Rhino Underground - 4 Car Tandem

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

I'm a long-time lurker and occasional poster. I thought it was time to create a thread about my new, old garage and the updates I plan to make.

In the Spring of 2013, my wife and I decided it was time to downsize. The house we had built for our young family in 1994 was entirely too big for the two of us once the kids had grown and moved on to start their own lives. So, we started the process of getting our old house ready to sell and began looking for smaller homes in the same general area.

At the same time, some very good friends of ours were dealing with the unenviable task of moving their elderly father in to an assisted care facility and readying his former home for sale. We stopped by the house for a visit, and immediately fell in love with the place.

The house was built in the mid-1950's. I don't know much about architecture, but I've been told the style is "Mid-Century Modern". The house is separated into two wings by a triangular foyer. The living area is "open concept", with a huge stone fireplace in the middle. The sleeping area is more traditional, with a master suite, two additional bedrooms, an office and a bathroom. There is a full basement underneath the sleeping area of the house.

The layout of the house is very cool, but what drew me in lurks around the corner and underneath the living area..... A four car tandem garage I've dubbed the "Rhino Underground".

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

When we first looked at the house, the family of the previous owner was in the process of sorting through all of his things to determine what to save, what to donate and what to pitch. The garage was pretty much a dumping ground for what to pitch. Here's how it looked when we toured the house in April of 2013.

Facade:

East Bay looking in:

East Bay interior:

West Bay looking out:

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

It took until December, 2013 to find a buyer for our old house. In the mean time, the family of the previous owner did a remarkable job sorting through all of his belongings and getting the house into move-in condition. My wife and I were able to rent the house starting in mid-January. We closed the deal on our old house and purchased the new house in mid-February. Here's how the garage looked when we moved in:

East Bay looking out:

West Bay looking out:

And the fireplace, which extends from the basement through the first floor:

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

The first order of business was to make the garage usable. The driveway hadn't seen a car in several years, and had "returned to nature". The garage doors and openers were almost 20 years old, and in very poor condition. Finally, there were no workbenches, just 3 old cabinet bases that served as both workbenches and storage.

We had the garage doors and openers replaced, and had the driveway graded and rocked.

Here are the results:

After searching through the workbench thread on GJ, I settled on a plan to steal. I stole J Persons' design from this post, and built three benches:

My first "project" using the new workbenches was a "plaything" for my 5 month old grandson. Cut some 3/4" PVC to size, capped off the ends and wa-la:

He lays underneath it and plays with toys my daughter clips to the crossbar.

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

This past weekend was spent doing some much needed cleaning and organizing. I ran coax and CAT5e wiring in the garage to serve the living area. I also took out this monstrosity:

It was amazingly terrible. Paneling, pegboard and shelf brackets mounted on 1x2's. All held to the wall by regular wood screws, which were screwed into drywall anchors in the block wall. I don't know who built it, or how old it was, but it's in a pile in the yard waiting for trash day.

Here's what we have today:

East Bay looking in:

West Bay looking in:

Going forward, plans include complete rewiring to a dedicated subpanel, plumbing for a wash tub, insulating between the joists as well as the walls, and drywalling the entire garage.

Thanks for looking! More to come....

bazzateer · Apr 21, 2014

looks like a great space!

rrudd2 · Apr 21, 2014

Crud! I'll get that figured out and update as necessary. Sorry!

dubber · Apr 21, 2014

Wow! Excellent score. Looks really unique.

Bosque · Apr 21, 2014

So it looks like a drive in basement which makes it a garage!
Looks awesome and you should be able to do some amazing things with that place.
I love the fireplace down there too.

kmcphee · Apr 23, 2014

I really love this space, it has lots of potential. This space would never pass code as a garage where I'm from with those open trusses. This hole room would have to be sealed off from the living quarters above. If you drive vehicles in there carbon monoxide would get upstairs even with just drywall. I would vapor barrier everything first then drywall. Sounds like you are planning on some good reno's, doing the plastic vapor is quite minor. Best to check your local code though. Again, this space is awesome!

JMURiz · Apr 24, 2014

Get those HVAC ducts sealed up and enclosed in 1/2" drywall for sure...you don't want a running car in the garage to kill someone in the house.

Nice big space with lots of potential too...my wife would have a field day designing the inside of that MCM house.

mr overdunne · Apr 24, 2014

Progressing nicely. Good pics too!

vonhef · Apr 24, 2014

Thanks for posting.... I like the space in the garage.

Zeke · Apr 24, 2014

Nice house. Great garages. No to pry, but let's see a pic of the open house space and fireplace.

volleyball · Apr 24, 2014

That is a great space. But I would not use it as a daily garage. more of a workshop. I'd add a garage in front of it with a deck above, maybe use part for a master/bath/closet.
Is that an antenna tower on the corner of the house?

jsherid1 · Apr 25, 2014

Very cool and unique Mid-Century house--Atomic Ranch Magazine is a great source for ideas for houses like yours. Is the house still original inside?

GRN96WS6 · Apr 25, 2014

Nice place, would be even better if it had exits on both ends so you didn't have to shuffle cars!

rrudd2 · Apr 25, 2014

Thanks for all the kind words!

kmcphee said:
I really love this space, it has lots of potential. This space would never pass code as a garage where I'm from with those open trusses. This hole room would have to be sealed off from the living quarters above. If you drive vehicles in there carbon monoxide would get upstairs even with just drywall. I would vapor barrier everything first then drywall. Sounds like you are planning on some good reno's, doing the plastic vapor is quite minor. Best to check your local code though. Again, this space is awesome!

JMURiz said:
Get those HVAC ducts sealed up and enclosed in 1/2" drywall for sure...you don't want a running car in the garage to kill someone in the house.

The very next part of the project is to insulate, seal and drywall the ceiling to minimize the risk of CO leaking into the living area. This will include sealing and/or replacing the duct work.

We are fully aware that as the garage stands right now, it is a carbon monoxide danger to the remainder of the house. We wouldn't be using the garage for cars right now if the kids still lived at home. Since it is just my wife and me, we are parking in the garage with the understanding that we must shut off the car as soon as we park.

Zeke said:
Nice house. Great garages. No to pry, but let's see a pic of the open house space and fireplace.

Here are a few. Sorry about the image quality. I should have used the flash on my cell phone.

Fireplace on the first floor:

Kitchen and Dining area:

Living area:

volleyball said:
That is a great space. But I would not use it as a daily garage. more of a workshop. I'd add a garage in front of it with a deck above, maybe use part for a master/bath/closet.
Is that an antenna tower on the corner of the house?

It's really not an option to expand the garage. The lot is relatively small, and the placement of the house on the lot doesn't leave enough room.

Yes, that is an antenna. We're experimenting with over-the-air TV right now. So far, so good.

jsherid1 said:
Very cool and unique Mid-Century house--Atomic Ranch Magazine is a great source for ideas for houses like yours. Is the house still original inside?

It appears that the living area of the house was remodeled in the late 90's. We do not know what it looked like prior to that. Friends who grew up with the people that lived in the house in the 70's have told us that it wasn't nearly as open as it is now.

I will point my wife to Atomic Ranch Magazine. She's the decorator. I'm cheap labor! I have staked out the garage as my space. She's fine with that, since that was the arrangement in our old house.

MacTexas · Apr 25, 2014

Looks like a good start. I like the antenna mast.

JustinS · Apr 25, 2014

Definitely a cool space.

bazzateer · Apr 26, 2014

rrudd2 said:
We're experimenting with over-the-air TV right now. So far, so good.

Whatever will they think of next eh? :thumbup:

rrudd2 · Sep 21, 2014

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost 5 months since I updated this thread. We've been working outside the house mostly. There's been a lot to do outside, trying to get the yard and property somewhat under control.

I have made some progress on the garage. I'm working on it in "halves". The East bay is getting done first, so that I can get my "summer" car stored inside before the weather turns.

First up, we had the water heater replaced and relocated in order to free up space in the garage.

Before:

After:

rrudd2 · Sep 21, 2014

Next up for the East bay, insulation.

I put up 2 inches of foil-faced insulation glued directly to the cinder block walls.

All of the rim joist cavities were caulked and insulated with same foil-faced insulation. I spray-foamed the gaps around the insulation.

rrudd2 · Sep 21, 2014

Yesterday, my son came down and we framed the walls for the East bay.

East wall done, with my son pushing the broom:

We got to use my new toy to do the framing!!!

Next up, wiring for outlets and lights.

bry@n · Sep 21, 2014

Looking good. Thanks for the update.

Krokodil · Sep 21, 2014

Very nice place!

Sunbimmer · Sep 21, 2014

Yeah I somehow lost this one, very nice house, love the building style. Good progress :thumbup:

I'm following again, please keep us updated.

dubber · Sep 22, 2014

Nice progress and great job getting that tank relocated.

95riosnake · Jul 20, 2015

Has there been any more progress on this build rrudd2?

I love mid century moderns and a 4 car tandem is a little slice of heaven in my book.

Bib Overalls · Jul 20, 2015

I'm ready for more - progress and pictures.

bloomingtonmike · Oct 19, 2015

Nice! My mom grew up in Petersburg and I have family in Mason City and Greenview still. Thanks for the pictures.

Rhino Underground - 4 Car Tandem

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