Hello Garage Journal members. I've been a member of the GJ forum for a few years now and tonight decided it was 'bout time I share what's happening in my world (as it relates to garages) and hopefully make some small contribution to the community which has been such a great resource to me in recent years.
I began my garage/shop journey roughly three years ago, well sort of. It has been a long time ambition to one day have a shop, detached from the house, which would allow me to tinker the way I like to tinker and be unobstructed by all the usual attached garage stuff (you all know what I mean). Then in 2018 I finally decided the property I was on (my first home of some 20 years) was not adequate and was not going to facilitate the garage I desired. And while I was perfectly comfortable where I was (apart from the desire shop), I wasn't getting any younger so I decided it was 'bout time I did something about it. So began the search for a new place which would allow me a bit more space to stretch my legs and accommodate the shop. The process was not easy as the local economy (Northern Utah) was bustling and real estate prices were soaring, with no end in sight. I overturned a lot of rocks for many months trying to find a place that would work. Finally, I found a suitable subdivision, roughly one mile from my then current home. The lot sizes were not ideal, but I could make it work and the opportunity ticked off many other non future shop criteria as well. Fast forward roughly a year and the house was built and I was finally moved in.
One of the first orders of business at the new place was an RV pad extending to the back of the house. I was fortunate enough to come across a concrete professional I really liked and while we were talking about the RV pad plans, I decide it was 'bout time I take action on the garage/shop. Behind the lot was empty field and easily accessible by the heavy equipment and trucks needed for footings and foundation, at least it was for a relatively short window of time. Future phases of the subdivision would place houses on my rear boarder before long and I knew chances were high I would regret not taking advantage of the opportunity to lay the foundation while access was easy. And so I pulled the trigger. A building permit later and many hours grading prepping the back lot and the concrete work began on the 31' wide X 35' deep detached garage/shop. That was the summer of 2019, almost three years ago. Little did I know what was around the corner...a pandemic, insane real estate market in Northern Utah, material supply issues, building supply costs through the roof, contractors with way more demand than they can handle, and the madness goes on.
Fast forward to two months ago when I approached the city about extending my building permit (again) and was met with a much less sympathetic response. The building department in essence told me one more extension and they may need to re-reveiw the permit. In a sense they were telling me it's bout time to get the project back on track. And so I will.
Thanks for letting me share the journey to date and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks/months.
I began my garage/shop journey roughly three years ago, well sort of. It has been a long time ambition to one day have a shop, detached from the house, which would allow me to tinker the way I like to tinker and be unobstructed by all the usual attached garage stuff (you all know what I mean). Then in 2018 I finally decided the property I was on (my first home of some 20 years) was not adequate and was not going to facilitate the garage I desired. And while I was perfectly comfortable where I was (apart from the desire shop), I wasn't getting any younger so I decided it was 'bout time I did something about it. So began the search for a new place which would allow me a bit more space to stretch my legs and accommodate the shop. The process was not easy as the local economy (Northern Utah) was bustling and real estate prices were soaring, with no end in sight. I overturned a lot of rocks for many months trying to find a place that would work. Finally, I found a suitable subdivision, roughly one mile from my then current home. The lot sizes were not ideal, but I could make it work and the opportunity ticked off many other non future shop criteria as well. Fast forward roughly a year and the house was built and I was finally moved in.
One of the first orders of business at the new place was an RV pad extending to the back of the house. I was fortunate enough to come across a concrete professional I really liked and while we were talking about the RV pad plans, I decide it was 'bout time I take action on the garage/shop. Behind the lot was empty field and easily accessible by the heavy equipment and trucks needed for footings and foundation, at least it was for a relatively short window of time. Future phases of the subdivision would place houses on my rear boarder before long and I knew chances were high I would regret not taking advantage of the opportunity to lay the foundation while access was easy. And so I pulled the trigger. A building permit later and many hours grading prepping the back lot and the concrete work began on the 31' wide X 35' deep detached garage/shop. That was the summer of 2019, almost three years ago. Little did I know what was around the corner...a pandemic, insane real estate market in Northern Utah, material supply issues, building supply costs through the roof, contractors with way more demand than they can handle, and the madness goes on.
Fast forward to two months ago when I approached the city about extending my building permit (again) and was met with a much less sympathetic response. The building department in essence told me one more extension and they may need to re-reveiw the permit. In a sense they were telling me it's bout time to get the project back on track. And so I will.
Thanks for letting me share the journey to date and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks/months.
.
