Recent content by Bimmer74

Hi all, As a postscript: I bought a Sommer DirectDrive. It was easy to install, and it's worked flawlessly since (touch wood). Having installed (and uninstalled an installed again elsewhere) a Craftsman, and having uninstalled the Genie, I can say that the Sommer "feels" a lot more...

I have the same staple gun, but not the same experience... mine fires "blanks" 4-5 times for every time it actually fires a staple. I'm using Arrow brand 3/8" staples. What are you using?!

$180 would be a bargain... Amazon sells it for $228, but the keypad for outside is normally $40 (!). The Germans really squeeze their customers on the accessories.

I get this, and if I had the time/energy to totally redesign my garage door tracks, then a jackshaft would be the way to go. Right now, though, I just need to make this work, and doing another "normal" opener seems quicker and easier... my ceiling is low, so the door ramps downward as it...

I can't find it on Costco.com, but it was only $265 on Amazon, with the keypad. And ALL of them nowadays must have the eyes plugged in to work. Thank a lawyer...

I want to bump this, too... I'm facing the same question and found this dead thread.

OK, I'm confused. Can I use one of these jackshaft Liftmasters in place of my belt drive Genie? I'm reading up on this...

Thanks, CopyGuyAdam. Has anybody heard of Sommer/Direct Drive? The technology makes sense to me, I'm a sucker for "Made in Germany," and they seem to be universally well regarded (well reviewed on Amazon and HomeDepot.com).

I want to bump this thread... The motor of the 1/2hp Genie belt drive unit that was in the house when I bought it has now died. I need something to lift a standard 16' insulated door. I plan to live in this house for the next 30 years, so I'm willing to pay a bit extra for something...

This is really appealing... Parking out of the rain is a much higher priority than parking on concrete. Forgive my ignorance: Is it possible to build a pole barn with an opening big enough for a garage door on one of the sides parallel to the peak of the roof?

I hadn't thought of this. I'm not sure I can. It sounds like I'm going to need to have the uprights anchored to the foundation, and it just seems like it would be easier to do all the concrete at once. We really want the pitch to go the same way as the rest of the house, so it doesn't seem...

Man, I wish it were that simple... We'll be pretty tapped out just to buy the house and pay for some really urgent stuff, like appliances and fixtures. I may have to wait several years, until I have enough equity built up in the house to borrow against it. I wouldn't ever use my house as...

Thanks, everybody, and please keep the comments coming. I'm learning a lot here! Got it. I'm definitely going to figure out the permitting process (and how long I might drag it out) before starting. I'll probably just leave it rough (broomed, right?). I don't need a really smooth garage...

I bought a can of Plasti-Dip to do the **** of a rifle stock. Then I tried doing the handles on several tools. Once I started, I wound up doing everything that didn't already have a decent rubber grip (which is virtually everything). I'm now on my fourth can of Plasti-Dip... This is the...

I use mine to haul big potted plants and big rocks... everybody uses riverrock for landscaping around here. I'm not worried about surface rust, and I simply store mine on end down so that it doesn't sit full of water. Can you point me to this? I can't find any kind of Craftsman wheelbarrow...