Garage-TwentySix – A suburban Two-car in Melbourne, Australia.
Chapter One – The beginning I guess.
After lurking in the garage threads for a hell of a long time and checking out some of the things people are up to, I figured it may be time to post mine up. Like the majority on here, I’m finding it difficult to make the reality match the dream; there simply isn’t enough hours in the day, money in the pocket, other commitments getting in the way etc to do the things I want to do in the time I want them [now!]. Progress will be slow going, but there is a fair bit to do even prior to having to spend bulk amounts of money so hopefully this will give me the kick up the backside I need to get started properly. As it stands, and at least initially, this thread will be just as much about the things I do in here, as it will be about the building itself.
But first, a bit of history, which should help give some context on why I am the way I am. I apologize if this is a bit long winded, but when I started writing this it was a slow day at work so I kinda got carried away.
I grew up in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, an area where migrants of different ethnicities all settled in the late 80s/early 90s. The area developed over the years and began to grow, empty land being turned into new estates at a rapid rate. When my parents first moved here from Europe in 1985, they settled in a brand new house in Thomastown. While the suburb itself is far older than that, the particular section where their house was built was still a recently new development. House was bought literally as JUST the house – my dad then proceeded to build a two car garage with a small workshop and kitchenette behind it, the brick wall up front and landscaping etc, doing everything himself. Dad is, along with my god father Tom, the reason I have the interests I have – both have always been hands on, the why would I pay someone else to do something I can do type, Dad more so with cars and building things.
So no real surprise then that I would grow up to be a rev head [the Australian equivalent of a gearhead]. Will have to find a photo of that house sometime.
Out front of Mum and Dads second house sometime in 2010. Blue car looks VERY different now
Come ’95 and the parents had finished building their new house, 15mins up the road [scary to think that its now been 20yrs!]. Importantly, it too had a two car garage with drive through access on one side, that same side also having a bit of extra depth. Some 7 years later I would take over that garage when I bought my first of many cars, banishing my poor father to the shed he built in the back yard. It was pretty sparse back then, just some shelving on one side, a fridge at the end and that was it. No work bench [dad had one in the shed], just a piece of carpet that I would assemble things on, knelt down on the ground, using the basic tool box [roller cabinet] my parents bought me for my 16th birthday. Lighting was TERRIBLE, but that was probably because dad never intended to work in there – besides, most of his projects involved the house itself.
Very basic, but I got sh*t done in there – built multiple cars there from quick engine changes and flips, to engine conversions, resprays and smash repairs etc.
Best early internal shot I could find of mum and dads – still have that car
Alas, things change, and it was time to find my own place. I had fruitlessly searched for two years, each candidate either being too expensive or needing too much work, or not having the practical things I needed – it had to be somewhere, for eg, that I could comfortably live in and not a dingy area where I needed a Rottweiler to make sure my things didn’t go walking, or it had to have a second bathroom. But more often than not, the primary reason for knocking back most places was a selfish one – it didn’t have a garage, or if it did, it was only a single-car/no drive through access to the back of the block, had a non-low-car friendly driveway and so on. I looked at new houses [block too small, garage too small etc], I looked at old houses [no garage, too dingy, sh*tty area]. Had pretty much given up looking.
Its easy to take things for granted; the toolbox my parents bought me for my birthday was languishing in the weather along with my first project car – atleast the car had a cover! But one thing I never took for granted though was the need to have a proper garage.
So one rainy Saturday afternoon late in 2012 I’m working on my car, blocking back high fill when Mum mentions there is a house around the corner going on auction in half an hours time. She had gone and had inspected it with Dad and apparently its right up my alley. Previously I had ruled out my parents estate because the area being relatively desirable meant that the prices were out of my reach – or so I thought.
Real estate photos always make things look better. Trust me, it was terrible
Here it was then – a 5 bedroom Brick house sitting on a 658sq m block of land, just 9 houses down from the house I spent the better part of 17years growing up in. It was future proof - one of the criteria was I didn’t want to buy a house I would have to sell come family start up time. It had a wide frontage [I hate narrow blocks, don’t ask me why]. It had an ensuite, it had a decent sized block with a usable yard in a quiet street. But most importantly, it had a a generously sized [keep in mind, Australians don’t need to park massive trucks in here lol] garage with space for shelving, a work bench, a flat driveway to actually be able to get a car in the garage in the first place, and drive through access to a nice big concreted area.
This was it.
Standing in front of the shed – look at how much the bush is covering the garage door
After almost three years, I still cant kill this tree
And somehow, after coming in as the winning bidder, I had myself a house. Lets just ignore the neglected yard, rotted bathrooms and half-started renovation that was stopped due to a divorce. No problem right?
More to come.
N-
Chapter One – The beginning I guess.
After lurking in the garage threads for a hell of a long time and checking out some of the things people are up to, I figured it may be time to post mine up. Like the majority on here, I’m finding it difficult to make the reality match the dream; there simply isn’t enough hours in the day, money in the pocket, other commitments getting in the way etc to do the things I want to do in the time I want them [now!]. Progress will be slow going, but there is a fair bit to do even prior to having to spend bulk amounts of money so hopefully this will give me the kick up the backside I need to get started properly. As it stands, and at least initially, this thread will be just as much about the things I do in here, as it will be about the building itself.
But first, a bit of history, which should help give some context on why I am the way I am. I apologize if this is a bit long winded, but when I started writing this it was a slow day at work so I kinda got carried away.
I grew up in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, an area where migrants of different ethnicities all settled in the late 80s/early 90s. The area developed over the years and began to grow, empty land being turned into new estates at a rapid rate. When my parents first moved here from Europe in 1985, they settled in a brand new house in Thomastown. While the suburb itself is far older than that, the particular section where their house was built was still a recently new development. House was bought literally as JUST the house – my dad then proceeded to build a two car garage with a small workshop and kitchenette behind it, the brick wall up front and landscaping etc, doing everything himself. Dad is, along with my god father Tom, the reason I have the interests I have – both have always been hands on, the why would I pay someone else to do something I can do type, Dad more so with cars and building things.
So no real surprise then that I would grow up to be a rev head [the Australian equivalent of a gearhead]. Will have to find a photo of that house sometime.
Out front of Mum and Dads second house sometime in 2010. Blue car looks VERY different now
Come ’95 and the parents had finished building their new house, 15mins up the road [scary to think that its now been 20yrs!]. Importantly, it too had a two car garage with drive through access on one side, that same side also having a bit of extra depth. Some 7 years later I would take over that garage when I bought my first of many cars, banishing my poor father to the shed he built in the back yard. It was pretty sparse back then, just some shelving on one side, a fridge at the end and that was it. No work bench [dad had one in the shed], just a piece of carpet that I would assemble things on, knelt down on the ground, using the basic tool box [roller cabinet] my parents bought me for my 16th birthday. Lighting was TERRIBLE, but that was probably because dad never intended to work in there – besides, most of his projects involved the house itself.
Very basic, but I got sh*t done in there – built multiple cars there from quick engine changes and flips, to engine conversions, resprays and smash repairs etc.
Best early internal shot I could find of mum and dads – still have that car
Alas, things change, and it was time to find my own place. I had fruitlessly searched for two years, each candidate either being too expensive or needing too much work, or not having the practical things I needed – it had to be somewhere, for eg, that I could comfortably live in and not a dingy area where I needed a Rottweiler to make sure my things didn’t go walking, or it had to have a second bathroom. But more often than not, the primary reason for knocking back most places was a selfish one – it didn’t have a garage, or if it did, it was only a single-car/no drive through access to the back of the block, had a non-low-car friendly driveway and so on. I looked at new houses [block too small, garage too small etc], I looked at old houses [no garage, too dingy, sh*tty area]. Had pretty much given up looking.
Its easy to take things for granted; the toolbox my parents bought me for my birthday was languishing in the weather along with my first project car – atleast the car had a cover! But one thing I never took for granted though was the need to have a proper garage.
So one rainy Saturday afternoon late in 2012 I’m working on my car, blocking back high fill when Mum mentions there is a house around the corner going on auction in half an hours time. She had gone and had inspected it with Dad and apparently its right up my alley. Previously I had ruled out my parents estate because the area being relatively desirable meant that the prices were out of my reach – or so I thought.
Real estate photos always make things look better. Trust me, it was terrible
Here it was then – a 5 bedroom Brick house sitting on a 658sq m block of land, just 9 houses down from the house I spent the better part of 17years growing up in. It was future proof - one of the criteria was I didn’t want to buy a house I would have to sell come family start up time. It had a wide frontage [I hate narrow blocks, don’t ask me why]. It had an ensuite, it had a decent sized block with a usable yard in a quiet street. But most importantly, it had a a generously sized [keep in mind, Australians don’t need to park massive trucks in here lol] garage with space for shelving, a work bench, a flat driveway to actually be able to get a car in the garage in the first place, and drive through access to a nice big concreted area.
This was it.
Standing in front of the shed – look at how much the bush is covering the garage door
After almost three years, I still cant kill this tree
And somehow, after coming in as the winning bidder, I had myself a house. Lets just ignore the neglected yard, rotted bathrooms and half-started renovation that was stopped due to a divorce. No problem right?
More to come.
N-
).
