One Car Garage Project for a Car Guy

[N0tt0N]

Day 3 Demo Turns to Buildout

Finalized my accessories order for the Storewall last night. Mostly an assortment of hooks and some 5" shelves. I want to get a bit of experience once the cabinets are in on what remains to be stored out on the walls within easy reach. Some of the hooks I'm getting now may eventually migrate to the HVAC utility room or a shed (rakes, shovels, etc.). The Storewall heavy duty cam locks are unique to them so that's what I focused on. Any 3" slatwall accessory will also work so I'll probably do a bit more research for things like small bins to hold small parts around the work bench during dis/assemblies. You can cut/drill shapes through their shelf material so I thought I would experiment with purpose built shelves to hold specific parts like valves, springs, bolts, etc. Time will tell.

More work completed today. Drywall up on the new wall and the old metal studs removed on the garage side. Cut out the ceiling rail for the garage door to make room for the HVAC main ducting move. Was told last night they wouldn't be able to come straight out of the utility room into the house for some reason and was pretty bummed to loose to space but they did a great job moving it back into the area above where the sliding doors cabinets are going to go. I'm happier with the compromise. You can see in the last two photos where the old ducting was (wasn't even painted above it!) and also how it exits to HVAC utility room into the garage and then turns. If you look carefully you can now see the radon evacuation core hole and how it will now go straight up inside the utility room until it is high enough to join the new raised cross-garage pipe.

A little miscommunication and a little HD mistakes led to the wrong door being ordered last night and the wronger door set aside by HD! It turns out two wrongs do NOT make a right! I was told to get a 32" open frame door and I ordered a 32" door with casemoulding - so too wide. I also ordered a left handed in-swinging door and they set aside the opposite. So, loose a day on the turn-around but at least it wasn't put in first! Still in packaging.

Tiles arrive Saturday and Cabinets arrive Monday ! This is really happening! Tiles are a little early but close enough. I need to find a place to put the cabinets! Time to repack the junk in the tent!

Talked to Real Carriage Doors - they are SO nice! They're sending designs over tonight for the garage and entry doors. I'm reusing the existing door knobs on the new garage entry door until the new carriage doors are here and I can match styles better. I want to move from brass egg knobs to black or dark bronze lever side knobs for ADA compliance and to actually be able to open the door with my elbow instead of my greasy hands!

Need to work on lighting design! You can't search on LED (too short!) in GJ! WT*! Time to trawl the lighting section and see of anyone has already given advice on LED ambient lighting...

 

[Lobstrosity]

Re: Day 3 Demo Turns to Buildout

It's coming along quickly! What's the timeframe for doing the tiles?

Need to work on lighting design! You can't search on LED (too short!) in GJ! WT*! Time to trawl the lighting section and see of anyone has already given advice on LED ambient lighting...

This might help:

https://www.google.ca/#q=led+site:www.garagejournal.com

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 4 Box ins

Lobstrosity: The tiles arrive tomorrow. The cabinets on Monday. The Maxline 1/2" master kit for the compressed air runs on Tuesday. The Washer/Dryer on Thursday. The Storewall on Thursday/Friday. Busy delivery!

Today the smaller HVAC distribution ducting went in. I'm still a bit bummed that some extra effort was made to tighten things up. I'm feeling like some decisions were made 'cuz it was easier' rather than 'cuz it was better'. I'm loosing 6" a pop for each decision not to push things as tight to the walls as possible. Now I'm loosing an entire joist space along the wall for in ceiling lighting I wanted to do. Sigh. Tough to keep folks focused on the vision when they each come in and do the easiest thing. That said, it will still be much, much nicer.

Boxing went in around the main HVAC ducting. It was put in 6" from the new wall. 2"x3" horizontal supports were cut 1" wide of the garage side edge. 2"x3" vertical supports were then nailed onto the ends of that. Wall board will extend that 5/8". Since they couldn't fit it up between the joists after boxing it leaves only 9" between it and the top of the sliding door cabinets but after boxing would only be 4". F*ck it, close that off rather than create a dust catcher. Maybe I can hide my unobtainium stash there. Funny, after all the talk we're winding up back were I said I wanted to be with a built in look for the sliding door cabinets. WTF. See first picture.

The back wall 'box' looks like it is growing as well. After promises that everything would be packed tight the smaller HVAC ducting appears to have been EZ done with a round pipe instead of fit box ducting and then wrapped with bulky insulation without much thought to the design. Now the box will bloat to fit it. So, the wall cabinet will need to move further off the back wall to be flush with the face of the box. Wasted space that I don't have.

Will need to reposition the gas supply line to the HVAC in order to free up the vertical space for the radon evacuation pipe. That's fine as the shutoff valve for the HVAC was an old style that has known issues and is not to code so I'll have that and the one on the water heater on the other side replaced at the same time since the gas will be off.

Ordered a 1/2" Maxline compressed air master kit with the idea that I will place the compressor connection in the back right corner where the radon pipe is and then put in a surface connection at the work table and then and in-ceiling connection in the middle of the ceiling somewhere where the air hose wheel will go. Looks like nice stuff.

Confirmed the Storewall order with Aspen Closets. Aaron was a great help setting up the order and I like to help out another small business. The slatwall and accessories shipped today by truck (since I wanted the 8' pieces to minimize gaps) and should be here in five days. Thanks, Aaron!

Finalized selection of the Carriage Doors from Real Carriage Doors with Sam who is really sweet and super helpful. We're going with a Mahagony wood for both the garage doors and a matching entry door. These will have huge curb appeal but are, not unexpectedly, a significant chunk of my budget. They will result in a much more open layout as the doors are full height (108") while the previous doors had a solid transom at the top (84" opening) that closed things down. 8-10 weeks while they're being built so January timeframe. In the meantime the old garage door sits in the vertical supports and can't open. I will probably remove the hardware holding it together so I can remove the panels if need be once the interior is done. See last two pictures for door designs and check out their web site. The garage doors will have strap hinges that should look great.

I also ordered the new Washer/Dryer from HD for the related project once I had commitment on when the new dryer venting will be in place to the back of the house. These things are huge but somehow necessary to justify the costs of the improvements in the garage - if you get my drift. JK, my wonderful girlfriend and wife have been extremely supportive of the build! I think I will coin the phrase Garage Karma - the balance of garage with the rest of your life!

Tomorrow I will be busy reorganizing the junk in the tent to make room for the cabinets as they will be bulky. Much of the scrap was hauled away today so that helps free up some space. One of the guys took all the gorilla-style shelving and quite a few bi-fold doors that came out of previous closet redos went as well. Yay!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 5 Box Ins

More boxing in of the main HVAC ducting today. Have to wait on the gas guy to move the HVAC supply in order to move the radon evacuation pipe before finishing the wall next to the HVAC. Painting the DryLok on Monday looks like while the laundry room ducting is investigated/done.

Spent half the day cleaning the stuff in the tent and restacking everything to make room for the cabinets that are showing up on Monday. I think I have enough room as I've cleared half the 10'x20' tent the long way. Cabinets are bulky though when wrapped for shipping...

Shifted 1,155lbs of tiles from the street to right outside the garage door. 12"x24"x3/8" porcelain packed six to a box and strapped together in pairs of boxes. 22 Boxes @ 52.5lbs per box. Each pair was 105lbs. Fn steps on the walk up. No need to watch Thighs Of Steel video now! Yeah!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 6: Drywall, Doors, DryLok

Sunday, they rested.

Today some more finish mud work on the foyer side of the wall and the new fire rated door to the garage went in. See second Picture. I reused the old hardware until the new entry door comes and I can match the hardware. It was warm here today but its been pretty chilly the last week and the open door to the garage was like staring into the frozen abyss.

Green drywall went in on the garage side of the wall and the pocket for the sliding door cabinets. Also the back wall received its first coat of DryLok. With the all the overhead garage mechanicals out of the way and the drywall in it is really starting to feel bigger. See third picture. I am super psyched!

Best of all the Moduline cabinets arrived! See third picture. I had just enough room under the tent since I cleared it out Saturday. It was 'interesting' watching the guy get these tall packages (7') off the tail lift. At least these were only 350lbs each unlike the 1,155lbs the guy manhandled for the tiles. I'm glad I got aluminum as I can't imagine moving around steel. Yikes! The color is awesome. I really like the look of the red and the brushed stainless. Did I mention I was excited?

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 7: Drywall, Mud, Gas, DryLok & Radon!

Things are really starting to come together.

More detail drywall went up on the garage side of the new wall. Mudded pretty much everything as well. Second coat of Drylok on the back wall and the first coat on the left wall. Who would have though 2 coats of white paint would double the size of the garage! Gas guy was in the move the supply line for the HVAC a little bit and replace to old-style shut-off. Unfortunately he forget to replace the other shut-off on the hot water heater but still better off. That allowed for the repositioning of the radon evacuation pipe (the way it should have been originally) so now the walls are completely clear of everything except the main electric that has been boxed in for a cover. Too bad it will mostly be covered as it looks solid and 10 times better than the original cr*p! BTW, the pictures show the temporary HVAC hose on the back wall with the final ducting waiting on the positioning of the gas and radon rerouting.

A bit nervous as no work has started on the new dryer vent since the Washer/Dryer are coming Thursday.

Maxline master kit arrived today. Storewall comes tomorrow afternoon. That's everything I'm waiting for until January. Getting there!

I would like to recommend Oscar Esquivel at Esquivel Remodeling LLC. for any work in the DC metropolitan area. He is coordinating the various crews for the build once I stepped out of the way to get things done before Thanksgiving. We originally contacted him to lay the porcelain tile and the more we talked the more we liked the idea of having his guys pitch in. We've used him for two complete bathroom remodels that were awesome and for some painting work as well. He's got a quality crew and is easy to work with as the inevitable issues crop up on a job like this. Thanks, Oscar & Crew!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 8: More finish drywalling, boxing, exploring

Today was mostly throwing and sanding more mud on the drywall for finish. The drywall surround for the HVAC access door went up and mudded. Also boxed in the top of the back wall to cover the gas/radon and the HVAC distribution ducting. Decided to put in a garage side vent since that will be directly over the work area. See first picture.

Started exploring the new dryer venting solution. The second picture shows the cutaway for the column above the laundry room in the living room. Unfortunately it is chock full of two drains and two water supply lines so not going to be able to squeeze the venting up through there. Bummer. Exploring two options (one of which now has to be completed by tomorrow afternoon with the Washer/Dryer show up!) from the laundry room shown in the third picture.

Option 1 is to come straight up and exit below the low window in the back. This has the down side of being continuously buried every time the mulch piles up as there is only about three clear inches of brick before the brick sill edge comes out.

Option 2 is to come straight out the wall about 18" below grade with PVC and then up and to the left to avoid the window. This has the down side of begging to leak without a way to really monitor the outside or inside seal of the PVC. It may be the only viable solution.

I can't go the left inside the wall because that packed stack is there and then the ceiling starts dropping because the laundry room is under the stairs. Sigh...

Good news is the Storewall arrived today. The guy couldn't get the 8' palette onto the tail lift in order to lower it so we broke it down on the lift and moved it all into the tent. More heavy stuff! Everything was there and in good shape. I may or may not have gotten an extra wall hook as a present from Aaron at Aspen Closets and therefore may or may not be thanking him right now.

I also received the shop drawings for the carriage doors and the entry door. I need to double check measurements and carefully review how they will mount to the brick walls at the garage opening. The drawings show an assumed double 2'x6' stud wall. I also need to measure the depth of the opening for the jamb.

Been studying more on lighting. I like the Cree CR14 LED troffers (looking at 3500K with a CRI of 90+ and either 4000 lumen HE (impressive 120wpl) or 5000 lumen) but it looks like LEDS get you one way or the other. From what I have learned from Lutron if I get the 0-10v dimming versions I have to get their GRX-TVI interface ($ per circuit) which is large (12"x7"x4"!) and I need one for every separately dimmed set of lights. If I get the ones with the Lutron Ecosystem interface ($ per fixture) built in then I have to get a power pack ($ per circuit) anyway that is smaller but needs a 2-gang box per circuit.

More tomorrow

 

[mike_81]

You plan to use rigid pipe instead of that flex line when buried behind a wall right?

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 9: Painting, Boxing, Cabinets!

mike_81: Yes. The run will now be less than five feet long from dryer to outside vent. Compared to close to 50 feet with many turns I think clothes will dry much faster and the changes of burning down the house are now greatly reduced!

Lots of progress today.

Washer/Dryer delivered and old ones hauled away. Wife is much pleased. Less so that the venting wasn't done so they are sitting in the hall but better than rushing things that will be hard to get at for a long, long time. These things are huge and totally fill the space with a few inches to spare above and to the sides since they will be stacked. It will free up the other side of the tiny laundry room for linen storage and the area previous finished but lost behind the dryer for stuff stored in plastic totes. First Pic.

Two coats of bright white on the drywall in the garage. Amazing transformation paint makes. Boxed in for the wall cabinets to bring them out a bit - always that pesky extra lost 3"!

But the big daddy of the day was getting the first section of wall cabinets up. See second pic unpacking these babies. Wow, I am getting pretty pumped! They look great and better than I expected. Carrying them in was a joy as they are super light compared to my steel tool chests. See third pic. They are all still in the protective film so they look a bit milky but the color is a great red. Still have the two that mount to the left wall to go. They'll continue around to the end of the high box that's already up.

Also placed the two sliding door cabinets for sizing. Paint is still drying so they are not back all the way. I'm really starting to see the design come to life! See fourth pic.

The lower cabinets are giving me pause. They are 36" tall with adjustable legs. They offered toe kicks to cover the legs and flush everything to the floor in 2" and 4". I was thinking that the 4" would be more useful as a toe kick and so got those. So, the cabinets are now 40" tall. The way they were described I thought the kick plate would rest on the ground and slide up under the cabinets based on how you adjusted the legs but that may not be the case - I'll see tomorrow. At 6' these will be perfect for me working standing up and even my wife thinks they are a better height that 36" for working closely on things (unlike in the kitchen where you tend to work further away from things rather than leaning over) but they look pretty tall. I don't have a hole in the design to sit in anyway and a stool height seat will be just dandy when standing gets too much. Will look into a fatigue mat.

Finalized the shop drawings with Real Carriage Doors. They were assuming a typical 2x6 wall and I have 8" of brick. Also caught a few things that had dropped along the way so always good to read and review everything closely! Great to work with this guys - real pros.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 10: Paint, Cabinets, and Dryer Venting

Lots more progress today as things begin to come together. Some parts have moved to punch list stage.

The last two cabinets on the left wall have gone up. Base cabinets will wait until tile goes in Monday. Sliding door cabinets on the new right wall were pushed into position and mounted as well. See first two pics. The HVAC door was mounted and finished - no external hardware as I will use a magnetic push latch to open and close thereby hiding it as much as possible. Garage was cleared of all the flotsam and jetsam of construction and cleaned out.

The trim molding was completed for the foyer side of the wall and the first coat of paint laid down except for the cut in. Its the same color as the living room upstairs so now the foyer, stairs, and living room which basically share a continuous wall are finally the same color! Although the third picture is from a cell phone the color really glows with the wood floor. Still haven't finalized the lighting solution so the down lights and cr*p chandelier are left raw until then. The picture also shows the 'cubby' that was created by leaving the original wall in place for the first 30". My wife plans on building that into a coat rack/shoe rack kind of thing with a mirror. To me it is 30" of garage space sacrificed to the Gods of Matrimonial Munificence! Win-Win!

Busted through a block sitting next to a joist and on top of the foundation and then through the brick façade to put in the PVC dryer vent. The fourth picture is of the hole before the pipe was run through. Coincidentally there were some prior mortar cracks from settling in that exact same spot under the window that can now be repaired during the finishing. Its been sealed and foam insulated and the bricks will be put back tomorrow to finish the exterior. Still some finish work to do on the inside tomorrow as well. The test cut in the sewer/water stack I showed in an earlier post has been recovered and finish mudded for paint tomorrow so that should all be done and we can wash clothes again! Woot!

Everyone working on this is starting to get pretty excited. We'll have to have a garage warming and get some real pictures taken to share. The neighbors keep asking if there is going to be a wedding or something with the white tent out front

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 11: Boxing, Laundry Room

Saturday we did some limited work. Finished covering the electric supply box and a removable wire channel cover at the top of the wall. I also calculated and marked out all the locations for the Storewall InstallStrips. I misplaced the electric supply box in my original planning model but luckily it didn't really mess up anything. I just switched the layout on the left wall from 4', 8', 8' to 8', 4', 8' and the seams worked out. Because of the steady move out of the wall cabinets off the back wall the seam at the end of the wall cabinets on the left wall will actually be an inch or so to the right of the end of the cabinets instead of right at the end of the cabinets like I planned. I don't think it will be that noticeable.

Finished the mud work on the laundry room holes. Today I wet wiped them for painting tomorrow. I installed the stacking kit and did the preliminary leveling of the feet with a level. I can't finalize until after paint as its a pretty tight fit and I'll only have access to the front feet after its pushed in. I measured the floor there and it slant down to the right so I'm hoping my preset is pretty close.

Re-anchored the tent. Heavy winds in the twenties. Watching the tent hover over the driveway but no problems. Reattached some of the bungies that had come loose during the night. I've ordered an extra 'T' and wall connector for the Maxline compressed air routing. I'm going to move the power and compressed air reels from the center of the ceiling where I originally thought to place then because all the door opener junk was there anyway. Now I am going to mount them to the left of the first wall cabinet on the left wall on the ceiling, maybe at an angle so the reel towards the center of the garage door. I'm going to wait to run the Maxline lines there until after the Storewall is in and mount them on top rather than cut a hole in the Storewall and then have to mount a block in the hole to bring them out. I have good access to the routing area and the joist space so no harm in waiting. Trying to reduce scope to finish up by Wednesday.

Tomorrow is supposed to get the bricks back in for the laundry vent, level and prep the garage floor for the tiles, paint the laundry room, mount the fold-down workstation on the left wall where I marked it yesterday. Maybe get some Storewall up depending on how the floor work goes.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 12: Tiles, Workstation, Laundry

Today we got the dryer wired and stacked onto the washer and in position after painting behind it while it was out. The stacking kit then has a piece that bolts across the front to anchor the dryer to the pieces I mounted on the washer yesterday. A bit intimidating lifting this monster. Test runs pass! No leaks, fires, explosions - exterior vent functioning and pumping some serious hot air. Very solid and quiet machines. First load in three weeks under way! Everybody in the house is much happier tonight

Put up the Moduline Fold Down Workstation. Had to make a call on how high to place it. I had hoped to juggle four variables to achieve a single, same-height work surface from the lower cabinets on the back wall to a pull-out shelf in the left unit to the folded down workstation but that isn't really possible now that I see the lower cabinet and given the order of the installation (upper cabs, tile, lower cabs, Storewall). So, I placed it where the working height would be best stand-alone. It is a really neat unit that Moduline says is their best selling item at the moment. Pics two and three show the unit folded up and folded down. I still have the protective coating on it so it looks white but it is metal. I'm looking forward to having the surface and still be able to fold it up and get the car in the garage.

The guys went to work prepping the floor, chiseling out cruft and setting about 25% of the tile. Even though I warned them they were surprised how expensive the Mapei K/K system was. I decided on a simple grid pattern with the long side heading into the garage given the 12"x24" form factor with the idea it would accentuate the linear line and make the garage look deeper - as opposed to an often used offset that tends to make the surface look more homogeneous. All the more exotic arrangements like herringbone or chevrons fell by the wayside in favor of simple lines that should pair with the Storewall lines. I decided to have them end the tiles at the slab edge (subject to out-of true issues) at the garage door opening and then do what Jack Olsen suggested and ramp down to the aggregate driveway material with cement inside the closed position of the carriage doors (since they move to the exterior of the brick opening instead of the interior of the opening like the original overhead door did). I had considered a metal ramp piece but I would have had to buy two and put a joint somewhere. I'm hoping the cement ramp will work just fine.

The garage slopes a bit over three inches from the high back wall down to the garage doors. This required a change in the layout of the splash tiles that I had originally planned to lay the long way to match the floor. Unfortunately the right wall footer between the garage slab and the house slab is over 12" (about 14") at the garage door so they are going to arrange them vertically and reuse the waste on the opposite side of the room. So, the splash will appear to be 12" deep tiles compared to the floor which will appear to be 24" deep tiles. The left and back wall will target an average 6" splash. In this way, the lower edge of the Storewall will be level and the splash will get taller as it gets closer to the garage door.

The rest of the cut in paint and trim was also completed in the living room (where the test hole was cut for the original dryer vent idea), the stairs down the ground floor, the hall to the laundry room, and the foyer. So, except for an additional two coats of white for the rest of the laundry room and some lighting work for the foyer the house side of the build is now complete. Guests may now arrive for Thanksgiving - and we are Thankful!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 13: More Tile, Finish Paint, Foyer Lights

Busy day today. Got to about 80% of the tile down, including some of the splash tiles and the landing to the house. The grid looks to be the correct choice. Kept the landing aligned as well so the splash pieces align as well rather than doing a two piece landing to save tile and then having all the splash pieces offset a random amount. Remaining two rows to go in tomorrow. I don't know if they will be able to grout or if they have to wait for the new tiles to set.

Moved some lights in the foyer. It previously had four halogen 50PAR25 down lights and a central ugly chandelier type surface light with four 40watt candle style bulbs. With the garage wall moved in 18" it covered two of the cans were partially covered so they needed to move in. If we maintained the same wall distance the two sides would be too close together in the middle of the room so had to move the other two pots as well. Left the center light unfinished for now as it has to move as well and we haven't finalized light styles.

All the finish painting was completed except for the ceiling in the foyer.

Got a bit of a shocker on the carriage doors. There design for pintle hinges on brick/block walls is to build up 2 2"x8"s anchored into the masonry, a 3/8 shim allowance, and the 1 1/2" jamb all within the opening of the door space. Well that is a no-go as it would narrow the actual opening by a foot from 9' to 8' which is unusable. I only have 4" of external wall on the foyer side and 8" on the outside house wall side and this can't be removed without putting in some steel columns and a header. At that point I might as well just cap the brick with a C box and mount the door to the steel. Sigh. Real Carriage Doors is sending a design for switching to **** hinges (I suppose I could add faux straps) but I haven't reviewed it yet to see if it is viable. Sad day.

Moved some garage stuff back into the sliding door cabinets so we can clean up the guest room for visitors. Pretty dusty from the work! After tomorrow we'll halt work until Monday.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 14: More Tiles, Finish Paint

Today was mostly focused on completing the remaining floor tiles and the tedious work of cutting and fitting the splash tiles on the left wall and lip below the sliding door cabinets. That last 20% is the killer and I think the guys would like to kill me for thinking of running the tile up the splash onto the landing. But it looks great.

All the remaining interior paint was completed for the foyer ceiling and the fire door as well as the box and cover for the electric supply. With the house side done now we've been running around with the vacuum and swifter trying to clean up all the dust. Looks and smells like a house again. So, I celebrated by making some roux for tomorrow's Shrimp and Crab Gumbo! Tastes pretty good even before the seafood goes in (don't tell anyone I had a bowl tonight!)

Got some great news from the folks at Real Carriage Doors (RCD). I was pretty bummed as I mentioned about the default design to build in from the brick into the garage door opening for the anchors and pintle hinge mounting. My space is just too narrow to loose the 11" of opening. The revision with the **** hinges was better in that it lost two 2by's so it closed down the space only about 7.5". Started to sound like compromises all round. My thoughtful wife suggested instead of either of those solutions or the idea of capping the brick in steel that we simply move the anchor studs to the exterior of the brick thereby moving the doors out 3" and then trim the sides/top as a box instead of the original 1by trim piece. It generally pays to have a smart girlfriend. I drafted the design and sent it to RCD. The tech there (she is super helpful!) optimized the concept and sent back the shop drawings. They are now officially known as "The Wife's Design". It is perfect! Just the 1.5" jamb within the garage opening so only 2" narrower than the original space and it only needed a single 2by anchor board inside the trim box. We just have to be particular on the flashing for the top. The front entry door has an arched top so I may consider arching the garage top piece.... maybe.... have to look tomorrow but probably will keep it simple in line with the door design and let the entry door do the talking for the house.

Anyway, I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends helping pull this dream together! I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

[N0tt0N]

Nothing much today. I built the wall mounts for the Maxline system and sealed them up. Ordered some quick couplers (doh!) as I only had one left from the accessory kit I bought when I got my compressor. This the basic layout. I build the hoses tomorrow.

 

[Track t-4]

N0tt0N,
What was your price /sq ft for the tile? Manufacturer and color?

 

[N0tt0N]

N0tt0N,
What was your price /sq ft for the tile? Manufacturer and color?

I had a really hard time finding anything with an interesting form and look to raise the appeal of my tiny garage that wasn't a beige faux marble looking tile for cheap around here and I didn't want stark white so this stuff is not budget. About $6/sqft in the end but I've got a small garage. The tile is:

MANUFACTURER: Provenza
SERIES: Q-Stone Minimal
MATERIAL: Porcelain Tile
COLOR RANGE: Black (Natural Finish)
FORM: 12"x24"x3/8"

 

[N0tt0N]

Spent and hour or two laying out the Maxline and making the in-wall connections. Establish a slope from the furthest and highest outlet (for the reel) down past the two desktop drops to the main drop to where the compressor will be when in use. This will allow me to have the compressor in the sliding door cabinets and then bring it out when I need it, pop it on the main drop, and have access to air. The two desktop and the main drop each have drains but not the highest one. Everything is clipped up into place except the fixtures.




I wasted a bit of time overthinking the order in which to do things based on my initial test building a piece of it. Tightening up the hose connections can be awkward as there is really much to get a second wrench on. Also, the 1/2" line is pretty rigid so you can't twist it to tighten the fixtures, you have to hold the pipe nut and turn the fixture. In the end it went smoother than expected. I built each of the vertical elements first to attach to the center of the T joints and then did the horizontal pieces. Hardest part was pre-drilling and then sinking the clip screws on the backside of the 2bys. A Porter 45 degree driver adapter proved very useful. I used two Irwin adjustable wrenches for the large couplers and a 13mm open ended wrench to hold the flat spot on the T and L joints. I wrapped the fixture blocks in paper towel after I scratched one trying to hold it still while attaching a plug - they are aluminum and scratch easily.

Once the Storewall is installed I will finalize the fixtures on top of that and mount them directly to the Storewall so that's it for now.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 15: Tiles & Grout

Today started with the replacement of five tiles I wasn't satisfied with. I went around tapping them all with a wrench and these five (out of 220) rang like a bell which I took to mean they had an air gap and would have a good chance of breaking later. So, lost half the day tearing them out - man that K/K is some strong stuff, really made me wonder if I just should have left them there - and re-laying them. Also completed the tiles on the stairs to the house. In the afternoon they were able to get about a third of the floor grouted.

The lost tiles means I don't have enough to do the left splash but I've decided not to do that. With the rise in the slab toward the back of the garage the black splash may have accentuated the steadily decreasing height of the splash needed to keep the top true level for the Storewall to key off of. So, I'll just leave that gap as white painted block that may blend well with the white Storewall and then take it on later if it starts to look bad.

 

[dubber]

This is really coming along. Loving the red cabinets especially with the contrast of the floor.

 

[N0tt0N]

This is really coming along. Loving the red cabinets especially with the contrast of the floor.

Thanks, Dubber!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 16: Ungrout, Storewall Installstrips, Base Cabinets

Much more productive day today after a rough start.

First, while I specified Black grout my tile guy brought home Charcoal because he thought it would match better. Unfortunately, Mapei is known for being much lighter than indicated. The half of the garage that was grouted yesterday was not at all what I wanted in an elegant black on black floor. So, I had him grind/chisel out as much as he could (the stuff is rock hard when dry, duh) and went and bought the Black. Tomorrow we'll get that in.



Meanwhile, we put in about half the Storewall Installstrips. This included the box on the upper back wall and the area on the right of the back wall where my toolbox will go. Waiting on the base cabinet install to do the area above the splash board. We then test fit a few pieces of the Storewall just to see. They're not final since they have to be notched on the right for the tile splash and on the left to fit tight against the base cabinets.



We brought in the base cabinets (much easier than moving steel! I don't think each 24" section weighs 50lbs) for a test fit. Bad news was that the 4" kick plate I order made the cabinets way too high, especially given how much the upper cabinets had drifted down - it felt a little like an airliner galley. Good news is they came off with four screws. Bad news is there were no levelers shipped with the cabinets. Based on the description I had expected the kick plates to be 'floating' with levelers hidden on the inside. Alas, they were 4" fixed all the way around which seems counterproductive as any leveling would then be exposed beneath them. Anyway, I've got to get six leveling screws for the front as the garage drops about 1/2" to the front. It a large enough slope that I'm sure I'd get tired of things rolling off the stainless steel top. Without the kick plates everything really clicked into place, especially after I put the top on. The extra 4" is huge and the space just feels right to me.



Tonight I built out the two drawers. The kit is quite nice. I got an extra set of dividers to split between the drawers (they come with six) and based on how they work I think I'll get another set or two. I'm thinking of using the drawers for organizing engine parts as they come off and go back on the engine so I'm planning out what the layout would be and will kidnap my wife's vinyl cutter to create a parts map for the bottom of the drawer, I think.



After yesterday's disappointment I'm relieved to make such progress today. Except for the brick work in the back (ahem) the grout and the Storewall are all that's scheduled for the time I've taken off to work on this. Then I'll have to figure out what to do for under cabinets lights, overhead lights, and tool arrangement. Fun!

 

[dubber]

What did you use to cut the tiles?

 

[N0tt0N]

What did you use to cut the tiles?

He used a Ridgid R4020, 7" Job-Site Wet Tile Saw and took his time. The downside of these really hard tiles is they are tough to cut!

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 17: Storewall and Black Grout

Good day. Got two sections of the Storewall up on the wall after finishing the Installstrip mounting. Although I have the trim to cover edge gaps my guy is really doing a super job keeping the edges within about 1/8" or less. Super impressed with his care. Given the Storewall 'hangs' on the Install strips I was also concerned about the gap at the top. Turns out this is not the case. He used a strip of wood and a mallet to pop the top piece into place. Really tight fits. You can barely see where the 8' first section joins the 4' middle section at the edge of the power supply box where dowels were used to tie together the butted pieces. The Storewall product was a bit challenging on the first section (far left) of the left wall in that the front wall of the garage has a 2x6 bolted to the front wall and the power supply box has an overhang of the plywood cover. So, the Storewall section is longer than the narrowest gap and they are stiffer and stronger than regular wood slatwall so you can't bend it in by the ends. He loosened up the plywood cover and used the wood strip to get it past the opening. Looked like building a wooden boat the way it clicked into place with not gaps. It almost doesn't need the trim pieces. Will likely finish the walls tomorrow.



While he was working the wall the tile guy came in to redo the grout with the black. He only got to two edges two tiles in and they are not all the way dry but boy was that the correct call to switch. I'll post a picture of the new black on black tomorrow when it is dry and true to color.

My wife suggested that instead of leveling the bottom of the base cabinets and creating space underneath them that I leave them flush to the floor and put the wedge/shims under the stainless steel top. I had contemplated that as the best of all worlds but was worried that it would then leave the top less solidly supported by the top edges (and center braces) of the base cabinets. Anybody have any thoughts or experiences to help?

 

[dubber]

He used a Ridgid R4020, 7" Job-Site Wet Tile Saw and took his time. The downside of these really hard tiles is they are tough to cut!

Thanks, I have a home tiling project with thick porcelain on the horizon so that's very useful info.

 

[captain14]

Can you show a photo of the carriage doors in place and the setup used to mount the doors?

Thanks

 

[N0tt0N]

Can you show a photo of the carriage doors in place and the setup used to mount the doors?

Thanks

I can when the eventually arrive, probably late January There is a 6-8 week build time for the doors. Right now all I have is shop drawings and their website. Since their drawings are explicitly protected here is the drawing I sent them for the final design. I could afford to loose any width in the single car door opening so this was what we came up with. The yellow is pressure treated nailers that are bolted to the brick/block. The brown is the actual doors and the matching external trim set and jamb. Not shown is a transition trim piece on the interior of the jamb and the pintle strap hinges that mount through the face of the external trim into the nailer. Hope it helps!

 

[1/2 Cup]

Nice doors.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 18: Storewall, Grout

Pretty much wrapped up Phase I today. Mostly cutting in all the tricky parts for the Storewall for the back half of the garage with the wall cabinets, HVAC, etc. Each cut adds five minutes and next thing you know hours have past. But, IT IS DONE! Once that was out of the way the tile guy laid in the rest of the grout. He had cleaned off yesterday's grout before the wall work started today. Reinforced the tough call to go with black grout. It looks exactly like I wanted it to so worth not having to sigh each time I walked in.

Tomorrow will just be some touchups and the bricks around the new dryer vent.

I'll add the Storewall trim pieces next to cover whatever gaps exist and finish the look. I also have to put in the Maxline fixtures now that the wall is up. Then, back to planning for the lighting solution (under cabinet and ceiling) to replace the single bare bulb! The ceiling and the old off-white-dinge garage door and surround stand out like plague victims now! Ah well, one phase at a time!

Here's some pictures of today's work. BTW, the stainless steel top is still covered in the white protective plastic.

 

[N0tt0N]

Nice doors.

Thanks, 1/2 Cup! Can't wait to actually get them

 

[1/2 Cup]

Thanks, 1/2 Cup! Can't wait to actually get them

Looking forward to it!

 

[captain14]

A picture says a thousand woods. I live in older neighbors where singles are prevalent. Some owners have bumped the front out so a current car can fit in. The door is mounted in the new extension
But these are singles, not attached to the house.

 

[55cadillacking]

I'm loving the clinical look the Storewall provides. Keep up the good work.

 

[N0tt0N]

A picture says a thousand woods. I live in older neighbors where singles are prevalent. Some owners have bumped the front out so a current car can fit in. The door is mounted in the new extension
But these are singles, not attached to the house.

When you can't move some of the walls the others must go! At 20'x10' I can just fit the car in with this arrangement. I had to focus on creating width and luckily the foyer wall was there to be moved.

I'm loving the clinical look the Storewall provides. Keep up the good work.

Thanks! It really is starting to look like my new Operating Room as a neighbor called it.

 

[N0tt0N]

Day 19: The End of Phase I

After what can only be described as a sh*t day for my first full day back at the office in two weeks I came home to a pristine garage. Final touchups and the finish coat on the paint as well as the clean/buff of the floor awaited me. They also put up the vent covers (although I need to work out a shutoff mechanism as the traditional 2"x10"s were too deep to fit and these are 4"x10" grills only) and completed the brickwork in the back to close in around the new dryer vent. I almost wanted to cry it looked so good. The guys did me proud today while I was out and I am so grateful for the help and support. Here's some pics before I take a few days to plan next steps. Enjoy!











And a quick reminder where I started - and this was after the first cleanup and removal of the 12" selves on the right wall (encroaching on the garage) where the sliding doors are now.

 

[dubber]

Always great to keep referring back to where you came from to really appreciate where you are.

 

[N0tt0N]

Worked a bit today. Mostly washing some of the Storewall leftovers that were left outside, then it snowed, and now they are covered with leaves. Damn, oak leaves are like tea leaves. Three days and I really have to scrub them with Simple Green to remove the stains. Hopefully I can save most.

I also laid out the trim pieces for the Storewall as well to plan the miter cuts and start gluing them up. Not feeling great so that's about it for today.

 

[N0tt0N]

Looks like the new carriage doors and the entry door won't be built until the first week of February. Seems like forever to wait now that it is so much closer. I should get some time this weekend to work on some of the detail finishes inside. Last weekend I installed new carriage lights outside the entry door to match the hardware that's coming. The old ones were cheap 'brass' ones that were almost completely covered with rust. Amazing once you pull it off the brick how bad they look after walking past them for a few years. I have the interior matching foyer light I will also get to this weekend.

 

[taumac]

HOLY ****... What a transformation. Great job.