PowellScooters Build

[powellscooter]

Hi Everybody, I`m Scooter, I found this site after I started doing some research on garages. Heres my story, I have been garageless for 15 years but still working on stuff, building motorcycles, pinballs, jukeboxes, gaspumps, cars etc out of my 10x10 shed. Current project cars are 63 VW bug and 61 VW bus. I live in northern Arizona, in a town thats about a 60/40 mix of mobile homes and stickbuilt homes. The mobiles are on long narrow lots on regular streets with yards and trees etc. I have a double wide on a regular lot but not a lot of room to build a shop/garage. Over the past years the mobile next door has come up for sale a few times and I always said I should have bought it but never did. The last owners were absentee owners except for a few vacation visits a year. Perfect neighbors! Last Labor day when my family returned from camping I noticed the neighbors had taken their boat, and I told my wife, either they broke the boat or they giving up the vacation house. My wife and I want a home gym, I want a shop/hangout for friends and a garage to work in. My wife and I scoped out the housing market in town and decided we really like our home as we`ve done a lot of remodeling and its paid for. We looked over the place next door and found there was a perfect room for the gym. The master bedroom will be a guest room,the other 2 rooms will be for storage. The kitchen will be the bar/grille hangout, and the living room will become a workshop. There is a covered 10x40 concrete patio on the side which I will enclose for the garage. Part of the back yard will be parking for my boat and camp trailer. So after negotiations with the owner we bought the place. I have taken some pics which I will post here and update as we go. My build wont be anywhere as stunning as Utahs Bunker but I think it will fit our needs quite nicely. Let me know your thoughts

 

[powellscooter]

 

[powellscooter]

I got the floor down, put a bench in, assembled the gym equipment and set it in the workout room. Not sure where the big compressor will go, thats the little guy I used to blow the floor off before laying the tile

 

[powellscooter]

 

[powellscooter]

the jukebox

pinball machine, indoor tool cart, bongo and the bow sprit
Oh yeah and a surfboard signed by Ron of RonJon surf shops

 

[custom1]

Welcome Scooter. I'm glad I went over and read your intro, cause when I first saw this I thought you were doing this to your own house.

I think its a great idea!

 

[powellscooter]

Welcome Scooter. I'm glad I went over and read your intro, cause when I first saw this I thought you were doing this to your own house.

I think its a great idea!

Yeah. good point, that might be a little weird. I added the text from my intro to the top of this page. Thanks.

 

[mhoffm911]

Looks like a fine way to solve a problem.

Only caution I would add is be careful of the weight you put on the floor of that mobile home. I have seen too many of them cave in where there was too much weight. It obviously depends on the manufacturer, but they don't build them to withstand huge weights.

 

[Moodster]

Only caution I would add is be careful of the weight you put on the floor of that mobile home. I have seen too many of them cave in where there was too much weight.

That is a good point. I grew up in a rural area with a lot of mobile homes... the floor joists were 2x4s in the ones we worked on. Since yours looks older I'm betting it has two main steel beams running down the middle where they hook on the axles. Probably if you put your big air compressor over one of those beams you'll be fine.

Personally the only downside to working with an old trailer is that everything is just a little different from a traditional home. You're probably already familiar with how you can't run down to Lowe's and get a new door, window, etc that will fit. In the trailer my sister lived in we had to order a new light switch because they were unique to the manufacturer. So wiring up your garage, air compressor, etc will probably be a bit of a challenge. I applaud your idea though - I think it will be cool and convenient for you guys. Good luck and ask questions as you go... this is a great forum with a lot of good information.

David

 

[Kevin54]

Welcome Scooter. I'm glad I went over and read your intro, cause when I first saw this I thought you were doing this to your own house

LOL!!! I had to read it twice also. I thought what the hell has he got a pinball machine in the kitchen and a workbench in the house for!!

 

[powellscooter]

Thanx Guys! The weight room is in a stick built add-on to the mobile. My compressor although only a 5 horse horizontal, may go out it the garage-to-be area with an overhead reel and plumb interior shop lines as needed, not sure yet.

 

[volvo]

.
I also had to go back and re-read your intro. Very inventive and cool, best of luck. I'll take A-7 on the Wurlitzer please.....H

 

[Aircooled]

I like the VW. I just picked up a '63 rag last weekend. Here's a pic of it next to my volksrod:

 

[jalopyshots]

I like your buggy

 

[powellscooter]

Heres an update, enclosed the carport. odds and ends in the shop/bar area...
Feedback encouraged

 

[autoist]

Neat idea - so, on which side of the personal gyme/workshop/garage is your house?

 

[powellscooter]

My house is a seperate building on the left side, (garage side)

 

[powellscooter]

just looked at the pics, Damn I need to clean already!

 

[russlaferrera]

powellscooter, you have done so much with so little. Simply amazing. Welcome to the board!