Above 1200 Sq/FT Abandoned Heliport | Studio + Garage

[chicane]

They became super docile.

It’s been two weeks since I caught them and they’re just noodle kittens that get into everything lol! One of them had a minor medical issue that I wanted to treat before releasing [together] so they became accustomed to me handling them, putting them in warm bath water, etc.

I don’t suggest handling wildlife but snakes are one of the most predictable animals on earth...and apparently they’ll try to take your job lol!



Plus Copperheads are so beautiful I can’t stop taking pics of them!

Playing with venomous wildlife is playing with fire. A bite from one of those suckers may not kill you, but it will cause lifelong health issues like scarring of the heart and necroses. Leave those critters be and send them back from whence they came......

 

[drivesitfar]

Speed: I still can't believe you caught and trained those 2 copperhead snakes. speaking of them are they still alive and doing ok or did they bite you and that's why you haven't posted anything lately?

any updates on your cool project please post up a few pics if you would cause I'm sure that others are waiting patiently for more too.

cheers!!

 

[Bib Overalls]

Every now and then I will read in the paper about a preacher or believer who was bitten because they thought a viper was "predictable."

 

[sbosecker]

I went to an Estate Sale that was a bit further afield today. After I had finished with that I realized I wasn't that far away from SpeedMinded's project so, since those of us that follow his thread are starting to get concerned, I decided to drop by uninvited and see if all was well.

I drove up to the Abandoned Heliport and, despite my bad manners by arriving unannounced, was greeted graciously by SpeedMinded.

He was working on his project and was unharmed by his "pets". I just let him know that folks at the Garage Journal were a bit concerned since he hadn't posted for a while and then I departed so he could get back to his work.

He did indicate that the lack of postings was due to a lack of things to post about and, other than that, all was well.

It was great to meet SpeedMinded this afternoon!


Scott

 

[rixtrix1]

My thought on the snakes is remembering a movie about a family in Africa who raised venomous snakes to collect venom to sell for antivenom. Oldest boy comes home from college and wants,against everyone's admonitions, to milk a Black Mamba one last time before leaving home for a long time. Needless to say he gets bit, they have no antivenom and the nearest hospital is 3 hours away by car and plane. Needless to say he lasts about 2 hours and 55 minutes. One of the saddest movies I've ever seen. This diversion from the garage just sends chills down my spine. Love the build, but not this.

 

[Augus7us]

Brother this thread is awesome. The airplane hangar, the industrial setup you have going, used Chinese buffet decorations and your amazing snake photos!

At first I was struggling to see your vision, without you spending a small fortune anyways. But I've seen the light as you've been deal hunting and adding to hangar. Its coming along nicely and I'm looking forward to more updates!

And lol at "your dead because you handled a few copperheads"... I've been trying to find a naturally occurring copperhead here in Ohio since I've been an adult. I've turned over more boards and rocks than I can count the last couple decades. We just don't have the diversity up here that you get down there. While not quite as good looking as a copperhead we do have an abundance of cornsnakes and I've "relocated" many of those over there years from mom's or neighbors gardens.

 

[shortykorte]

Thanks for the update Scott.
I definitely am looking forward to updates since I like really like the design concept.


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

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[speedminded]

Speed: I still can't believe you caught and trained those 2 copperhead snakes. speaking of them are they still alive and doing ok or did they bite you and that's why you haven't posted anything lately?



any updates on your cool project please post up a few pics if you would cause I'm sure that others are waiting patiently for more too.



cheers!!

I released them before the heat hit. Took them out to the woods and they stayed next to me for the 20 minutes I was sitting there expecting them to take off. Who knows, maybe they were plotting an attack lol!

Progress has been slow because of the heat inside. I’ll make a new post with the progress!

Every now and then I will read in the paper about a preacher or believer who was bitten because they thought a viper was "predictable."

If you ever get the chance to witness how they’re treated during those services you’ll know why they get bit lol! All animals have bad days too—sometimes it’s the environment and sometimes it might be the weather. You have to read their body language before and during interacting with them and know when to not mess with them.




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[speedminded]

Still alive and free of snake bites lol! Progress has been slow this summer because it has been so miserably hot, most days reaching 120F inside. Hopefully I’ll have a proper ventilation setup by next summer! During a couple days of recent cooler weather I did rearrange everything and clean top to bottom.

Hangar office area and kitchenette:





Also started working on the garage—mocking up the wall paneling and playing with accent lighting using salvaged materials. I will be adding 4-5” of insulation behind the paneling.

Garage:





I’ve had these 18”x8’ light panels for years and think I may have came up with a use for them. I put a sound activated RGB strip in one just to see how it would look but I’m trying to figure out a way to make them dual purpose with both the color lights and a bright strip...so they’re actually functional and doesn’t just look like a club [emoji23]





Inspiration:

 

[speedminded]

Back in July I tossed around the idea of building out half the 30x40 garage as a studio apartment. After getting to a point of not being able to make any more changes to the layout on CAD, I modeled it on Sketchup followed by rendering with a trial version of Lumion. Since I got this far I decided to model the proposed hangar buildout too. Because, why not?!

The dilemma is I don’t want to lose half the garage. So back to the drawing board it is! The good news is I got some practice creating renderings.

Note: I left the hangar door off the renderings so the interior could be seen.

























....andddd back to reality. Maybe a little paint one day will allow it to look less like a cult compound lol!

 

[Jarch]

I think a little paint, glass garage doors and some concrete work and it would be looking really nice

 

[speedminded]

I think a little paint, glass garage doors and some concrete work and it would be looking really nice

That’s the plan!

I also want to cover the entire hangar door with polycarbonate panels. It faces north so no direct sunlight hits it but would still allow plenty of light inside. This will also allow a nice glow to spill in front of the garage at night.





For the concrete in front of the buildings, I plan to paint it all in a large monochrome geometric pattern—probably a white base with black and/or grey. There’s so many great patterns to choose from so I’m open to any suggestions!

 

[bulletpruf]

Playing with venomous wildlife is playing with fire. A bite from one of those suckers may not kill you, but it will cause lifelong health issues like scarring of the heart and necroses. Leave those critters be and send them back from whence they came......

I got bitten by one when I was in 7th grade. I was trying to catch it and it bit me on my nosepicking finger. Started burning right away. Was at the hospital within 20 minutes or so. Spent a week there. Hurt like hell, but it was all local; I didn't have any pain or symptoms outside my finger. To this day, I have about half the sensation in my finger, and there's a divot where the snake bite was - lost a bit of flesh there.

Having said that, they are beautiful snakes, and while I wouldn't recommend cuddling with poisonous snakes, I'm not surprised to hear that these are docile and easily handled.

 

[sbosecker]

...For the concrete in front of the buildings, I plan to paint it all in a large monochrome geometric pattern—probably a white base with black and/or grey. There’s so many great patterns to choose from so I’m open to any suggestions!

speedminded,

Golly - those patterns!

I can just see some geezer octogenarian helicopter pilot with a mechanical issue remembering there was an old heliport in the area and heading for your place.

Vertigo induced by some of those patterns would ensue ...after that it wouldn't be pretty.

Speaking of geezers ...there's Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. What if some poor pilot (like me) in the traffic pattern looked down at that?

Oh, the humanity!

Ha!

Best regards,

Scott

 

[drivesitfar]

Speedminded: great looking designs and good to have goals. i've seen a ton of awesome garages that look like a rundown farm from the outside until you opened the door and saw what they did to the insides.

your call how and who you want to please, but I didn't re do our front yard until i knew the tax man's drive by wouldn't keep the kids and I from eating.

GREAT TAKE ON SNAKES and I used to think similar about spiders and once I hated no see ums (knats and fruit flies) bugs worse I quit killing every spider i saw and actually moved their webs out of the paths and I rarely get more that a few webs across our paths anymore. occasionally we get big spiders inside the house and my bride still makes me kill them, but I even try to rescue a few with a jaw if i can.

I still haven't figured out a good reason for a possum though.

cheers

 

[speedminded]

speedminded,

Golly - those patterns!

I can just see some geezer octogenarian helicopter pilot with a mechanical issue remembering there was an old heliport in the area and heading for your place.

Vertigo induced by some of those patterns would ensue ...after that it wouldn't be pretty.

Speaking of geezers ...there's Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. What if some poor pilot (like me) in the traffic pattern looked down at that?

Oh, the humanity!

Ha!

Best regards,

Scott

I do want it noticeable from space lol!

This was my inspiration behind it but a little less vintage quilt pattern and more modern geometric.

Speedminded: great looking designs and good to have goals. i've seen a ton of awesome garages that look like a rundown farm from the outside until you opened the door and saw what they did to the insides.



your call how and who you want to please, but I didn't re do our front yard until i knew the tax man's drive by wouldn't keep the kids and I from eating.



GREAT TAKE ON SNAKES and I used to think similar about spiders and once I hated no see ums (knats and fruit flies) bugs worse I quit killing every spider i saw and actually moved their webs out of the paths and I rarely get more that a few webs across our paths anymore. occasionally we get big spiders inside the house and my bride still makes me kill them, but I even try to rescue a few with a jaw if i can.



I still haven't figured out a good reason for a possum though.



cheers

Each possum supposedly collect about 5,000 ticks per season. They drag their hairy bodies around gathering them like a Roomba then sit and have a snack. You want them around!


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[drivesitfar]

SM: I love the idea of making designs you can only see correctly from the air kinda like CROP CIRCLES.

DANG I knew GOD just didn't put possums here to walk in my yard and look scary. that said now WTF is a TICK good for?

you fixed a commerical light to be used inside your garage on 110 and wanted to know if it's still working out or did you change the lighting?

take care

 

[speedminded]

SM: I love the idea of making designs you can only see correctly from the air kinda like CROP CIRCLES.



DANG I knew GOD just didn't put possums here to walk in my yard and look scary. that said now WTF is a TICK good for?



you fixed a commerical light to be used inside your garage on 110 and wanted to know if it's still working out or did you change the lighting?



take care

I have a couple of the lights I move around from project to project and hang as necessary. My neighbor was doing some skidsteer work and ran out of daylight so I put one on a ladder so he could finish what he was working on. This is a single light with a corncob LED.






Ironically, I just put 3 of them up yesterday above the “kitchen” island. I hung a piece of scrap extruded aluminum from the purlins with threaded rod, through bolted hooks, then fabricated downrods using EMT with eye bolts on each end. This way I could unplug and unhook them so they could easily be moved out of the way if I need to put the scaffolding in that corner.









They are not wired up yet but I plan on running the power up through the EMT and out the top to a receptacle. Even though it’s not a “commercial” building, I’m trying to do improvements at a commercial quality.



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[polexican23]

not sure if it is a good or bad thing, but i dont get inspiration when looking at stuff. Not a single artist bone in my body. I look at everything on one of two levels. Do I like it or do i hate it.
I am meat and potatoes, black and white, fat and skinny. no in betweens.

 

[AZpilot]

They became super docile.

It’s been two weeks since I caught them and they’re just noodle kittens that get into everything lol! One of them had a minor medical issue that I wanted to treat before releasing [together] so they became accustomed to me handling them, putting them in warm bath water, etc.

I don’t suggest handling wildlife but snakes are one of the most predictable animals on earth...and apparently they’ll try to take your job lol!



Plus Copperheads are so beautiful I can’t stop taking pics of them!

Is you crazy? Ok. I see you released them. Some people can handle snakes. I can as long as they are heading the other way. I am in Arizona where we have plenty. Your build looks awesome! I would do the same except my wife is a bit pampered. LOL.

 

[speedminded]

Finally wired up the industrial lights over the island. A basic 12’ extension cord ($2.88) on each, cut the female end off, and wired the extension straight to the mogul base.



An e39 (mogul) to e26 adapter ($2.75) was paired with a 40w equivalent LED Edison bulb ($4 ea.).



Total cost for each light, including painting, is about $11.



Total cost of the triple light fixture was about $55.




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[drivesitfar]

SM: great looking lighting that is for certain. does your dining table have wheels on it and double as your workbench?

keep up the great work on that massive project you've got there.

cheers!!

 

[shortykorte]

Looking good and why pay hundreds of dollars when you can create art yourself.


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

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[speedminded]

SM: great looking lighting that is for certain. does your dining table have wheels on it and double as your workbench?



keep up the great work on that massive project you've got there.



cheers!!

The island is actually a 7’ display cabinet with a butcher block countertop resting on it. I was experimenting with what size would fit the space and threw it together with what I had laying around. I will likely build a frame using metal studs and and do a water fall edge with matching butcher block. I think hidden castors on it will be a good idea.

The other countertop near the wall (right of stove) is indeed my old workbench lol! It’s 2x4 framing with castors and recycled melanine top and shelf from folding tables. I would love to get it back to being a workbench but it makes a great prep table for now.





After completing, I stood on it and jumped a few times (215 lbs.) resulting in a noise I didn’t like so I modified the castor supports and replaced the 120lb. castors with a 330lb. version.



Jumped on it some more and no noises!

P.s. The dining table is a separate 8’ table with an extension. Actually have 2 of them so it could be 16’ long if I had enough seating to go around it lol!

Looking good and why pay hundreds of dollars when you can create art yourself.


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

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Thank you, that is my motto lol!




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[tboy]

Glad to see an update here!!! I love your space and it is fun to see what you are up to.

I love the stand on it, jump on it, hang from it tests! Many a project has been validated with this fine engineering practice!

 

[sporty_drew]

Jealous as always at this build. Are you currently living in the building?

 

[Farmall450]

I'm glad to see you survived the snakes! Build looks to be going nicely.

 

[aventino68]

Wow, another amazing build that's full of great ideas. Those renderings are amazing.

 

[drivesitfar]

SM: I like the dual dining room table workbench ideas. in fact if you do end up building a welding bench here are 3 benches I liked and I'd probably put a bit of each of them in a steel bench if I built one.

congrats on making your wood bench a bit more solid. the one steel bench I posted pics of was stationary until you jacked the wheels down to move it around was an idea I liked a lot since i'll probably never own a garage/shop with enough space to just put a 5x10 fab table in the middle of it.

the trailer hitch type mounts for vises, grinders and other tools is something I do like a lot and if you go in fabrication section of GJ you'll find a vise and grinder stand thread that has a lot of ideas like that.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

 

[cgv]

This is just something Amazing! I've been reading this since day 1 and can't wait for the next update.

 

[speedminded]

Sorry for the lack of updates! My girlfriend and I were rear-ended by a semi-truck a couple months ago and I’ve been unable to move any materials around or do any major work/progress. It’s got me super behind schedule and I missed the best time of year to cut trees back and do groundwork. Also can’t be on a ladder/scaffolding or do the insulation and paneling that I planned to finish in 2019...but we’re alive!

If you learn anything from this entire thread: get a dash-cam! Do not delay it. Just buy whatever you can afford and do not leave home without it. You can say you don’t need one because nothing has happened before but you simply don’t know.

I picked up a dual camera setup from Costco for $80 a few years ago and not only witnessed 3 accidents but it refutes the truck driver’s claims and clearly proves negligence. From this point on I’ll be hardwiring dual cameras in every vehicle!


Here’s an obligatory autumn pic to leave the post on a better note!

 

[speedminded]

During the downtime I was able to do some organizing! Finally turned my small Harbor Freight cart into an electrical cart—I was tired of having testers, connectors, tools, supplies, etc. in 5 different places and having to search every time!

Automotive bulbs and fuses on top and all the spare extension cords, outlets, surge protectors, adapters, etc. stored below with all the tools and batteries in the drawers.






Another project was to finally put the stainless cart I got from Costco about 5 years ago to use. It was the floor display and picked it up for $220. Felt it was still too nice to actually use in the garage/shop so I decided to use it for kitchen utensils [emoji23]

 

[isonic]

Sorry for the lack of updates! My girlfriend and I were rear-ended by a semi-truck a couple months ago and I’ve been unable to move any materials around or do any major work/progress.

Holy **** Glad you are alive. Not to derail the thread, but can you post a pic of your vehicle damage. Not often you hear of something like this.

 

[shortykorte]

Sorry you learned about dash cams the hard way. I need to check out the dual cam.

Is the cart one of HF service carts? Good idea.

SS box is nice fit in kitchen. Need to work on drawer organizing though. [emoji16]


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

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[speedminded]

Holy **** Glad you are alive. Not to derail the thread, but can you post a pic of your vehicle damage. Not often you hear of something like this.

The damage is relatively minimal in appearance but they estimated $15k in repairs on a $2,500-3,000 pickup lol! I had a 8’ ladder in the bed and it punched the back of the cab and seat in. He still hit the back too. I don’t know if the ladder made the situation better or worse but there’s no doubt the pickup would have been crumpled to the rear wheels if it wasn’t for it!


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[speedminded]

Sorry you learned about dash cams the hard way. I need to check out the dual cam.

Is the cart one of HF service carts? Good idea.

SS box is nice fit in kitchen. Need to work on drawer organizing though. [emoji16]


Shorty Korte
Always remember quality in QST

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I’ve been running one for 5-6 years but just a front facing cam doesn’t always tell the whole story—having a rear facing one is a game changer in this incident!


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[sbosecker]

Sorry for the lack of updates! My girlfriend and I were rear-ended by a semi-truck a couple months ago and I’ve been unable to move any materials around or do any major work/progress. It’s got me super behind schedule and I missed the best time of year to cut trees back and do groundwork. Also can’t be on a ladder/scaffolding or do the insulation and paneling that I planned to finish in 2019...but we’re alive!

If you learn anything from this entire thread: get a dash-cam! Do not delay it. Just buy whatever you can afford and do not leave home without it. You can say you don’t need one because nothing has happened before but you simply don’t know.

I picked up a dual camera setup from Costco for $80 a few years ago and not only witnessed 3 accidents but it refutes the truck driver’s claims and clearly proves negligence. From this point on I’ll be hardwiring dual cameras in every vehicle!


Here’s an obligatory autumn pic to leave the post on a better note!

SpeedMinded,

You're alive but that doesn't mean you weren't injured. I hope you and your girlfriend were not harmed by this incident.

I had the exact same thing happen to me 20 years ago. I was headed for Peachtree City on I-85 after finishing a simulator. Underneath I-285 a semi rear-ended me as I was pulling onto the shoulder to help an elderly lady waving a handkerchief beside her disabled vehicle. It was an eye-opener to realize how easily you can wake up dead and have absolutely no idea what happened.

I'm still driving the F150 that replaced the one that was totaled by this incident.

...and I will also testify that, although they weren't available 20 years ago, that a rear facing camera would have been great to have. I have no doubt the trucking company that I was involved with was run by the Prince of Darkness himself. Perhaps some video evidence may have resulted in a different attitude regarding their legal position.

Again, I hope you and your girlfriend are not suffering any aftereffects. Great to see you posting again!

Best regards,

Scott

 

[drivesitfar]

SM: sorry to hear about your accident and sounds like a doozy. happy to hear you both survived and I won't ask to post up pictures if it's too painful cause your description sounded horrible.

good to see you back and hope you keep making cool improvements to your interesting home and spaces.

here's to a great 2020.

 

[speedminded]

While unable to do much around the property, I’ve entered a realm I’ve been trying to avoid for two years.

Building a scale architectural model.

It’s a slippery slope that always gets more complicated and more more detailed as you go!




The base is a scrap piece of 2 1/2” PolyISO cut to the exact size of the property lines—which will later be shaved to mimic the slope of the land.




The buildings are made using 1/8” foam. I have some styrene sheets of scale corrugated metal that I will put on the exterior and smooth sheets of styrene for the interior.



The most difficult part was deciding on a scale. I would have preferred 1/64th so Hotwheels or Matchbox cars could be used but that would put the base at over 4 feet wide. I don’t have THAT much real estate to give up! I finally settled on 1/87th because it’s the most common model railroad scale so materials are easier to source. I already had some HO scale sheets, shipping containers, and a Porsche 964 Turbo so it made sense.







1/87th vs. 1/64th (+36%) doesn’t sound like a huge difference until you put them next to each other!


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[Farmall450]

I've been meaning to get a dash cam, just want to wire through the headliner and have it look clean. Will have to do so.