Garage Construction Project

Photo Documentation

31 min read

Construction Photo Gallery

Chronological photo documentation of the garage construction project.

September 2, 2025 - Early Design Rendering

AI-generated concept rendering produced in early planning to align on the overall look before committing to specs. Superseded by the October 27 final-vision rendering once stone veneer, trim, and door details were finalized.

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.

March 31, 2026 - Electrical Service Nearly Complete

Weather: Overcast, 46-58°F, light rain. Wet conditions throughout the day.

Electrical Service Update: SLS Electric crew on-site and completed the majority of the electrical service installation. Work completed: breakers installed in 200A Eaton panel, interior GFCI outlet wired near panel, exterior weatherproof GFCI outlet installed, 50A Reliance CS6375 generator inlet installed on garage exterior, romex routed for soffit light switch circuit, two 1” conduit penetrations sealed with expanding foam at house basement wall. One item remains: switch box near entry door unterminated — SLS did not have a light switch. They will wire it during the electrical inspection visit, possibly Thursday April 3 (inspector does Tues/Thurs only). House panel connection (Eaton BRPSF225 lug block kit) still pending.

Earlier documentation from this date captured the initial state before electricians returned:

  • Two 1” conduits run from garage to house (unexpected scope addition)
  • Conduits enter house at NW corner via exterior junction boxes, merge into single 2” conduit through garage floor
  • Eaton BRPSF225 lug block kit staged at house panel
  • Three front soffit wafer lights installed but not yet wired to switch
  • Owner sealed open basement wall penetration (Liquid Nails + scrap) and tarped trench

House Basement - Wall Penetration & Components (12:30 PM):

Exterior - Trench Protection & Conduit Route (1:26 PM):

Soffit Lights - Exterior & Interior Views (1:27 PM):

Garage Interior - Panel & Unterminated Wiring (1:27 PM):

House Basement - Conduit Penetrations (1:30 PM):

Garage Exterior - Outlets & Generator Inlet (5:29 PM):

Garage Entry - Unfinished Switch Box & Wiring (5:30 PM):

Garage Interior - Panel, Outlet & Conduits (5:31 PM):

House Basement - Foamed Conduit Penetrations (5:46 PM):

House Interior - Panel Connection Area (5:46 PM):

April 6, 2026 - Dumpster Delivered for Scrap Cleanup

Weather: Cloudy, 44°F (feels like 41°F); overcast skies with slush on ground.

Scrap Cleanup: Hershberger’s delivered a roll-off dumpster for post-construction scrap removal. The construction debris pile (insulation offcuts, drywall pieces, foam scraps) has been accumulating since the build phase. Marcus noted the crew is working in Harrison this week and will stop by after 4 PM soon to load the scraps. Owner should sort through the pile for reusable materials before crew arrives.

April 8, 2026 - Electrical Work Complete — Awaiting Final Inspection

Weather: Clear skies, 56°F; excellent spring afternoon.

Electrical Completion: SLS Electric finished all remaining electrical work. Soffit light switch installed (unterminated since March 31), completing the 3-wafer soffit light circuit; exterior weatherproof GFCI outlet energized; all garage lighting operational. Crew dug an inspection hole to expose the underground feeder wire for inspector verification of burial depth. Electrical inspection scheduled for April 9 (Thursday). The double-gang switch box near the entry door has one position open — reserved for owner’s future interior light switch.

Exterior & Site:

Interior — Electrical:

April 19, 2026 - Cat6 Pulled to House-Side Junction Box

Construction Status: Owner pulled a Cat6 cable from the home server rack out through the house-side exterior junction box at the NW corner, leaving a pull string in the conduit for future cable adds. This is the upstream terminus of the run that will power the garage Ubiquiti U6+ access point (commissioned April 22).

April 22, 2026 - First Shelly Installed & Garage Wi-Fi Live 🎉

Weather: Clear skies, 58°F, 8 mph east winds. Calm spring evening.

Milestone — First Owner DIY Smart Device: First Shelly 1PM Mini Gen 4 wired in behind a garage switch and commissioned onto the newly-installed garage Wi-Fi. Same day brought the garage network online: a Ubiquiti U6+ access point was mounted and energized via PoE over a new Cat6 run — upstream pull documented April 19 at the house-side junction box. A pull string was left in the conduit for future cable adds.

May 23, 2026 - Phase 1 Electrical: Wire Pickup at Hershberger’s

Procurement documentation — 1000’ Southwire 12/2 NM-B spool picked up at Hershberger’s Hardware (Clare) to feed all eleven 120V branch circuits. First stop of the Phase 1 multi-vendor electrical buy. Label and pallet-tag photos capture manufacturer + distributor traceability for the largest single material in the project.

May 24, 2026 - Phase 1 Electrical: Home Depot Trip

Second stop of the Phase 1 procurement plan — Home Depot Mt Pleasant for boxes, devices, breakers, and partial apprentice tool kit. ~500 pretax) covered 34 plastic new-work boxes, 6 octagons (with brackets — substitution detail captured), 8 GFCI outlets, 12 standard TR outlets, 10 BR breakers, switches, tape, staples, and two Klein hand tools. Photos document the two “not exact match” substitutions and the final cart at checkout. Smurf tube, BR120GF, 12/3 NM-B, nail plates, and 28 remaining outlets intentionally deferred to a Menards trip.

May 25, 2026 - First DIY Electrical Day: Rear Wall Outlets Energized 🎉

Weather: Morning fog clearing to clear/partly cloudy skies; 50°F dawn warming to 82°F mid-afternoon high, evening ~78°F; light winds 0-15 mph. Garage is still an unconditioned shell so ambient = working conditions — comfortable jeans-and-T-shirt day for the full 11 hours.

Milestone — First Owner-DIY Branch Circuit Live: 11-hour install day with Uncle Ed on the tools start to finish, plus Conor (owner’s son) drilling stud holes. Three perimeter circuits roughed in (rear/north wall 16” AFF, west wall 16” AFF, north wall workbench-height); only the rear (north) wall chain is energized — it became the first owner-DIY circuit in the garage. Workflow split: owner pre-assembled outlet pairs on the bench with WAGO 221 lever-nuts; Uncle Ed installed them into the boxes. 12 outlets consumed today — exactly the on-hand count from the May 24 Home Depot trip. Remaining two circuits have wire pulled between boxes but no panel-side pull and no breakers yet, and need more outlets (next Menards run). Wires are not yet stapled — tidying-up pass deferred. Family record photos captured of Uncle Ed’s tape measure and his father’s well-worn Estwing hammer alongside the owner’s tools.

May 26, 2026 - Morning-After Electrical Documentation Pass

Weather: Clear, 82°F, 38% humidity, 9 mph SW winds. Bright direct daylight through still-empty window openings — excellent conditions for in-frame electrical documentation photos.

Documentation pass for the first DIY electrical day. Captures the panel state after the new 20A BR branch breaker was landed (including the 50A 240V generator-inlet backfeed for context), the workbench-height GFCI lead in a 2-gang box with the second slot intentionally empty (deferred retrofit), both perimeter outlet lines (16” AFF floor + workbench-height) visible on the north wall, the long view of the west wall (intentionally all 16” AFF — no workbench planned there), the east end of the north wall near the loft stairs / future rolling-tool-cabinet position, and the deliberate wire slack left above the panel while the conduit-routing decision (kneewall vs. up-to-rafters) is evaluated. Plus a side photo of the three garage door opener Bluetooth safety light fixtures showing what looked like a color anomaly (two blue, one green) — investigation revealed it as an interlock fault on Door 1: opener head lost its Bluetooth link to the safety light fixture and Aladdin Connect disabled the door. Firmware verified identical (v6.3.1) on all three openers; fix is to re-pair the fixture.

June 3, 2026 - Ceiling Box Bench Check: Octagon → 4” Square Correction

Staging-bench discovery during Phase 1.5 prep. A duplex receptacle laid against the on-hand Southwire 54151-F-UPC 4” octagon box won’t bolt up — octagon boxes use 8-32 fixture-strap spacing, not the 6-32 device-yoke pattern (a receptacle mounts to a cover, not the bare box, which the BOM already planned for). The deciding issue is box fill: a 1-1/2” octagon (15.5 in³) is over the limit for a pass-through duplex (needs 15.75 in³). Resolution — switch the 8 ceiling duplex positions to 4” square boxes + 5/8” mud rings (5/8” matches the Type X ceiling drywall), keep one octagon for the stairwell fixture, return the surplus.

June 7, 2026 - Ceiling Lights 3 Boxes In, First Run Lit 🎉

Weather: Clear, ~67°F (interior shot; garage still an unconditioned shell, so ambient = working conditions — comfortable temps for the few-hour session).

Uncle Ed and Chris helped for a few hours installing the three vehicle-bay ceiling-light boxes (one per bay) and pulling cable over to the switch box near the loft stairs. A 5-fixture LED run was hung over Bay 3 (the east/lift bay) and tested off an extension cord — works perfectly. The fixtures clip up with two single-screw clips each, so the run was put up now for use during interior work and pulls down easily for ceiling drywall later. Remaining: run 12/3 from the stairwell 3-way to the entry-door 2-gang box, install the bay-light 3-way switch there (joining the existing exterior-light switch + Shelly), then run 12/2 from that box back to the panel and land a 20A breaker. See Timeline 2026-06-07.

June 8, 2026 - Electrical: Service-Door Switch Box (3-Way Prep)

Short ~3-hour session continuing the bay-light switching work from June 7. Receptacles were pre-assembled on the bench with Wago lever-nut pigtails (three dual-gang modules + one single for the Bay 3 ceiling box) for fast in-box chaining. Also installed receptacles in two of the planned workbench-height boxes on the north wall (remaining boxes still need devices), finished the single workbench-height outlet at the rolling-tool-cabinet location (chained into the 16” row, raised so the 72” cabinet won’t block it), and added a new 2-gang box near the stairs for the bay-light + stair-light 3-way switches. Documenting the existing 2-gang switch box at the service door: the left gang’s single-pole toggle controls the exterior lights (electrician-installed); the right gang is open, reserved for the interior bay-light 3-way not yet installed. This is the same always-on (constant-hot) leg flagged as the tap point for the planned service-door battery-backup egress light. Note: the workbench-height outlet line and the vehicle-bay ceiling-light line are not yet energized — both are being finished out before the home run is pulled back to the panel.

June 19, 2026 - West Wall Rough-In + All 15 Garage Floor Lights Lit 🎉 (+ a Chipmunk 🐿️)

Weather: Clear, mild June day (seasonal high ~78°F, cooling to ~60°F by night). Comfortable temps in the still-unconditioned garage.

A full day on the 120V system, capped by the first full lighting test. Daytime: west wall rough-in — the panel home run lands in the dual-gang GFCI feed box at the near corner, then runs “out and down the line” to the string of single-gang receptacle boxes, with NM-B protected at every stud crossing by 1½” × 3” steel nail plates (wide shot + nail-plate detail). Evening: Uncle Ed’s hand-drawn 3-way diagram for the garage floor lights, annotated for the slightly-non-standard “power-and-light at the stairwell end” wiring (white re-identified as a switched hot per NEC 200.7(C)(2)). Night cap: all 15 garage floor lights lit at once — 3 rows of 5 Barrina LEDs, each row on its own switched ceiling outlet. Conor’s verdict on flipping the switch: “like being flashbanged.” A chipmunk also dropped by mid-day to run through the staged PVC pipes.

June 22, 2026 - Ceiling Light Outlets + Remaining Ceiling Boxes

A short evening session. The three switched ceiling outlets for the garage floor lights are now fully made up — 4” square box with a mud ring and a 20A TR duplex receptacle, the white Barrina LED power cord plugged in, and the yellow 12/2 daisy-chain running between them (each LED row plugs into its own switched outlet rather than being hardwired, so fixtures pull down easily for ceiling drywall). The session also got the 5 remaining ceiling boxes mounted: 3 garage-door-opener boxes (one per door, at each Genie head) and 2 drop-down cord-reel boxes (between the garage doors, near the center of the garage). These new boxes are mounted but not yet wired.

11 items under this folder.