Ultimate Contemporary Garage Addition

A much needed project is now officially complete! It started as basic Sketchup ideas in February of 2013 and the revised designs were presented that December to the township for a 25 ft variance which was approved. Part of the house was built on an existing envelope and the proposed location was the ideal place to build. The zoning board said we came prepared better than most lawyers. I wasn't satisfied with the proposed plan, so I incorporated a small addition in the attic and a clerestory to the final design.

Construction started in Aug 2014 and was practically finished in Dec, but I put off the fire stop portion of the project for a year even though it took less than a week's worth of work to complete. This tells me the procrastination I endured was a fear of some sort, which was a personal development issue I needed to overcome. The garage passed final inspection last week without a hitch.

I'm the second owner of a mostly original 1991 Toyota Pickup, which I purchased in the summer of 2001, a 1974 FJ-40, and practically own a 1966 Mustang that is in my Dads name which we did for insurance purposes back when I was 17 (I'm 35 now). I used to have a 1999 BMW M Coupe which fit me like a glove. I've considered "replacing" it with a MKII Supra and find myself desiring to build an original kit car like the Superlite SLC, which I think is one of the best "turnkey" DIY kits out there.

Mountain biking is probably my all time favorite sport, but I also like to rock climb. I go windskating (land version of windsurfing) from time to time with the hopes of doing it on water. I would like to learn how to surf, hang glide, and kite board. One of my goals is to have my private pilots license with commercial and possibly instrument ratings along with a rotorcraft add-on. I'm deaf, but I know of a deaf person who received his instrument rating by succesfully communicating via text messages (or video relay through a cell phone) to the tower.

Oh one more thing, I am really into Modern and Contemporary architecture so the garage is just the beginning of the house transformation to the contemporary style. About a mile away is one of Louis Kahn's homes (Weiss House) which was featured in a recent book called The Houses of Louis Kahn, which I highly recommend to any fan of modern architecture. I also hightly recommend The Sea Ranch, which is another great book on the housing development on coast of California, next to highway 1. I also recommend Fire Island Modernist, a book about Long Island, NY homes designed by Horace Gifford. The goal is to make the house feel more open and minimalistic while minimizing footprint. The house alone sits on a 1200+ sq ft footprint with 1800+ sq ft of living space.

If you guys feel like reading more about me, you can go here, which is a raw food vegan website I write for: http://www.fruit-powered.com/korey-constable/. If you feel like reading any of my articles, you can click on my name at the bottom of the page

Anyway, I thought about building a detached garage for tax purposes, but an attached garage was the least imposing on the property and the house itself. I wanted to have enough ceiling height for lifts, which would essentially double the amount of vehicle storage. We did the minimal possible for electric so that I could figure out where to place lights and other utilities as time goes by. The front is 20 x 14 and the rear section is 25x25, 905 sq ft total. Concrete is 6" thick, 3500psi and power troweled.

We utilized 8" block, 2x8 for the studs and rafters (2x6 was used on the house side). Garage door headers are 10", ridge beam is 14" and support beams are 16". I did not want posts intruding on the floor plan, so we installed a 16" beam on the house side that supports the other beams.

Garage doors were put in the front and rear for ventilation and accessibility. They are Haas 600 flush mount in dark bronze with a r-value of 13.45. Roofline tracks were installed. The windows are Andersen 400 awnings and casement finished in dark bronze as well.

We utilized old school 15-year 3-tab shingles which are more sleek looking than architectural shingles. We couldn't find any 30-year 3-tab shingles and people thought I was crazy for wanting these over the architectural ones. I would like to replace the house roof with the shingles we used on the garage.

Just ordered the Armorpoxy SPGX which I'm hoping to coat before it gets too cold although it's been unusually warm here in SE PA. It was actually 70 degrees yesterday!

I'm sure I missed a few things, so I will let the pics speak for themselves. Most of them are from the summer to winter of 2014. I don't have any recent ones since the garage basically looks the same. Thank you everybody for your contributions on this board- the info here is worth at least tens of thousands of dollars. It has been an invaluable experience that I continue to look forward to.

I like the supra idea.

Love the look and love the size. It's a massive job but looks like you have all your ducks in a row. Best of luck with it.

Good looking dog.

I'm surprised you didn't change both tracks.

Plans look good too. I like the drive through set up.

Edit: ******* the roof looks good too.

Congrats - looks good. A couple of questions:

1) are doing any HVAC? Seems like a perfect spot for a mini split

2) what about the former windows that used to be exterior and now look into the garage? Did you fill those in it keep them? I'd love to have a window into the garage (from the house) but pretty sure that the boss at my house would not approve.

Best of luck on the pilots license... I have my private, but can't get more than a class 3 medical due to health issues, I'm rooting for you.

Really like the clerestory windows and roll-up door in the back. Outstanding design!

Your garage looks very nice, thanks for showing us your build!

It's a good thing I don't live there, because with all that vertical space under the three upper windows, I'd be really tempted to put a floor up there & watch the world go by with a few of these. Hehe

Bighead38 said:

Good looking dog.

I'm surprised you didn't change both tracks.

Plans look good too. I like the drive through set up.

Edit: ******* the roof looks good too.

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Thanks. We think the dog is a Formosan Mountain Dog mixed with something else. It was a rescue along with another dog we found in Kentucky on a rock climbing trip. The other dog was a runner so the last time he ran, I didn't bother to look for him. Not sure what you meant about changing both tracks- both garage door tracks are roofline pitch.

EDIT: GJ member csp posted below saying you were probably referring to the skid loader tracks and yes, both tracks were replaced.

farrbar said:

Congrats - looks good. A couple of questions:

1) are doing any HVAC? Seems like a perfect spot for a mini split



2) what about the former windows that used to be exterior and now look into the garage? Did you fill those in it keep them? I'd love to have a window into the garage (from the house) but pretty sure that the boss at my house would not approve.

Best of luck on the pilots license... I have my private, but can't get more than a class 3 medical due to health issues, I'm rooting for you.

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Garage is cool in the summer and is not too bad in the winter, but I would like to install a wood stove to keep everything at a constant temperature during the cold months. The original exterior windows are still there and we intend to keep windows of some sort there if we don't keep the originals. The kitchen has just about the same amount of light it used to get before the garage was built. Please check out the link to the Fruit-Powered website in the beginning of the article and/or pm me about your health issues- my friend Brian runs it and offers health counseling.

Ok, yeah, that is pretty awesome.

I love the airy feel of it, the outside while still indoors sort of thing. If it were mine, I would insulate, drywall, paint and put some kind of loft, possibly a suspended steel catwalk (expanded metal, riveted iron supports) with a tight spiral staircase for access. Real open and industrial looking.

Bonus: you are a Toyota guy.

This was a simply amazing and awesome project. It really transformed your place. I love the setting of the home and the style of it. You have really upped the anti on this addition!!! Again, an amazing job!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

Insulation and drywall are definitely in the works and I've actually thought about incorporating a catwalk and spiral staircase, which were in some of the more outrageous designs.

Very cool, I like it. It does seem like you need a platform or loft or catwalk of some sort up high, where you can sit in a chair and view your domain.

Looks like a cool project, I too like mountain biking.

I would like to see the concepts for the rest of the house. Regarding the shingles, why didn't you go with a steel roof?

K C said:

Not sure what you meant about changing both tracks- both garage door tracks are roofline pitch.

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I think he was referring to the skidsteer, but I see both of the old tracks in one of the photos, so it seems that both were changed.

Could have done without seeing the buttcracks!

Mr. Welsh said:

I would like to see the concepts for the rest of the house. Regarding the shingles, why didn't you go with a steel roof?

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I thought about it but didn't want a metal roof although these look good on some homes. I have several sketchup files that I could share, including a current plan of a 1000 sq ft house I'm working on that is based on the garage design alone. It consists of 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and even a 2-car garage! I wanted to see what I could fit into the garage footprint, so I went about sketching a simple plan just to see if it could be done because I like the concept of tiny homes although I wouldn't really call it a tiny house. I call it The Korey (my name).

csp said:

I think he was referring to the skidsteer, but I see both of the old tracks in one of the photos, so it seems that both were changed.

Could have done without seeing the buttcracks!

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Post edited above to say that both skid loader tracks were indeed replaced. Thank you. As for the buttcracks, we didn't know his name so we referred to him as BC and he loved my dog, River. I wish I could have snapped a picture of him holding her which he did quite often, although there is a pic in Photobucket of the two of em interacting.

Looks great! What are your plans for the rest of the place?

K C said:

I'm the second owner of a mostly original 1991 Toyota Pickup, which I purchased in the summer of 2001, a 1974 FJ-40, and practically own a 1966 Mustang that is in my Dads name which we did for insurance purposes back when I was 17 (I'm 35 now). I used to have a 1999 BMW M Coupe which fit me like a glove. I've considered "replacing" it with a MKII Supra and find myself desiring to build an original kit car like the Superlite SLC, which I think is one of the best "turnkey" DIY kits out there.

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Cool build. I am just finishing up my Superlite SLC, and if you want to come down a state or two to see it, I'd be happy to show you around the car.

There's also another very close, so you could see both if planned right.

The Armorpoxy arrived today! Hoping to have the floor coated before the new year.

captainkarl said:

Looks great! What are your plans for the rest of the place?

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The next project will be raising the back porch (pictured in some of the images) so that it is level with the garage and kitchen and knock down the wall that separates it from the kitchen, which will be tricky because it appears to be a load bearing block wall. The back porch would be an extension of the kitchen while acting as a transition to outside space. I was thinking about running heat from the living room and looping it around the porch space then back into the living room and framing out the porch floor to raise it so that it is level with the garage and kitchen, but I'm not sure if this would meet code.

We would like the kitchen and dining room wall to be taken down as well so the living/dining/kitchen areas feel more open and united with one another. Another project I'd like to accomplish is to have a vaulted ceiling in the living room and a half wall or cable separating the current attic space from the living room so that there is a "walkway" that runs the length of the living space.

We have 3 medium to small bedrooms, one which has been turned into an office and are trying to figure out how to configure the space to fit us. We would like to make the bathroom a little bigger since it is tight in there. I will post pics of the interior at some point.

I would like to remove the shutters and install combinations of casement/awning/sliding windows as well as sky lights. The front siding is in good shape and would either get painted if I can get em to work with the new windows or replaced with something as durable (they are asbestos). One of my earlier designs has long vertical casement windows in the front and side of the house. The house is all hardwood a concrete lower level and a fireplace separating the living and dining rooms.

I painted the trim white when I moved in but it's not my style anymore. I would like different, less visible trim work. The cheap solution is to replace the trim and baseboards with something more square and contemporary. The expensive and time consuming way is to drywall everything on top of the original drywall and install flush trim. There are many good examples of this on Houzz but this would require skill.

BoostAddiction said:

Cool build. I am just finishing up my Superlite SLC, and if you want to come down a state or two to see it, I'd be happy to show you around the car.

There's also another very close, so you could see both if planned right.

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I was on a builder's site who was based in your area. He mentioned driving an hour away to check out a completed SLC and I wonder if you are the person he was referring to because he was in the NOVA area.

Thank you for the invite!

WOW. Nice work. You guys pulled off a really cool design with what appears to be pretty minimal cost. Impressive.

Nice project. When you said modern/contemporary I guess I was thinking mid-century and didn't see it in your sketch up design. Now that the garage is built, I realize you are doing 70's mod/contemporary.

Looking at the snow on the roof, the right side looks like it might need insulation upgrade?

Yeah it has that 70-80's contemporary look going on. It's not for everyone, but I'm nuts for it. I plan on insulating the garage, but not sure when. It sure would be nice to heat it. Would like a wood stove, but can't go through the roof since it would be too close to the clerestory and I'm not a fan of the side exit look. Thought about running it underground and having it exit in the side yard.

Got some work done on the floor, but I'm not moving as fast as I'd like. There were a bunch of oil stains and drip spots that needed to be taken care of, so I wire brushed and sanded down what I could. Got most of the stains up and may need to grind/sand down two or three more spots. The light areas in the pics are the sanded down areas.



Not sure what the dark blemishes are here but the dark areas are very smooth to the touch and don't seem to do anything when wire brushed or sanded.



You can see where some stains are in the process of being ground down. They look a lot better though.



A little bonus I picked up last week at the local Sears Hardware store. They were 1/2 off and I paid $150 apiece. They are the previous heavy duty models which hold 50 pounds per drawer. The newer models hold 75 pounds but these are a closer match for my current setup which is red with black drawers. The plan is to build a workbench and use these as inserts. I don't go to Sears as often as I used to but am pleased with the purchase. There is a Harbor Freight across the street from Sears Hardware and they are more suitable for my needs. They even exchanged 3 worn out sockets that came with the 300 plus mechanics kit for free. I'm impressed how a lot of the tools come with lifetime warranties like Craftsman tools.



I was going to power wash and acid etch the floor, but at this point I am unsure because some say that power washing puts more moisture into the floor, which takes a couple of weeks, even months to dry. Some say acid etching hinders the bond between the coating and the floor and that it is better to burnish it instead. I emailed Armorpoxy to see what their recommendations are.

I'm not sure if washing the floor will make it look as white as the ground down areas, so I wonder if I will need to grind it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated- the floor will receive 2 coats of SPGX clear. It is supposed to be in the high 40's this weekend, so it would be nice to get the floor prepped.

Just got off the phone with Armorpoxy. After describing the ground down areas which are lighter in color, they recommended grinding the whole floor so the spots blend in. I am going to try cleaning an area first to see if the floor is just really dirty, which it doesn't appear to be. I like the natural concrete look and am afraid that burnishing it may create that machined look. Anybody have any experience with this?

that was quite the project ,,came out great!

Coated the floor last night. It took 4 hours and the fumes were strong even with a hooded gas mask. The 175k btu torpedo heater I was using kept flaming out so I resorted to my old 35k btu torpedo heater which helped keep the space warm. It was in the 40's when I started and in the 30's by the time I was finished, so I kept the heater running for 6.5 hours after I finished. Floor was dry to the touch in about 4 hours and is curing well.

The stains I spent so much time on showed through, but at least the coating seems to have adhered to the surface without any problems. I may need to sand down some large drip areas before applying the final coat but would appreciate any advice on what to do about these. Since the final coat will have a matte look, these spots may not show up but here are the pics for refrence:







I am happy with the raw, blemished look and am looking forward to the finished product. It would be nice if the large oil stains didn't show up, though. Thought about painting over them so they weren't so noticeable. Here is the link to my floor thread in the flooring section with more details about the process, which some of you may find useful: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316222