ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

It looks like you neighbor with the bobcat is making piles in the street. Maybe the pictures are making it look that way. Here in Arizona snow Country that’s a huge No-No, will get you a ticket! They give you the stink eye if you even sweep snow into the road here! They even have a no overnight parking on the street ordinance from November 1st till April 30th!

There are a few piles that may be encroaching out a bit further than the rest, but most are at the gutter or mainly in the park strips.

Either way, that's on him, no concern of mine as long as he doesn't pile them in front of my drive. Personally, I would rather have a pile of snow encroaching out into the street rather than several of the neighbor's vehicles. We have very specific guidelines for the city that state no cars parked on the street between Nov. 15 and March 15 for snow removal. Not very many people abide by those guidelines.

That being said, we also have CC&R's for our immediate subdivision that state no cars in front of the houses for a period longer than 24 hours, no RV's to be parked in front of the front plane of the house and no garbage cans can be visible from the street and have to be behind the house or behind a fence. Many of the neighbors choose not to abide by those either. Funny how people pick and choose which rules to follow.

One of the newer neighbors to the subdivision lives across the street from me. Another neighbor complained to him this past summer because he had his trailer with ATV's parked in front of his house for several weeks. After the confrontation, he caught me at the mailbox one day and was complaining to me about the neighbor who said something thinking I would be in his corner. I guess I wasn't very sympathetic because I explained that we have CC&R's that state such a rule. He said it was a stupid rule and it was his house. I said, true, the house is yours however, the street is the cities and these guidelines are designed into each subdivision at the time of inception and IF he doesn't agree he should run for city council, not just choose not to follow because he doesn't agree. Needless to say, he doesn't say much to me these days.

 

[SilverJimmy]

How to annoy an idiot, use facts and truth, gets them every time! I really like that you let your new neighbor know “how it is”! The biggest criteria in purchasing our new home was no HOA or CC&R’s. I wouldn’t complain about the rules if I agreed to them prior to purchasing the home. Our new neighborhood is all 1 acre + lots and everyone seems to take pride in their property. And the oak trees are so thick that the homes not kept very well aren’t visible!

 

[zmotorsports]

How to annoy an idiot, use facts and truth, gets them every time! I really like that you let your new neighbor know “how it is”! The biggest criteria in purchasing our new home was no HOA or CC&R’s. I wouldn’t complain about the rules if I agreed to them prior to purchasing the home. Our new neighborhood is all 1 acre + lots and everyone seems to take pride in their property. And the oak trees are so thick that the homes not kept very well aren’t visible!

You're preaching to the choir Sterling. Probably why I don't have many friends as I have never been in the "go along to get along" camp. However, if we used facts to determine or weed out level of idiocy, our society wouldn't be in the situation it is now. The problem with idiot-proofing things, or rather trying to, is that there are more idiots born every day and they find the loopholes a normal person wouldn't even think of. Then those idiots migrate towards other idiots, they procreate, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

When we were looking for our forever home we did NOT want a property that had anything to do with a HOA. We never even went and investigated at anything in an HOA neighborhood. If it had the box checked for HOA on the email it was immediately rejected. One afternoon our realtor friend who was assisting us during our house hunting phase took us to a house that we really liked when we pulled up. We almost walked inside but as we were standing outside discussing the property and the neighborhood I casually asked if it was an HOA. When he looked at his notes and responded "yes", I simply said I had seen all I needed to, there is no sense in going inside.

That being said, I was however, specifically looking for something that had much more strictly written CC&R's that our previous neighborhood as those were too loosely written and after a couple decades new homeowners who were coming into the neighborhood were finding ways around the earlier written CC&R's and therefore the neighborhood went down the *******, and quick.

When it comes to HOA's I feel as though HOA rules have the potential to be "interpreted" differently by different people and were too subjective for me. They can be hit and miss depending on who oversees the HOA. With CC&R's however, they are written very specifically and spelled out clearly at the time the subdivision is developed, which I like. The problem comes from those who don't read them before purchasing like you mentioned.

I on the other hand, went to the county to pull the CC&R's the day after looking at the house and after a quick browse through them and a discussion with the wife, we put earnest money down therefore tying the house up and then I could do a much deeper investigation and even meet with someone from the city. Seeing as how the neighborhood and building a bigger shop were the two main factors for our moving, I practically had the CC&R's memorized with a couple of days when I had arranged a meeting with the city planning commissioner and building inspector. I walked in with a copy of the plot layout, shop layout on the property, overview of the shop's construction along with a rendering and a copy of the CC&R's.

The meeting could not have gone better. I laid out my case for purchasing the property and shop construction. I mentioned the size, I had a rendering showing the exterior and cited the CC&R's as to their requirements, such as same construction type and method of the dwelling (ie. no pole buildings), the exterior had to have the exact same materials and colors as the house including rock and/or brick, the front had to have 50% of said rock or brick, the remaining side had to have 36" high of corresponding brick or rock to match and the roof had to have the asphalt shingles to match the house and lastly, the accessory building could not be taller than the house.

My shop and the layout of it on the property met all of the criteria with one exception, the back of the shop along the south fence line. I had asked about a variance on the brick work for the three sides. Rather than having brick on the back side which ran along the back property line where no one would see it I would rather the east and west sides have 48" of brick rather than the 36". When asked why I simply said due to the size of those walls I felt like they would be more proportionate and therefore better aesthetics. They agreed whole-heartedly and everything looked great with the plan.

They expressed the fact that they could not issue a building permit until I owned the property, which I fully understood. However, I also expressed that my main reason for purchasing this property was to build the accessory building and if there was anything at all that could prevent it from being approved or something that didn't meet the CC&R criteria that I was maybe overlooking because I didn't want to spend that kind of money and then find out I couldn't execute my plans. They both agreed that the presentation was flawless, and all criteria was met. They both commented how they wished more people would do their homework before buying properties as they have had to reject plans because the homeowner didn't do his due diligence in the property.

To me, it was as easy as a trip to the county for the printout of the CC&R's and a plot layout. Absolutely nothing that anyone couldn't do if prospective home buyers cared enough to check. Personally, a little research when spending money goes a long way but I guess people are too lazy to do even basic research, then play the victim and blame others.

Although I love the neighborhood that we live in, there are still a few of our neighbors that don't follow the rules that have been laid out.

I still remember the day we broke ground on the shop. We had only met 1 neighbor prior to this but on January 31, 2017, as soon as we broke ground, I had two neighbors standing in my driveway while I watched the hole being dug. They were inquiring about what we were doing and when I mentioned building a shop/accessory building, they mentioned that I should make sure that I research the CC&R's. My wife was appalled that they came over to mention that but I on the other hand didn't mind. In fact, I probably would have done the same thing. I informed them that I had a copy of the CC&R's in my truck if they'd like to see them, but I could probably recite them from memory and if they had any questions I would be happy to answer them.

They had no specific questions other than they wanted to make sure the guidelines were being followed. I can say to this day those are the two couples that I know the best and probably have the most respect for in our neighborhood because the keep their yards up immaculately and are very kind and courteous but stand their ground on issues. One of the couples a few years ago when they wanted to make a small addition to their side yard had actually come around and asked us our thoughts, even though they didn't need our permission. They just wanted to make sure we were ok with their plans as the was no specific ruling in the CC&R's to what they wanted to do. I thought that to be very honest and transparent of them.

Some may think I am being overly critical but I like rules and like people to follow those rules.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Luckily for us the cost of admission into our new neighborhood seems to keep the riffraff out. But, they haven’t seen my 5000 sq ft shop yet, I might be the person they’re worried about!

 

[zmotorsports]

Luckily for us the cost of admission into our new neighborhood seems to keep the riffraff out. But, they haven’t seen my 5000 sq ft shop yet, I might be the person they’re worried about!

I thought the same thing Sterling, that the cost of admission would keep the riffraff out. Unfortunately, we found out last year that there are pigs with money too.



WOW! Now I'm sounding snobbish.

 

[Finallygotit]

WOW! Now I'm sounding snobbish.

Oh Mike, you left yourself soooooo wide open with that comment. I'll give you a pass this time.

 

[zmotorsports]

I figured I may as well own it Dan.

I had actually posted my reply then when I read that after the fact it hit me, WOW!

I promise though, I'm much less humble than I sound.

 

[SilverJimmy]

I bet the guy across the street thinks your the most humble guy on earth! Lol!

 

[HEEP]

You're preaching to the choir Sterling. Probably why I don't have many friends as I have never been in the "go along to get along" camp. However, if we used facts to determine or weed out level of idiocy, our society wouldn't be in the situation it is now. The problem with idiot-proofing things, or rather trying to, is that there are more idiots born every day and they find the loopholes a normal person wouldn't even think of. Then those idiots migrate towards other idiots, they procreate, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

When we were looking for our forever home we did NOT want a property that had anything to do with a HOA. We never even went and investigated at anything in an HOA neighborhood. If it had the box checked for HOA on the email it was immediately rejected. One afternoon our realtor friend who was assisting us during our house hunting phase took us to a house that we really liked when we pulled up. We almost walked inside but as we were standing outside discussing the property and the neighborhood I casually asked if it was an HOA. When he looked at his notes and responded "yes", I simply said I had seen all I needed to, there is no sense in going inside.

That being said, I was however, specifically looking for something that had much more strictly written CC&R's that our previous neighborhood as those were too loosely written and after a couple decades new homeowners who were coming into the neighborhood were finding ways around the earlier written CC&R's and therefore the neighborhood went down the *******, and quick.

When it comes to HOA's I feel as though HOA rules have the potential to be "interpreted" differently by different people and were too subjective for me. They can be hit and miss depending on who oversees the HOA. With CC&R's however, they are written very specifically and spelled out clearly at the time the subdivision is developed, which I like. The problem comes from those who don't read them before purchasing like you mentioned.

I on the other hand, went to the county to pull the CC&R's the day after looking at the house and after a quick browse through them and a discussion with the wife, we put earnest money down therefore tying the house up and then I could do a much deeper investigation and even meet with someone from the city. Seeing as how the neighborhood and building a bigger shop were the two main factors for our moving, I practically had the CC&R's memorized with a couple of days when I had arranged a meeting with the city planning commissioner and building inspector. I walked in with a copy of the plot layout, shop layout on the property, overview of the shop's construction along with a rendering and a copy of the CC&R's.

The meeting could not have gone better. I laid out my case for purchasing the property and shop construction. I mentioned the size, I had a rendering showing the exterior and cited the CC&R's as to their requirements, such as same construction type and method of the dwelling (ie. no pole buildings), the exterior had to have the exact same materials and colors as the house including rock and/or brick, the front had to have 50% of said rock or brick, the remaining side had to have 36" high of corresponding brick or rock to match and the roof had to have the asphalt shingles to match the house and lastly, the accessory building could not be taller than the house.

My shop and the layout of it on the property met all of the criteria with one exception, the back of the shop along the south fence line. I had asked about a variance on the brick work for the three sides. Rather than having brick on the back side which ran along the back property line where no one would see it I would rather the east and west sides have 48" of brick rather than the 36". When asked why I simply said due to the size of those walls I felt like they would be more proportionate and therefore better aesthetics. They agreed whole-heartedly and everything looked great with the plan.

They expressed the fact that they could not issue a building permit until I owned the property, which I fully understood. However, I also expressed that my main reason for purchasing this property was to build the accessory building and if there was anything at all that could prevent it from being approved or something that didn't meet the CC&R criteria that I was maybe overlooking because I didn't want to spend that kind of money and then find out I couldn't execute my plans. They both agreed that the presentation was flawless, and all criteria was met. They both commented how they wished more people would do their homework before buying properties as they have had to reject plans because the homeowner didn't do his due diligence in the property.

To me, it was as easy as a trip to the county for the printout of the CC&R's and a plot layout. Absolutely nothing that anyone couldn't do if prospective home buyers cared enough to check. Personally, a little research when spending money goes a long way but I guess people are too lazy to do even basic research, then play the victim and blame others.

Although I love the neighborhood that we live in, there are still a few of our neighbors that don't follow the rules that have been laid out.

I still remember the day we broke ground on the shop. We had only met 1 neighbor prior to this but on January 31, 2017, as soon as we broke ground, I had two neighbors standing in my driveway while I watched the hole being dug. They were inquiring about what we were doing and when I mentioned building a shop/accessory building, they mentioned that I should make sure that I research the CC&R's. My wife was appalled that they came over to mention that but I on the other hand didn't mind. In fact, I probably would have done the same thing. I informed them that I had a copy of the CC&R's in my truck if they'd like to see them, but I could probably recite them from memory and if they had any questions I would be happy to answer them.

They had no specific questions other than they wanted to make sure the guidelines were being followed. I can say to this day those are the two couples that I know the best and probably have the most respect for in our neighborhood because the keep their yards up immaculately and are very kind and courteous but stand their ground on issues. One of the couples a few years ago when they wanted to make a small addition to their side yard had actually come around and asked us our thoughts, even though they didn't need our permission. They just wanted to make sure we were ok with their plans as the was no specific ruling in the CC&R's to what they wanted to do. I thought that to be very honest and transparent of them.

Some may think I am being overly critical but I like rules and like people to follow those rules.

Mike, I too never thought I would live in an HOA neighborhood. However, after our storm, we did build in one. Then the unexpected happened, I got voted president after taking over from the developer. It has been good to be on the board, as I hope to bring some levity to each situation. However, we do have those few that seem to think the HOA is over everything. Our neighborhood is still developing, so houses are being built and people complain about dirt on the road and some trash blowing out of a dumpster. My thought is, yes, the dirt will wash away, and you can pick up a little trash.
The thing that gets me is when they post it on the Facebook page about how the board is not doing it's job by keeping the streets clean. The board has no authority over the builder. But, I do communicate with the builder to try to keep everyone happy. This has been a true trial of patience.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I too never thought I would live in an HOA neighborhood. However, after our storm, we did build in one. Then the unexpected happened, I got voted president after taking over from the developer. It has been good to be on the board, as I hope to bring some levity to each situation. However, we do have those few that seem to think the HOA is over everything. Our neighborhood is still developing, so houses are being built and people complain about dirt on the road and some trash blowing out of a dumpster. My thought is, yes, the dirt will wash away, and you can pick up a little trash.
The thing that gets me is when they post it on the Facebook page about how the board is not doing it's job by keeping the streets clean. The board has no authority over the builder. But, I do communicate with the builder to try to keep everyone happy. This has been a true trial of patience.

First off, I'm glad the HOA is working out for you Bill. I know there are many that enjoy living in an HOA and probably just as many that don't. It also may depend on how likely a person is to alter their property or leave it as is. With our main reason for moving to build a bigger shop on which to work in and store our coach, I didn't think I wanted to test the waters sort of speak with an HOA.

You're making two of my points Bill about HOA's. First, the HOA's are only as good as those running them at the time and therefore things can be left for interpretation in many instances. You may be following the rules but the next person who comes in as president of the HOA may "choose" to interpret them differently. This could be for a self-serving reason or personal interest or just to be an ***, hard to say. This is probably why people love or hate their HOA's at different times.

The second point you made that I think is important is that you can't make everyone happy all the time. Hell, some people don't ever want to be happy so they look for things to ***** about.

My example above was similar. Was I not happy about the guy leaving his trailer on the street for much of the summer? Yep. Did I make a big deal out of it and confront him? No, it wasn't "that" big of a deal. Evidently, it was a big deal to the other neighbor who said something. Now if he had his **** parked in front of my house rather than his own, that would have been a big enough deal to say something to him. I hate looking at his garbage cans that are in front of his house but mostly when he leaves them on the street for several days after the garbage is picked up. Do I call the city and complain? No, again it's not that big of a deal. There have been several times I just walk over and bring them out of the street and up his driveway for him, especially when I have been expecting friends staying with their RV's as I don't want them to hit the garbage cans backing into my backyard. His wife has actually thanked me a couple of times but I guess they haven't gotten the hint, yet.

Personally, I think Facebook and calling the city about these issues is kind of chickenshit. If they are that big of a deal what is wrong with walking over and talking to someone face to face? That is why I spoke up about the CC&R's to my neighbor. In my mind it wasn't a big enough deal for me to initiate a conversation over however, if he was going to initiate it with me by bitching about being called out on it, I sure as hell wasn't going to jump on the wrong side of the argument just to be agreeable. Like I have said many times in the past, if you don't like the answer(s) you may get, don't ask the question.

Sorry this has turned into a debate over HOA's that wasn't my intent. Also, I could be completely wrong as I have never lived in one. Just formed my opinion based on friends who have moved into them and had difference of experiences. What someone does on their own property is "mostly" their own business. However, there are still rules that must be complied with.

 

[zmotorsports]

I bet the guy across the street thinks your the most humble guy on earth! Lol!

I very much doubt that Sterling. However, he doesn't know me and I really don't know him, we have only had two, maybe three conversations as we both pretty much keep to ourselves. I'm too old to worry about what others think of me anyways, as long as he doesn't bother me or encroach into my property, I'm good.

I keep my property up to my standards not anyone else's. I do it because I take pride in my property and not to impress anyone. When I pull in my driveway I like the feeling I have knowing that I have done my best to keep my place up and more importantly I want my wife to be proud of our home and property. That alone brings me peace and contentment. I also like to try and improve it if even by a little bit each year. That is why I tweaked and played with my sprinkler system so much over the past few years, just trying to look for that small or incremental improvement in green lawn.

 

[Jgaz]

Personally, I think Facebook and calling the city about these issues is kind of chickenshit. If they are that big of a deal what is wrong with walking over and talking to someone face to face?

So true!
I‘ve always told my wife, “If someone doesn’t say something to your face then it really doesn’t matter”

 

[SilverJimmy]

HOA’s lost me when they went after Vets flying the Flag. All I’m gonna say….

 

[zmotorsports]

HOA’s lost me when they went after Vets flying the Flag. All I’m gonna say….

Yeah, that would be a mind changer as well for me.

 

[PugetDude]

HOA’s lost me when they went after Vets flying the Flag. All I’m gonna say….

 

[PugetDude]

^^^Sorry for the thread jack... Just posted for clarity; recently went through this in our neighborhood.^^^

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, I think most problems have nothing to do with Home Owner Associations or their rules. All of the issues I've observed come about because common courtesy has become so uncommon. Our home in upstate New York in the 1960-70s was on a cul-de-sac and we introduced ourselves to our neighbors. We got along well and several families even vacationed together. When our septic backed up on Mothers Day, five neighbors helped me expand the drywell. When one of theirs backed up in January, I was there with my hook and shovel. If my late night car repairs disturbed one of them, they came over the next day and spoke to me about it.

Moved to Florida in 1975 and introduced ourselves to the neighbors. Some never spoke to me again but that was OK. My next door neighbor didn't have a gas powered edger so his Saint Augustine grass sent runners across his driveway and out in the street. Whenever I mowed and trimmed my yard I would run my edger up and down his driveway and at the edge of the road. I didn't pick up the grass so it wasn't a big deal to walk the extra 100 feet. He asked me why I did it and I told him because we were neighbors. Apparently his wife was not happy but never spoke to me about it.

There were two empty lots on the other side of the neighbor's house and the wife used it to dump debris and her Christmas trees. Every few months the city would come and mow the lots. At the time I used a power reel mower to get a better cut on the lawn and used a grass catcher. I would walk down to the empty lot with the catcher and spread the cuttings. When I finished mowing one Sunday afternoon and was relaxing in the house, my doorbell rang and it was the police. They came to tell me my neighbor called to report me and that I had to bag my grass cuttings and put them at the end of my driveway the night before city sanitation did bulk pickup. I was shocked but told the officer I would do as he said. Later that evening our daughter called from the nearby Red Lobster where she worked as the weekend cashier/greeter. An armed dirt-bag robbed the restaurant, scaring the **** out of our daughter and they were closing early. She rode her bike to work but was too shook up to cycle home. As angry as I was at the robber, I was even angrier at the neighbor for wasting police resources rather than talking to me. It occurred to me every cop in the city could have been busy with those kind of complaints while the Red Lobster was being robbed.

When the new owner of the house across the street started renting the house to a Florida Atlantic University fraternity, I walked over and asked for a brief meeting with the frat boys. I told them if they ever created a problem, I would speak to them in person before I called the police but I couldn't speak for the rest of the neighborhood. They seemed genuinely shocked. They seemed to be a well-off crowd based on the new BMWs, Mustangs, F150s and Jeeps filling the driveway. They asked about my cars and came over to see them. End result of a little common courtesy was a frat house that held pretty subdued but noisy parties that ended by midnight. The police showed up once, when a fight broke out and it ended up in the street, blocking traffic.

 

[gorilla]

When I read about this on GJ it reminds me of AP mechanics quote. "If you have neighbor problems you didn't but enough property.

 

[zmotorsports]

Bob, I agree that common courtesy and just being neighborly have gone by the wayside. Unfortunately, this isn't a new issue. When we were in our last neighborhood and in the same situation as many other young couples just starting our families, we introduced ourselves on day one. We also saw each other at church, school functions, etc. After a few years we began having "block" parties and even did a few neighborhood vacations as well. Those were great times but I think we so many common interests and especially common personalities in that we valued one another.

As friends from our old neighborhood began moving out to nicer and bigger homes the people that began moving in became less and less social, responsible and all around less "neighborly". It became more and more evident with each home or property changing hands. We were one of the last two families to move out of the old neighborhood and the last few years our two yards were hands down the nicest and best maintained. Some mowed their lawn once a year whether it needed it or not and never cleared their drives, even though they had kids at home that could do so had the parents been willing to enforce such behaviors and teach their children some form of work ethic and pride in themselves and surroundings.

Even when we were trying to sell our home the realtors that came through bringing clients all commented on the condition of the home, yard and how they were maintained. One realtor pulled me aside to tell me I should be proud of our home as it was a 10+ and called it a diamond in the rough. The "rough" being the rest of the neighborhood, which didn't exactly make me feel good about prospecting buyers.

After it sold the new owners did exactly what the rest did and let it go completely. Within less than two years' time it turned into one of the 5 worst properties in the neighborhood where it once was one of the top two. What is shocking is just how easy that home and property was to maintain. I had a low maintenance yard which only required a mow once a week which took about 45-minutes max. and a sprinkler system that just required to be turned on each spring and off in the fall. Other than that the house was a breeze to maintain with minimal effort. Sheer laziness and lack of pride in one's home drove that property down the toilet. Within about 6-8 months after our leaving the other last original family moved out and now that neighborhood looks like something in a third world country. Non running cars on blocks in driveways, cars driven and parked on lawns, lawns that are not mowed and more weeds in the yards than actual grass all due to lack of caring and neglect.

When we moved into our new home I was excited to see the way yards and homes were maintained. Don't get me wrong, I still love our neighborhood and most of the neighbors, although we don't really know several very well. There are a few that we know quite well and get along with and I'm sure would jump in at a moments notice. My next door neighbor grabbed my wife last year when I had my leg infection. He had noticed that I was not out and about and my son was helping with the yardwork for a couple of weeks and he approached my wife to see if everything was alright. She merely told him I was experiencing a health issue and without hesitation he offered to help any way possible. He said he'd help with the yard and I quote "even though I won't do it to Mike's standards, I am here if you need anything". The wife mentioned that conversation to me when she came back into the house and I was impressed and haven't forgotten that. That actually meant a lot because I am not one who asks for anything and especially not one who feels comfortable asking for help. I think my son and wife can attest to my stubbornness when it comes to asking for help with anything.

I hate the winter months as most neighbors hibernate indoors and we really don't see much of any of them. Probably about half of them are retired and the rest of us are still working stiffs but most seem to get along from my little interaction, even though some don't go out of their way to be friendly or keep their properties up.

The first year we moved in a neighbor at the far end of the subdivison had a block party and it was kind of nice to get everyone together who lived in the immediate neighborhood. We generally have 2-3 family cookouts each year in the backyard but for some reason last year we didn't. I mentioned to the wife just a few weeks ago that rather than always doing a family get-together and then being disappointed in the interaction afterwards, maybe we forego inviting the families this coming year and have a neighborhood cookout/gathering and just invite immediate neighbors to give everyone a chance to interact and meet everyone. My thinking is that these are the people we will be growing old with as most are like us and have the mindset that this is their forever home.

Also, my thinking was that it will help each other maybe understand the others just a bit better if they interact with them in a social setting. Not sure if this is smart or not but just something the wife and I have been kicking around over the past few weeks.

 

[Just Fishing]

Oh man neighbor / hood issues.

When looking at houses, my agent showed me a few that had a homeowner's association.
One was really nice, the homeowner's association was for the community pool, but I rejected it because of the association.

I live in an area where there are a ton of guys doing the exact same things I do.
Down the road A guy built what looks like an ultra four car, down the street from him a guy is restoring a boat, several guys restoring cars and doing painting in their garages.

Police told me this when I kept getting complaints, conversation ended with a thumbs up for my project at the time, and a "Keep it up, don't worry about them" statement.

After that chat, they just drive through and give me a thumbs up after confirming "yup Chris is just building/doing something again!"

Important part is to know the laws and city ordinances and follow them.

For the guy that tried to pull Mike into his neighbor issue, cringe on that guy.
I also find it cringe for the guy that complained about the trailer, but whatevs.

But I'm also the kind of guy that likes to keep to himself, and I have a solid "your property your rules" mindset.
You want a rollercoaster in the yard and have kids screaming all day long?
no problem, just follow city ordinances.

And my neighborhood in general is like Mikes, ATV's driving down the road, dirtbikes, etc.
There are also a ton of cops that live here, dirtbikes on the road, it's a warzone on the 4th and 24th of July.
The only people that complain about it are the same people that I have issues with (3 left).

One guy that kept getting the cops called on him for dirtbikes moved down near Mikes area and actually looks happy now.
A family in our ward moved about two blocks away to get away from one of those toxic people.
They love their current neighbors.
Bad neighbors =

I have stories, oh so many stories...
I have been told many times that I am way to patient.

Also, security cameras and tall fences = good neighbors.

 

[Just Fishing]

Bob, I agree that common courtesy and just being neighborly have gone by the wayside. Unfortunately, this isn't a new issue. When we were in our last neighborhood and in the same situation as many other young couples just starting our families, we introduced ourselves on day one. We also saw each other at church, school functions, etc. After a few years we began having "block" parties and even did a few neighborhood vacations as well. Those were great times but I think we so many common interests and especially common personalities in that we valued one another.

As friends from our old neighborhood began moving out to nicer and bigger homes the people that began moving in became less and less social, responsible and all around less "neighborly". It became more and more evident with each home or property changing hands. We were one of the last two families to move out of the old neighborhood and the last few years our two yards were hands down the nicest and best maintained. Some mowed their lawn once a year whether it needed it or not and never cleared their drives, even though they had kids at home that could do so had the parents been willing to enforce such behaviors and teach their children some form of work ethic and pride in themselves and surroundings.

Even when we were trying to sell our home the realtors that came through bringing clients all commented on the condition of the home, yard and how they were maintained. One realtor pulled me aside to tell me I should be proud of our home as it was a 10+ and called it a diamond in the rough. The "rough" being the rest of the neighborhood, which didn't exactly make me feel good about prospecting buyers.

After it sold the new owners did exactly what the rest did and let it go completely. Within less than two years' time it turned into one of the 5 worst properties in the neighborhood where it once was one of the top two. What is shocking is just how easy that home and property was to maintain. I had a low maintenance yard which only required a mow once a week which took about 45-minutes max. and a sprinkler system that just required to be turned on each spring and off in the fall. Other than that the house was a breeze to maintain with minimal effort. Sheer laziness and lack of pride in one's home drove that property down the toilet. Within about 6-8 months after our leaving the other last original family moved out and now that neighborhood looks like something in a third world country. Non running cars on blocks in driveways, cars driven and parked on lawns, lawns that are not mowed and more weeds in the yards than actual grass all due to lack of caring and neglect.

When we moved into our new home I was excited to see the way yards and homes were maintained. Don't get me wrong, I still love our neighborhood and most of the neighbors, although we don't really know several very well. There are a few that we know quite well and get along with and I'm sure would jump in at a moments notice. My next door neighbor grabbed my wife last year when I had my leg infection. He had noticed that I was not out and about and my son was helping with the yardwork for a couple of weeks and he approached my wife to see if everything was alright. She merely told him I was experiencing a health issue and without hesitation he offered to help any way possible. He said he'd help with the yard and I quote "even though I won't do it to Mike's standards, I am here if you need anything". The wife mentioned that conversation to me when she came back into the house and I was impressed and haven't forgotten that. That actually meant a lot because I am not one who asks for anything and especially not one who feels comfortable asking for help. I think my son and wife can attest to my stubbornness when it comes to asking for help with anything.

I hate the winter months as most neighbors hibernate indoors and we really don't see much of any of them. Probably about half of them are retired and the rest of us are still working stiffs but most seem to get along from my little interaction, even though some don't go out of their way to be friendly or keep their properties up.

The first year we moved in a neighbor at the far end of the subdivison had a block party and it was kind of nice to get everyone together who lived in the immediate neighborhood. We generally have 2-3 family cookouts each year in the backyard but for some reason last year we didn't. I mentioned to the wife just a few weeks ago that rather than always doing a family get-together and then being disappointed in the interaction afterwards, maybe we forego inviting the families this coming year and have a neighborhood cookout/gathering and just invite immediate neighbors to give everyone a chance to interact and meet everyone. My thinking is that these are the people we will be growing old with as most are like us and have the mindset that this is their forever home.

Also, my thinking was that it will help each other maybe understand the others just a bit better if they interact with them in a social setting. Not sure if this is smart or not but just something the wife and I have been kicking around over the past few weeks.

That neighborhood sounds great, like the one I grew up in.
Where I grew up was very pricey, it probably kept the trash out...

And I hope you haven't seen my yard this year.

When I moved in 13 years ago, it was me and one other guy that kept perfect yards.
I also bought this house with a severely neglected yard/jungle

I spent a couple summers helping my brother-in-law with his lawn care business.
I got pretty damn good at trimming and keeping those mow lines perfect.
I make it into a game and really started to enjoy it.

The last couple years I started letting the backyard slip due to some neighbor drama back there.
I'm thinking I'll have to sue him pretty soon, but it's something that goes against my mindset.
I just keep trying to warn him, but it's not working.
Love thy neighbor and all that.

If you're ever interested, I have some lovely security camera footage of them hosing me down because I was "bothering them"...
It's a game they play... one very sick weed smoking family.
If I hadn't seen/smelled it, I would have never guessed since most of them dress like the bad guys from footloose.

I have been told that the old man throws the best parties, but I don't think it's the kind of party I would like.

On a positive note, playing country music keeps the old man away = hates it with a passion!!
Anyways, this year I found myself with a stack of wheels in my front yard, and the jeep parked on the front lawn for about a month...
Christmas lights left up all year...


And speaking of getting older, I found that a statin can have the side effect of giving someone anxiety!
Big motivation for me to get in better shape, I'll never take that **** again.
Neighbor issues + anxiety = not fun
nope, not fun at all.

I like to share my stories; I hope it makes others feel better about their neighbors.
(sorry for the hijack)

 

[mercracing]

Thank you. I will be posting the garage finish work on the Shop Build thread.

However, I have to ask, why aren't you following both? You don't have to follow one or the other.

Lol, good point. I know I was subscribed at one point, but i’ll have to check again to make sure I have it. Some how over the past summer I was loosing subscriptions and had to go out and re-subscribe to all of them. This one was the first I made sure I had. Love your threads Mike!

 

[Swanny1953]

Mike, I hear ya on HOA's. Seems like there is always a "Karen" that feels their sole job is to find things to complain about on everyone else's property!!
We do live in an HOA community; however, only 19 homes are in our phase of the development. A few years ago, the long time board members all decided to "retire" from the board. I felt it was better to have representation that to be dictated to, so I recruited a couple of younger neighbors to join me in putting their hats in the ring for the board. We have an annual HOA meeting (required by the regulations) that we have hosted the last few years, and basically the same 6-8 families are the only ones who show up. Sometimes, we're lucky to get a quorum between attending families and those who have taken the time to submit an email vote for the board members. A couple of the neighbors I have never even met or spoken to as they do such a good job of keeping to themselves. We're all on 2+ acre lots, so no one talks across their fence here.
Up until a couple of years ago, the board also served as the architectural control committee, so I got to see all plans for anything being added. My neighbor across the street added a storage building that didn't conform to the CCR's and without seeking any approval, so I had to explain to him what was required, even though he had gotten approval from his adjacent neighbor. We made him move the structure to conform with the CCR setback requirements (It was a moveable, although relatively large shed) and clad the exterior with materials that matched his home. We didn't want to allow a "non-conforming" structure in the neighborhood to avoid setting a precedent for any future issues.
On my addition (and the planned upcoming one), I reached out to my neighbors who would have a sightline to the structure and presented plans and elevations for them to see and asked for their email consent to the project. We then submitted plans and consents to AAC (comprised of my buddies in the neighborhood).
Our HOA employs a management company, who takes care of what little accounting there is, and who also trolls the neighborhood regularly for CCR violations, such as dead trees, unkempt yards, etc. It's nice to have the "violation notices" come from the management company rather than from a board member. We've been lucky in that we haven't had much in the way of issues, other than the 1 non-conforming building. I'd prefer not have the HOA, but since we do, I'd much rather be on the inside of the management structure!

 

[JCQuick]

I have a hard time seeing pics of that white stuff and i have seen it but it was a very long time ago and nothing like that. As a native Floridian I don't like cold at all i'm a whimp in it. it was 50* to high 50*s here today I had on jeans long socks t shirt real thick hoodie plus a nit cap on my head before hoodie. after that i put on a thick jacket and still had to retreat to the heater in the shop lol

 

[bigdave_185]

You folks have been busy!!
I agree on HOAs being the pits, neighbors are always the ones who ruin it, if you don’t see that neighbor, you most likely are that neighbor.

It’s been a good snow blowing week for us. I love to be the first on up to see the fresh clean area. Peaceful to me.

 

[zmotorsports]

Oh man neighbor / hood issues.

When looking at houses, my agent showed me a few that had a homeowner's association.
One was really nice, the homeowner's association was for the community pool, but I rejected it because of the association.

I live in an area where there are a ton of guys doing the exact same things I do.
Down the road A guy built what looks like an ultra four car, down the street from him a guy is restoring a boat, several guys restoring cars and doing painting in their garages.

Police told me this when I kept getting complaints, conversation ended with a thumbs up for my project at the time, and a "Keep it up, don't worry about them" statement.

After that chat, they just drive through and give me a thumbs up after confirming "yup Chris is just building/doing something again!"

Important part is to know the laws and city ordinances and follow them.

For the guy that tried to pull Mike into his neighbor issue, cringe on that guy.
I also find it cringe for the guy that complained about the trailer, but whatevs.

But I'm also the kind of guy that likes to keep to himself, and I have a solid "your property your rules" mindset.
You want a rollercoaster in the yard and have kids screaming all day long?
no problem, just follow city ordinances.

And my neighborhood in general is like Mikes, ATV's driving down the road, dirtbikes, etc.
There are also a ton of cops that live here, dirtbikes on the road, it's a warzone on the 4th and 24th of July.
The only people that complain about it are the same people that I have issues with (3 left).

One guy that kept getting the cops called on him for dirtbikes moved down near Mikes area and actually looks happy now.
A family in our ward moved about two blocks away to get away from one of those toxic people.
They love their current neighbors.
Bad neighbors =

I have stories, oh so many stories...
I have been told many times that I am way to patient.

Also, security cameras and tall fences = good neighbors.

Chris, our old neighborhood was awesome for about the first 15-17 years, then as people started moving out the whole "feeling" of the neighborhood changed. The next 6 or so years was meh with a couple of problem neighbors who moved in and then quickly moved out however, the last 3 were horrific and started as soon as Sanford & Son moved in next door. He was the neighbor from hell and ultimately, the one who forced us out of our home.

As for our current neighborhood, I'm not gonna lie, I worried that I would end up being "that guy" because I was into cars and such. Although we no longer race nor have our big, enclosed race trailer I keep thinking to myself that maybe one day I will have another. When building the shop I knew I wouldn't be running my speed shop like I did for 20-years in our old shop but also figured I may do a bit of side work here and there as time allows and just didn't want to be that guy that everyone hated to see working in his shop. I worried for that first year after having the shop built as I didn't want to piss neighbors off by making noise in the shop.

That first year was an eye opening experience as far as neighbors because from the onset the neighborhood seemed like such a quiet and subdued neighborhood. I was actually glad that first summer when I saw other neighbors with RV's and some recreational toys knowing my family wasn't alone. Although we no longer have nor participate in powersports, I don't mind having them in the neighborhood as long as people are respectful and so far they have been. There are only about 6 or 7 homes in the neighborhood that have kids still living at home, the rest and majority are retirees or at least empty nesters like the wife and I. Those few that have ATV's or SXS's that run up and down the streets do it in the daytime or dusk hours and usually shut them down by around 9pm so they really aren't a bother. On the 4th of July and 24th of July (Utah's statehood holiday) there are a LOT of high dollar fire works being expended around the neighborhood. Other than not wanting my lawn, house or shop to catch fire, they are cool to sit on the deck and watch without having to lay out any funds for them.

New Year's Eve this year was similar as the weather was unseasonably nice and there were a lot of fireworks going off from surrounding neighbors.

I actually love our neighborhood and just want to see it remain nice and respectful as time goes on. The few neighbors I've talked with don't seem to have any desire to leave and feel this is their forever home as well so that is nice to know. I really didn't think our last neighborhood was a "starter home neighborhood" but looking back and seeing the people move in and out I think it may have been. This neighborhood seems much more like forever neighbors, although I realize people's lives and situations change but I think for the most part these neighbors are here to stay with maybe only a couple exceptions.

 

[zmotorsports]

Lol, good point. I know I was subscribed at one point, but i’ll have to check again to make sure I have it. Some how over the past summer I was loosing subscriptions and had to go out and re-subscribe to all of them. This one was the first I made sure I had. Love your threads Mike!

Thank you. I appreciate you continuing to follow along and I thank you for the comments.

 

[Just Fishing]

Chris, our old neighborhood was awesome for about the first 15-17 years, then as people started moving out the whole "feeling" of the neighborhood changed. The next 6 or so years was meh with a couple of problem neighbors who moved in and then quickly moved out however, the last 3 were horrific and started as soon as Sanford & Son moved in next door. He was the neighbor from hell and ultimately, the one who forced us out of our home.

As for our current neighborhood, I'm not gonna lie, I worried that I would end up being "that guy" because I was into cars and such. Although we no longer race nor have our big, enclosed race trailer I keep thinking to myself that maybe one day I will have another. When building the shop I knew I wouldn't be running my speed shop like I did for 20-years in our old shop but also figured I may do a bit of side work here and there as time allows and just didn't want to be that guy that everyone hated to see working in his shop. I worried for that first year after having the shop built as I didn't want to piss neighbors off by making noise in the shop.

That first year was an eye opening experience as far as neighbors because from the onset the neighborhood seemed like such a quiet and subdued neighborhood. I was actually glad that first summer when I saw other neighbors with RV's and some recreational toys knowing my family wasn't alone. Although we no longer have nor participate in powersports, I don't mind having them in the neighborhood as long as people are respectful and so far they have been. There are only about 6 or 7 homes in the neighborhood that have kids still living at home, the rest and majority are retirees or at least empty nesters like the wife and I. Those few that have ATV's or SXS's that run up and down the streets do it in the daytime or dusk hours and usually shut them down by around 9pm so they really aren't a bother. On the 4th of July and 24th of July (Utah's statehood holiday) there are a LOT of high dollar fire works being expended around the neighborhood. Other than not wanting my lawn, house or shop to catch fire, they are cool to sit on the deck and watch without having to lay out any funds for them.

New Year's Eve this year was similar as the weather was unseasonably nice and there were a lot of fireworks going off from surrounding neighbors.

I actually love our neighborhood and just want to see it remain nice and respectful as time goes on. The few neighbors I've talked with don't seem to have any desire to leave and feel this is their forever home as well so that is nice to know. I really didn't think our last neighborhood was a "starter home neighborhood" but looking back and seeing the people move in and out I think it may have been. This neighborhood seems much more like forever neighbors, although I realize people's lives and situations change but I think for the most part these neighbors are here to stay with maybe only a couple exceptions.

"Stanford and sons"

Yeah, we have one of those.
Broken down washer and driers in their back yard.
Over the summer he built a "shed" out of one of those tarp covered garages made out of poles.
It almost looks like he picked up the panels to box it in from various dumpsters...

I'm also told by several people that he is also the neighborhood hookup for weed...
The really bad neighbors are all friends with him, and he lives next door to the old man that's a fine example of how to get sued by a neighbor.


I was able to confirm recently that he has been helping the creepy old man spread rumors.
And I was really close to calling the city on his "shed."
It's too big, and right against the fence/property line, but in the end, it would have been just me wanting to punish the creep.

Plus, when he went to clean out the old legal shed to replace it with this one, it stunk up the neighborhood for a few weeks.
And now I know where the rats keep coming from, that yard.

Right now, I feel like my yard has that "stanford and sons" look, I also have my old jeep suspension parts in a pile.
I'm seeing a future IG-88 (starwars droid) welding project, and I fully plan to use it at the entrance of my worthless desert property.

A big part of my mess is because I took on a motorhome project.
It's my childhood motorhome, needs a total gut and refurb.
I'm pretty sure I have totally lost interest, and I just need to find someone to haul it off.
A few failed attempts so far...

But once that's done, I can get everything back in order.
If you know someone that could use a good running fuel injected ford 460 big block with a good working transmission, I'll pay them to take it.
I have been tempted to yank the generator from it, but at this point I just don't care.


And back on the neighbor topic,
When I was a kid, we moved to California for a few months due to a project my dad was working on at the AFB there.
I spent the entire summer surfing and being a beach bum, I was 12.
I still remember my dad seeing reports of strange donuts in the sky and peoples garage doors opening amusing.
A few years later I saw some references to that project on the history channel.

In California we stayed at a few different rental houses, and a few weeks on a hotel right on the beach.
At the houses, you never really saw the neighbors, nobody really interacted except for the ward there.

I see too much of that in this neighborhood.
An active church I believe is important.

 

[zmotorsports]

Yeah, a degrading neighborhood can change ones perspective on things can't it Chris. You also have known me long enough to witness our old neighborhood as it circled the bowl and when the next door neighbor moved in, it flushed. I thought no one could be a bigger pig than he was but then I see our old home now, and I was wrong.

Oh well, not my monkey, not my circus anymore. I just want to focus on our forever home as love our new neighborhood and just want to be happy here and help any way I can from allowing it to degrade over time.

Sorry to hear you've lost interest in your motorhome project. Knowing you, I'm sure you would have made it quite nice, inside and out.

 

[Just Fishing]

Yeah, a degrading neighborhood can change ones perspective on things can't it Chris. You also have known me long enough to witness our old neighborhood as it circled the bowl and when the next door neighbor moved in, it flushed. I thought no one could be a bigger pig than he was but then I see our old home now, and I was wrong.

Oh well, not my monkey, not my circus anymore. I just want to focus on our forever home as love our new neighborhood and just want to be happy here and help any way I can from allowing it to degrade over time.

Sorry to hear you've lost interest in your motorhome project. Knowing you, I'm sure you would have made it quite nice, inside and out.

I saw my birth home on worlds wildest police chases many years ago (vegas!).
I'm glad we left that neighborhood.

Best to move on, your current neighborhood seems really nice.
I loved your original shop, and I really love your current one!

And the motorhome project,
My needs changed; the motorhome won't work well for the property up north due to a really tight turn in order to enter the little valley.
I see a future bumper pull camper entering my stable.

I'm also not the type of person to give up easily, I find myself going back and forth on just finishing it since the really hard part was the disassembly. And that part is done.

But in the end, it comes down to me not wanting to work on it in the dirt/scorpions when a rodent finds wires and makes it not want to start.

It bugs me here, but it would really bug me if I was forced left it up there.
Pristine wilderness/desert.

I keep thinking I could finish it, and then sell it to fund the new bumper pull camper.
But then I bought a new to me boat this last fall that takes up about as much space as that 26ft motorhome does.
And my yard just isn't that big to deal with both!

In the end It's all about priorities, and I see myself camping on the lake/s this summer while pretending like I know how to fish.

Anyways, I think I hijacked your thread enough for now.

 

[jackson1701]

Well Mike, as always I enjoy your updates and videos and more importantly your honest opinions on products. My son has taken over my LLY and we have been redoing it over the last few years. Most recently looking for a leveling kit and after watching your video you made last year, we bit the bullet and purchased all new goodies from Cognito. I’m super impressed with it, a-arms, tie rods, leveling keys, support kit, idler, and a load of all new parts to finish it out. Went back and forth between kryptonite. Hopefully we can add the 4” kit next year and finish it off. Thanks again for what you do to help us all along.

 

[zmotorsports]

Well Mike, as always I enjoy your updates and videos and more importantly your honest opinions on products. My son has taken over my LLY and we have been redoing it over the last few years. Most recently looking for a leveling kit and after watching your video you made last year, we bit the bullet and purchased all new goodies from Cognito. I’m super impressed with it, a-arms, tie rods, leveling keys, support kit, idler, and a load of all new parts to finish it out. Went back and forth between kryptonite. Hopefully we can add the 4” kit next year and finish it off. Thanks again for what you do to help us all along.

Happy to help Steve. I cannot personally speak on the Kryptonite parts, but I know they also have a huge following. I have been very impressed with Cognito products over the years which is why I hate to change and continue to use them. Glad you were also pleased with them. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[csp]

Any issues with drainage when that snow is melting? Your lot looks really flat, even around the buildings.

This is a current topic for me currently as our new place has three buildings on it, including the house, and every one of them should have been built at least 6" higher out of the ground than they were. Sixty degree temps this week are turning our concrete pads into pools of snowmelt.

 

[zmotorsports]

Any issues with drainage when that snow is melting? Your lot looks really flat, even around the buildings.

This is a current topic for me currently as our new place has three buildings on it, including the house, and every one of them should have been built at least 6" higher out of the ground than they were. Sixty degree temps this week are turning our concrete pads into pools of snowmelt.

If you have seen my shop build thread you'll notice that I installed several dry wells around the property while my shop was being built and I was putting the yard in. They work well with the sandy soil to dissipate the water underground from all of the roof surface areas between the house and shop. The only time they overflow and pool a little water in the lawn is after 2+ days of steady rain. The snow melting doesn't even phase them.

That being said, over the past week we have been getting rain and high 40-degree temps which have been putting down some decent water as well as melting the snow. When I arrived home from work one day last week I did notice I had a little puddling out near the shop's north drywell, but not too bad, the lawn was a bit "squishy" when I walked on it and the bubbler was emitting water from the drywell's overflow.

 

[zmotorsports]

Saturday morning after opening up the shop I grabbed my test strips for the Final Charge coolant in our coach and dipped one in the surge tank for a test.

This coolant is a 8 year/600k mile coolant according to Final Charge's website. It is coming up on 8 years but only about 45k miles so I wanted to test it rather than just replace 17~ish gallons of coolant.

It tests like new coolant so I think I'll let it run another season at least.



Next my package from Amazon arrived so I figured I'd open it up and install the swivel fitting and connector in preparation for use.

I've been eyeing one of these pneumatic deburring tools for quite some time now but finally asked the wife to order me one from Amazon as that was the best deal I had seen.


I was really surprised at the compactness of this little tool. I knew they were small by design, but was shocked at just how small.



I haven't tried it yet but I'm anxious to.

 

[Firstram]

Saturday morning after opening up the shop I grabbed my test strips for the Final Charge coolant in our coach and dipped one in the surge tank for a test.

This coolant is a 8 year/600k mile coolant according to Final Charge's website. It is coming up on 8 years but only about 45k miles so I wanted to test it rather than just replace 17~ish gallons of coolant.

It tests like new coolant so I think I'll let it run another season at least.



Next my package from Amazon arrived so I figured I'd open it up and install the swivel fitting and connector in preparation for use.

I've been eyeing one of these pneumatic deburring tools for quite some time now but finally asked the wife to order me one from Amazon as that was the best deal I had seen.


I was really surprised at the compactness of this little tool. I knew they were small by design, but was shocked at just how small.



I haven't tried it yet but I'm anxious to.

They're slow but do a great job!

 

[zmotorsports]

About that time my son and grandson stopped by the shop so I suspended my work for a bit while we went and had breakfast at a local cafe. It was nice to spend some time hanging with my son and grandson while my wife and DIL were out celebrating January birthdays with sisters/aunts. I have waited for a grandchild to come along and be old enough to start doing breakfasts with on weekends. I just sat back and enjoyed watching my son care for his son and feed him. He's growing like a weed and loves food. He was eating ham and egg as fast as my son was cutting it and putting it in front of him. Such an observant little stink watching people and especially cars and trucks driving by outside the window where we were sitting. My heart was full as I sat and thought how blessed I was.


Once I arrived back home, I then started my next little project, a new bedframe. The wife and I's bedroom set was given to us by my parents as a wedding gift 35 years ago. It is a nice high-quality set of furniture, but I have had to repair the bedframe on several occasions over the course of those 35 years. The cross pieces are my only point of contention with the frame. They originally slide into slots machined into the wood side rails and the side rails connect to both the headboard and the footboard holding everything together as an assembly. Unfortunately, about 20 or so years ago they began cracking the wood where they slide into the side rails. I had moved them around over the years then when we moved 7 years ago it was obvious another solution had to be found. At that time when we moved, I fabricated some angle brackets then cut the crossbars slightly to compensate for the bracket thickness but they are now starting to crack the wood again and I don't want to destroy the woodwork side rails. Over the course of the past several weeks we have been looking for a replacement frame that we could use but nothing is even coming close as it looks like the frame was made as an integral part of the entire bed and is what holds the headboard and footboard in place.

The wife found one at a local furniture store that looked close so we went and looked at it the other night and although it was the closest we found so far, it would still require some modifications to work properly. At that point the wife just said "if you have to modify that one, why don't you just build a new one that will work?" Well, she had a point.

In trying to control costs because of a few already expensive projects I have going on, I dug through my metal rack the other night to see what I had that would work without any outlay of cash. I found a couple lengths of 2"x .125" square tubing for the side rails of the frame and some 1" x .095" DOM tubing leftover frome a sandrail project that would work for the crossbars. It would have been easy to just weld the frame together and be done with it, but I want this to be a bolt together assembly that I can take into the house easily and bolt together once inside. I also found some parts from an old project that could be machined for bungs.


The only parts I had to purchase were some adjustable feet and threaded inserts for the tubing in which I sourced from McMaster Carr. With dimensions in hand, a drawing and a rough idea I fired up the lathe.


These will be the threaded bungs that will be pressed and welded into the DOM tubing for the crossbars. The original frame had 3 crossbars, but I figured I'd add another as I had four 10' lengths that I could use.


Once one side was turned down to size, the part was flipped in the 6-jaw chuck and the other side was taken down to size.


These will later be cut in half but at this point I had 2 down and 2 to go. They have a .625" diameter recess that is .375" deep inside where the opposite side that will be welded into the 2" square tubing will have a .623" section that will fit into these and socket head cap screws will secure the crossbars to the rails.


Once taken to size and the .625" recess machined into each end they were parted.


All eight pieces ready to take to length and thread for 7/16"-14 thread.


Faced to length and threaded.


These parts are done and ready to cut the crossbars to length, press these into each end and weld in place.


I need to stop and grab some socket head cap screws from my local Bolt & Nut Supply this afternoon then I can start machining the opposing end that will reside in the side rails of the frame.

Kind of overkill I know, but should be a one and done this time.

Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

They're slow but do a great job!

Thanks for the feedback. I'm new to these but a few people that I follow have them and speak highly of them so I thought I'd try one. Not sure they'll get used on everything, but I can see where they will have their place for certain projects when uniformity is called for.

 

[Jgaz]

About that time my son and grandson stopped by the shop so I suspended my work for a bit while we went and had breakfast at a local cafe. It was nice to spend some time hanging with my son and grandson while my wife and DIL were out celebrating January birthdays with sisters/aunts. I have waited for a grandchild to come along and be old enough to start doing breakfasts with on weekends. I just sat back and enjoyed watching my son care for his son and feed him. He's growing like a weed and loves food. He was eating ham and egg as fast as my son was cutting it and putting it in front of him. Such an observant little stink watching people and especially cars and trucks driving by outside the window where we were sitting. My heart was full as I sat and thought how blessed I was.


Once I arrived back home, I then started my next little project, a new bedframe. The wife and I's bedroom set was given to us by my parents as a wedding gift 35 years ago. It is a nice high-quality set of furniture, but I have had to repair the bedframe on several occasions over the course of those 35 years. The cross pieces are my only point of contention with the frame. They originally slide into slots machined into the wood side rails and the side rails connect to both the headboard and the footboard holding everything together as an assembly. Unfortunately, about 20 or so years ago they began cracking the wood where they slide into the side rails. I had moved them around over the years then when we moved 7 years ago it was obvious another solution had to be found. At that time when we moved, I fabricated some angle brackets then cut the crossbars slightly to compensate for the bracket thickness but they are now starting to crack the wood again and I don't want to destroy the woodwork side rails. Over the course of the past several weeks we have been looking for a replacement frame that we could use but nothing is even coming close as it looks like the frame was made as an integral part of the entire bed and is what holds the headboard and footboard in place.

The wife found one at a local furniture store that looked close so we went and looked at it the other night and although it was the closest we found so far, it would still require some modifications to work properly. At that point the wife just said "if you have to modify that one, why don't you just build a new one that will work?" Well, she had a point.

In trying to control costs because of a few already expensive projects I have going on, I dug through my metal rack the other night to see what I had that would work without any outlay of cash. I found a couple lengths of 2"x .125" square tubing for the side rails of the frame and some 1" x .095" DOM tubing leftover frome a sandrail project that would work for the crossbars. It would have been easy to just weld the frame together and be done with it, but I want this to be a bolt together assembly that I can take into the house easily and bolt together once inside. I also found some parts from an old project that could be machined for bungs.


The only parts I had to purchase were some adjustable feet and threaded inserts for the tubing in which I sourced from McMaster Carr. With dimensions in hand, a drawing and a rough idea I fired up the lathe.


These will be the threaded bungs that will be pressed and welded into the DOM tubing for the crossbars. The original frame had 3 crossbars, but I figured I'd add another as I had four 10' lengths that I could use.


Once one side was turned down to size, the part was flipped in the 6-jaw chuck and the other side was taken down to size.


These will later be cut in half but at this point I had 2 down and 2 to go. They have a .500" diameter recess that is .375" deep inside where the opposite side that will be welded into the 2" square tubing will have a .500" section that will fit into these and socket head cap screws will secure the crossbars to the rails.


Once taken to size and the .500" recess machined into each end they were parted.


All eight pieces ready to take to length and thread for 7/16"-14 thread.


Faced to length and threaded.


These parts are done and ready to cut the crossbars to length, press these into each end and weld in place.


I need to stop and grab some socket head cap screws from my local Bolt & Nut Supply this afternoon then I can start machining the opposing end that will reside in the side rails of the frame.

Kind of overkill I know, but should be a one and done this time.

Thanks for looking.

That is going to be a NASA, aka Space Shuttle, quality bed frame
Love it!

 

[zmotorsports]

That is going to be a NASA, aka Space Shuttle, quality bed frame
Love it!

I don't know if it will be quite that high a quality, but most definitely overkill for a bed frame.