Restoration Project Considerations - Any Thoughts??

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Building Regs chap called for initial site visit, overall a good meeting with no foreseeable issues, but......

Original plan was to have roof covering in steel box profile with clear sheets inserted to provide daylight into workshop. Regs not happy with that, and wants membrane layer also, and if I want daylight then I'm going to have to get Velux type of Windows and flashings etc.

Hey ho, I knew the project would escalate, but will need 3-4 roof lights I'd guess, so not a cheap requirement.

Cheers
Steve

Why the need for roof lights? My garage/workshop doesn't have any natural light - apart from when I open the doors. It does have high level 'daylight' led strip lighting that, in my opinion, is much more user friendly than natural light for working under.

Good news btw on the planning etc👍

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

Why the need for roof lights? My garage/workshop doesn't have any natural light - apart from when I open the doors. It does have high level 'daylight' led strip lighting that, in my opinion, is much more user friendly than natural light for working under.

Good news btw on the planning etc👍

Hi ITSv40,

Mmm, interesting, and to be honest I'd just assumed I wanted natural daylight, although now thinking about it in my existing single garage I always put the lights on, as the window 1200 w x 900 h doesn't really provide enough light to actually do anything.

Also with a cost saving of circa £1200 would pay for a lot of electric, and removes possible leak sources.

Will email the planning as the approval was with part glazing on rear roof pitch, hopefully I can remove and just go all tile/felt, without having to do another application or variation...

Cheers
Steve

[Forg]

IMHO real natural light is better when practical, but Velux style skylights were invented by the Evil Roof Leak Repairers Guild ... that LED strip lighting mentioned is definitely a better idea.

And don't under-do it either, I've got 8 of those twin flourescent-tube (the 1.2m long 36W T8 ones) attached to the ceiling of my 5.75m x 5.75m shed (3.8m tall ceiling to allow a hoist) and if/when I get around to installing LED's I think I'm going to double the number of fittings, it's just too shadowy at night & I'm using a lead-light when friends with more overhead LED strips don't need to.

I don't recall, did you consider getting the floor urethane coated? A light nearly-white colour is good for reflecting light around nicely, it's nice to clean things up, it's easier to see/find that bloody one-of-a-kind circlip which insisted on going SPROING against the underside of the car and thence somewhere onto the floor, and my only concern with mine is yellowing due to UV at the garage door. You do need some grit in the mix so it's not slippery, and you can DIY for under half the cost but the good stuff is toxic so if DIY'ing make sure you wear appropriate PPE (primarily a proper mask/ventilator) (for the mess/trouble/exposure/time I just paid someone else to do it & unlike some similar jobs around the house I'd not have achieved a better result myself).

[Laird Scooby]

A little something Steve about interior lighting. Flourescent lighting is very power hungry in comparison to LED lighting, also with LEDs you can get "Cool White" which in general is ~5-6000K colour temperature which is about as close to natural daylight as you can get with artificial lighting.

Painting the floors/walls/ceiling bright white will also improve lighting and make life easier on your eyes, also some low-level lighting for when the car is on the lift is helpful.
Some 10-30W LED floodlights on leads so you can move them arond under the car/in the engine bay etc will be very helful to get into the naturally occurring shadowy places will be a big help too.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Steve 940

Hi ITSv40,

Mmm, interesting, and to be honest I'd just assumed I wanted natural daylight, although now thinking about it in my existing single garage I always put the lights on, as the window 1200 w x 900 h doesn't really provide enough light to actually do anything.

Also with a cost saving of circa £1200 would pay for a lot of electric, and removes possible leak sources.

Will email the planning as the approval was with part glazing on rear roof pitch, hopefully I can remove and just go all tile/felt, without having to do another application or variation...

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

It is good to hear that you are getting on with this project - well done.

If I recall your original budget for this build was only £200-£300/m^2 - I think you will have realised the garage will cost considerably more (at least twice that depending on how good you want to make it).

I fitted Velux roof windows to a house I built in Norfolk about 10 years ago. They were excellent but pretty expensive - and I think rather too good for a garage. Do you really need an opening window, and why would you need it to be double glazed? You could probably buy a some sheets of 6mm toughened glass and fit them in fixed frames much cheaper.

Whilst natural light sounds like a good idea, you would still have to provide the same amount of electric lighting anyway - so you can work when it is dark (or even cloudy) outside. Providing enough LED strip lamps for near daylight (if that really is the requirement - think about it carefully) is going to cost around a grand anyway - so do you need both?

I think i said early on in this thread the best thing to do is work out your requirement for the project, then work backwards to your specification, cost it, maybe realise it is going to be more than you want to spend - and if so reduce your requirements. There are sometimes several iterations of that cycle before a project becomes feasible. If you don't do that before you start the costs tend to spiral and may become unaffordable.

Just the thoughts of a middle aged man with a beard and a dog called Bob.

[ITSv40]

Whilst I agree with the above comments regarding lighting my own observations are as follows.

First off you do not need natural light, Indeed it can sometimes be a disadvantage. the sun shining through the window will always be in your eyes when you don't want it or the sun will not be shining when you do.

LED strip lighting is the way to go. LED is night and day in comparison with flourescent. I fitted six LED 5ft strips - three each side - on the garage walls where the lift is situated. Garage in that area is 21feet long x 18feet wide. There is sufficient light for working in that area and I also have a LED inspection lead for working under the car when on the lift. The LED fittings on the walls were £36 each and fully enclosed for outdoor use.

When I restored the Bentley 40 odd years ago I did the spraying in a polythene tent constructed within a barn, lit with flourescent lights - not ideal by a long way. I found I could actually do the spraying in the tent but when it came to flatting between coats and the final machine polishing I had to wheel the car outside and then back in again, natural light was necessary to see the blemishes etc. Now with the LED set up I can deal with paintwork and polishing in the garage as the light is as good as natural daylight to see the flaws.

First attachment shows one side of the garage lights. I fitted arris rail to the walls so the strips are angled for better light distribution. Second attachment shows the lights on. Third shows the Bentley when restoration was finished. I'm not saying what I have done is the best solution, but it was economical and is quite sufficient for my needs when fully restoring and maintaining cars.

[Steve 940]

Thanks chaps, all suggestions and past experience is most welcome and hopefully will avoid me making wrong choices.😀

Site layout means that back and both side walls are on the boundary so no normal windows are possible at all, 4.5m roller door in 7m wide front wall, one side access door.

Basically after mulling over I am going for tiled and membrane roof, doing away with idea and cost of a Velux.

Of course it's not so simple, I've got to apply for minor alteration to approved plans, but worth doing I think.

Appreciate info on lighting, I would go with LED strips, and did do a bit of Googling last night and found these

https://www.simplyled.co.uk/phoebe-l...our-emergency/

I'd hope 10-12 of these would work, but wired on 2 switches so I can turn on half of them for normal work, and then turn the rest on when extra light is helpful.

Costs are indeed something that always spirals, but I'm taking a "get the basic structure" right approach (hopefully)😀 Adding a few extra lights is pretty simple and cheap to do later if needed, however not laying a concrete slab thick enough and not to specifications needed for a 2 post lift is something not worth cost cutting on. Even though I probably will never have a 2 post lift touched on earlier in the thread.

Cheers, the help and suggestions are really valuable.
Steve

[Burdekin]

I made big skylights for my workshop extension and work a treat. Along withLED strip lighting it provides good lighting. The more lighting the better.

The skylights are clear roof sheats the same profile as the metal roof sheeting. I then boxed in areas and used shiny aluminium style insulation to reflect the light better. They work a treat as I can't really have proper windows as I overlook the neighbours and anyhow skylights offer better lighting than windows.

[Laird Scooby]

I doubt you need the Emergency Lighting feature Steve, these are much more wallet friendly :

https://www.toolstation.com/lighting/batten-lights/c694

Take your pick as to which you'll need/want.

[Steve 940]

Originally Posted by Burdekin

I made big skylights for my workshop extension and work a treat. Along withLED strip lighting it provides good lighting. The more lighting the better.

The skylights are clear roof sheats the same profile as the metal roof sheeting. I then boxed in areas and used shiny aluminium style insulation to reflect the light better. They work a treat as I can't really have proper windows as I overlook the neighbours and anyhow skylights offer better lighting than windows.

Now you're rubbing it in Mitch

This was the problem in the first place, plans were approved with one of the roof pitches having box profile sheets with alternate clear plastic sheets for daylight. Would have worked a treat along with LED strips.

Building Regs chap yesterday decided not to allow metal sheets unless I put a membrane under it, thereby negating any benefit of having clear plastic !!!!

I did point out its only a shed/workshop, but no go.

Cheers
Steve