My garage project

[kvom]

The insulation went in yesterday , but the gutter people didn't show up .

Had a labor quote for $1000 to brick the front entrance. Guy is complaining that he doesn't have enough work and can't compete with the Mexicans. I guess I need to call a Mexican mason to see what their quote is.

 

[kvom]

I now have gutters and downspouts, plus stacks of drywall in the garage delivered today. Hopefully the drywall installers will show up tomorrow.

Second brick quote was $950, so saving a little. One more bricklayer is supposed to quote it.

 

[kvom]

All of the drywall is hung! They will start taping/mudding today or tomorrow. I didn't realize that the drywall guys are specialists. One crew hangs, another tapes & muds, and the third sands. Everything should be finished by next Tuesday. Then the DIY work can restart:

1) interior trim work (stairs, window moldings, etc.)
2) three interior doors
3) finish interior electrical (outlets, lights, smoke detectors, panel, raidant heat pump and thernmostat)
4) bathroom (sink/vanity, toilet)
5) Garage door openers
6) Air conditioners

Mexican bricklayer quoted half the price of the American guys ($500)! Got two garage door quotes that are pretty similar.

 

[kvom]

The drywall taping guy showed up this morning, so hopefully they will be all done by Tuesday.

I managed a lucky buy at a neighborhood moving sale today. 3 pairs of new outside lanterns for a grand total of $25, and an almost new mid-size garage beer fridge for $75. Two of the lanterns are just right for my two side entry doors, two are going to a friend as a gift, and I'll have 2 "spares".

 

[goodfellow]

The drywall taping guy showed up this morning, so hopefully they will be all done by Tuesday.

I managed a lucky buy at a neighborhood moving sale today. 3 pairs of new outside lanterns for a grand total of $25, and an almost new mid-size garage beer fridge for $75. Two of the lanterns are just right for my two side entry doors, two are going to a friend as a gift, and I'll have 2 "spares".

There you go -- now the place is complete

I alway thought that having a fridge in the shop was a waste until I went on a garage tour where one individual actually had a walk-in wine cellar, and seven different beer taps coming out of the wall -- in his garage. The owner said that since the beer and wine stations went into the garage, he spends more time "working" on cars.

All of the sudden a simple fridge seemed like a good idea. Good luck!!

 

[kvom]

Finished off most of the electric stuff today - all outlets except 1 GFI are in, and the panel wiring is done, as are the two fused disconnects for the AC units. Also the drainage tubes for the downspouts are now in and buried.

Drywall sanding start tomorrow, and trim material is delivered on Tuesday.

I also found a bathroom vanity with sink top and faucets on CL that are just the correct size.

 

[kvom]

Drywall is in and the garage level is mostly painted!

Got the bathroom floor tile put down on Friday, although I ended up 3 tiles short. Made the run to Home Depot today to get 3 more and will get them laid tomorrow. Then grouting and I'll be ready to install the vanity/sink and toilet.

A friend came over this morning to help and we got the mill put back together. The head needs a bit of TLC to be looking good.

A bit later the bricking crew showed up to lay the front facade. Five guys working pretty fast had it together in about 5 hours:

Finished result:

They cleaned up pretty well, and put all the broken pieces in the bed of my truck, so all I need to do is make a quick trip to the landfill on Monday.

 

[Nogglefish]

Enjoying your build, thanks for posting!

 

[kvom]

I went to hook up the shop sink and the associated pump today. It went pretty well except for two problems:

1) The plumber placed the water lines too low so that the 20" supply tubes that came with the sink are too short to reach the valves. So I'll need to make a HD/Lowes trip for longer ones.

2) The pump needs a 1-way valve and a shutoff valve on the drain tube. I got those glued in, but the remainder of 2" PVC pipe that the plumber left me was 1" short. I should be able to get it finished.

Other than that, the downstairs paint is finished, and I spent a pleasant hour putting on all of the outlet and switch covers downstairs.

Finished the missing bathroom tiles yesterday, so grout tomorrow, along with setting the closet flange.

 

[kvom]

The building supply truck delivered all of the trim material early this morning, so the first order of business was painting and staining the parts that will go into the stairs. The scaffold makes a nice drying rack:

Also grouted the upstairs bath and finished plumbing the shop sink and pump.

Hopefully can start on the stairs tomorrow.

 

[kvom]

This weekend we mounted the exterior lights and waterproof outlets, plus hooked up the water heater and started installing light fixtures. The smoke detectors are in as well.

I also finished installing the stair risers and treads, plus the bathroom tile.

All painting is done except the stairwell, which we may leave for later.

Sink is installed and drain pump is plumbed.

Toilet was put in yesterday.

We will get power cut to the garage on Dec. 5, which is the soonest my electrician friend can get a day off work (county inspectors don't work weekends).

This week's goals:

Install the rest of the flourescent fixtures (6 in all). Hopefully the garage doors will show up this week and be installed, as there is a cold snap going on and it's chilly with the garage being open. If so then I can work on installing the openers. I also want to get the handrail installed.

 

[kvom]

The garage doors were installed yesterday. I watched the installer do the work and was impressed at his efficiency. I didn't see anything that I wouldn't have been able to do myself, but I'm sure it would have taken me 2-3x the 2.5 hours he took to do the first one. Probably over 200 nuts/bolts/lag screws to drive per door.

I believe I'll wait until I have power to install the openers.

Being able to close off the garage makes a huge difference, as it is near freezing outside and relatively comfortable inside.

The bathroom vanity is hooked up the the plumbing, and we got two more of the garage flourescents mounted this morning.

 

[kvom]

This morning I finished the moldings around the upstairs windows. The girls all went out shopping, so I decided to move the Jeep into the new garage and do a little maintenance: greasing the front wheel and spindle bearings.

Luckily I have a long enough extension on the airhose to run the impact.

 

[kvom]

Friday was an "off day", so nothing more done until the weekend. It rained all day Sat. and Sun., so nothing much to do but inside stuff. Finished all the window and door moldings plus mounted the handrail in the staircase.

After we went about the handrail in the wrong manner, I think I know a better way to do it. It's a 20' piece of solid oak. We lined it up on the stairs and marked the bottom of the rail next to the spots where the studs are for the 5 support brackets. Then took the rail into the garage to screw on the brackets. Unfortunately when we went back to hang it the brackets "missed" the studs except for 1. We ended up using toggle bolts to fasten the brackets to the drywall.

The better way to do it would be: snap a chalkline on the wall of the stairwell, and then attach the brackets to the wall along the line, making sure to screw them to the studs. Then lay the rail on the brackets and mark the positions of the screws. Then drill pilot holes in the rail for the screws, reposition the rail, and screw it on from below.

Tomorrow we'll hang the upstairs entry door, and I'll finish the moldings on the sister plates in the stairwell. I can also put window stop on the downstairs windows if the local building suppliers have it in stock. The I'll think about installing the garage door openers.

 

[kvom]

Got electricity connected today, so the end is in sight.

The garage door openers are installed and one is programmed. These LM3800s are pretty sweet. Quiet too!

To do list for final inspection:

Wire pump controller for radiant floor
Install mini-split AC indoor and outdoor units
Build steps for side entry doors.

Afterwards tofo list:

Upstairs flooring and baseboards
Fill beer fridge

 

[nathank]

Fill beer fridge

This is WAY too far down on the list!

Awesome build, that's a mammoth structure!

 

[kvom]

Did a bunch of "little" stuff today; necessary but doesn't seem like real progress.

Hung the steel door that separates the staircase from the garage.

Then I had to string wire from the garage door openers to the control panel as the wire that I ran inside the walls appears to have been cut/shorted during the drywall. That was irritating. Also got the remote light installed over the side entry door.

Then started wiring for the floor pump and also the RPC I'm installing for the lathe. Need another run to Lowes for some additional parts.

For tomorrow my wife gave me the ultimatum to get rid of the scrap lumber pile in the driveway, so it appears that a trip to the landfill is in the cards.

Sunday I picked up the lathe that I bought a couple of months ago. It's sitting on my trailer in the garage, taking up a lot of space while I figure out how to unload it. I have a feeling that the engine hoist isn't going to work.

 

[kvom]

I finished wiring the controller, thermostat, and pump for the radiant floor just now. I was happy to see everything light up properly and hear the pump running once I closed the breaker at the panel. As there were a total of 10 wires and 20 connections to make, I figured I beat the odds that one or more of them would be wrong.

I set the thermostat for 65, so it will be interesting to see how long it taked for the air temp to get up there from the current 58 (winter warm spell here in GA).

 

[kvom]

Getting close to being finished. I installed the shower doors and got the lathe positioned next to the mill preparatory to getting it powered up this weekend. We are shopping for upstairs hardwood flooring tomorrow. Wife decided she wants nailed hardwood rather than floating, so she's going to have to do the nailing to get it. For me floating is the way to go.

Right now I just need to get the AC hooked up and some steps built for the side doors to call for final inspections.

The automotive lift install is a 2009 project.

 

[goodfellow]

Sunday I picked up the lathe that I bought a couple of months ago. It's sitting on my trailer in the garage, taking up a lot of space while I figure out how to unload it. I have a feeling that the engine hoist isn't going to work.

Great buy!! -- that Monarch 10EE is the best toolmaker's lathe rever made. The variable drive is a pain to setup and keep in shape, but the rest is pure magic.

 

[kvom]

I should have mentioned that I did get the lathe off the trailer and into a temporary position in the shop for cleanup. RPC should be hooked up in Sunday, so we'll see if the Monarch will run. A pallet jack is a definite must-have for moving the heavy stuff around.

 

[kvom]

I picked up the flooring for the upstairs yesterday. 8mm laminate in a medium cherry color with attached padding: snap together floating floor. Got it at Lumber Liquidators for $1.69/sq. ft. Wife and I should get it put down in the next week.

Hauling 32 boxes up 22 steps is a PITA.

 

[Cobra4B]

Nice setup... subscribed.

 

[kvom]

The mini-split AC units are now in place, needing only a bit of electrical hookup outside and having the system balanced by a service call. My friend did 99% of the work, with me just handing tools up as needed.

These units seem primarily designed so that the inside unit mounts on an outside wall with the linesets, electrical connections, and drain tube going straight back to the outside and down. In my case the upstairs unit would be about 20' above ground level, and the downstairs unit is on an inside wall. So for these reasons we installed the linesets inside the walls. This made mounting the wall units a bit awkward, and required some cutting of finished drywall that will need to be patched.

The installation is not technically difficult, esp. if you do the standard install which required no cutting of the standard lineset shipped with the unit. Since the linesets were installed several months ago and needed to be crimped and soldered shut, they needed to have the connectors reattached to the lines with silver-soldered connections.

Anyway, my thanks to Terry should he happen to read this post.

 

[d110pickup]

I've been watching the build and it looks great! It's good to see another local shop.
Here's my build http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10218

Mike

 

[terry1769]

Glad to help! Hopefully you'll get them started up with no problems and get that CO.

 

[kvom]

I've been watching the build and it looks great! It's good to see another local shop.
Here's my build http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10218

Mike

I read through your thread just now. Very impressive, and you did a heck of a lot more DIY work than I did. I'd like to come over for a visit, and of course you're welcome to see mine.

I don't think I'd be selling the scissor lift, even when it's finished.

 

[kvom]

I didn't mention earlier that we did get the flooring installed. It was easier than the clip based hardwood I put in the house a couple of years ago, it still takes more work than I might have imagined.

The pieces are 4' long and 7-5/8" wide, so I needed only 40 rows to cover the width of the room. The room has 5 corners, none of which match up, so it was necessary to calculate whether going around any of them would necessitate a strip of flooring less than an inch or so wide. I measured everything and put the distances into a spreadsheet. The calculation showed I could start on the longest wall with a full-width strip, and that proved to be so when we did the install.

One disadvantage of having the glued-on rubber pad on the flooring was that cutting the pieces generated some fairly nasty dust. I think that a better option is the plain flooring with the roll-on pad that you cut with scissors.

The strips do interlock along the long sides, but you do have to join the short ends by hammering. This usually caused the long ends to separate slightly, so more hammering along the side was needed to get everything to "snap" together. While the wife was hammering the free end, I needed to hold down the end being joined so that the tabs would enter freely. On average, the hammering tapping probably required a good minute per piece.

It's pretty critical to get the first row dead straight and parallel to the wall. I used my Craftsman level that has a laser in one end to align the first strip. I then tacked it to the floor with a brad nailer, as otherwise it would get moved when tapping the succeeding rows into place.

In summary, the floor "looks" very nice. If you touch the floor it has a plastic feel.

I also got the baseboards and quarter-round molding installed, and the wife did the first coat of paint, plus some caulk on a few less-than-perfect miters.

In other news, I got the RPC working as well as the lathe this week.

The final part of the bathroom got done as well. I discovered that the shower package I got at Lowes was missing both the shower head and it's pipe. I went back to Lowes and they gave me a head and pipe with no questions asked. Nice!

 

[BRUISER]

very nice.. build..

I see no reason for any of your neighbors to complain.. looks Like you just brought there property worth up

 

[kvom]

We got the side steps built this week, using pavers that we took up when clearing the slab site.

Then we extended the patio using other pavers. Not the most professional job, but the DIY price was good. The area to the side will be filled with lava rock.

 

[kvom]

The AC guy came over yesterday to start up the two mini-splits. Unfortunately the lineset for the upstairs unit seems to have a leak. The solder joints in both ends seem good, so it appears the leak is inside the wall. Might have to cut into the wall to fix it.

They are going to pump some freon into the pipe this afternoon to try to locate the leak. I'm wondering if the drywallers didn't put a nail into the pipe.

 

[kvom]

Found the leak in 2 minutes: compression fitting on outside unit wasn't tight enough ;-)

 

[terry1769]

Good deal! I'd have been surprised if I left a leak in the wall. Of course a common cause is a drywall or siding nail...

Glad you were able to get them going!

 

[kvom]

Final electrical/plumbing scheduled for tomorrow.

 

[terry1769]

Good luck!

 

[kvom]

Inspectors came by. There are a few minor things to fix, but they are letting them go until the final:

Electrical:

1) Needs a lockout on the breaker for the water heater, since it's not visible from the panel.
2) Need some dryer vent covers to shield the AC linesets at the point where they exit the siding.

Plumbing:

1) Caulk the sides of the shower doors
2) Need sidesplash for the sink cabinet
3) Need "bumpers" between the toilet tank and the wall, as there's an inch or so too much space.

We should get these things fixed this week.

 

[kvom]

We passed the final framing inspection today, so the garage is offcially "complete". I can finally start to get it set up inside the way I want it.

Thanks for reading.

 

[talon]

Need to post some pics of the completed shop once you get everything installed

 

[cyclopsblown34]

Congratulations on completing the project. Now get it so full you'll need to build another.

 

[terry1769]

Congratulations!!!