slik560
Well-known member
Looks great on display, and your frames will help preserve everything. Well done.
Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT The Garage at The Place in The Valley (Garage Condo 45x23x20)
- Thread starter Greg_STL
- Start date
Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
General Update
I thought it I could do a post on a general update at The Place.
From The Place website, they are down to just 7 units to sell.
At one point earlier, they had shown units 27 and 32 as having been sold but it must have fallen through.
From the The Place Facebook page, we get pictures of people finishing out their units from time to time. These first two are on one of the larger corner trapazoid shaped units. That floor looks nice!
People are also trying out pre-fab mezzanines instead of going to all the trouble of the fully built in mezzanines. I'm sure it is less expensive but I still like the way ours turned out with the full bar.
We are also starting to get a more diverse crowd into the units - not just muscle cars and RVs - not that there is anything wrong with muscle cars and RVs. I just like that we are getting a little bit of everything at The Place now.
Also, the facility is down to the last few units that are separated out where those single units cannot be combined. As a result, the developers are trying something new and have *finished* a spec unit. I think this is unit 35 which is the same size as our unit - ready to be moved in today.
It does seems like a smart idea. Someone could move in today, use it over the winter, make plans, and then build out more come summer.
I thought it I could do a post on a general update at The Place.
From The Place website, they are down to just 7 units to sell.
At one point earlier, they had shown units 27 and 32 as having been sold but it must have fallen through.
From the The Place Facebook page, we get pictures of people finishing out their units from time to time. These first two are on one of the larger corner trapazoid shaped units. That floor looks nice!
People are also trying out pre-fab mezzanines instead of going to all the trouble of the fully built in mezzanines. I'm sure it is less expensive but I still like the way ours turned out with the full bar.
We are also starting to get a more diverse crowd into the units - not just muscle cars and RVs - not that there is anything wrong with muscle cars and RVs. I just like that we are getting a little bit of everything at The Place now.
Also, the facility is down to the last few units that are separated out where those single units cannot be combined. As a result, the developers are trying something new and have *finished* a spec unit. I think this is unit 35 which is the same size as our unit - ready to be moved in today.
It does seems like a smart idea. Someone could move in today, use it over the winter, make plans, and then build out more come summer.
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Re: General Update
Do you know what brand that mezzanine is? If it is a Tecrostar (made in Spain), I was wondering if you saw it and if it seemed like a well built item(?) or know anything about cost, etc. I am looking at this very system for my place.
People are also trying out pre-fab mezzanines instead of going to all the trouble of the fully built in mezzanines. I'm sure it is less expensive but I still like the way ours turned out with the full bar.
Do you know what brand that mezzanine is? If it is a Tecrostar (made in Spain), I was wondering if you saw it and if it seemed like a well built item(?) or know anything about cost, etc. I am looking at this very system for my place.
Re: General Update
I have not seen the mezzanine in person. I want to. If I get a chance I will reply when I actually get a chance to look at it.. I looked into the potential to use a pre-fab when I was planning my own mezzanine. The issue I ran into was how to do the plumbing that I need for the bar. I have to believe it is cheaper to use a pre-fab (pre-engineered) solution.
I'll will try to look at it first hand and report back. Don't hold your breath though because I really do not get to see too many people at The Place on a regular basis.
I went down this evening to play some electronic golf in the clubhouse with my wife (and drop off some oil change supplies). Surprisingly enough someone else was in the clubhouse. That person said that there were only 4 units left to sell in Phase 1. The website may not be up to date showing 7 units up for sale. I am really looking forward to what the next phase could be or if the decision is to just stop where we are. I have heard that the developers are thinking that they spent too much money on 20+' ceilings and that people have not done mezzanines as much as expected. I really do not know what to expect if they change the Phase 2 architecture to something with only 10-15' ceilings.
I have not seen the mezzanine in person. I want to. If I get a chance I will reply when I actually get a chance to look at it.. I looked into the potential to use a pre-fab when I was planning my own mezzanine. The issue I ran into was how to do the plumbing that I need for the bar. I have to believe it is cheaper to use a pre-fab (pre-engineered) solution.
I'll will try to look at it first hand and report back. Don't hold your breath though because I really do not get to see too many people at The Place on a regular basis.
I went down this evening to play some electronic golf in the clubhouse with my wife (and drop off some oil change supplies). Surprisingly enough someone else was in the clubhouse. That person said that there were only 4 units left to sell in Phase 1. The website may not be up to date showing 7 units up for sale. I am really looking forward to what the next phase could be or if the decision is to just stop where we are. I have heard that the developers are thinking that they spent too much money on 20+' ceilings and that people have not done mezzanines as much as expected. I really do not know what to expect if they change the Phase 2 architecture to something with only 10-15' ceilings.
Lotusnut
Well-known member
Re: General Update
The crate in the picture has Tecrostar on it so high probability the mezzanine is Tecrostar.
The crate in the picture has Tecrostar on it so high probability the mezzanine is Tecrostar.
That would be great. I've sent Tecrostar a request for a quote. Also getting a quote from a "traditional" mezzanine outfit from Canada (meaning I beams for the beams at least and maybe the joists, and posts as opposed to the Tecrostar guys that use C channel design for the joists and beams and tubular posts). There doesn't seem to be any outfits on the left coast where I am at, so I expect shipping to be big $. You are in the midwest if I remember correctly
Good eye, I missed that. Thanks.
The last week was our annual dealer car show in St. Louis. As we have done for the last couple of years, the St. Louis Porsche Club of America (STL PCA) grabbed some space in the convention center to show about a dozen privately owned cars. This year we were in a section that had the PCA club, a STL Corvette club and a Tesla owners group.
We signed up to work the display area on Saturday evening. On the way downtown, we stopped at the dealer because they were having a viewing party for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Our Porsche dealer is part of a bigger multi-state dealer group (Indigo) that was sponsoring one of the cars.
They had the race on the big screen in the dealership.
We almost did not stop in but I was glad that we did. We got to talk some with my salesperson about my car order. We also got to see and sit in the fist Taycan in STL. It is a bit smaller in person than I expected. I imagined it to be the size of a Panarama but it is actually more compact. The technology on it is a bit over the top but it is a nice looking car in person.
The car show was busy but fun. I enjoyed talking to the people that stopped by our small display. Some of the young kids were just besides themselves at seeing all the Porsches.
This link is to a quick hyperlapse posted on my flikr account. I'm not positive how to post a video directly from flickr. It runs a bit fast but I haven't worked out how to use all the options on the cell phone gimble I bought yet.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101618283@N07/49447343251
I walked some around the rest of the show but really only saw a couple new cars that interested me or that I had not seen before. The new C8 Corvette and Supra stood out.
We signed up to work the display area on Saturday evening. On the way downtown, we stopped at the dealer because they were having a viewing party for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Our Porsche dealer is part of a bigger multi-state dealer group (Indigo) that was sponsoring one of the cars.
They had the race on the big screen in the dealership.
We almost did not stop in but I was glad that we did. We got to talk some with my salesperson about my car order. We also got to see and sit in the fist Taycan in STL. It is a bit smaller in person than I expected. I imagined it to be the size of a Panarama but it is actually more compact. The technology on it is a bit over the top but it is a nice looking car in person.
The car show was busy but fun. I enjoyed talking to the people that stopped by our small display. Some of the young kids were just besides themselves at seeing all the Porsches.
This link is to a quick hyperlapse posted on my flikr account. I'm not positive how to post a video directly from flickr. It runs a bit fast but I haven't worked out how to use all the options on the cell phone gimble I bought yet.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101618283@N07/49447343251
I walked some around the rest of the show but really only saw a couple new cars that interested me or that I had not seen before. The new C8 Corvette and Supra stood out.
Ak Jim
Well-known member
Thanks for all of your posts! Really enjoyed reading and looking at all of the pictures.
slik560
Well-known member
Ditto!
@ Ak Jim & slik560 - Thanks! I always worry a bit about these life posts as they seem only somewhat related to my garage. I get supper excited about being able to use my quickjack to change my oil in a heated garage but it just does not seem that exciting to post about - again. I figure cars and garages go hand in hand so what the heck. Thanks for the positive feedback.
dykstra
Well-known member
Thanks for posting. What a cool place!
@ dykstra - Thanks!! We really do enjoy the space! I really did change oil in the heated garage this last weekend when it was 30 degrees outside. I'm already looking forward to our Porsche's at the Place event in March. Thanks for following along....
Car Purchase Saga ...
It is time to post about my latest boondoggle. As anyone that has followed along on my garage build - I struggle with doing things the easy way.
Long about the fall of 2018, I decided I was ready to start looking for a new car. My 2013 Audi TTS is a fun car but it was paid off and I was starting to get the itch. I thought about getting a new Audi TTRS but I really have not liked the 60% weight on the front wheels during autocross and a 5 cylinder would not improve that dynamic. I've owned front engine, rear engine, FWD, RWD but I've never owned a mid-engined car. I've always wanted an R8 but it is just out of my price range. My wife really loves her 911 and we are heavily into the local Porsche club so a Cayman seemed the logical choice.
I started researching the Caymans and reading the threads on Rennlist. At that time you could get a base, S, and GTS new and a GT4 if you wanted to go used. I tend to buy and keep for a long time and spec my cars the way I want. I was leaning to new or at least only a couple years old at most. The issue I had there was that the new Caymans are all flat 4 turbos that were less than universally loved. I owned a heavily modified Subaru in the past - so, the boxer 4 is not a sound that is a turn off for me. However, spending close to 100k on 4 cylinder car knowing that the new Corvette was coming with V-8 for less money - that gave me pause.
I decided that I really needed to drive the car for an extended amount of time to make sure I was good with my tentative decision. Some of you may recall my trip last winter to Southern California. We went to LA and visited the Peterson, went to the Porsche Experience center (where I drove a Cayman GTS) and rented a Cayman GTS from Turo and drove it on the Angels Crest highway.
I came away with the decision that I could definitively get a Cayman and be happy. (I also got more information on the Corvette and realized it was a much larger and heavier car). After more research, I decided that I would get a GTS because they get a slightly larger turbo and third radiator that does not get the heat soak issues on hot days at the track that the S model sometimes falls prey to. I would autocross and track the car and thought the difference in price not much given that I would want an S model with PASM and sports chrono that are all baked in to the GTS price. There was a new Cayman T that was being offered but it was not available in the US yet and was a 2.0 liter model. If it had been a 2.5 liter model I might have been interested.
I started watching the Porsche national new and pre-owned listings and found a nice Midnight Blue model in Colorado. It had all the features I wanted including the really nice GTS interior. We danced around price for a while but the listing was odd. It showed up as being new in some listings and used in others. This was May/June time frame in 2019. The dealer had needed a sale the August before and had "sold" the car and punched the start of the warranty. The dealer was not willing to come down much on the sticker price, was not willing to make it CPO, and was not willing to extend the warranty. So, as much as I liked the car, I walked away.
Somewhere around this point, the online configurator updated and showed that the carbon fiber full bucket seats were available on GTS models for the first time. They also announced the 718 version of the GT4 in June of 2019. I considered it but I think it is just a bit ******** for everyday driving. It is manual only and has an even lower (-30mm) and stiffer suspension. I liked the interior options and PDK availability on the GTS. I was struggling to find a pre-owned or new car on a lot that matched exactly what I was looking for. I decided I would just bite the bullet and order a new car exactly how I wanted it. I talked to our dealer and the salesperson that my wife worked with and negotiated a discount on a custom ordered Cayman GTS. We put down a deposit, signed a form with the discount in writing, and were now waiting for build slot. That was the first week of July.
Literally, two weeks later, Porsche announced that they were stopping production of all Caymans and Boxters to move production to a different factory. The new 992 generation of the 911 needed more space in the shared facility at Stuttgart and the Caymans were getting moved to Osnabrueck. A re-distribution of production had been announced earlier but everyone had assumed that the switch would happen during the summer break and with production of the Cayman still being shared between Stuttgart and Osnabrueck. It turns out that all Cayman production at Stuttgart was stopped and production was going to be stopped much longer than just during the summer break since Osnabrueck was going to be the only production facility. I talked to my salesperson and they would still hold to the agreement but it would be the end of the year (December) before I would be able to order for delivery in spring.
I would contact my salesperson every couple months and the news remained constant in that there were no changes. In October, I did hear some new news. The dealer manager had been in Spain for an event and the rumor was that the Cayman GTS was going to go to a 6-cylinder engine for the next iteration. Sure enough, rumors on the internet were starting to post spy shots of Caymans with exhausts like on the new GT4 but without the low ride height and aero features. Was it going to be a GT Touring or GTS model?
The end of the year rolled around and they were still not taking orders on any Cayman GTSs but the dam broke and build slots were starting to finally show up for base Caymans, Cayman Ts, Cayman Ss, and even Cayman GT4s.
So, we are almost caught up to real time. The big recent news is that the new Cayman GTS 4.0 was announced on January 16th, 2020. Porsche took the flat 6 cylinder 4.0L engine that produced 414hp on the GT4 and detuned it to 394hp on the GTS. The redline drops from 8000rpm to just 7800 rpm. The wing, rear diffuser, and front spoiler are gone - replaced by the standard GTS front and rear bumpers. The brakes are enlarged from the 2.5T GTS with wheels 0.5 wider front and rear (same tire sizes). The GTS interior and bucket seat options that I like are still available on the GTS. By all accounts, it looks like a great car and the dealer has already let me know I'm still on the list to order.
My only issues are that I still do not have a build slot (the press releases have stated summer 2020 delivery in the US) and I also really want a PDK. There are still rumors that PDK will be available starting this summer. Those rumors point to a Geneva Autoshow release of the PDK GT4 and GT4RS and that the GTS will "inherit" the PDK at the same time. So, I have a couple months to wait and see what happens. I am really hoping that the PDK version gets announced this spring and that I can order by summer for a fall delivery. Spy shot of the theoretical PDK only GT4RS follows. Note the swans neck spoiler, front hood brake duct inlets, and three quarter window inlets that separate it from the more pedestrian GT4.
It has been a roller coaster but this new Cayman GTS 4.0 looks like a keeper so I think I just wait and hope for the best at this point.
It is time to post about my latest boondoggle. As anyone that has followed along on my garage build - I struggle with doing things the easy way.
Long about the fall of 2018, I decided I was ready to start looking for a new car. My 2013 Audi TTS is a fun car but it was paid off and I was starting to get the itch. I thought about getting a new Audi TTRS but I really have not liked the 60% weight on the front wheels during autocross and a 5 cylinder would not improve that dynamic. I've owned front engine, rear engine, FWD, RWD but I've never owned a mid-engined car. I've always wanted an R8 but it is just out of my price range. My wife really loves her 911 and we are heavily into the local Porsche club so a Cayman seemed the logical choice.
I started researching the Caymans and reading the threads on Rennlist. At that time you could get a base, S, and GTS new and a GT4 if you wanted to go used. I tend to buy and keep for a long time and spec my cars the way I want. I was leaning to new or at least only a couple years old at most. The issue I had there was that the new Caymans are all flat 4 turbos that were less than universally loved. I owned a heavily modified Subaru in the past - so, the boxer 4 is not a sound that is a turn off for me. However, spending close to 100k on 4 cylinder car knowing that the new Corvette was coming with V-8 for less money - that gave me pause.
I decided that I really needed to drive the car for an extended amount of time to make sure I was good with my tentative decision. Some of you may recall my trip last winter to Southern California. We went to LA and visited the Peterson, went to the Porsche Experience center (where I drove a Cayman GTS) and rented a Cayman GTS from Turo and drove it on the Angels Crest highway.
I came away with the decision that I could definitively get a Cayman and be happy. (I also got more information on the Corvette and realized it was a much larger and heavier car). After more research, I decided that I would get a GTS because they get a slightly larger turbo and third radiator that does not get the heat soak issues on hot days at the track that the S model sometimes falls prey to. I would autocross and track the car and thought the difference in price not much given that I would want an S model with PASM and sports chrono that are all baked in to the GTS price. There was a new Cayman T that was being offered but it was not available in the US yet and was a 2.0 liter model. If it had been a 2.5 liter model I might have been interested.
I started watching the Porsche national new and pre-owned listings and found a nice Midnight Blue model in Colorado. It had all the features I wanted including the really nice GTS interior. We danced around price for a while but the listing was odd. It showed up as being new in some listings and used in others. This was May/June time frame in 2019. The dealer had needed a sale the August before and had "sold" the car and punched the start of the warranty. The dealer was not willing to come down much on the sticker price, was not willing to make it CPO, and was not willing to extend the warranty. So, as much as I liked the car, I walked away.
Somewhere around this point, the online configurator updated and showed that the carbon fiber full bucket seats were available on GTS models for the first time. They also announced the 718 version of the GT4 in June of 2019. I considered it but I think it is just a bit ******** for everyday driving. It is manual only and has an even lower (-30mm) and stiffer suspension. I liked the interior options and PDK availability on the GTS. I was struggling to find a pre-owned or new car on a lot that matched exactly what I was looking for. I decided I would just bite the bullet and order a new car exactly how I wanted it. I talked to our dealer and the salesperson that my wife worked with and negotiated a discount on a custom ordered Cayman GTS. We put down a deposit, signed a form with the discount in writing, and were now waiting for build slot. That was the first week of July.
Literally, two weeks later, Porsche announced that they were stopping production of all Caymans and Boxters to move production to a different factory. The new 992 generation of the 911 needed more space in the shared facility at Stuttgart and the Caymans were getting moved to Osnabrueck. A re-distribution of production had been announced earlier but everyone had assumed that the switch would happen during the summer break and with production of the Cayman still being shared between Stuttgart and Osnabrueck. It turns out that all Cayman production at Stuttgart was stopped and production was going to be stopped much longer than just during the summer break since Osnabrueck was going to be the only production facility. I talked to my salesperson and they would still hold to the agreement but it would be the end of the year (December) before I would be able to order for delivery in spring.
I would contact my salesperson every couple months and the news remained constant in that there were no changes. In October, I did hear some new news. The dealer manager had been in Spain for an event and the rumor was that the Cayman GTS was going to go to a 6-cylinder engine for the next iteration. Sure enough, rumors on the internet were starting to post spy shots of Caymans with exhausts like on the new GT4 but without the low ride height and aero features. Was it going to be a GT Touring or GTS model?
The end of the year rolled around and they were still not taking orders on any Cayman GTSs but the dam broke and build slots were starting to finally show up for base Caymans, Cayman Ts, Cayman Ss, and even Cayman GT4s.
So, we are almost caught up to real time. The big recent news is that the new Cayman GTS 4.0 was announced on January 16th, 2020. Porsche took the flat 6 cylinder 4.0L engine that produced 414hp on the GT4 and detuned it to 394hp on the GTS. The redline drops from 8000rpm to just 7800 rpm. The wing, rear diffuser, and front spoiler are gone - replaced by the standard GTS front and rear bumpers. The brakes are enlarged from the 2.5T GTS with wheels 0.5 wider front and rear (same tire sizes). The GTS interior and bucket seat options that I like are still available on the GTS. By all accounts, it looks like a great car and the dealer has already let me know I'm still on the list to order.
My only issues are that I still do not have a build slot (the press releases have stated summer 2020 delivery in the US) and I also really want a PDK. There are still rumors that PDK will be available starting this summer. Those rumors point to a Geneva Autoshow release of the PDK GT4 and GT4RS and that the GTS will "inherit" the PDK at the same time. So, I have a couple months to wait and see what happens. I am really hoping that the PDK version gets announced this spring and that I can order by summer for a fall delivery. Spy shot of the theoretical PDK only GT4RS follows. Note the swans neck spoiler, front hood brake duct inlets, and three quarter window inlets that separate it from the more pedestrian GT4.
It has been a roller coaster but this new Cayman GTS 4.0 looks like a keeper so I think I just wait and hope for the best at this point.
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slik560
Well-known member
Fingers crossed for you!
On waiting.Sixty plus degrees in February! We had to wash some cars...
Our back wall neighbor showed up with his new (to him) Ferrari.
You can just see the building permit in the window of unit 20. The units continue to sell and get built out. I heard from the developers last week that we are down to just 5 unsold units.
Our back wall neighbor showed up with his new (to him) Ferrari.
You can just see the building permit in the window of unit 20. The units continue to sell and get built out. I heard from the developers last week that we are down to just 5 unsold units.
And then there were three...
We are down to just 3 units left to sell in at The Place. The last of the longer 60 ft units sold. We just have two small units like mine (45'x23') and one huge 4000+ sq. ft. corner unit to sell.
The big question on my mind is if they are going to start planning phase 2???
We are down to just 3 units left to sell in at The Place. The last of the longer 60 ft units sold. We just have two small units like mine (45'x23') and one huge 4000+ sq. ft. corner unit to sell.
The big question on my mind is if they are going to start planning phase 2???
slik560
Well-known member
It appears that the developers really knew their market and planned well. Impressive results.
We were lucky enough to get invited to the Taycan launch event at our local Porsche St. Louis dealership. They had a Volcano Gray and a Metallic Black Taycan Turbo S to sit in and poke and prod.
The event had some interesting food and drinks in addition to the normal open bar and cheese/cracker/sausage spread. It didn't take one of the glowing blue cocktails with edible script but I did try the mini donuts!
The dealership announced that they made it on the premier dealership list again this year and were rated number 5 in the country. I imagine events like this help that process. They also took the opportunity to display a sampling of their other cars in the cleaned up work bay.
I really liked the exterior of this new 992 911 but I'm not a fan of the new interior - but this color !!!
We had a fun evening and took home a small trinket to add to the collection at The Place.
The event had some interesting food and drinks in addition to the normal open bar and cheese/cracker/sausage spread. It didn't take one of the glowing blue cocktails with edible script but I did try the mini donuts!
The dealership announced that they made it on the premier dealership list again this year and were rated number 5 in the country. I imagine events like this help that process. They also took the opportunity to display a sampling of their other cars in the cleaned up work bay.
I really liked the exterior of this new 992 911 but I'm not a fan of the new interior - but this color !!!
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I think it took a little longer than they thought it would take to sell out but it really should sell out this year - maybe even by summer. I definitely am seeing more people down there on a regular basis and the Facebook owner's group has people reserving the club house for events on a regular basis.
My fingers are really crossed that they will finish out the other half. It would make it a much more desirable location for shows and Cars & Coffee events with just a little more space. Our Porsche club completely filled it with 100 cars. If they build the other half that (that is planned to be a little larger), it should hold 225+ and then you could have some overlap out on to the street.
Well ****... I think we won the crappy weather lottery. Every day for a week plus before or after this Saturday would have been a better day for Porsches@The Place III. It was just 70 degrees a couple days ago but it set to be 40 degrees and raining at the scheduled start time. We are just going to cancel. I'm bummed as I was looking forward to this....
We are going to cancel for now but will reschedule for later this spring or summer. Given all the coronaviris excitement - we might just take this as a sign and wait for things to calm down everywhere.... I'll repost when I know more.
PS: The developers are down to just 2 unsold units - A big corner unit and one small unit the size our our unit.
We are going to cancel for now but will reschedule for later this spring or summer. Given all the coronaviris excitement - we might just take this as a sign and wait for things to calm down everywhere.... I'll repost when I know more.
PS: The developers are down to just 2 unsold units - A big corner unit and one small unit the size our our unit.
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I'm was thinking of starting a different thread but decided to just put these here as it relates to how The Place and my mezzanine was built. I have to admit the whole process of putting in a concrete floor mezzanine felt a little overkill at the time. Now .. given the rest of this post ... I'm feeling much better about how things turned out.
There was a big fire earlier in the week east of down town St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. There is a big warehouse there that was used by many people in the automotive community. I think it was a combination of cheap rent and a closeness to the track that was a draw. I heard many people from the SCCA were part of the group that let and sub-let spaces there.
The warehouse was huge and subdivided into 18 different units. Many were used to store cars but others were not. A fire started in one unit when a car that was being worked on caught fire. They attempted to move it outside with a forklift and supposedly it got dropped and wedged into the exit garage door. The building was over 100 years old and had a wood roof and wood columns supporting the roof. If the building had a sprinkler system it was not working. The fire extinguishers in the unit were not charged. The fire department took a while to get there and when they got there the closest hydrant was not working and they had to pump in from across the street. The fire department got things under control but the series of missteps caused quite a bit of destruction.
These pictures are not mine but ones I took from a Facebook post.
I know I paid much more for my unit than what they paid to store at this warehouse. But, I am also positive that the protection at the The Place is higher. The exterior walls are concrete, the ceiling is metal, the support beams are metal, and the interior walls are steel studs. My mezzanine is steel with concrete floors. We have a whole property sprinkler system and when I added my mezzanine - the sprinkler system had to be extended under the mezzanine. There is so much commercial real estate in the Chesterfield valley - I expect that the fire district response would be strong. I know I looked at my fire extinguishers recently - but I feel the need to look again!
I really feel for the people that lost what I am sure were passion projects for them. 2020 has not been a good year for car enthusiasts in STL.
There was a big fire earlier in the week east of down town St. Louis in Sauget, Illinois. There is a big warehouse there that was used by many people in the automotive community. I think it was a combination of cheap rent and a closeness to the track that was a draw. I heard many people from the SCCA were part of the group that let and sub-let spaces there.
The warehouse was huge and subdivided into 18 different units. Many were used to store cars but others were not. A fire started in one unit when a car that was being worked on caught fire. They attempted to move it outside with a forklift and supposedly it got dropped and wedged into the exit garage door. The building was over 100 years old and had a wood roof and wood columns supporting the roof. If the building had a sprinkler system it was not working. The fire extinguishers in the unit were not charged. The fire department took a while to get there and when they got there the closest hydrant was not working and they had to pump in from across the street. The fire department got things under control but the series of missteps caused quite a bit of destruction.
These pictures are not mine but ones I took from a Facebook post.
I know I paid much more for my unit than what they paid to store at this warehouse. But, I am also positive that the protection at the The Place is higher. The exterior walls are concrete, the ceiling is metal, the support beams are metal, and the interior walls are steel studs. My mezzanine is steel with concrete floors. We have a whole property sprinkler system and when I added my mezzanine - the sprinkler system had to be extended under the mezzanine. There is so much commercial real estate in the Chesterfield valley - I expect that the fire district response would be strong. I know I looked at my fire extinguishers recently - but I feel the need to look again!
I really feel for the people that lost what I am sure were passion projects for them. 2020 has not been a good year for car enthusiasts in STL.
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Wow, that's terrible, but older buildings are everywhere and are grandfathered.
Think of how many single family homes are from before the time of sprinklers being required and they are mostly wood.
2020 has been an interesting one for sure.
Think of how many single family homes are from before the time of sprinklers being required and they are mostly wood.
2020 has been an interesting one for sure.
slik560
Well-known member
Wow. You definitely get what you pay for, but what a price to pay for all those with cars in that ancient building. If nothing else it will make everyone in your complex a LOT more aware of potential fire hazards...and periodic inspections. Unreal.
The auction house I frequent has 4-5 bays in that building. The building was a tender box. You could smell it in the air, it was dry and full of 1 foot square roof joists. That just wanted to burn. The number of No Smoking signs I counted each time I was there seemed to increase. I have some friends with cars there, though it sounds like they were in other Bay’s. Tuff week for car people in town.
shortykorte
Well-known member
So a tour of Pop’s seems in order. Call it the Diamond tour?
Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST
Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST
Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal
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slik560
Well-known member
So I take it that Pops is not a Waffle House type of place??
Hi Kevin,
You are correct sir. It is a bar right next to a PTs (a strip joint) and another night club. Strip joints are not legal on the Missouri side here. They are all located in Illinois (East Saint Louis is just across the Mississippi from downtown St. Louis).
Edit: I meant to mention that Pops burned to the ground years ago. They sure seem to have a lot of fires there!
Joe
You are correct sir. It is a bar right next to a PTs (a strip joint) and another night club. Strip joints are not legal on the Missouri side here. They are all located in Illinois (East Saint Louis is just across the Mississippi from downtown St. Louis).
Edit: I meant to mention that Pops burned to the ground years ago. They sure seem to have a lot of fires there!
Joe
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No worries. Crazy times right now. I enjoyed the levity.
On actual The Place garage news ... I received an e-mail from the developers that another unit went under contract. That means that there is only 1 single unit left to sell. It is unit 7 - one of the big corner units.
On actual The Place garage news ... I received an e-mail from the developers that another unit went under contract. That means that there is only 1 single unit left to sell. It is unit 7 - one of the big corner units.
vwracer
Well-known member
Next phase started yet?
Not yet. I know this took longer to sell out than was expected / desired by the developers. But they have basically sold out. I know they have right of first refusal on the land next door but I’m not positive they are confident to go again. I know I talked to the developers at one point and they talked about possibly not doing the high bays for the next phase. Not as many people as expected put in mezzanines and that is the only reason to go as tall as they did. It takes a lot more concrete in the walls to do the taller ceilings and that results in a higher per square foot cost.
I think some of the other successful condos have done smaller buildings. I could see them taking the next phase and making it 3 or 4 buildings around the U shape remaining rather than one big building. They could build and sell out each section before finishing the next building to reduce sunk costs in construction.
This is all speculation on my part and since I am not putting in the capital my opinion does not count. I am curious to see if the Covid situation makes things harder or easier. I could see it either way ... harder because people have lost money and be less willing to invest ... easier because there could be cheaper loan prices as the government tries to stimulate the economy.
Time will tell....
I wrote earlier about my wife wanting to wrap her 997. After looking at prices of wraps, she decided that she wanted to spend her money on something more permanent. A wrap would be good for 3 years ... maybe more and then need to be replaced. After much gnashing of teeth, she decided on a replica GT3RS rear wing from Getty Design and a front spoiler from TechArt to balance things out. This was all started prior to the Covid-19 lock downs and due to various (understandable) delays - she got the car back yesterday.
A few close ups of the spoilers:
We have not driven it yet and I am a little worried about getting into our driveway at home. My wife wanted to let the car sit for a day or two before getting in and driving. The drop off was all done sans human contact. We used our aps to open the gate and garage door for the shop doing the work and drop off. The shop owner delivered it and his wife drove her Jeep Gladiator to pick him up.
They were lucky they didn't get eaten by the giant spider during drop off...
Initial remote viewing from home....
A few close ups of the spoilers:
We have not driven it yet and I am a little worried about getting into our driveway at home. My wife wanted to let the car sit for a day or two before getting in and driving. The drop off was all done sans human contact. We used our aps to open the gate and garage door for the shop doing the work and drop off. The shop owner delivered it and his wife drove her Jeep Gladiator to pick him up.
They were lucky they didn't get eaten by the giant spider during drop off...
Initial remote viewing from home....
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slik560
Well-known member
Nice body work. Was the deck lid part of the GT3 wing package?? It all looks great
Yes, new deck lid and wiring harness for the fan that is mounted on the deck lid. The shop did paint prep work (sanding), had it painted, and had to recode the ECU to realize there is a fixed wing instead of the usual pop up wing that is on the 4S. They did a complete job.
We were correct to be worried about the lip and our driveway at home....
Driving in straight it barely clears - like a single sheet of paper.
The picture above is not with the car directly straight on (perpendicular to the the curb) and if you roll up to the curb at an even shallower angle, you can roll the tire up the curb before the lip scrapes and then turn back to straighten out on the driveway.
But it clears!!!
While my wife went on a drive, I played with the Porsche AR Visualizer app. This is the Cayman GTS 4.0 in Midnight Blue. You can go into the configurator and make the car look exactly like you want and get a code and display that car. I didn't do that here - this is just the generic version in the app. It is still kinda cool. You can walk around the car with your phone and look at different details. You can even poke into the interior and look at details in the interior.
Driving in straight it barely clears - like a single sheet of paper.
The picture above is not with the car directly straight on (perpendicular to the the curb) and if you roll up to the curb at an even shallower angle, you can roll the tire up the curb before the lip scrapes and then turn back to straighten out on the driveway.
But it clears!!!
While my wife went on a drive, I played with the Porsche AR Visualizer app. This is the Cayman GTS 4.0 in Midnight Blue. You can go into the configurator and make the car look exactly like you want and get a code and display that car. I didn't do that here - this is just the generic version in the app. It is still kinda cool. You can walk around the car with your phone and look at different details. You can even poke into the interior and look at details in the interior.
slik560
Well-known member
Wow...I wish I had the skills to actually put the car in a garage pic like that. I like this configuration.
As for the 997 front lip - time to rent a concrete saw and start in on the offending pavement!!
As for the 997 front lip - time to rent a concrete saw and start in on the offending pavement!!
Haha. Again, you guys are giving me too much credit. The AR in the app name means augmented reality and the app puts the car in the view of your phone camera. The app lets you take a picture when you are standing where you like the view. No real skill needed.
As far as configuration, I made one I liked with more options than I can probably afford and was going to take that picture. I wrote down the code but mixed up a 5 and an S.
I’ve wanted to redo the driveway for years.... maybe....
As far as configuration, I made one I liked with more options than I can probably afford and was going to take that picture. I wrote down the code but mixed up a 5 and an S.
I’ve wanted to redo the driveway for years.... maybe....