The Wild Oak Garage Brewery

goofiefoot · Jan 16, 2017

Let's get this started!

This typical urban ranch-style house, 20'x26' attached 2-car garage, built in 1974, was purchased by us in 2006. I've been using and abusing the space for over 10 years, and it's time to get it organized. This may be a slow process, but I've made some good first steps, so I figured I'd start posting about it to keep the momentum going.

My goal is to make the most of this small space. There are a few other house projects that will co-depend this one, and I will share the progress as I go. If I can brew beer, build stuff, work on vehicles, and know everything has its happy little place, I'll feel accomplished.

I hope to share my progress, any ideas for organization, and projects that come along. I've enjoyed this community and look for any suggestions and advice as we go along.

Here's what I'm starting with:

I've prided myself with always being able to park two vehicles in the garage. Buying the pop-up meant my wife's truck got the boot, but the camper is easily moved out of the garage when I need the space.

There is plenty of driveway space to work with when I need the whole garage. This is my wife's 2007 F150 with almost 150k miles. We bought it new, and it's been a great truck. I haven't had to wrench on it too much (knock on wood), save the 5.4L broken spark plug debacle. The camper is a 2013 Rockwood that's been all over Texas and into New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

My 2009 Jeep Rubicon has been a fun addition to the garage, and I have kept busy upgrading and maintaining it since I bought it in 2013. The 3.8L drinks oil like crazy, but it has been a fairly reliable vehicle.

Most of the east wall is filled with brewing stuff. My brew rig is 8'x2' and I am trying to sell it to buy a smaller, more efficient setup. The kegs, carboys, bottles, hoses, and whatnot mostly fit on the rolling metro rack shelves, which I plan to reconfigure for tool storage.

The west wall has some flat-storage potential, possibly a space for fold-down work tables as well, but is hard to access around the camper. I plan to relocate the pegboard wall.

The north alcove area is my main current workspace, and will continue to be. The upright freezer is my deer meat storage, and the chest freezer is my fermentation chamber for brewing. The upright will move inside to the laundry room to give me room for a proper workbench. I've moved many of the tools from the pegboard into my new tool chest, and that board will either be repurposed or tossed out. The wood closet houses the water heater.

I'm storing a lot of **** in this space, and I know I'll spend a lot of time finding a better way to organize, move stuff to other locations, or simply throwing things out.

Screen%2520Shot%25202017-01-16%2520at%25201.27.06%2520PM.PNG

My initial thoughts, once I sell my brew rig, are to shuffle the existing cabinets to the east wall to hold brewing equipment. With the upright freezer in the laundry room, I can build a 72"x30" rolling workbench at 40" height to match the tool chest, and allow space for the rolling drawer card to store underneath. The metro rack rolls as well, which should allow quick access to the water heater if maintenance is required. I'm not thrilled with the proposed placement of the chest freezer, but I think I can make it work once I start moving things around.

goofiefoot · Jan 16, 2017

I bought myself a Harbor Freight 44" tool chest for Christmas this year to begin my garage organization. I've been placing tools to figure out the best layout, and am pleased with the space so far. There are several empty drawers right now, which I'll find good use for.

I cut down a shelf I tore out from my kitchen remodel to mount socket rails. I will need to come back an label the socket sizes below each rail, but I'm pleased with the flexibility of this solution so far.

The screwdrivers and wrenches slide around when opening and closing the drawers, and I plan to find a good solution to keep them in place once I finalize the placement of everything.

goofiefoot · Jan 16, 2017

Our laundry room is one of the last rooms to update, and is next on the list to accommodate the upright freezer. I have the stacking kit for the washer/dryer, and plan to reroute the dryer vent.

Screen%2520Shot%25202017-01-16%2520at%25204.06.29%2520PM.PNG

I plan to use IKEA cabinets here, which I've used throughout the house. Each of the cabinets shown are 24" depth. Since IKEA doesn't provide a 12" wide tower cabinet, I'm planning to use 3 12" base cabinets stacked for the tower, with the bottom unit as a pull-out hamper. The space is exactly 72" wide, so I may find the tolerances of the cabinets too tight. I'll install the upper cabinets first, and see if there is room for the tower. If not, I'll build that part custom.

goofiefoot · Jan 17, 2017

I've been threatening to build a new shed since we moved into this house. I hate the barn roof, as it allows no usable wall-hanging space, and the build quality is ****. The concrete slab it rests on is 10'x10' but the building is 10'x12'. When I tear it down, I'm hoping the foundation and floor is solid enough to re-use. If so, I'll put down a new plywood deck, turn the foundation 90 degrees, and build a single-slope lean-to with 8' walls, going up to 9.5' at the front. That should give me plenty of storage for bikes and extra camping equipment that are currently in the garage.

DirtyV · Jan 17, 2017

Sweet. Looking like some good ideas to maximize the space! Good work

goofiefoot · Jan 29, 2017

No huge updates.

We had new windows installed through the house. Well, mostly. The installers dropped one of the windows off the trailer, and the replacement is on order. My wife has wanted new windows since we moved in, and I've resisted for over 10 years. When my weedeater threw a rock through the kitchen window this fall, I finally gave in. I'm pleased with the look, and I know we'll see some improvement on utilities.

Before

After

So, that depletes the house budget by a good margin, but I've still been pushing ahead with plans. The roof on the shed is deteriorating very quickly, so that will be my next big project. I found a set of plans that I'm really happy with, that should allow me to use my existing base, and is within my abilities to build.

Seen here

Once I can get the shed and laundry room knocked out, I can start taking a hard look at the garage itself. I've been piddling around, getting things organized, and considering what to keep, or not. The city had bulk-item pickup last week, so I got rid a few things (I decided to say goodbye to the deer head in the garage - it was a gag gift anyway, and falling apart). Of course, once that was over, I found several items I should have put by the curb as well.

One great thing that's come out of my time in the garage is my 4-year-old daughter's interest in what I'm doing and what everything does in the garage. She comes out there with me, and I give her tools to use, or set her to "organizing" parts. She loves being out there, and I love teaching her about tools, parts, and shop safety.

A kid-sized workspace out here is definitely on the list of projects.

Wrench 2201 · Jan 29, 2017

Looks like quite the project. I really like your idea for the laundry/freezer. We have been discussing a freezer lately and already have the stacked W/D... Thanks for the idea and good luck with your plans! :beer:

goofiefoot · Feb 19, 2017

Sllloooooowww progress. We got our last window installed on Friday, and we can finally start putting the last bits of furniture back where they belong. I have the day off tomorrow, and plan to clear out the shed and inspect the flooring to make sure I can use the base in my new build.

I was able to label my sockets over the weekend, using white electrical tape to write it all out. Not a huge step forward, but glad to have that done, and be able to quickly identify sizes when in use.

MacTexas · Feb 20, 2017

Enjoy every minute of your little helper. My little helper got married last year. They grow up quick.

Looks like a good start on your garage.

Bib Overalls · Feb 20, 2017

Have you considered selling your shed? They are easy to move and cost a bunch when new. I have seen them on Craigslist and they seem to bring good money.

goofiefoot · Feb 20, 2017

MacTexas said:
Enjoy every minute of your little helper. My little helper got married last year. They grow up quick.

Looks like a good start on your garage.

I don't take a minute for granted. She's a handful, but so sweet. Plus, she has the same love for cars and the outdoors as I do. I can't even move the Jeep into the garage without her wanting to "drive" it.

Bib Overalls said:
Have you considered selling your shed? They are easy to move and cost a bunch when new. I have seen them on Craigslist and they seem to bring good money.

There is no way to get the shed out of the back yard without disassembling it. It's been back there long enough for trees to grow up in the way of any exit through the fence.

I did clear it out today, and look things over. I can reuse quite a bit of lumber, and the floor isn't too bad. I'll need to take up one water-damaged section of plywood, throw a patch down, then overlay the whole floor with new ply.

goofiefoot · Mar 26, 2017

I started on the shed today. The going was slow, as I was taking out nails and staples (lots and lots of staples) as I was going.

I cleared everything but the spare lumber out of the shed. I had to kick the Jeep out of its parking spot.

Starting point this morning.

Doors and shingles off before I stopped for lunch.

Done for today.

We have some rain in the forecast this week, so I'll need to get a tarp in place to protect the lumber and flooring. I'm hoping to get more done each evening.

Bib Overalls · Mar 26, 2017

What are you going to do with the slab?

captain14 · Mar 26, 2017

Is it Reasonable To pour the last 2 foot section so you have a solid base for the new whes?

goofiefoot · Mar 26, 2017

Bib Overalls said:
What are you going to do with the slab?

The slab's staying where it is. I'm keeping the current foundation of the shed, turning it 90 degrees and letting it hang 2 ft off the right side. I plan to dig out that side and put some gravel or something similar to rest the support blocks.

goofiefoot · Mar 26, 2017

captain14 said:
Is it Reasonable To pour the last 2 foot section so you have a solid base for the new whes?

Reasonable? Probably.

I explored this a while back in the General forum. Consensus was to re-pour the whole slab, which I wasn't keen on. I may still consider drilling in for some rebar and pouring that area, but I'd have to do it myself, and that's a lot of bags of concrete.

At the end of the day, I'm not too worried about leveling that side with blocks, since the foundation has operated that way for who knows how long.

goofiefoot · Apr 13, 2017

Finally, some progress. I've been slowly working on the shed over the past couple of weeks, but between work, family, and rainstorms, it's not as far along as I'd like.

But...

I have a foundation!

I was able to rotate the base 90 degrees, which took some muscle and levers. The water-damaged section of flooring did not have damage to the underlying joists, so I patched it and put down new plywood over the old. There are a few small gaps between boards - any suggestion of what to use to fill them?

I hope to start building walls over the new few weeks in the evenings after work. Slow progress...

On the garage front, I gained 16 square feet of floor space in the garage by selling the old beer brewing rig. A young man and his girlfriend were thrilled to start using the setup, and I'm excited to have some space back. Of course, I'm filling it with things that should go in the shed for the time being.

goofiefoot · Apr 16, 2017

I had a free Saturday to do some work, and took full advantage of it.

11:30 am - Back from Home Depot with a truck full of lumber.

5:30 pm - Front and rear walls upright.

I had a scare with the front wall. As I was lifting it into place, I got it up above my head and the base started sliding. As I was working to stop it, my feet caught on the rear wall, still lying on the foundation. The wall came out of my hands and fell on my shoulders, knocking me to the ground. I lucked out and had no major injuries. A bruised arm and collarbone, and some hurt pride.

7:30 pm - All 4 walls in place, and surprisingly, all square and plumb.

I'm sore today, am really happy with the results. I've not built something on this scale, and didn't expect to get so much done in one day. My new nail gun came in handy, though it gave my little pancake compressor a workout.

sawduststeve · Apr 16, 2017

Great work on the new shed, well done fella. :thumbup:

Some nice trucks and tools you have, looking forward to the garage and shed progress.

regards
Steve.

bj383ss · Apr 16, 2017

Shed is looking good. I was building my shed this exact time last year. I like the plan you are going for. There is another member on here that is in Austin that has built a similar type shed or small garage. Can't remember exactly.

Glad to see you enjoying your helper.

Bret

goofiefoot · Apr 22, 2017

Rafters and purlins are cut and stained, and I hope to install them tomorrow.

goofiefoot · Apr 23, 2017

What a beautiful day to work outside. I got a great start on my farmer's tan (sunburn), and made some decent progress on the shed roof. I've been dreading this part of the build, as I'm not overly fond of working on ladders, and I knew I'd be working solo.

The rafters went up fairly easily. I used my new pocket hole jig to get them secured, then came back with the "required" hurricane ties. I don't think they're going anywhere.

The purlins were slow going, as I was taking my time, and still managed to make a few mistakes that needed fixing.

The end caps were a trick by myself, especially at 16' long, and the upper end 12' off the ground. I tacked the upper end with one nail to pivot, then picked up the opposite end, held it in place with some clamps, and secured it with the nail gun. Then I went back to the upper side (again, not a big fan of ladders), knocked the nail back out and evened it all out.

I did head back over to Home Depot to grab the corrugated metal and screws for the roof. I got a few panels in place, but dusk crept up on me, and I didn't get a chance to take a photo before dark.

Kburk09 · Apr 24, 2017

Its probably just the picture but the slope doesn't seem as great as your prior picture example. Looks like you knocked alot of the project out in a short time especially working solo. I built my shed with a nail gun and 6 gallon compressor as well. It just pretty much ran constantly and i knew i could only shoot a few nails in quick succession before i had to wait for it to catch up. Still better than a hammer though!

-Brent- · Apr 24, 2017

I like that shed! I'm not a fan of that much screen above the windows so it was neat to see your set-up and the larger windows.

Still planning that screen?

goofiefoot · Apr 24, 2017

Kburk09 said:
Its probably just the picture but the slope doesn't seem as great as your prior picture example. Looks like you knocked alot of the project out in a short time especially working solo. I built my shed with a nail gun and 6 gallon compressor as well. It just pretty much ran constantly and i knew i could only shoot a few nails in quick succession before i had to wait for it to catch up. Still better than a hammer though!

Same slope throughout. Front wall is 107" and back is 88", roughly a 9 degree slope.

-Brent- said:
I like that shed! I'm not a fan of that much screen above the windows so it was neat to see your set-up and the larger windows.

Still planning that screen?

Yes, I'm still planning the screen. Since I used 2x8 rafters, instead of 2x6, the openings will be even larger and I plan to use both regular screen and hardware cloth for reinforcement. Should hold up well, and most importantly, vent. I don't plan on sleeping in there, but it will make it more bearable on our multiple 100 degree+ days throughout the year.

goofiefoot · Apr 24, 2017

I got the back half of the roof metal up this evening. This was the easy part (did I mention I really don't like working on ladders?).

I may need to borrow my dad's 10' ladder once I get to the end of the top row.

kjdhawkhill · Apr 25, 2017

Nice progress on the shed. Family handyman projects all look good- and yours looks like you're handling it quite well, especially solo.

goofiefoot · Apr 30, 2017

The roof is all on! I got all but the last two panels installed with my 8' and 6' ladder, but ended up driving to my folks house and back today (over 1 hour each way) to grab my dad's 10' ladder for the last two. I'm glad to have that done.

Now on to siding.

shortykorte · Apr 30, 2017

I have that issue and really liked that shed and really liked it. Look forward to see how it turns out.

taumac · Apr 30, 2017

Wow, nice looking shed your building there. I wish I could build one. You have same idea about your garage as I do that cars get parked inside. Looking forward to seeing your garage ideas and progress on the shed.

goofiefoot · May 2, 2017

Started on the siding this evening. I got the 5 "easy" pieces in place. The LP Smart Siding is easy to work with, and I'm really liking my Makita circular saw combined with the Kreg Rip Cut jig, so the rest should go just as well.

I'm considering using some leftover corrugated roofing to fill in the space on the sides over the top of the siding. I'm not sure how I'd get it done, but I think it would look cool.

goofiefoot · May 8, 2017

Still only working in the evenings, so my 2 hours only goes so far, including time to collect all the tools I need, and have time to put them all away before it gets dark.

I got the siding up on each side wall this evening.

I'll admit, I'm somewhat accident prone. Never anything too major, but I've had my share of close calls. This evening I had an uncomfortable encounter with my circular saw. The Kreg Rip Cut makes long cuts easy, so I guess I got a bit complacent in cutting, and absentmindedly tried to move a piece of wood supporting the siding right where I was cutting through.

This could have easily been much, much worse, and it definitely reminded me to keep my eyes and mind on exactly what I'm doing.

rattle_snake · May 9, 2017

What would you like to replace your all-grain setup with? What's on tap and what's fermenting?

goofiefoot · May 9, 2017

rattle_snake said:
What would you like to replace your all-grain setup with? What's on tap and what's fermenting?

I'm looking to move to a single-vessel 240V brew-in-a-bag setup. There are several manufacturers I'm considering, as well as building it myself. Time will most likely dictate me buying a off-the-shelf product.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to brew in over a year, so supplies are all gone. I have a 3-tap kegerator that's sadly empty, and a chest freezer fermentation chamber that's acting as a benchtop at the moment.

The ultimate goal of getting the garage and house in order is to give me time to get back into brewing! Stay tuned!

bdbecker · May 9, 2017

We used to brew beer in college... I really miss it and have thought about getting back into it - nothing crazy, just a simple 5-7 gallon batch setup to scratch the itch. Then again, I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head.

Nice progress on the shed by the way! I'm probably going to borrow that design for my daughter's playhouse build.

wokkerk · May 9, 2017

The shed is really starting to come together! I like the modern look of it!

rattle_snake · May 10, 2017

goofiefoot said:
I'm looking to move to a single-vessel 240V brew-in-a-bag setup. There are several manufacturers I'm considering, as well as building it myself. Time will most likely dictate me buying a off-the-shelf product.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to brew in over a year, so supplies are all gone. I have a 3-tap kegerator that's sadly empty, and a chest freezer fermentation chamber that's acting as a benchtop at the moment.

The ultimate goal of getting the garage and house in order is to give me time to get back into brewing! Stay tuned!

bdbecker said:
We used to brew beer in college... I really miss it and have thought about getting back into it - nothing crazy, just a simple 5-7 gallon batch setup to scratch the itch. Then again, I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head.

I took a brewing sabbatical when I had kids, so I understand, however you guys should get started again. goofiefoot, what about a quick extract batch? I know its a big downgrade from your grain setup but it would put the fermenter and kegs back into use....

goofiefoot · May 14, 2017

rattle_snake said:
I took a brewing sabbatical when I had kids, so I understand, however you guys should get started again. goofiefoot, what about a quick extract batch? I know its a big downgrade from your grain setup but it would put the fermenter and kegs back into use....

One of the biggest reasons for starting this project is to have time and space to brew again. We're getting closer. I haven't done an extract batch in years, but that's certainly not a bad idea. Heck, just throwing together an apfelwein or ginger beer could get the system some use as well. Thanks for the encouragement!

goofiefoot · May 14, 2017

I got the remainder of the siding up on Friday.

My little girl turned 5 today, and yesterday was her birthday party, plus a lunch after for the moms. My dad was eager to come "inspect" my work. It was good to get his thoughts on next steps.

My next steps are working on the vent screens, windows and doors. The original shed plans called for sliding barn style doors, but after looking over the hardware, and thinking through maintenance and longevity, I believe I will use hinges instead. It should be more secure that way as well.

Pathfinders · May 14, 2017

Awesome progress. Love the look of the shed.

The Wild Oak Garage Brewery

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

ALLIANCE MEMBER

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member