The *Mostly* BMW Garage Bolt-On

[douging]

Amazing execution. Such a great space for great cars. Nicely done!

 

[Mudnut]

Thanks for the update,

You have an amazing set up and collection of cars. I have never seen my garage that organised, or clean. I certainly will not be showing these photos to my wife!

Keep up the great work.

Ken

 

[wout]

New place looks stunning and matches the old space perfectly.
Is it easy to get a car from the new place out? Wouldn't it be easier when the open door would have been wider? Or was that impossible?

Wout

 

[M-technik-3]

Thinking new space is mainly storage and op has casters for wheel the mount on and off so he can spin into tight places?

 

[dubber]

Thanks Dubber - coming from you - considering the work you've done on all your iterations - means a lot.

Very kind of you. I'm definitely going to be keeping tabs on this one

 

[davidstutler]

New place looks stunning and matches the old space perfectly.
Is it easy to get a car from the new place out? Wouldn't it be easier when the open door would have been wider? Or was that impossible?

Thinking new space is mainly storage and op has casters for wheel the mount on and off so he can spin into tight places?

Great question - the opening to the new garage is the same size as the garage door on that side of the old garage - 9x8. Originally I was thinking of doing another opening on my wife's side, but opted for a half bathroom in that corner. I'm so glad I went that route. The bathroom is yet to be finished, but I'll have a utility sink in there for filling buckets, which will be fantastic.

I do have wheel cradles that I used a lot at my last shop. But surprisingly, in the picture above with the three cars side by side, those were all parked like normal. 8 Series went in first and I snugged it up by going back and forth. Same with the M5. Driving into the middle spot from the old garage is incredibly easy. Also - when we have nice weather and our patio concrete is done, I can actually drive through the opening, turn to the left and drive out the glass door. That's another option when I'm moving them around.

But yes, the back garage is mostly for storage. I've set it up so that I can easily access three cars at any given time. The one in the middle of the new garage, the one on the ground on my side of the old and the one on the lift - which is on my side in the old garage. It arrived yesterday and is fully set up. I love having it at the house now.

 

[Ronin22]

Wow! That's a nice addition.
So now you can comfortably park 6 cars in there right?

 

[davidstutler]

Wow! That's a nice addition.
So now you can comfortably park 6 cars in there right?

Seven easy. Between where the three are in the pictures above (in the new space) and the old space, something can fit in between. So if we were to ever get hail (which happens a lot in KS), my son's E46 Touring, which sits on the side of the house, would come in.

 

[Growlertdi]

Dang that 4 post is just icing on the cake. what a great setup.

 

[Ronin22]

Seven easy. Between where the three are in the pictures above (in the new space) and the old space, something can fit in between. So if we were to ever get hail (which happens a lot in KS), my son's E46 Touring, which sits on the side of the house, would come in.

Or... you can always have more race cars and let the dailies sit outside

 

[kwyjibo]

Nice. The last photo with the 4-post lift makes it look like the garage ceiling design was based on the e28 greenhouse

 

[Mpower5266]

Nice. The last photo with the 4-post lift makes it look like the garage ceiling design was based on the e28 greenhouse

It does. Now how can we work a Hofmeister Kink into the garage......

 

[davidstutler]

Dang that 4 post is just icing on the cake. what a great setup.

Having it moved over from the old rental shop yesterday was probably my favorite moment of the build. It really is icing on the cake.

Or... you can always have more race cars and let the dailies sit outside

That's one element of the car disease I do not need!

Nice. The last photo with the 4-post lift makes it look like the garage ceiling design was based on the e28 greenhouse

It does. Now how can we work a Hofmeister Kink into the garage......

hahaha - yes! Purely by accident, obviously - but I see it. Should have planned better to incorporate the Hofmeister kink.

The lift is now on it's top lock, so I can walk around the entire garage without ducking at all - its track is now at the top of the garage door opening.

 

[pbon]

Very nice. I like the brightness from all glass door and windows and the size of the space.

 

[Lof8]

I love that keychain hanger. Where did you find that?

 

[UTCiv]

Great design, execution, and collection. Being in the process of finishing out my own BMW laden space, there are lots of good ideas. The glass door connecting to the patio is a great touch.

If you can hold on to any E34's you may want to sell in 2 years, I'll hopefully be closer to completion of the shop and can look to add back into to my own. I had an E34 wagon (but it was rusty) that I learned so much from regarding the nature of refurbishing BMW's with the help of Pelican Parts, scouring boards, and Google Fu. In the end I let it go and focused on my E36, E90, and now E70.

 

[mmsheb]

Great thinking and planning for your addition and use of space. I'm impressed how quickly it all went and sure looks great! Thanks for sharing.
Mike

 

[LaCorski]

Great question - the opening to the new garage is the same size as the garage door on that side of the old garage - 9x8. Originally I was thinking of doing another opening on my wife's side, but opted for a half bathroom in that corner. I'm so glad I went that route. The bathroom is yet to be finished, but I'll have a utility sink in there for filling buckets, which will be fantastic.

I do have wheel cradles that I used a lot at my last shop. But surprisingly, in the picture above with the three cars side by side, those were all parked like normal. 8 Series went in first and I snugged it up by going back and forth. Same with the M5. Driving into the middle spot from the old garage is incredibly easy. Also - when we have nice weather and our patio concrete is done, I can actually drive through the opening, turn to the left and drive out the glass door. That's another option when I'm moving them around.

But yes, the back garage is mostly for storage. I've set it up so that I can easily access three cars at any given time. The one in the middle of the new garage, the one on the ground on my side of the old and the one on the lift - which is on my side in the old garage. It arrived yesterday and is fully set up. I love having it at the house now.

Question: Does the garage door (when open) and the car on the lift want to occupy the same space? It looks like the door would open up into the middle of the trunk in this pic. I know you said you had high lift doors but they look to be only about 8 feet in this pic. I run into this issue with mine, I can't go to the very top of the lift run without the door hitting my car. Lucky there's a long low hood that barely clears. Great job on the fit, finish and lighting of your new space and the glass door finishes off a very classy look.

 

[pbon]

jackshaft openers and running the doors up and along the ceiling would fix that if it is a problem. Might have to rearrange the lighting.

 

[davidstutler]

If you can hold on to any E34's you may want to sell in 2 years, I'll hopefully be closer to completion of the shop and can look to add back into to my own. I had an E34 wagon (but it was rusty) that I learned so much from regarding the nature of refurbishing BMW's with the help of Pelican Parts, scouring boards, and Google Fu. In the end I let it go and focused on my E36, E90, and now E70.

I love the E34 platform - had a nicely sorted E34 Touring before this M5. I'm actually selling the M5 right now - despite what I know is going to be a major increase in price in the coming years. I am really trying to keep a fixed number of cars in the garage, and right now I'm one over. Last one in is the first one out. (Big fan of the E36 and E70 platforms as well - so I'm right there with ya).

Great thinking and planning for your addition and use of space. I'm impressed how quickly it all went and sure looks great! Thanks for sharing.
Mike

Thanks so much!

Question: Does the garage door (when open) and the car on the lift want to occupy the same space? It looks like the door would open up into the middle of the trunk in this pic. I know you said you had high lift doors but they look to be only about 8 feet in this pic. I run into this issue with mine, I can't go to the very top of the lift run without the door hitting my car. Lucky there's a long low hood that barely clears. Great job on the fit, finish and lighting of your new space and the glass door finishes off a very classy look.

The track is actually at 10 ft, but yes, they want to occupy the same space. Originally the plan was to have it follow the new angle of the ceiling and then up to the flat part - but the garage door company didn't notice the angle until late in the project. We didn't have time to alter the plan so we went with this design - which works fine. In my case, for each cart I put on the lift, I need to pull it at far forward on the lift as possible - avoiding the back portion if possible. I have the Advantage XL/XT version - which is longer than a standard 4 post - so it makes this pretty easy.

Thanks for all the kind words!

jackshaft openers and running the doors up and along the ceiling would fix that if it is a problem. Might have to rearrange the lighting.

This is my first time with Jackshaft openers and man, I love them. Just clearing out the area between the tracks alone is worth it. Plus, they are quiet and they are now fully automated with the rest of my home tech.

 

[davidstutler]

To clarify - in the picture, you can see those J-shaped things on the track - that's where the door stops. So it doesn't come up very far on the track. The picture makes it look like the track and lift overlap a lot - but that's misleading.

 

[davidstutler]

Well it's been a LONG time since I updated this post and quite a bit has happened!

Let's start with the cars ...

When I left off, I was right in the middle of a few deals (which seems to happen often).

I bought a '71 Jeep CJ5 that needed some attention - perfect winter project. Reupholstered the seats, new wheels and tires, a transmission service and it was off to my brother to enjoy.





I then traded in my Alpine White E28 535is for a '00 M Coupe. I sold my Estoril M Coupe last year and regretted it since the moment I saw it on the transport truck.



I then became obsessed with getting rid of my last car payment, which was on my '17 F31 Sports Wagon - which I freaking loved - but deicded I needed to sell it and buy another wagon with cash.

Not before I made one last run in the F31 to grab some insulation.



Out with the F31, in with the E39 525iT 5-speed manual.



A few weeks back, I got caught up in an auction on Cars & Bids and bought a '06 M6. With that addition, this is the bulk of the current fleet in what is now my permanent office:



Oh, and I did this:



First Edition 2-door!

And my last car update, got some new keychains for all the cars - color coded when possible - with the car branded on it. Nice addition to the BMW key holder.



But the bigger change in our world has been the work we've been doing to our patio, which is adjacent to the new garage addition. When I last posted in January, the threshold between the new garage and the old patio had not been poured yet. That got done soon after it started to warm up.



Testing it out with the M Coupe





We then moved on to paint and some landscaping of the new garage (starting to look like it's been there forever).


With the new garage done, the only eyesore left was the patio. It was a standard aggregate style patio from the 80s - not comfortable to walk on and not pleasant to look at. A few years ago I built a pergola off the house as a way to entice us outside more ... didn't work. I made an outdoor table with a concrete top to further entice us outside, didn't work. So as Coronavirus hit, we had some time on our hands to tackle the outdoor space.

Back to Chief Architect - and came up with this drawing of what I wanted. A covered patio with a gable roof going back to the house. By covering it, we eliminate the sun baking us at any point. With the size I had chosen, we could do at least 2 fans, which would help in the mid-summer heat.




A couple before shots:




We got sod in mid-Spring, which really helped tie things together - but the patio was still sucky.



And now the project starts - my twin brother and I did everything end to end. Two weekends and we were roofed over.






My wife and I had decided we wanted to do a black beam look - so stain (Briwax actually) went on as a sample.


Interior work started - including hanging of THREE fans (absolutely critical decision there). Nickel gap on the ceiling. 4 speakers, 10 pot lights.



"Beams" getting more Briwax:



The mostly-finished product - including some new patio furniture from Yardbird.


But the eye-sore was still the patio itself - the aggregate. So we decided to skim coat and cover it with the same finish as our garages. That's something we hired out and it was fun to watch the progress.





Then on to some finishing touches. I refinished the table I built to match the beams:


Built small planters around some of the exposed concrete piers:


Build a rock-bed to handle some of the water fall off the roof - and to create a transition to the yard:


A new outdoor TV by Skyview:


And a finished view:



We spend time out on the patio every single night now. Even at 100 degrees, if we have the fans on and a drink in our hand, it feels absolutely bearable. Of course I'm looking forward to cooler weather and the opportunity to turn on the patio heaters and the two fire pit tables, but having made it through the hottest part of the summer has been awesome.

Sorry for the HUGE update. Needed to get caught up. More car shuffling details to come - including a purchase of an Alpina E36 B6 Touring from Japan - which is being stored until next September when I can legally import it. And a new arrival or two coming soon!

 

[Ronin22]

Wow! That was a heck of an update!

 

[CombatNinja]

Great update! You should be proud of what you have made there. It will really start to pay off in the early fall weather.

Funny you mentioned the new Bronco. My brother reserved one and just put in for a second reservation that he says I can spec. So I guess I am getting a Wildtrack Bronco? Did you reserve a First Edition?

One last comment, which I am sure you are tracking, but something about the fence looks off now. It is like it is splitting your backyard space in two. I can see the advantage of keeping the dogs out of the garage area but it just looks strange now that you put on that beautiful addition.

 

[pbon]

Very well done! And a great car collection. I am tempted by an 06-10 M5 or M6.

 

[Purist]

Welcome back! Now, where do I start?!

Sad to see that you've moved on from the E28, but if you're going to replace it with something else, a clown shoe is an excellent choice!!! My god those cars are so damn cool.

Car payments do ****, for sure, but having recently paid off my E46 M3 (along with my wife's paid off WK2 Grand Cherokee), I'm OK with having one car payment (my daily driver). Looking to hold onto the WK2 for roughly another year before we look to upgrade her ride.

That E39 looks CLEAN! Great color and excellent wheel choice.


And hell yes on the Bronco reservation. I'm obsessed with the 4-door, but having already daily driven a truck (my Gen 1 Raptor), it's not in the cards for me at this point in time. Maybe in a few years I'll look to ****** one up on CPO. I tried to talk my wife into one as the new kid hauler, but she admitted it's too "rugged" for her. Oh well, I tried.

That patio came out fantastic, excellent work! Might be a source of inspiration once my wife and I do our patio in a few years (first up is the basement, however). Cheers!

 

[M-technik-3]

Nice new space and too bad the ESB Coupe left, I like the replacement just too bad it does not have an S54. The E39 Touring is quite stunning is it a sport?

 

[atxgsa]

Out of curiosity, what is the size of your new porch coming off of the house? I am actually about to build something similar and your proportions looks really nice. Great work!

 

[Mpower5266]

Wow.. And that E39 touring is a stunner.

 

[S54_2UZ-FE]

Very nice setup!

 

[davidstutler]

Wow! That was a heck of an update!

I've been meaning to get it all documented - hopefully I'll be able to keep up!

Great update! You should be proud of what you have made there. It will really start to pay off in the early fall weather.

Funny you mentioned the new Bronco. My brother reserved one and just put in for a second reservation that he says I can spec. So I guess I am getting a Wildtrack Bronco? Did you reserve a First Edition?

One last comment, which I am sure you are tracking, but something about the fence looks off now. It is like it is splitting your backyard space in two. I can see the advantage of keeping the dogs out of the garage area but it just looks strange now that you put on that beautiful addition.

Very much looking forward to Fall - though I'm absolutely stunned how effective three fans are out there. They move a LOT of air. And air movement, regardless of the high humidity here, does make a big difference.

I think the Wildtrack is the best option so congrats on getting that reserved. I did the First Edition - though I did that mainly to get in line more than anything. I may end up with one or I may go with the Wildtrack. I had a '79 full size Bronco that I restored (twice) and have been anxiously awaiting this release for years. So glad we're close now.

On the fence, we used to have a section that went back to the house with a gate out to the patio. When I removed it, it totally changed the patio feel - it's really long and opens it all up to the garage. The dogs quickly learned they can hang on the patio, but the grass outside the fence is off limits. It really doesn't look weird in person but I get what you're saying.

Very well done! And a great car collection. I am tempted by an 06-10 M5 or M6.

Thank you! The M6 is great but because of an opportunity I have to get back into a unique E28, it may be leaving the stable soon. Last one in is always first out

Welcome back! Now, where do I start?!

Sad to see that you've moved on from the E28, but if you're going to replace it with something else, a clown shoe is an excellent choice!!! My god those cars are so damn cool.

Car payments do ****, for sure, but having recently paid off my E46 M3 (along with my wife's paid off WK2 Grand Cherokee), I'm OK with having one car payment (my daily driver). Looking to hold onto the WK2 for roughly another year before we look to upgrade her ride.

That E39 looks CLEAN! Great color and excellent wheel choice.

And hell yes on the Bronco reservation. I'm obsessed with the 4-door, but having already daily driven a truck (my Gen 1 Raptor), it's not in the cards for me at this point in time. Maybe in a few years I'll look to ****** one up on CPO. I tried to talk my wife into one as the new kid hauler, but she admitted it's too "rugged" for her. Oh well, I tried.

That patio came out fantastic, excellent work! Might be a source of inspiration once my wife and I do our patio in a few years (first up is the basement, however). Cheers!

Don't worry about the E28 going ... a replacement is coming My drug dealer ... er ... buddy car dealer and I are working on a deal at the moment. Something cool is coming this way. Same with the E39 Touring. I love mine - and with an M-tech rear bumper on the way (already put the M5 front on) it will aesthetically be perfect. But it's mostly gutless. So I've worked a deal on a build of a 540iT 6-speed that should be heading my way before the end of the year. So the 525 goes, the 540 arrives!

I don't hate car payments too much - but I do for me. I've worked from home for 20+ years so my driving is severely limited. I get a lot of **** for owning 6 cars and driving 20 miles a week.

Nice new space and too bad the ESB Coupe left, I like the replacement just too bad it does not have an S54. The E39 Touring is quite stunning is it a sport?

The touring is a factory sport - with M5 front bumper (replica) and M-tech rear on the way.

Out of curiosity, what is the size of your new porch coming off of the house? I am actually about to build something similar and your proportions looks really nice. Great work!

Man did I ever obsess about the size - I changed it five times during the planning process. It is 17' off the house and almost 19' outside to outside. It's the perfect size.

Wow.. And that E39 touring is a stunner.

Thanks Nick! Trade for your Alpine M3? Kidding!

Very nice setup!

Thank you!

I feel a huge sense of relief now having updated the thread. I'll be sure to keep things humming along here. Just recently installed a Cox Reel for my central vac - plumbed up some air lines from my compressor in the shed, etc. I don't think I've even documented the shed at all - so I have some stuff to add.

Plus ... cars are always coming and going. My 850i is in the shop for a much needed once-over. That's the one motor I won't touch

 

[davidstutler]

By the way - here's a couple shots of the Alpina E36 B6 Touring that's waiting for me in Japan - can't wait to get this sucker here next year!

 

[Arclitgold]

Holy moly!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joey1320]

Wow. Amazing garage, patio, house and cars.

 

[Purist]

By the way - here's a couple shots of the Alpina E36 B6 Touring that's waiting for me in Japan - can't wait to get this sucker here next year!

 

[DelayedZ]

Creepy question of the day, do you have a schematic of the layout of your house? The wife and I have been struggling to do a layout for our next house and I think with the way your garage is setup opening into the backyard it might be just the layout we need to get us setup without the crazy square footage we keep coming up with.

 

[latency]

Love all of this. I miss my e39 daily. I just sold my '06 e60m5 dinan s2. While I loved the car, all in, it cost me $2.85 per mile in maintenance to run. Not inclusive of gas or insurance. That is SMG pump, clutch, voltage reg, battery, belts, tensioners - I replaced all but the vanos. I would do it all over again too.

S85 is an abusive relationship. Once you get into it though and hear that exhaust, all is right in the world, you forget what it costs to maintain an F1 engine.

It takes a special person to know that, and enjoy it. S85 ownership in the m5 and m6's is unique.

If you are not aware of him already, Troy Jeup is a legend in s85 circles. @troyjeup on IG.

Tremendous set up! Love this post, thanks for sharing.

 

[TX4runner]

Wow. Stunning. Happy Birthday, and your car purchasing addiction is admirable!! Love the patio transformation!! And the glass door into the garage I love!!

 

[davidstutler]

Hahaha - I had a similar reaction when I saw the first real photos. The auction photos were tiny so I got very lucky with this one.

Creepy question of the day, do you have a schematic of the layout of your house? The wife and I have been struggling to do a layout for our next house and I think with the way your garage is setup opening into the backyard it might be just the layout we need to get us setup without the crazy square footage we keep coming up with.

I don't have any drawings of our floor plan but I do have a general layout that I'll include below. We back up to a golf course and our first floor layout is oriented in a way where we take advantage of the view.

Love all of this. I miss my e39 daily. I just sold my '06 e60m5 dinan s2. While I loved the car, all in, it cost me $2.85 per mile in maintenance to run. Not inclusive of gas or insurance. That is SMG pump, clutch, voltage reg, battery, belts, tensioners - I replaced all but the vanos. I would do it all over again too.

S85 is an abusive relationship. Once you get into it though and hear that exhaust, all is right in the world, you forget what it costs to maintain an F1 engine.

Tremendous set up! Love this post, thanks for sharing.

I've only owned it for a few weeks but I'm not in love yet. The sound ... incredible. The SMG - not a fan. It's my first SMG so I've been told to give it time but I'm not sure I'll make it. The previous owner took care of every last thing you'd want a PO to do, so I should just drive and enjoy. But since it's the last one in, it'll likely be for sale in the coming weeks because ...

Wow. Stunning. Happy Birthday, and your car purchasing addiction is admirable!! Love the patio transformation!! And the glass door into the garage I love!!

Thank you and Happy Birthday to you as well!

Since it is my birthday, it only makes sense to reveal the new purchase - which should be coming in the next few weeks. A good friend of mine runs a boutique BMW/Euro car side business and I have a major weakness for his always-interesting inventory. I traded my E28 535iS in earlier this year to get back into an M Coupe - and I've missed the E28 ever since. He had one set to go up on BaT last week and I decided to swoop in and buy it. It's an S38-swapped E28 535iS - Alpine over Natur - full M5 interior and a beautiful full leather dash. This thing was a mega-build from a couple previous owners - so this has been well cared-for.

The M6 is the likely victim - likely headed West to get sold on consignment. If anyone is looking for a prime M6 ... I'd been trying to buy it on the forums for years and happened to win when it recently got listed on Cars & Bids. Who knows, maybe I'll get weak and keep it.

In the meantime, here are a few shots of the new addition.

 

[Arclitgold]

Holy ****.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk