Above 1200 Sq/FT The Suburban Working Garage in VA...now building the Highland House in the Teton Valley

[Cdubu52]

Keep the hair Jeff, if i could grow it, it would be as long as I could get it. I have been follicully challenged for over 25 years now. Its ok if it turns grey as long as it doesn't turn loose!

 

[tweidman]

Your Race Inc was a twin to mine, back in the day. Although, I went with blue ano parts, not red. Cool bike.
Mine was stolen, or I may still have it. Do have my stingrays from the 70's.

 

[Nolift911]

I took everyone's advice on the bike...nope. Did not do that. Sent shocks out for rebuild.

I just don't have $5-7k or more for a bike I want right now vs. $400. So this old Trek will suffice for a bit. Did get a bike stand to work on said bike. I have the Defender getting the A/C fixed, reworked etc. for the trip west here in the next month.



This allowed me some space to work on some things like the bikes and Volvo.



Fresh rubber - yep 26's These had tubes but going to go tubeless with the Race Disc wheels.



Getting low on Volvo parts, boxes and buckets of parts - this is good.

I need to decide if I throw the turbo on here or make that an out west project to initiate the space. I have dreams of moving freely about in a temp controlled garage space, working on two or three projects without having to shuffle them around, being able to walk and being comfortable whether it is 100 outside or -30.



Finished up the lights - subtle in my opinion. Turned out well.








Some assembly required - I replaced those rusting clips, about 7 in all at $18 a piece.



Completed and ready to go back on the car -

 

[Nolift911]

Trying to determine the best strategy to get “stuff” out west this late summer / early fall. We are not emptying our current house of furniture, so it will just be some pieces here and there — not enough to justify a full mover. I was thinking about either a trailer or a truck for some of the larger items. The biggest priority right now is emptying our current storage unit and getting some vehicles out there to free up space here.

Work has been crazy. My better half just started a new job, and things are only going to get crazier. No time for anything.

The reality of moving west has hit hard. How do we do it efficiently? I’m not sure we will unload the house in VA anytime soon. We still need a base of operations in the DMV for a while — work, family, etc.

I looked into PODS and similar services, but I couldn’t find anyone willing to deliver closer than Salt Lake — not even Jackson Hole.

I also don’t want to load up the new house with furniture just for the sake of filling it. Couch, TV, bed. Done for now.

Then there are the tools — how to get all that out there. At the same time, I can’t completely pillage everything in VA since I still work here and don’t want two full sets of everything. The goal is actually less stuff.

I know… first-world problems.

Anyway, some house updates. Things are moving. I did manage to sneak out there for a quick trip to deal with some pressing questions and decisions. Just a solo trip, but I had a great time.

First off, I think Jackson is one of the cooler airports to fly into. From Dulles, United Airlines offers direct flights into Jackson Hole Airport from mid-December through mid-April. I always try to sit on the right side of the plane for the Teton show.









No jet bridge, everyone is relaxed, dogs at the airport - feels like you can breath again.



This young lady has been poking around for a few weeks now -





She decided to park up for a bit...



First day was super clear...this is from the driveway.



Next up was watering our "last years" Xmas tree - hopefully this survives and we can plant it this fall.



More to come...

 

[Madc]

My humble suggestion about moving tools.... and I'm saying this as I'm in the middle of a home renovation that basically required knocking down the garage that was pretty packed with tools, Bikes (cyclist) and lots of stuff. I bought a 7x16 trailer that I used to help a family member in need move, but then after a real purge, I moved all my garage stuff in to the trailer so I had access to during renovation. I will likely sell the trailer but also an option for you for the move.

Anyway my plan for the "new" garage is to only put the things there that I love or can't replace. Using this time to just bite the bullet and buy new cabinets and benches, and some tool sets for the setup I've always wanted. You have a a good setup in VA, but you're building your DREAM HOUSE- garage and tools should match! Keep your stuff in VA- move the stuff you can't live without and buy new stuff for the new house. I'm sure it feels like you're Hemoraging money at this stage (it does for me) but in the big scheme- a pretty great new garage set up tools/cabinets is a tiny fraction of the house and you're going to spend A LOT of time in the garage. This is your chance!
MADC

 

[Nolift911]

My humble suggestion about moving tools.... and I'm saying this as I'm in the middle of a home renovation that basically required knocking down the garage that was pretty packed with tools, Bikes (cyclist) and lots of stuff. I bought a 7x16 trailer that I used to help a family member in need move, but then after a real purge, I moved all my garage stuff in to the trailer so I had access to during renovation. I will likely sell the trailer but also an option for you for the move.

Anyway my plan for the "new" garage is to only put the things there that I love or can't replace. Using this time to just bite the bullet and buy new cabinets and benches, and some tool sets for the setup I've always wanted. You have a a good setup in VA, but you're building your DREAM HOUSE- garage and tools should match! Keep your stuff in VA- move the stuff you can't live without and buy new stuff for the new house. I'm sure it feels like you're Hemoraging money at this stage (it does for me) but in the big scheme- a pretty great new garage set up tools/cabinets is a tiny fraction of the house and you're going to spend A LOT of time in the garage. This is your chance!
MADC

Thanks — and I actually think you’re onto something there.

Start with my basic “dream box” of tools that covers about 75% of what I’m doing, then buy additional tools as each project requires them. My dream setup would be a Sonic Tools cabinet. I’m sure there are other options that are still great and a bit less expensive, but that’s definitely the benchmark in my head.

The issue is where I am. If I’m in the middle of a project, I can’t just run out like I can in VA and grab something. The local Ace Hardware is about it, so anything unique usually means a trip to Rexburg — about 45 minutes away.

On this trip out there, even though it was only four days, I had time to do almost nothing except focus on the house. I spent hours pouring over everything and exploring the surrounding area, which I never really get to do when the whole family is there.

I took hundreds of pictures and just got to absorb it all.

I stayed in Jackson for the convenience and walkability to restaurants and everything else, so the routine was: get up early, head over the pass, grab coffee at Wydaho Roasters (my favorite coffee place), and head to the property.

It’s about a 45-minute drive from Jackson to the house — honestly, not too bad.

Kitchen, family room drywall -

 

[badonk]

Those windows are SICK! You'll love it when you get them all open and just sit there in awe of the view. Totally worth it.

Re: tools, I was kind of in the same boat as you. I looked at Sonic seriously, but they are just too overpriced for what they are. Plus most of their kits have lots of things you won't ever touch. They look nice though. I made a spreadsheet where I compared what was in a Sonic set vs what I might get with Tekton kit or Gearwrench kit or going piecemeal with HF Icon and adding other brands to fill what they don't have or I don't like. End of the day I went down the HF Icon path for the basics plus some Wera, Klein, Astro, Tekton, etc as it made sense. And since I now decided I'll move out of my old space, all the unique things like oil filter wrenches, feeler gauges, cam tools, etc don't need to be duplicated. I'll move some of the extra stuff from the old shop to my Denver house (replace an old husky socket set I was using and will now have a full set of GW wrenches there) but I intend to do the major work on cars in the new shop. I'll maybe change wheels/tires in the Denver garage or do basic stuff around the house. Like you said, in the new space you can start multiple projects at once and move around and not feel cramped. That's where you want a full tool set.

Once you move the fleet you don't need that in VA any more...simplify.

 

[Horror Business]

What is your current thought process on how many years you will want (or need) to keep a home base in VA?

 

[Nolift911]

Those windows are SICK! You'll love it when you get them all open and just sit there in awe of the view. Totally worth it.

Re: tools, I was kind of in the same boat as you. I looked at Sonic seriously, but they are just too overpriced for what they are. Plus most of their kits have lots of things you won't ever touch. They look nice though. I made a spreadsheet where I compared what was in a Sonic set vs what I might get with Tekton kit or Gearwrench kit or going piecemeal with HF Icon and adding other brands to fill what they don't have or I don't like. End of the day I went down the HF Icon path for the basics plus some Wera, Klein, Astro, Tekton, etc as it made sense. And since I now decided I'll move out of my old space, all the unique things like oil filter wrenches, feeler gauges, cam tools, etc don't need to be duplicated. I'll move some of the extra stuff from the old shop to my Denver house (replace an old husky socket set I was using and will now have a full set of GW wrenches there) but I intend to do the major work on cars in the new shop. I'll maybe change wheels/tires in the Denver garage or do basic stuff around the house. Like you said, in the new space you can start multiple projects at once and move around and not feel cramped. That's where you want a full tool set.

Once you move the fleet you don't need that in VA any more...simplify.

Yah - I need to do the research on tools, boxes etc. I don't see anyway to avoid two sets for most things for awhile.

What is your current thought process on how many years you will want (or need) to keep a home base in VA?

Not for a while — the first constraint is having a junior in high school this fall, so that’s two more mandatory years right there. Then there’s work, family, and… all the other years?

Part of it is also sitting on a 1.9% mortgage that will be paid off in five years. You can’t rent a place for what my mortgage costs now, and we still need a base of operations in the DMV for some time to come.

The only real alternative would be to sell and move somewhere smaller/cheaper in the DMV, but that’s not exactly an inexpensive option either.

So… I dunno.

Anyway, more drywall pics — master bedroom and bathroom. This entire wing of the house is tucked away from the riff raff…

Master bedroom: slider to the right, windows out front facing the Teton Range.



So that opening in the corner is for the fireplace and that whole wall is stone floor to ceiling/sides, or supposed to be - not sure why they sheetrocked it?



Man door in the corner out to patios -



I think they sheetrocked over some outlets and wires (speakers) ...electrician will love that.



Master bath -







MB Closet - this will be cabinets floor to ceiling.

 

[gearhead1960]

Part of it is also sitting on a 1.9% mortgage that will be paid off in five years. You can’t rent a place for what my mortgage costs now, and we still need a base of operations in the DMV for some time to come.

The only real alternative would be to sell and move somewhere smaller/cheaper in the DMV, but that’s not exactly an inexpensive option either.

Living in NOVA, that's a real dilema. I'm a year into retirement and the wife retires in three weeks! We really love this area, but don't need our mini mansion for 2 people. Wife would be happy moving to an over 55 community, but I'm not interested as I want my final home to be with garages for the daily drivers and a 2-3 bay out building for the projects and she shed. We're not going to find that in NOVA without a serious jump in interest rate and property cost (our's is 3.25% and close to paid off). She agrees to a certain extent. We want to stay in VA, but closer to my son in NC and her sister in Richmond. My other son is at AWS and is local, and has expressed interest in moving to NC when the jungle opens some data centers there, close to his brother. I think with the equity we have (got into NOVA Real Estate market in the 80's), west or south of Richmond might be the area to look. Some have suggested moving into an area more than an hour away from a major metropolitan hub, but we love all that NOVA/DC has to offer in sports and cultural events. Moving to the sticks makes that ab lot harder to enjoy....sorry to hijack...

 

[bunks-tj]

us too. i can retire in 8 but its more like 10-12. we are trying to buy a family property in Culpeper (28 acres) where we would start fresh.

 

[gearhead1960]

us too. i can retire in 8 but its more like 10-12. we are trying to buy a family property in Culpeper (28 acres) where we would stary fresh.

We have friends in Culpeper on 10 acres (with twin post lift I occasionally borrow). Culpeper won't get us any closer to Richmond, so have sort of dismissed that area. It's a neat area though, and like some of the restaurants and wife loves the shopping......

 

[Nolift911]

Living in NOVA, that's a real dilema. I'm a year into retirement and the wife retires in three weeks! We really love this area, but don't need our mini mansion for 2 people. Wife would be happy moving to an over 55 community, but I'm not interested as I want my final home to be with garages for the daily drivers and a 2-3 bay out building for the projects and she shed. We're not going to find that in NOVA without a serious jump in interest rate and property cost (our's is 3.25% and close to paid off). She agrees to a certain extent. We want to stay in VA, but closer to my son in NC and her sister in Richmond. My other son is at AWS and is local, and has expressed interest in moving to NC when the jungle opens some data centers there, close to his brother. I think with the equity we have (got into NOVA Real Estate market in the 80's), west or south of Richmond might be the area to look. Some have suggested moving into an area more than an hour away from a major metropolitan hub, but we love all that NOVA/DC has to offer in sports and cultural events. Moving to the sticks makes that ab lot harder to enjoy....sorry to hijack...

Exactly — this has been a great place to raise kids and build a life. Everything is here in LoCo: great schools, work, and our kids were able to walk to all of them. We’ve been here for about 26 years, and other than maybe LA or NY, we pretty much have everything we need.

Part of me thinks, why sell if we don’t have to? Maintaining two residences is tough — or will be — but are we really ready to give up this area wholesale?

With aging parents in MD and southern VA, that’s something that will need to be handled at some point too. I have no idea what that even looks like in the future.

More pics -

Entry way - two pivot doors on each end.



Wood will be stone from exterior - will be a transom on top of that 10 foot door.



Gear - mud room to garage and to office 1



Office 1, view to garage



Office 1 bathroom with shower -



Shed...





Hallway to other bedrooms - should be 3 floater steps here with lights





Couple reading nooks



Slider in between to other patio area -

 

[gearhead1960]

Part of me thinks, why sell if we don’t have to? Maintaining two residences is tough — or will be — but are we really ready to give up this area wholesale?

With aging parents in MD and southern VA, that’s something that will need to be handled at some point too. I have no idea what that even looks like in the future.

....second residence sounds like a money hole....but might be smart as a rental if you can find a good property manager. Almost paid off? Would be some nice extra income.....

...in regard to aging parents, my mom passed 2 years ago at 96 and that was really the major thing holding me to the area (aside from the wife not wanting to relocate until she quit). Her dad just turned 95 and he is living near her sister in Richmond, so that isn't on us too much.

 

[Nolift911]

us too. i can retire in 8 but its more like 10-12. we are trying to buy a family property in Culpeper (28 acres) where we would start fresh.

We have friends in Culpeper on 10 acres (with twin post lift I occasionally borrow). Culpeper won't get us any closer to Richmond, so have sort of dismissed that area. It's a neat area though, and like some of the restaurants and wife loves the shopping......

Culpeper is a great area -

....second residence sounds like a money hole....but might be smart as a rental if you can find a good property manager. Almost paid off? Would be some nice extra income.....

...in regard to aging parents, my mom passed 2 years ago at 96 and that was really the major thing holding me to the area (aside from the wife not wanting to relocate until she quit). Her dad just turned 95 and he is living near her sister in Richmond, so that isn't on us too much.

Yes and no. Everything has been done, roof, both HVAC systems, every room has been upgraded, new appliances etc so no real maintenance as of now. Rental is possible, but then I am a landlord and dealing with that.

Garage drywall -

 

[mmsheb]

Maybe I missed it, but how big is that garage? It looks almost large enough!
Mike in WI

 

[fourmotioneer]

May be the phone camera quality deceiving me but the garage looks like it’s going to have some excellent natural light. What a nice place to spend some time eventfully

 

[badonk]

May be the phone camera quality deceiving me but the garage looks like it’s going to have some excellent natural light. What a nice place to spend some time eventfully

There should be even more natural light once the glass garage doors go in too!

 

[Nolift911]

Maybe I missed it, but how big is that garage? It looks almost large enough!
Mike in WI

Garage is 2300 sq. ft. The idea was an oversized 4 car wide - 2 car deep. Almost large enough

May be the phone camera quality deceiving me but the garage looks like it’s going to have some excellent natural light. What a nice place to spend some time eventfully

There should be plenty of natural light.

There should be even more natural light once the glass garage doors go in too!

Yeah - garage door installers should be out next week - excited to see what they look like.

Couple other updates -

Floors got polished - 200 grit then up to 800 grit, then ram boarded - won't see those again until the end of the build. While the pics look shiny they are matte/satin, just a basic grind and then coated with Surecrete Commerical Grade DK 400WB Satin Poly. Garage has a more durable coating then rest of house - not sure if that is a different product or 2 coats etc?

Overall I think the floors came out with a lot of natural industrial character which is what we were after.

First grind - and joint fill.

 

[puttinonthekritz]

Are you doing jackshaft style garage openers on the wall or ceiling mount? Also, given your door sizes and specifically, weight, ensure you add a second set (at minimum), of ceiling track mounting brackets. Most people only have one set at the end of their track and potential for failure is real.

My insulated 18x9 home garage door gets used often with kids and stays open a lot (thus lots of weight up in the air). My 'oh sh@!' moment occurred after one single lag bolt pulled out just enough from the 'scaffold bracket' and ceiling joist or truss connection that the garage door almost seemingly came down. The door opener would not lower the door due to the alignment being that far off (approx. 6-8'' drop). I'm not sure if the lag didn't quite get squared up when installed and it separated from the truss between thousands of cycles/vibrations or sitting up in the air all the time. I have two lags, one on each end of the bracket as my trusses are 24"oc.

Luckily it was me and not the kids or wife. I pulled the emergency cable to push the door closed while holding the garage door rail to its proper location on a ladder. Since then, I've added a second set of brackets at middle of the door rail to distribute weight and have a redundant safety net to all of my doors. Between potentially coming down on expensive vehicles, the cost of an expensive door fix (especially your custom glass doors) or even worse on someone, I'd without a doubt make sure you get a second, if not, third set.

 

[puttinonthekritz]

Also, not sure if you plan on putting a ceiling fan in the garage, but if you do I'd recommend one that I've personally found to circulate a lot of air, quiet and won't break the bank compared to heavy hitter industrial fans. My shop has 14' ceilings and 46x46. I have one in the middle and no regrets.

Global Industrial 108" Industrial Ceiling Fan, DC Motor, 6 Speed, 20000 CFM, Black

Global Industrial 108" Industrial Ceiling Fan, DC Motor, 6 Speed, 20000 CFM, Black. Ships in One Business Day. Buy it and Save at Globalindustrial.com

www.globalindustrial.com

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Are you doing jackshaft style garage openers on the wall or ceiling mount? Also, given your door sizes and specifically, weight, ensure you add a second set (at minimum), of ceiling track mounting brackets. Most people only have one set at the end of their track and potential for failure is real.

My insulated 18x9 home garage door gets used often with kids and stays open a lot (thus lots of weight up in the air). My 'oh sh@!' moment occurred after one single lag bolt pulled out just enough from the 'scaffold bracket' and ceiling joist or truss connection that the garage door almost seemingly came down. The door opener would not lower the door due to the alignment being that far off (approx. 6-8'' drop). I'm not sure if the lag didn't quite get squared up when installed and it separated from the truss between thousands of cycles/vibrations or sitting up in the air all the time. I have two lags, one on each end of the bracket as my trusses are 24"oc.

Luckily it was me and not the kids or wife. I pulled the emergency cable to push the door closed while holding the garage door rail to its proper location on a ladder. Since then, I've added a second set of brackets at middle of the door rail to distribute weight and have a redundant safety net to all of my doors. Between potentially coming down on expensive vehicles, the cost of an expensive door fix (especially your custom glass doors) or even worse on someone, I'd without a doubt make sure you get a second, if not, third set.

This makes me concerned reading this, that is scary. I also have insulated 18x9 doors in my new garage. I only have one bracket 18in across my 16in OC ceiling. I know the lags are 4in each but I definitely leave the doors open while pressure washing cars outside sometimes for 3-4hrs at a time. Might have to call the install company and ask for a second bracket midway up.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

The house and garage are coming along amazingly. The floors look fantastic. Going to be really cool having the office looking over out into the garage.

 

[Nolift911]

Mid-June — wow. I've been a little lax on updates. Apologies. Work has been ridiculous lately with travel and other commitments.

The house is moving along, the bills are stacking up, and we're getting down to the wire on the "must-haves," "nice-to-haves," and "can't-haves." Just part of the process, I suppose.

I'll post some progress photos shortly.

Are you doing jackshaft style garage openers on the wall or ceiling mount? Also, given your door sizes and specifically, weight, ensure you add a second set (at minimum), of ceiling track mounting brackets. Most people only have one set at the end of their track and potential for failure is real.

My insulated 18x9 home garage door gets used often with kids and stays open a lot (thus lots of weight up in the air). My 'oh sh@!' moment occurred after one single lag bolt pulled out just enough from the 'scaffold bracket' and ceiling joist or truss connection that the garage door almost seemingly came down. The door opener would not lower the door due to the alignment being that far off (approx. 6-8'' drop). I'm not sure if the lag didn't quite get squared up when installed and it separated from the truss between thousands of cycles/vibrations or sitting up in the air all the time. I have two lags, one on each end of the bracket as my trusses are 24"oc.

Luckily it was me and not the kids or wife. I pulled the emergency cable to push the door closed while holding the garage door rail to its proper location on a ladder. Since then, I've added a second set of brackets at middle of the door rail to distribute weight and have a redundant safety net to all of my doors. Between potentially coming down on expensive vehicles, the cost of an expensive door fix (especially your custom glass doors) or even worse on someone, I'd without a doubt make sure you get a second, if not, third set.

Yes, all jackshaft — or at least they're supposed to be.

I made it a point to tell the builder that I didn't want some Rube Goldberg-looking collection of garage tracks, brackets, and scaffolding hanging from the ceiling.

Due to the nature of the setup, the left and right doors can't go straight up, but the center door can. I was told that's "a lot of weight to go straight up." Seems possible to me — you see it all the time on commercial installations. Just use reinforced brackets, larger/thicker hardware, and deeper, beefier lag bolts.

So the doors went in. The plan was to have all black hardware — hinges, bolts, brackets, mounting points, etc.

Fail:



Black hinges - Nope.



Here are the "Hurricane Bars" they installed incorrectly initially.



Installers said - "these bars hang down and block part of the windows" - you ok with that? No I am not.



They installed them wrong.
There were 40-50mph gusts one afternoon and my builder is like these things are bulging and swaying - he took a look and reinstalled - here they are corrected - no blocking and much stronger. He also installed double lag bolts on the rails.

Also, not sure if you plan on putting a ceiling fan in the garage, but if you do I'd recommend one that I've personally found to circulate a lot of air, quiet and won't break the bank compared to heavy hitter industrial fans. My shop has 14' ceilings and 46x46. I have one in the middle and no regrets.

Global Industrial 108" Industrial Ceiling Fan, DC Motor, 6 Speed, 20000 CFM, Black

Global Industrial 108" Industrial Ceiling Fan, DC Motor, 6 Speed, 20000 CFM, Black. Ships in One Business Day. Buy it and Save at Globalindustrial.com

www.globalindustrial.com

Yes! I forgot about fans and sweet talking the builder and electrician for two ceiling boxes - they say they need to cut drywall which is not actually true. I could do it but I don't have a 25 foot ladder and don't want more projects - its an easy fish.

This makes me concerned reading this, that is scary. I also have insulated 18x9 doors in my new garage. I only have one bracket 18in across my 16in OC ceiling. I know the lags are 4in each but I definitely leave the doors open while pressure washing cars outside sometimes for 3-4hrs at a time. Might have to call the install company and ask for a second bracket midway up.

Yah mine are 20X10 so heavy. Double wrap that thing - err double lag that.

The house and garage are coming along amazingly. The floors look fantastic. Going to be really cool having the office looking over out into the garage.

Thanks! Its coming along - ready to move in!

In other news - the ******* is in Clark...











Gas line drama - here is where I wanted the gas line for the BBQ -



Here is where it is stubbed out. The question was whether I was okay with a 6–8 foot section of pipe coming down the wall and then tucking under the concrete to get over to the BBQ location.

Not really.

Mainly because this was discussed ad nauseam for years. The whole point was to have the BBQ under the awning for actual BBQ-ing.

Where I ultimately want the grill is surrounded by concrete and steel, so running the line directly through the wall isn't possible due to code requirements. As a result, the gas line needs to go underneath.

I understand there are practical constraints, but this wasn't exactly a last-minute design change. The BBQ location has been part of the plan from the beginning, so having exposed pipe running down the wall was never really the vision. If it has to get there, I'd much rather see it routed below grade and out of sight than have a visible section of pipe become a permanent feature of the patio.



Also here is the feed for the fire pit.



Propane tanks are in. They should be pretty much fuss-free. The system sends a signal to the propane company when the tanks get low, and they come out and fill them automagically.

Of course, these are installed on the complete opposite side of the house from where the gas is actually needed, so insert grumbling here about trenching around the entire house to make that happen.

These will be covered and the only things to see are the little hats at ground level.



More to come -

 

[Nolift911]

In other news... busy.

I've been trying to knock out a number of projects around the house, with plenty more still to do. I need to renew the deck railings and trim, then get everything painted. It's a pretty big job.

I thought about investing in aluminum cladding for some of it, but it's not in horrible shape. Another round of caulk and paint should buy me several more years.

I'm determined not to let this house fall into disrepair while we build the new place.

First up was giving everything on the deck a good pressure washing:









The little electric "Green Machine" did just fine. Even at full power, it doesn't tear up the wood, which is why I use it on my bikes and cars as well. I think it's rated at around 1,700 PSI max.

Next came the water seal treatment. In 20 years of doing this every five years or so, Thompsons Water Seal has always been my go-to.

The only problem? Where was my sprayer?

I had loaned it to someone years ago and couldn't find it anywhere. I let the deck dry for a day, checked the forecast for two or three sunny, dry days... still no sprayer.

So I figured, how bad could the aerosol cans be?

They claim about 50 square feet of coverage per can. My deck is roughly 20' x 20', so by my math I figured eight cans should do it.

Nope.

It took 20 cans... and that's after I forgot to account for the stairs and the smaller deck around the hot tub.





Then the concrete underneath the deck -







Long day -



Messy but satisfying - had the landscapers come and do the backyard after...

In other news the Disco is legit -

 

[Nolift911]

More "the other" house stuff...

They're wrapping up everything on the exterior before the final stone goes on. To do that, they need to pour the concrete where the stone will meet the foundation, so they're finishing up the last of the Luna wood siding, standing seam metal, trim, and all the remaining exterior details.

They're also beginning some of the pseudo-final grading, which is nice because it's finally starting to look less like a construction site and more like a finished home.

This is where the budget is going to start getting squeezed, much to my dismay. I'll ramble on about that later.

For now, here are a few exterior shots.

I also need to find some heavy-duty snow bars/guards that aren't going to rip off the standing seam roof. This roof pitch is no joke, and I don't need an avalanche taking out the glass windows and anything else below it.

This side of the house will also get a gutter. I'm still undecided on the style. Copper would look incredible against the Luna wood and stone...but that is 40 feet so $$.

 

[Nolift911]

When I was out there visiting in April, my builder and I stopped by a reclaimed lumber yard in Rigby to pick out some of the wood that will be used throughout the house.

There are a number of reclaimed timber lintels above the garage doors and windows, around the pivot doors, most of the loft flooring and mantels will also be reclaimed lumber.

The lumber yard was amazing. It was one of those places where every beam had a story, and you could spend hours wandering through stacks of century-old timbers imagining where they'd been. Definitely a dangerous place for someone who appreciates old wood and craftsmanship.









Sneak peak at the two pivot doors - these things weigh a ton.





Door handles will look something like this - these are actual doors on the Cloudveil Hotel in Jackson.





So I was hoping to have a concrete pad/driveway when we moved in but that may have to wait a bit...



From the picture, you can see the grade dropping away from the cantilever as it heads back to the rest of the driveway. Without a retaining wall there, my builder is concerned that, over time, a concrete slab could slowly migrate or settle away from the house.

So, before any concrete goes in, it looks like we'll need to build a retaining wall and backfill it with properly compacted gravel to create a stable base.

Needless to say, that wasn't in the budget.

Something like this maybe in the front - or a version of it.



The plan has always been to avoid a lot of concrete around the house. The goal is a much more natural setting that blends into the surrounding landscape rather than looking overly developed.

For the rear of the house, we're leaning toward something like this: a year-round plunge pool that doubles as a hot tub in the winter, surrounded by native landscaping, natural stone, gravel walkways, and materials that feel like they've always belonged there.

The idea is for the landscaping to complement the house and the Tetons—not compete with them. Hopefully, when it's all finished, it will feel less like a backyard and more like an extension of the mountain landscape.



So now it's one of those "must-have" items that forces another round of figuring out what stays, what goes, and what gets pushed down the road. It's all part of building, I suppose... just not the fun part.

More to come...

 

[Jon69RagTop]

What a “Dream house“, always love your updates.

 

[Nolift911]

What a “Dream house“, always love your updates.

Thank you! Hopefully it's a dream and not a nightmare.

Switching gears... fun with the Disco.

Apparently adding antique tags was offensive to the sensitive Brit.

A CEL popped up for the O2 sensors. There are four on the Discovery: two upstream (before the cats) and two downstream (after the cats).

You can't just replace one or two—I've been down that road before. They all need to be the same age and type.

Easy enough, right?





Nope.





I could only break one sensor loose. Even with an impact, the other three wouldn't budge.

The sensors are threaded into the Y-pipe/catalytic converter assembly, which bolts to the exhaust manifolds with a three-bolt flange on each side. The exhaust had to come out so I could actually get some room to work. Plus, if I stripped one of the sensor bungs, I'd be shopping for a new Y-pipe with catalytic converters... about a $1,000 mistake.

Of course, I'm doing all of this in my driveway. A lift would have been pretty nice right about then... but never mind.

I think these O2 sensors had about 75,000 miles on them during my 350,000-mile odyssey, so this is roughly the fourth time they've been replaced.

No comment...



Two broken studs.

One per side.

Awesome.

First things first—get the exhaust out.



BFW...FTW





There was absolutely no way these sensors were coming out easily.



So I bought four new sensors—not the Bosch units at roughly $250 each. After doing some homework, a lot of people have had good luck with the Walker sensors, so I picked up all four for about $250 total.



Four new sensors installed and ready to go back on the truck. I had to re-chase the threads and use liberal ant-seize but they are in and solid.



One broken stud actually came out with an easy-out...



The other not so much -



Time to start drilling.

This was a tough spot to get a drill into, and another attempt with an easy-out wasn't happening. I considered pulling the exhaust manifold, but those bolts weren't about to cooperate either. If one of those snapped, I'd have turned a driveway repair into an engine-out project.

More to come...

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

The place is coming along great. Definitely starting to look like a house with the grading work getting further along. I do not understand how these garage door installers don't have a group of guys that do the installs on the more cosmetically concerning installs, as I know you and I are not the only ones that care about the inside look. I had more issues with my installs than I care to go back and count, so hopefully you are past that with yours.

I can sympathise with having to figure out what stays and what goes when other things pop up. Been there, done that on my build. I don't remember seeing that picture if you shared it before of the natural look outside, but it looks amazing! I like your idea for the large boulder retaining wall for the driveway. It will flow really well with the rest of that look. And those doors are massive!

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Thank you! Hopefully it's a dream and not a nightmare.

Switching gears... fun with the Disco.

Apparently adding antique tags was offensive to the sensitive Brit.

A CEL popped up for the O2 sensors. There are four on the Discovery: two upstream (before the cats) and two downstream (after the cats).

You can't just replace one or two—I've been down that road before. They all need to be the same age and type.

Easy enough, right?





Nope.





I could only break one sensor loose. Even with an impact, the other three wouldn't budge.

The sensors are threaded into the Y-pipe/catalytic converter assembly, which bolts to the exhaust manifolds with a three-bolt flange on each side. The exhaust had to come out so I could actually get some room to work. Plus, if I stripped one of the sensor bungs, I'd be shopping for a new Y-pipe with catalytic converters... about a $1,000 mistake.

Of course, I'm doing all of this in my driveway. A lift would have been pretty nice right about then... but never mind.

I think these O2 sensors had about 75,000 miles on them during my 350,000-mile odyssey, so this is roughly the fourth time they've been replaced.

No comment...



Two broken studs.

One per side.

Awesome.

First things first—get the exhaust out.



BFW...FTW





There was absolutely no way these sensors were coming out easily.



So I bought four new sensors—not the Bosch units at roughly $250 each. After doing some homework, a lot of people have had good luck with the Walker sensors, so I picked up all four for about $250 total.



Four new sensors installed and ready to go back on the truck. I had to re-chase the threads and use liberal ant-seize but they are in and solid.



One broken stud actually came out with an easy-out...



The other not so much -



Time to start drilling.

This was a tough spot to get a drill into, and another attempt with an easy-out wasn't happening. I considered pulling the exhaust manifold, but those bolts weren't about to cooperate either. If one of those snapped, I'd have turned a driveway repair into an engine-out project.

More to come...

The headaches are only during the build, and then with many great years of enjoyment, they will be a distant memory. At least that is what I have been told.

Those O2 sensors bring back the horrors of the ones I tackled on the ISF this past fall. Ended up cutting all mine in half with my M12 cutoff wheel so I could get a full size socket with a breaker bar on them after some PB Blaster. Glad to see they all came out. Had to buy thread chasers for O2 sensors for the first time in my life then. At least it will soon be ready for the trip.

 

[Nolift911]

Not all drill bits are created equal...



I ended up ordering some M42 cobalt bits. The ones I started with were basically bouncing off the stud. I think I broke 20 of them.

Topside view...

I had a sneaking suspicion that even if I managed to get an easy-out into the stud, it still wasn't going to budge.



So I started drilling for China...

...and drilling...

...and drilling.

Worst case, I figured I'd drill the stud completely out, enlarge the hole, and use a bolt and nut instead of a stud. That was about the best punch and starting point I could get while lying on my back with a drill two feet up into the engine bay.





So this is a problem -



The drill wouldn't move it. The Dremel wouldn't move it. Vise-grips weren't helping. It was getting ugly.

In the end, though, I persevered.

I don't have any pictures of the finished product because, after two-ish days on my back in 95-degree heat, I just wanted to get everything bolted back together and be done with it.

Everything went back together, no exhaust leaks, the truck was running great...

...and then, while I was cleaning up, the CEL came on as it sat there idling.

I didn't cry. But I was close.



Pulled the codes...

Now I had an emissions circuit fault.

Typically, that's the EVAP purge valve between the charcoal canister and the engine. They seem to last about five years before they give up.

So... I bought one.

Naturally, it's located at the very back of the engine. The replacement procedure basically involves laying across the engine with a blanket and pretending you're a contortionist. It goes here -



Only available from Land Rover.

$357.



Old one out - new ready one to go in...



The only other likely culprit was the gas cap. It was probably ten years old, so I replaced that too.



Turns out...It was neither.

The code came right back.

Then I cried.

After taking a closer look at the code, I realized it said "Vent Circuit Open" rather than "EVAP Leak." That was the clue. It wasn't a vacuum leak at all.

It was an electrical problem.



Yep...

Yours truly, while trying to reach the passenger-side O2 sensor from the top of the engine, managed to break the wiring connector to the EVAP system.

Lesson learned: Read the codes carefully before throwing parts at the problem. Heard that before...

A quick wiring repair later, and everything was back to normal.

To prove it, Disco (the dog) and I took the Disco on a 300-mile road trip down to Williamsburg for a family event this past weekend. The truck ran flawlessly.

Even better, I squeezed 400 miles out of a tank, which is about 50 miles better than before. I'll take that as a win.

 

[cccoltsicehockey]

Never fun to realize you added an extra problem but at least it was a quick fix in the end. Glad to hear it took the maiden post repair voyage flawlessly. That should instill confidence in its next longer trip.

 

[Xti04]

That looks like a bosch evap valve that VW/ Audi used in the early 2000s in case you ever need a better price on a bad evap purge valve.