Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Denver MCM garage expansion

[kwyjibo]

I'm a complete idiot. I met with the electrician about wiring the other garage and finally be able to close up the walls in the expanded garage.... He had already installed the wires for the second garage in the new walls back when he did the original work last December because he knew I'd want to finish the garage asap. I've been around people doing the minimum work (at best) for so long that when someone like Branden, the electrician, comes along I'm caught completely off guard. I've said it before, if you're in the Denver area I highly recommend Infinity Electric.

Which brings me to the latest update. The upper cabinet and the next section of siding are now up. The siding sheet on the right has the outlet cutouts but isn't nailed up yet. I'll paint it when the temperature rises a bit. In the meantime, I'm working on another upper cabinet and adding a couple doors to the cabinets.

 

[Chortler]

I just came across this thread and have really enjoyed it. It is cool to learn about MCM houses in Denver, and I never knew about the Lynwood and Krisana Park areas. I grew up in Denver just south of Evans and Holly on Leyden. I now have an Eichler-esque MCM in Livermore, CA and am loving the style.

Keep up the great work on your house and garage!

 

[TahitianGreen]

Gah, I love every update in this thread.

 

[kwyjibo]

I just came across this thread and have really enjoyed it. It is cool to learn about MCM houses in Denver, and I never knew about the Lynwood and Krisana Park areas. I grew up in Denver just south of Evans and Holly on Leyden. I now have an Eichler-esque MCM in Livermore, CA and am loving the style.

Keep up the great work on your house and garage!

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
You were only a few blocks south of us. Depending on when you last spent time here, I'm sure you'd be surprised with some of the changes in the neighborhood. There's a lot of new construction in addition to the work being done to refurbish older houses.

Gah, I love every update in this thread.

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement!

It's in the 20's and snowing today so I'm happy that I spent the extra time yesterday to prime and paint the new siding. I also laminated a few boards for shelves and doors before it got too cold. I was able to trim a few today before my fingers froze and I quit.

 

[kwyjibo]

Big update today: passed the final inspection today!!!
This is a huge milestone with no photos. I was waiting for months to get the downspouts installed so that I could finish the soffit across the back of the garage. Once that was done, it was nail-biting time waiting to see what the city inspector comes up with. Nothing major. The final is not really something that makes a big impact on my plans, but it's a huge relief to know that I won't have to go back and correct anything. I can now back to making cabinets, painting and landscaping... once it warms up around here.

 

[kwyjibo]

A brief pre-Thanksgiving update - I'm upgrading my 30 year old stereo system, so the old components are making their way into the garage. Music! A few more cabinet doors and shelves are now up. The next wall cabinet is also underway, but I probably won't get back to it until next week.

I'm happy to see that I got the shelf pin holes right. If the shelves are on the middle positions, like in the photo, they line up with the fixed shelf or cabinet top/bottom of the adjacent cabinet.

Last thing - Water dripping down the new downspouts make a very loud "thunk" that resonates way more than the old ones. I had some Dynamat laying around so I thought I'd see if it would help dampen the sound. I put a 4x4 square at the back of the kickout. I'll let you know if it does any good after the next snow melt.

 

[kwyjibo]

I had a couple hours while waiting for turkey yesterday... started glueing the cabinet. I decided that this one would house the stereo so I cut a hole at the bottom for the wires.

Test fit looks good so I'll finish it when I have some free time.

 

[doubledeez]

Subbed! Fellow bike rider, New England cyclocross lover and into German cars- you’re doing it all much better than me though! The cabinets look great

 

[sakurama]

Just love the cabinets. I wanted to go that way ever since I saw the Kerf cabinets - I just hate finishing the wood but the formica looks so great with the Baltic Birch edges. I love that you went with cutouts instead of handles - just so nice all around.

Gregor

 

[polexican23]

why are you mouting the cabinets to the studs and making the wainscotting go around it instead ontop of it?

 

[kwyjibo]

why are you mouting the cabinets to the studs and making the wainscotting go around it instead ontop of it?

polexican23, I'm hoping that the siding will act as a ledger board and help the French cleats support the weight of the cabinets. I lay out the cuts using a laser level so the cutouts also help me to mount them level and plumb.

Just love the cabinets. I wanted to go that way ever since I saw the Kerf cabinets - I just hate finishing the wood but the formica looks so great with the Baltic Birch edges. I love that you went with cutouts instead of handles - just so nice all around.

Gregor

Thanks for the kind words! I'm sure that if I had your metal working skills I'd have considered making handles like you did.

Subbed! Fellow bike rider, New England cyclocross lover and into German cars- you’re doing it all much better than me though! The cabinets look great

Thanks! I rode my old Empella cyclocross bike around a race a few weeks back, I think it may have been one of the only bikes I saw that day without disks. The sad thing is that the wheels were the last ones that I laced up and they're obsolete. I included the last photo to show you the CAAD7.

I had some time to make the doors for the new wall cabinet. Here's the test fit. I thought I still had the black powder coated aluminum extrusions for the handles but I need to order more (I'm running out of laminate sheets, too), so finishing this cabinet will have to wait a while. In the meantime I've moved on to the carcasses for the next set of cabinets.

The 911 is back in the space because of the electrical work in the other garage. Believe it or not, there is a lot less junk stacked in front of the car because of the new storage space and I've been using materials.

 

[kwyjibo]

Well, it took a while (see post #201 back in April), but once a friend's nephew got involved, we finally got the clock faces printed up as a vinyl decal. Ignore the hanging wires in the reflection, they look great. Just in time for the holidays....

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

Just caught up on your thread and it's all looking very nice indeed.

 

[kwyjibo]

Just caught up on your thread and it's all looking very nice indeed.

Thanks for reading!
Not much to update this week. It's been too cold in the garage to apply polyurethane to the new cabinet pieces, so I haven't been able to assemble them either.
We had an arts'n'crafts party at a friend's garage to make the clocks - take the IKEA clocks apart, put on the new face, and then reassemble. We used a brighter red paint for the clock arms which match the Porsche colors better than the red on the prototype clock shown earlier.

 

[kwyjibo]

Short weekend update. More cabinets.
I got pretty far on the last base cabinet. I will laminate the bottom doors blue once I get more sheets. I did test fit six drawer fronts, they're being held up with tape for the photo. I still need to order more aluminum U-channels for the pulls.

I also started fitting together the upper cabinet. I'm running out of laminate so I need to figure out which sections are going to be covered with the remaining sheets.

 

[TomGW]

The cabinet work and MCM colour scheme is seriously impressive.
Love the clocks too. Any possibility of these (even just the decal) being available?

 

[Coloradical]

Just finished going through the 30 pages of your thread and wow, so much amazing work. Such an awesome neighborhood as well, I just took over a delivery route and it covers that area, so cool seeing so many MCM. Love it all, I can’t wait to move into my garage, waiting for final inspection right now.

Definitely gonna follow suit on the concrete pavers as I’m gonna be having my driveway replaced in the coming weeks.

Any chance you have the contact info for the company that did your epoxy floors? I’d like to get another quote before I pull the trigger.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Mpower5266]

Thanks for reading!
Not much to update this week. It's been too cold in the garage to apply polyurethane to the new cabinet pieces, so I haven't been able to assemble them either.
We had an arts'n'crafts party at a friend's garage to make the clocks - take the IKEA clocks apart, put on the new face, and then reassemble. We used a brighter red paint for the clock arms which match the Porsche colors better than the red on the prototype clock shown earlier.

I love those clocks.. I finally found a 2002 themed one for my office but I bet you could make a better one.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

 

[kwyjibo]

The cabinet work and MCM colour scheme is seriously impressive.
Love the clocks too. Any possibility of these (even just the decal) being available?

Thanks for kind words. A few friends have asked about another run of clock faces, so its possible. I'll post something here if that happens.

Just finished going through the 30 pages of your thread and wow, so much amazing work. Such an awesome neighborhood as well, I just took over a delivery route and it covers that area, so cool seeing so many MCM. Love it all, I can’t wait to move into my garage, waiting for final inspection right now.

Definitely gonna follow suit on the concrete pavers as I’m gonna be having my driveway replaced in the coming weeks.

Any chance you have the contact info for the company that did your epoxy floors? I’d like to get another quote before I pull the trigger.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Thanks! Stop if you are driving by, the garage door is usually open when I'm working.
The floors were done by Epoxy Colorado. Joe 970-556-1188. I can recommend them - He was very quick to get me a quote and I'm happy with their work.

I love those clocks.. I finally found a 2002 themed one for my office but I bet you could make a better one.

Your clock looks great. I originally wanted to make one that looked like the one in the e9 because it has the right vintage look. But it would have been more complicated than just a new face and some paint. I may revisit it later.

 

[TomGW]

Thanks for kind words. A few friends have asked about another run of clock faces, so its possible. I'll post something here if that happens.

Thanks, that would be great. I've subscribed so shouldn't miss it.

 

[kwyjibo]

Happy New Year. Not much to update. I was out playing in the cold rain of Seattle for Christmas.
It was warm enough in the last couple days in Denver to laminate some of the upper cabinet parts. Unfortunately today's high will be in the teens, but I am still able to trim the laminate (with a few trips into the house to warm up my fingers). I should be glueing up the cabinet during the mid-week warm up.

I'm still waiting on the aluminum channels for the drawer pulls but I had enough left over from the last order to cap off the top two drawers of the cabinet a few posts earlier. Here's a photo from the test. I designed the drawers to house CDs that were otherwise sitting in plastic crates.

 

[Jo3l]

I love your house and garage design, especially the color scheme. There are so many garages on here that I had sadly missed it till now. And of course the custom clocks! Looking forward to following along from now on. Great work!

 

[kwyjibo]

I love your house and garage design, especially the color scheme. There are so many garages on here that I had sadly missed it till now. And of course the custom clocks! Looking forward to following along from now on. Great work!

Thanks Joel! I'm looking forward your updates, too.

Weekend update: After a quick test fit, I put the upper cabinet together and got it to its final resting place. I'm still trying to decide if I should add some doors to this section, like to the upper left opening. Also, I need to finalize the layout of the upper cabinet that's going in to the left. Once I figure this stuff out, I can put in my final laminate sheet order.

I picked up some walnut-faced baltic birch plywood sheets ("Europly") that I ordered from Home Depot sometime before Christmas. I was surprised that each sheet was shipped in a box without any packaging materials. The sheets had some damage, but inspection of the boxes makes me think that they were packed that way and not damaged from their journey. Once again, I'm pleasantly surprised with the whole HD transaction. btw, these sheets are for a mid-century modern credenza/stereo cabinet. I'll post details once I figure them out.

 

[wasfast]

I think you should rename this the "Gulf Garage" based on the color scheme. Awesome stuff that you post!

 

[justinmc]

btw, these sheets are for a mid-century modern credenza/stereo cabinet. I'll post details once I figure them out.

Really curious to see what you do with the stereo cabinet. Your adventure in plywood cabinet building has gotten me debating if I'm ballsy enough to try to build some of my own! Ha. Although it means some new specific tools.

Old hifi is another rabbit hole that I keep poking my toe in from time to time. Don't think I'll ever go full bore but it's fun to have nice stuff to listen too!

 

[Coloradical]

Just because I happen to be here making a delivery, do you shop at Rockleys? Or are you familiar with Rockleys? Seems like they have everything you need or are using for your cabinets here [emoji38]

 

[BoilermakerFan]

btw, these sheets are for a mid-century modern credenza/stereo cabinet. I'll post details once I figure them out.

Really curious to see what you do with the stereo cabinet. Your adventure in plywood cabinet building has gotten me debating if I'm ballsy enough to try to build some of my own! Ha. Although it means some new specific tools.

Old hifi is another rabbit hole that I keep poking my toe in from time to time. Don't think I'll ever go full bore but it's fun to have nice stuff to listen too!

Oh man! How did I miss that teaser? I love MCM and stereo cabinets. You can really improve the old consoles with just a little work and replacing old capacitors/carbon resistors.

 

[kwyjibo]

I think you should rename this the "Gulf Garage" based on the color scheme. Awesome stuff that you post!

Thanks! The problem with renaming it is that I've decided that the attached one-car garage will have a bright green/dark blue color scheme, aka ALPINA (a BMW tuner... the aficionados will point out that they're officially listed as a manufacturer). So ultimately it could be called the "MCM house with ALPINA/Gulf Racing detached garage".

Really curious to see what you do with the stereo cabinet. Your adventure in plywood cabinet building has gotten me debating if I'm ballsy enough to try to build some of my own! Ha. Although it means some new specific tools.

Old hifi is another rabbit hole that I keep poking my toe in from time to time. Don't think I'll ever go full bore but it's fun to have nice stuff to listen too!

Oh man! How did I miss that teaser? I love MCM and stereo cabinets. You can really improve the old consoles with just a little work and replacing old capacitors/carbon resistors.

justinmc, go for it! I had little experience before starting this project. Because I didn't have a prior need for them, I did need to pick up a track saw, router, and a domino joiner. They weren't cheap but they've been indispensable.

I should clarify that I'm building a mid-century modern style cabinet for my existing stereo components. I don't have a vintage cabinet with built-in equipment. I would love to find such a thing but haven't come across one since my parents had one when I was very young.

Just because I happen to be here making a delivery, do you shop at Rockleys? Or are you familiar with Rockleys? Seems like they have everything you need or are using for your cabinets here [emoji38]

Were you at the Rockler on Colo Blvd? That's not too far away. I go there once in a while, usually its when I have an emergency and need something fast. There's a Woodcraft down by the Centennial Airport that I like better.

Updates
Up first, the first upper cabinet for the north wall (the wall facing the other cabinets) is ready for assembly. The photo is from a test fit. The pieces were taken apart and now have the first coat of polyurethane. There are two aluminum C-channels sitting in a dado for the sliding doors (the ones for the top are now cut)

second update. I'm helping a friend look for a "special" vintage Porsche. Following through on a couple leads, we found something for me to consider... a project conda green '71 targa. The original green paint is hiding under the terrible black it's currently wearing. The engine is out. On the floor. On a workbench. On some shelves. Everywhere but in labeled bags or boxes. The interior and top are trash. BUT the shell is almost completely rust and damage free (probably because it's been off the road for a very long time). I don't have the time, space or funds for this right now but it is very, very tempting. Very. I need to decide fast.

 

[BoilermakerFan]

Buy the Porsche! Cars like that don't come around often and they don't stay for sale long when they do. And to be a pre-'72 just makes it all the better.

 

[Balor]

^^^What BoilermakerFan said.

rngr1

 

[justinmc]

second update. I'm helping a friend look for a "special" vintage Porsche. Following through on a couple leads, we found something for me to consider... a project conda green '71 targa. The original green paint is hiding under the terrible black it's currently wearing. The engine is out. On the floor. On a workbench. On some shelves. Everywhere but in labeled bags or boxes. The interior and top are trash. BUT the shell is almost completely rust and damage free (probably because it's been off the road for a very long time). I don't have the time, space or funds for this right now but it is very, very tempting. Very. I need to decide fast.

With that level of work needed it'd have to be a "smoking" deal. Old Porsches aren't getting any cheaper to fix. I am actually a Porsche parts slinger in my day gig. I love the classic stuff and always keep my eyes open for a deal as well. That one needs some major love... but could be a solid project if the $$ is right.

Edit.. with parts literally "everywhere" you can find yourself in a "gotcha" situation pretty easily though. Missing one or two things that seem small and insignifigant until you find out how hard to find they are.. or how much they cost to replace.

 

[kwyjibo]

Hi guys, I'm checking into every possible way to make this project happen. I lost out on a conda green coupe about 8 years ago and have been kicking myself ever since.
Justin - you hit the nail on the head. I don't plan on selling for profit when complete ( ... after a few years) but at the same time I can't blow $$ on a hobby. With me doing all the work, except paint, I'm still coming up with an unacceptable final total. My wife knew I was serious when I told her that I would need to sell the '74 Carrera to afford this project.

Back to the garage: I got the latest cabinet mounted on the bare wall opposite the other cabinets. Luckily, there's still just enough space for the seats. The cabinets on this wall will get sliding masonite doors as soon as the laminate order shows up.

Finally something non-cabinet related - I picked up a cheap BMW Motorsport patch for my coveralls. I think it looks pretty good.

 

[kwyjibo]

Not looking good for the project targa. I've hit up shops that I'm friendly with to confirm my initial estimates for paint, parts missing or needing replacement, etc and even with doing most of the work, it looks over my budget.

On a happier note, it's probably a little early to bring stuff back into the workspace but the dealership posters are starting to make it feel like the garage project is closer to completion.

 

[kwyjibo]

The laminate sheet order came in so I could complete the lower doors seen in the background (or in the photo of the last post). Also, in this post's photo, the laminated bottom shelf means that I can start on the last cabinet needed to finish the longer wall.

 

[kwyjibo]

The carcass of the upper cabinet is done but I need to re-position the French cleat on the wall because the left side sits a bit high. There's a short stretch of countertop that's going in below the cabinet.

I'm finally happy with the gaps in my cabinets... now that I'm almost done with them. Oh well, hopefully this means that the audio cabinet will come out ok.

 

[964haus]

inspiring.

m.

 

[kwyjibo]

inspiring.

m.

thanks!

I was fitting the countertop over the weekend and realized that there is a shadow over half the surface. I might need to mount a light strip under the upper cabinet. I'll live with it for a while before deciding if it's needed/worth the trouble.

Also hung the second bookshelf on the opposite wall. This was a total pain in the ****. There is a short stretch of plywood (painted black) on the beam in the upper right corner of the photo. That is the first section of ply that I'm using to sister the beam that has a notch cut out of it for the door opener track. Once I replace the opener with a jackshaft model, I'll sheath the beam with the 3/4" ply to hide the cutout and to reinforce the beam.
Anyway, I measured wrong and the cabinet was about 1/8" too wide for the space between the cabinet and the beam. So I needed to shave the 3/4" ply down to 5/8" for the last 12" or so. Next up: sliding doors for the bookshelves... Anyone know the best way to get a clean edge on masonite?

 

[Trapps]

... Anyone know the best way to get a clean edge on masonite?

Your thread keeps me motivated. I keep thinking I should put the same level of refinement into my build, but I'm too much of a thug. Maybe on the next garage.

As for that clean edge, could you use a trim router bit? https://www.rockler.com/power-tool-accessories/router-bits/flush-trim-router-bits

Cheers!

 

[kwyjibo]

Your thread keeps me motivated. I keep thinking I should put the same level of refinement into my build, but I'm too much of a thug. Maybe on the next garage.

As for that clean edge, could you use a trim router bit? https://www.rockler.com/power-tool-accessories/router-bits/flush-trim-router-bits

Cheers!

I appreciate your encouragement! I still look around and see every mistake and flaw so I know that if I didn't go (as my wife says) over the top from the beginning, in the long run it would drive me nuts.

Thanks for your suggestion, it got me thinking - I was thinking of using a router bit to cut the sheets, then laminate and trim. But now I'm thinking that if I laminate first, then use a trim bit and straightedge as the template, I can cut to final size and get a good, clean edge in one run.

 

[Mpower5266]

Not looking good for the project targa. I've hit up shops that I'm friendly with to confirm my initial estimates for paint, parts missing or needing replacement, etc and even with doing most of the work, it looks over my budget.

On a happier note, it's probably a little early to bring stuff back into the workspace but the dealership posters are starting to make it feel like the garage project is closer to completion.

I love those dealer posters, where did you get them?