Mixed Feelings... Starting Over from Scratch

[Zrexxer]

Well, I finally did it... got off my ***, found a new home in a safe, quiet area, not too far from work, and lots of room to breathe. I close on August 1st.

I'm happy about it for the most part, but today I'm just feeling a tremendous sense of everything that will need to be done when I move in. I'll basically be starting my garage over from scratch.

I'm going to have to run new electrical lines, get the compressor and welder services ready to go, build new benches, shelving, lighting, storage - everything I've spent the last 14 years doing here.

Yeah, it's an opportunity to learn from everything I've done before and get it right this time. But right now, it's a little overwhelming. The house itself? Ehh, that will work itself out. But the garage - that's personal!

 

[rsieracki]

i look at it like this... you know what you did 'wrong' the first time, you have seen 'better' ideas on somthings i'm sure here on the journal and your garage will only bennefit

good luck and congrats!

 

[Jim B]

I moved 8 months ago after 23 years in the old place. I looked at it as an opportunity to build the new garage the way I want it. It's going slower than I would like because the "new" house needs quite a bit of TLC but it will all be worth it in the end. Take it a project at a time (work benches, storage, etc)And if you get the garage sorted the house projects will go a lot easier.

Congratulations and have fun with it.

 

[Blk88GT]

I just moved 11 months ago and started over. It was overwhelming at times, but it was the best move I've ever made. Don't hesitate, FULL SPEED AHEAD!

 

[38Chevy454]

It can seem overwhelming, but as suggested, take it one project at a time. It can be good to have a list that you cross stuff off. Helps the mental feel good to cross an item off and it also helps to stay focused.

 

[7th Kahuna]

I like the list idea. We had a neighbor years ago who was a serious gardener. When he moved into his new place, he ripped everything out, leaving himself with dirt. For six months, we would see him sitting in a chair under the one tree, staring out at the yard. Everyone kind of wondered what was going on. Then out of the blue the yard blossomed. All that time he had been planning it out in his head. Unless you need the shop for your business, I would say take your time, plan it out, make a list. Then build it out as you get excited about your plans. Just walking into an empty garage and thinking you need to replace what you had, all that work all over again, could be a bit overwhelming. Good luck. Remember, it's supposed to be fun.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Congrats on the new home and future build.

You know the rules, take plenty of pictures and start a build thread.

Personally, I'd have no issue if I had to start over as long as I had the cash on hand for the new build.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Congratulations.
The only other thing you seem to be missing is a new wife/gf in the process...

 

[Glenn M.]

Congratulations on your purchase and move! Keep us posted on how things go.
14 years is a long time to accumulate "stuff", might be a good time to get rid of some of it, replace it with things more useable for you.
Take time to hire some part time help, make the renovating easier...
After 32 years of being here, I'm sure I couldn't do what you're getting ready to do...

 

[brownbagg]

if i had to do over, i would get rid of everything in house and shop that would not fit in a 8 foot u haul, rent an apartment and sit on the porch. get rid of boat, camper, all the other cars, motorcycle. hurricane come, could be in next state with everything i own in four hours. follow the big jobs projects. oil pipeline in dakota summer months and south tx in winter

 

[Zrexxer]

if i had to do over, i would get rid of everything in house and shop that would not fit in a 8 foot u haul, rent an apartment and sit on the porch. get rid of boat, camper, all the other cars, motorcycle. hurricane come, could be in next state with everything i own in four hours. follow the big jobs projects. oil pipeline in dakota summer months and south tx in winter

That's all a tempting idea, well, except for the apartment part. I could never live in one of those ant mounds again.

Instead, I seem to be going the opposite direction. This place is on a .6 acre lot, with a garden and a swimming pool. More things to take care of. Plus, I hate yard work more than anything, so now I'll have 26,000 square feet of grass with a sprinkler system It has a 16x30 "shop" in the back yard, which the PO built but it's a wooden floor on blocks and doesn't have electricity run to it, so it's future is uncertain. I either demolish it and build a proper shop on a slab, or I relegate it to a garden shed and make other plans.

And yeah, the G/F issue is kind of what precipitated this... the current one accepted a proposal of marriage 2-1/2 years ago, and in the interim I've discovered I'm never going to get that oyster pried off the rock. She won't leave her own house or take any chances whatsoever, so I got my ring back and just moved on with a new place of my own, on my own terms.

 

[RKA]

I like the list idea. We had a neighbor years ago who was a serious gardener. When he moved into his new place, he ripped everything out, leaving himself with dirt. For six months, we would see him sitting in a chair under the one tree, staring out at the yard. Everyone kind of wondered what was going on. Then out of the blue the yard blossomed. All that time he had been planning it out in his head. Unless you need the shop for your business, I would say take your time, plan it out, make a list. Then build it out as you get excited about your plans. Just walking into an empty garage and thinking you need to replace what you had, all that work all over again, could be a bit overwhelming. Good luck. Remember, it's supposed to be fun.

Good story, but it sounds like he had it planned out before he started. What you saw was him waiting for the planted stuff to grow! . Unfortunately with a new garage, I can confirm nothing but dust will grow if you sit on your a$$. So I would recommend a different strategy.

 

[cslye]

Well, I finally did it... got off my ***, found a new

I'm happy about it for the most part, but today I'm just feeling a tremendous sense of everything that will need to be done when I move in. I'll basically be starting my garage over from scratch.

I am with ya here. This is actually what landed me at GJ as I have always wanted a bigger/better garage. My prior house had a 3 car built-in which never housed more then 2 cars and a bike. One of the goals of buying a new place was a 4 car garage which didn't happen, and there were not many prospects located with them.

Moving from a 4200sqft lot to a 42,000 sqft lot means I have room to build which once we actually move in and finish some interior projects I hope to start.

Having gone from a space that allowed me to park my DD inside every night and had all my tools in place with lots of storage to a 2 car which is packed full of junk from moving and is a hazard to walk in, I become pissy with the current setup often.

Now to just get over the hurdle of the WAF of a garage which I hope to be almost as big as the home. Gotta dream big

Not to mention, removing all of my home automation and AV stuff last weekend from the old house and thinking how much I had done to the last place over the last 10 years and wondering how long will it take me to redo in the new place...

So far, I have hopes for a 30x48, 4 single door, 2 story with a breezeway to the house to bypass the county limit for accessory building size. Lots of ideas collected here, but very hard to gauge the feasibility for costs etc just by reading online.