Rally Classics
Well-known member
Hell of an effort, now you can get to the fun stuff.
Above 1200 Sq/FT Abandoned Heliport | Studio + Garage
- Thread starter speedminded
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
ddawg16
Well-known member
Subscribing...........
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
One. Not exactly cool or even interesting but it’s a Bell 47 battery mounting rail that was hidden behind the breaker box in the hangar.
At least there was one part lol! I’ll probably print the old photo and mount the part with it.
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NoPressure
Well-known member
wow. What an awesome property. Brb searching for abandoned hanger to move in to.
rockingthe2
Well-known member
That's an awesome place to live and work, looking forward to what you do with the place from here on out!
555
Well-known member
Amazing! A friend of mine tried to buy that place sometime around 2001. There was something going on that discouraged him. Maybe a zoning change or it could have been the old tire issue. He ended up purchasing some vacant land west of Atlanta to build his hanger/house. I probably still have an artist concept drawing of his idea to convert the hanger into living quarters. Glad you got it and you have done a great job cleaning it up.
Regards,
John
Regards,
John
patrickg20
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2013
- Messages
- 509
Great job cleaning up! Everything is looking really nice.
IowaMercMan
Well-known member
Subscribed
Walt
Walt
ZRX61
Well-known member
skatep
Member
Really cool project. The outside progress is impressive!
spoonsports86
Well-known member
man just went thru the whole thread.
cant wait to see more of your work looks awesome
cant wait to see more of your work looks awesome
hemifalcon
Well-known member
Just like the post above-I came across this thread for the first time and you’ve done a great job.. I read through the entire thread. That’s a really cool property-it seems it’ll fit your needs and even future plans nicely. I don’t know if I may have missed it-but what is the actual size of the property?
Keep up the great work! [emoji106]
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Keep up the great work! [emoji106]
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mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Speed: I wish everybody put as much thought into the environment as you seem to. Praying mantis for bug control so you don't harm the bees is a great idea. hopefully the praying mantis population wouldn't go out of control and become an issue, but I really like the thinking behind it.
your place is looking great and I didn't know you were doing so much work on the grounds like you have. WELL DONE SIR!!
I thought you were working on the inside and getting ready to make a movie or a tenant. have you done either?
your place is looking great and I didn't know you were doing so much work on the grounds like you have. WELL DONE SIR!!
I thought you were working on the inside and getting ready to make a movie or a tenant. have you done either?
Miss the Pontiacs
Well-known member
Great find. I finally managed to make it through the whole thread. Hope you don’t mind if I hang around once in awhile.
Pathfinders
Well-known member
So where is Air Wolf parked now?
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Thanks! It's only 1 acre, about 250' x 175'.
There's enough birds around I don't think it will ever be an issue. I see everything from red cardinals to hawks just about every day. Ever heard two turkey vultures dancing on a metal roof? I don't surprise easily but that will sure get your attention. Then going out and seeing their ugly faces staring down at me was the last thing I expected lol!
I'm currently uses the property solely for myself while I continue to clean up and work in the hangar. There's still a lot to do before I'm comfortable using it as a studio and I've been keeping the progress under wraps!
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OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Speaking of birds, I’m currently using the hangar for my vinyl graphics operation and now HQ’s for repairing Bird Scooters. If you live in a major city like Atlanta you’ve see the popularity of them explode. They get broken, flat tires, etc. and it’s a fun little side business to hunt damaged Birds and fix them. Sign up and they supply the parts and most of the tools to work on them.
This was my cheap Harbor Freight tool box that I used solely for electrical stuff and now repurposed for Bird tools and supplies!
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This was my cheap Harbor Freight tool box that I used solely for electrical stuff and now repurposed for Bird tools and supplies!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
Speed: so your praying mantis breeding is actually removing bugs that bug you and then providing food for the birds you like and the ones that scare the **** out of you?
keep up the great work on that huge property and let us view your progress inside the buildings when you'd like to.
cheers
keep up the great work on that huge property and let us view your progress inside the buildings when you'd like to.
cheers
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Here’s a peek at the current interior. My main attention has been on the exterior cleanup so it’s pretty cluttered and “rustic” inside lol!
Hopefully I’ll be able to enclose the glass room in the coming weeks then I can pull down the scaffolding that’s preventing hanging the left side sliding door then panel the exterior.
I keep going back and forth on using corrugated metal vs. ship lap on the outside. The cost and labor involved is about the same for either—it really comes down to what I can find salvaged or cheap. The following is my CAD drawing showing corrugated metal and a dimensional wall design in the glass room above.
(Pinterest inspiration for the dimensional wall)
View of the desk and work area from the glass room.
Lounge area until the glass room is complete.
As I acquire cheap [or free] building materials I’ll continue to work on the interior!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hopefully I’ll be able to enclose the glass room in the coming weeks then I can pull down the scaffolding that’s preventing hanging the left side sliding door then panel the exterior.
I keep going back and forth on using corrugated metal vs. ship lap on the outside. The cost and labor involved is about the same for either—it really comes down to what I can find salvaged or cheap. The following is my CAD drawing showing corrugated metal and a dimensional wall design in the glass room above.
(Pinterest inspiration for the dimensional wall)
View of the desk and work area from the glass room.
Lounge area until the glass room is complete.
As I acquire cheap [or free] building materials I’ll continue to work on the interior!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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HOTFR8
Banned
Progress. Looking good.
stsmytherie
Well-known member
Lounge are is looking great.
OOBER
Well-known member
Awesome progress and great story!
Love the build, keep it up.
Love the build, keep it up.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
SM: looks like you've got a plan and some good imagination. I hope you find the stuff to make it work like you hope it will sooner rather than later.
your work on the grounds is awesome!!
got room for more buildings or maybe a tennis court or golf hole?
your work on the grounds is awesome!!
got room for more buildings or maybe a tennis court or golf hole?
Roundhouse
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2017
- Messages
- 507
Wow
What a cool property and what a lot of work you’ve already done !
Can’t wait to see more
I’m in Marietta
As a safety issue especially as a rental
If the glass is single pane and maybe or maybe not tempered
You might want to consider some horizontal cables or something handrail like inside or maybe outside the glass
What a cool property and what a lot of work you’ve already done !
Can’t wait to see more
I’m in Marietta
As a safety issue especially as a rental
If the glass is single pane and maybe or maybe not tempered
You might want to consider some horizontal cables or something handrail like inside or maybe outside the glass
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
The three buildings are nearly 4,800 sq. ft. and still need more lol!
The dilemma is I’m equally obsessed with small modular homes, prefabs, etc. as I am with dream garages and garage condos. The plan is to eventually build a small residence on the property with it’s design determined by whatever materials can be collected—could be an a-frame or might be a pavilion house using shipping containers. Who knows?!
Thank you! Good to see more local people on here! An ATL GJ meetup should definitely be planned.
Liability and safety challenges are what keep me up at night! I purchased nearly 30 feet of butcher block from the IKEA as-is section (at 70% off). The original plan was to use it for workbenches in the shop but I intend on dedicating one or two pieces for a bar top railing in front of the glass. If I rip it in thirds that will give me an 8-9” deep “shelf” that’s wider than the largest panes.
Next step would be to build removable steel uprights that lock into the floor. I don’t want them permanent because I do like the look of the floor to ceiling glass but having someone lean on it or fall into it has been a concern since day one. I have considered adding cables between the uprights but I may just go with a lower cross bar that doubles as a foot rest. If I leave the bar top a couple inches off the glass, a sheer curtain can still be drawn behind it.
When I began repairing and remodeling the “loft” structure I had to remove the last 2 joists due to water damage. Instead of replacing them, I simply shortened the room by 2 1/2 feet so things like a ladder, stack of chairs, folding tables, etc. could be stored but still be easily accessible without going to another building. I’ll probably build a little dolly that stores the railing when not in use and rolls back into the storage area.
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spoonsports86
Well-known member
are those 16x9.5 corvette saw blades you are using as your table ?
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Technically “Salad Shooters” but good eye on being the 9.5”! I have a full set of rears I was going to put on a Volvo 240 wagon safari build but put a bunch of projects aside to work on the property.
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Wanna Ride
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- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Messages
- 2,790
I’m stunned that I never saw this thread before, but certainly glad I found it this evening. I’m just really loving this project.
The only thing better than seeing the progress of new construction, is a renovation like this, progressing over time with the availability of resources. Hat’s off to you on all the work and getting to this point so far. Absolutely can’t wait to see where you go from here with this project. And I have to add, I’m impressed with the transition of the outside property and lawn too... fantastic work, it really looks 100% better than it did when you first started. I’m so envious - I’ve always wanted a home/shop like this, and it appears you’re doing it, relatively affordable. Good on you!
What became of the camper? When I was first reading where you said you were looking to acquire some scaffolding, I was already scrolling down and saw the pic of the camper come into view. I immediately thought your sense of humor was masquerading the camper roof as “scaffolding”. LOL!
Are you living in the hanger loft? It kinda looks like you have a bed up there, but I couldn’t tell for certain. If so, how the heck did you tolerate the summer heat?
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000s, a friend bought a house on about twenty acres in Ohio, that was previously owned by a commercial pilot that also personally owned a couple small planes. They had a long grass runway, and a hangar just a tad larger than yours, right next to the house. He didn’t own planes and just used it as his shop, and I was REALLY fond of it, and how he had it set up.
Excellent idea and execution on the driveway pavers, they really clean up the edges of the driveway, making a “curb”; nice work there. The whole lawn looks sooo much better! I spotted the Vette wheels too, and immediately zoomed in to make sure that’s what I first thought they were. As for the snakes.... nope. Nope. NOPE.
The only thing better than seeing the progress of new construction, is a renovation like this, progressing over time with the availability of resources. Hat’s off to you on all the work and getting to this point so far. Absolutely can’t wait to see where you go from here with this project. And I have to add, I’m impressed with the transition of the outside property and lawn too... fantastic work, it really looks 100% better than it did when you first started. I’m so envious - I’ve always wanted a home/shop like this, and it appears you’re doing it, relatively affordable. Good on you!
What became of the camper? When I was first reading where you said you were looking to acquire some scaffolding, I was already scrolling down and saw the pic of the camper come into view. I immediately thought your sense of humor was masquerading the camper roof as “scaffolding”. LOL!
Are you living in the hanger loft? It kinda looks like you have a bed up there, but I couldn’t tell for certain. If so, how the heck did you tolerate the summer heat?
Back in the late 90’s/early 2000s, a friend bought a house on about twenty acres in Ohio, that was previously owned by a commercial pilot that also personally owned a couple small planes. They had a long grass runway, and a hangar just a tad larger than yours, right next to the house. He didn’t own planes and just used it as his shop, and I was REALLY fond of it, and how he had it set up.
Excellent idea and execution on the driveway pavers, they really clean up the edges of the driveway, making a “curb”; nice work there. The whole lawn looks sooo much better! I spotted the Vette wheels too, and immediately zoomed in to make sure that’s what I first thought they were. As for the snakes.... nope. Nope. NOPE.
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
Speed: in case you might like this one somebody I know built from mostly FREE ITEMS OFF CRAIGSLIST here's a couple pics. I think he's got a few hundred dollars in new 2x6's other than that he said he found all the rest of the material to build it.
keep up the great work which i'm guessing is both exercise and a lot of thought involved.
BTW how are those commercial lights working that you rewired from 3 phase to 110 power?
keep up the great work which i'm guessing is both exercise and a lot of thought involved.
BTW how are those commercial lights working that you rewired from 3 phase to 110 power?
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OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Glad you like it! Hopefully this thread will help others on both what to do and what not to do during a budget cleanup and build-out!
I found the camper about 2 months before I planned to move out of my rental. We agreed on a delivered price and it was another month before that ball got rolling. His truck broke down, lots of rain, stuck truck, the truck to rescue the first truck got stuck, etc. Long story short, I ended up renting a u-haul and getting it myself a few days before moving out when I really needed a solid 3 weeks dedicated to it. Since the summer camper wasn’t happening, I was hoping to have it ready for winter because 1,000 cu. ft. sounds easier to heat than 32,000 cu. ft. but I dropped the ball on that one—all I’ve accomplished with it so far is gut all the built-in cabinets and benches. All that modular stuff is great if you’re trying to squeeze 4 people into a Tokyo sized apartment but I’d rather simplify it and have more space to move around.
As a temporary situation, I threw my tent up on the ground level which surprisingly worked well with a 12” memory foam mattress. Other than that one time waking up to a scorpion in the bed. No need for caffeine to get going that day!
During the summer I ran a 36” industrial fan in the doorway and let it pull air through the building. At 2pm-4pm it was still a bit warm but at night it was just fine.
Then the summer rain happened.
The hangar doesn’t have a gutter and years of trees doing their compost thing has created a slope that drains back into the building. It had been raining for 3 days straight and while making dinner I noticed a little water at the back wall, no big deal, just sweep or mop it. About an hour later I put my feet down off the couch, into water. Ended up with about 1/2” of water near the front of the building. Not good. All the rugs were soaked and it had already made it to the tent. luckily it’s a tent I’ve had for many years and regularly clean and seal it so it didn’t get to the mattress. That’s when I moved it upstairs and spent about 2 hours that night digging a trench nearly 100’ long to get the water to flow away from the building. I really need to rent a Bobcat/skid steer and cut a swell across the back of the building. I mean, it’s near the top of my “to-do” list and I drew it on the plans so that must count for something right?!
Scaffolding has been acquired and I’ll have an interior update shortly!
That’s such a great idea. Considering I’ve been doing vinyl installs on windows for years, I feel like an idiot for not thinking about this myself lol!
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OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Thanks for the pics!! That place is perfect and exactly what I want to build between my two semi-trailer containers. Eventually I’ll clear out the dilapidated pole shed that’s joining the two and and build something similar making it u-shaped with a courtyard in the center. There’s already a large tree growing in the middle so it should work out perfect.
As for the lights, I did gut them and put the 110v LED corncob in one but I haven’t done the rest yet. I still have to pull the 8’ fluorescent fixtures and replace them with an outlet before I can hang them. Since my plan is to turn the hangar into a photo studio, I need to keep an area clear that’s large enough to hang a giant softbox or reflector. Been in no rush to hang them because they’ll have to come back down or be moved anyways.
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sbosecker
Well-known member
OP
speedminded
Well-known member
Interior update.
Through all my non-stop scavenging for materials, I’ve come across a number of game changers the past few weeks!
The first big score was 2,300 sq. ft. of NEW 2 1/2” polyiso insulation leftover from a grocery store remodel.
The second score was 1,200 sq. ft. of pegboard from an Eckerd/Rite-Aid that was being gutted and remodeled. I’m not a huge fan of the pegboard look but at this point any paneling is better than bare insulation. Plus it was free.
Then this weekend I picked up (13) 6’x10’x4” panels for $10 each. LifeCycle Building Center is one of the greatest resources for the DIY’r in Atlanta!
Minus the loft and man doors, that’s enough to panel all the way around the hangar, 10’ high, for $130. Now I have to make the decision on painting them or leaving them natural with a mineral oil finish.
My initial plan was to fill all the voids with the polyiso foam then screw metal furring strips/channel hat over the insulation to mount the pegboard floor to ceiling.
Not only would it be a “completed” wall but also have an area to hang photography gear: reflectors, light stands, etc. could even paint a faux metal/concrete finish on it for a look similar to this...
Now that I have the large plywood panels, I don’t need to do this entire wall in pegboard so most likely I’ll finish it in a combination of the two.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Through all my non-stop scavenging for materials, I’ve come across a number of game changers the past few weeks!
The first big score was 2,300 sq. ft. of NEW 2 1/2” polyiso insulation leftover from a grocery store remodel.
The second score was 1,200 sq. ft. of pegboard from an Eckerd/Rite-Aid that was being gutted and remodeled. I’m not a huge fan of the pegboard look but at this point any paneling is better than bare insulation. Plus it was free.
Then this weekend I picked up (13) 6’x10’x4” panels for $10 each. LifeCycle Building Center is one of the greatest resources for the DIY’r in Atlanta!
Minus the loft and man doors, that’s enough to panel all the way around the hangar, 10’ high, for $130. Now I have to make the decision on painting them or leaving them natural with a mineral oil finish.
My initial plan was to fill all the voids with the polyiso foam then screw metal furring strips/channel hat over the insulation to mount the pegboard floor to ceiling.
Not only would it be a “completed” wall but also have an area to hang photography gear: reflectors, light stands, etc. could even paint a faux metal/concrete finish on it for a look similar to this...
Now that I have the large plywood panels, I don’t need to do this entire wall in pegboard so most likely I’ll finish it in a combination of the two.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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