ISUHUNTER's Garage(s) Journal

[isuhunter]

Greetings everyone - as we sit here on 2/25/2019 the blizzard warning has expired and I have massive garage envy of everyone on this site. I know my garages have potential to be wonderful but we have spent time focusing on projects inside of the house over the past 7 years. Now that the calendar says the weather should start getting nice I am setting some lofty goals for myself. I have started to de-clutter and challenge myself to rearrange my garages! (yes, I'm fortunate to have 2)

This thread is to share the journeys of my garages and hopefully help out others like you have helped me.

Attached Garage:

Detached (Bottom) Garage:

Plans for this spring for my attached garage:

1. PAINT! I've posted a few times over the past 5 yrs about painting this garage. Paint has been purchased and its ready to happen as soon as the weather warms up
   
2. Workbench overhaul! (SteveO inspired) I have the Harbor Freight coupon on my desk. I'm going to get a 26" US General Series 2 and a 44" US General Series 2 and incorporate them into my workbench. I sold the red toolbox you see in the picture over this past weekend. It was a series 1.

 

[MacTexas]

What do you mean "bottom garage"?

 

[isuhunter]

What do you mean "bottom garage"?

I have an 2 lots that make an "L" and the lot which our house sits on is up on a hill and the other garage sits on the other lot (which I consider at the bottom) therefore what I call bottom garage or I guess I call it detached garage.

Attached garage (you can see the other garage in the back)


Detached garage (bottom garage)

 

[MacTexas]

I understand now.

 

[theundermount]

nice spaces! are you going with white in the attached? I assume you're painting the paneling cant wait to see the progress

 

[isuhunter]

nice spaces! are you going with white in the attached? I assume you're painting the paneling cant wait to see the progress

Yep, a really light grey color from Diamond Vogel.


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[isuhunter]

Well today I thought I was on my way to start getting the clutter under control. After a dentist appt I decided to stop at Harbor Freight and pick up one of my two new toolboxes I had planned to purchase.




Still looks good...



And....grrrr big dent in the bottom.




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[JustinS]

Ouch, that ***** on the tool box!

 

[isuhunter]

I was able to pick up a new one over the weekend.

Don’t those wrenches look so nice in there?! Ha




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[joey1320]

I'm jealous of your two garages

Keep the pics coming.

 

[isuhunter]

Out with the old work bench and in with a new 44” and 26” box.




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[cweidert03]

Liking the blue! I just bought the green tool cart yesterday from HF. Was not in stock but can’t wait to get it


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[isuhunter]

I was looking at the drawers and impressed with the double slides on this box compared to my old 44x18 series 1





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[isuhunter]

Over the past few weeks I’ve been able to get a little done on the garage.

Started hanging max lite fixtures



New front door and house/garage entry door showed up and was installed. (I’ll get a pic later)




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[964haus]

Looks great - I'm in the process of buying a HF combo and was undecided on color. The blue looks really nice and may just be in the lead!
M.

 

[XJSuperman]

Very nice! Im sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

 

[bdbecker]

Very nice! Im sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

Likewise... not sure how I missed this, but I'll be following along for sure!

 

[isuhunter]

Nice to see fellow Iowans!

 

[isuhunter]

Here is a shot of the new front door. Waiting on brick mold as the wrong color was sent with the door.



Decided to save a little money and not rent a dumpster so I made some quick sides for my trailer.



Also getting ready for spring planting (of the garden). The kids are growing quickly




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[nicholam77]

Front door looks great. What's the deadbolt you have there? Smart lock?

 

[isuhunter]

Front door looks great. What's the deadbolt you have there? Smart lock?

Yep Schlage keyless touchpad - not a smart lock.

I just can’t bring myself to connect everything to my WiFi.


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[isuhunter]

The garages need some serious cleaning.



Here are some more pictures of my unattached garage.








I really need to make a better shovel/rake/broom organizing system in both garages. What do you guys like best?




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[Trapps]

I'll see your Garage envy and raise you space envy!

 

[cvairwerks]

Hang things so pointy ends up and it makes it much harder to knock them off the wall and reduces the storage depth at normal walking levels. Additionally, keeps sharp edges and points well above little kid faces....

 

[isuhunter]

Hang things so pointy ends up and it makes it much harder to knock them off the wall and reduces the storage depth at normal walking levels. Additionally, keeps sharp edges and points well above little kid faces....

I like the idea of that! We have two little ones that are into everything!


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[cvairwerks]

I like the idea of that! We have two little ones that are into everything!


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Got to think about the crumb snatchers being out there and how they see things. Take a seat on a creeper or a low rolling stool and take a good look around at things from their height.....

It's also worth getting them hearing protection and eye protection if they are going to be out there with you and work is being preformed. With mine, if I was using any power tool that was loud enough that you can't carry on a conversation in a normal voice, at 10 feet apart, then they had to have muffs on. Being within 10 feet of a power tool running also required safety glasses. Ingrain the habit now and it will be a lifetime habit and will help protect them.

 

[bdbecker]

...It's also worth getting them hearing protection and eye protection if they are going to be out there with you and work is being preformed... Ingrain the habit now and it will be a lifetime habit and will help protect them...

Good advice! I've got a 3.5 year old who has become really interested in helping out around the garage lately, so I've been working on the garage rules with her. It's kind of tough because I'm trying to walk that fine line between keeping her safe and instilling a healthy respect for the dangers of the garage, while trying not to scare her away. Right now we're keeping it simple... no bare feet, no running, eyes and ears on when we are using tools, and ask before you touch. She's still too young to be around power tools like the saw or grinder, so I save that work for when she's not around. I've also started unplugging everything when not in immediate use to try and reduce the risk for injury from curious hands.

Here's a pretty good set of child earmuffs I recently got for her:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07216RSSL/?tag=atomicindus08-20

If you're going to buy safety glasses online for kids, pay special attention to the description. The particular style I bought were advertised as "for children", but when they showed up, they were just adult sized glasses that came in a variety of colors. Going back and reading the Amazon listing more carefully, I notice they make no mention of the size being smaller... sneaky bastards. Anyway, it's okay because they're actually the perfect size for Wife, just way too big for Stinker.

 

[isuhunter]

Replaced the purge valve on my F150. Was getting an excessive vacuum in fuel tank P1450 code. My Carlyle ratchet wrench set sure helped get into a tight area.




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[isuhunter]

Well finally things have started!!

Lights went up...



Painting the wood paneling...









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[rixtrix1]

Brightness!

 

[isuhunter]

Today’s addition, since we ran out of paint..

Menards ran out of shelving units too




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[nicholam77]

The paint is already making a huge difference, nice progress!

 

[isuhunter]

Time to get back in the swing of garage activities after a wild start to a new job. Spent the last 10 months learning a new job and adjusting to a different lifestyle. Had some and still do learning curves along the way. Took a role that allowed me to be home with the family more and expand my horizons.

Here’s what we’ve been up to while not working on the garages:

Shooting range with a new toy


Buying some silver


Filling the freezer

 

[isuhunter]

First project: golf cart died at the end of the summer. We need to get the kids favorite mode of transportation back on the road.



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[isuhunter]

Spent some time building a ball and toy rack for the garage. Picked up the M18 fuel saw and the Kreg track which really helps!!





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[isuhunter]

What do you guys think, paint or leave it bare?




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[XJSuperman]

Paint for sure. Or stain.

 

[bdbecker]

While personally, I'm really bad at actually painting anything I build, it would make it look more finished - got any partial gallons taking up space in the basement?

How much time do you have on the Kreg track? Is it a gamechanger, or just a handy tool for that works well enough for the money? I've thought about picking one up a few times, but always change my mind, thinking the money would be better put towards an actual track saw instead.

 

[isuhunter]

While personally, I'm really bad at actually painting anything I build, it would make it look more finished - got any partial gallons taking up space in the basement?

How much time do you have on the Kreg track? Is it a gamechanger, or just a handy tool for that works well enough for the money? I've thought about picking one up a few times, but always change my mind, thinking the money would be better put towards an actual track saw instead.

The track at first took some getting used to. What I liked about it was the "wiggle" that is in your hand/saw combo for an amateur like me is gone. It slides and cuts straight as can be. Very easy to use too.

 

[isuhunter]

Paint for sure. Or stain.

I'm thinking some grey as we have plenty of that from our house.