Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Indianapolis - New 28X40 Garage/Pool house build

[whitecarrera]

I was very happy with the system. Part of my initial sense of security was that the company is based about 90 miles north of Minneapolis. I figured that if it was developed and worked there, then I should be fine.

I set two thermostats, with two loops on the garage side (set to 50 degrees), and one on the pool house side (set to 60 degrees). In November and now again in March, I feel like the system ran part of about half of the days. In December, January, and February, it probably ran for at least a part of each day.

We've had some crazy temperature swings this year, with 50 degree drops in 24 hours. Each time this happened, it took about a day to return to the desired temp. I attribute a lot of that to some air gaps around the garage door, where the wind found consistent gaps. I also had some gaps between the two sides, and a lot of air seeped in back and forth. This is all stuff that I'll get shored before next fall.

In short, the HUG system was quiet and effective. Since the day I turned it on, everything has worked exactly as it should. Any deficiencies (mentioned above) are tied to construction (fixes to come) and not the system. I was limited to electric and used a tankless system purchased from HUG. I gas (whether tankless or boiler) might be more efficient, but not an option for me. I paid about $250/mo through the coldest part of winter, and I'm sure I can get that lower next year. Either way, the ability to host friends and smoke a lot of mid-winter cigars was well worth it to me.

 

[whitecarrera]

For the last year, the pallets from all of our construction materials have been stacked in the driveway by the end of the garage. I know my wife questioned whether I’d ever get rid of them, but tonight I finally cut them up for the perfect fire pit night with her!

 

[whitecarrera]

Here’s to 15 years of giggling every time I realize that I have a Porsche!

 

[HogDude]

Here’s to 15 years of giggling every time I realize that I have a Porsche!

I love that the cooler has 1 can of Coke. Perfect ratio!

 

[whitecarrera]

Finally did a little real work this weekend, adding FRP wall panels to the loft and the triangular sections to each side. Every day is a little bit of progress. Next step will be a 4' x 16' section of slatwall, and some shelving above that.

 

[whitecarrera]

So, I did something really cool today, and it was an original idea; doubly cool because it turned out so well. I'm not saying I'm the first to do it this way, but I didn't find anything online that was close.

Anyway, we bought two live-edge oak pieces for floating shelves. The shelves are 2" thick and about 10" x 31". Each is 15-20 lbs, and I'm storing liquor bottles on them, so I needed the mounts to be strong but still completely invisible. Nothing I could find seemed sturdy enough, so I got creative. I bought 1/2" cold-rolled steel dowels from Lowes (two for $15 each) and decided to drill straight into the studs using the steel bar as dowels.

This is what I started with:

I bought this tool at a woodworking shop, that helped me to drill straight holes. The drill bit had to be the same diameter from tip to shank, so that it would stay straight all the way.

First, I drilled holes through the wall board and 3 inches into the studs. I know the rods don't look level in this pic, but they are.

Here are all four metal dowels in position.

In the shelf boards, I drilled 1/2" holes 7 1/2" deep. This was the only real tricky part, because it ultimately comes down to your ability to drill a completely straight hole. It was a lot easier to tap the rods into the shelves first, and then into the wall second. I used a big rubber mallet to drive them all the way into position.

Here is the end result.

 

[loganb]

So, I did something really cool today, and it was an original idea; doubly cool because it turned out so well. I'm not saying I'm the first to do it this way, but I didn't find anything online that was close.

Anyway, we bought two live-edge oak pieces for floating shelves. The shelves are 2" thick and about 10" x 31". Each is 15-20 lbs, and I'm storing liquor bottles on them, so I needed the mounts to be strong but still completely invisible. Nothing I could find seemed sturdy enough, so I got creative. I bought 1/2" cold-rolled steel dowels from Lowes (two for $15 each) and decided to drill straight into the studs using the steel bar as dowels.

This is what I started with:

I bought this tool at a woodworking shop, that helped me to drill straight holes. The drill bit had to be the same diameter from tip to shank, so that it would stay straight all the way.

First, I drilled holes through the wall board and 3 inches into the studs. I know the rods don't look level in this pic, but they are.

Here are all four metal dowels in position.

In the shelf boards, I drilled 1/2" holes 7 1/2" deep. This was the only real tricky part, because it ultimately comes down to your ability to drill a completely straight hole. It was a lot easier to tap the rods into the shelves first, and then into the wall second. I used a big rubber mallet to drive them all the way into position.

Here is the end result.

Looks great!

 

[jon72vega]

Good job!