South Carolina: First Garage

[billyM]

It's not quite the Garagemahal, but it beats the pants off of working in a gravel driveway and keeping tools in a 8x10 shed. As much as I would have loved to pick up that mystical 3-car detatched, my financial and locational goals got in the way. I still managed an acre less than 1 mile from downtown, but couldn't quite grab that detatched garage withint my budget. ...oh well, always room to build in the future.

It's a 32ft deep 1/3-1/2 sub-grade under-house garage. 12ft wide for half of it, 16ft wide for the other. Just big enough that I can fit two of those silly supras inline with enough room to work to the side.

Exposed block and uncoated floor. No thanks!

...so craigslist found me 12 gallons of oil based concrete paint for $7/gal and some cheap flat white paint for half that. I've been 100% impressed with the floor paint. I can leave oil puddled for days with zero negative. I did manage to forget a brake fluid bleed hose on the floor and it brought up some paint. ...but the up-side to not being epoxy is that I simply wiped it down with brake cleaner, spot-fixed, and it's back like new.

Everyone to the front!

During (cheap help never hurt):

Result:

Still have plenty to do (like build a detatched!), but as new houses go, I have plenty of other projects begging for attention. Soon I'll put in some good lighting (can never have enough light) and a decent work bench. Otherwise the garage is flat workable.

Next project: Attached hip-roofed carport.

--BillyM

 

[930dreamer]

Welcome to the GJ, great job on the floor and walls. You can only do what you can afford

 

[billyM]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I surprised myself with the result of simply painting. Best $ for $ thing I've done in there.

...except for maybe the 220v 60gal upright compressor.

...or maybe the floor-standing blast cabinet.



22F and snowing outside? 62F and dry in the garage!

--billyM

 

[Wingnut65]

Welcome to GJ. Nice score on the garage with an attached house! Getting it set up just takes a little time (and nice free labor). Great work on the progress so far. Looks great!

 

[jduffle]

Thanks for the warm welcome. I surprised myself with the result of simply painting. Best $ for $ thing I've done in there.

...except for maybe the 220v 60gal upright compressor.

...or maybe the floor-standing blast cabinet.



22F and snowing outside? 62F and dry in the garage!

--billyM

Billy I live in upstate SC, i swear i remember sweating in July

or are you upstate Santa Clause....

LOL J/K

Im in Piedmont

 

[billyM]

Haha, yes right in Greenville.

I was thinking "warmly" of February when I did the back half of the garage.

...I guess the following would be a bit more fitting for my post date.

105deg and 95% humidity outside, 75deg inside! God-bless sub-grade!

Sadly, the garage has only become more full since then, albeit far more organized. A new motorcycle, car, and tons of new tools have filled it to the brim. That why I'm undergoing a 24x24+ bonus room build "out back". (LINKY)

 

[Scout Driver]

Welcome from South Dakota.

Scott

 

[Razracing]

Looking good Billy. I lived in the tiny town of cross hill SC for 6 months a couple of years ago and worked at the LKQ u-pull-it salvage yard on whitehorse road in Greenville. The upstate area of SC is beautiful. Enjoy your new place.

 

[King David]

Looks good! Unlimited potential. You're right about just painting though . . . huge difference!

I did some contract work in North Charleston for several months in '08. Live next door in North Carolina, but I love South Carolina too.

Keep us posted.

 

[billyM]

The detached 24x24 build is wrapping up today, with only the yard-work remaining before I can move a car/motorcycle/jetski out. That will free this garage up for cleaning out and arranging.

I aim to build a 2x4 framed corner work-bench around a US-General 13-drawer cabinet from HF, extending from the right side of the desk, around the corner, to the door. I have gleaned much information from this site on how to best accomplish that.

Pictures will follow (can a moderator move this to the garage-show-off subsite?)

--billyM

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Welcome From Western NY!

 

[billyM]

Well, not much progress made on the basement garage, because I've been busy on the other side of the wall. We took the unfinished basement and split it into a 14x19 theater and 11x11 bedroom/office (close quarters, but I'll only put the guests I don't like down there anyways). You'll notice a re-occurring theme here, I freakin' like gray walls....

Before:

After:

...over the next few weeks, we are graveling out to the detached garage, burying power conduit out there, and hopefully getting started on a carport off the back of the house for the daily-drivers. Once THAT is done, I'll finally get my basement garage back in focus so I can get the shelves/benches built and get to work on a couple of automotive projects that need attention.

*edit*
I suppose a mod could move this thread to the Garage Gallery section if they felt so inclined...

--billyM

 

[billyM]

The projects continued in the basement-theater, much at the expense of my basement-garage getting any forward movement but I will say the home theater was a big hit with the boss. ****-vampire television shows apparently are that much better on the big-screen...

4x4 picture window behind the retractable screen, so very non-cave-like when retracted.

As the basement-garage was simply workable after paint, it hosted a handful of suspension/brake jobs, a headgasket replacement, radiator swaps, and a ton of other projects in the last couple of years but never felt quite suitable so I've recently begun some more work down there...

Step one is beginning insulation, drywall, and lighting for the ceiling. (Lots of electrical and cast iron needed to be tucked for this job to begin (PITA!). This is one of five 4ft twin-T8 fixtures installed and tested (going from 3 standalone bulbs in the 16x30 space with exposed joists). I'm going to have to wear sunglasses in there!

Step two includes plumbing in the basin sink and hot/cold water, as well as replacing the panel wall with gypsum and painting it and the exposed ducting white.

--billyM

 

[1/2 Cup]

Welcome to the GJ..enjoy!