things take shape and go the way you envisioned them. I am so happy for you and Sue! :D The pics are great! It's awesome to follow your progress. ;) What type of hurricane bracing and straps/anchors does your building code require? Just curious with FLA past several years track record.

Usually it is older people living vicariously through younger people however you have managed to reverse the norm...It is looking great

What can I say? I grew up 30 miles away from Amish country, am one generation off the farm, and worked summers in agriculture. Of course I think barn raising!You and Sue, a couple of displaced hard working farm girls. Ya can't help loving them.

nice progress !! i am a few arches closer to having a place to buy more stuff from!! BTW ... when this project is done ... im gonna need a bigger tank !!It's coming along but, it will be months before I get into production. You know the old saying, when it comes to reefing, bigger is always better. I can help with that new tank.

What an awesome project you have going on there! ...
I am so happy for you and Sue! :D The pics are great! It's awesome to follow your progress. ;) What type of hurricane bracing and straps/anchors does your building code require? Just curious with FLA past several years track record. Thanks Lori. Hurricane and building codes, that's a good question. I'll cover that in pics later today. When completed, the building has a wind resistance rating of 150mph. One of the reasons I changed plans from a greenhouse to this structure is because of 3 aquaculture friends lost their GHs during the last round of hurricanes. I didn't want to deal with that at my age and the financial loss. Insurance covers the building and equipment but not the livestock. It also puts you behind a good year for production to catch up. So, we scaled back our aquaculture plans to about 1000 gals +/-. That's enough to satisfy this old guys heart.

Usually it is older people living vicariously through younger people however you have managed to reverse the norm...It is looking great LOL, there are some on TR, that have met me, who would tell you I live on both sides of that line. :agree: Obviously at 70, the bulk of my life is behind me. I have few regrets, nothing major. What I've learned and firmly believe is, we are the creator of our life. We can make it heaven on earth or something else. I do my best to please myself, love my partner just the way she is and never offend another person. Sometimes that lifestyle is hard to maintain but, I keep reminding myself daily that I make my life what it is. Nothing free is ever free. Sue and I work hard, spend carefully, save diligently, find time everyday to love each other and our friends. I would add, the weakest link in our life is we don't vacation enough. We do relax often but, it's around home. What more could one ask for? Life is what you make it. We choose to make it fun. Looking back, the best day of my life was when I tricked Sue into asking me to marry her. At the time I wasn't sure I'd get a positive response to the question. I did know that I wouldn't turn her down. So, I got her to ask and the rest is history. We recently passed the 20 year mark. We're still giddy over each other.

Well, enough of "True Confessions" this is a reefing forum not romance forum. :rotfl:

hi dick that is quite the project. very profesional construction. it's nice to see a project come together when it's done right. i love the geothermal idea. i have had this same idea for my driveway but to heat it in the winter. snowblowing sucks lol. and it's due to be replaced. i get some odd looks when i tell people my idea but i think it would work. that's cool that your son came down to help out. i work in montana mostly Sidney all the time. if you ever go to visit you're more than welcome to stop by WY and visit. i'm anxious to see your project completed. im sure it will be a plumbing masterpiece. take care. and Happy Birthday.

:birthday:

Wow, I didn't realize this thread was so long, it's like reading a good book, I couldn't leave it until I finshed reading it all. Dick, what a fantastic project, best wishes and good luck with your endeavor.

Wow, I didn't realize this thread was so long, it's like reading a good book, I couldn't leave it until I finshed reading it all. Dick, what a fantastic project, best wishes and good luck with your endeavor.

Pats fans aren't allowed on TR!

Just kidding, great season so far. Just wanted to say :welcome: to TalkingReef.

Hi Ray and :welcome: to TR.

A problem has work at a standstill. The building grows in length as we erect it. The measurement between the arch peaks is supposed to be maintained at 24". We found, after just having 4 arches up, that the building was spreading. Four arches should measure 8', we are at 8'-6". This is not good. The manual covers this but didn't give us a clue how to correct it if it got this far off. Here's some pics...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Drilling%20Anchors.jpg

We anchor the building to the concrete by drilling holes and using Red Head concrete anchors.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Anchor-1.jpg

Double anchored to the concrete. The manual showed only one anchor, we decided on two. This building has to withstand hurricane force winds.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Trough-1.jpg

The wall panels are anchored at the required 24" centers. The problem arises at the roof and peak. The panels are spreading 1 1/2" for each panel.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arches-11.jpg

I came up with two of our anchoring angles and a piece of 1/2" threaded rod with washers and nuts. Bolted the device between two arches and began pulling them together. I got the above two panels to the required 24" but, something is clearly not right. I have a call into a guy that builds these buildings for a living. Waiting, waiting, waiting.....ARRGGHH, frustrated!!!

Until we find out what we did wrong or how to correct this dilemma we can't continue erecting arches. We don't want the building too long at the other end. The foundation is built for a 44' building, not a 45' building. Or what ever length it would become. :no: :(

Hi Ray, welcome to TR.

Dick

How frustrating ... I hope you get resolution on this very soon.

Rrrr! If it is a known problem why in the world don't they give you the solution? On the other hand, you are working on it in shorts and a t-shirt. It has been pretty nice here but not shorts weather!

See what I get for not stopping by more often. I missed all the excitement.
What an awesome project.
Hope you get the problen solved soon.

Yes Carmie, the weather has been beautiful. I do not miss the WI winters. My brother and wife stopped by last week for a couple of days as they head over to the West side of FL for a month's stay. It was 0 degrees with 36" of snow at their home in Northern WI.
Brrrrr! They can have it.

Hi Lynn,

I solved the problem and progress is taking place, albiet slowly. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Dick

Hello Dick, haven't been around here for awhile, but remember how excited you were talking about doing this before you left WI. Glad to see your living your dream!! :up:

You sure you miss the WI winters? That 18" of snow we got yesterday was pretty sweet! Thank god for snowblower! :D

Sheila's wheels have been turning and a tank upgrade is in the planning stages (still a year away from materalizing, but we'll get there). Garages are overrated, it's going to make a nice fishroom. :cool!:

Have Fun!!!

Hey Eric and Sheila,

I know Sheila is lurking around this forum. Sheila's wheels are always turning, fueled by your easy touch. :tongue2:

OK, we have made a bit of forward motion. Found a solution to the problem and will explain as we go along. First a pic of the building with another arch erected...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-2-8-08-1.jpg

I know this doesn't look like much progress but believe me, it is and here's why. The manual says it's critical to maintain a 24" spread to the arches. We anchor them in the concrete at 24", then check the width at the top of the vertical wall. It measures anywhere from 25" to 26.5", nowhere near 24". Then you go to the roof section and you have the same thing. There are 22 arches to this building. If the arches spread even 1/4" per arch, the building is not going to fit the concrete pad which is built for a 44' length. Add 1/4" per arch X 22 arches and you get a building 49.5" long. We can't have that. The manual simply said maintain a 24" spread. It didn't give me a clue how to bring the bugger into line. This pic will give you an idea of what we have to maintain...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-2-8-08-8.jpg

Since the metal pieces are stamped out in a press, you'd think this would be easy.......NOT! Here's what we are dealing with...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-2-8-08-3.jpg

This picture shows a typical result of erecting another arch. It spread a good 1 1/4". The building does not come back into specs easily. Here's what I/we have to do to get it back to 24"...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-2-8-08-4.jpg

Oh well, thank goodness I was in construction for so many years. I had to put my brain to use to figure out what to do. And most of you know a retired person isn't required to exercise his brain on a regular basis. :rotfl:

Thanks for your interest.

Oh by the way Eric, Give Sheila one of my biggest hugs, will you???

Dick

coming right along may friend !! i guess i could be of some help with that ... i was a pipe fitter for years. the allergies (to the welding gases) got to me though.

OMG, did you know, I was a pipefitter for 40 years, local 394 Madison, WI. That's just too much.

Wow!

ha ha ... small world huh ??!! i was non union, but when i left they were trying to get one in there.

Glad you solved that problem! How many nuts and bolts to go?

Glad to see you're making progress again! Very clever solution!

Glad you solved that problem! How many nuts and bolts to go?
Thanks Carmie.

About 4,500 total nuts and bolts. Yikes :eek:!!!

Nice solution! If it were me, I would have just kept going and used duct tape to fix the big gaps. :D

Nice solution! If it were me, I would have just kept going and used duct tape to fix the big gaps. :D Well that works for the gaps but what about the bulges???:confused:

because they were stamp molded amp im surprissed they dont hold their shape, however, when you have to ship them, id say they all go on top of each other & thats where the issue begins - the weight spreads them yes!

Well, for what it's worth (And we all know that aint much) you know without a doubt in your mind that you aren't the only person who has had this problem with that building package. And one would think that a demo would of been built by the manufacturer to make sure all was what it should be. Why didn't they revise the building plans, letting you know this would be an issue and what to do to correct it. Sorry Dick, the more I see you struggle and work so hard, it just eats me alive. :madmad: I am proud of your problem solving and perseverence. You go boy! :up:

Wow Dick! I can't believe that I just found this thread today! What an amazing feat you have gone through....and what amazing feet you have! :D

I admire you...you ROCK!:showoff: I'm tired just READING what you've done!!!

because they were stamp molded amp im surprissed they dont hold their shape, however, when you have to ship them, id say they all go on top of each other & thats where the issue begins - the weight spreads them yes!

I think you are probably right V.

Why didn't they revise the building plans, letting you know this would be an issue and what to do to correct it. Sorry Dick, the more I see you struggle and work so hard, it just eats me alive. :madmad: I am proud of your problem solving and perseverence. You go boy! :up:

Thanks Skurvey. I'm clueless as to why they wouldn't give a solution to the spreading problem since they did warn me about it. At first I figured it would be a simple pull here and a tug there. Not! It's a good thing I spent 40 years as a pipe fitter. We were required to figure out how to align pipe for welding. this is different but I used the same principles.

What an amazing feat you have gone through....and what amazing feet you have! :D

I admire you...you ROCK!:showoff: I'm tired just READING what you've done!!!

Thanks RB. By the way, I didn't know you had a foot fetish. :rotfl:

More pics coming. Sue and I erected a part of an arch this AM right after her three GFs from WI left. They stayed for 3 days, 4 nights. It was great. Me, with 4 women waiting on me. I'm telling you guys it's heaven being retired in FL. :tongue2:

Dick

OK, Sue and I put one side of an arch up this morning. The first picture shows the arch is 1 1/2" too long.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arch%20Spread-1.jpg

The black mark is 24" from the anchor point of the previous arch. So we put the "puller" between the arches and cranked her together.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arch%20Spread-2.jpg

About 7' above you can see the spread is about the same. I began wrenching on the puller.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arch%20Spread-3.jpg

That pulled the building arch to the black line. We anchored it to the concrete.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arch%20Spread-5.jpg

Then moved the puller to the top.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arch%20Spread-4.jpg

Pulled it together and bolted it to the spacer angle thingie. We have to do this in two places for each straight run of building to keep it from "growing" in length. That would be two side walls and two roof panels. ARRGGGHHH!!!

Oh well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But God, I didn't want to get this strong at age 70. ARRGGGHHH, again!!! :rotfl:

Just to think, I studied Architecture in college and I would not think of that solution to save my life. I can run circles around computer graphics problems, but am pretty out of touch when it comes to practical construction. Good stuff Dick. Shame on the manufacturer for not giving you the method.

Looking forward to the progress...

-Scott

One question:

Is the bracing going to be temporary or permanent? I am trying to think of how the lateral force will be combated if you remove the braces eventually. Perhaps some strapping can be left on inside the building after the arches are constructed? I also am wondering about the effect of heat on the metal and its contribution to expansion/constriction as the weather changes.

Hi Scott,

Thanks.

The angle bracing is designed to come off. Right now 99% of the bolts are finger tight or less to allow the building to flex to our pulling, tugging and swearing (not sure that helps but feels necessary at times). As we build laterally to the left, anchoring in concrete, spacing and anchoring things at 24" to the right, it seems to me we could tighten the bolts to the right as we make progress. I guess it's time to consult the factory engineers about that. Not sure I trust their council at the moment.

Not sure of the affects of heat/cold on the building once everything is tightened up.

Dick

Heck, I think they should have included a puller in the kit!

I agree with you Carmie. Wondering if they even have a clue how to pull the building into shape, doubt they know what a puller device looks like. I learned the "puller trick" as a pipe fitter many years ago. In giving thought to pulling this building together, my memory came up with the device pictured above.

Made a little progress the last couple of days. My biggest problem now is it's nearly impossible to work alone on the building. Need a second person on the other side of of a wall putting nuts on and holding them. With Sue working, bless her heart, it's hard to get things done. We are making progress though. Here's the latest picture taken at sunset today.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-2-16-08-2.jpg

Interesting note; we have gone through the first bucket of 1500 nuts and bolts. There are three such buckets.

Dick

Interesting note; we have gone through the first bucket of 1500 nuts and bolts. There are three such buckets.


LOL, you poor b@st@rd. & those first 1500 were just to make the building strong enough to support the 80's disco ball lol

Garsh V, I know you can't wait to jump on a boat and head over when Dick gets this project finished. Bet you got the details for his celebration building party estravaganza all figured out. :tongue2: So many choices with food and drink! And no, it won't be a BYOB.:rotfl:

Dick, I was thinking about the comment on the climate changes with heat and colder weather, with the expanding and contracting of the metal. I really believe that it will be structurally sound as long as the inside bracing and tie/guy wires are like their supposed to be. Plus local building codes have put into effect mandatory bracing/ etc in the event of our future weather fronts yet to be named. Have you had a chance to speak to anyone about that? I know you have been up to your eyeballs in the project. :)

And no, it won't be a BYOB.:rotfl:

i certainly hope not, the host can boast in my option. :)

Although if i was living anywhere in Florida, you'd definitely see my bare white @ss working along side amps in those pics. Mates take care of each other & their houses / projects in our country. So the same rule would apply!

Mates take care of each other & their houses / projects in our country. So the same rule would apply!

man..if only it was like that here in new york...lmao none of my neighbors could care less about eachother...haha

LOL, you poor b@st@rd. & those first 1500 were just to make the building strong enough to support the 80's disco ball lol

Oh man let me tell you V, in the '80s I was 40ish, freshly single, experimentally dating and hot on the disco dancing ballroom floor, Also loved jitterbug. Shined shoes, bell bottomed slacks and slick shirt every Friday and Saturday night. I was footloose, fancy free and makin up for lost time. :rotfl:

I've thought of having a "barn raising" party but, this thing is a bit tricky putting up and aligning, I've decided it's my poison for the many sins I've committed in life. I ought to be heaven bent when this is finished.

Now, Skurvey, a "raised barn" party is a different story. I'll give that some serious thought. And, there's never a shortage of booze around this abode.

But V might want to bring his own "coolies" or "tinnies" because the only Aussey beer I've seen here is Fosters (Australian for beer) and I think he chooses something finer.

Dick, I was thinking about the comment on the climate changes with heat and colder weather, with the expanding and contracting of the metal. I really believe that it will be structurally sound as long as the inside bracing and tie/guy wires are like their supposed to be. Plus local building codes have put into effect mandatory bracing/ etc in the event of our future weather fronts yet to be named. Have you had a chance to speak to anyone about that? I know you have been up to your eyeballs in the project.
This building has no inside bracing, no tie/guy wires for support. The beauty of it is it's self supporting so the interior is totally open, free of any space limiting structural supporting. That's one of the reasons we chose this design. I've got to get the boat inside out of the brutal FL summer sun. Yes, it falls under FL's strict hurricane code and the inspector has made all scheduled inspections. Due to the delays, explained early on in this thread, my building permit expired and I have to have it renewed. More $$$ down the drain. :shout:

Although if i was living anywhere in Florida, you'd definitely see my bare white @ss working along side amps in those pics. Mates take care of each other & their houses / projects in our country. So the same rule would apply!

V, I would love to get your butt up here (as opposed to being down there) but, please spare me and the Misses having to see your bare white @rss. That would be more than I want to know about you, my young friend.

man..if only it was like that here in new york...lmao none of my neighbors could care less about eachother...haha

That's pretty sad, pvtdonut.

Although if i was living anywhere in Florida, you'd definitely see my bare white @ss working along side amps in those pics. Mates take care of each other & their houses / projects in our country. So the same rule would apply!

I know you're a good guy V, and very creative, which reminds me, how are you coming along with the 2nd stage of the Picto Challenge? :love!:

man..if only it was like that here in new york...lmao none of my neighbors could care less about eachother...haha

That is awefully sad lil buddy. :no: I guess you find that in very large cities, a swarm of humanity and numb. One reason a large portion are starting to migrate to smaller cities to find a niche and become part of something bigger than themselves.

This building has no inside bracing, no tie/guy wires for support. The beauty of it is it's self supporting so the interior is totally open, free of any space limiting structural supporting. That's one of the reasons we chose this design. I've got to get the boat inside out of the brutal FL summer sun. Yes, it falls under FL's strict hurricane code and the inspector has made all scheduled inspections. Due to the delays, explained early on in this thread, my building permit expired and I have to have it renewed. More $$$ down the drain.

Yeah, the tax man is gonna get you coming and going. I remember a time when there wasn't any permits. Now, they wanna permit to paint, put a new roof on, next thing you know, they'll want you to buy a seasonal permit to cut your own grass and do lawn maintenance. I'm glad the design is approved and I feel that the inspector will offer any suggestions if he sees something amiss. It's just when a hurricane makes up it's mind to come your way, sometimes it seems like no matter what something is made out of, if he wants it, he will have it. Don't mean to bring you down, it's just a accepted way of life on the Southeastern coast. We're way overdue for a major one ourselves and when it does come, I'm afraid it'll be another Hugo. I thought we were going to die that night. Or get hit by that train! :D

Just stopping by to check on progress. Looks like everything is moving along even if slowly at times. We could find a weekend to come down and help. We can even put the kids to work.

Lynn, if I could get you, Frank and the kids to come down, it would be to relax and play in the pool. From what I gather you have great kids and you know me, I'm just an old kid. You guys are welcome to come anytime. We might even get another arch up.

Ahh yes, Progress. We are making it now that we figured out some of our mistakes and omissions in the manual. Grrrr! Here's a picture of the 9th arch being started...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/The%209th%20Arch.jpg

There are 22 arches total. One option I was told to buy locally, if I wanted a weather proof seal (to be sure about keeping out ran), was butyl sealant in tape form. I bought a case of a thick version, 3/4" wide by 1/8" thick. We used it up rather quickly, went back for more and there was none available. Realizing the thick tape was overkill I decided to get a thinner version.

When we began raising the arches and the building was out of shape, we realized the thick butyl tape was the culprit. It is hard to believe but it was true. Here is a pic of my dear wife scraping off the thick tape...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/The%20Culprit.jpg

Luckily this is the last arch with thick tape. The rest have the thinner butyl tape. The building is beginning to take shape and looks like a....well, a building.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Arches-16.jpg

I think it was Veriann that stated above, we should hold a concert or some such event. I'm thinking a barn dance.

That's it for today kids.

Dick

That is really starting to take shape and look good Dick! You are so fortunate to have such a wonderful wife like Sue. Ya'll remind me of me and Scott, we do all of our projects together and we make a good team. Ya'll look like the perfect tag team also. :showoff:

Dick, this is really coming along and looking like a building now!

Barn raising, barn dance, see we really are just a big neighborhood here!

ok, how's it going? I have a special interest being just a couple of hours south of you! looking forward to a road trip!:up:

It seems like forever that I had some good news to report on the building project. The parts we were waiting on finally came in and we got busy.

The latest picture is from yesterday...

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-5-7-08-1.jpg

We're nearing the stand pipes for the geothermal cooling loop which signifies to us, the end is in sight.

Dick

Glad to see things are finally moving along again. i know you'll be glad when this project is finally over.

Looking good Dick! I know you are ready to get this project finished and reap the rewards for all your hard labor. I am hoping that you can get it completed before the dog days set in. :up:

It is looking good. I hope that was the last delay you experience.

yea!!! my beer shed is almost finnished:huh: im currently digging an underground tunnel ampage between my house & your shed, so all you have to do is let em free fall brother! ;)

Looks like things are continuing right along. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Hi Lynn! How's it going?

Hi Lynne,

Yes, it's coming along. Yesterday's progress is pictured below. You can see on the left the last of the arches are going up. YEAH!!! Of course when thay are done there's plenty of additional work to be done, end walls, 3 doors, tighten all the bolts, cement the building into the foundation trough. Lots of work! It will be nice though. I need to get the aquaculture tanks up asap. My 135 is bulging at the seems with corals that need fragging and Zoas coming out of my ears.

http://www.theculturedreef.com/Building-5-17-08-2.jpg

We're praying for a calm hurricane seson.

Dick

Yippee! It is looking like a building!

Yeah! It is finally looking like there is an end to it. We got 5 good hours work done today pulling it into alignment on the roof members and the other side. Can't really show any improvement so no picture today.

I know when we get all our s**t in there it will not be big enough but right now the inside looks CAVERNOUS. I really ought to hold a "HOE-DOWN" dance before we get it filled with Sue's junk and the aquaculture stuff.

What do you guys think???

yeah, much progress !! cant wait to see where my corals will be coming from and going to !!

Woo hoo! Party time at The Cultured Reef.

Dick,its huge!! When i saw it (last month?) I really thought that it was roughly the size it was going to be!! Thats GREAT!! Definatly barn dance!:dance:

I just want to see the zoas growing out of his ears. :)

that's such a cool building Amph. me and my fiance are possibly moving down to Florida sometime within the next year, but we'll see. can't wait to see the finished product.!!!! by the time your done i should have my 58 set up and ready for your stuff!!!

Thanks Casey,

We're finished with the arches. Watch for an up-date late today.

Dick

OK, going to try something new (to me), Photobucket for my pics. I've had an account for sometime and a few pics there but, never copied to TR. Here goes...

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0006.jpg

HA! Who ever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Yeah, I know, this is kids stuff.

The pic shows the building arches FINISHED!!! What a project for an old dog and his old girl.

Next comes laying out the 2 overhead door frames, anchoring them to the floor, attaching the end walls, installing the walk-in door, tightening all the bolts, about 4,000 of them (right now they are just "finger tight"), then mortaring the base into the foundation. WOW, we're almost done, NOT. :rotfl:

Dick

Dick,
Looking like a Building, looks great

Bill

You do realize you could have had a wood structure up about 3 months ago? :D

lol poppin

Yes, and for a whole lot less money as it's turning out. But, I needed something to drive me to drinking.

Here's a shot from the end.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0010.jpg

And another.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0011.jpg

On the right you can see 2 - 3" PVC pipes coming up from the underground geothermal cooling loop. They are the beginning and end of a 525' serpentine loop buried 5' under the concrete that will be used to cool the water in the aquaculture tanks. I'm hoping it works.

Dick

Wow Dick, making some serious progress. How much of a pain is attaching the ends going to be?

Gee, it looks huge with the end on shot!

You do realize you could have had a wood structure up about 3 months ago? :D

I was thinking the same thing.... ;p


Looks awesome tho Dick! good luck and can't wait to see the finished project :up:

Wow Dick, making some serious progress. How much of a pain is attaching the ends going to be?
Well, it looks like the pain will continue. Our manual describes how to install sliding doors. We ordered roll up doors. the parts are right (I think) but there are no instructions in how to do it. The DRAMA continues. What a farce this whole project has been.



:raining:

Rrrrr! That stinks!

yeah i know the feeling dick, i'm only 21 but i've been in construction for my dad since i was like 11. and we've had no shortage of projects that have become a cluster you know what. keep the chin up, and that bottle of gray goose i saw. ;) ! it's looking great.

yeah i know the feeling dick, i'm only 21 but i've been in construction for my dad since i was like 11. and we've had no shortage of projects that have become a cluster you know what. keep the chin up, and that bottle of gray goose i saw. ;) ! it's looking great.
Ah yes, the Grey Goose definitely helps a body calm down. Thanks.

Wow Dick! You are getting closer and closer to completion AND Sue is still with you! :rotfl: J/K I say that because under long periods of stress, well you know what I mean, especially since you've got that tropical heat and humidity. Perhaps that's where the term, "Natives Gone Wild" came from! J/K

Naw, things look awesome and I'm so proud of you. Have you had tempting thoughts of storing your boat in there when not in use? I know you said Sue was storing some of her treasures in there also.

Hey Scurvey,

Yes, Sue is still hanging right in there. I couldn't have done this without her. Actually, concerning the boat, yes the building is for the boat. That's why we built such a tall building. We had to have a 12' door height to accommodate the boat. As it turns out we only have 11'-9" due to the way the door frame sets in the foundation. I think it's JUST tall enough. If it's not, it too late to do anything about it. If I remember right, the boat on the trailer is 11'-4".

We are starting to work out things with the end walls and won't have a new picture for a few days. Stay tuned.

Dick

We have a bridge here in Raleigh that trucks get stuck under every so often. I used to work at 9-1-1 and the first thing they would do when it happened was to let some air out of the tires. I guess you could do that with the boat if the fit was a little tight. :)

The building is metal after all. You can just take a BFH and dent in any areas that wont clear.

That's my cobble job tip of the day kids...tomorrow i will teach you yet another clever use for duct tape.

We have a bridge here in Raleigh that trucks get stuck under every so often. I used to work at 9-1-1 and the first thing they would do when it happened was to let some air out of the tires. I guess you could do that with the boat if the fit was a little tight. :)

It is funny you mention that. At the car dealership i work at there is a type of van/RV unit that we get on ocasion, and when we do to get it into out shop we have to let all the tires down to 10psi and have 5-6 people get inside to way it down so it will fit through the door.

We have a bridge here in Raleigh that trucks get stuck under every so often.

LOL. When I was 14, my father modified the suspension on his pickup truck (with camper), but didn't think to mention to anyone that the camper roof was now 3 inches higher than it used to be. My sister and I drove through our town bank's drive-through teller, and the truck ended up prying off the facade of the building overhang above! Sheets of glass, pieces of aluminum and papers showered down on the hood. Afterwards, you could look up and peer into the second floor offices.

So uncool. I walked away and acted like I didn't know her... J/K.

LOL. When I was 14, my father modified the suspension on his pickup truck (with camper), but didn't think to mention to anyone that the camper roof was now 3 inches higher than it used to be. My sister and I drove through our town bank's drive-through teller, and the truck ended up prying off the facade of the building overhang above! Sheets of glass, pieces of aluminum and papers showered down on the hood. Afterwards, you could look up and peer into the second floor offices.

So uncool. I walked away and acted like I didn't know her... J/K.
Back in college a fellow EMT took the lightbar off of our new and obviously taller ambulance on the McDonalds drive-through!

Dick,
We have had many conversations about this building, but I was really taken back by its size. It looks great and I know you must be very proud of how well it is coming along.

I can't wait to see some more pics.

DIck,
how goes the construction on this? its been a little bit since you updated...
Ray

OK, here's a jubilant moment.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/100_4723.jpg

The last of, approximately, 4000 bolts and nuts is into the last of the arches.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/100_4715.jpg

Time for a rest and refreshment. That's water in hand. Where's the beer???

Progress has been slow since these pics were taken. Had a talk with the factory engineers about the end walls and door frames. Got some things cleared up and getting ready to erect them this week.

Will it ever end? Will there ever be water in the "cooling Loop"? There have been times when I doubted it.

Dick

WooHoo! Four thousand nuts & bolts, that just boggles my mind. :yikes:

It looks like it’s coming along fine. Know one ever said it would be easy :)

OT: I don't remember how old you said you are, but you could easily pass for a 40-50 year old brother...

Keep up the good work!

OT: I don't remember how old you said you are, but you could easily pass for a 40-50 year old brother...

LOL. I saw those pics and I said to myself. "Wow, that guy is pretty buff."

Congrats on the bolt stage Dick. Don't worry, you'll get there! That thing looks large enough to house a Cessna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna).

http://www.meteo.uni-bonn.de/projekte/4d-clouds/bbc/instruments/cessna_207T_measurement_airplane_onground.jpg

Having met Dick last year at MACNA I can tell you that he wears his 70 years very gracefully!

Yes, and for a whole lot less money as it's turning out. But, I needed something to drive me to drinking.

Like being friends with me wasn't enough ???? :huh:


sweet brother, almost done with this venture bud. its not unlike a pig on the spit yeah! damn things take awhile to cook, & if your stuck turning it yourself manually, sheesh, you know where the sweat & tears came from. But oh so much sweeter when its done! :up:

If i do pop over your way, i'll be sure to stop in, just to perform routine protocol of tire kicking the structure of course...lol

Wow!!! you guys are too kind.

OT: I don't remember how old you said you are, but you could easily pass for a 40-50 year old brother...

Keep up the good work!
Dave, I can barely remember 50 much less 40 but, a good brother I'd be. :agree:
LOL. I saw those pics and I said to myself. "Wow, that guy is pretty buff."

Congrats on the bolt stage Dick. Don't worry, you'll get there! That thing looks large enough to house a Cessna.
Scott, I'd love to have that 6 place Cessna. I'd fly to MACNA in style. VROOOOM! :cool:
Having met Dick last year at MACNA I can tell you that he wears his 70 years very gracefully!
Carmie, thank you. I had all I could do to keep up with you when you were on a "mission". ;)
Like being friends with me wasn't enough ????

sweet brother, almost done with this venture bud. its not unlike a pig on the spit yeah! damn things take awhile to cook, & if your stuck turning it yourself manually, sheesh, you know where the sweat & tears came from. But oh so much sweeter when its done!

If i do pop over your way, i'll be sure to stop in, just to perform routine protocol of tire kicking the structure of course...lol
Veriann, hey bro, You couldn't drive me to drink (I'm already there), but I'd sure like to tip a couple with you. :party: :w00t!:

You guys deserve an update.

Alright, after a few false starts and trying times, we got a portion of the North end wall up yesterday.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0001-2.jpg

And then again today, another bit of progress.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0010-1.jpg

The right side of the North end wall. Then from the South end looking North into the building.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0008.jpg

This is beginning to look like it may come together. Tomorrow, I'll work on getting the top of the door frame installed and the fill pieces above the door.

Who's up for a "Tin Barn" dance. :up:

Dick

My wife, Sue, is right here in the midst of things. Without her help this project would never have gotten off the ground. she is also the "photographer" and so seldom gets into the picture.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/100_4710.jpg

Sue gets right into the thick of it, up the ladder or scafolding, doesn't matter.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/100_4712.jpg

A pretty motley looking crew.

Dick

sweet!!!!! The cleaners in the marfia sence of the word yeah! . ;)

Except for mortaring into the trough foundation, the North end wall is complete.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0043.jpg

Hmm well, minus the overhead door, too.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0037-3.jpg

Here, Sue checks the header for level. It's right on, Hon, let's celebrate.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0041.jpg

This is about as risky as she gets. Careful there Hon, don't let that root beer go to your head.

I think that Sue is a champ! I can't wait to meet her at MACNA.

I agree with Carmie, you are one lucky man to have a wife like Sue. My wife is great and supports my hobby, but Sue goes above and beyond.

Thanks Carmie and Brian,

She goes above, beyond and sometimes OVERBOARD! :rotfl:

A little progress. I've been working on the South end wall.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0003-2.jpg

Soon, we will be mortaring the building into the trough foundation which will really strengthen the structure. When completed, it is designed to withstand 140 mph winds. I'm not interested in testing it however. Hurricanes please stay away! :rotfl:

It is coming along nicely Dick. I am heading down to Orlando again the end of July and Nov 2008. My son is home from the Navy and he wants to spend some time with his little brother and sister. I would love to come by and see it and see your setup. Maybe you can PM me and I can run it by my wife...

watch out the hurricanes are building

It is coming along nicely Dick. I am heading down to Orlando again the end of July and Nov 2008. My son is home from the Navy and he wants to spend some time with his little brother and sister. I would love to come by and see it and see your setup. Maybe you can PM me and I can run it by my wife...
Hey Dave that would be great. would love to meet you in person. Just as a "heads up" the Orlando Club, ORCA is having a frag event on July 26th as part of their July meeting. This is a BIG event held every 3 months. There will be 200+ frags there. Many awesome pieces from frags to mother colonies. Even if you aren't in a position to buy and take with, it's an awesome event to see. Besides, you will meet a bunch of the nicest people in reefing. The hosts are great people with awesome reef tanks.

Guests are welcome. Keep it in mind. If the wife isn't into a reef club event, maybe you could break away for the evening. This is all assuming you will be in Orlando by then.

watch out the hurricanes are building
Thanks for the reminder. I'm keeping my eye on the wether. You might consider coming to the Orlando event too, John.

Dick

Do you travel up to the ORCA events?

Since gas has gone to $4+, I only go on the frag event meetings. Bargains to be had there.

I know what ya mean. I am in orlando 5 days a week for work...about1hr drive

If you've been following this thread, you know of the countless delays and stumbling blocks sue and I have encountered. We wrapped up the nuts and bolts construction portion and had to wait for a couple of days in a row without rain so we could pour concrete into the trough foundation. This being our rainy season here in FL, we waited and waited. Finally today was the day and tomorrow we will finish. This is what happened today...

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0011-7.jpg

The trough foundation the building sits in gets filled with concrete and that's what gives this simple structure it's incredible strength against hurricane force winds.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0004-9.jpg

The outside gets a thick layer tapered to shed rain.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0016-4.jpg

The inside gets a layer flush with the floor. The guys finished just over 1/2 the foundation today and will finish up tomorrow. They are doing an exceptional job, i think, considering they've never finished a building like this before.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0005-4.jpg

Now, soon, maybe, I can get on with the aquariums. Oh yeah, I've got to get the power company to install power. OUCH! More money out the window.

Dick

jeeze... you still working on that thing? I hope you're not getting paid by the hour! :D

Oh man, I wish I was getting paid. All I'm doing is PAYING OUT! It took three guys to accomplish this today with another day tomorrow.

Looks great tho! Sometimes workers appreciate the challenge with a project like this, breaks the monotany :)

Will be great to see the complete setup :)

can't wait to see the finished project

Dick, I was scoping out your site at Cultured Reef and read your bio about being from Wisconsin. I grew up in Oconomowoc right in between you and Milwaukee! Nice to meet a felow CheddarHead although I have been in California almost longer than I ever was in Wisconsin. Got stationed in San Diego in the Navy and being 20, single and in sunny SD, I didn't even look back :) My parents still live in Milwaukee and Appleton so I get out every few years. Now that I learned Dr's F&S is in Rhinelander, I wish I was closer to see what goodies they have at their warehouse :)

ampage, looking good bud, been a long road, and a bl**dy expensive one at that it appears. Bet your looking forward to phaze 2 though, stocking that sucker & the start of your Ampual business to start the journey of recouping some costs..lol

Thanks Brian and Rob.


ampage, looking good bud, been a long road, and a bl**dy expensive one at that it appears. Bet your looking forward to phaze 2 though, stocking that sucker & the start of your Ampual business to start the journey of recouping some costs..lol

Thanks V. Yes, it went way over the bloody budget. The concrete re-enforced foundation was finished today. Here's a couple of pics...

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0003-7.jpg

This is across the rear door which now is going to become walled off. Hurricane proof doors are very expensive and, in hind site, I don't need this one. This will give me more room for tanks.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0006-6.jpg

The side wall finished today.

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/Amphibious_2007/DSC_0011-9.jpg

The inside walls got concreted in, too.

This sucker is solid! :showoff:

Dick

wow dick the building looks awesome and very professional especially the concrete re-enforced foundation. I sure wish I followed this thread along time ago. Thanks
Raymond:)

Dick, what can I say, but WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! :up: You and Sue have done it. I truly admire your determination throughout this entire event. And trust me, it was an event and all I had to do was sit back and keep up with your progress, overcoming amazing obstacles, and finally crossing that landmark! So what's on the agenda now with this project?

Wow Dick, that baby won't move!

So what's on the agenda now with this project? A barn dance!

haha, barn dance can wait, porn & prawn night comes first with the boys..lol

wow dick the building looks awesome and very professional especially the concrete re-enforced foundation. I sure wish I followed this thread along time ago. Thanks
Raymond:)

Thanks, Raymond. One of my downfalls is I'm a bit of a perfectionist. You know, if you're going to do something why not do it right, to the best of your ability. Well, this was a challange for sure, but it came out "to the best of our ability". :rotfl: :up:

Dick, what can I say, but WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! :up: You and Sue have done it. - So what's on the agenda now with this project?
Yes, Skurvey we've done it. It's nearly ready for the aquaculture build. Need power first. What's next??? read on.

Wow Dick, that baby won't move! (and) A barn dance!

How true, Carmie. It's a bit on the overkill as far as anchoring goes but, when I saw what the factory manual recommended I though, They've never witnessed the destruction of a hurricane. So we made our own recommendation.

Yes, we're thinking of having a "Tin Barn Hoe-down" maybe around Halloween.

haha, barn dance can wait, porn & prawn night comes first with the boys..lol
V, you are such a riot!!! You need to get your butt to America.


Dick

One of my downfalls is I'm a bit of a perfectionist. You know, if you're going to do something why not do it right, to the best of your ability.

dont worry dick Im a perfectionist to and my dad and I say the same saying.:)

Need power first. What's next??? read on.

I sure plan on following :mrgreen:

Raymond:)

I sure hope it is sturdy, Fl weather will give it a run for its money, well your money, sooner or later.

It really does look great!

Have you considered using solar tubes to light the tanks? Could save lots on energy bills unless you plan on getting the i5 for all the tanks.

Yes, I'm looking into solar tubes for lighting.

Dick

I think having the natural light will provide some stunning results for you and take advantage of that Florida sunshine!

So my question is, are you going to have a bed in the building? By the time that's done, I personally wouldn't want to leave it :) The Mrs. will probably have to put a time lock on that thing to keep you out ;):rotfl:

So my question is, are you going to have a bed in the building? By the time that's done, I personally wouldn't want to leave it :) The Mrs. will probably have to put a time lock on that thing to keep you out ;):rotfl:

Amen lol

I'd put a nice comfy recliner on a swivel and just sit, relax with a drink and listen to a ballgame just taking it all in lol

my question is, have you thought about usuing solar panels to reduce your electric bills on this building? i mean, if you have that much work in this beautiful structure already, you might as well put some in and save yourself some money in the long run. just an idea.

my question is, have you thought about usuing solar panels to reduce your electric bills on this building? i mean, if you have that much work in this beautiful structure already, you might as well put some in and save yourself some money in the long run. just an idea

Also if you do get solor panals they will pay off in a heart beat. every ounce of electricity you dont use the electric company will take and insted of you paying them theyll be paying you. Iv seen it happen with a friend that has a windmill and he gets payed every month by his electric company the same happens with solor its pretty neat. Thanks :)

That building, the foundation work and your efforts are incredible. You have so many great options in front of you that just the choices will be exciting.

Yes, I'm looking into solar tubes for lighting.

Dick - Those solar tube threads on RC are very interesting. I know that Calfo has been a proponent of "Green House" propagation for some time. Solar Tubes seems to offer the same benefits without the need for a green house, and offer an opportunity to control the light more. Filtering the light to limit intensity, to obtain proper spread (and provide more aesthetically pleasing results if desired) seems to be the tricky part.. Having auxiliary lighting in case of a prolonged period of darkness may be necessary for some regions, but perhaps not in Florida. :cool:

I'm all for harnessing the Sun. I'll be looking forward to your solution.

I'd put a nice comfy recliner on a swivel and just sit, relax with a drink and listen to a ballgame just taking it all in lol

Sounds like how my father and his buddies hunt for deer in their deluxe stands. :)

Read through the whole darn thread today. What a project, and what a great job you and Sue have done on it.
Just tagging along now for future updates.

Sounds like how my father and his buddies hunt for deer in their deluxe stands. :)

Grwoing up in Wisconsin and next to the Packers, deer hunting season is the next big thing! It's crazy the stuff people do when deer hunting and ice fishing. What happened to freezing your tush off in a stand or sitting on a 5-gal bucket on the ice :))

deer hunting season is the next big thing! It's crazy the stuff people do when deer hunting and ice fishing. What happened to freezing your tush off in a stand or sitting on a 5-gal bucket on the ice )

Brian I have to agree with you on freezing your tushie off because you do.:rotfl: Last deer season it was so cold I couldnt even feel my toes. Im so glad I had water proof boots or else when I steped in the puddle I would of frose my toes off. Thanks :)