Hood River Workshop

[christopher.layton]

Backstory:
Just as the One Car Garage Woodshop got off the ground we got new jobs and moved to the small town of Hood River, OR. We found a great little 50s rancher that’s well-maintained but never been “updated.” This is great news, and the house retains its built-in cabinetry and most of its fixtures from the 50s. We moved in over Labor Day and life has been full of new jobs and unpacking.

What I now have to work with:
A Garage:
I have an attached single car garage that will be used as—gasp!—a garage, at least for now. It snows here, and having our main car in a garage is important for my wife (and, therefore for me). This has a bench that I will use for storing tools and supplies for most household repairs. It won’t receive a whole lot of attention for now.

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A Shop:
Yes, a shop! and look at it:
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Okay, it needs some serious work! The roof needs replacing, as well as the siding (if you can call the plywood that now clads the shop’s exterior “siding.”) But, remarkably, it’s dry inside. And that’s a good thing because I do need a place to store my tools in the meantime. It’s just shy of 20 x 20. And, when I found it, it was a mess inside too (most of the junk came with the shop):

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I am excited to have the space, though. I will update as I go. Keep in mind that I the pace will be slow during the school year, but come breaks I will be getting at it!

 

[christopher.layton]

The shop will function as a woodshop during the summer months and during school breaks, and also house my Vanagon when the weather’s bad or when I’m not working in the shop. It’s a tight fit for the van on the east side of the garage.

Over the past few months I have thought about how best to use the space, and about which order to tackle projects. Any exterior work will wait until summer. I’ve cleaned out most of the junk, and stored some of the “it may not be junk, we’ll see” in the lean-to on the west side of the shop (beyond the concrete block wall in the pictures).
So that wall in the middle of the shop. It’s sitting on a concrete footing but is not load-bearing.I think that someone added on to the shop at some point (which would explain the funky roof). I decided to make a bench to separate the full-time woodworking half of the shop from the part-time Vanagon storage half. It’s a tight fit, but still much larger than the One Car Garage that used to have.

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Tight fit! (also, look: My wife got me a HF 44” Box for my birthday, one step closer to becoming a real Garage Journaler).

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[914wilhelm]

Welcome to the Hood!

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: how do you like living in Hood River? the few times I've been in that town i really liked the area and the people. it isn't an easy time this time of year around here to pull everything outside and do some work on your shop and garage so maybe put painting the cement block walls with a good sealer on the top of the list for late spring or early summer.

those kind of walls usually always weep some moisture so it doesn't help keep your stuff from rusting when you probably don't heat your shop during the winter.

are you building a nice workbench on that stub wall? i'd love to have that much space instead of leasing what i do, but some day i'll be moving out of the city and have some of my own.

i also like that view of the mountain over the top of the shop.

good luck

 

[rieferman]

NICE! Happy to see this thread pop up.

Can you post a few more exterior pics? And, if possible, draw up a floor plan (literally a napkin sketch would do) to help us visualize the space?

 

[captain14]

NICE! Happy to see this thread pop up.

Can you post a few more exterior pics? And, if possible, draw up a floor plan (literally a napkin sketch would do) to help us visualize the space?

Yes I second the thought about more exterior shots and a floor plan. It's hard to visualize what you have. I have missed your posts in the other thread and some of the projects you did. You mentioned a a teaching position. What level?

Thanks

 

[christopher.layton]

Thanks for the welcome guys. We are enjoying life here, my wife's family lives here is is very helpful—especially with watching our toddler while we work. Because of the family connection, we'd already spent quite a bit of time up here. If you're not familiar with Hood River, it might come as a surprise that it's quite a resort-town, and acts like one economically. We feel fortunate to have both found stable family-wage jobs here, since so much of the town is seasonally-driven. I teach high school english (my first time doing that!) and will be teaching a high school woodshop elective (more on that later) for the spring term.

drivesitfar: thanks for the tip on the paint: This spring / summer paint, a new roof, and new siding is in order—at the very least. Maybe garage doors too. I am thinking of building some carriage doors for both bays.

rieferman and captain14: here are some better pics! The one's I had sure didn't communicate all that much
Some pics of the shop—Exterior:
South side:
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View media item 82993East side:
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A lean-to on the West side—full of junk and kid's toys:
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A floor plan in the next post!

 

[captain14]

Any thoughts on the construction sequence originally? What was first, then what was added later? In the Fire Service that type is construction would loosely by called
vernacular construction from Frank Brannigan's Building Construction for the Fire Service.

Now it is yours. The bay doors face an alley? How about a view of the mountains from inside the shop. We are waiting to see your ideas here.

 

[christopher.layton]

Yes, the bay doors face an alley, not paved. Really quiet area though, so that's nice. The mountain is a bit obscured by the neighbor's house across the alley (nice guy though, should be on here, his garage is shaping up well too).

I don't have any more evidence than what I can see, but I think the cinderblock building on the west was first, and the east half was built second. The partition wall on the inside is built on a concrete footing that I think was originally the outside wall of the original building. The floor is definitely a different pour on the east side. I get the sense that the east side of the shop was done ... low budget and without permits. The shed leans on the property's fence, which means the water runoff lands in my neighbor's yard. At this point it's not a huge concern since the house next door is vacant (too bad too, since it used to be a cool architect-designed MCM house) but it's not very neighborly and not a long term solution

Here's a quick and dirty floor plan:
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The structural post is smack in the middle of the shop, and I plan on a bench over the half wall on the concrete footing. The half wall will make a good spot to run some electric for now.

A couple more shots inside:

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Talking with my wife, we both agree that a 4-bay shop would be better down there, but I'm not sure how far down the road that will be since I have a kitchen remodel and various other house projects ahead of it in line. This is still better than anything I have had, and I want to make it usable.

 

[captain14]

Take your time designing and building your shop. We can offer suggestions as you go. Every shop is a work in progress.

 

[Denwood]

Great space with lots of potential . Hood River and surrounding areas are simply gorgeous. I've driven my Westy to the Hood a few times on windsurfing trips with my buds. I recall replacing a water pump usng a picnic table as a bench back in the day. No such issues after doing an i4 Audi conversion.

Looking forward to your build..good luck staying on the kitchen reno job if you're hanging out here a lot

 

[Modern Jess]

Welcome to the separate-workshop-outbuilding club!

Looks like you're going to have a great time making it your own.

 

[christopher.layton]

Take your time designing and building your shop. We can offer suggestions as you go. Every shop is a work in progress.

Thanks, this one will take a while out of necessity, but it gives me time to think on things.

 

[christopher.layton]

Great space with lots of potential . Hood River and surrounding areas are simply gorgeous. I've driven my Westy to the Hood a few times on windsurfing trips with my buds. I recall replacing a water pump usng a picnic table as a bench back in the day. No such issues after doing an i4 Audi conversion.

Looking forward to your build..good luck staying on the kitchen reno job if you're hanging out here a lot

That's a good looking van!

 

[HSpencer]

WOW! I love that shop building!! I would be so excited to have something like that to bring up to where I wanted it. It looks like a great place for a woodworking shop. I would not make very many cosmetic changes to it, rather leaving it suitable for sawdust. I love the size of it. I also love the lean to for wood storage and other items related to woodworking needs. That would just about make me a real happy camper if I had it just where you have it now. I could spend all/most/or at least a great deal of my time on that for about the next year!

Congratulations, and I will be closely tuned in. I am also going nuts over the VW wagon bus. I have always wanted one just like it.

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Cristopher ... You and I both know the commitment required to keep a Westy in reliable travel shape. My kids simply adore the bus.

I really do like your shop layout. Have you considered removing the center post and replacing with an LVL with end posts? Seeing your wood working tools, I know the PITA a center post is when ripping down 4x8 sheets. Your shop/ parking bay is what I would consider a perfect combination of compactness balanced with working area. My 16x24 is taking an enormous amount of work to maximize storage, while keeping the floor free.

 

[Ainsley]

Looks like a great start! I'm looking forward to seeing how you organize your tools in the allotted space as I'm struggling with that problem at the moment.

 

[christopher.layton]

Looks like a great start! I'm looking forward to seeing how you organize your tools in the allotted space as I'm struggling with that problem at the moment.

Thanks! Me too. I think the tool organization plan will take shape as the space starts to come together. I learned a lot in my last garage, where all the tools nested under the bench, and I will definitely use some of those ideas again here to keep the floor pretty clear. The one exception will be my table saw. I use it so often that it will be nice having it handy for quick cuts.

 

[christopher.layton]

I really do like your shop layout. Have you considered removing the center post and replacing with an LVL with end posts? Seeing your wood working tools, I know the PITA a center post is when ripping down 4x8 sheets. Your shop/ parking bay is what I would consider a perfect combination of compactness balanced with working area. My 16x24 is taking an enormous amount of work to maximize storage, while keeping the floor free.

I have thought about removing the post. Actually, if the funds work out I would like to take the entire roof off and go with a shed roof with some transom lights facing south (toward the house) to let in natural light. Either way the roof and exterior will have to wait until summer when I'm on break.

On a completely unrelated note, today's xkcd comic made the grammarian in me smile.

 

[buildyourown]

Nice.
I've spent quite a bit of time in HR in my twin van.
Almost bought a place there a couple years back.

My shop is slightly larger but has the same problem with the post. And I'm trying to cram a bike shop in there too.

WP_20141212_13_48_32_Pro by buildyourown, on Flickr

 

[Denwood]

Christoper, we did exactly this (clerestory added to existing roof) here at Cinevate. Just snapped these pics of my R&D area. Two of the windows open, using Solar Smart window openers. They are solar powered operators that are controlled with a wireless remote. The wireless remote has a temp sensor so you can program to open/close when temps reach a given level. ) They were designed so the roof angle is the same as solar angle on December 21 (when sun is lowest in sky) for max light, but the overhang on the roof provides shade to the windows on July 21st when we don't want direct sunlight. The clerestory addition was easily my favorite modification during the warehouse renovation You can use the Sun Seeker app on an iPhone to model the same angles in your application...overhand and roof angles are good things to think about.

 

[christopher.layton]

Christoper, we did exactly this (clerestory added to existing roof) here at Cinevate. Just snapped these pics of my R&D area. Two of the windows open, using Solar Smart window openers. They are solar powered operators that are controlled with a wireless remote. The wireless remote has a temp sensor so you can program to open/close when temps reach a given level. ) They were designed so the roof angle is the same as solar angle on December 21 (when sun is lowest in sky) for max light, but the overhang on the roof provides shade to the windows on July 21st when we don't want direct sunlight. The clerestory addition was easily my favorite modification during the warehouse renovation You can use the Sun Seeker app on an iPhone to model the same angles in your application...overhand and roof angles are good things to think about.

That's exactly what I'm thinking about. Well, not exactly, your warehouse is much nicer than my shop aspires to be.

 

[christopher.layton]

Long time no update.
Between thesis and teaching and a toddler, frankly I am lucky to get an hour of shop time a week these days. But summer's coming!

I have made a few small updates: I put up 4 cheap florescent fixtures and wired in a few outlets and a 220 outlet for the table saw along the middle bench. The extra light sure helps! I am trying to limit the shop interior work until we decide what to do with the exterior.

Today I spent some time in the shop working on my van. Shades of Jonny Cash's "One Piece at a Time": I put the starter from a 2003 TDI Jetta in my 1981 Vanagon to start the 1990 Subaru engine with the help of a adapter plate made by a guy in Bend. Guess what? It worked!

 

[christopher.layton]

Not a whole lot of work done on the garage this summer, but it has been great to work in the garage.
We decided that shop really needs to be substantially rebuilt, as the wooden parts were hacked together. We also decided that this needs to wait until next summer. In the meantime, I’ve been working on our Vanagon.

This summer I tackled the camping functions of the vanagon. Call it Phase 1 and 2, if you will, with many phases still ahead of us.

First, the tent needed replacing, so we took the roof off and put a new synthetic canvas up (from GoWesty)
View media item 83011Then I tackled the water: drinking water out of 30-year-old lines didn’t excite me, so I replaced the hookup boxes, all the water lines (clear PVC for on-board water, PEX for city water), the faucet (ShurFlo), and cleaned the tank. I also took the stove apart and cleaned that out so it works well again.
View media item 83025Then, as these things go, things ballooned a bit. The old Dometic Fridge didn’t work well, even when it worked, so we sprung for a TruckFridge. The old Fridge door got relocated to the closet to make a more convenient access point. While the fridge was out I dug into the wiring for the kitchen and simplified it a bit (I didn’t like that the water pump depended on the old and wonky water level meter to work), and it to a new fuse box connected to a new auxiliary battery (with a separator, 2 bank charger, etc.)
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I also found some LED lights at Ikea that I liked, so I replaced the single bulb with with four that provide much more light.

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I still have a few more little projects, but it’s now camp-worthy, and we’ve had fun using it. One great find: all the original screens and window coverings were under the bench seat in perfect condition!
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[drivesitfar]

Chris: well if the teaching thing doesn't pay the bills i bet you could start a business re doing old VW campers. Between you and Denwood i haven't seen any as nice. thanks for sharing and taking lots of pictures with the descriptions.

how's the shop coming along? are you happy with the set up? still like Hood River??

 

[christopher.layton]

Thanks Drive, that's kind. There's quite a bit of work left to do, but I am enjoying it. I am definitely only following paths set by people more skilled than I am. With the Subaru engine, the van is a pretty great feat of packaging: a 20mpg car that sleeps my family and fits in a normal parking spot! If you want to spend a couple hours seeing some amazing van builds, the Samba is full of inspiring and humbling work. Like This One

The shop is functional for the most part and I really enjoy having dedicated space for projects, but I am resisting spending too much time or money in there until I can really tear into it. Next Summer! I will snap a couple of "right now" pictures for posterity—call them "before" pictures.
Hood River is working really well for us. A good move for our family, thanks for asking!

 

[captain14]

Any ideas what you want to accomplish with the " new and improved " shop design. Throw some ideas up here. I thought you did a good job with your one car garage in your other thread. Seems to be more room to expand here. What would you heating and cooling needs be?

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: any updates on your garage? post up some pictures if you have time and wondering if you still like living in Hood River? it seems like a nice place the few times i've been there.

also in case you want to share some of your Woodworking skills and maybe learn a few more there is now a GJ woodworking 101 thread here. the link is in my sig line and hope to see a few posts from you sharing your wisdom or asking questions.

cheers

 

[Denwood]

Christopher, nice work on the Westy! We sold ours over a year ago now, so at times miss it (especially my girls) however, I don't miss the yearly maintenance/"make it reliable" costs. The winter here takes a lot of camping time away, so the use window is much smaller here than Oregon.

Drives, given my '90 Westfalia sale price of $28K, redoing Westfalias is likley a viable business model. There are a few business doing quite well selling Vanagon parts.

I'm sure the shop build will be just as cool as the existing space

 

[christopher.layton]

Wow, my thread resurrected from near-death. Thanks for checking in on me. Truthfully, I’ve been thinking about how and when to revive this thread.
Hood River has been good to us, we're liking it better than we thought. I've been taking a few woodworking projects, and teaching. The past two years have been spent getting settled and with me finishing my master's degree. A few months ago we set about remodeling the house in earnest. Naturally, I'll be doing as much of the work as possible.

So here are a couple of catch up posts:
First post: What’s happened that’s kept me from working on the shop too much.
Second post: what’s happened in the shop so far, and what plan I have for the near future.

 

[christopher.layton]

First: I’ve been working on the Van. As Denwood commented, these things are not for the feint of heart or wallet (although, the fact that they are still appreciating is helpful).

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I upgraded and replaced the wheels, suspension, brakes, and steering rack components this past summer. I had the van on jack stands for a whole month. What a difference though!

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All this work highlights a frustrating dynamic: I can no longer fit the van into the shop, it’s just too tall (almost 8’). And since I don’t have a pad poured near the shop, I need to schlep tools from the shop (around the back of the house) to the driveway in the front. Ugh.

I’m also neck-deep in a kitchen remodel. Most of the cabinets are staying (I am building a couple new ones to match the existing mid-century cabinets).

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I'll pull together more pics if people are interested....lots of work happening in the kitchen. I have the countertop people coming to template next Wednesday and have quite the list to do before then, including building another cabinet for the fridge, a little sheet rocking, and addressing some electrical issues. Always an adventure!

 

[christopher.layton]

Second: the shop.

We’re planning on re-structuring the shop this summer, and extending the roof to the east to create a car-port tall enough to park the van under. We’ll keep the cinder-block portions of the shop and rebuild the poorly structured eastern bay.

With that in mind, I’ve been careful to limit interior improvements that I’ll be tearing out soon. But. I’ve had to make the space usable to work on our kitchen and on projects for customers.

I am building a new kitchen for my in-laws and found an amazing deal on slightly-blemished 3/4” MDO - $25 per sheet! - so, naturally I bought a whole bundle (44 sheets). I also got a Makita track saw, which makes breaking down plywood in my smallish space much easier. First I build an out-feed table that wraps around and makes cross-cutting safer and more accurate.
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Picture facing west...

Then I started some cabinetry because—as you all know—it’s hard to organize and clean the shop if I don’t have anywhere to put things.
View media item 83008Unfortunately, with several projects in the works, I haven't had a chance to build doors or even organize the cabinet yet! All in good time.

“Big” plans for the shop:
1. rebuild east bay, pouring new footing on the edge of the existing pad, gaining me about 16” of extra width.
2. Pour new pad to the east.
3. new Shed roof extending 12’ to the east to make carport -
4. double doors facing the new pad so I can wheel projects out during the summer when needed.
5. dedicated 100amp panel for the shop (more 220v tools!)
(I'll try and draw up a rough sketch of what I'm thinking...)

 

[drivesitfar]

Chris: looks like you've been making great progress and i'm happy i bumped up your thread to check on you.

looks like you got a foot of snow or is it that much and does that happen every year in HOOD RIVER? how are the roads? just curious if the wind surfers go out on the river during the winter cause they are fun to watch in the summer?

i'm hoping for more updates for both kitchen and garage so as you have time please post them up. also make sure to get that cute assistant or superviser in the pics when possible. nice to have them around even though it takes a lot longer to do a project isn't it?

 

[bj383ss]

Your workshop has some awesome character. Both of my grandparents had homes from the late 40's and early 50's. Your workshop reminds of my grandpas garage. Look forward to how you fit it out.

Please post more pics of everything you are doing. There is nothing like good ol' America from when it was "The Superpower".

Bret

 

[Denwood]

Christopher, by all means post reno pics. I'm doing a pile myself so always find motivation looking at work done by others

Not sure if this will help, but would tire deflation allow the Westy to enter the shop? The van is looking very sharp

 

[vtwinjunkie]

Looking good!

 

[christopher.layton]

Drivesitfar: I sure feel like I am plugging away at my list of projects; as you so rightly observe, life with my little helper slows down the pace a bit—not a bad thing. Jack loves helping out on projects.
I just looked back at my thread, and the time has allowed me to rethink my original shop layout plans. This spring we’ll see if my current ideas about the shop survive the math as I put pencil to paper and draw everything up and budget for materials….

A foot of snow isn’t unusual in Hood River, last year was a very light year snow-wise and that’s about how much we got with our one storm. This year is shaping up to be a more typical year: 20” last week and 6” so far this week. Looks like we might get more over Christmas weekend too.
The winter weather sends all the wind surfers home. The population doubles between Memorial Day and Labor Day—it’s pretty crazy to experience as a “full-timer” in the Gorge.

Bret: Our house is definitely a 50’s rancher, It was built to a high standard for it’s day, and as an added bonus, nobody has come along and “remodeled” it and ruined it’s mid-century charm. One reason we’re keeping the existing kitchen cabinets and layout (for the most part) is that the built-in-place cabinets are better made than almost anything available for sale today. It would be a shame to rip them out and put an poorer quality cabinet in for the sake of “remodeling.”

Denwood: Thanks! We’ve sure been enjoying it for camping—the van makes pretty much any trip feel like more of an adventure, even going to the store in town. The fridge is pretty practical for that purpose too, We can go get groceries and not worry about keeping them cold if we want to get something to eat before heading home.
No luck on deflating. I was within a couple inches before putting the GW lifting springs in, and now that I have a rack and roof box installed I just need a taller opening. Definitely part of the plan, it pains me to not have anywhere undercover to park it. Having said that, the new tires are much better in the snow, so I have been driving it. (you know how this story goes, that also means I am looking at insulation and a propex heater for winter camping—it never ends!)

vtwinjunkie: Thanks!

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Here's a picture of the kitchen in it's current state. The new fridge will soon (before next wed.!) have a cabinet around it with doors above to match the current cabinets. The cabinet on the right is brand new, deeper and narrower than the old one, and neither of the two are screwed down yet. The hole in the wall needs to be sheet rocked (also before next week), but has some temporary trim (made out of that cheap MDO) to hide the ugliness. Saying all that makes me feel like I need to stop typing and get to work!

 

[christopher.layton]

Quick update: today I built the cabinet for the fridge. I still have to make doors for it—and about a hundred other things—but at least now the templates can be made for the countertops. The plan is to finish cabinetry, drywall, and painting during Christmas break—counters are supposed to be installed on the 6th.
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[drivesitfar]

Chris: we remodeled our kitchen over 20 years ago so anybody in the kitchen would be able to talk to anybody in the dining room or living room and it's worked out well. i bought some of those SO CALLED nicer cabinet made out of cheap materials that need replacing so my bride wants us to redo the kitchen even if we are moving in a few years now.

i like what you've done and love the re use of old cabinets that might save you a little, but will definitely last longer. my parents remodeled their kitchen in 1965 and their cabinets still look and work great. great idea opening up the kitchen to your living room!!

keep the thread alive by posting pictures as you have time and best of luck with all that snow you have that doesn't seem to slow you down.

cheers

 

[christopher.layton]

I’ve been making progress on the kitchen. Nearly all the cabinetry is complete; I have a door left to make and a few adjustments. Thanks to my father-in-law, who spent forty plus years as a drywall finisher, all the drywall is done. It’s simply amazing to watch him work, he makes it look so easy to spread mud neatly and the next day has almost no sanding to do. But the biggest change happened Friday when the counter was installed, and Saturday I installed all the new plumbing. Every step gets us more antsy to see the finished project!

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One of the things that's amazed me about this project is how quickly we get used to the changes. It's already hard to imagine how we didn't have a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the living/dining room for two years. Already I find myself getting used to—and feeling like it's "normal"—the touch-less water faucet in the kitchen, and it's only a few days old. A few days after ripping out the old counters and putting new ones in, it feels lived-in.

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Which isn't to say that we're done....far from it. My wife is feeling antsy about backsplash to begin tying the counter colors to the cabinetry. We're still debating the floor color but have pretty much settled on linoleum tiles. I have some electrical work to do, and I need to get someone in the house to see to the panel: it's in a right mess after 70 years of various owners fiddling with it, plus I need to start paving the way for upgrading the electrical to the shop Plus, gas needs to be run to the house for the new stove....and painting....and....

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A couple issues that have been rolling around in my head that might be of interest to this community, and that I would like to hear people's thoughts on....

1. I am looking at 36" wide open-burner ranges. I saw someone describe them as "boxes of fire:" 20k-25k BTUs per burner. Naturally, I am going to need a bigger range hood, something capable of exhausting 1000CFM or so. All of that is well and good, but I am still trying to figure out the best way to design a make-up air system for the hood that vents air from the outside when I have the hood on and that minimizes the amount of conditioned air (heated or cooled) that i am shoving through the roof.

2. I am dabbling my feet in the "smart home" stuff. We already have a Nest Thermostat and a Rachio irrigation controller, and I have been really happy with both. I want to start adding some smart lighting in too. I have been looking at the SmartThings hub with some smart dimmer switches for the new lighting around the kitchen. Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?