Garage circa 1860

[Mark H]

Hi all!
Thought you might be interested in my garage project.
About 7 1/2 years ago,my wife and I bought this old farm house to renovate,built in 1891.Still looks as bad,if not worse,than when we moved in!

We're still working on the house and hope to be finished soon.The house came with about 1/2 acre of land around it on which are the old farm workshop,from where I run a small fabrication business ,a derelict cottage which was the original farm house.

The workshop is the white building next to the old cottage.Although it's a reasonable size for work,half of it is filled with my hot rod project which makes it very cramped to work in.
My plan is to convert the old cottage into my new garage.

 

[kngkong]

cool. you going to do a period type garage to match the cottage or more up to date?

 

[Mark H]

The cottage is in a pretty bad state,but repairable.Here's a shot of the inside,and yes,that's the electricity meter hanging by a rope from the roof!

Since pulling out the timber flooring,which was rotten,I've been filling up the space with rubble from any building work I do on the house.Since the picture was taken,the floor's been levelled with stone chips.This will eventually get covered in an inch of sand,damp proof membrane and a 5 inch concrete slab.
You'll be relieved to know that the electricity supply has been sorted out now too!
This is the front of the cottage.Though not huge,it's bigger than it looks.The internal measurement between the gable ends is 32 ft.

The openings here will be bricked up for security.
The back wall has now been knocked out and I'm in the process of building piers for the steel beam which will span the 8ft 6 in opening.

 

[Kevin54]

That's it for pics? C'mon....you have to show us more. We thrive on pics, especially from something that old And when HOTRODS is mentioned, then pics are a definite must.

 

[Bellicose]

Waiting for pic's of building with either George Clarke or Kevin McCloud in them. Looks like the kind of thing they turn up to with thier TV crews lol.

 

[Mark H]

cool. you going to do a period type garage to match the cottage or more up to date?

Thanks!Yes,particularly the outside.All goes well,it should,from the outside,look like what was known locally as a 'gig house'.Basically,they were buildings which looked like a cottage but would have a tac room,possibly accommodation for the stable lad and a large pair of barn-type doors on the rear to house the horse drawn carriage or 'gig'.
Internally will be a basic workshop,whitewashed walls,and possibly epoxy floor coating.There'll also be plenty of attic space for storage as these old Scottish houses were built with quite a steep pitched roof to help shed snow.

 

[Mark H]

That's it for pics? C'mon....you have to show us more. We thrive on pics, especially from something that old And when HOTRODS is mentioned, then pics are a definite must.

Just for you Kevin!

As you can see,nowhere near finished!
'29 Roadster pick -up,traditional style but with a hot 289 and T10 4-speed.
Mor-drop front axle,F100 brakes and steering,'40 rims and black wall Firestones.Bed has been shortened by 6 inches.Can't wait to get it into it's new home!

 

[Mark H]

Waiting for pic's of building with either George Clarke or Kevin McCloud in them. Looks like the kind of thing they turn up to with thier TV crews lol.

I don't think Kevin would approve of my plan!!

 

[Mark H]

The original electrical supply and wiring was in a SHOCKING state!All needed replacing.I scored big time on that one.The electricity company came round and told us that they'd be cutting off the supply one Saturday to do some upgrades.I advised them that I worked from home and couldn't be without it.We came to an arrangement whereby they supplied cable and ducting,I supplied the new board and dug the trench.I laid the cable and ducting for the new underground supply and they came in at the weekend when the power was off,relocated the meter and connected up the new supply.Saved me around two grand(£)!

The plastic sheeting above the board is to keep it dry as the roof is full of holes,as you can see....

The new opening in the back wall is just about finished,couple more courses of brick and it'll be done.

Progress is pretty slow at the moment due to work but,I'll get it done....eventually!!

 

[930dreamer]

It's nice to see others have bigger projects then me Very nice by the way.

 

[Grizz1963]

Love the rod.

You certainly have bitten off a big chunk there.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you ?

We go up every year, and use Kinross as a base, and then do loops out and sleep wherever we get to on a daily basis.

Good luck with your project, one day it will suddenly just be done.

 

[Mark H]

It's nice to see others have bigger projects then me Very nice by the way.

Thanks,glad you like it!Yes,it's a pretty big project,would have been quicker/cheaper to demolish and start from scratch.In fact,that was the initial idea but,due to planning issues,I've had to work with what I've got.

 

[Mark H]

Love the rod.

You certainly have bitten off a big chunk there.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you ?

We go up every year, and use Sterning as a base, and then do loops out and sleep wherever we get to on a daily basis.

Good luck with your project, one day it will suddenly just be done.

Thanks mate,I'm desperate to get working on the Ford but need to get the garage done first due to lack of space.
Certainly is a big chunk of work.Basically doing 2 jobs,rennovating the old structure and converting into something suitable to use as a garage.Doesn't make things easy working with reclaimed materials either.Particularly the hand made Victorian bricks.I don't think there's two the same shape and size in the whole building!Hence the reason for me not showing any close-ups of my brick laying skills.
I'm just off the M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow in a place called Armadale.If you're up this way,the kettle's always on!

 

[fred gassit]

Hi Mark ,Great set of pictures, having nearly completed a full house refurb myself over the past two years and having to sort out previous bodges and only now getting on to the garage and back to my "toys" you have my full sympathy. Look forward to seeing the rod finished.
fred

 

[Mark H]

Hi Mark ,Great set of pictures, having nearly completed a full house refurb myself over the past two years and having to sort out previous bodges and only now getting on to the garage and back to my "toys" you have my full sympathy. Look forward to seeing the rod finished.
fred

Thanks Fred.Found plenty of previous bodges in the house,door openings with no lintels,rotten 9x3 floor joists repaired with 6x2's nailed to them and sitting on top of the laths,along with numerous other scary stuff!

 

[51rider]

What a great building!
As soon as I saw your location I told my wife-bet he has planning issues that won't allow him to pull it down & rebuild!

Do you plan on using the chimneys & fire places for heating?

Looking forward to seeing updates on this one!

 

[AndrewBigA]

That's it for pics? C'mon....you have to show us more. We thrive on pics, especially from something that old And when HOTRODS is mentioned, then pics are a definite must.

yea, what he said.

 

[Mark H]

What a great building!
As soon as I saw your location I told my wife-bet he has planning issues that won't allow him to pull it down & rebuild!

Do you plan on using the chimneys & fire places for heating?

Looking forward to seeing updates on this one!

Thanks mate!The building's pretty unusual for this area and it's age as it is brick built rather than stone and is cavity wall construction.I've never heard of cavity construction this old.The two leafs of brickwork being tied together with 14 inch long bricks.
What pissed me off about the planning issue wasn't the fact that I couldn't do the new build but,the fact that they intially told me I'd be o.k.I'm saying no more on this subject as I'll just go off on a rant!LOL
I plan on using the original range opening for a log burner.The chimney stack at the rear will be removed,before it falls down!The two stacks on the main house will be fitted with pots though one will be cosmetic.
What part of London are you in?I'm originally from down that way myself.

 

[Mark H]

yea, what he said.

No probs,I'll get on the case!

 

[m.james]

O boy this is a beauty. Take good care of her now. Look forward to more pictures.

 

[51rider]

Thanks mate!The building's pretty unusual for this area and it's age as it is brick built rather than stone and is cavity wall construction.I've never heard of cavity construction this old.The two leafs of brickwork being tied together with 14 inch long bricks.
What pissed me off about the planning issue wasn't the fact that I couldn't do the new build but,the fact that they intially told me I'd be o.k.I'm saying no more on this subject as I'll just go off on a rant!LOL
I plan on using the original range opening for a log burner.The chimney stack at the rear will be removed,before it falls down!The two stacks on the main house will be fitted with pots though one will be cosmetic.
What part of London are you in?I'm originally from down that way myself.

That is an unusual style of build indeed.
Hmmn, seems planning officers are the same across the land....won't go there either
Originally from Ilford, east London; now a few miles further out in Essex-classed as Greater London........

 

[Mark H]

m.james-Thanks!

51rider-Born and bred in Kingston,Surrey but also lived in Carhalton and Tooting.We moved around a bit as my dad ran pubs down there.

Work's come to a halt for now due to snow and the fact that it's ****** freezin'!We've had more since this pic was taken.Now at least 3ft deep in my yard.

As requested,a couple more hot rod pics.Here's the dash I made from an off-cut of stainless.Used a 7/8 inch wire brush in a drill press to engine turn it.

Homemade headers,not quite finished.I used a regular lakes style header kit,added some extra bends and extended the cones using a pair of steel table legs from the local DIY store.

My mate Archie's speedster.Home built Model 'A' type frame,1600cc ford 4 cylinder engine,model A rear with home made open drive conversion.Hand built boat tail body.All built over a period of a few months in a 2-car garage.

Can't wait for this weather to clear so I can get on with the garage.Don't think it'll get better anytime soon though!

 

[NASTYZEN]

Nice looking rod,Too bad you got all our snow!
Make sure you don't let it accumulate to much on your roof or it could bring disaster to your garage and rod!

 

[truxdelux]

Mark,
Your old man didn't run the St. Heliers arms in the 70's Did he???
Charlie!!

 

[Mark H]

Nice looking rod,Too bad you got all our snow!
Make sure you don't let it accumulate to much on your roof or it could bring disaster to your garage and rod!

About 18 inches of snow on the roof now.I'm keeping a very close eye on it!

 

[Mark H]

Mark,
Your old man didn't run the St. Heliers arms in the 70's Did he???
Charlie!!

Hi Charlie,good to see you here mate.
I'm not certain but he may have been relief manager some time back then.Places he managed were 'The Castle' on Tooting Broadway,'The Cottage of Content' in Carshalton and 'The Grove Tavern' in Kingston.He worked in a few other pubs as well.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Funny,everyone got 25cm yesterday,Montreal,Toronto, northern New york state.Lots at Tremblant just north of here.Everyone's freaking out.All I got was a light dusting??
Guess you got mine.

 

[Mark H]

Funny,everyone got 25cm yesterday,Montreal,Toronto, northern New york state.Lots at Tremblant just north of here.Everyone's freaking out.All I got was a light dusting??
Guess you got mine.

And you're more than welcome to take it back!

 

[Bib Overalls]

That will be a snug shop when you are finished. Snow on the roof, fire in the stove, and a hot rod under construction. What more could a man ask for on a cold night in December.

Any chance you could run radiant heating in the floor?

 

[Mark H]

That will be a snug shop when you are finished. Snow on the roof, fire in the stove, and a hot rod under construction. What more could a man ask for on a cold night in December.

Any chance you could run radiant heating in the floor?

Thanks man.I think I'll be spending a lot of time in there.Great place to escape from the wife!
No radiant heat I'm afraid,due to the fact that I'm cheap.
For heat,I plan on making a log burner from an old propane cylinder.

 

[51rider]

Tooting eh?

's a funny old world but I work down the road in Clapham!

Most of our smow has gone but then again, we did have just a light dusting of 6-8" over 3 days.....

 

[Mark H]

Tooting eh?

's a funny old world but I work down the road in Clapham!

Most of our smow has gone but then again, we did have just a light dusting of 6-8" over 3 days.....

Sure is!Just found out that charlie(truxdelux) worked down that way too.Snow's mostly gone from the roads here too but looks like we're getting more next week.Getting colder again too.Recently had a couple of nights down to -20c.

 

[e-tek]

I'm not sure what's cooler - the old building being converted or the Hot Rod! LOVE that engine-turned dash - "turned" out real nice!! Also love the homemade headers - that's real class!
Please keep posting!

 

[Bib Overalls]

For heat,I plan on making a log burner from an old propane cylinder.

Make sure you post some pictures of that. There are a lot of old cylinders of various sizes and shapes around here. What size cylinder will you use?

 

[naki kid]

HI, what is the dash out of, not model A, I bet there is a lot of work in doing up those old Scot.Houses .A lot of history there to.Not like New Zealand as we are a young country.But man have we got a monster of a hotrod movement here going back to the 50s.Ray.

 

[Mark H]

I'm not sure what's cooler - the old building being converted or the Hot Rod! LOVE that engine-turned dash - "turned" out real nice!! Also love the homemade headers - that's real class!
Please keep posting!

Thanks!Must admit,I do think it'll be pretty cool when the garage is done and the 'A' is in it's new home.I can't wait,I'll be like a dog with two dicks!
I'm pleased how the dash and headers came out.I like to try and make stuff from what I have laying around rather than buy it.It can get expensive bringing hot rod/early Ford parts over here from the U.S.

 

[Mark H]

Make sure you post some pictures of that. There are a lot of old cylinders of various sizes and shapes around here. What size cylinder will you use?

Will do.When I get the chance,I'll start a thread in the 'heating' section.I'll let you know when I get round to it.Still got to do some research on the subject.
I've got one cylinder about 4ft tall and two about half that.The smaller ones will be joined to make one larger one.
I know of a few guys that use them over here and they swear by them,really kick out a lot of heat.Only downside is that they use a lot of wood.No problem if you have easy access to a regular supply though.

 

[Mark H]

HI, what is the dash out of, not model A, I bet there is a lot of work in doing up those old Scot.Houses .A lot of history there to.Not like New Zealand as we are a young country.But man have we got a monster of a hotrod movement here going back to the 50s.Ray.

Hi!
I started with the stock '29 tank/dash.Filled the centre and cut the bottom from the tank.

I then cut the centre from the face of the tank and mounted the guage panel from inside.
With regard to the old houses,yes,there's plenty of them but,unfortunately,many have been modernised over the years so there not a lot of the original fabric of the building left.i.e.lime plaster replaced with plasterboard,Scottish slate roofs replaced with concrete tile etc.Many of the larger houses have been either knocked down or split up into flats(appartments) by developers.Our farm house had,in the past been split into two houses.Lots of work to get them back how they should be.I've got 7 years in ours so far,still not finished!
Yep,I'm well aware of the thriving hot rod/custom scene over there.I remember when I first got into hot rods,back in the '70's,there were plenty of 'Kiwi' rods and customs in the British mags.Some great cars built over there!
Cheers,
Mark.

 

[bazzateer]

Tooting eh? 's a funny old world but I work down the road in Clapham!QUOTE]

Small world, I'm sitting in my office in Vauxhall.

 

[truxdelux]

Yep! Mark's right. We lived in Pimlico for 26 yrs. Irene was born and bred there. Worked all over London (Driver) and used to be in a Rnr/ R/billy band in 70's. Played most of the RnR pubs.
Charlie!!