New build: Arts & Crafts style garage in historic neighborhood

[993James993]

Great news! The work passed multiple inspections today and as a result I was able to backfill the trench in front of the gate. That takes a load off my mind as I was afraid my mother, my wife or I would inadvertently step into the trench. Also the inspector said he didn't care if we started parking inside. I still need to seal the concrete so that is now a top priority. Actually it's my wife's top priority to park inside so I have to get moving.

As you can see the door has a fresh coat of paint. Some of the interior stain had dripped onto it and dried before the painter noticed the mistake. I had him spay the trim as well. After watching him work I can't wait to have him spray the siding. He is scheduled to start early next week, which gives me the weekend to finish the few remaining planks. I'm pretty much set on the final color but I want to try one more variation. Basically its the same color as the walls of my house, but with 200% tint. I want to try it with 300% tint to see it it has a little more color and contrasts with the house.

 

[prae]

Here are some new progress shots.

I had to trench from the far corner of the garage around the back and over to the existing panel on the house. The trench is about 70' long and 22" deep. With this job I found out that the previous owner had put in a galvanized pipe to take electric from the house panel to the converted carriage house. This installation is 15 years old and completely rusted. It's also about 2" from grade. I plan to replace it with the proper materials at the proper depth. Here is a shot of the trench.

The painter came on Monday and stained the entry door, along with the interior windows and he repaired the finish on the carriage house doors that had failed. The color is a little darker than the sample but all in all i like how the door came out. He did excellent work. As the floor is already covered I am having him stain the interior wood that will remain visible. This includes the rafters, tongue and groove and the rafter ties. I want this done before I put up dry wall and he starts tomorrow. I'm going with the same Penofin oil but in a blonde color. I'm glad I'm hiring this out. I can just see spending 5 weekends messing around with this trying to do it myself. This way it's done professionally in 3 days and I can work on other stuff. It also lets me get rid of the scaffolding much sooner and it will be done and over with before we start parking inside!

The finish on your door turned out amazing!

What specific penofin product/color did you choose? I've got an unfinished oak mandoor I've been procrastinating staining.

 

[prae]

I should add, I just spent a good half hour in this thread. Your garage is a work of art! Well done.

 

[993James993]

Thanks Prae! For the entry door I used the red label ultra premium Penofin that is 99% UV resistant. I choose a color called Transparent Bark.

Here is the website: http://www.penofin.com/

When I was considering this product I called their customer service number and they gladly sent me tons of product samples in about eight different colors and a fan deck of stained wood in different types and colors. The product samples came in plastic tubes and were easy to apply. They were mailed out the same day and I had them two or three days later. The lady I spoke with was very knowledgeable and assured me that this was an appropriate product for an exterior door that would see lots of bright sunlight. She said that after about two years the color might lighten or turn grey and to lightly sand it with steel wool and then reapply with a single coat.

Previously I had some fir doors replaced and used a marine grade polyurethane thinking it was the best finish. It quickly started cracking and did not hold up the the UV light. I did not want to repeat that with this door.

 

[993James993]

We passed one more inspection on Wednesday. The underground electrical PVC conduit is schedule 40 which is massive. The inspector failed the last part that comes up to the bottom of the panel, requiring SCH 80 for that pipe. This was changed out on Tuesday and approved yesterday morning. The schedule 80 pipe must be bullet proof as it weighs a ton.

I wanted to backfill the trench behind the garage on the northern side as soon as possible so I spent about two hours shoveling the dirt back in. I didn't like the soil sitting against the side of the building and I can't finish the siding on that wall with the trench open. The plan is to finish siding on Saturday so that the painter can caulk and prep the siding on Sunday. For safety reasons I can't have an open trench and allow the painter to spray the siding. His attention would be focused on the building and not on the ground. This means backfilling the complete trench.

 

[993James993]

I finished hanging the siding today! I had to cut and hang 5 pieces to finish off the back wall and then rip the three boards to fit under the windows. Ripping the planks was a little difficult but I'm happy with how they turned out. I put the first one up with nails and did not like the look. I pulled them and used countersunk screws. I'll fill them with calk and hopefully the screw heads and the joints underneath the windows will disappear.

I also bought one more can of paint and painted some plywood boards to test the color. The painter is coming tomorrow to prep the siding and will finish it later in the week. I plan to shim a few of the boards that don't sit as I like and that will be it for the siding.

I ordered 15 extra boards because the siding was not available locally and I had to have it trucked in. I didn't want to be short and figured it was worth the extra cost not to have to deal with that scenario . Now I have an extra 14 boards and no idea where to store them. Leaving them inside the garage is not an option, although I pulled them off the 12' pallet this evening and stacked them against the rear wall. Tomorrow I'll remove the pallet and hopefully get the cars inside.

 

[abstamaria]

It's very nice, Jim. It will turn out really well.

 

[993James993]

It's very nice, Jim. It will turn out really well.

Thanks Andres!

This morning I cut the 12' pallet in half and used one the pieces as a temporary fence on one side. This will give me time to design a fence to complement the building. By the time it was installed I was exhausted due to the humidity and high heat. At 5:00 pm it was overcast and somewhat cooler and my son agreed to help me take down the temporary fencing. I used the panel with the gate to block off the other side of the garage, leaving the door accessible and allowing us to finally park inside. Pulling the cars inside for the first time was a thrill, especially after all this time. Best of all, it looks like the 30" deep bench will fit in front of my wife's car with plenty of room to spare.

The silver car is my wife's and the red one belongs to my son.

 

[lupinsea]

Very nice. Nice cars and a great garage to keep them in. Everything is looking sharp!

 

[ersatzs2]

Nice 964 but where's the 993? The place is looking great, I really like the roof, and your doors (spruce?) are super.

 

[floridasailor]

993James993 you have a wonderful looking shop. I am envious of the wood but not practical down here in Florida.

I can't understand why any body would have a problem with the color.

see below

floridasailor

 

[abstamaria]

I am very impressed, Jim, and I love the look and the neighborhood. You are very lucky. Where were you thinking of putting the grass pavers?

 

[993James993]

Very nice. Nice cars and a great garage to keep them in. Everything is looking sharp!

Thanks Lupinsea! Coming from you that is quite a compliment. I'm following your build thread closely! Your project is phenomenal.

 

[993James993]

Nice 964 but where's the 993? The place is looking great, I really like the roof, and your doors (spruce?) are super.

Thanks Ersatz2! For the past ten months we've parked the daily drivers on the street just off the alley. Rather than park on the street my car is at my mom's house under a cover. I would have driven it home on Saturday but the battery was down and would not take a charge. I should have a new battery tomorrow and can't wait to bring it over here, although it will probably be a couple more weeks before it stays here as I hope to get the insulation and dry wall up very soon. After we moved the fencing I asked my son to pull his car inside to get an idea of the spacing.

By the way, if you would, please post photos on your thread showing your 3.8 engine and the strut tower brace. That would be great! I actually had an OEM Heigo RS strut tower brace but somehow it ended up in the 964. I suspect that your car has the one piece model that is no longer available.

 

[993James993]

993James993 you have a wonderful looking shop. I am envious of the wood but not practical down here in Florida.

I can't understand why any body would have a problem with the color.

see below

floridasailor

Hi Floridasailor,

i love your build. When I saw the white sand in the second photo I thought Bradenton. I see that you are in Sarasota so pretty close! My uncle lives in the area and I have very fond memories of summer vacations spent riding on my cousin's Boston Whaler going to different beaches and looking down at hammerhead sharks through the pristine waters. I remember snorkeling and finding conch shells and getting stung by a fire ant or two. You live in Paradise!

 

[993James993]

I am very impressed, Jim, and I love the look and the neighborhood. You are very lucky. Where were you thinking of putting the grass pavers?

Thank you Andres! This neighborhood is very beautiful. It dates from about 1895 to 1929 or so. Some of the early houses are clearly victorian, mixed in with lots of bungalows, Spanish and Italianate villas, and even some spectacular homes that were clearly influenced by Wright and Greene & Greene. My house was build in 1922 and shows a lot of Arts and Crafts influences. It must have been spectacular when it was new with exquisite woodwork and leaded glass panels. The original owner died in 1945 and the subsequent owners updated it in the 50's, painting the interior trim, removing the built-in furniture in the entry and adding a bathroom off the kitchen. I've slowly undone many of the improvements and have multiple projects planned. I am very fortunate to live in this house in this neighborhood.

I'm considering the grass pavers to go on both sides of the drive way, as well as the strip of dirt at the edge of the concrete. The driveway goes right to the lot line but there is a 30" gap between the drive and the paved alley. I'm sure this will turn into a mud ditch in monsoon season and I'm looking for something more elegant than asphalt to prevent this. I am planning a concrete walk way between the garage and the carriage house and based on your comments I will probably just extend it out on the right side so that anyone approaching the gate will have a solid walk. This area will also be used for guest parking so I will have to take that all in to consideration as well.

If anyone reading this has not yet seen Abstamaria's garage thread, they should check it out!

 

[twostory]

I'm considering the grass pavers to go on both sides of the drive way, as well as the strip of dirt at the edge of the concrete. The driveway goes right to the lot line but there is a 30" gap between the drive and the paved alley.

If you do this, make sure you have a 6 inch base of rock/road base. under the pavers. I experimented with the grass pavers, but my cars would press them into the soil where I did not have a "thick" base.

Read the installation instructions for base prep. You may find that concrete is cheaper & easier.

http://www.pervioussolutions.com/docs/Turfstone_Spec_Sheet.pdf

 

[jktruck150]

VERY VERY COOL! Thanks for all the detailed pictures and comments! This makes our jobs easier when we get to the point you are at!

 

[993James993]

Thanks for the heads up Twostory! I'm reluctant to pour concrete in that area as it belongs to the city. The pavers seemed like a less permanent but equally effective solution. I will give it more thought.

 

[993James993]

Thank you Jktruck150. I read this forum for years before starting my project and the information i gained has helped me tremendously!

 

[993James993]

Both yesterday and today turned out great! The power company rep called me on Monday to tell me he had inspected the panel and that we were good to go. He said the earliest they could do the power kill and establish new service would be Friday. I hung up and called the electrician to tell him and he informed me that we were scheduled for first thing Tuesday morning. The guys showed up right on time and and I had a new power drop by 8:00! It was thrilling to watch them. I felt like a kid.

I left for work at 8:00 and at 11:00 the electrician called with the news that my main panel on the house wasn't going to cut it. There was not enough room inside for all the circuits and there were multiple non compliant pipes and other connections that would not fly once inspected. I was not surprised and actually kind of glad to hear this news. He gave me three possible solutions and I asked what he would do if this were his property. He told me and I said "Let's do it" without asking the price. Before I hung up he told me not to sweat it, that he would just charge time and materials. When I left that morning this is what the old panel looked like:

I thought they would be done by 5:00 PM but when i arrived home at 6:00 they were still working. There had been a huge thunderstorm that sidelined them for 2 hours and there had been a nearby lightning strike. I was pretty lucky that the power to the house was disconnected. Even so I lost my cable modem and my two line phone. My neighbors suffered more severe issues. So the electricians came back today and when I arrived home this evening I saw what the new panel on the house looks like:

I tried to find a photo of the old one without luck. This looks 1000% better. I am very pleased. I still have no idea how much this upgrade will cost but I feel good about it.

The next great news is that there is plenty of room for my work benches:

And lastly, as of 10:00 PM tonight, my car is finally back home! It needs washing but I'll take care of that!

 

[twokidsnosleep]

Wow what a great build. The choice of materials and design are superb.
The internals of the ceiling with exposed beams...I think I just drooled all over my laptop. Loving the arts and crafts influence and the attention to detail you are going to.
I live in an 1932 a&c bungalow in Vancouver BC area and am addicted to this style of architecture. Loking forward to seeing your progress and more documentation
Cheers, Scott

 

[Jack Olsen]

Smart choice on the electrical. It's the most helpful and dangerous thing in a house.

And even with the return of the round headlights, I'd say the 993 is the best-looking iteration of the 911 in its 46 years of production.

 

[ZRX61]

Any drainage issues from rain where your roof & the one next door almost overlap?

 

[993James993]

Wow what a great build. The choice of materials and design are superb.
The internals of the ceiling with exposed beams...I think I just drooled all over my laptop. Loving the arts and crafts influence and the attention to detail you are going to.
I live in an 1932 a&c bungalow in Vancouver BC area and am addicted to this style of architecture. Loking forward to seeing your progress and more documentation
Cheers, Scott

Thank you Scott! That's really cool. You made my day. I also love arts & crafts architecture. I have been very fortunate in that I have seen these types of homes all over the country, including examples by some wonderful architects.

My goal in building the garage was to have a building that would provide the functionality that I want and blend in with the house and the neighborhood. Once everything is done I think I will be close to achieving that objective.

 

[993James993]

Smart choice on the electrical. It's the most helpful and dangerous thing in a house.

And even with the return of the round headlights, I'd say the 993 is the best-looking iteration of the 911 in its 46 years of production.

Hey Jack. Your garage and your car are among my favorites. Not sure if you've posted it but I would love to see the facade of your house. It seems to be the quintessential Spanish style California bungalow.

I love the 993 but it's hard to pick a favorite 911. To me that all look wonderful. There is a local guy who owns a silver 959 that is shown in all the PCA events. I must have taken six dozen photos of that car. It has to be one of my favorites. I also love the '97 993 turbo S with the air scoops in the rear fenders. That and the standard 993 remind me of the 959. For classic 911's I think I prefer the 964. It has essentially the same engine as the '95 993 with the classic 911 body. My son owns one. Its the Guards Red car shown parked in the garage.

Once I have the lift in place I hope to tackle a suspension upgrade.

The principal electrical upgrade in all of this was getting rid of my old power drop. This line crossed over my guest house and was only 18" above the roof. Complicating it was an acacia tree that sat right under the line. Small branches would grow over the line and begin to stretch it as they grew larger. About 18 months ago when I was finalizing the drawings my electrician warned me that it was a disaster waiting to happen. At the time I opted to trim the tree but that was only a temporary solution. Now it's solved! I also feel much better that I discovered the rusting line and replaced it before that became an issue. And the new panel is safer and looks great in my opinion.

I still need to replace two more lines that were not touched in this reconfiguration. I'm hoping to get that done in the next couple of weeks.

 

[993James993]

Any drainage issues from rain where your roof & the one next door almost overlap?

ZRX61, there are no real drainage issues as there is about a 12" drop over the 40' or so from the house to the alley. What is an issue is trying to walk between the two structures in a rain storm. If you walk under the garage eaves you can stay out of the rain, but only until you get to the end. I've thought about putting rain gutters on the smaller building and may do so.

I like the space and distance between the two buildings. It creates an nice shaded area that is a retreat from the bright sun. I cut almost all of the siding in this area and it's a great space. I envision the one tree growing out and covering it with more shade. I'll eventually add a concrete walkway and some potted plants.

 

[993James993]

I'm taking a break today and only spent about three hours early this morning cleaning up a little. Then I took my car for a nice drive and got to enjoy it for a bit.

This photo shows the area beside and in front of the drive way that I want to finish. It might be because of all the rain, but the cars track a lot of dirt into the garage. The driveway ends at the lot line and there is about three feet of soil between the driveway and the paved alley.

Here is a shot of the 993 inside:

 

[twokidsnosleep]

Nice looking car. Good to hear you enjoy your car properly by driving it rather than just looking at it.
What are the plans for finishing the interior walls etc?
Can you pave or gravel to the lot edge and get rid of that dirt strip?

 

[thomask]

Looking real sharp.

A little paving will sure go a long way in keeping that new floor clean.

 

[993James993]

Hi Twokids and Thomas,

Thanks for your encouraging comments.

I've considered paving the spot with asphalt, grass pavers, solid pavers and even concrete. I've looked at grated drains as well. At this point solid pavers are the likely solution but right now even that is not at the top of my to do list.

I do have plans for a concrete walk between the two buildings. When I do this I want the new walk and step at the garage to match the back porch concrete and steps and the walkway at the front of the house. So it would extend the material and style of the house to the garage and out to the gate, unifying the whole place. Adding a concrete apron the existing driveway would not add much cost if done at that time.

Finishing the interior is second from the top of my list. I can't have power inside the garage until it is drywalled. This is to comply with code because of the romex wire in the studs. Before I can get the final electrical inspection I need to pass a drywall nailing inspection. So insulation and dry wall are the next things to take care of. I've had one bid so far and that was out of my price range. I'll get another bid next week and either move ahead or start planning to do it myself.

The item at the top of the list is exterior paint. I've got the price, picked out the color and given the go ahead to the painter. That was two weeks ago and he didn't show up when he said he would. He finally left a message four days later saying that he was out of town on vacation. In the mean time I had to replace the electrical panel on the house. That was a major unplanned expense that dwarfed the cost of the paint and labor. Maybe I'm stubborn but I am not going to call the painter. That said, I would like to get this out of the way.

Apart from the insulation, drywall, exterior paint, finish electrical and concrete work, I still need to figure out fencing with two gates, and finish off the wooden trim boards above the siding.

Oh, I forgot to mention sealing the slab, interior lighting, security system, cabinets, two post lift, interior wood trim, and on and on......I think I'm going to go drive my car today and worry about that stuff tomorrow!

 

[51rider]

I think I'm going to go drive my car today and worry about that stuff tomorrow!

Go drive that car-you deserve to

 

[993James993]

Thanks 51rider!

I took the car out for a couple of drives on Sunday and spent most of the day hanging out with wife, our son and his girlfriend. In the afternoon I did wash both the 993 and the wife's A4. We were going to put one of the benches inside but never got that far.

Here are a few new shots:

 

[993James993]

Before I put up drywall I think it best to choose wall cabinets. I want to put up blocking to support my choice so that they are nice and solid. I found some metal cabinets at Global Industrial that seem to fit what I have in mind. Here is the link:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/g/storage/cabinets/wall-mount/wall-bench-cabinets

They are available in blue which should match my two benches. They are not Lista, which is what I really want, but they are reasonably priced and won't break the bank. Has anyone used these before?

If I go with these I will probably spray my grey cabinet/bench with the same shade of blue to match.

 

[SM Racing]

Is the breaker box on the outside of the building? Maybe I am just seeing the pictures wrong.

 

[993James993]

Is the breaker box on the outside of the building? Maybe I am just seeing the pictures wrong.

Hi Brett,

Yes, the grey panel has all the breakers inside. The old one had a meter socket and the held the power company meter. Having an exterior electric panel is pretty much the norm here.

 

[twokidsnosleep]

By blocking to support do you mean like a french cleat?
That is what I want to use. You can make the cleat as long as you want and store stuff on cleats rather than pegboard.
Here is a link
http://lumberjocks.com/thewoodwhisperer/blog/11932

Cheers

 

[993James993]

By blocking to support do you mean like a french cleat?
That is what I want to use. You can make the cleat as long as you want and store stuff on cleats rather than pegboard.
Here is a link
http://lumberjocks.com/thewoodwhisperer/blog/11932

Cheers

Hi TwoKids,

Actually I just want to add horizontal 2x6 blocks to provide an anchor point, and then drywall over them.

I followed the link you posted and the french cleat looks very solid and useful. Years ago while living at another house I bought a nice closet system made by Techline. It was suspended by a metal rail that was attached to the studs and had an incredible strength rating. The closet system weighed a ton and hooked on with a corresponding hook system. It was rock solid. The principle was the same as the system you linked to.

The coolest part is that you can adjust the horizontal position of the cabinets just by sliding them. Thanks for the link! I may use this in the future.

 

[993James993]

Hi TwoKids,

I must have subconsciously thought about your post all last night. When I woke up this morning I knew what I can do. I've considered putting up a picture rail molding but now I plan to attached a french cleat around the walls. This will let me attach the cabinets and then move them easily.

Thanks! I'm very happy that you posted that link.

 

[Hemihead2]

...I found some metal cabinets at Global Industrial that seem to fit what I have in mind. Here is the link:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/g/storage/cabinets/wall-mount/wall-bench-cabinets

They are available in blue which should match my two benches. They are not Lista, which is what I really want, but they are reasonably priced and won't break the bank. Has anyone used these before?

I saw the Saber cabinets this past weekend at the West Coast Nationals car show and was very impressed with the quality and the affordability. They aren't blue, but still have a very nice two tone grey finish. IIRC, the owner told me he's considering offering them in blue or red in the future.

http://www.sabercabinets.com/gj

And they also have their site listed on the GJ home page at the bottom right.