Gary S Wrote:I am with Wayne that filling up the tapers (albeit with a few coats instead of one heavy coat)

Gary, I don't fill the tapered area in one coat either. The first one, with the tape, is, for me, the most difficult, although I wouldn't really classify it as difficult. The subsequent coats, usually two, are downright simple (and quick, too, as long as you use a knife wide enough to span the combined taper of the butted edges).

The finishing trick with the hand-held light is quick, too, as the thin touch-ups dry rapidly and require almost no sanding.

Wayne

For what it's worth....

I built up a wall (8'-6"x 11'-2" using the ol' 2x4's) to cover the garage door to turn it (the garage) into a "real" train room. Being totally ignorant of the ins and outs of wall construction, I framed the wall on the garage floor, lifted it up into place and secured it. I installed insulation and sheetrocked it. I put the full sheets up against the ceiling, running vertically, and the horizontal joints at the bottom. I used sheetrock screws and didn't tape the joints. I used spackling compound to fill and smooth the joints and screw holes, lightly sanded the compound, and brought in a plasterer to finish it. 6 years later you can't see a joint or a bump....Beginners luck, I guess....

I just want to thank everyone for their interest in this project. The discussions we have had have been productive, giving me food for thought. For example, I am really glad we had the nail versus screws discussion because I found out that the little sheetrock screws I used with the ceiling joist hangers needed to be replaced by deck screws.

Another thing.... being honest... we all like to show off, and you guys here at The Gauge actually help motivate me to make progress. Sometimes it would have been real easy to pack it in for the day and sit around the house watching TV, but I had to get something done so I could post the pics here!

As for the sheetrock, if I went with 12 foot rock on the horizontal, I would only have 2 joints on the backdrop portion of the wall on each of the long sides of the building... something to think about. The thing that draws me to doing the 8 footers on vertical is that the smaller rock will be easier to handle, and I feel confident that I can hide the joints at the tapers.

I made a little progress in the past few days, just working for an hour or so when I get home from work. Even though it is supposed to be )(brrrrr cold) below freezing this weekend, it is supposed to be clear and sunny. I plan on doing alot.

Here is the electrical panel. Yeah, it is way bigger than what I need in the building, but the cost was very reasonable and it came with a main breaker, a 2-pole 30 amp (to be used for the AC and heat) and five 20 amp breakers for the lights and receptacles. I mounted the panel lower than normal so it will be under the layout. And since there is no local inspection, no issues with the inspector saying the panel can't be mounted this low.

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Here is the gable end which still needs to be closed. I finished up the other gable end as shown in the second photo.

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Inside the building - my tools and worktable and such.

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And a photo of the eaves which I still have to box in and put in the soffit and trim.

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Gary, seeing where you put the panel reminds me that you should also install a light fixture with switch below the layout shining on that panel so that you can see the breakers when you need to without needing to be on hands and knees with a flashlight between your teeth!

Russ, the top of the panel is at 47 inches, so it isn't all that bad! I figure I can sit in a chair and be comfortable if I need to get in it. As for the flashlight, I will get my wife to hold it for me!

Okay, we made tremendous progress this weekend. Although it was below freezing at night, and in the shade the ice in the mud puddles didn't even melt until late in the afternoon, it was actually very comfortable once you got going. I was even in shorts for most of the day.

We got the tarpaper on and I made good progress on the soffits/eaves. Also note that the roofing is complete, ridge cap on, finished!

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Although it was a hard decision whether to put in windows or not, I decided to put in a couple of real small ones up high. I had to cut them in and add some more studs and headers on the inside.

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Here is Vicki marking for the brick trim.

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Got the door put on too. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day, clear blue skies, nice and cool, very little wind, all around excellent day!

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I just thought I would post this to remind everyone where this thing was in the middle of November...

Phenomenal progress. It would have taken me a year and a half to get as far as you've gotten in a couple of months.
Now, let's see if you build your new layout inside that fast! At this pace, you should be finished by December.

Thanks TrainNut,

You guys have kept me motivated with your nice comments and encouragement.

Awesome!

Looks great, Gary, and you have indeed made impressive progress. Don't forget to put in your roof vents - you'll be glad to have them when the weather gets hot.

Wayne

Wayne, I put in a powered vent fan on the other side of the roof. Same type as I put on my well house, with a built-in temperature switch. Here is the wellhouse showing the type of vent fan I put in on the roof. It does a good job.

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On another note, it has been very cold down here. It is highly unusual to get below freezing for more than a day, but we have had 5 straight nights of below freezing. I know you guys up north are laughing, but hey, we're not used to it like y'all are. I had to start the truck early and pour water on the windshield to get rid of the ice. I didn't have any problem with broken pipes, but other people have. One friend of mine was gone for the weekend, and he had his pipes break in about 5 places! Here is a photo I took this morning showing the frost on the ground and the roof.

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Gary, you are doing some awesome work!!

Thank you sir. I am chomping at the bit to get my shelf brackets put up and the layout shelves moved from the garage to the new room. But that is still quite a ways away.