My biggest arcade project so far: The building of gameroom "Level 42"

[Level42]

Well since it was my birthday today I decided it was a good day to start.

First things first: a shot of the situation this morning:


First jobs: removing more plants and removing the bricks....



Forgot to take a pic at the end of the day but it progressed OK.

Tomorrow's plans:
- empty current shed completely. That includes moving my Playscene Mame-cab, Puckman,Galaxian and Centipede to a temporary storage. O, and the Getaway Pinball, which I have no clue how to get it moved on my own......
- tear down the current shed (nicely, neighboors want parts  )
- Ruud (the guy who will build the whole thing) will come to set-out where I will have to dig.

Friday's plans:
- dig to make room for the foundation. This is where the fun starts, rented a small digging machine, and I wonder if it's going to be like playing Dig-Dug

http://www.digdug.nl   

Monday the "real work" starts, putting in the foundation. Check back for pics each day

O, and some more decoration for the SW corner:


Yes they are different scale and yes there's a reason...

[Level42]

Day 2:

The weather is windy and cloudy but (mostly) dry. Temp. 7 degr. Celsius.

This is how I left it yesterday:



Had to leave the bricks somewhere...


So...let's see what I have in that old shed  :


First got out the bikes and the other stuff. And there are the sleeping beauties:


Let's get them out:


First load:


...and the second:


How do you move a pinball on your own without a proper pinball lift ?:


Damn that's not easy and heavy to get "on board" on your own:


But.....the shed's empty !:


With the help of my neighboor removed the last parts of the plants and the fence:


Digging machine arrived and started demolishing the old shed....:


It's the beginning of the evening now and I'm behind scedule. The shed should have been down already. Will have to go on now....

[patrickl]

I'm amazed you did all that in one day. Bob de Bouwer in action. Does that little crane talk?

[Level42]

Haha...no it doesn't and damn it's hard to operate ! Driving it is a breeze, just like a tank (battlezone !) but actually digging etc. there's too many freaking joysticks !

I now have this brillant idea: power glove. You know in your head what you want the machine to do but there's no sense in the motions of the joysticks. F.I. tilting the shovel is left and right on the right joystick.....

It should have a power glove so that it will follow your arms motions

I'm sure people who work with one of those every day can dream the controls but for a beginner it's pretty hard.

Well it's 21.15 now and I just stopped.More than 13 hours almost straight (with only short drink and eating stops. I'm dead.....all my muscles hurt. I'm SO tired....ahh well...

I managed to get most of the roof of (all plates broke in the process, right through the middle. The bad thing is that one of the plates overlaps my shed and my neigboors' so that means I will have to cut it. That in turn meant that I couldn't remove the frames....will have to do that tomorrow.

Removed a lot of mess from the plants, removed some more bricks, removed half of the fence on the other side....I'm even further behind now but screw it. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. I fear that I won't have done all the digging in time. I could use some help ! (Patrick, you're most welcome )...

I'm going to take a hot bath, and go to bed early. I wonder if I will be able to get up in the morning.... 

[Ummon]

Since the neighbor wanted the parts, you shoulda let them in and break it down while you were busy with something else. Also, I would've put a good piece of foam between the marquee box and the pin table.

[patrickl]

I could use some help ! (Patrick, you're most welcome )...

I'm away for the weekend   Besides, I actually have quite a lot of "klussing" to do myself 

[Level42]

Since the neighbor wanted the parts, you shoulda let them in and break it down while you were busy with something else. Also, I would've put a good piece of foam between the marquee box and the pin table.

He actually did get all the front side off. The blanket is enough protection. The temporary storage is at a friend who lives about 1 mile away and it's all 30 km (19 mph) zone driving up there so I drove up there nice and slow. I've transported the pinball from my brother-in-law's work to my home same way, no problem.

[Level42]

Day 3:

The weather is very very windy with occasionally hail (!) but (mostly) dry. Temp. 5 degr. Celsius.

Started with cutting through the roofplate that my neighbor and I shared. I was lucky to have a "slijper", I don't know the English word for it but it's this machine:



The plates are like some stone-stuff and break quite easily. Removed all the roof plates....

Then had to remove the top beams. Those were nailed and boy it's fun to remove them....

Next were the side supports, who were bolted to the other neigbhors sheds. Once everything was "loose" the fun began: the little digging machine loves to demolish ! It still took quite a number of sweeps with the shovel but all in all it came down pretty easy.



Still had to remove the inner wood of the former "wall" and the digging machine took care of that too.

I have to say I'm learning quick on the machine !

As you can see the "floor" consits of regular (at least here) street tiles which lays on a bed of sand. They're surrounded with REALLY heavy concrete beams to keep the tiles on their place.
So that meant some more nice " digging". The worst part is getting all the demolished stuff and tiles away from there.

All in all this is where I finished:


Also removed some plants that were in the way and some more terrace tiles (the big one's).

As you can see I didn't do anything on the real digging for the foundation. That will be done tomorrow by the guys who'll build the gameroom.

[Mauzy]

Day 3:


Started with cutting through the roofplate that my neighbor and I shared. I was lucky to have a "slijper", I don't know the English word for it but it's this machine:

I believe that is a good old fashion Angle Grinder. Useful for everything from removing vehicle exhausts to cutting drywall (don't ask).

You make pretty fast progress! I wish I could do the same with my basement/game room. We've been at it for a year and just got around to painting the drywall. Now flooring or ceiling yet.

5 degrees Celsius, eh? I helped build a shed once when it was about -9 Celsius when I lived in Wisconsin. That sucked. At least you get nice weather to do this thing...though the hail doesn't sound fun...

[Ummon]

The blanket is enough protection. The temporary storage is at a friend who lives about 1 mile away and it's all 30 km (19 mph) zone driving up there so I drove up there nice and slow. I've transported the pinball from my brother-in-law's work to my home same way, no problem.

Mm. I'm extra careful is all. I was moving cross country and had this electronic keyboard. My buddy said to put it on the desk/table I had. I said, yeah, when I get some foam underneath it. He said he thought it should be fine. Well, sure, it was cross-country but I didn't expect a hundred or so miles of Oklahoma road to be whoopdie-doos and such. (For some reason, they laid the road in 30ft sections.) Just never know. Most accidents occur a mile from home! Buckle-uhp!!  hheeheheheheh.

[Level42]

Day 4:

The weather is windy and cloudy with hail and snow. Temp. 2 degr. Celsius.

Proof of the hail falling....it was only the start....


The pro's start:


Day 5:
Digging is finished:




The digged out ground in 2 containers. In all honesty one was already half-full when it arrived. As you can see the weather really improved. Snow in November is rare overhere. But that's how it goes: if I plan to do a reconstruction inside the house (like f.i. in spring) it gets 34 degr. Celsius. I'm just always lucky like that 



I just hope the temperatures will be ok for pouring the concrete....to be continued tomorrow.

[patrickl]

Yeah really, the weather was nice huh? Geez, I went for a weekend safari in Beekse Bergen. Was lucky to see some animals on saturday still (in between hail storms).

Guess you'll have to wait for the concrete though? Or was it cement that doesn't harden in the cold?

[Level42]

Wikipedia (Dutch) tells me that it can't be used below 0 degr. celsius which makes sense because that's the freezing point of water (for those who are used to Fahrenheit). The curing does take longer at low temperatures. The mix of the concrete should be adjusted to the winter or summer conditions.

With the actual curing, heat is generated so that can be enough to keep it from problems.

I don't know, I'll let the "pro's" decide....the forecast is night temperatures around 0 degr. and day temps between 3 (monday) and 7 degrees....

[Singapura]

This weekend Sinterklaas came to Singapore. I pitied him in his heavy tabard and itchy beard. It's currently 32 degrees here 

[Level42]

This weekend Sinterklaas came to Singapore. I pitied him in his heavy tabard and itchy beard. It's currently 32 degrees here 

Impossible he's in Singapore. He arrived here more than a week ago....the steamboat isn't that fast you know.....

[Level42]

Day 5:

The weather: no more wind, now that's nice ! Snow has melted away already but you know what that means: LOTS of water everywhere. Especially in the trench..... Temp. 2 degr. Celsius.

The guys came up this morning. Put a pump in the trench to get rid of the water but I wonder how long it will take to empty.  Luckily it's dry now. The guys went to their workplace to start construction of the frames since they can't work on the foundation right now.

Foundation stuff was delivered this morning:



The forms for the foundation:


They also delivered the iron for the concrete.

[Ummon]

Hey, you're having much better fortune than Hirschberg did. Your guys show up regardless of weather.

[Level42]

Hey, you're having much better fortune than Hirschberg did. Your guys show up regardless of weather.

Well, overhere people who you make a deal with tend to keep their promisses. And they better...

Anyway, didn't update yesterday but here we go:

Day 6:
So, what wintery condition didn't we have before ? Ah yes: black ice
Anyway, it's nice and fair but pretty cold. First thing in the morning (7.15) the containers with ground get removed. (sorry about these two pics, taken from behind the window).



Look at the number on that truck. Can it really be coincidence ? 



The guys start placing the forms. The expanded polystyrene forms do not only function as a form but also as a nice isolation. (So yes, they stay under the concrete).


...and they're done at the end of the day. All the forms installed and wire-mesh-iron-stuff that enforces and holds the concrete. Also high-pressure polystyrene plates to isolate the floor.




Everything's ready for the pouring of the concrete.

Day 7:

It's dry and cloudy. Temperatures well above the 0 degr. so no problems for the conrete.

7.45 and the concrete truck has arrived:

It's a "pump-truck" with a pretty long arm:


Pouring it goes really fast:






And this is how it looks at this moment:




Of course, there was some cool bird around who wanted to leave behind his marks for eternity:


And now.....we wait. Until it's hard enough
Not really, the guys are constructing the wood frames at their workplace now....to be continued !

[patrickl]

Wow, that's cool.

Did you shoot the bird? Or is it only allowed to shoot animals when they might tip over a domino stone? 

So the foam is sticking out now? Why is that?

[Level42]

  I can only hope the bird could still fly with all the concrete on his feet....

Will be removed when the concrete is cured. Will serve as the "ridge" to mount the wooden frames on (at least as far as I understood)

[ChadTower]

I remember laying a small foundation like that with my grandfather and when we came back there was a squirrel in it.  He wasn't lucky enough to get out.  Grampy had to cut him out. 

As for moving a pin, you can do it alone, it's not that hard.  It is a little scary if you've never done it before.  Prop the player end up an inch off the ground and rest it on something like a pair of 2x4s just longer than the legs.  Take the legs off, lower it down gently, repeat on the other side.  Then just tilt it up onto its back and put it on a hand truck.  You have to be confident that you can hold one end up without dropping it, though.  The 2x4s are good because if you use two they will hold it pretty well and you can just lift it an inch and kick them out of the way.

[Ummon]

I couldn't see the number of the truck. What was it?

Foam showing: yeah, a nifty way to handle the containment of the concrete, rather than having to make forms out of wood and reebar.

You know, it looks like you had room for another few feet wide of building. Heheh.

[polaris]

So the foam is sticking out now? Why is that?

in the uk, i'd describe it as a damp course, building a moisture proof layer above the surrounding ground level.

I couldn't see the number of the truck. What was it?

42 

looking good Lev

[Level42]

Ummon: you need a new monitor (or a bigger one)

And yes, I probably could have done some extra feet, but I'm only allowed to build 75% of my property. Also, the wife and I too still want to have at least SOME space in the "garden"...

Indeed it was 42, right next to the door...

I'm not sure if that still visible piece of foam will stay actually. If all is well, the floor is at least 5cm. above ground level. That, plus some good drainage should keep out any water...

[Ummon]

Ah, I didn't even know where to look. But I did find it before I read your response. I'm familiar with such small coincidences.

[Kevin Mullins]

Ummon: you need a new monitor (or a bigger one)

Hehe ... I knew where to look and still couldn't see it on a 19" monitor. (dark)
But I worked around it.

Project is looking good so far.
And seems to be moving right along for ya which is always a good thing.... progress.

[Level42]

Indeed ! PROGRESS !!!!!   

This morning I left for work and it was still only the bare floor.....when I returned home tonight it looked like this:

[ChadTower]

Wow.  These dudes work fast. 

[Level42]

Yeah, they already said I'd be surprised when I'd come home.... The wood frames were all already prepared in their workplace so they "only" had to install them. Still very good progress IMHO, including hanging the doors and making the roof...I wonder how they will install the cladding on the right side because it will be hard to reach from the outside....

Yes yes, we Dutchies are not the cheapest workers but efficiency and productivity is high

[shardian]

Truthfully, I think they should have been a bit farther on in a day if everything was pre-fabbed. It's just a square shed-type building!

Why 2 doors? Double doors would have been more preferable to that. Then they could swing out and give you a huge opening to work with.

[kayoteq]

Why 2 doors? Double doors would have been more preferable to that. Then they could swing out and give you a huge opening to work with.
I was about to say that myself. Maybe consider some re-engineering of that area so you have the option long-term before the sheetrock goes  on.
Gotta have room to bring that cockpit star wars in there.

[shardian]

Maybe that 2nd door is getting an interior wall and will be split off for storage?

[Kevin Mullins]

Maybe that 2nd door is getting an interior wall and will be split off for storage?

That's kinda what I figured.
Gotta remember, he did pull other stuff out of the old storage and he's gotta have a place for the yard tools and such.

Or could be a workshop space. 

[Level42]

Glad you guys figured it out....

O and I put a plan of it in one of the first postings of this thread:



The doors swing the other way because it's easier that way to acces for both, but in general this is how it was planned. You can see the separating wall there.

Yes it will be a separated storage area for the bikes, the wheeled toys for my son and garden tools and stuff...as expected my wife immediately complained that it would become too small, but I'm sure it will be big enough (it's sad enough I need to "give up" the space for that already....let alone workshop space....sigh...)

I did think about a double door for the game room area, but there are some (obvious) reasons why I did not choose for them:

1) I will not be putting gigantic cabs in there like 2 seated race cabs etc. because obvsiously, the room will not offer enough space for them.

2) I have restricted myself to collecting the real classics only. All of them will fit through a single door. Yes, the SW cockpit will too, it's not wider than any regular cab.By the way, those doors are the widest "standard" doors you can get here (93 cm. (over 3 foot).

3) If I would have a double door, I would need to keep both clear, so I could not put a cab there.....

[FrizzleFried]

Do you guys get a ton of wind there?  12" between studs is WAY WAY WAY overkill for such a small structure I'd think.  You could have easily saved some $$ by going with 18" if not 24" gaps between studs.   Around here,  18" is common for house construction,  but even some "lower end" homes go with 24" spaces between studs...and that is for a 2 story home in Idaho with snow and quite a bit of wind.

That sucker is going to be quite sturdy...

[Level42]

Anyway, next step:



The cladding is Keralit. The base is recycled plastic. The top is a plastic, printed film. It's very durable and doesn't need any maintenance (a BIG plus for me). Just some cleaning now and then. 10 year guarantee on it. It is also lightweight. Most people would go with a brick wall here. But a single brick wall doesn't isolate and the inside will be very damp. Not good for my machines ! The alternative was real wood, but I prefer to have not too much maintenance The light weight is important to keep the whole structure as light as possible, since we didn't go with the piles, the less weight the better.

We first chose a "wood style" print, but figured with the really big "face" of the whole shed, it would become quite dark looking. Also, there's not a lot of texture in the prints, so it would become looking too artificial. Instead we chose Grayed Ceder:



We asked the neighbors what colors they prefer  (gotta keep friends with them) and both sides chose brown red ceder:



The colors don't show really well because of the flash though....

[shardian]

Do you guys get a ton of wind there?  12" between studs is WAY WAY WAY overkill for such a small structure I'd think.  You could have easily saved some $$ by going with 18" if not 24" gaps between studs.   Around here,  18" is common for house construction,  but even some "lower end" homes go with 24" spaces between studs...and that is for a 2 story home in Idaho with snow and quite a bit of wind.

That sucker is going to be quite sturdy...

Well frizz, here in the states we would also have built that shed on a 4x4 sled and just dropped it in place on the yard. Maybe a few blocks to level it out.

Obviously their building standards are much higher than what we have here for non-living structures.


And to make you real sick Level42, I can go buy an 18'x12' shed that looks like a house, have it delivered and leveled - all for about $3k. 

Oh, and no permits needed at all.

[FrizzleFried]

Do you guys get a ton of wind there?  12" between studs is WAY WAY WAY overkill for such a small structure I'd think.  You could have easily saved some $$ by going with 18" if not 24" gaps between studs.   Around here,  18" is common for house construction,  but even some "lower end" homes go with 24" spaces between studs...and that is for a 2 story home in Idaho with snow and quite a bit of wind.

That sucker is going to be quite sturdy...

Well frizz, here in the states we would also have built that shed on a 4x4 sled and just dropped it in place on the yard. Maybe a few blocks to level it out.

Obviously their building standards are much higher than what we have here for non-living structures.


And to make you real sick Level42, I can go buy an 18'x12' shed that looks like a house, have it delivered and leveled - all for about $3k. 

Oh, and no permits needed at all.

I've actually considered buying a large "Tuff-Shed"... insulating it and running electricty to it for a workshop.  I could then dedicate 100% of the garage to the gameroom.

After figuring it all out I came to about $7,000 total for the shed,  installation,  electrical installtion,  and insulation.

[ChadTower]

And to make you real sick Level42, I can go buy an 18'x12' shed that looks like a house, have it delivered and leveled - all for about $3k. 

You sure about that?  My shed is fully framed, vinyl sided, shingle roofed.  A couple windows.  It's 12x10 and was about $2800 three years ago.  Materials have gone up quite a bit since then and that didn't include leveling or any foundation.  It's on blocks.

[Level42]

Do you guys get a ton of wind there?  12" between studs is WAY WAY WAY overkill for such a small structure I'd think.  You could have easily saved some $$ by going with 18" if not 24" gaps between studs.   Around here,  18" is common for house construction,  but even some "lower end" homes go with 24" spaces between studs...and that is for a 2 story home in Idaho with snow and quite a bit of wind.

That sucker is going to be quite sturdy...

I know very little about constructing Frizz. I'm depending on the pro's here. Yes we do get some good storms overhere, we're relatively close to the sea (let's say 30 km.) and we have a flat little country. It's nothing like the hurricane's you have in some parts of the US though. Overhere, houses are almost never wood-constructed. Most (relatively modern) houses here are concrete based, and then the outside is covered with bricks.
F.I. my house was built in what they call "tunnel" forms. The conrete was poored here. But other homes can use concrete blocks etc.