GLFlyer's Intro and Garage Build

[GLFlyer]

Redwood is a soft wood, it will dent, scratch and wear. You should go with a hardwood like maple or bamboo. Laminated bamboo is as hard as maple.
Just saying it might be best to look at something other than redwood.

Good point... Bringing that up to the cabinet maker right now.

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Update... it was a misunderstanding. It will be made from "Red Oak"... not "Redwood".

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[GLFlyer]

Time for a driveway... it's a short one. I had a 15' build line due to being on a corner lot, and I put the garage right up against that line to use every square inch of it.

Who doesn't love a little Bobcat action?

Approach was set... but we are currently on a rain delay for the rest:

 

[GLFlyer]

Question for the group...

I was shopping at Kroger today and they've recently redone their produce and whole foods section with commercial grade vinyl flooring that looks like wood.

I recently renovated a part of my house by changing our formal dining and living rooms into two offices for my wife and I. This commercial grade vinyl wood-look was suggested back then, but I went with wood instead. Actually regretting that decision since the rolling desk chairs are wearing out the floors.

Anyway, back to the question. Has anyone placed a product similar to this in their garage? This one is a wood-look, but they have more "commercial" looking patterns as well.

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[west_perf]

Get a chair mat for your offices. that will save the hardwood floor.

Garage looks great, what type of equipment do you fly?

 

[GLFlyer]

Get a chair mat for your offices. that will save the hardwood floor.

Garage looks great, what type of equipment do you fly?

Yeah... shoulda used a chair mat from the beginning. Now I'm going to have to refinish those sections already after less than a year.

I'm a Regional pilot... I fly the EMB-145. Here's some recent pics from the gate a few evenings ago out at DFW.

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[drivesitfar]

GL: at what height is it never dark in your planes? what is the highest you've flown? i remember the pilot saying we were at 37,000 or maybe it was up to 40,000 feet when we flew out of Tulsa in 2004 cause that day we flew there were 50 tornadoes.

your driveway looks amazing. i might have tried to save the sidewalk, but if it had any damage good for you for ripping it all out and pouring a new driveway all the way from the street. it's going to look AWESOME.

I think wood floor in the garage might be my last option. i recall one member buying a home with that sort of flooring in it and he's been parking his cars on it without any issues. i'll try to remember that thread, but since he didn't install it and it was older it might not apply.

i actually put down rubber 3/4 inch thick 4x6 foot horse mats in my garage and shop and i just added some 1.5 inch rubber gym mats i found in the 9x15 portion of my home's garage where i'm usually standing.

the horse mats can be cut fairly easily with my Fein or even a utility knife to make fit nicely if you might go that direction. i think they are about $45 give or take for the 4x6's and i think they make 5x7's too and sell at the local feed and seed stores.

 

[GLFlyer]

The service ceiling of the EMB-145 is 37,000 feet. So... for me, that's the highest I've been.

Thanks for the comments on the driveway. I can't wait for it to dry out so I can get it finished. Sun is coming out today, so that's a plus! As far as the sidewalk goes... it was over 20 years old and cracked in places. Plus... that's SOP for driveway guys around here... all new approach so that the sidewalk is built at the same time as a new drive. I think the city requires that too.

I'm not looking to actually put wood down in the garage. The pic was simply of a commercial grade vinyl floor that has a wood look to it. It's actually a really nice looking floor and they have tons of traffic on it each day including spills, carts, and pallet jacks for restocking. It's been there for a few months and it still looks great.

This is different than VCT, or standard roll-down vinyl. They are actually hefty tiles with a commercial grade vinyl surface. Many stores in the mall have this as well... take a look next time you go. Most of those "hardwood" looking floors, really aren't.

In reality... I'm leaning toward Epoxy (done properly). But, I was just curious to see if anyone has experience with this.

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[penright]

I'm a Regional pilot... I fly the EMB-145.

Such a nice garage, get to fly and get paid to do it. I am so.... jealous.

also just an FYI you might need to teach those cute daughters how to shoot a shotgun or buy a few yourself to run off all the boys heading over to your place.

All my daughters are out of the house and either on their own or another guy's issue. But I remember telling the baby when she was getting close enough to date ... I plan on shooting the first guy that shows up and living him on the porch as a deterrent to others.
Seriously, I made her do oil changes, help work on car, and other things. I told her I wanted her confident in herself, so when she meets the right guy, it's about "wanting" him, not "needing" him. Even though I give my son-in-laws grief, I would not trade them for anything.

Looking forward to finish pictures.

 

[GLFlyer]

SUN! ...and no rain in the forecast for the next week or so.

Things are beginning to dry out today.

Finish out tomorrow, and pour on Sunday... or Monday if we don't get the inspection by end of business tomorrow:

Door is open in this shot... so you can see my "blank canvas". The boxes are the Grill setup for the outdoor kitchen and the stainless sink going in the garage on the left wall with the cabinets.

Here's that left wall. The wires are for the under cabinet lighting. The go to a switch that will be down and to the left of them. Pretty much right in front of my "sitting" space, where it looks like there's two outlets close together. Cabinets will be 25" deep with a 3 inch overhang of the red oak butcher block top so that I can clamp items onto it if needed... (vice, wood clamps, etc.) These are being made in the shop right now, and supposedly will be installed this week, but they'd need access to the driveway, and I'm not sure they will have that starting tomorrow. We'll see.

Soffit shelves will be going in on the upper left of these pics, slightly above the garage door track. Also going to line the the exposed wall with slat-board.

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[drivesitfar]

GL: Pen is giving very good advice about being a father of good looking daughters especially since yours are red heads to. he's pretty funny. cleaning your favorite shotgun in the living room is a good idea when the boys come over to visit. also there was a potential boyfriend resume going around maybe 10 or so years ago that was pretty good. some of the questions were like if you know the hourly or daily rate of a hotel room don't fill out any more of this and RUN. if you own a van RUN. and stuff like that.

ok back to your remodel dad. cabinet guys should wait until your cement drys and even maybe wait until you finish your floor if you want to put something in there other than tile. it's your call. also i like stainless steel tops or plate steel especially if you are going to weld or fabricate stuff. again your call if you like wood better.

i'm guessing you maybe you are close to adding about 30% to the value of your house so i'm sure you know your taxes will go up accordingly? great addition and can i ask one question about the pool.

is that shallow end deep enough so you can do laps or was that not in design and you just wanted sort of a kiddie pool on that one end?

cheers

 

[GLFlyer]

DIF... Yeah, I'm bracing for my taxes to skyrocket. However, our existing structure is @ 2800sf. With the addition... the living space will be increased to @ 3400sf. That's inline with a lot of the houses in this neighborhood, and my only real addition is the added garage, since a lot of those others have pools too. So... I'll certainly be arguing with the county tax office with my neighbors numbers in hand... if my taxes go off the chart for this neighborhood. We'll see how it goes... I'll see if I can check back in after this tax year and let you know how it went.

Regarding the pool... it's definitely not a "lap" pool, nor is it really a "kiddie" pool. Remember, since I live in Suburbia, I had a very finite amount of space to work with in order to get a garage addition added, a pool, and yet still have some livable green space. I think we've accomplished those goals, but we'll see what it's like at the end of the project.

The pool has a 6' "sun deck" that is only 6" deep. Steps from that drop down to 3' and then the bottom transitions fairly quickly to a 6' depth at the end. Deep enough for cannonballs and shallow dives, but not a full diving board. It is essentially a pool for fun, and relaxation vs. for sport & performance. My girls are 7, 10, and 14 right now, and they all "approved" of the design, since they will be the primary users of it.

Speaking of the livable "green space"... it's pretty much a disaster at this time. It's the "sideyard", and it will become our new "backyard" green space since we've effectively eliminated every living thing from the real backyard with the pool and deck installed back there.

Here's why it's a disaster... it has become the dumping ground for all the trash and building material. So, that's supposed to get cleaned up this next week after the driveway goes in. Then the focus is on getting the sprinklers back in operation and new sod to create a lush green space.

Here's what that space looked like before this project... the current driveway is starting this side of that sidewalk heading to the fence/gate:

...and here's what it looks like today:

Ugh... I have a lot of work ahead of me to get this transformed into a "peaceful" family oriented green-space for my wife and kids... oh yeah, and the dog too.

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[drivesitfar]

GL: so how does the new driveway look? i think your cabinets should be done too, but not trying to rush you to post up pictures and just asking.

also giving your thread a bump to see if a few more members might see your thread cause you've done an amazing job.

cheers

 

[GLFlyer]

Thanks for the bump dif... here's the latest updates, with pics following:

1. Garage was painted, but wrong color, then was repainted. The contractor mistakenly painted it the same color as our ceiling in the addition, thinking the ceiling was white, when in actuality it was more of a light tan.
2. Cabinets did finally get built, and I friggin' love them. Very heavy duty, and an awesome red-oak butcher block work surface.
3. Driveway was installed, with a nice french drain across the front to prevent any water from entering the garage.
4. Lights were finally installed and I finally have light in the garage.
5. Sink was installed in the workbench.
6. I placed my first coat of Linseed Oil on the work surface.
7. Epoxy starts this morning.

1. Paint:
Wrong color garage. It wasn't until I showed the contractor this pic with the back door contrasting the color, that he finally agreed with me that it wasn't truly "white". The pic does make it seem more "yellow" than what it was. Either way... it needed to be fixed.

The re-paint... definitely noticeably different. The white is soooo much better.

2. Cabinets going in:

Painted an oil based gray... the wires hanging down are for the switched undercabinet lighting, you'll see them on in the last pic:

3. Driveway finally gets poured!

Due to the downward slope of the driveway, we put a commercial grade french drain in right before the apron.

A few days later... we had our first official test. Quite a downpour and lots of water flowing, and yet my apron is dry as a bone!

4. Lighting...
We installed nine 5000K, 100w equivelant, 1150 lumens, dimmable LED's. I think I'd still like to have a few more lights... but they do a pretty respectable job. I have them on a motion controlled dimmer switch, so that anytime anyone enters the garage, they come on full bright:

5. Sink:
Love the look of this benchtop... sink was finally cut in too:

6. Linseed Oil:
Finally got around to putting the Linseed Oil on the benchtop. I think it turned out great. The goal here was to have a work surface that if dinged or scratched, then I could just sand it down a bit and apply a fresh coat of linseed oil to protect it again. I'll be putting a few more coats on it over the course of the week. Thoughts?

If you look at the "base boards" around the cabinet... they are actually 1x4 Hardie Board concrete trim. I'm hoping the Epoxy guy will epoxy these trim pieces to match the floor. The goal here is to provide a somewhat watertight floor so that I could hose it down and squeegee it out. Also, the bottom 2 feet of wall all around the garage is water resistant "green" board.

I must say... the cabinets came out almost exactly as I envisioned they would based on my simple at home 3D design that I gave to the cabinet guys to show what my "vision" for them would be. I'm pretty happy about it.

So... I've got my blank canvas, and I'll post up flooring pics after the weekend.

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[ajohno]

Other than the paint issues everything is looking great.

 

[mattd39]

Can you post a picture of your elevation drawings? I'm making mine for the city and wanted to see how yours were drafter.

thanks

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: how do you like the garage now that it's been a few weeks? i can't remember if your garage is heated or maybe it's air conditioned since heat might not be an issue in Dallas? as far as the linseed oil it looks great and did it dry nicely in February and have you added another coat yet? i'd have to wait until May or June to do that up here in Seattle in my unheated garage or shop. i'll have to learn more about the differences of Boiled linseed oil (BLO) on wood and regular Linseed oil and if you can say the difference i'd appreciate it. i use BLO on a lot of my vises, steel benches and steel stuff in general to keep them looking good and eliminate a lot of surface rust.

from my chair your GARAGE LOOKS AWESOME and loving the new driveway too. is there going to be a gate you can control with an opener too or will you have to get out an manually open and close it?

thanks for sharing!!

 

[bj383ss]

GL,

I love your build. I read it when you first posted and then couldn't find it again. I am sub'd now. I am still amazed you were able to build this thing in the suburbs.

As far as the linseed oil benchtop, if it were me I would put a couple of coats of poly on it. Let the Linseed oil dry for at least 48-72 hours before the poly. Most woodworkers use BLO to pop the grain and then put a topcoat on top to seal it.

Look forward to the rest of your updates.

Are your LED lights the strips or the can lights?

Bret

 

[racestatus]

the cabinets look great!

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: it's been WAAAAAAY too long since you posted up a few pictures so how about a few with some good words?

also your thread needed another bump up to the top of the list so other members might be able to see your cool remodel/build.

 

[GLFlyer]

OK... it's been a while. I've got the next few days off, and I'll be updating my build. Thanks for your patience guys... I've been enjoying tinkering in my new garage this summer.

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: i bet you've been busy making some funds to pay for your new garage addition or maybe you are busy buying up cool stuff to fill it up? in any case thanks for the smoke signal and looking forward to more pictures of your cool garage/shop/man cave when you have some time.

how do your kids (and you) like the new swimming pool?

cheers

 

[GLFlyer]

Flooring!

OK... after researching several different flooring options and reviewing multiple posts here about flooring... I decided on the flooring option that I thought would suit my needs the best.

I ended up with... a professional epoxy floor. Not a Home Depot kit... but rather a nice 100% solids epoxy floor with a 15+ year warranty.

So... here's the before shots after I moved all the contractor's materials out of the garage:

This was a 3-day process.

Day 1: Diamond Grind the surface to level and open the pores. Vaccuum surface thoroughly. Wash and Dry surface thoroughly.
Day 2: Initial epoxy coat along with flake.
Day 3: Final clear coat. Allow 24+ hours to cure.

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3... Clear coat... you can see the difference in the "shine":

I loved the flakes I chose... the size, the color, and the spread. It almost has a blue granite look to it. It matches my desired color scheme well, and goes great with the cabinets. Also... notice the concrete hardie board baseboards. They were able to take the flake up the sides of the baseboards, so... now I really can flood the garage if I wanted to. I love the way it turned out!

Two days later... I started to move my bikes in. This was a happy day for me!

 

[GLFlyer]

GL: how do you like the garage now that it's been a few weeks? i can't remember if your garage is heated or maybe it's air conditioned since heat might not be an issue in Dallas?

I am loving my garage now! I'll keep posting updates.

Regarding HVAC... my intention is to put a 2 ton mini-split in this winter. Even though I insulated the heck out of it... it will still get uncomfortably hot in the summer, and it will cool in the winter. I'd like to keep the temp regulated to 50+ in the winter, and 80 in the summer when I'm not working in it. Then... the system won't have to work so hard to get it to a comfortable operating temperature when I want to work in it.

Still haven't decided on brand of mini-split yet... and the threads here will make your head spin with all the opinions. We'll see how it all pans out.

as far as the linseed oil it looks great and did it dry nicely in February and have you added another coat yet? i'd have to wait until May or June to do that up here in Seattle in my unheated garage or shop. i'll have to learn more about the differences of Boiled linseed oil (BLO) on wood and regular Linseed oil and if you can say the difference i'd appreciate it. i use BLO on a lot of my vises, steel benches and steel stuff in general to keep them looking good and eliminate a lot of surface rust.

You most likely have your answer by now... but from what I recall from wood shop back in Jr. High... "Raw" linseed oil is great on wood because it helps the wood retain it's natural moisture. That helps repel water and prevent cracking/shrinking. I did put a second coat on a few days later and it made it a bit "richer" looking.

The cool thing is... I've been working on my bench over the summer and it worked exactly as I wanted it to. I had a few stains on it... and all I did was sand them away... and apply a new coat of linseed oil. It matched up with the rest of the bench perfectly. This was my thought on how to keep the work surface looking good... even if you use it regularly.

I've re-coated the entire bench 6 months later, and it looks just as good, if not better afterwards. All in all... it only takes about 30 minutes to coat with a couple of paper towels, and about 1/8th of a can of linseed oil.

from my chair your GARAGE LOOKS AWESOME and loving the new driveway too. is there going to be a gate you can control with an opener too or will you have to get out an manually open and close it?
thanks for sharing!!

Yes... there will be an electronic sliding gate to access my short drive from the street. Pics will follow soon!

Thanks for following, and thanks for the great comments as well!

Bob

 

[GLFlyer]

GL,

I love your build. I read it when you first posted and then couldn't find it again. I am sub'd now. I am still amazed you were able to build this thing in the suburbs.

Thanks!

It took a few rounds with the city to get it approved... but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Are your LED lights the strips or the can lights?

Bret

Mine are "cans". I put 9 in of them in... they are 13W (100W+ incandescent equivalent), 5000K, 6 inch, dimmable cans. They give off pretty good light for a small 20x20 garage like mine. I have additional lighting at my bench, and I put in 100W equivalent 5000K LED bulbs in the garage door opener for additional lighting if needed as well.

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: great looking floor and of course the bikes look like a lot of fun too.

just curious if the trim was bought with the same floor epoxy on it and installed before the flooring was done or do tell?

I think I (we) need to see more pictures of the outside of your garage and more detailed pictures of that cool gate i think you built or had built?

cheers

 

[GLFlyer]

GL: great looking floor and of course the bikes look like a lot of fun too.

just curious if the trim was bought with the same floor epoxy on it and installed before the flooring was done or do tell?

I think I (we) need to see more pictures of the outside of your garage and more detailed pictures of that cool gate i think you built or had built?

cheers

DIF... Thanks again for the comments. Outside and gate pics will be forthcoming.

Regarding the trim... if you look at the "before epoxy" pics, you'll see that it's installed without the epoxy on it.

It's just standard concrete Hardie board trim. I just asked the epoxy guy to do it as well as the flooring when he came in to do the job. I think he charged me like $40 more.

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: since you were mentioning how much the trim cost, which BTW looks awesome and a solid upgrade for not a lot of money, do you want to say how much the entire floor's cost was with great prep and work?

also just curious how the flake gets spread on so thick and nice or were you there when that was spread?

yep i for one and looking forward to more gate and garage pictures when you have time.

cheers

 

[GLFlyer]

Alrighty... it's been a while. Here's some updates:

To answer DIF's questions...

1. The whole thing floor cost $1400. This was worth it, and still looks like new today. I've spilled solvents, oils, stains & tons of "rust dust" while working on my old jeep in there, and it all cleans up wonderfully. I also use my center stand on my 900lb Goldwing regularly and have yet to see any issues with this floor.
2. The flake was "hand spread". This is the guy spreading it here, and he wore spiked shoes while walking on it as he was spreading:

Alrighty... time for some fence and gate action:

The pad for the opener and track for the gate getting prepped:

Building and welding the frame for the gate:

First official project in the new garage... Build the wife's new "surprise" sunroom furniture: These are the things I do to prove to her that I really "needed" this garage addition.

Back to the Gate... Here's the day we got the Cedar up:

 

[GLFlyer]

Gate operator installation day:

Hazzah!

6' Board on Board capped Cedar fence and rolling gate. It turned out great. This is "pre-stain".

Stain going on. Stain is a transparent stain: "Sedona"

Before:

After:

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: thanks for posting the great pictures and love your new garage and access with gate opener. from the street most people new to the neighborhood wouldn't have a clue you built it last year. WELL DONE SIR!!

i'm guessing one of those bikes is maybe your bride's or at least your daughter's so YES YOU NEEDED THAT GARAGE.

did you say you BUILT THOSE WICKER CHAIRS?

 

[GLFlyer]

GL: thanks for posting the great pictures and love your new garage and access with gate opener. from the street most people new to the neighborhood wouldn't have a clue you built it last year. WELL DONE SIR!!

i'm guessing one of those bikes is maybe your bride's or at least your daughter's so YES YOU NEEDED THAT GARAGE.

did you say you BUILT THOSE WICKER CHAIRS?

Thanks DIF!

Yes... the blue "scooter" is my daughter's, but... it's been relegated to the other garage now that I've cleaned that one out. The deal was... "only dad's things" go in this garage.

Yeah... I "assembled" the wicker furniture.

 

[drivesitfar]

GL: great to see you back and your garage looks AMAZING!!