SonexBuilders.net

So, Andy Walker has constructed a 12x24 aluminum workshop building and is converting his den into a garage and selling the other to continue his build. I saw on the Sonex website some cool pictures of a Xenos coming out of a New York? townhouse - now that is commitment...Even tho my build is yet to start (one or two precursors to be dealt with) I have relocated the kitchen to where the dining room was, thus extending the garage. The dining room was always too small but is a great size for a kitchen. It did take some persuading tho...

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to learn what others had to do to enable a build to start? Hopefully restricted to re-configuring where one lives as opposed to re-configuring who you live with :shock:

I suppose my situation would be considered slightly left of odd .I have a one car garage where we now live but it is used for a kitchen Cabinet business I run (I'm a retired Ford worker and started the business to supplement my pension)so the garage is not available for the plane.So the Tail kit I ordered will be put together in the basement.The Fuse and wings will go together in the workshop I built at the property we bought on Manitoulin Island which is located,here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoulin_Island I have hydro and a well drilled already.
We live in southwestern Ontario near London .It takes 7 hours to get there from home,5 hr's driving and a 2 hr ferry ride to the island.So the plan is once I start the fuse I will take a week at a time when I can spare it and stay in the trailer I have on the property and get at least 40 hrs in building the plane.I like the plan because there will not be any day to day distractions not even my wife as she will stay back home while i'm up there.Based on my current work load for the business I hope to realistically get at least 6 weeks a year up there in which to build.6 X 40 is 240 hrs so I think I can get the wings and fuselage done in 2 to 3 years.
Mike

Great topic!

We are starting in the basement and building the entire tail there, and starting the wings. Once it gets to the point where we are assembling the wings, everything goes into the attached garage.

We put the compressor in an electrical closet with good ventilation and some noise muffling. Ran the compressor hose over the drop ceiling and into the workshop area in the unfinished part of our basement. I installed a regulator and two tool balancers to hang the air tools from. As we move, putting the air line up into the hall closet and out into the garage will be easy.

We currently have two workbenches basically the same as most people build from EAA plans. Will add a mobile one in the garage.

I am extremely lucky as my wife was raised around homebuilts, and saw her step dad build a Smith mini-plane in their garage. She helps me on the project when she can and never complains about the aluminum shavings or constant tool purchases. It probably helps that we met at and were married at an airport. :-)

Giving up the garage will be a major hassle for me, but one to be expected. Hopefully this past winter's blizzard got it out of its system for years to come....

I'd consider my situation a lesson in what NOT to do. My wife originally said she was fine with converting the den back to a garage, and actually preferred that over placing an outbuilding. Being stubborn I didn't want to lose the living space of the den (even though our house is too big for us really already). So I ended up doing BOTH. If I had just done the garage conversion first I would have saved time, energy, and money. :oops:

The 12x24 building is large enough for the fuselage OR the wings, but not both. I'd have had to move the fuselage to my back screened porch to do the wings. Plus the AC unit I have in the shed is really not adequate for Georgia summers. The soon-to-be garage has its own heat pump, and is brick, and will be very comfortable to work in year round. It will be about 20x20, about 30% larger than the current workshop and should easily allow me to work on large parts like wings while having plenty of space for the fuselage and other assemblies. I'll post some pics when it's all done.

I'll be converting a carport into a garage.

chris wrote:I'll be converting a carport into a garage.

Good deal, that should not be too expensive and will provide a great workspace!

Andy Walker wrote:Good deal, that should not be too expensive and will provide a great workspace!

True..and it will be nice to have after the plane is finished as well.

I started in the basement but ultimatly ended up having a 2 car detached garage built. I found a place out in Pennsylvania that is owned by and employees all Amish workers (www.horizonstructures.com). They built pre-fabricated one and two car garages. What I ended up with was a 24x24 2 car garage that was 2 stories high. I have the Sonex in one of the bays, a classic pickup truck project in the other and since it is 2 stories tall I built a nice shop upstairs where I built the wings and do all my other work. The total cost was right around 20k delivered, painted, and finished. The amazing thing was that they went from taking my order, 3 months later they delivered it on one trailer, and then the following day they set it up, painted it, and handed me the keys. I went from having no garage to a completely finished garage in the matter of 2 days. I highly recommend looking at the pre-fab route for garages if anyone is considering having one built for their project.

Keith
#554

I'm trying to decide whether to build in my garage or hangar. The garage is 15 footsteps away from my recliner and the hangar is 27 miles away. BUT the hangar is away from all distractions. I have a small motorhome in there so spending nights is possible. Right now I am retired (that may change if the bozos don't do something about our economy) so I am hoping to build this plane as quickly as funds will allow.

Dan wrote:I'm trying to decide whether to build in my garage or hangar. The garage is 15 footsteps away from my recliner and the hangar is 27 miles away. BUT the hangar is away from all distractions. I have a small motorhome in there so spending nights is possible. Right now I am retired (that may change if the bozos don't do something about our economy) so I am hoping to build this plane as quickly as funds will allow.

Dan, I highly recommend the garage route. The closer and more convenient your workspace is, the more progress you can make. I usually get home from work, eat something, then work a couple of hours. I would not be doing that if I have to drive 27 miles each way (that's an HOUR of driving!), so there's ten hours a week of building I would not get done. Not everybody works the same way, but from my experience I'm sold on the "do a little bit every day" style of building. Then on weekends I get in my 6-10 hour days at it as well.