Above 1200 Sq/FT Craig's Colorado Car Condo

[csp]

There's a "standard" drop per foot for a solid septic line to the tank but I can't remember it right now.

1/4" per foot of run

Any less and it won't flow, any steeper and the water outruns the turds. My best friend owns an excavation and septic business and I helped him with a lot of septic installs many years ago.

 

[Jayman17]

Great update, nice progress! Driveway looks great and the floor is awesome.

Jay

 

[Craig Balzer]

Great update, nice progress! Driveway looks great and the floor is awesome.

Jay

Always a pleasure to have you stop in and comment, Jayman17.
Thanx for the comments
Craig

 

[Craig Balzer]

I am impatient for my garage to be completed. I promised myself I wouldn't start any projects in it until it was totally finished. I am now about break that promise and start before the bathroom it finished.

I am waiting for the installation of my 2-post lift; that will trigger bringing my Jag out of storage and starting its restoration. (The GC can easily work around that.) The blue tape on the floor marks the area for the lift to be installed; the concrete in the box is 10-12 inches thick (vice the 4" slab) and there aren't any pex lines in the box.

GC said he plans to finished all the minor points starting 12 or 13 NOV and it oughta take 4-5 days. Of course, that entails cooperation from the plumber to synch work schedules with GC. Working with the plumber has been . . . challenging.

Meanwhile, I spent a few hours hanging my 8'x5' US flag, some banners, and my traffic light. What is not photographical is the glycol that was installed in the pex lines; I have had a heated garage for about three weeks now.

 

[Jayman17]

Craig, congrats on the upcoming completion of your shop. It's a very nice one!
Must be awesome to have it mostly done and heated. Thanks for posting and keep it up during your jag resto.

Jay

 

[Craig Balzer]

Jayman

Thanx once again for the comments.

You guys can count on a new thread documenting my progress on getting my Jag back on the road

Craig

 

[shortykorte]

Shop looks great. Going to be a nice place for restoring the Jag.


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[isonic]

You guys can count on a new thread documenting my progress on getting my Jag back on the road

Keep using this thread. That way people can see how the space is used. It is all part of your Journal

 

[Arclitgold]

Yeah keep on using this thread!!


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[lieutenant]

Great space! And I agree to keep your projects right here.

 

[Craig Balzer]

Keep using this thread. That way people can see how the space is used. It is all part of your Journal

Yeah keep on using this thread!!

Great space! And I agree to keep your projects right here.

OK -- you guys convinced me. I will continue updates here when I start work on my mini-fleet. Thanx for dropping in and voicing your views (Isonic -- for a second time). -- Craig

 

[bryanrj]

Just caught up on your build. Excellent. I used to live (23 years ago, seems like just a few) on the west end of the Black Forest in Gleneagle off Baptist Road. Retired USAF and airlines, live mostly in Florida now. Loved the area.

 

[ODIS]

Looking forward to the Jag build. Garage looks very nice!

 

[jimmie jam]

WOW, very nice build. You live in a beautiful area!!!!

 

[Craig Balzer]

Some progress - which at this stage is completing just the last final steps to full completion.

The walls of the bathroom were dry-walled and painted (hardly worth a photo) and the exterior walls had the final OSB attached and the door installed. That sets the stage for my ghost plumber to install the fixtures. Called a week ago - got voice mail -- and no return call as yet. Bah-Humbug. Also: all windows were framed (allowing the installation of the sheathing), the compressor was wired for 220V, and a few other ankle-biters.

The delivery of the 2-post lift and its shipment from KY to CO is delayed by COVID but I am hopeful for a pre-Christmas installation.

With the weather in Colorado Springs being so mild this fall and early winter, I agreed with my GC that he could work outdoor projects, using my interior wall sheathing as an inclimate weather project for his crew. Last week we had a daytime high of 17° followed by temps in the 50s and 60s, so at least I got about half of the 48'x36' high bay sheathed.

By sheathing the one wall of the Dirty Room first (first photo), that enabled the staircase to be installed leading to the loft.

See pics

This last weekend (5-6DEC20) I ordered the slop sink (arrived today -- needs to be installed) and 2x 8-foot long stainless steel benches (to be delivered tomorrow (TH, 10DEC20).

 

[Jayman17]

Great update, very nice looking!
Interesting stair stringers, are those some kind of pre-made bolt together unit? I like the choice of stair tread too

Jay

 

[Craig Balzer]

Jayman17

I should have expected you'd spot the stringers. Yes -- they are premade from https://www.fast-stairs.com/.

The kit includes two bottoms of the stringer (pair on the right) and two uppers (that attach to the landing). See photo 1.

In between these two pieces on each stringer is an insert that determines the overall length of the stringers - in my case, the inserts each had two treads. See photo 2.

These are connected together using the connecters at the top of photo 2. Note each has 6 pre-drilled holes that align with the holes on the base and upper pieces. These connectors slide into a channel on the back side of each stringer piece.

Photos 3 and 4 show the close-ups of the final assemblies.

The kit does not come with treads. The kits can not include a center stringer; just left and right. I wanted a 4' wide staircase. The manufacturer said I would need at least 1.5" thick hardwood treads. Neither Home Depot nor Lowes carry that -- both will special order them but there was a significant time delay and even more significant cost.

Solution: I bought 4x butcher block table tops. They are 48" x 36". Each provided 3x threads made of 1.625" thick maple (they advertise them as 1.75" thick but that must be a rough measure). Actually, each tread (aside from the top one) worked out to 44.25" wide cuz they fit inside the stringers.

 

[Craig Balzer]

This garage needs to get finished pretty soon.

I've got boxes stacking up in my entry way just waiting to be opened, assembled and installed.


You can probably pick out the slop sink; I assembled one of the two stools (the other must be coming tomorrow)

 

[Jayman17]

Craig, that's a pretty slick stair system you have there. I did notice a sharp 90* edge on the top front edge of your treads. You might want to ease that edge with a router and a 1/8" or 1/4" radius bit to avoid having that edge chip on you. Just a thought, not a criticism.
Looks like you have lots of packages to open, an early Christmas.

Jay

 

[shortykorte]

I too was going to ask about the stairs. Clever idea. Butcher block good use of thinking outside the box.


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[GoldCar]

Hi Craig,

Great progress, love your building...
Super stool ;-)

 

[JP Fabrication]

Wow. Amazing

 

[Craig Balzer]

Craig, that's a pretty slick stair system you have there. Jay

I too was going to ask about the stairs. Clever idea. Butcher block good use of thinking outside the box.

Jayman17 -- great idea about softening the leading edge of the treads // shortykorte -- Thanx for the "outside the box" comment

Hi Craig, Great progress, love your building...

Wow. Amazing

Goldcar and JP Fabrication -- thanks or stopping in and appreciate the comments

Craig

 

[cros13]

Hey mate, just read your build from start to finish!

Awesome garage, and looks like its on a beautiful patch of land too!

Love the workshop and the cars in it, keep us all posted on the car builds!

Rudi.

 

[BoostAddiction]

Craig, sorry I missed this garage build until now. Lots of good ideas here.

I'm in the process of building a new home, with the requisite garage, so it's especially timely! Keep posting, especially what you do with the interior.

 

[Craig Balzer]

Hey mate, just read your build from start to finish!

Awesome garage, and looks like its on a beautiful patch of land too!

Love the workshop and the cars in it, keep us all posted on the car builds!

Rudi.

Rudi -- thanx for stopping in and the kind words.
I just glanced at your thread -- definitely needs a much more careful read when I have some time. From the little I did read, you have some mad fabrication skills -- -- -- and even more patience when dealing with the bureaucrats. - Craig

 

[Craig Balzer]

Craig, sorry I missed this garage build until now. Lots of good ideas here.

I'm in the process of building a new home, with the requisite garage, so it's especially timely! Keep posting, especially what you do with the interior.

Will -- that is high praise coming from you.

Your garage and the incredibly well organized "everything" (the major stuff: from benches, to tool drawers and corner scales; to the minor (from lighting improvements, to towel dispensers) served as an inspiration to me as I planned my layout.
I saved several photos/ideas/executions from your garage in my "good idea file".

Good luck in your new construction.

 

[Craig Balzer]

Just caught up on your build. Excellent. I used to live (23 years ago, seems like just a few) on the west end of the Black Forest in Gleneagle off Baptist Road. Retired USAF and airlines, live mostly in Florida now. Loved the area.

Looking forward to the Jag build. Garage looks very nice!

WOW, very nice build. You live in a beautiful area!!!!

Guys -- some how I missed your comments. Sorry.

Bryanj - Gleneagle is a beautiful area. If you are ever out this way again, come on by; I'll leave the lights on for ya. My neighbor did 20+ in USAF and now works for Delta.

ODIS-- welcome back. I am getting closer to the Jag coming home every day.

Jimmie Jam --- Colorado is a wonderland; I love my little slice of it. Life in the Black Forest is serene and calming

Craig

 

[Craig Balzer]

True to his word, when the weather turned cold/miserable, he took pity on his crew and had them work in my garage to finish up the last details.

It took 2.5 days to measure, cut, and attach the metal sheathing on the walls.

Three things remain to be accomplished and I can call the garage done and ready for me to make a mess in it:

1. Plumber installs bathroom fixtures (he's still a ghost -- I can begin work in my shop without a functional bathroom -- but geees)

2. Install 2-post lift. Still hung up in KY (COVID??)

3. Finish up personal actions: populate the garage (benches, tool chests, buffer, grinder, welding table, etc); plumb distributed air from compressor; build safety railing on edge of loft; hang last of road signs/posters/license plates/etc

 

[Craig Balzer]

I should have known that all my good luck with my GC was stock-piling some bad karma. I fully realize these are all very minor setbacks -- true examples of First World Problems -- but frustrating as h3ll as I try to finish up the final details.

The place is a mess with multiple "uncompletable" projects -- my 2-poster is held up (in manufacturer and/or shipping) so:

• Let's assemble the stainless steel tables -- oops: casters on back order; due in this week or next . . . so
• Let's assemble the stainless steel slop sink -- oops: the hardware to secure drain tray to sink is AWOL; the replacement H/W was wrong; "correct" H/W due in this week or next . . . so
• Let's assemble the DeWalt shelving unit -- oops: the hardware to secure left and right front/rear legs with cross braces is AWOL; due in this week or next . . . so
• Let's get the plumber to finish installing shower cabinet walls -- tooooo long and stupid to go into here . . . so
• I did get most of the traffic road signs up -- tomorrow I attack the small stack of license plates and miscellaneous automobilia, do some painting, and general clean-up/organization.
  <Heavy Sigh> and a Merry Christmas to all.

 

[78SC4X4]

If it makes you feel any better, I received my permit the day after Washington State went into lockdown in March. My build date has just been delayed again due to material shortages until March of next year. Damn COVID!

In the meantime, I've been enjoying watching your build. It's really turned out nice.

 

[Craig Balzer]

I received my permit the day after Washington State went into lockdown in March. My build date has just been delayed again due to material shortages until March of next year. Damn COVID!

78SC4X4 - WOW - Talk about bad timing! Add to that is the fact that the price has skyrocketed on plywood, OSB. wood, etc -- you are traveling a rough road. Do you have a build thread yet?

Thanx for dropping in and the kind words.

 

[78SC4X4]

Trying to be patient. I did a demo project for a widow recently and was able to salvage a good quantity of 2x6 and osb. I've got plans and site prep photos but was kind of waiting to start a thread until we actually started building. Site is ready....

 

[Craig Balzer]

Still a work in progress getting the loft organized. Gonna use a 4x8 sheet of left-over plywood to build a "room divider" to hopefully block the noise coming from the air compressor. It'll go where the "traffic lights ahead" sign is leaning.

And you can see the projects-awaiting-hardware strewn across the floor

 

[Craig Balzer]

Well -- this bathroom of mine has been troublesome. The latest is a case of two steps forward and one back.

On 28DEC20- the plumbing company finally showed up to install the fixtures (not the shower cabinet -- that is another looong and ugly story). They installed the toilet and vanity/sink and then ran the water for 15 minutes to test for leaks and proper drainage. Not good.

First problem was water bubbling up from the into the toilet from the running sink.
They then unscrewed the Studor (sp?) valve head and we heard the bubbling and gurgling of running water. So the brand new valve was defective.
Then the assistant plumber yelled there was water gushing up through the shower drain (the base was installed weeks ago, still no cabinet walls)

Call in the pros with the $22K equipment to scope the drain line. Concerns included: roots in the pipe (unlikely), crushed pipe (maybe, but schedule 40??), broken joint (possible), ice (but from what water?). I didn't put much credence in the ice option cuz no water had run down the drain since it was installed (aside from the test the day before) except for condensation from the boiler (which heats the in-floor tubing and the domestic water -- how much can that be!)

The pros IDed the blockage as ice. But how? He looked at the specs of the boiler and estimated that since it has been warming the garage for the last ~2 months, condensation amounted to 1.5-2 gallons per day. BINGO

Photo 1 - clean and clear interior of drain pipe (4" diameter schedule 40)
Photo 2 - view at 66.5' down the ~130' drainage pipe -- you'd be hard pressed to fit a golf ball through there (*)

Gotta break up the ice. The pro has a serrated blade attachment to his b]cable but that would chew up the interior wall of the pipe. He recommended bales of straw to insulate the pipe and my GC added that I should buy a de-icer cable (like used to prevent ice dams on gutters). We'll attached the cable to his fish tape to push the cable up against the ice and let it do its thing -- then keep pushing it down range to maintain contact between the cable and the ice. Seven to tens days??

Any other ideas?

(*) - this problem shouldn't come as a surprise to me; due to the lay of the land between the bathroom and my septic tank, the drain pipe is only under 4-6" of dirt at one point (Colorado frost line in 30"). The edge of the blockage is at about the half way point.

 

[shortykorte]

Wow that’s crazy. Hard to believe 12oz./hour would freeze enough to close up a 4” pipe. But what would I know, I live in Florida.


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[Craig Balzer]

Shorty - at this point, I'm wishing I did as well. -- Craig

 

[Jayman17]

Craig sorry to hear about the snafu with the bathroom finishing. What kind of solution is going to fix your sewer line problems long term? I hope it's an easy fix...

Jay

 

[Craig Balzer]

Jayman17 -- thanx for asking and welcome back

I think there are two actions I can take for a long term solution:

1. Once the de-icing cable and mother nature clears the blockage, this spring (sooner if the weather cooperates) I plan to run a fish tape down the drain from the clean out in the bathroom to the septic tank and pull the de-icing cable the length of the drain pipe; it'll be permanently installed in the drain. Then I will endure the slight increase in my electric bill to run it 24/7 from Oct/Nov to Apr/May each year.

2. In a month or two, I am having some landscaping done in the backyard pretty much surrounding the septic tanks (gonna replace some cheesy railroad ties with the same blocks used on my retaining wall) - see photo (the white line traces the path of the drain into the septic system). I'll have the landscaper bring in a bunch of fill/topsoil to lay a thicker layer of dirt above the run of the drain pipe.

 

[Craig Balzer]

One step forward -- One step backward

The crew arrived on site at 0930 this mourning (05JAN21) to deliver/install my lift. While they were unpacking/unloading and laying out the various pieces on the garage floor, the phone rang. It was my house cleaner.

It seems she was here last Thursday 31Dec20 to clean; she tested positive for COVID on Saturday.

I masked up and informed the crew; they called their office; they left 10 minutes later.

I can't blame 'em; they gotta stay healthy to do their job.
I was at a free COVID testing station within the hour -- results in 3-5 days. I have zero symptoms


Until I can prove a clean bill of health, this is what my lift looks like