My Garage in Progress

[Der Bugmeister]

Here's a shot of my garage as it stands at the moment...30' x 30'. Plans called for a 10' ceiling, but I think I'll be able to squeeze about 11.5' out of it without going overheight.

I've been doing it all myself, apart from some extra help doing the pours and positioning the trusses...and all without the benefit of a nail gun!

Finally managed to talk the wife into letting me pickup a framing gun and smaller compressor to use with it...now out to play with the new toys after I submit this post

There are a lot of great ideas on this site, and many of them will be finding their way into my creation.

 

[rick]

Looks great! how come we have snow and you don't, doesn't seem fair to me.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Looks great!

Thanks!

how come we have snow and you don't, doesn't seem fair to me.

How come you've got a Vette and I don't?

I'm on Vancouver Island, and the winters are normally quite mild. But don't be fooled by this photo - I've been working in sun, rain, sub-zero temps with frost on the ground (brushing 1/4" of frost off wood isn't fun), rain, fog, dark, rain, snow (not much, but it was there) oh yeah, and rain, if I haven't mentioned that!

 

[DynoDave]

That's going to be a great work space when you are done. 30' deep should give you lots of extra room.

 

[krooser]

My shop is 30' deep...I would have like 36' BUT you know how that goes...

 

[REFLEXX]

Hey! I have 7", wife wanted 12" BUT you know how that goes...

(ok,ok last obnoxious post this year, I promise)

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Hey! I have 7", wife wanted 12" BUT you know how that goes...

Only too well. I thought I was nailing the sheathing up with 6" between nails, until I measured it.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Time is marching along and so is the garage's progress. I've been posting photos in my gallery, and I'm still missing a whole bunch (everything between the foundation and the roof) but if you want a look, check it out at http://derbugmeister.com/galone

I'll be adding shots of the missing stages over the next several days...

Here's a couple photos showing where I'm at now...starting the siding this weekend although still missing doors and windows

Electrical permit is going in, so wiring and plumbing will be next on the 'hit list'

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Finally finished the exterior, except for downspouts and a coat of paint in the warmer weather. Still waiting on the electrical permit (now I see why so many people don't bother with it...definitely not 'homeowner' friendly) but should have it in the next week. Or so. I hope.

Here's a couple shots, with more photos here:

 

[Tim J]

Finally finished the exterior, except for downspouts and a coat of paint in the warmer weather. Still waiting on the electrical permit (now I see why so many people don't bother with it...definitely not 'homeowner' friendly) but should have it in the next week. Or so. I hope.

Here's a couple shots, with more photos here:

Looks great! Thats my next major step...the electrical permit. I alreay have most the wiring in the shop run becasue my electrician buddy was available...so hopefully the inspector wont have a prob with anything. Keep up the great work!

 

[Tim J]

Oh, btw, what did you final ceiling height end up being?

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Looks great! Thats my next major step...the electrical permit. I alreay have most the wiring in the shop run becasue my electrician buddy was available...so hopefully the inspector wont have a prob with anything. Keep up the great work!

I'll probably start running wire before I have the permit as well. I figure it shouldn't matter as long as I don't hook it to anything live until I have the permit in hand, and make any changes indicated when I get the permit.

If you're doing the permit as a homeowner, there's a package available with 'all' the information they think you need, including a homeowner declaration. If you're taking your power off your house's panel, the garage is considered an addition even if it's detached, so you don't have to apply the full load calculation to it.

I think I've pretty much waded through the red tape now, so if you need any input on that, just IM me.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Oh, btw, what did you final ceiling height end up being?

11' 4"

Not bad for originally aiming for 10'...

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Woohooo...after too long of a haitus from working on my man-zone (damn spring and the urge to garden), I finally have my electrical permit and plumbing good to start. Onward, HO!

 

[JMURiz]

Congrats on the permit, looks nice!
BTW, how did you like the Gecko gauges for the Hardyplank siding. I am thinking of using that siding too, looking for install tools.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Thanks!

The Geckos were great...I highly recommend them for ease of use. There's no way I would have got the job done as quickly and easily by myself without them.

The Hardiplank is a nice product...every board is straight and clear - no splits or knots to worry about.

 

[JMURiz]

Great news, can't wait to get started on mine...I have a huge stump to remove for my project as well, the removal is ongoing.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Getting the stump out of the hole isn't as bad as disposing of it...mine took a lot of hacking and burning, but it's finally gone. It was that or pay a couple hundred bucks to be rid of it.

At least it's good exercise!

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Things are moving along slowly, put a few new photos up in my gallery.

Thought my neighbour would be using his baby Kubota to dig the services trenches (needed three separate trenches), but life has a way of interrupting plans like that. So I thought I'd do it by hand. Yeah...right...the first 11" was fine, then I hit the shale. Five feet of 18" deep (need 2') convinced me to sacrifice the lawn and call in the big boys.

All the wires are pulled and boxes in place, going to be doing all the splices and pigtailling in a day or so, along with the breaker panel and getting the cable to the main house panel.

Plumbing is done, fresh water is pressurized and the drain lines tested fine the other day. Should have both electrical and plumbing rough inspections out of the way early next week, then I can finally get into insulation and drywalling.

I must be a glutton for punishment, though...met with my architect today to get the plans going for the house renovations. Planning 19 x 17 addition for a new master bedroom and ensuite bathroom at the back and a new 19 1/2' x 24' garage in the front. Once again, I'll be doing all the work. *sigh*

 

[AHotRod]

You have done a really nice job on your shop, take a break and install a hammock !!!

 

[Der Bugmeister]

You have done a really nice job on your shop, take a break and install a hammock !!!

Thanks

Still a ways to go before it's hammock time (no power for the beer fridge yet), aiming to start on the house by the end of July. The time will come, though.

BTW, sharp looking '30 in your shop. I'm looking forward to hanging up the carpenter's tools and getting out my mechanical toys again.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Getting there, slowly but surely. Electrical and plumbing rough inspections went well last week (if you saw my l'il rant, you already knew that!) and now I've moved on to insulation and drywall. Made the mistake of renting the drywall lift before the insulation and miscellaneous wires for things like alarm, phone, cable, etc were run, so the lift sat around idle for too long.

Renting the lift was definitely not a mistake though. It makes hanging ceiling and wall board a snap for one person.

Threw a couple photos into my gallery (link in signature), but I'm falling behind on posting and organizing the progress shots. Also started a little tool section where those interested can see a photo of that hydrostatic tester I rented to pressurize the water system before the plumbing inspection.

Just to add to the pressure, I've got the house reno plans in hand, and going to apply for that permit later this week. Somebody kill me now! ;-)

 

[dre2142]

Doesnt that tree get in the way of the door?

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Doesnt that tree get in the way of the door?

Not really...While I couldn't drive straight in because of it, I can still use the full width of the door reasonably easy.

Bringing the tree down would have been a bit of a debate with my wife, but having it there to break up the lines of the garage is well worth it's minor encroachment.

Update: Here's a couple photos of the tree's relative position...it's location isn't a big issue.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

All the drywalling is done now, so the next thing is the 'fun' part of taping, pasting and *yuck* sanding.

The end is in sight!

 

[bmwpower]

All the drywalling is done now, so the next thing is the 'fun' part of taping, pasting and *yuck* sanding.

The end is in sight!

I know the feeling... the trashman will love you, too.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

So much for starting the house at the end of July...here it is near the end of September and I'm still working on the cave...although I'm getting closer all the time. Painting is done, moving on to the floor. Opted to just paint it instead of epoxy - I don't think the epoxy will hold up under the abuse it's likely to receive over the next few years.

More photos are posted in my gallery (link in my sig)

 

[DigitalK]

wow that vw logo kicks ***!

 

[Inetmonkey]

Seriously nice paint job. It really gives the interior a custom look.

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Nearly Finished!

It's taken me a year, but I'm almost done the building part of things...just a few minor details (install toilet, sink, flooring in office...) but the electrical is all energized and life is grand. Brought the car into the garage for the first time tonight...man what a cool feeling.

Here's a quick photo, I'll upload more later.

I can't say the garage is done - it probably never will be...but the storage and workbench solutions will have to wait until next year. Have to add 700 sq ft to the house, and build a new two car garage on the front of it.

 

[DynoDave]

The car sure looks sharp sitting inside your new shop. Congratulations!

 

[Down Under Bloke]

Nice, Dak Dak

 

[BoCRon]

Just spent a good chunk of time going through this thread. What a great set up and I just love all your detail work. I'd love to post the pic of the Bug with that cool logo on the wall over on the MINI Cooper site. There are lots of MINI folks (most of them seem to have VWs, too) that would love that idea. Just PM me if you are ok with me doing that, no pressure.
Annette

 

[Der Bugmeister]

Thanks for the comments, all. It have mostly been fun getting it to this stage, and I definitely found a lot of ideas and good advice everywhere in the board. Progress is stalled for the next few weeks unfortunately, but sooooo close to being done. Have 2 out of 4 cars in there, plus a Yamaha VStar that belongs to the guy who helped me get the roof watertight (least I could do for him!) and a raft of **** from the old attached garage.

Went into the office one morning last week, and heard those beautiful words "Hey, Clay...do you want my old kitchen cabinets?". Heh...do fish swim? So they're piled up in the garage now as well.