Dried In and Dreamin’: The Roof is Finally DONE.

Hey everyone, Josh here,

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the dirt lately, and I’m not talking about off-roading (though I’d much rather be doing that). We are deep in the “Pain” phase of the shop build, but man, does the “Victory” feel close.

If you’ve been following along, you know this shop is the dream. It’s the place where Alex and I are going to bring more rust-buckets back to life and prep for the next big DPV adventure. But building a shop by yourself? That is a puzzle with a lot of heavy pieces.

The Grind (and the Sprain)

First off, life likes to throw curveballs. I managed to wreck my ankle playing rec league volleyball. Note to self: maybe 40-year-old fabricators shouldn’t be jumping around on the court like they’re 20. It laid me up for a bit, but that’s the DPV way—you don’t stop, you just pivot. While I was icing the ankle, my wife Allison stepped up big time and helped me get a jump start on the wainscoting.

We’re going with a dark grey on the bottom and a lighter grey on top. I’m telling you, seeing those colors start to cover the house wrap makes this feel like a real building and not just a giant wooden skeleton in my backyard.

Lessons from the Shop Floor

We hit a little snag early on with the metal panels. I tried driving the screws in with the impact driver right away, but it slipped and scratched the paint. That’s the “Pain,” right there. Instead of getting frustrated, we just changed the strategy. My buddy Jay came over, and we started pre-drilling every single hole. It’s an extra step and a lot more work (we’re talking over 700 screws just for one section!), but the result is a clean, professional look that’ll last.

The Big Win: We’re Dried In!

The biggest milestone this week? The roof is officially DONE. I spent hours on those lean-to roofs, snapping lines and getting a system down. There’s a specific kind of rhythm you get into when you’re solo-building—you find the “flow” between the ladder, the drill, and the metal. By the time the sun started setting, we had the perimeter done and the roof sealed up.

Why is that such a big victory? Because now we can start on the fun stuff:

• Electrical: (Alex is going to have a field day with the wiring).
• Concrete: Getting that floor leveled so we aren’t working in the mud anymore.
• The Lift: I can already see the Ghetto Glyder sitting high and dry in here.

Why We Do This

I’ll be honest, there were moments this weekend when I was covered in mud and sore from head to toe, wondering why I didn’t just hire a crew. But then I look at that building—built with help from my wife and my friends—and I realize this is exactly what DPV is about. You don’t need a million-dollar budget or a professional construction crew. You just need to be willing to learn, willing to fail a little bit, and ready to get back to work.

We’re getting to the “it gets better” stage, and I can’t wait to get a wrench back in my hand instead of a sheet metal screw.

Thanks for sticking with us on this build. It’s going to be the heart of everything we do next.

Wheel it, Wreck it, Wrench it, Repeat!