The Rat's New Garage

[Rowdy Rat]

So, you're gonna have to walk all the way around the garage in the snow or rain when you want to go from breakfast on Saturday morning into it to work on your project?

Heck, your coffee will be cold by the time you get in the garage!!

LOL Tony... You make it sound like a cross country trip!

It's really not that far... Maybe sixty feet from the front door to the garage door (and part of that is covered by the porch). I don't mind the walk, plus it has some real benefits. The first as I mentioned is security, the second is that it will cut down on the number of interruptions... People will be less likely to come out to the garage if there isn't a direct passage way through the house.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Nicely done Rowdy Rat. I just finished being involved with the building of a new Toyota dealership. We installed 12 of the inground lifts, complete with vegetable oil.(the green thing)

They are worth their weight in space savings for sure. In the dealership experience, the door dings alone will pay for the cost difference. Not to mention looks and being very VERY practical.

If you thought that much ahead, I'm anxious to see the finished product.

Thanks for the nice comments and feedback!

Maximizing my available space was a big issue for me as I couldn't build the garage as big as I really wanted to. Going with the in ground lift went a long way toward doing that.

Plus (as you mentioned) it eliminates the potential for door dings and damage that would be present with a two post lift. I've seen it happen and I'm sure that you have too.

I like to think that I planned well, but I'm sure that I'll discover items that I've forgotten as this project moves forward. Hopefully, they won't be big issues and will be easily addressed or corrected.

Regards,

Stan

 

[MXtras]

...it will cut down on the number of interruptions... People will be less likely to come out to the garage if there isn't a direct passage way through the house.

Regards,

Stan

Excellent!

Nice build and nice thread. Thanks for sharing!

Scott

 

[autoist]

LOL Tony... You make it sound like a cross country trip!

It's really not that far... Maybe sixty feet from the front door to the garage door (and part of that is covered by the porch). I don't mind the walk, plus it has some real benefits. The first as I mentioned is security, the second is that it will cut down on the number of interruptions... People will be less likely to come out to the garage if there isn't a direct passage way through the house.

Regards,

Stan

You might want to frame up a doorway in that wall just in case down the road your wife 'suggests' a way for her to come get you when she needs to without getting wet....

 

[Rowdy Rat]

The garage has been moving along… Slower than I would like, but work is being done.

The siding installation is progressing well and looks pretty darn close to what is already on the house (another good job of color matching by the GC).

They also did a real nice job creating the plates to mount the electric service boxes… I watched the GC bend these up on the sheet metal brake.

I’ve been really pleased with these guys. They definitely pay attention to the details on all the work that they do.

There were some small problems though (mainly due to lack of communication). The hose bib for washing cars was supposed to be mounted on the inside of the garage. Came home for lunch and found that the plumbers had mounted it on the outside.

I had them remount it on the inside, but have to get the GC back to fix the siding. They also need to notch the wall and move the water line back as it was supposed to be behind the drywall.

One of the man doors took a hit too during shipping. Nothing serious, but it needed to be fixed.

Still, the problems that I have encountered so far have been relatively minor... Hope it stays that way!

Regards,

Stan

 

[RodneyPierce]

man, i think you will be pretty happy with the garage overall. It is a NICE size garage forsure! Very very nice so far!

 

[Homebody]

Looks great so far! I like the one man door idea also.

 

[bluesman2a]

The hose bib for washing cars was supposed to be mounted on the inside of the garage. Came home for lunch and found that the plumbers had mounted it on the outside.

I had them remount it on the inside, but have to get the GC back to fix the siding.

Dumb question here Stan: Why not keep BOTH?

I understand wanting an internal one in the "wash bay", but might be nice to have an external as well so you don't always have to have the garage open to access water spigot... Just a thought... I went with the same thought process on at each of my exterior bay doors with internal/external power. Given the choice would have done water the same way.

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Thank you again for the comments. I was able to get a lot of ideas and avoid potential problems by watching the detailed builds that others have posted on this forum. Hopefully, I can return the favor by posting the details of my own garage build.

Dumb question here Stan: Why not keep BOTH?

I understand wanting an internal one in the "wash bay", but might be nice to have an external as well so you don't always have to have the garage open to access water spigot... Just a thought... I went with the same thought process on at each of my exterior bay doors with internal/external power. Given the choice would have done water the same way.

You make a great point... And makes a lot of sense considering the outside is already done at this point. I'll have to get with the plumbers and have them leave both in place.

Regards,

Stan

 

[bmwpower]

Thank you again for the comments. I was able to get a lot of ideas and avoid potential problems by watching the detailed builds that others have posted on this forum. Hopefully, I can return the favor by posting the details of my own garage build.



You make a great point... And makes a lot of sense considering the outside is already done at this point. I'll have to get with the plumbers and have them leave both in place.

Regards,

Stan

Any problems with a double bib like this freezing in the winter?

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Quite a bit more work accomplished on the garage.

The siding is now finished… Looks really nice!

All of the gutters and flashing have been installed and with the exception of a few details (garage doors, exterior lights, and electrical fixtures) the outside is more or less complete.

There is still a lot of work to do on the interior of the garage though. The HVAC subs were in to run the lines for the furnace and air conditioner. The air conditioner was pretty straight forward as far as installation. We had to replace the undersize unit for the house so it seemed like a good idea to place both a/c units at the rear of the garage and away from the house/pool area. No real problems there… Just the need to run the line from the old house unit to the new location (about 30 feet away). The new house unit was installed while the garage unit will be installed in a few weeks.

The one area of compromise in this garage so far is the furnace location.

I wanted to keep everything off of the floor to maximize my floor space. My first thought was to put it above the ceiling on the trusses, but there were some issues regarding code as well as how to service it once it was up there. The left (as you’re facing the garage) side of the garage seemed to be the best location except that I plan to put four post lifts there in the future to increase car storage capacity. The front was out due to the garage doors. I wanted to use as much of the back wall for full height storage cabinets so that ruled out most of that area… This left me the right side. This is the area by the lift and I was concerned that it might interfere with the cars, but after taking some measurements, it became clear that I had sufficient room (As long as I never lift a car more than ten feet wide). This location also leaves the unit clear for service work when necessary.

I gave this one a lot of thought and this appears to be the best solution. You can make a case for the back wall (I did), but in the end, the solution that I chose should work just fine.

The ductwork for the heat and a/c was put in place.

Most of the electric service was run at this time too. I put an outlet every six feet which from past experience should be sufficient. I ran a 220 line into the storage area for the compressor and another at the front of the right side for a welder. All the drops for the lights and garage door openers were done and a “special” outlet high on the far wall for a neon sign I’ve had for many years, but never had a place to hang.

Not a whole lot left to go at this point. Insulation, drywall and painting, finish HVAC, finish electric, complete the lift installation, and finally put down the epoxy floor. With a little bit of luck, I might be able to start moving my cars and parts in by the end of the month.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Getting closer!

Insulation installed… R-19 in the walls with R-38 in the ceiling which should be sufficient.

I had to install the air lines prior to the insulation as I wanted the lines to be behind the walls. I ended up choosing the air handling system that I mentioned previously from Patton’s. It’s relatively thick wall (at least I was surprised by the wall thickness) aluminum tubing with all connections made with compression fittings. I designed the system so that all of the fittings and pipes could be swapped out without having to open the walls in the event that something failed down the road. I have three drops; one for the lift (the safety locks are air actuated), another by the lift for air tools, and a third against the back wall for the blast cabinet.

The air system will incorporate a 7.5 horsepower two stage compressor with an 80 gallon tank (to be installed as soon as the storage room is prepared. I wanted to pressure test the lines before sealing the walls to make certain that there were no leaks. I borrowed my dad’s 3 horsepower portable compressor and pumped the lines up to 125 psi… No leaks!

The drywall contractors showed up the following day. They finished putting up the drywall in a day although I’m still waiting for them to return to finish the job (the GC tells me sometime this week). After that, the GC can schedule the electricians in to install the lights and the HVAC guys to finish the furnace/air conditioning install... I can get the whole thing painted after that.

With a little luck, I can be up and running by October!

Regards,

Stan

 

[autoist]

Didn't realize you were also doing some serious work to the house!!

 

[jr2]

Lookin great Stan! You'll be ready for a Halloween Shop party before you know it!

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Didn't realize you were also doing some serious work to the house!!

Tony,

That's part of the wife's "back yard beautification project" that I mentioned earlier in this thread. Being the gearhead that I am, I have photos of just about every detail of the garage, but haven't taken as many of the other project. I'll post a few once I get them uploaded.

As you noticed, there was quite a bit done... Which is why I have to wait on my cabinets and a few other tools that I'd like to add to the inventory.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Thanks John... Hope you're right about the completion date!

I know that I mentioned it in the other thread, but I love your Novas! Reminds me of my grandfather's '67 SS that he bought new... I remember driving that car as a kid... Always thought it was pretty darn cool and I have a lot of enjoyable memories of my grandfather and that Nova.

I ended up with a '69 SS a few years back, but I sold it to a gentleman in New York (who still has it last I heard).

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

My lights finally arrived… All twelve of them!

I used the Visual Lighting software that bmwpower posted on his garage build to map the lighting for my own garage. Pretty easy to use and if it works as advertised, I’ll be a very happy camper. The concentration of light is over the detail area in the center of the garage, but there is more than sufficient light everywhere else.

The fixtures are SpecLight’s (a division of Lithonia) FGT 24 model which is a 6 lamp T5HO design. They are intended to be used as “troffers” for installation in a drop ceiling, but SpecLight offers a mounting kit to allow them to be installed in a standard drywall ceiling. Unfortunately, the installation isn’t going to be as simple as it could be. The trusses are 24” on center and the light fixtures are also 24” wide… The opening between the trusses is only around 22 ½”. The electricians and I took a look at the lights and it appears that we can modify the housing to make it work within the available opening. I’ll be busy performing that modification this weekend so that the electricians can install the lights next week.

I’ll also be adding some task lighting by the work area, but that will wait until after the cabinets have been installed… Probably some time next year.

Regards,

Stan

 

[1991Syclone]

fantastic build.

 

[autoist]

Did you just dry stack all those stones for the raised patio?

 

[Rowdy Rat]

fantastic build.

Thank you!

I just wish it was a bit closer to being finished!

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Did you just dry stack all those stones for the raised patio?

Tony,

No... They're premanufactured concrete wall blocks from EP Henry. They are held in place in several ways. The first is a lip on the back of the block which prevents it from moving forward due to the fill behind it. There is also a high strength, water proof adhesive that is applied to each block when it is installed. Finally, there is a mesh restraint that is installed between the blocks after every three foot interval in course height. Stone fill is placed on top of this mesh and prevents the wall from being pushed forward.

You can see the mesh in this photo... It's sandwiched between two layers of blocks about three feet above the first course and is stretched out prior to having the stone fill placed on top of it. The weight of the stone (plus the lips and adhesive) keeps it from moving.

The pavers on top of the deck are installed in standard fashion... Compacted stone base, sand setting bed, and pavers.

The back is basically done at this point... I'll post a few photos this weekend. We have some landscaping to do, but the hardscaping is completed. There are a few projects for the back yard down the road, but those will have to wait for a bit.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

The drywall subs were out… They were supposed to be out Monday, but didn’t show until Friday. Still, they worked on Friday, Saturday, and Monday… Not sure what they have left, but it looks like they are close to finishing.

I need to get with the GC to get the HVAC subs over to finish up… Then he can box in the furnace and then I can get this garage painted.

While not as exciting, the driveway is finally being completed as well. I went through a minor issue with the township on the concrete curb. It was chipped in a few areas and the township claimed it was from the contractor traffic and wanted me to replace it. It was actually the township’s snow plow that had done it and we were able to prove it. After that discussion, the chipped curb apparently wasn’t damaged that badly and wouldn’t have to be replaced… Go figure.

Anyway, the mason came back out to put the sidewalk and driveway apron in… He even repaired the damage that was causing all the fuss.

Tony,

Here are a few shots of the “back yard beautification project” which is now complete with the exception of the finish landscaping. It turned out really well and my wife and I are both pleased with the work that was done.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Kevin54]

Super patio area Love the stacked stones.

One question.....to the right of the man door, I noticed when it was framed that it was a tight little corner. Did the contractors cuss cutting all the really small pieces of vinyl to fit in. Don't look like much room to work let along swing a hammer into the corner

 

[jr2]

Thanks John... Hope you're right about the completion date!

I know that I mentioned it in the other thread, but I love your Novas! Reminds me of my grandfather's '67 SS that he bought new... I remember driving that car as a kid... Always thought it was pretty darn cool and I have a lot of enjoyable memories of my grandfather and that Nova.

I ended up with a '69 SS a few years back, but I sold it to a gentleman in New York (who still has it last I heard).

Regards,

Stan

It never fails. Someone always has a story about a Nova. And they are usually good stories with good memories!!

The place sure looks good Stan! Looks as if you'll be able to get in there before the weather starts to get ugly.

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Super patio area Love the stacked stones.

Thanks Kevin... We're really pleased with it as well!

One question.....to the right of the man door, I noticed when it was framed that it was a tight little corner. Did the contractors cuss cutting all the really small pieces of vinyl to fit in. Don't look like much room to work let along swing a hammer into the corner

The GC that I chose for this project is a very detail oriented person... He and his personal crew are very, very particular about the work they do (proabably as particular as I am and I can be a bit **** at times). The subs that he has chosen to use are for the most part, equally good so in that respect, I've been very fortunate with this construction project.

As to your question, they did spend a lot of time on that room connecting the garage to the house!

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

It never fails. Someone always has a story about a Nova. And they are usually good stories with good memories!!

My Nova memories have certainly been good ones!

Here's a couple shots of the old '69 (sorry for the photo quality - these were taken pre-D70). It was a real L-78/M-20 car that sold new out of Lustine Chevrolet in Maryland. The car looked pretty rough when I found it, but it was all there as far as the driveline and the body was actually pretty solid.

The place sure looks good Stan! Looks as if you'll be able to get in there before the weather starts to get ugly.

Thanks!

I just got off the phone with the GC... The drywall subs are just about done and the HVAC guys are coming out tomorrow to finish the job.

Maybe I will be moving in soon!

Regards,

Stan

 

[eville]

Looks very nice. I like your attention to detail.

Do you have any pictures of the airlines installed?

How did you end up liking that stuff?

I've been looking at using that stuff myself.

Thanks,

 

[PAToyota]

Coming together nicely! Looks like it will be a great space to work in.

 

[Homebody]

Turned out great! Can't wait to see you stock it!
Love the Nova, had a 70SS 350/300hp myself I finally sold in 95 for 5 grand and it was mint.
I'm ok now though, bought a 72 Camaro last fall.

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Thanks again for the comments guys... Much appreciated!

Looks very nice. I like your attention to detail.

Thank you!

Do you have any pictures of the airlines installed? How did you end up liking that stuff? I've been looking at using that stuff myself.

You know, I thought that I had one photo of a couple of the line drops, but for I don't see it in my files anywhere. If I can dig it up, I'll post it.

As for the system itself, I really like it. I worked with Jay Price at Patton's who did a great job helping me put together the necessary parts. From speaking with Jay, it sounds like most of their business is commercial, but the owner is a car guy and has been getting involved with the hobbyist/residential market in recent years. I provided Jay with a rough drawing of what I wanted to do and he provided the correct parts from inventory.

The tubing is aluminum and as I mentioned the wall thickness is much more substantial than I would have guessed. I haven't measured it yet, but I think that I am going to just to satisfy my own curiosity. On the flip side, the aluminum is still pretty soft so it is very easy to cut with your standard tubing cutter and cleaned up with inside and outside brushes to remove any rough spots.

The connections seem to be aluminum (perhaps bronze) and are basically compression fittings. You back of the end a few turns, insert the tube, and tighten up the end of the fitting (I was told that they could be hand tightened, but I used wrenches)... Simple as that. There are also various mounts available to locate the system in a number of different ways (for installations both inside and outside the walls). Below is a typical "T" fitting, but there are a variety of fittings available.

OK, this stuff sounds really great... What's the catch?

Well, the most obvious is price. From reading some of the responses on copper air lines, this system is probably going to run 3 to 4 times what a copper system would run. If you need long runs (and don't want to splice) the 16' lengths of tubing have to ship truck freight so you have to deal with that cost as well. Is it that much better to justify the cost?

For me, it was. I wanted to run the air line inside the stud walls with the ability to replace sections without using a torch or ripping open walls. This system allows me to do that in the event of a tube or fitting failure.

I did do a test run before the walls were up... Ran it up to 125psi with no leaks so I guess that I installed it correctly!

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

The HVAC subs were out to put in the furnace in the other day. I don’t have any photos of the actual installation, but they basically hung the unit from the ceiling with six threaded steel rods… Pretty slick set up, plus it gets the unit off the floor freeing up much needed space. It is a bit bigger than I thought that it would be (I didn’t consider the duct work that would go with it), but it still only hangs down about two feet from the ceiling and is clear of the lift by about the same distance.

I had the GC box the unit in after the subs were done. While I do restoration work in the garage, I also like a clean, finished look when not in use so hiding the furnace was important to me. The GC did a great job and designed the “cover” with a removable access panel to allow the unit to be serviced or removed if necessary.

You can see from the photos that the openings for the lights have been cut. I mentioned previously that these lights were designed are “troffers” and are designed for drop in ceilings. SpecLight offers a mounting kit to install them in conventional plaster ceilings so I figured that this was going to be easy… Not quite.

I knew that the lights were two feet wide, but it didn’t register in my mind that while the trusses were 24” on center, I didn’t actually have 24” between the trusses (I know, simple concept, but it is something I overlooked. The GC, electricians, and I got together and discussed possible solutions. We finally decided that a 1” thick wood frame would give the necessary clearance at the bottom of the light to allow for the installation and while it isn’t flush with the ceiling as I originally planned, it solves the problem and still looks good.

The bulbs that were sent along with the lights are not the correct type... I'll need to get that corrected.

The GC is finishing up these frames today, the painting crew is scheduled for tomorrow and the electricians will be finished by Monday/Tuesday of next week (with the exception of the compressor hook up). With a little luck (and if my garage doors are finally in) I can have this garage buttoned up and ready for the epoxy floor by the middle of next week.

Regards,

Stan

 

[sstruckguy]

Nice rebound on the light fubar. The fix looks good as well.

Do you think that will be enough light? Seems kinda sparce to me

 

[Dave928]

not sure which i like better, the shop or the landscaping

Q: why put the man door on the far side of the shop instead of the near side or on the wall facing the house?

 

[Rowdy Rat]

Nice rebound on the light fubar. The fix looks good as well.

Thanks. It actually provides a more stable mounting platform than my original recessed idea. The contractor and electricians like this solution better than the original plan as a result... Makes their job a lot easier.

Do you think that will be enough light? Seems kinda sparce to me

There are 12 six light fixtures and if the lighting program is to be believed, it should be plenty bright enough... Especially when you consider that the walls and ceiling will be bright white and the floor will be relatively light as well. We'll have a chance to see how accurate that program is in a couple of days when the lights are in.

The painters are actually on the job right now and will be finished today. I found out yesterday that my garage doors are in and will be installed Monday and the electricians will be out Monday as well to finish the lights, switches, outlets, etc. If all goes well (and the weather holds), I'll be able to install my epoxy floor next weekend and move in shortly after that,

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

not sure which i like better, the shop or the landscaping

Thanks!

I'm guessing that my wife would side with you on the landscaping side!

Q: why put the man door on the far side of the shop instead of the near side or on the wall facing the house?

We needed to create a grade that would move water away from the front of the house and garage and wanted to take advantage of the original drainage path (which runs between the two houses) as the land is graded with a bit of a slope on the left (far) side of the garage. If we put the garage doors and the driveway on the far side, we would have had to build a low retaining wall because of the elevation change... It isn't much of a change, but it would have required a retaining wall and that was an extra expense that I didn't want to get into.

By moving the garage doors and driveway to the right side, we could put a gradual slope to the grade which eliminated the need for a retaining wall.

Regards,

Stan

 

[1991Syclone]

I had the GC box the unit in after the subs were done. While I do restoration work in the garage, I also like a clean, finished look when not in use so hiding the furnace was important to me. The GC did a great job and designed the “cover” with a removable access panel to allow the unit to be serviced or removed if necessary.

That's typically how we do it down here in South Florida (hang the unit in the garage from the ceiling). The only problem I would see is changing the filter and having to remove the access panel every time unless there's a remote filter on the unit?

 

[sstruckguy]

There are 12 six light fixtures and if the lighting program is to be believed, it should be plenty bright enough... Especially when you consider that the walls and ceiling will be bright white and the floor will be relatively light as well. We'll have a chance to see how accurate that program is in a couple of days when the lights are in.

Regards,

Stan

OHHHH, I missed the "12 fixtures" some how AND the "6 bulb" statement as well. In my 28 x 40, I have 32, double bulb, 4 ft. fixtures in an 8 ft. ceiling shop/garage.

With your extra ceiling height and what "I" thought was only 4 fixtures, I couldn't absorb all of your planning and my obvious mis-information

 

[Rowdy Rat]

That's typically how we do it down here in South Florida (hang the unit in the garage from the ceiling).

I didn't realize that this was actually standard procedure in some places... I learned something new.

The only problem I would see is changing the filter and having to remove the access panel every time unless there's a remote filter on the unit?

I was wondering who was going to be the first to catch this. The original line of thinking was that it wouldn't be a big deal to remove the panel to change the filter quarterly, but considering the environment that the furnace will be operating in, it might require more frequent replacement. Perhaps a small access door big enough to get a hand and a filter through would work.

If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

OHHHH, I missed the "12 fixtures" some how AND the "6 bulb" statement as well. In my 28 x 40, I have 32, double bulb, 4 ft. fixtures in an 8 ft. ceiling shop/garage.

As these threads get longer it is really tough to keep track of what has been posted already.

I really don't have any actual experience with these lights so they may work and they may not... I'm basing my expectations on what the lighting program came back with.

Hopefully (for my sake), they'll work as advertised.

I still intend to add task lighting for the work area after the cabinets and work top are installed (which might mean a wait of up to a year).

With your extra ceiling height and what "I" thought was only 4 fixtures, I couldn't absorb all of your planning and my obvious mis-information

Not your fault at all, in fact, I'd have to agree with you... That photo is a bit misleading. It sure looks like only four openings for lights in the one photo. Problem is that I don't own a lens to give me a wide enough field of view.

I've been meaning to address that, but I never seem to have the time to go get one... I tend to be more interested in the cars/garage than I am photography.

Regards,

Stan

 

[Rowdy Rat]

The garage moved a couple steps closer to completion over the past week.

The GC was out last Wednesday and Thursday to finish up the frames for the lights. They look pretty good and I actually like this installation better than just mounting them in the ceiling as I originally planned.

The paint crew was out on Friday as promised. The paint sub is a good friend of mine and was very helpful in working around the rest of the construction schedule. He told me that they could get the job done in a day if everyone else was out of the garage so I worked with the GC to make that happen. When I got home Friday evening, the paint was completed, as promised… Very nice job too.

The paint crew will be back out after the garage doors are installed to finish the man doors and do any touch up work that needs to be done, but for the most part the painting is more or less completed.

The lights were installed yesterday and went in quickly and without any problems. The electricians are scheduled to come out this Wednesday to finish the electrical work so I should have functioning lights in a couple days.

The HVAC sub was out to finish up their work as well.

They installed the A/C unit outside and the rest of the detail work on the inside such as the vent registers and the thermostat.

There are still a few things left to do… The driveway needs to be completed (although that is supposed to be done today or tomorrow if the weather holds), the garage doors need to be installed (that was supposed to be yesterday), the electricians need to complete their work (supposedly tomorrow), finish odds and ends by the GC (which I know will get done on time), and an epoxy floor installed (by my wife and I this weekend). Still, there isn’t a whole lot left to do before I can put the garage into service.

Regards,

Stan