Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Denver MCM garage expansion

[kwyjibo]

a couple quick updates:

Targa - I picked up my struts from the powder coater, slapped on a couple decals and snapped a photo. I'm happy with how they turned out.


I had to special order the color (Prismatic RAL 2002) and there was enough left over for a small job... so I dropped off the Targa's heater valves. It's the wrong color (you can see the original color is more brick-ish red) but they won't be easily visible when mounted.



Cadovius wall unit - The black trim along the top of the wall is mounted and I've started painting the beams and ceiling. I need to pick up new trim for the bottom because years of abuse - shoes, pets, vacuum cleaners, furniture and ?) resulted in dents and gouges in the wood.


Looking at this photo makes me realize that we don't really have anything to put on these shelves!

 

[nicholam77]

The Cadovius unit looks great. I agree it almost looks like raw wood. The difference from the wall finish doesn't bother me, though.

Do you have any... books to put on it?

I got one of these hand carved birds on Etsy that's reminiscent of the Eames house bird if your into that sort of thing, something like that might be nice.

 

[kwyjibo]

Do you have any... books to put on it?

My wife wants to keep it uncluttered but we got a few things for them (see below)

OK, I have a good excuse for not logging into GJ for a while... We made the annual drive out to the Seattle area to visit my wife's family and the car ate another turbo on the way back (the first turbo died about a year ago). We were stuck 15 hours from home, waiting for VW to send a turbo and for the dealer to make the repairs. We drove 11 hrs on Saturday to get home.

Back before the trip disruption, we had a nice visit to Washington.
Japanese dog posing in the Japanese garden in Tacoma. Kimo is now a certified roadtrip dog


One of the cars that got me interested in everything automobile as a kid, the Alfa Romeo TZ, was on display at the LeMay Museum. I bought a magazine (possibly C&D) that had a review of the 'new' RX-7, but importantly, it also had an article on the TZ. That day I also bought an AutoWorld catalog that got me started on Aurora AFX slot cars and Tamiya models.

Based on the last sentence of my last post, I made a stop at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. We picked up a couple glass bowls and a pitcher.

 

[gearhead1960]

You ever make it east, the Corning Museum of Glass is a must visit.....

 

[kwyjibo]

You ever make it east, the Corning Museum of Glass is a must visit.....

I have friends in Buffalo that have been pushing me to visit - the museum is part of their incentive plan
If you haven't already seen it, Harvard has a glass flower collection that is pretty incredible

The MyQ app told me that the door to the tandem garage hadn't opened in over a month - which I confirmed by looking back a few posts to the last time I drove the E9. I decided that regardless of any work that needed to be done, I'd get out for a drive. So this morning I made it out to the Echo Lake Lodge at the base of the Mt Evans Toll Road.

I left early enough that I could work on a new garden path and base for the shed before the hottest part of the day. With the dandelions and bindweed removed (for now... ) I laid out a trench for the edging. After I got the edging square and level, I used it as a reference to level the soil

Once I get the rest of the layout finalized I'll put in an order for gray breeze gravel. In the meantime, I need to decide what to do about a Maple stump just to the left of the photographed area: burn it out or go around it.

 

[kwyjibo]

2 quick updates
First, I took down one of the new cabinet units to test the orange oil (General Finishes) that I bought for the credenza. I wiped the oil on to the bottom surface in case the test didn't work out. But as expected, the oil just darkened the finish and brought out the grain. Success! So I oiled the rest of the cabinets. Before I finished, I remembered to take a photo to show the difference - the sliding door on the right has not yet been oiled.

And Kimo never moved the entire time I was working above him.

Second, the project targa now has new wheels. [skip this paragraph if you don't want to know about Porsche minutia] I was tired of watching often deeply flawed Fuchs wheels sell for insane prices so I ordered a set of new production wheels. For the 911s made in 1971, 15" wheels were 6" wide and had silver petals that appeared raised off the black spokes. These are referred to as "deep 6" wheels and they're relatively rare and expensive. To make matters worse, in '71 Porsche used a particular version of the deep 6 where the triangular cutout at the valve stem lacked a bulging reinforcement. The earlier wheels with the extra material had a cutout that resembled a heart shape. Thus, the '71 wheels are referred to as "deep 6 without hearts". All this is to say that the relatively low production numbers result in higher prices.

The wheels I bought are current production from Fuchs. They are reportedly lighter (I haven't weighed them yet) and stronger, especially if you consider they are without 50 years of use. BUT... they are patterned after the post-'72 "flat 6" wheel where the silver petals don't appear raised off the black spokes. Bottomline: I bought Fuchs wheels that are better/safer/etc for less $$ than used 50-year old wheels, but (silly me) I'll probably still keep an eye out for the "correct" deep6 w/o hearts

Here's a comparison. 1971 production deep 6 on top, new 2022 wheel on bottom. The '71 wheel has a deeper space between the petal and the rim

 

[Klokwerk]

The shelves turned out great!
As for the wheels, love the originals. But I'll trade the old look for new every day.

Keep it coming!

 

[nicholam77]

I agree, the shelving unit turned out great. I’d be nervous to “modify” a piece like that but at least in the pictures the darker tone with the oil looks more normal and matches the wall well.

 

[kwyjibo]

Something different today - I started to clean out my neighbor's garage. I'm going to store a car there. It's basically been unused for several decades. In fact, she thinks that the garage door hasn't opened since '91 and that she's only had access to the first few feet inside the mandoor for most of that time. The dust, dead bugs and spider webs suggest that she's probably not far off in her estimation. I filled both our recycling bins with cardboard and a Bagster with miscellaneous trash and I'm only half way through the garage. I put a few things that are usable out on the curb.

Amongst the trash were a few nice vintage items that I'll take over to a consignment shop for her
Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio from the 50s

Ronson Roto-Shine

Underwood typewriter

The problem is that there was also a few boxes worth of old paint, oil, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. that will need to be disposed of properly.

 

[kwyjibo]

The first Bagster full of my neighbor's junk was picked up yesterday, so I'll pick up another and get back to cleaning out her garage next week.
In the meantime I have enough of the backyard pathway layout complete that I can order the gravel. This is the view from the future shed site looking back at the house

As part of the promise to myself to drive more often, I had a nice solo outing this morning.

But then on my way down I ran into a few friends getting ready to head up the hill

 

[kwyjibo]

The gravel and boulder were delivered yesterday. Bad timing on my part: it was trash day so the compost and garage trucks weren't too happy about the temporary blockage during delivery, there was a block party last evening that was based at the house across the street, and finally, there is a "heat dome" forecast throughout the weekend.

I worked for a few hours to move as much gravel off the street before moving on to the boulder, which was mostly working in the shade. I dug out a couple inches for the new boulder and backfilled once I got it in place. Now, a few things are now able to move forward. First, the root bound grasses that I bought earlier this summer could be planted. Second, I can finally replace the temporary downspout with one that is routed along the post for the glass wall. You can see the outlet on the far left in the photo - once it moves over about a foot to the post, it won't be casting a shadow on the glass panel

Targa update:
I picked up the powder coated heater control valves the other day. The Porsche purists will point out that the color isn't correct, but there was leftover powder from the Koni struts that I couldn't let go to waste. I could also re-use all the hardware so another win for the cheapskate in me.

 

[gearhead1960]

Love the color on the HVAC parts. No issues on using wrong? color. This is all hidden anyway? In regard to proper color, the local place I use that does powder coating will upcharge for a new color and that can be prohibitive sometimes for a project. That's why when I've had something powercoated, I try to use whatever leftover color or stock color they have.....

 

[slik560]

Your hard work with the landscaping is eminently inspiring. I could watch it all day.

 

[nicholam77]

Every time I check in here I'm filled with jealousy

The landscaping looks incredible. How do you plan that out? Do you pre-visualize it in any way with drawings or something? Or even modifications to the house... it all seems part of a cohesive plan but I know that's a difficult thing to accomplish.

 

[kwyjibo]

Love the color on the HVAC parts. No issues on using wrong? color. This is all hidden anyway? In regard to proper color, the local place I use that does powder coating will upcharge for a new color and that can be prohibitive sometimes for a project. That's why when I've had something powercoated, I try to use whatever leftover color or stock color they have.....

These are tucked away under the quarter panels and not easily seen. But there's always that guy in every Porsche crowd that wants to point out how something is "wrong".

Your hard work with the landscaping is eminently inspiring. I could watch it all day.

Funny thing is that one of my neighbors was watching from the comfort of her air conditioned front room. At one point she came out and told me that I wasn't drinking enough liquids, turned around and went back inside.

Every time I check in here I'm filled with jealousy

The landscaping looks incredible. How do you plan that out? Do you pre-visualize it in any way with drawings or something? Or even modifications to the house... it all seems part of a cohesive plan but I know that's a difficult thing to accomplish.

Thanks! I usually just have a mental image that I try to work towards. Usually the only exceptions are when I draw out a plan so that I can make an accurate shopping list and if I have an idea that I think is worth writing down. An example of the last one is the lid for the turntable in the credenza - the details of how the sliding door and the turntable enclosure come together came to me as I was drawing up a cutsheet and I knew I'd forget it if I didn't draw a quick schematic

All done!

Just kidding. A green 1:18 targa from Schuco popped up on one of my parts searches, my birthday was coming up so I bought it as an inspirational shelf resident for myself. For less than $100 the details on it are quite good

I'm still waiting for a spot in the paint shop. I didn't want to remove the rear glass until the last minute because I don't have a safe spot to store it once It's off. But I decided to do it so that it's absolutely ready to go as soon as I get the call. First step was to cut the exterior half of the rubber seal and disconnect the defroster wires.

The window lifts right out and (so far) isn't cracked


I really don't understand how someone thought it was a good idea to paint over this beautiful shade of green with black

Lastly, I'm very happy with the condition of the metal in the last photo. Despite how terrible the targa top looked (even at their best, targas often leak) the entire back half of the interior is completely dry.
Coming up next - I'll start on either the suspension components or the targa top... or a shed

 

[kwyjibo]

Today was the annual Italian car show, Automezzi. I've missed most car shows this year so it was good to hit one (even if it was mostly Ferraris and Lambos )
I talked for a long time to one of the guys who brought out the ATS 2500

Less than 10 of these were made. The rear end looks a lot like a contemporary grand prix car with some bodywork to cover it up. Amazing
The other cars I spent a lot of time around were the Alfa Romeo Montreal

and the Maserati Bora

Now that I write this I realize that my favorite cars today were all small V8 powered classics... Nothing against the V4 Fulvia and countless Ford V8-powered Panteras. I stopped by the Ferrari section to say hello to a few friends, but the only car that I was really interested in was the 365 Daytona which had an amazing paint job (and of course I had to check out the MOMO steering wheel)

Of course there were many new supercars - and to be completely honest, I walked past most of them. But then the shape and color of the LaFerrari caught my eye

 

[kwyjibo]

I started on the new shed. It'll be 8x12, designed to appear MCM-like, and, hopefully, use up a pile of cut-offs and extra lumber. Oh, and it's also being designed around a large pane of laminated glass that a neighbor gave me a few years back.
Here's the 2x6 framework on the piers.

we've been having an increase in the small animal population. In an attempt to keep the skunks and raccoons from taking up residence under the shed, I buried wire fencing about 1' down around the perimeter

Thanks to a friend with a truck, we were able to pick up most of the needed lumber. It doesn't look like much, but this is what $1,100 looks like now a days

NOw that I have most of what I need, it should go up pretty fast...

and to include some automotive content - here's a photo of the Carrera from a small event last weekend

 

[kwyjibo]

Here's a short weekend update on the shed
I built the back wall, completely sheathed and painted. It turns out that with the T1-11, I couldn't lift the wall on my own.


So I got the call out to a few friends, and on Saturday, I had a crew of three friends at my house. Which was really necessary, because I built another wall in the courtyard and really needed them to carry it over. Here's how it looked at the end of the day


Sunday morning, I started on the front wall that will house the large window. I didn't tie the header into the top plate. I wanted to square the window framework after the wall was upright so I just strapped the header to the plate while I lifted the wall. ONce the wall was screwed to the adjacent wall and floor, I could independently adjust the window studs and screw the top plate to the header when I was sure the opening was square.

The last wall will have a rolling barn door, like the pergola. I got it built along with part of the roof before I had to cover it up because of another thunder storm

 

[kwyjibo]

The new shed now has a weather *resistant* roof. I still need to pick up the eave flashing/drip edge to complete the job, but I don't need to worry about the afternoon thunderstorms anymore.
Here's how the roof looked mid-job. I bought the green metal roofing because 1) it's what the local Home Depot had in stock and 2) it's priced lower than other colors. And 3) it's a roof that I, and anyone on my side of the fence, won't see.

I'll start on the last of the T1-11 siding tomorrow

btw, here's the old shed. The base is about 8x8, but with the roof design, it doesn't actually hold much. It'll be demo'd as soon as I move the contents to the new shed

It hasn't been weatherproof while we've lived here

 

[Bakafish]

It hasn't been weatherproof while we've lived here

At least it has good roof peak ventilation.

 

[Trapps]

Nice work on that shed! That's a huge window!

 

[kwyjibo]

At least it has good roof peak ventilation.

Yes it does. The wasps also like the convenient entryway

Nice work on that shed! That's a huge window!

Thanks The glass is just about 4x8. My neighbor worked at a glass shop and it was cut too small for an order, so he gave it to me. Actually, I have a second one that I'm trying to figure out what to do with it

I put up more siding today.



This shed is costing about $2k in materials. In order to cut some costs, I'm using materials that I saved from other projects. The first is paint. Somewhere along the way I switched colors on the house/garage after picking up a couple gallons of grey that had too much blue in it. The darker one was shown in a post a few years back on the brick wall at the front of the house. I told myself that it wasn't a "loss" because I'd use the paint on a new shed whenever it got built. The time finally arrived. I'm running out of the lightest grey which I hoped would cover the window and door walls. If it can't cover it, I'll use the the darker shade that are currently on the back and far side walls

The second is that I'm finally using up a pile of lumber, T1-11 and trim cutoffs that I've been collecting along the side of the house for the past few years. I'm honestly surprised that I didn't find some animal family living in it when I uncovered it last week. After lining up all the T1-11 bits, I decided that I could buy one less sheet (which is about $100 right now!). I'm thinking of cutting up the remaining T1-11 to use as trim because real knot-free trim is almost $4 per linear foot... I need to keep reminding myself that this is just a shed

 

[kwyjibo]

Quick weekend update - Here's how the shed looks as of Sat afternoon

The barn door hardware from Lowes was delivered at 11pm last night. Kimo freaked out because he was sleeping by the front windows. We now don't have any lingering thoughts on if he's a protective dog. WIth the hardware in place I could finalize the door plans. I hope to have it hung by the end of tomorrow. Also, the window opening is ready for the glass but all my friends are out in Monterrey for car week. In the meantime I'll prepaint the stops and sill

The shed was originally going to be a lighter shade but I ran out before finishing the first coat. No big deal. I just opened the next lightest shade from the cans of leftover or rejected paints to finish the first coat and for the second.

 

[Bakafish]

I prefer the darker shade.

 

[kwyjibo]

I prefer the darker shade.

I didn't think I would, but now that it's on the walls I remember why I chose it in the first place.

My friends were all out at car week in Monterrey so I had a nice solo drive into the mountains this morning. There were some wet sections of road but it generally just stayed cloudy.

I built a simple door for the shed when I got home. I forgot to take a photo when I test-hung it. I got it back into the garage just in time for the afternoon thunderstorm to roll through. Drying primer

 

[kwyjibo]

One of my friends that was out at Car Week stopped by with a consolation prize for me. It sounds like a great time was had by all...

Shed update: I hung the door this afternoon

it took longer than expected because Kimo wanted me to pay attention to him so he sat down where I was working and stared. He wouldn't move until I played with him

 

[kwyjibo]

Today is a mishmash of updates
First, my wife was away at a conference so I decided to finally make a bridle rack that she's been asking for. I was glad to pick from a large pile of baltic birch ply and formica scraps but it really didn't use much material. The horse head silhouette I drew looked ok to me but my wife said that it's "not quite anatomically correct". Oh well.

Second, I bought a couple of used Porsche Design watches. A local parts dealer was selling them for wayyyyy too cheap (basically free) and I couldn't resist. I don't wear a watch and these are actually the women's models. I figured that even after refurbishing, I'd still be ahead. I hope my wife likes them...

Next, I picked up a couple $99 bin racks from Costco. I was thinking of making a shelving unit to hold the large bins of parts. It was going to be based on the garage organizers that hold the bins on two rails hanging from the ceiling. Before digging through the pile of BB ply, I searched online to see if something like this already existed and, if so, how much did it cost. Within a few minutes it was clear that it was probably more cost effective to buy the Costco racks because I would have needed to buy a couple new sheets.
I have a dozen of the large bins holding the targa parts. When the targa is done, I'll use the bins out in the shed. Here's the first one

The last update isn't actually mine: a friend imported a low mileage Lancia Delta Integrale from Japan. He picked it up last night after a 5 month journey

while out on a test drive, we came across a fellow JDM compatriot, a Skyline R32 GT-R

I hope to have shed updates by the end of the weekend

 

[kwyjibo]

A friend had a Belgian GP watch party this morning - with a full waffle breakfast. Afterwards, a few friends followed me home to help install the large laminated glass pane. It was a lot heavier than I remembered (it's been sitting along the side of the house for the past six years) and we probably could have used another set of hands. But we got it done.


The photo looks a lot like the previous ones, but trust me, it was quite a bit of work to get that glass into the framework. It's held in place with a few temporary stops until I trim and paint the permanent ones.

 

[kwyjibo]

Short Sunday night update
Drove down to the Olympic Museum in Colorado Springs for the Porsche dealership's Klassiker am Museum event on Saturday. I stopped by a modern building on the National Register of Historic Places, the Maytag Aircraft Building. Unfortunately there were no street parking spots available along the front of the building for a photo op. Here's a photo from the parking lot

Anyway, off to the classic Porsche event. I was busy talking and only took a couple photos of a Speedster. My favorite detail on the Speedster was the license plate that had every registration sticker from 1963, the first year of the black plates

At the end of the event a couple friends and I moved our Guards red cars over to the museum for a photo

 

[kwyjibo]

I didn't make much progress in the last week.
I wanted to minimize the stress on the large shed window so I used 2x4s as an internal jack stud/header support (is there a name for this?) On the exterior I used 1x4s as a pseudo-mullion. The added benefit is that it mirrors the 3-window motif used throughout the house. Looking at the second photo, I realize that I never replaced two of the temporary stops.

A very satisfying pile. I can't believe that the shed lasted as long as it did. I don't know when it was built, but we've been in the house for almost 8 years. The construction techniques used were amazing

I did get out for a Sunday morning drive to the base of the Mt Evans toll road - which just closed the top section for the winter

 

[Blackbyrd]

gorgeous Akita!

Dig the house also!

 

[kwyjibo]

gorgeous Akita!

Dig the house also!

Thanks for reading along. Kimo's a good boy!

I'm working on a project that was the original inspiration for the courtyard. I hope to have an update later this week.

In the meantime, I met some friends up in Boulder for the Fuelfed Classics and Coffee this past Sunday.
I never thought of the E9 as a big car, but it looked like a pregnant elephant next to the Dino

(L to R) Intermeccanica Apollo 3500GT, turquoise De Tomaso Pantera and early Testarossa

But my favorite was the 25k mile 240Z driven by the son of the original owner

 

[kwyjibo]

Well, not the update that I had hoped to have. We're still waiting on a few components to get it functional, but here is our new-to-us Preway fireplace with Realfyre propane logs. I've been looking for one of these mid-century fireplaces for several years. My original design ideas for the courtyard were centered around a fireplace and until now, I cringed everytime I looked at the empty cmu wall.



Ignore this section. It's just a convenient place to keep paint info for the shed
back walls - 1602 gunmetal
window and door walls - 1630 oceanfloor
trim - 1603 graphite

 

[Blackbyrd]

read a great deal about Akita's once upon a time when looking into a getting a dog of my own. How they handle children was what steered me away. It was a long-term plan so the dog would be quite set in its ways before being introduced to a child. Ended up with a Husky instead.

again big fan of the styling of your home. we actually looked at a home that had a wood-burning fireplace of similar design free floating in the main room. Needed a lot of updating, but had a great feel to it. Major fault other needing some additional reno throughout the house was not nearly enough garage space.

looking forward to more updates!

 

[guss013]

I can't believe it has taken me until now to find your thread! Awesome work on everything!! The house, car, landscaping all of it, I love it. Stay motivated, can't wait for more!!

 

[kwyjibo]

read a great deal about Akita's once upon a time when looking into a getting a dog of my own. How they handle children was what steered me away. It was a long-term plan so the dog would be quite set in its ways before being introduced to a child. Ended up with a Husky instead.

again big fan of the styling of your home. we actually looked at a home that had a wood-burning fireplace of similar design free floating in the main room. Needed a lot of updating, but had a great feel to it. Major fault other needing some additional reno throughout the house was not nearly enough garage space.

looking forward to more updates!

My wife had malamutes and huskies when she was younger so we almost went that direction. But we previously lived in an isolated area so she felt better about having a dog with more guarding instincts in the house. Our girl was very friendly around people unless given a signal that something was wrong - then she was one scary b!tch! Kimo is good with us, but he still doesn't trust most people.

I can't believe it has taken me until now to find your thread! Awesome work on everything!! The house, car, landscaping all of it, I love it. Stay motivated, can't wait for more!!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

After a few delays, I was able to get a test fire going in the fireplace

One delay was finding the right components for the propane logs and the exhaust. Another was that I noticed that after a few days outside, rust stains on the concrete were bleeding away from the legs. So, I stripped and repainted the legs and made feet to elevate the metal off the ground.

I also made a box to protect/hide the propane tanks from a few cutoffs I put aside. This is now sitting on the other side of the cmu wall.

This was the last piece* to finally complete the first thought I had for the courtyard 8 years ago: a fireplace just visible from the front door would "invite" people into the space.

*ok, I had to edit this because there are a few smaller things that are still part of the plan

 

[Blackbyrd]

The space looks amazing!!

 

[MadeByMiller]

Beautiful courtyard! Those fireplaces never get old, timeless and cool.

 

[nicholam77]

That is so awesome!

 

[kwyjibo]

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement!

The last Fuelfed hosted C&C of the year was held in Boulder yesterday. It was near freezing when I left the house but the drive was completely worth it. I met the organizer of the Colorado Grand on the road and led his Allard J2 to the meeting spot. It made my day to see the opentop 50s roadster being driven through the morning traffic.
There were some other cars too: