Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage

[cash68]

Absolutely adore my K5 Kreg Jig. Put it on credit, you won't regret it. The built in dust collection is retardedly awesome, too.

 

[nicholam77]

Absolutely adore my K5 Kreg Jig. Put it on credit, you won't regret it. The built in dust collection is retardedly awesome, too.

Yeah, I think I will pick one up eventually. I spent another night out in the "shop" yesterday and already had to do more pocket holes because I screwed something up.

I forgot to cut the dado to accept the drawer bottoms, as well as cut the back pieces shorter. You'll see why in a bit. Anyways this meant the dado practically ran through some of my pocket holes, so I had to reposition and re-drill them.

I have a love-hate relationship with pocket holes. On one hand they are relatively quick and easy and strong. But I find them kind of a pain to assemble. The joining board tends to get sucked in as the screws sink, making it tough to get things perfectly flush. (No I don't have one of those fancy right-angle Kreg clamps). I just use a stop block or assembly square, but results are still not perfect. I'd like to make a jig to aid in assembly.

Haven't used these parf dogs too much yet but threw some in for some leverage and stability when driving the screws.

Next I cut the bottoms from 1/4" plywood. This is why I cut the back sides of the drawer short, so the bottom slides under and then can be screwed into the back from underneath:

Testing out the new square.

I only got 3 of the 4 drawers assembled because I ran out of 1" pocket screws, but all the remaining pieces are cut and sanded.

Now I just have to pray that the drawer slides fit!

They are showing up today so maybe I'll be able to wrap this up over the weekend. Still need to cut the false fronts, attach and mount slides, wipe-on finish, and figure out pulls.

 

[sawduststeve]

Nick,you've really perfected your manufacturing process there mate, beautiful work. Nice pieces of kit also, always buy the best you can afford, it's cheaper in the long run.
Thanks for posting

Steve

 

[topcok88]

Nick, I suggest you try out the Whiteside drawer router bit. I will post some pictures when I get home but a locking drawer joint with a couple brads is so much faster and better than a Kreg (and I own both)


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[topcok88]

If you have a router table check out the Locking Drawer Joint bits available. Used them for my router table build and you can seriously batch out drawers quick using one set-up. The big upside is the self-align and square if you have a good fitting drawer bottom. After dry fit you can run glue down the length of the joint and using one or two clamps pull it together and shoot two brad nails in from the locking direction. Undo the clamps immediately because the brads are holding the drawer temporarily until the glue dries. I went from pieces to installed in a hour or two. I do not dislike the Kreg tool as they certainly have their place but if you don't have the table based Kreg where you can batch parts out it is way too time consuming for me. Not to mention near impossible to keep the joint from shifting during assembly.

EDIT: Sorry - Apparently I can not post images to your build thread. Check out the "Incra" link in my signature. Sorry

I highly suggest you try it if you have a router table.

 

[Unruh]

That Table Saw set up is coming along nice!

I got my planer for my Father’s Day/Birthday this year. I have saved up a little cash and have really been eying all the Woodpecker stuff.

I have a Kreg set up to my dust collection and get amazing results from it.

 

[nicholam77]

Nick,you've really perfected your manufacturing process there mate, beautiful work. Nice pieces of kit also, always buy the best you can afford, it's cheaper in the long run.
Thanks for posting

Steve

Steve, thank you, I am happy with how it's turning out! Sort of unnecessarily overbuilt, but I wanted to practice some techniques I've never done before like the edge banding and inset drawers for future "real" projects outside of the shop.

Nick, I suggest you try out the Whiteside drawer router bit...

Thanks for the suggestion, that does look slick. I was looking online and it seems there are a couple different ones. Do you have a link to the one you use, or prefer? I do have a DIY router table but no miter slot yet.

P.S. your Incra setup is pretty fantastic looking!

That Table Saw set up is coming along nice!

I got my planer for my Father’s Day/Birthday this year. I have saved up a little cash and have really been eying all the Woodpecker stuff.

I have a Kreg set up to my dust collection and get amazing results from it.

Thanks! Been meaning to ask, have you had a chance to use the planer yet?

Yeah I'm really liking the Woodpecker tools. I've used at least one on every woodworking related thing I've done lately. It's hard to know where to start when they have so many tools and they're all $$$ but I'd say it's really nice having a legible, flat, straight, long rule. And also the mini-T-square for small layout tasks and scribing lines. Those are probably the two I grab the most. Normally I'd do that with a combination square, set the depth, hold pencil to the end, but it's just so fast and easy to drop a pencil in the scribing hole, and know that if you need to come back to it it will be the same exact measurement. Just a quick example I used it to mark a line for putting the drawer bottom screws in place:

 

[nicholam77]

I got a bit further yesterday. After watching some YouTube videos on how to install drawers, I cut some MDF spacers to help out:

Some space out the drawers and some set the space in between the slides.

Set the slide set back on the drawers with a combination square.

I still have one more shallow drawer that goes at the top of the stack, about 2" tall that will hold my blades, but I still need more pocket screws to assemble it.

Miraculously they all seem to open and close pretty well.

It took me over 2 hours to install 4 sets of slides and 3 drawers. And I still need to:

- assemble the small drawer
- put finish on all the drawers
- cut false fronts for all the drawers and attach
- figure out pulls and attach those
- eventually figure out some internal organization / storage / dividers for the stuff that will be going inside.

Man, building stuff takes a lot of steps!

 

[topcok88]

Steve



Thanks for the suggestion, that does look slick. I was looking online and it seems there are a couple different ones. Do you have a link to the one you use, or prefer? I do have a DIY router table but no miter slot yet.



P.S. your Incra setup is pretty fantastic looking!

Nick, thank you and there are two Locking Drawer Glue Joint bits available. The 1/4” shank is the 3346 and the 1/2” shank is the 3347. At this point in my wood working hobby I have only ever purchased and own 1/2” diameter shank router bits. Both my table and plunge router have 1/2” and 1/4” collets but I have always bought the larger diameter bits for the strength.




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[Unruh]

Thanks! Been meaning to ask, have you had a chance to use the planer yet?

I have not done much with it, but a Black Locust tree feel on a friends property and he said I can have what I want from it. I plan on cutting up some lumber and try running that through it!

 

[cash68]

Installing drawer slides is time consuming as hell, especially once you start needing to shim them a bit here and there. Looking good tho!

 

[nicholam77]

I have not done much with it, but a Black Locust tree feel on a friends property and he said I can have what I want from it. I plan on cutting up some lumber and try running that through it!

Cool!

Installing drawer slides is time consuming as hell, especially once you start needing to shim them a bit here and there. Looking good tho!

Thanks! I think I need to shim one of them -- it closes slightly crooked. When you do that do you put the shim on the drawer, the cabinet wall, or does it even matter? Also should the shim be the full length of the slide or just in the front or back depending on the needed correction? Maybe this is obvious, I'm just trying to wrap my head around it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finished assembling the last drawer. I used an assembly square this time and it seemed to line things up better.

Was home yesterday covering for daycare, so I knocked out a quick project during baby naps: painting the front door trim. I'd never gotten around to painting the exterior frame, brick mould, or PVC surround trim. The metal flashing was in rough shape, too.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I had previously filled nail holes and caulked in preparation.

Was careful not to paint the Nest.

Normally I don't like using painter's tape if I can avoid it, but in this situation it was worth it and helped me avoid painting things like the weather stripping, resulting in nice clean lines.

Feels good to cross that off the "punch list"

Just 35 more items to do. Somehow it seems every time I cross something off another thing gets added.



I do love shiny, new, pretty, efficient tools like the Woodpeckers stuff, but I also like used tools. I have a few beat up tools that have seen a lot of use, a few that I inherited from my dad. Nothing "special" in and of themselves, but special to me. I thought I would highlight one of them I used on the door yesterday: this small red stepladder.

It belonged to my grandfather (dad's dad) and has been refinished / repainted a number of times I believe. From the days when instead of buying a new tool when the old wore out people would just keep trying to fix the same crappy old thing forever. One my grandpa's trademarks or idiosyncrasies was he always put his name on his tools, as you can see here that "Miller" is stenciled not once, but FOUR times in total on the ladder. Anyways I use it a ton, and love that it is beat up. It's perfect for painting and other dirty tasks, or really anything.

 

[nicholam77]

Nick, thank you and there are two Locking Drawer Glue Joint bits available. The 1/4” shank is the 3346 and the 1/2” shank is the 3347. At this point in my wood working hobby I have only ever purchased and own 1/2” diameter shank router bits. Both my table and plunge router have 1/2” and 1/4” collets but I have always bought the larger diameter bits for the strength.

Thanks for the info! I'll look into this. Agree on 1/2" shank bits.

Or maybe I should just do this...

 

[topcok88]

Thanks for the info! I'll look into this. Agree on 1/2" shank bits.



Or maybe I should just do this...

That is an awful lot of work for a non-locking joint. Although it does increase the surface area for glue it doesn’t mechanically lock the joint together. If you want a cool locking miter joint think about the Whiteside 45 degree Lock Miter Glue Joint Router bit p/n 3360 or 3362 depending a material thickness. I’m telling you, once you start using a router table for joinery you will be asking yourself why it took so long. It really is that much better.


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[Jo3l]

I do love shiny, new, pretty, efficient tools like the Woodpeckers stuff, but I also like used tools. I have a few beat up tools that have seen a lot of use, a few that I inherited from my dad. Nothing "special" in and of themselves, but special to me. I thought I would highlight one of them I used on the door yesterday: this small red stepladder.

Thank for sharing the pictures of the old ladder! It inspired me to drag out some of my old inherited tools and document them.

And I can totally relate tot he punch list. For everything I cross off 2 things get added because now the stuff around them looks shabby

 

[nicholam77]

I've been slammed at work the last two weeks and no chance to finish the table saw cart. I'm really hoping to get a few hours in this weekend.

We did get a new gray couch delivered this week to replace our old gray couch. Been waiting on it for 4 months.



And I was able to sell the old one on Facebook marketplace.

The new one has a more modern form to it, which I like.

The old couch had an ottoman, which was comfortable, but I think we're going to do a small coffee table instead. Then I can lower the bubble lamp more, and will prevent anyone from bumping it.

I found some extra listing photos of our house recently and it's funny looking back at what it looked like and how the previous owner's had it staged:

Anyways, not really a real update, but hopefully I'll get to something this weekend.

 

[nicholam77]

Weekend update:

Got the top drawer installed.

It will be for blades.

Then I cut false fronts from a single panel for grain match:

I read a trick to space them evenly, stack them tight and insert playing cards to fit the gap, then divide the cards by the amount of gaps needed and use that amount as a spacer for each front.

Worked well.

They don't all line up perfectly and the 2nd to the top drawer is a bit crooked and it shows extra with the false front attached. I need to figure out how to shim it, although I'm not sure where to put the shim yet.

I can live with it for a shop project, but there are a few flaws with this cart that I'd be slightly disappointed in with a furniture piece for the house.

That being said, I'm really liking how it turned out so far, it's great to have a useable setup for the TS and a far cry from how I used to do it in terms of set up time and let's be honest, aesthetics:

View media item 83118
Last things to do are polyurethane the drawers, make some pulls, and design some internal drawer storage (this will likely happen later).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Next, in preparation for dismantling the miter station, I cleared ALL the off cuts and processed them into smaller bits using.... yup.... the miter station. So maybe it is still useful after all?

Sorting through what to keep, some leftover bits of baseboard for the house, some leftover maple from the bathroom vanity, etc.

And voilà, it's all clean! I don't think it's been this clean since I built it!

Ready for destruction!

 

[topcok88]

Good looking progress Nick. The car looks awesome and you are correct about the setup being more usable. Being organized and having everything right there is a game changer. Once I receive my Miter5000 from Incra I will be making a similar cart to fit under my table saw wing. The playing card trick is neat and I will be using that. Don’t have much to say about the drawer front alignment maybe you can shift that slide forward on the drawer or back in the case.


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[Kriesel]

Neat card trick. Putting that into mental note storage.

 

[Trapps]

LOL at the CAH playing card spacers.

As always, nice work Nick!

 

[nicholam77]

Thanks, guys. Didn't come up with the card trick, but yeah it's clever!

Brief update on the GTI, I took it into the dealer on Saturday finally and they told me everything was fine. They were aware it was modded, checked some of my installs, and claimed everything was "installed beautifully" whatever that means. Tested against a brand new stock GTI as well as one of the techs modded GTIs, and claimed mine had the least driveline slack of the 3 due to the BFI mounts.

I'm happy that there's no major mechanical issues, but still disappointed in the performance. Techs said they were able to replicate my issues, as well as the thunk noise when depressing the clutch in a certain way on the comparison vehicles. Well... mine also makes a thunk/clunk just on momentum changes and no clutch actuation. If this is really "normal" behavior for this platform, I am kind of disappointed. I expected one of VW's flagship cars on the MQB platform to make less squeaks, rattles, and clutch noise, have less drivetrain slack, less motor-rocking. it should feel tighter, more refined, and more performance-oriented. I know it's not a sports car but I honestly expect a better feel out of it. And I swear it was better few years ago, so either I ruined it with the light mods I've done, it's deteriorated on it's own, or a combo of the two. But still... 3 years old and only 25k, it should feel brand new.

They did suggest I needed an alignment badly, which I did, and that did feel like it made a difference in the suspension and steering feel. So at least some good came of it.

/rant

On a completely different note, here's a small sneak peak at some 3D printed parallel guides I'm doing on the cheap for the Makita saw:

 

[nicholam77]

LOL at the CAH playing card spacers.

As always, nice work Nick!

Ha, good eye! I couldn't find regular playing cards anywhere

And thanks!

 

[Kdieselinc]

Nice garage, i wish i had this space

 

[topcok88]

Have you seen the TSO products? If you have the Makita Track Saw check out the TSO stuff. It works on the Festool and iirc the Mafell products. Not that you need to buy them but they have some really ingenious products you could probably copy pretty easily. I’m jealous of the track saw. I keep cutting down sheet goods on the cabinet saw and it still sketches me out every time.


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[sean Buick 76]

Nice projects, hope you get the VW sorted out.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Hey, been a minute since I've had some time to stop in. Things are looking great, glad to see you're still filling out the wood shop. Looks as though you're getting better and better with each project! Things are filling up in there, do you park in the garage at all, or is it more of a shop now?

 

[nicholam77]

Nice garage, i wish i had this space

Nice projects, hope you get the VW sorted out.

Thanks!

Have you seen the TSO products? If you have the Makita Track Saw check out the TSO stuff. It works on the Festool and iirc the Mafell products. Not that you need to buy them but they have some really ingenious products you could probably copy pretty easily. I’m jealous of the track saw. I keep cutting down sheet goods on the cabinet saw and it still sketches me out every time.


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Yes, I'm familiar with TSO products. Looks like nice stuff. The fact that you can use with the rail square and only use one parallel guide is clever. The trouble for me is it's $$$$. The very cheapest configuration including the rail square is $308 which is scarily close to what the track saw cost in the first place!

The ones I'm DIY'ing most closely mimic the Seneca guides, and use Incra TT+, which is accurate and relatively affordable. I still need to pick up some hardware for my 3D printed parts but this is the idea:

They won't do narrow ripping like the Seneca but I have the table saw for that.

I'll have to come back with a final verdict on accuracy after testing, but the 3D parts were essentially free and fit the track pretty well.

Hey, been a minute since I've had some time to stop in. Things are looking great, glad to see you're still filling out the wood shop. Looks as though you're getting better and better with each project! Things are filling up in there, do you park in the garage at all, or is it more of a shop now?

Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!

I do still park both cars in the garage, and yes it is filling up.



The whole back wall is full and there's no way we could have larger cars and still park in there. That's why I'm planning on getting rid of the miter station, and building a new one that can house the table saw and another mobile workbench underneath. I'd love to dedicate half of the space to woodworking, but I have a shared driveway and can't really park outside on my property. I'd have to street park in front of the house, and while a lot of people in my neighborhood do, I don't love the idea of that. Plus, I never want to go back to scraping ice and snow off the cars in the morning during winter, not to mention it's too cold to work out there almost half the year anyways, so preventing myself from parking inside in the winter wouldn't even be that fruitful. For now, the garage will still serve it's core purpose, a shelter for the cars.

Yet I keep having the desire for more tools, more workbenches, more storage. There's a lot of bigger items on my wish list like jointer, planer, drill press, band saw, sanders, biscuit joiner, hand tools, clamps, etc. But... I need to figure out how far I want to take this woodworking thing and if I have the time and money and space to support it. Having a young kid as I'm sure you know makes it tricky to build complicated projects or furniture on the regular!

Probably a WAY longer reply than you wanted!

 

[Kriesel]

I expected one of VW's flagship cars on the MQB platform to make less squeaks, rattles, and clutch noise, have less drivetrain slack, less motor-rocking. it should feel tighter, more refined, and more performance-oriented. I know it's not a sports car but I honestly expect a better feel out of it.

I've noticed that my 2006 jetta has less squeaks than a 2009, and even less than a 2011. My 2006 interior for example also seems more sturdy and well put together than the newer cars. I think they are continually getting cheaper built...

I've also noticed that my 2006 and other 2006 are rusting fast, but the model before mine is not rusting as fast it would seem. Worried about the mk6-7 if my mk5 is any sign of how they are in the quality department as of late...

 

[nicholam77]

Interesting. Previous to this I had a 2004.5 mkiv jetta, and remember it feeling "solid".

Yeah it wouldn't surprise me, the cost-cutting these days. Even in the same gen after Dieselgate they eliminated multiple things from the mk7 golf like glovebox lock, glovebox cooling ducts and felt liner, under hood insulation, full battery cover, etc. But this particular car along with the mk7 R, and the MQB chassis, and the latest 2.0 TSI -- it gets rave reviews from everyone. I guess the car journalists don't have to live with them long term

Anywho I need to figure out what I want to do with it. I'm not the type to flip cars and get a new one every 3 years. I had the mk4 for over 10 years. I bought this mk7, it's not a lease, and I've sunk a fair amount of aftermarket parts money into it. I really wish it felt better, not sure if I want to go all in and try an aftermarket clutch + tune. I've always been disappointed in the stock clutch setup, but my fear is that I'll do that, spend the money, and still not fully dig it. I wish you could try before you buy when it comes to aftermarket parts

A huge part of me wishes I had looked into the DSG, which I didn't even test drive because I was set on another manual and saving the $1100 bucks.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Thanks!



Yes, I'm familiar with TSO products. Looks like nice stuff. The fact that you can use with the rail square and only use one parallel guide is clever. The trouble for me is it's $$$$. The very cheapest configuration including the rail square is $308 which is scarily close to what the track saw cost in the first place!

The ones I'm DIY'ing most closely mimic the Seneca guides, and use Incra TT+, which is accurate and relatively affordable. I still need to pick up some hardware for my 3D printed parts but this is the idea:

They won't do narrow ripping like the Seneca but I have the table saw for that.

I'll have to come back with a final verdict on accuracy after testing, but the 3D parts were essentially free and fit the track pretty well.



Thanks, and thanks for stopping by!

I do still park both cars in the garage, and yes it is filling up.



The whole back wall is full and there's no way we could have larger cars and still park in there. That's why I'm planning on getting rid of the miter station, and building a new one that can house the table saw and another mobile workbench underneath. I'd love to dedicate half of the space to woodworking, but I have a shared driveway and can't really park outside on my property. I'd have to street park in front of the house, and while a lot of people in my neighborhood do, I don't love the idea of that. Plus, I never want to go back to scraping ice and snow off the cars in the morning during winter, not to mention it's too cold to work out there almost half the year anyways, so preventing myself from parking inside in the winter wouldn't even be that fruitful. For now, the garage will still serve it's core purpose, a shelter for the cars.

Yet I keep having the desire for more tools, more workbenches, more storage. There's a lot of bigger items on my wish list like jointer, planer, drill press, band saw, sanders, biscuit joiner, hand tools, clamps, etc. But... I need to figure out how far I want to take this woodworking thing and if I have the time and money and space to support it. Having a young kid as I'm sure you know makes it tricky to build complicated projects or furniture on the regular!

Probably a WAY longer reply than you wanted!

Nothing wrong with a long reply! It's a constant struggle, balancing between more tools and limited space. However big any of our garages are, it never seems to be large enough. I've been toying with the idea of getting rid of my drill press for that reason... I don't use it nearly as mush as I thought I would and I feel like it's just taking up space. The band saw will stay, though, as I use it a fair amount, and it was something I inherited from my grandfather.

Glad to hear you can still get both cars in there too. I too hate cleaning snow off of cars. It's a nice luxury! Have you considered insulating your ceiling and heating your garage? Getting heat in mine was a game changer, and one of the best upgrades I made.

 

[bj383ss]

Nick I totally understand your dilemma in tool decisions. I went through this my self several years ago. My cars ultimately got booted to the driveway. But I live in Texas so no dealing with any kind of ice or snow.

My first garage. Both cars fit.

100_ 117 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Eventually the woodworking bug took over.

Picture 263 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

That's too bad about the car. I would disappointed as well. My wife's 2013 Volvo has a lot off issues with plastic and rubber pieces. I have replaced several molding pieces and window rubber. They just don't put the right chemicals in plastic for it too last anymore. I am sure this is per the EPA and stuff in land fills breaking down but if your 6 year old car is falling apart in the driveway that *****.

Bret

 

[Ronin22]

I've noticed that my 2006 jetta has less squeaks than a 2009, and even less than a 2011. My 2006 interior for example also seems more sturdy and well put together than the newer cars. I think they are continually getting cheaper built...

I've got loads of friends who love and have owned and own multiples VWs.
Some of them even work at our local VW factory, and others are official dealers of APR and Unitronic.
They can absolutely confirm what you are saying about the quality of the Golf/Jetta throughout these years.

 

[tommyoneil38]

You can try doing proper insulation for it too.

 

[nicholam77]

Have you considered insulating your ceiling and heating your garage? Getting heat in mine was a game changer, and one of the best upgrades I made.

You can try doing proper insulation for it too.

That is a good thought. I have R11 fiberglass in the walls, which is going to stay because I'm not re-doing the walls haha. I have R13 rolls up against the roof I think, which I know is not the way to do it. I don't have soffit or ridge vents. The reason I put in gable vents front and back when I re-did the siding was I planned on dropping the insulation to ceiling height and finishing it off with some paneling or T&G boards or something.

Unfortunately time has gotten away from me and I haven't had a chance to tackle that yet. Lot's of "domino effect" considerations that go with it like maintaining rafter access for storage which I use for long items, and sealing the rest of the space better (as of now a lot of heat is lost through the window I'm sure, as well as the overhead door itself doesn't seal well with the floor because it's so jacked up and cracked. I only have 120V out there, so electric heater is out of the question unless I did a power upgrade, same with gas it's a bigger deal than just buying a heater. So to truly get a well-insulated, heated space seems like a big project to me. But yes, it's something I'd like very much.

Another thing I suffer from in woodworking is our summers here can be extremely humid and it can fluctuate a lot from day to day. Then in winter it is very dry and of course freezing. This leads to my boards, even sheet goods, warping. And tolerances change on things like my crosscut sled runners, and even the dog holes in my MFT cart. Having a more stabile environment would definitely be desirable.

Nick I totally understand your dilemma in tool decisions. I went through this my self several years ago. My cars ultimately got booted to the driveway. But I live in Texas so no dealing with any kind of ice or snow.

Bret

Those are GREAT pics Bret, and a great looking first garage. I'd say the bug biting you is an understatement!

I've got loads of friends who love and have owned and own multiples VWs.
Some of them even work at our local VW factory, and others are official dealers of APR and Unitronic.
They can absolutely confirm what you are saying about the quality of the Golf/Jetta throughout these years.

That's what I've always heard, and while I do think there is some of that with the mk7, at least the platform and chassis and motor are supposed to be very good, and somewhat of a renaissance from "those years". My main problem is not really with the build quality or interior plastics, which I think are... acceptable... but the drivetrain slack and noisy clutch actuation really bug me. Makes me wonder if it's particular to my car or the mods I've done. The mods I've done with the motor mounts and whatnot, many others have done with more power, and I've never heard people complain about delay of power and lurchiness. In fact usually the opposite with mounts. The dealer claiming "that's just how the cars are" doesn't align for me because mine was not like this when new. I was honestly hoping they'd say "yup somehow your flywheel has failed" or something like that so at least I'd know where to go from here.

 

[nicholam77]

Here's some ideas that have been floating in my brain since shortly after we got the place as some back-pocket hypothetical plans for "expansion".

First, some proof the cars still fit

The Mazda bumper is about 12" from the miter station.

I don't think I've showed many pics of this but here is the shed to the side of the garage:

It's super useful to store lawn equipment, gardening supplies, car washing supplies, long boards, sheet goods, bikes, shovels and rakes, etc. But I have thought about the possibility of knocking it down and adding on a 3rd garage stall to the main structure in its footprint. Would still be set back a hair, maybe not quite as far as currently, and then the space in front would be paved. This could either become dedicated woodshop and put some of the lawn stuff in the main garage like most people do, or could be dedicated parking spot for my smaller car and then open up half the main garage for more permanent tool setup.

The downside would be cost, and knocking down a perfectly good shed.

- OR -

2nd idea would be to pave a parking pad either for 1 "stall" like the blue box, or a whole "driveway" so to speak like the yellow box. This would give me more convenience to park the cars out of the way instead of having to drive around the whole block and park out front. Because my actual driveway butts up against the neighbors', I can't really park cars in mine or they are in their way. A parking pad would let me park the cars outside, near the garage, on my property, and not have to worry about inconveniencing the neighbors or street parking the cars overnight if I have a lengthier project going on, which could reduce setup and cleanup time.

This could also be done in conjunction with plan #1.

I don't know if any of this is feasible with our lot size and city code and all that. Purely ideas at this point.

A side-note, our beautiful, gigantic silver maple is healthy but on the decline. The wife is worried a limb is going to snap in a thunderstorm and crush us in our sleep. I don't have a big lawn to begin with, but removing that tree would give some extra grassy area behind the house. I do have some long-term ideas for a house addition off the back, too, if we stay here, but that's a whole different animal. If and when we do remove the tree, I'm hoping to get a couple slabs out of it. I've only read that soft maple is "inferior", but idk, I'd like to save a piece of it and think it could be used for something.

 

[tgerold]

I don't think I've showed many pics of this but here is the shed to the side of the garage:

Hey Nick, fellow Minnesotan here, I've been following your thread for a while now. If you are serious about removing the shed, I might be an interested buyer. What size is it?

 

[nicholam77]

Hey Nick, fellow Minnesotan here, I've been following your thread for a while now. If you are serious about removing the shed, I might be an interested buyer. What size is it?

Hey! It's 10x12, but unfortunately I'm not serious about getting rid of it, in the short-term anyways. If I did, I'd need to replace it with another solution, and I don't have the excess time or money to make that happen right now with the little one. Thanks for the interest, though!

LOVE your place and thread btw, you've done awesome work and living the MN dream! Super jealous of those lake views!

 

[tgerold]

Hey! It's 10x12, but unfortunately I'm not serious about getting rid of it, in the short-term anyways. If I did, I'd need to replace it with another solution, and I don't have the excess time or money to make that happen right now with the little one. Thanks for the interest, though!

LOVE your place and thread btw, you've done awesome work and living the MN dream! Super jealous of those lake views!

Cheers mate, best of luck!

 

[davidstutler]

Also love the Kreg K5 - easily my most used piece of woodworking equipment.

 

[nicholam77]

Also love the Kreg K5 - easily my most used piece of woodworking equipment.