Garage Construction Project

Photo Documentation

17 min read

Construction Photo Gallery

Chronological photo documentation of the garage construction project.

October 20, 2025 - Excavation and Forms

Weather: Clear skies, 45-59°F. Ideal conditions for excavation and foundation work.

Foundation excavation, grading, and form installation.

October 21, 2025 - Material Delivery

Weather: Rain and drizzle throughout day (morning slight rain, afternoon/evening drizzle), 47-61°F. Storms caused installation work to pause.

Hydronic radiant floor materials delivered to site.

October 22, 2025 - Insulation & PEX Installation

Weather: Light to moderate drizzle all day, 45-51°F. Challenging wet conditions for installation work.

Under-slab Creatherm insulation and radiant heating PEX loops.

October 25, 2025 - Drone Aerial Photography

Weather: Overcast to clear, 39-53°F. Good flying conditions.

Comprehensive aerial views captured with DJI Phantom 4 Pro showing completed insulation installation and blue PEX slab sensor conduit (owner installed).

October 29, 2025 - Exterior Insulation & Fiberglass Rebar

Weather: Clear skies, 45-55°F. Excellent conditions for outdoor prep work.

Drone aerial photography documenting exterior perimeter insulation and fiberglass rebar reinforcement grid installation. Foundation preparation complete and ready for concrete pour.

October 30, 2025 - Concrete Foundation Pour 🎉

Weather: Light drizzle during pour (9:24 AM-11:45 AM), overcast 100% cloud cover, 45-50°F. Challenging conditions but pour completed successfully.

Major Milestone: Complete concrete foundation pour with all utility conduits installed. Finishing work in progress.

Video Documentation: Real-time video (~1 hour) available at Construction Videos

October 31, 2025 - Post-Pour Finishing & Testing

Weather: Clear to overcast, 38-53°F. Good conditions for finishing work and pressure testing.

Cement contractor completed finishing work including control joint saw cutting, form removal, and perimeter backfilling. Radiant heating system pressure testing verified system integrity.

November 1, 2025 - Temporary Heat Prep & Family Milestone

Weather: Clear to overcast, 38-51°F. Good conditions for site work.

Temporary heat planning and a personal touch added to the slab before framing begins.

November 3, 2025 - Final Grading & Site Cleanup

Weather: Clear and windy afternoon (14-18 mph winds from west), 42-57°F. Good conditions for final grading work.

Final day of cement contractor work creating a smooth level entry to the garage slab.

November 18, 2025 - Roof Trusses Delivered 🎉

Weather: Cloudy, 39°F (feels like 36°F). Good conditions for material delivery.

Major Milestone: Engineered roof trusses delivered to site, staged on cured concrete slab. Framing crew mobilization target: December 3, 2025. Complete engineering documentation package received with delivery. Each truss includes QR code tag linking to exact specifications and engineering drawings.

Engineering Documents: Truss Engineering Drawings (8 pages) • Loading Ticket & Inventory

Framing Update: Marcus Call - Dec 3 Start Date

December 3, 2025 - Framing Kickoff

Weather: Overcast, 18-24°F. Snow cover on site from overnight accumulation; cold but workable conditions for framing kickoff.

Framing crew stood first-floor walls, set headers, and staged sheathing, hangers, and sill gaskets. Material invoices captured for records.

December 4, 2025 - Roof Trusses Set & Dormer Framing

Weather: Overcast clearing to partly sunny, then clear by afternoon. Temperature range 10-21°F, NW winds 5-10 mph. Snow cover on site from Dec 1-3 storms; ideal visibility for photography as skies cleared throughout the day.

Equipment staged for snow clearing, then roof trusses set and dormer framing began. Significant progress on loft joist installation with hangers and blocking.

December 8, 2025 - Roof Sheathing & Weatherproofing

Weather: Clear winter sun in morning, partly cloudy afternoon. Temperature 20-26°F with full snow cover on site. Excellent conditions for roofing progress.

Roof sheathing lifted to dormers, main roof planes sheathed, and weatherproofing applied. Synthetic underlayment installed across roof surfaces; Tyvek house wrap applied to dormer faces.

Video Documentation: Time-Lapse Video

December 9, 2025 - Loft & Stair Interior Progress

Weather: Cloudy, 33°F (feels like 25°F). Overcast skies with snow cover on roof and ground; interior work protected by completed shell.

Site visit documenting interior loft space and stair framing progress. Stair rough-in to loft complete with landing and blocking; loft floor fully decked with OSB and knee walls framed; dormer openings framed and ready for windows.

Video Documentation: Time-Lapse Video

December 11, 2025 - Metal Roof Installation & Material Delivery

Weather: Cloudy, 26-30°F. Cold winter afternoon with snow cover; good conditions for roofing work.

Major Progress: Standing-seam metal roof installation in progress on main roof planes and dormers. Roofing crew working throughout the day with panels nearly complete by late afternoon. Significant material delivery including all windows, exterior door, decorative stone panels, and siding prep materials.

Roofing Progress (12:13 PM - 4:53 PM):

Roofing Materials Staged:

Window Delivery (8 units total from ABC Supply):

Exterior Shell Materials Delivered:

Interior Staging:

December 12, 2025 - Exterior Shell Complete 🎉

Weather: Partly cloudy to overcast, 30°F (feels like 23°F with wind chill). Snow cover on ground; cold but clear conditions for final exterior work.

Major Milestone: Exterior shell complete — metal roof fully installed on main roof and dormers, all windows set (8 total), main entry door installed, vented soffits in place, and Tyvek HomeWrap fully covering walls. Building is now weathertight and ready for siding installation scheduled for Monday.

Exterior Progress:

Window Installation (All 8 Units):

Entry Door Installation:

December 18, 2025 - Electrical Trenching Attempt

Weather: Cloudy, 50°F. Unusually warm December day with thawing conditions near structures, but ~10” frost depth in open ground.

Electrical Service Update: SLS Electric arrived around 3 PM to begin trenching for the 200A house-to-garage underground power line. The Ditch Witch successfully trenched and buried the wire in the section along the house foundation where ground was thawed (~6-8 ft left above ground at house meter for panel connection). However, the open area between house and garage had approximately 10 inches of frozen ground. Even the largest rental backhoe made only 3 feet of progress in 30 minutes. Work halted until spring 2026 — wire spool stored at terminus for completion.

Equipment & Materials:

Trench Progress (House Section):

Frozen Ground Challenge:

December 20, 2025 - Pre-Christmas Documentation

Weather: Mostly cloudy, 33°F, windy with gusts to 30 mph. Snow cover on ground.

Construction Status: Work paused for Christmas break. Building shell complete and weathertight. Documenting materials used and current exterior state before siding installation resumes.

Materials Documentation:

Exterior Shell Progress:

December 25, 2025 - Rafter Documentation for Insulation Planning

Weather: Cloudy, 21°F. Cold Christmas afternoon with snow cover.

Purpose: Interior documentation of roof truss system for future insulation planning. Photos capture truss spacing, gusset plate locations, ridge area geometry, and accessible cavity depths.

Roof Truss Interior Views:

Related: Insulation Planning

January 1, 2026 - Siding Progress

Weather: Cloudy, 21°F (feels like 11°F with wind chill). Snow cover on ground.

Construction Status: Siding installation in progress. West and north walls complete; front and south walls partially complete. Crew reports siding will be finished tomorrow (January 2). Garage door installation scheduled for January 6 - final task remaining.

Video Documentation: Time-Lapse Video

Exterior Progress:

Stone Veneer Details:

Interior Views:

January 2, 2026 - Siding Delayed - Material Shortage

Weather: Clear skies, 18°F (feels like 8°F with wind chill). Snow cover on ground.

Construction Status: Front siding installation incomplete due to material shortage — replacement stone panel not in stock. Since siding must be installed from bottom to top, front wall work cannot proceed until the missing stone panel arrives. All other areas complete including side walls, rear wall, both dormers, and exterior outlet housing installation.

Outstanding Items (to be completed on return visit):

  1. Replacement stone panel delivery and front wall siding completion
  2. Snow guards installation on roof above entry door
  3. Sewer vent installation through roof

Video Documentation: Time-Lapse Video

Exterior Progress:

January 5, 2026 - Garage Door Installation Canceled - Wrong Size Ordered

Weather: Overcast, mid-30s°F. Cold winter morning.

Construction Status: Garage door installer arrived Monday morning to install the three garage doors. Upon unloading, he discovered a sizing mismatch. Initially thought to be a door ordering error, it was later determined (Jan 13) that the doors were ordered correctly at 8 feet tall but the framing crew had been given incorrect prints showing 7-foot openings. The installer loaded the doors back onto his truck pending resolution.

Silver Lining: The installer left the three Genie 6170H-B Professional Line garage door openers on-site, staged inside the garage for future installation.

Photos:

January 13, 2026 - Front Siding Complete & Door Opening Modifications 🎉

Weather: Overcast, 30s°F. Cold winter afternoon with snow cover.

Major Milestone: Hershberger’s framing crew completed all remaining exterior work. The front siding and stone panels (delayed since Jan 2) are now fully installed. The crew also modified the garage door openings from 7 feet to 8 feet in height to match the correctly-ordered doors — resolving the issue discovered on January 5. It turned out the contractor had been given incorrect prints during the build phase; the doors were ordered at the correct 8-foot height all along.

Work Completed Today:

  • Front wall siding installation (previously delayed due to missing stone panel)
  • Versetta Ledgestone stone veneer panels installed on all garage door columns
  • Snow stops installed on roof above entry door
  • Sewer vent stack routed through roof
  • Garage door openings modified from 7’ to 8’ height

Remaining Items:

  • Site cleanup / scrap pile removal (dumpster rental)
  • Garage door installation (awaiting delivery, ~1 month)

After garage door installation, the Hershberger’s contract will be complete.

Exterior Completion:

Interior Documentation:

January 15, 2026 - Electrical Trench Ground Thawing

Weather: Clear skies, 18°F (feels like 7°F with wind chill). Cold conditions requiring ground thawing.

Electrical Service Update: SLS Electric deployed passive concrete curing blankets (insulation, not electrically heated) to thaw the frozen ground between the house and garage. The blankets work by absorbing solar radiation, preventing further frost penetration, and allowing geothermal heat from below to warm the soil. Estimated timeline: 2-4 weeks (late January to early February) depending on weather. Once thawed, they will complete the underground trench for the 200A electrical service line (partially completed December 18, 2025).

January 21, 2026 - Garage Doors Installed 🎉

Weather: Cloudy, 30°F (feels like 21°F with wind chill). Snow cover on ground.

Major Milestone — Initial Build Complete: All three garage doors (8’x9’ insulated white with windows) and Genie 6170H-B Professional Line openers installed. Openers feature battery backup, allowing door operation despite garage not yet having electrical service. Hershberger’s contract work is now complete pending only site cleanup (dumpster rental for scrap pile removal).

Installation Progress (Morning):

Completed Installation (Afternoon):

January 27, 2026 - Building Inspector Visit

Weather: Cloudy, 19°F (feels like 5°F with wind chill). Cold winter afternoon.

Inspection Result: The building inspector visited and stated everything looked good, with one requirement noted: a guardrail must be installed at the stairwell opening in the loft to meet code requirements for fall protection.

Inspector Requirement Documentation:

January 29, 2026 - Construction Planning

Weather: Partly cloudy, 14°F high, -10°F low overnight. Extreme cold continues.

Planning: Created visual mockup of proposed stairwell wall construction plan based on inspector requirements and future bathroom layout considerations.

Construction Plan Mockup:

February 11, 2026 - Cement Blankets Removed — Ground Still Frozen

Weather: Mostly cloudy, ~30°F. Snow cover on ground; continued cold winter conditions.

Electrical Service Update: SLS Electric (Steve) visited the site on February 11 and removed the concrete curing blankets that had been deployed since January 15 (28 days). Despite nearly a month of passive thawing, the ground underneath the blankets is still frozen solid. The sustained extreme cold throughout January and early February — with highs rarely reaching freezing and lows as cold as -10°F — completely negated the passive thawing approach. Electrical trench completion is now deferred to spring thaw (estimated late March to April 2026). Photo taken February 12 documenting the site after blanket removal.

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