Scott's Texas Haven - 34x28 Attached

[s_blaylock]

I recently bought a garage with an attached house for my family. I'm very excited about it so i thought I would share with yall since so many have shared with me. It is 34' wide by 28' deep with 12.5' walls. It is insulated and air conditioned, and has two insulated garage doors, a 16x8 and a 9x10.

I do a fair amount of metalworking, machining, mechanic'ing, and general fixing things in my garage, so that is the main purpose for this space. I will show some of my projects along with this garage thread. But for now i'm just trying to get settled in and organized.

Some pics of the place before i moved my junk in:





Inside looking out


There is built in cabinets and a sink with granite countertop (little fancy for me, but it'll do)


Nice window that faces west. I may tint it or put a flag in it to keep the heat down a bit, thoughts?


Property is just over an acre with a nice backyard. There is a TuffShed out there as well so i can keep lawn equipment and other things that dont belong in my workshop out there


couple of liftmasters for the doors


front entrance door, and a large window and door that goes into an office type area in the house

 

[s_blaylock]

The beginning of moving stuff in. Moving is such a pain, but fortunately we were only moving a few miles from my other house so it wasnt so bad. Moving in July is not recommended however as you can see my tall friend here is soaking wet. It is also very painful to see my stuff just piled on the floor like this, but thats what it is for now. I will get to shuffling and organizing soon.



first couple loads of the not so heavy stuff


heavier stuff


real heavy stuff


And just for reference, this is the 20x20 two car garage that I moved away from. Dont think i'm going to miss it.


Thats it for now, i'll keep yall posted as things get better! Thanks!

 

[dubber]

Wow, love you're new space. Great house, back yard, shed, and the large garage with sink, and liftmasters are all amazing assets. That office access is interesting. Having the window is super cool. Could you post a pic at some point looking through it.

Enjoy the rest of the move in process.

 

[Morio]

Awesome space!! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

 

[mark m.]

Is that lathe a Victor lathe made in Taiwan?

 

[s_blaylock]

Is that lathe a Victor lathe made in Taiwan?

good eye. Not a Victor, but definitely a Taiwanese lathe under the name Camtak. I've only ever seen one other one on the internet, maybe two. Its a 13x40 machine with a 3 hp motor that i run off a VFD. I got it out of a school auction some years back, it seems to be a good tight machine. I've been really happy with it.

 

[s_blaylock]

Not really garage related, but i know there is a wealth of knowledge here about concrete. Anyone know what could have caused this stranger coloring? Its all over the sidewalk, some on the driveway, and on the back patio slab. The house was built in 2014 and the previous owner said it was there when he moved in.







You can see it when it's dry, but it happened to rain yesterday and shows up better when its wet.

Other than that, i'm getting way ahead of myself and ordered a bunch of the Costco LED 4' lighting fixtures. Trying to figure out where they will all go. Also not sure if I should replace the existing T8 fixtures with the LEDs, or just add to it. I bought 12 new fixtures.

 

[cpropes2005]

Sweet garage but I am not sure about your sweaty buddy. He looks pretty sketchy.

 

[s_blaylock]

Sweet garage but I am not sure about your sweaty buddy. He looks pretty sketchy.

Sketchy indeed.

The lights that I ordered came in. I ordered 6 2-packs and got 5.5 2-packs. Costco is having me send the one broken box back so that they can send me a new two pack. They couldnt just send me one new light? Oh well, like i said i'm not in a hurry at this point, still lots to do before lights.

 

[zmotorsports]

Very nice place you purchased, congratulations. I like the "bought a garage with an attached house" comment.

Beautiful big back yard and nice looking home. Looking forward to seeing your garage get all set up with tools and equipment.

Mike.

 

[thetastelingers]

Looks like a TJ on IROKS.
Looking forward to seeing your layout and the projects!

 

[theundermount]

great looking space very jealous of both the size of your garage and property. I dunno about the concrete my guess would be some sort of concrete dye that was not applied properly? is your driveway stamped i cant really tell from the pics?

 

[Draven8795]

You can easily convert those existing fixtures to LED with either an expensive bulb or a cheap led bulb and retrofitting the light fixture itself. It's very easy.

 

[s_blaylock]

Thanks everyone! i'm very excited and very overwhelmed at the same time. I think once I get everything taken back out and put back in its place, things will start coming together a lot quicker. Hoping to get on that soon but momma has plenty of work for me to do in the house too.

great looking space very jealous of both the size of your garage and property. I dunno about the concrete my guess would be some sort of concrete dye that was not applied properly? is your driveway stamped i cant really tell from the pics?

Thanks! not sure about a dye and no, none of the concrete is stamped. I posted about this in the general section and i think one guy nailed it as them laying a tarp over it while it dried to keep the rain off it. Then the cheap tarp bled onto the concrete.

You can easily convert those existing fixtures to LED with either an expensive bulb or a cheap led bulb and retrofitting the light fixture itself. It's very easy.

I will look into that, thanks. I may also put the T8's on one switch and all the LEDs on another. That way i dont have to turn on the sun if i'm just going out to get a screwdriver or drop off some trash.

 

[Thumdaddy]

The concrete pattern is there from the pour and curing. I'm guessing they covered it with plastic to protect from rain or debris. It then probably rained which caused the plastic to dip and sag in certain areas. The marks and lines are where the plastic was in contact with the concrete while curing. Depending on the type of plastic and what it's chemical make up is, it will discolor differently. I'm guessing they used black plastic due to the bluish hue. All of that being said, other than appearance, there should be zero other side affects.

Very nice garage by the way and i love the machining equipment.

 

[Luther Grimace]

Great looking space. I am interested to see how you set it up. Is that a mill you have also? If so are the lathe and the mill useful to have around the shop?

 

[polexican23]

I think the concrete looks kinda cool.

 

[Clemson13]

You wouldn't happen to be a pirate member would you :flipoff2:

 

[s_blaylock]

You wouldn't happen to be a pirate member would you :flipoff2:

Only since 2002

 

[s_blaylock]

Had a good saturday to myself to start getting things in order. Sent some junk to the attic, some other junk to the trash, and started moving things around. One piece that I really like is this bandsaw that I believe my great grandfather built. My uncle had it in storage and gave it to me a few years back. There are a few components on it that appear to be manufactured, but everything else was hand built by him. Pretty neat machine that still works great.









I kind of like this location for it as well


Here is one thing that is new to me, very tall ceilings. This attic access is a pain to get to and even more of a pain to get the ladder down. I have to use a ladder to get to the ladder. Its not the safest maneuver either so I'd like to come up with something later to deal with that.



Moved my small work bench and HF tool box (still full of tools) into its close to permanent location. I think i will ultimately get another HF box and build another similar work bench frame, and connect the two with a large butcher block top.





These guys keep eyeing me every time i walk in the garage. They're begging to make chips. I calmly explain to them that it'll be soon.



Here is an atrocity of shelving. Its killing me to leave it like this, but for now things are "roughed in". I plan to get rid of the white particle board shelving unit and replace with another metal one like I have. The white plastic piece of **** next to the air compressor is 5 drawers of semi-organized junk. It has served me well over the years and has certainly outlived its expectations. I would like to replace that as well and clean up its contents.



It rained most of the day Sunday, so I stayed in with the kiddos and played with my house warming gift that I bought myself.

 

[s_blaylock]

Great looking space. I am interested to see how you set it up. Is that a mill you have also? If so are the lathe and the mill useful to have around the shop?

Thanks! the lathe and mill are very very useful. I'd say a close third behind a tape measure and pencil.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Our concrete looks just like yours. Our house was built in 14 and it's just an appearance thing I guess. Place is looking great. Where in Montgomery are y'all? We're 3 miles west of plantersville. If you ever need to do some testing with your buggy, bring it out. We have a creek that we have fun crossing. Deep and steep, just enough water usually to get the tires slick

Brett

 

[s_blaylock]

Our concrete looks just like yours. Our house was built in 14 and it's just an appearance thing I guess. Place is looking great. Where in Montgomery are y'all? We're 3 miles west of plantersville. If you ever need to do some testing with your buggy, bring it out. We have a creek that we have fun crossing. Deep and steep, just enough water usually to get the tires slick

Brett

Thanks, that sounds really awesome! May have to take you up on that at some point. We are just east of Montgomery near the KOA on 105.

 

[jarhead]

I had to chuckle when I saw all the chips in the lathe, they moved with it

 

[s_blaylock]

I had to chuckle when I saw all the chips in the lathe, they moved with it

Ha, yeah, my metal bin had already moved to the new house before I could clean out the lathe. I was just hoping I didn't lose too many on the highway. Not my first oversight, and certainly won't be the last!

 

[GoodJobTim]

Black plastic over still curing concrete is definitely what caused the markings. Builder did that on the driveway on our old house we had built, it was still there fifteen years later when we sold it. It always aggravated me.

 

[dubber]

Thats an interesting room. Looks like an exterior wall. Is that some sort of bonus party room?

 

[s_blaylock]

/\ Sweet. Thats an interesting room. Looks like an exterior wall. Is that some sort of bonus party room?

Thanks, yes its a bonus room off the back of our house. It was originally supposed to be a large back porch, but then the guy building the house said F it, close it in. Makes for a sweet play room. I'll get some better pictures of it. Its huge, like 53' x 20' and has its own AC.

 

[s_blaylock]

got enough spaced cleared out to place the machines. man its going to be nice having room to work around these things. cant wait to get them powered up.

 

[s_blaylock]

Sometimes you find some interesting things when you move....
I was cleaning out a small box that I used to chunk small wood scraps into when I came across this little fella. I guess he found his way in and couldnt get out, then at some point got squished. Too bad, I like these guys.



I had a huge pile of lumber sitting on the floor and I was tired of tripping over it. This is just temporary until i build some wall mounted racks, but I just had to get them out of the way for now. Loving me some 12' ceilings.



And I came across a set of these flat file metal cabinets. I'm thinking these will make some excellent machine tooling holders with a little bit of organization. Stay tuned for that... And Hank the cowdog gives his approval.

 

[s_blaylock]

Update: Still trying to get things in place, but at least its good enough now that i can get some work done and fix things when necessary.

I noticed some cool lighting coming in through the window at sunset and made for a neat picture. Just an iphone image, wish i had a good camera for this shot. I should have also removed the shop lights underneath and the kids toys


I had a buddy come over and run a sub panel and a couple 220V outlets for me so i can run my welder and machines






This is what happens when momma leaves baby boy home with daddy. We get to work. He's not quite two yet, but already he'll grab all the lug nuts and thread them back on to the studs


I'm not using the tool box handle that came on the HF44 box, so decided it would make a nice towel rack next to the sink


I'm no jimmy diresta, but i threw together a quick shelving unit to hold most of my fishing stuff in this narrow area. When i get time, my daughter wants to help me paint it, probably the same color as the walls since the previous owner left me roughly 10 gallons of it


The rest of the fishing stuff and a ladder mounted on the wall. I need a wider pole rack to hold the rest of the rods. I dont like them on the floor like that, already covered in spider webs.


Took a break and got on the water. Lake Conroe can get nasty on the weekends, but in the evenings on a week day it sure is hard to beat


Snow goose to oversee all garage operations. He "comes to life" when the back door is open and the breeze blows through


And picked up this little gem off amazon for ~$30. Its made for holding large plants, has six casters and one locking caster, will hold 500 lbs. Perfect for my metal trash can that is too heavy to move and is always in the way.


Hope to have more soon! Thanks

 

[zmotorsports]

Looking very nice. It's a great feeling getting to the point where you can actually work "IN" your shop vs. "ON" your shop isn't it?

I am looking forward to having that feeling again once I get the new one underway.

Mike.

 

[C_F]

I just ran across your thread today & came in for a peek. Great looking house, garage and property! Thanks for showing it off, it all looks great.

 

[Trey T]

-looks like your buddy did a good job w/ the electrical
-cute kid. I have a toddler myself, she's pretty curious also.

 

[s_blaylock]

Thanks guys!

 

[x Wild Bill x]

Nice looking place!

Quick thought/question on the attic access ladder. Do you need a ladder to get to it because the string is too short? Or is the ladder to short to reach the ground? It looks like in the picture you posted the 3rd section of ladder is still folded up and bungee corded in place. I am assuming it won't reach the floor, or maybe you over looked it?

How tall are your ceilings? Our garage has 12ft ceilings and we have a ladder similar to yours that works perfect. Maybe you just need to buy the correct length ladder?

 

[s_blaylock]

Nice looking place!

Quick thought/question on the attic access ladder. Do you need a ladder to get to it because the string is too short? Or is the ladder to short to reach the ground? It looks like in the picture you posted the 3rd section of ladder is still folded up and bungee corded in place. I am assuming it won't reach the floor, or maybe you over looked it?

How tall are your ceilings? Our garage has 12ft ceilings and we have a ladder similar to yours that works perfect. Maybe you just need to buy the correct length ladder?

Thanks! for one yes, the string is too short but thats not the issue. The attic ladder will fold down all the way and hit the ground, works perfect. Its just that i have to get the green ladder out to reach the attic ladder and unfold it, and in the process have to hold the attic ladder over my head as i walk down the green ladder. can be kind of tricky. The ceiling in that spot is 12' high. How do you reach your ladder to unfold it?

 

[TomcoPDR]

subscribed

 

[x Wild Bill x]

Thanks! for one yes, the string is too short but thats not the issue. The attic ladder will fold down all the way and hit the ground, works perfect. Its just that i have to get the green ladder out to reach the attic ladder and unfold it, and in the process have to hold the attic ladder over my head as i walk down the green ladder. can be kind of tricky. The ceiling in that spot is 12' high. How do you reach your ladder to unfold it?

Well, now I feel like a bit of a ***** . I went out to my garage last night to compare my stairs to yours and noticed that where and how the stairs are mounted essentially lowers the ceiling height down to 11'-2" or so... This would explain why I can just barely reach my ladder when it's folded up but you can't reach yours. If mine were truly mounted at 12' I also wouldn't be able to reach them.

I looked around on google a little bit this morning to see if there were any solutions. The only thing I saw was the " Werner attic ladder assist pole" manual with diagram - http://wernerparts.com/pdf/36-82-Instructions.pdf. It says it's only for Werner ladders, but we know what that means . This looks like it could be a solution for you if you can get it installed on the stairs and install a longer pull cord.

Hope this helps,
Bill

 

[Boosted1]

Nice setup.
Great pic of your son working on the truck.