Just Enough Garage

[grease_monkey]

You have to be near the water, why else would someone take a small cape and make it so strange. I used to live out in Plymouth as a kid and saw all sorts of strange things done so people could say they had a view of the bay.

MassSaves is a great program you just need to keep on the contractor to make sure they stay honest.

You guessed right, we are near the water and everyone wants a view.

MassSave did a great job and I have good things to say about the contractors. Everything went great in my experience. Very happy with the end result.

 

[grease_monkey]

Some updates:

Siding Finished:

Mountain biking is my new old favorite thing to do. Bike's working out great for me the more I ride and tune it to my preferences.

 

[grease_monkey]

Can't believe what photobucket has done not allowing free embedding. I wanted to share photos of my new-to-me 1961 (I think) 13ft Boston Whaler and the split-unit AC install. Bummer. I'll have to figure out another way to upload pics.

 

[grease_monkey]

Alright, I'm back after almost 2 years because of photobucket...

Anyway, I'll pick back up from where I left off....

1962 whaler was fun for a year...learned a lot and then sold it a year later:

Picked up a 1998 Sunbird 20-foot walkaround (OMC owned, mold identical to Hydrasports) with a Suzuki 140hp 4-stroke. Now starting my 2nd season. Worked out a few issues last season and its working fine for a cheap older boat. Little upgrades here and there but nothing major. Fixed up the trailer, added a bimini, replaced the infamous oil cooler, bottom paint, rewired stuff, added depth finder, and little stuff to keep it running.

Best part of living where I do is having a mooring down the street...

 

[grease_monkey]

I still have my trusty 1990 F150 but haven't driven it since I bought a 2017 F150. Love the new truck for 4x4, AC, power windows, automatic for heavy traffic etc. I'll keep the old F150 forever, maybe rebuild it some day. Costs me nothing to store at my folks house (no space at my house for more cars).

Out with the old:

In with the new:

Together:

 

[grease_monkey]

Following my mantra for this house "make it a little nicer", I upgraded the bathroom without getting sucked into redoing everything. Cleaned the heck out of the cast iron tub, scrubbed the tile, painted, added a vanity and cabinets etc.

If we stay in this house long-term, it'll involve adding a level and major work throughout. Trying to keep making it nicer for the short term and if we decide to sell and buy a different property.

From this:

To this:

This is how the house stands right now.

Next up on my project list is tackling the basement. I want to finish half of it for bonus square footage, add a big closet for storing gear/bikes etc. and then make the workshop and garage livable. I only have 2 outlets in the basement right now and run extension cords for everything. Will be wiring, insulating, and flooring....going to be looking to GJ for recommendations and insight for sure.

Garage:

Workshop (door to garage on left):

Workshop (facing back of chimeny & boiler/water heater):

Here's the basic basement layout. Definitely looking for some advice. I've thought about knocking the block wall down between the garage and the room with the oil tank (my workshop/tool storage). However, I have no experience with lally columns or what would be required. There are hot water heating loop pipes hanging down into the workshop. Also, issues with having oil tank, water heater, and boiler in the garage all year round in New England? So many questions....not sure if it's worth the squeeze.

Red are load bearing beams, green is block wall, and the purple circle is a collumn:

 

[sean Buick 76]

Good job on all the projects! Photobucket is a thorn in my side as well. Keep up the great work. I spent 8 years re-doing an old house and I feel your pain!

 

[captain14]

Welcome back. All the projects look great.

 

[dwlachowicz]

Glad to see you back! M3 looks really clean, any work done to the M or stock?

Love the updates you've done to the house, really gave it a fresh look and cleaned it up.

 

[grease_monkey]

Glad to see you back! M3 looks really clean, any work done to the M or stock?

Love the updates you've done to the house, really gave it a fresh look and cleaned it up.

M3 is mostly stock with 72k miles. Has an intake from PO, gunmetal finished square wheel set up (9" rear wheels all around) with 255's. Little cosmetic stuff here and there but nothing major. I've been waiting for the time and money to start really building it. Between getting married a year ago and my wife just about to finish 3 years of full-time school, there hasn't been much left for my toys. Can't complain when I've got my trucks, the M3, and a couple boats though. I do have big plans for the M3 when the time comes....

 

[dwlachowicz]

Very cool to hear about the M. I do know what you mean when life gets in the way sort of speak. Luckily it is a great car to enjoy in it's current form.

 

[grease_monkey]

Very cool to hear about the M. I do know what you mean when life gets in the way sort of speak. Luckily it is a great car to enjoy in it's current form.

The M3 is such a fun balanced car to drive, even in stock form. Plenty of room for improvement, but light years ahead of most everything else I've driven. Something about the whole package is very appealing....right balance of simplicity/technology, quality driving dynamics, and timeless looks.

The E46 M3 was on my short list of cars when I bought it about 5 years ago. Checks all the boxes I was looking for....a drivers car with a little class for under $25k. Just the right amount of technology (ABS, traction control etc) but not too much like today's cars. These cars came out when I was just starting high school so was a completely unattainable thing for a long time. I think I picked up mine at a good place in the depreciation curve. It's a base 2001 M3 so first year without any of the minor upgrades introduced later on. 72k miles on it and a long life ahead if I keep up on maintenance and garage it during our New England winters.

The M3 replaced my old "fun car", a 1999 Subaru 2.5RS with a lot of work done including a 2.5L turbo swap. This was my first car I bought at the end of high school and kept for 8 years.

In my parents old garage where I did all the work on that car:

 

[dwlachowicz]

Ugh I loved those little 2.5RS! An old friend of mine picked up a new 04 STi when they first hit the states and man was that a monster during that time! I will say that I do not miss working on those motors! Everything was so tight on them! The worst was spark plugs and the timing belt!

Still wouldn't mind a full STi swapped 2.5RS Coupe.

 

[grease_monkey]

Ugh I loved those little 2.5RS! An old friend of mine picked up a new 04 STi when they first hit the states and man was that a monster during that time! I will say that I do not miss working on those motors! Everything was so tight on them! The worst was spark plugs and the timing belt!

Still wouldn't mind a full STi swapped 2.5RS Coupe.

The "GC8" has a special place in my heart. Mine was dyno'd at 360 wtq and 313 whp when I was done with it and weighed ~2850 lbs. Funny enough, I sold it to a guy in Vermont who sold it to a guy in Maine who sold it to a guy who lives in the town I live in....I still see it driving around my area.

I will agree that spark plugs, head gaskets, and timing belt issues on those motors can be a nightmare.

 

[grease_monkey]

Been working on a few things around the house. Gutted the guest room closet, put in an ikea closet system and painted/hung doors that were in the basement when I bought the house. Looks much better now.

Also been tinkering on a Suzuki DT4 2-stroke outboard for my 10 foot inflatable dinghy. Didn't run when I pulled it out this spring after buying it over the winter sight unseen. Drained the fuel, cleaned the carb/jets, put a new plug and fuel in -- then it started up 2nd pull. However, next I've got to figure out why the cooling water isn't flowing. I pulled the lower unit and the impeller looked fine so something else is probably up. Going to tear into it this weekend....hopefully something I can figure out without ordering any more parts but we'll see.

Also I'm pumped about my new Craftsman push mower. Thing is designed for vertical storage which saves a ton of room in my tiny garage. I don't believe the advertised "check and add" briggs and stratton motor (no oil changes required?), but such an upgrade for only $200. Was going to dump another 50$ into my old craftsman to get through another season and decided to just bite the bullet.

 

[Trapps]

One option to consider:

1. Knock down the wall separating the front of the garage from the back of the basement (see X X X X in drawing)
2. Convert Closet to Built In workbench
3. Relocate Sink, Washer Dryer as most connections should be available in the central Boiler/Water Heater/ Chimney stack
4. Oil Tank room become storage for bikes, etc.
5. Laundry area becomes shop area

Can I ask where in Mass you are?

 

[grease_monkey]

One option to consider:

1. Knock down the wall separating the front of the garage from the back of the basement (see X X X X in drawing)
2. Convert Closet to Built In workbench
3. Relocate Sink, Washer Dryer as most connections should be available in the central Boiler/Water Heater/ Chimney stack
4. Oil Tank room become storage for bikes, etc.
5. Laundry area becomes shop area

Can I ask where in Mass you are?

Thanks for spending the time on that! I've had very similar thoughts as well. Only major issue I see is that there are 2 drain lines running down through that wall you propose knocking down. Nothing that can't be done to move them, but definitely adds to the complexity unless I just left them where they are. Another thing I just don't know the legality of is that there are heating loop pipes running along the ceiling in that "new" shop space. Would those have to be relocated above the ceiling? or can I have pipe penetrations through a garage? Freezing and fire concerns? I just don't know enough about code and what's allowed.

I'd love to have shop space in the garage like that. Also, I'm just south of Boston along the coast.

 

[MSPoirier]

Are those stairs, How will you get down the stairs with a bench there? Maybe I'm not seeing it right? Greetings, I am also from south shore MA

- Sam

New England Region

 

[grease_monkey]

Are those stairs, How will you get down the stairs with a bench there? Maybe I'm not seeing it right? Greetings, I am also from south shore MA

- Sam

New England Region

Hello, fellow Masshole! The stairs go down to the left on that drawing, so that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Trapps]

Thanks for spending the time on that! I've had very similar thoughts as well. Only major issue I see is that there are 2 drain lines running down through that wall you propose knocking down. Nothing that can't be done to move them, but definitely adds to the complexity unless I just left them where they are. Another thing I just don't know the legality of is that there are heating loop pipes running along the ceiling in that "new" shop space. Would those have to be relocated above the ceiling? or can I have pipe penetrations through a garage? Freezing and fire concerns? I just don't know enough about code and what's allowed.

I'd love to have shop space in the garage like that. Also, I'm just south of Boston along the coast.

No worries, 5 minutes with scissors and a sharpie. Since the space is on the small side, you could consider heating it to a safe (45° or more) with just a small inexpensive space heater. I have done this in my 10' x 22' garage. Granted I have a decent amount of insulation. You could skim the exterior walls with Formular or something similar.

Sorry I can't comment on the heating pipe loops, but perhaps someone else here can if you posted some pics.

Nice M. Love the 2.5 too!

 

[grease_monkey]

Thanks, Trapps. I'll post some pictures of the space here for others to comment. Hopefully someone can speak to having heating loop pipes exposed in a garage and penetrating the ceiling to service the hot water heating units. There are also hot/cold potable water pipes exposed in this area too. Pardon the mess...

Wall facing the back of the garage - drain lines run down the bump out against the left wall and in the center of the wall there.

Wall facing washer/dryer/sink. Closet area with the breaker box is shown to the left. This wall was torn down so I could plumb in the washer drain line behind the wall and the hot/cold supply. When I bought the house the washer supply was y-ed into the faucet and the drain went into the sink basin. I tied the washer drain into the sink drain. Unfortunately, when the washer drains the sink fills up before it can all drain out the line....works but not how it should. Probably my fault for how I tied the drain in.

Facing the basement stairs

I also made some progress on my Suzuki DT4 outboard. Pulled the lower unit again and noticed some wear on the impeller and wear plate (not much). Ordered a kit to rebuild the pump as cheap insurance.

I also noticed that the seal on top of the pump was slightly worn and felt exhaust coming out the tell-tale port when the engine was running. After a little internet research, I think back pressure from the exhaust is leaking into the water pump through this seal and starving the pump so it loses prime. That combined with a slightly worn impeller may be the root cause....we'll see after I get the seal and impeller parts in later this week. Some people online talk about drilling out the exhaust relief ports on the mid-part of the outboard to help relieve back pressure issues too.

 

[grease_monkey]

Here's a post just to bump the thread and try to get some opinons on the basement garage expansion ideas....

Unique thing about my mud flat mooring and the 10-ft tide swings means the boat is high and dry around low tide. I can typically take the boat out +/-3 hours from low tide so I'm always consulting the tide chart to figure best times to get out.

High tide:

Low tide:

 

[jb3]

Cool space! Im a fan of the tetris problem solving that goes into a compact space, people come up with some really clever solutions.

Have you considered moving the oil tank outside? I feel like there might be some fire code reasons why that tank couldnt be in the same space as a vehicle if you knocked out some of the cinderblock wall, and it also eats up a lot of real estate. Mounting an outside one would sidestep both (if it can be done)

You could always put it on a pad facing mr ocean views windsail house, and make an attractive enclosure for it

 

[Lennyzx11]

Thanks,
SNIP

Wall facing washer/dryer/sink. Closet area with the breaker box is shown to the left. This wall was torn down so I could plumb in the washer drain line behind the wall and the hot/cold supply. When I bought the house the washer supply was y-ed into the faucet and the drain went into the sink basin. I tied the washer drain into the sink drain. Unfortunately, when the washer drains the sink fills up before it can all drain out the line....works but not how it should. Probably my fault for how I tied the drain in.
.

Show us a picture or two of how you tied that drain in.
That is probably an easy fix.
Lenny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Frankoc]

Hello, fellow Masshole! The stairs go down to the left on that drawing, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Another south shore Masshole here, just a little further south.

 

[grease_monkey]

Cool space! Im a fan of the tetris problem solving that goes into a compact space, people come up with some really clever solutions.

Have you considered moving the oil tank outside? I feel like there might be some fire code reasons why that tank couldnt be in the same space as a vehicle if you knocked out some of the cinderblock wall, and it also eats up a lot of real estate. Mounting an outside one would sidestep both (if it can be done)

You could always put it on a pad facing mr ocean views windsail house, and make an attractive enclosure for it

I hadn't thought about putting the oil tank outside. Big picture goals are to switch over to gas as some point which is available at the street. When my water tank blew a year ago, I thought about making the switch, but price was just too much so I replaced the indirect water heater tank in kind. Some day I will switch over...probably when I have to replace the boiler.

Show us a picture or two of how you tied that drain in.
That is probably an easy fix.
Lenny


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are some pictures of the drain setup.

sump pump y'd into washer drain line:

Run to sink drain:

Run into sink drain...I know that I screwed this up a bit and some water will pool here. Figured I'd fix this when I do over the basement.

All this ties into a smaller drain line. The larger pipe (I'm guessing sewer line) is hidden behind the wall in the previous photos. Hopefully someone can chime in here with experience pointing out my errors (when washer drains, the sink fills up before draining out). I'm always learning something with my first house here. That isn't a leak in the picture at that joint....just a messy accident from joining the PVC pipes.

Another south shore Masshole here, just a little further south.

Nice, my wife's family is down your way right on the canal.


In other news, my folks are selling the house we all grew up in and one of the last things to go before they list it was my old F150. They're gracious enough to let me move it to their new retirement house. Pics of the red truck on the hook this morning and at the new temporary parking spot until I figure out where to put it. Wish I had more space at my house. I've always had to keep my boats/trailers and extra vehicles on their property. I dream of having a shop that could fit all my toys....someday.

 

[grease_monkey]

Couple updates....

Picked up a Mid 2000's Ariens 926LE snowblower for free that needed a little love. New $20 carb, a $30 lever, some gas, a spark plug, and a couple hours later and I've got a really nice blower that's completely overkill for my property. Debating keeping or selling it since I don't really need a blower that size, but maybe I'll keep it long term and use it more when we upsize to a new house. I just can't believe the guy was giving it away for free...worked out for me!

Also finally got some demo work done in the basement. Biggest hurdle was clearing all the **** out of the basement so I could actually work down there.

I'm about 1/3 of the way through the demo work now. Definitely need to seal up and insulate the rim joists...I think I'm losing a lot of heat there.

After the demo and that insulation/sealing work, I'm going to have to decide if I want to add a bathroom to this space. Reading up on MA and local code, I've got a lot of questions if this is even possible since I think that turns it into "habitable space" with a lot of ramifications. Regardless, I'm going to make the space nicer than it was before. Progress is progress, but sometimes feels like it's hard to get anything done.

 

[grease_monkey]

Uh oh...I uncovered something very concerning pulling off the wood paneling on the carrying beam in the basement today.

Can someone help me out? Is this termite damage?? Carpenter ants? Water/rot? Gotta figure out what the damage is from and then out how to repair the carrying beam.

View from bottom

There's about a 1.25 foot section near the foundation that is real soft and breaks apart very easily. I think this project just got much more expensive...

 

[grease_monkey]

Closeup looks like insects?

 

[grease_monkey]

this

 

[grease_monkey]

this