The New Dojo
Well, it certainly started out better than the first dojo project! This
time around I decided the building was going to come from something a little
more reputable than some home-grown lumber yard "kit". I researched several
established manufacturers of utility buildings, and after evaluating several
different styles of construction, I decided on an engineered structual truss
building. This type of building allowed for a maximum of three dimensional
space, yet had a more traditional and pleasing appearance (a requirement!).
I chose a building that would set on a concrete slab, bolted down to studs
imbedded into the concrete. The size I chose was 24ft by 30ft - a smaller
footprint than the original dojo, but, with 14 ft eves, it was tall
enough to have the ancillary rooms (dressing and storage) on a second floor.
The actual mat space would be bigger than the original's.
This also reduced the cost of the slab, and the permit (based on
square footage!).
The first task was site preparation and getting the slab poured. Again,
to keep costs down, we worked with the excavator, and did much of
the site preparation ourselves. The excavator and I together, marked and
staked out the site, and my students and I did all the trenching for the
required rat wall. The excavator bought in the sand, we leveled it, and
he came back and compacted it.
Once the building inspector had OK'd the prep work, the excavator came in
and poured the slab, and set the mounting studs. We also decided to trench
around the slab, and lay a dranage pipe to reduce water buildup (it rains
in Michigan!).
Next
step was to raise the truss verticals, This was done by brute force - we
levered the verticals up, braced them, and bolted them down. Oh yeah, those
center verticals weighed about 200 pounds each... :-)
The
corners, front and back went up next.
Once
the verticals were up, the trusses proper had to be erected. Now, that center
truss had to be assembled from two halves, and the assembled truss weighed
in at an excess of 350 pounds! We weren't just going to lift it up (14 feet!)
by hand.... That's where rental businesses are invaluable - we were able
to rent a hand operated construction lift (called a "genie" lift) for about
$35US a day. I designed and built a "cradle" that the completed truss could
rest on, once assembled. The lift would raise to 18 feet, but we needed
to raise the truss 19 1/2 feet, so the cradle had to lift the extra 18 inches.
It worked....
...and
we were able to manuver and bolt the truss to the Corresponding verticals.
The front and back trusses went much easier, as they were bent plate, rather
than welded.
