Amish Electric Chair Studios - Athens, Ohio

[amishsixstringe]

Originally Posted by Washington

Somebody willing to make his own bricks gives dedication a whole new meaning. This is as nuts as it is admirable. Congrats.

Yeah, it's quite stupid really, but my job pays shit for the work I do. (Not complaining. I know times are hard for everyone right now and I'm thankful for my job.) I use my time and money very strictly. I just did a calculation. I have roughtly 14,200.00 invested so far. That's PEANUTS. It's looking like I might actually come in around my initial budget of 25-30K, which some slutz I spoke to before construction told me I was insane. Most people estimated about a 50,000 dollar cost. This does not include any gear.

Neil

[mobius.media]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

Yeah, it's quite stupid really, but my job pays shit for the work I do. (Not complaining. I know times are hard for everyone right now and I'm thankful for my job.) I use my time and money very strictly. I just did a calculation. I have roughtly 14,200.00 invested so far. That's PEANUTS. It's looking like I might actually come in around my initial budget of 25-30K, which some slutz I spoke to before construction told me I was insane. Most people estimated about a 50,000 dollar cost. This does not include any gear.

Dude, you're my hero. Wish I had your grit, determination, and know how. That's gonna be an awesome space for a bargain price. Keep the pics coming as you get them!

Also, one thought regarding the fire issue - I agree a fire escape window would probably be a very good idea if you can cut still it out. Another option which might complement that since it's going to be a pretty tight theoretical escape from anywhere in there is to ensure you have a good sized fire extinguisher in every room. They are not expensive and could save a life. Also, in case of emergency, remember, bass trap insulation is fire resistant. Use it as a shield.

[amishsixstringe]

Mobius, Thanks for the inspiring words. Sometimes it's tough to get motivated, but I do try.

I already planned put fire extinguishers everywhere. Even if there were 8 windows in every room. Thing that gets me is this. When I went to OU we had a studio on the 3rd floor of a building. The studio has one door to get in, 5 rooms inside, and NO windows. Therefore, no natural light, and NO fire escapes. I could be wrong, but I don't recall ever seeing a fire extinguisher inside. Keep in mind, this is a university building. If there was a fire in the hallway of the building, there would be no escape.

I realize that two wrongs don't make a right, but it was one of my deciding factors that contributed to not compromising the structure and building a secondary escape.

Thanks again guys. More photos soon. I'll be chalking out the control room on the floor tomorrow I hope.

Neil

[greatgreatriver]

I'm a fan boy to, awesome build!

[amishsixstringe]

I have no photos to show today, but I hope to maybe next week. It's been POURING for the past 2 days at the studio. I cleaned out the area where the control room will be getting framed and cut some 2x4's. I have a few loose ends to tie up before getting into any real framing, but maayybe by next weekend I'll be there! See you guys soon!

Neil

[soundrick]

Making your own landscaping retaining blocks. WOW.

Man, you deserve every bit of happiness that studio will bring you.

Hat's off, truly!!

[endangered]

Awesome work... really cool ..

[RonT]

A++++Dude! Wow!

[soulfield]

Neil,

How are those hand made bricks/blocks turning out.

I admire your presistence and feel the pain of a budget.

looking good buddy!

[amishsixstringe]

Hey guys,

The hand made bricks are working well. I made over 100 of them. However, I'm bailing on them. I still need 300 more and just don't have the time. I'm going to use them to make a garden at my parents' house for my mother. I'm going to get 8" concrete blocks, just like the ones the building is made of and make a wall with those, back fill with pea gravel and a french drain and be done with it.

Last week we had a really bad few days of horrible rain. The studio flooded. The french drain we were working on wasn't ready for rain. It wasn't supposed to rain for 2 more days and then it just came in and caught me slacking. The new drain is almost done. Then this stupid wall can go up. It's been 8 hours a day of grueling digging and mud, but its getting there. DIY is not for the feint of heart. I'm getting behind the schedule, but there is no real deadline here.

After the flood there was one day last week that was nice, so I decided to rent a small trackhoe get the french drain all built in one day. It became buried within a couple hours and I spent the rest of the day getting it out. What a waste of 300 bucks.

I'm also going to have to cut the bottom 1 foot of drywall off in the isolation room that was started. I'm concerned with mold. The building is plenty dry now. I am prepared for rain at any time. I won't make the same mistake again. I will get a real update here soon, but the work I'm doing now isn't that glorious. Just stuff that has to be done to protect my investment.

See you guys soon.

Neil

[johndykstra]

bummer man.

hang in there

thumbsup

[heyman]

Hey Neil.. just caught this thread. I have only been on here sparringly over the last 8 months..

Congrats man. I know it isnt done and there were some setbacks..
But..

Live the dream... I know I am living it thru you.. Your place is looking great..

Dont sweat the small stuff. This isnt life or death here..

Enjoy the journey and the end product is going to be stellar..!

Peace bro..
PS- if you ever tour on the east coast and need a place to crash on your way to Boston - look me up.. Maybe our bands can play together as well.. Long live Punk..

[amishsixstringe]

Thanks a lot for the inspiring words guys! I'm by no means letting go. haha. I re-read my post and it looks pretty emo. Not me by any means. I've been out there 8 hours a day before going to to work digging my ass off with my brother. Here's a quick shot I took today with my phone. You can see the french drain being dug. It is about 2 feet deep there. As we dug it out it immediately begun filling itself with ground water and flowing out into the front yard. Between yesterday and today we moved, with shovels and a little wheelbarrow a larger amount of dirt (read mud) than what would be needed to sculpt a full sized model of a cadillac.

The hill that you see behind the building was continuous right to that corner of the building. We moved all that out yesterday and dug the ditch today. The concrete bags are solid cement. They were all stored in the studio but solidified when water came in. So, they are now a temporary (I'm getting really sick of using that word) retaining wall.

Enjoy.

Keep on keepin' on I shall. Life's a garden. Dig it!



Neil

[amishsixstringe]

Oh, and all the soil slopes downward away from the foundation into the ditch now. So, if it rains....no flood.

I'm looking into a 35' canvas awning to put on the back wall to keep rain another 5' away from my foundation. The overhang of the awning will be directly above the ditch, so any rain run-off will fall immediately into the drain and go away. I'll be laying blocks for the new retaining wall next week. At least that's something I know how to do now.

Neil

[amishsixstringe]

Oh, and here's the same corner from the doorway.





Neil

[chris carter]

Neil,

One word of caution regarding the retaining wall. I spent the last year house hunting (finally about to close! yeah!!!!) and I saw a lot of houses in hilly areas and a lot of them had big beefy retaining walls much like yours. And a lot of those walls were really struggling (or had already shown failures). Holding back a million tons of earth is a battle that eventually will be lost 100% of the time. It's just a matter of how long the wall holds until it gives. So please please please overresearch how to lay the blocks. The straight wall in post #117 doesn't instill confidence. I'm no engineer; I've just seen plenty of wall failures.

And be sure there are plenty of holes for water to drain through the wall or it will fail pretty quickly.

BTW - building your own bricks.... seriously HARD CORE! (color me IMPRESSED).

[amishsixstringe]

Chris, thanks for the advice. The blocks in that post won't be used. A neighbor showed me the retaining wall on his property. I don't know how many years it has been there, but it's been awhile. He built a drain into the wall. I'm going to do the same. Without the drain the wall is very temporary. Thanks again. I'll let you know how it works out.


Neil

[Farout]

Very nice build, Sir.
At first - I started wondering where you were located ... it almost looks like you could be right down the street from me ... but then I noticed you're in Ohio.
Really is a great thread.
The Blair Witch pic was funny ... didn't read enough to see if anybody else caught it as well!
Very inspiring to see such hard work happening. I'm sure it's going to pay off ... if it hasn't already!
Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Take care

Scott

[amishsixstringe]

I have redesigned my retaining wall. I'll post up an autocad drawing perhaps tonight. I did some homework with it. It is going to be expensive and suck, but it should last a few years.

Digging the canal is almost done. I hit a giant red clay/iron deposit and can't get through it even with a mattock, so I have a jackhammer for the weekend to hopefully save me.

On a positive note it rained pretty hard this morning. The studio and its foundation are dry and the drain at the end was spewing water all day.


Neil

[amishsixstringe]

Here's a bad ass drawing I did in autocad. Hard to believe I used to draw in Acad for a living. haha.

Studio is on the left. The french drain is in the middle(ish) The wall is now 2 short walls. My research tells me that retaining walls over 4 feet tall are really prone to early collapse. These walls are just over 3 feet tall each. The distance between the walls is to make it so that the lower wall isn't holding up the upper wall. (It always will be to some degree, but rule of thumb is to put it at least as far away as the height of the wall.) The walls are back filled with pea gravel and utilize a drain tile system to keep things dry and to not build up force behind the wall and wash it out. There will be grass planted on the plane above the first wall, and bushes with nice tight root systems planted on the top tier.

The walls are planted on concrete footer with rebar and filled with concrete for mass. I may make some "dead men" to anchor even better. They basically extend a few feet into the hill and pull the wall toward the mountain.

This is probably a bunch of overkill, but it will hopefully last many years before a rebuild.



Neil

[johndykstra]

looks like a backdrop for a bitchin' Atari game.

[blackcatdigi]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

...so I have a jackhammer for the weekend to hopefully save me.
Neil

Dude, I am in awe of your intestinal fortitude! Just reading about how hard you're working is exhausting!!!

Godspeed to you.

[amishsixstringe]

hahahahaha. The 'clay' broke the solid hardened steel spade bit for the jackhammer I rented. Bad week.

Neil

[Chris Nighman]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

hahahahaha. The 'clay' broke the solid hardened steel spade bit for the jackhammer I rented. Bad week.

Neil

Wow! Keep up the good work.

[amishsixstringe]

Turns out that the clay was a giant limestone deposit. It took 3 days to get through it, but it is done! Just in time, too. It's raining today and is supposed to all week. Water is pouring out of the end and the studio is dry. Success.

Neil

[Washington]

Congrats! If your hard work is to pay off in due time, you'll eventually have to build a runway for your private jet. We should make friends now.

[amishsixstringe]

Congrats! If your hard work is to pay off in due time, you'll eventually have to build a runway for your private jet. We should make friends now.

Man, I'm 25. I've been working my ass off since I was 12. I drive a 1999 ford van and borrow tee shirts/socks from my girlfriend because I can't afford to do laundry. Nothing is handed to me, nor do I expect it to be. Hard work does pay off for what it is worth and nothing more.

Neil

[Beowulf]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

Man, I'm 25. I've been working my ass off since I was 12. I drive a 1999 ford van and borrow tee shirts/socks from my girlfriend because I can't afford to do laundry. Nothing is handed to me, nor do I expect it to be. Hard work does pay off for what it is worth and nothing more.

Neil

Totally agree... I know where you are coming from, i went for six months without a bed at one point in my life, but all the hard work eventually payed off. Hang in there and ignore the haters and anyone who trys to tell you what is or is not possible.

[johndykstra]

Wow,

I think you guys read him wrong. The way I took it, as hard and self motivated as you are working, Washington feels as though you will no doubt work your way to the top and be able to afford your own jet...

...just sayin'... I think it was a compliment.

[Washington]

It was, and a sincere one.