chiefgearhead
New member
I’ve been an occasional lurker here over the past few years and have found some great content. I’ve wanted to spend more time on GJ but several other activities have prevented me from having enough cycles to contribute and maintain a constructive presence. Chief among those activities is the restoration of a rather rare old Alfa Romeo, now entering its 11th year. It’s a little ironic that said Alfa Romeo is now the impetus for me beginning what I hope to be a more significant amount of time in the forum.
We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains (yes, the ones near the fires last year) in a home that ticked nearly all the boxes for us when we bought it. The only shortcoming, one we figured we’d be able to tackle at some point, was the lack of “desired“ garage space. I use that qualifier because the garage is actually above average, even by North American standards. It’s 625 square feet in size, well insulated, has lots of big windows, great ventilation, is a separate structure, wired for 220v, an epoxy painted concrete floor, room for my air compressor outside, and great view of the forest beyond. Unfortunately, I have 5 motorcycles, three vintage Alfa Romeos, and a long suffering wife who has just taken delivery of her very first brand new car. I promised her that her new car would have a place inside the garage. After years of having to deal with her car being outside in the drizzle, rain, heat, and dust, she certainly deserves it. And as you may have already thought “gee, any woman who puts up with this guy’s collection deserves at least that…hell, she lets him keep one of the motorcycles in the house.” And you’re right.
So it goes that the main topic of my first post here will be around seeking input and advice regarding the construction of another garage on our property. Preliminary research with the county shows that it’s possible, and building another garage has become the very definition of the word “exigency.” We simply don’t have room for the collection, one of which is now “stored” in our car trailer.
-tj in the Santa Cruz Mountains
We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains (yes, the ones near the fires last year) in a home that ticked nearly all the boxes for us when we bought it. The only shortcoming, one we figured we’d be able to tackle at some point, was the lack of “desired“ garage space. I use that qualifier because the garage is actually above average, even by North American standards. It’s 625 square feet in size, well insulated, has lots of big windows, great ventilation, is a separate structure, wired for 220v, an epoxy painted concrete floor, room for my air compressor outside, and great view of the forest beyond. Unfortunately, I have 5 motorcycles, three vintage Alfa Romeos, and a long suffering wife who has just taken delivery of her very first brand new car. I promised her that her new car would have a place inside the garage. After years of having to deal with her car being outside in the drizzle, rain, heat, and dust, she certainly deserves it. And as you may have already thought “gee, any woman who puts up with this guy’s collection deserves at least that…hell, she lets him keep one of the motorcycles in the house.” And you’re right.
So it goes that the main topic of my first post here will be around seeking input and advice regarding the construction of another garage on our property. Preliminary research with the county shows that it’s possible, and building another garage has become the very definition of the word “exigency.” We simply don’t have room for the collection, one of which is now “stored” in our car trailer.
-tj in the Santa Cruz Mountains