RAD Garage

[jonny01blaze]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Your place is looking great! Thats unfortunate about your builder though with high w highly rated they are. The facelift on the craftsman cabinet looks awesome... Rattle canned?

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Yup, $5 can of blue paint. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I have completed my trim project above the garage door. Once the Polyfilla dried, I used my old-world artisan skills to smooth out the horrid hack job the framer did on the support beams above the door. Not perfect, but much much better:


IMG_7704 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

I taped off a portion of the ceiling so the joint between the joist and the ceiling is harder to detect:


IMG_7708 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

Once that was done for each beam, I began the painting:


IMG_7705 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr


IMG_7711 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr


IMG_7716 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

Once the trim was done, I went with a light grey in the voids:


IMG_7721 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

Job complete!


IMG_7728 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

Here's how it looked before:


IMG_7655 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

 

[bob_the_builder]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Rick, I really like how your framing around the garage door turned out. Its on my to do list as well.

Bob

 

[AaronH87]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Yea looks like your garage has added yet another thing on my to-do list as well...

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Bob and Aaron, the attic access is my next job. I'm going to trim that out too and paint the access panel. You can see it in the upper left of the second to last photo. It looks horrendous. That's next weekend's project.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Nice fix to their F&%k-up. What's next on your agenda for this great space?

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Food for thought....

I just went back through your thread and saw your procedure for cleaning beneath the flow-through tiles; pretty darn efficient! I'll just toss this idea to you to help keep your garage floor tidy in-between those deck douchings. Years ago, I bought a house carpet cleaning attachment for my ShopVac and it worked well for its intended purpose. My thought is that this ShopVac 'Steam Team' - (Model 880-92) accessory would work well for both your car detailing efforts and garage floor cleaning duty. The attachment came with a long length of small diameter plastic hose and a trigger actuated nozzle assembly. The hose was hooked to the kitchen sink and hot or cold water could be applied to the carpet just ahead of the pickup nozzle. The built-in carpet soap dispenser mixed the proper amount right at the tap. It also came with an upholstery nozzle that was handy. With your new 'cleaning station' sink and hot water tank catch pan (?), it might make your cleaning duties a lot simpler. Having this attachment should make cleaning your Racedeck tiles in place quick and easy. The spray head nozzle would allow you to create a slurry of the accumulation on and beneath the tiles and the Shopvac ***** the mixture up before it has a chance to disperse beneath the tiles. I don't know if this model (or similar) is still available or not, but I can vouch for its utility.

One other thing - if you do go ahead with the hot water tank catch basin idea, if you can find one whose dimensions are correct, you might consider laying in some spare Racedeck tiles inside. That flow through design would allow dirt/grit to drop through and be trapped in the catch basin and reduce the amount of **** going into your drain system. The tiles might even act as a drip-drying rack of sorts for washed items.

Long-winded post; sorry.

 

[NCAudi]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Bob and Aaron, the attic access is my next job. I'm going to trim that out too and paint the access panel. You can see it in the upper left of the second to last photo. It looks horrendous. That's next weekend's project.

Great job with that portion above the garage door.

I didn't really notice the attic access panel until you pointed it out, but since you mentioned it - what a hack job. From that photo it looks like they really tore into that ceiling while cutting out the hole. Oh well, I am sure your end result will be much better than anything they would have done with it.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Nice fix to their F&%k-up. What's next on your agenda for this great space?

I do feel like a master craftsman! Next up is just a lot of little things.

- I am installing black plastic conduit over the mess of overhead garage door opener wires coming out of the ceiling as well as around the feeds to the sensors at the foot of the garage door. That'll take me a whole 5 minutes...

- I am going to give my other boring grey Craftsman cabinet a rattle can paint job. Not sure what colour yet. Probably blue like the other one I did.

- Trimming out that attic access panel

- Sink will be arriving soon so that'll need installing. I think I'll do a subway tile backsplash. As cool as it sounds, I don't think I'm going to do the catch basin. But, once we get rolling, you never know, I may change my mind.

- I am thinking of buying a Mytee Firebird Vapor Steamer
http://www.mytee.com/products/firebird-steamer-2/#.UOo-KUJRYTF

- I am also thinking about a Mytee Lite Carpet Extractor, but I'm on the fence because I don't know if it will get much use. I think it is along the same lines as the ShopVac Steam Team unit you mentioned. Just not sure I need it. It's relatively compact, but I'll kick myself for spending the dough and then having it just take up space.
http://www.mytee.com/products/8070-mytee-lite-ii-automotive-detail-extractor/#.UOo-g0JRYTE

- I really should get my HVAC guy out to rotate the infrared heater towards the center of the garage. Presently, it fires the heat straight down. I'm just not looking forward to his BS. Father of a friend, so I have trouble telling him off.

So, as you can see, nothing major planned for the near future. I do think I'll be spending most of my energy research new tools I need (and don't need!). Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. By all means, keep 'em coming.

I didn't really notice the attic access panel until you pointed it out, but since you mentioned it - what a hack job. From that photo it looks like they really tore into that ceiling while cutting out the hole. Oh well, I am sure your end result will be much better than anything they would have done with it.

I'm pretty sure the crew that framed and drywalled the garage were drunk.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

The Mytee equipment looks tailor-made for the home detailer. I suggested the Shop Vac accessory because their units come in various sizes and horsepower. I've used mine for so many interior/exterior clean-up jobs that I can't imagine not having one in the shop. They're noisy suckers, but boy, do they ever ****/blow! lol

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I'll check out the ShopVac lines when I get closer to crunch time. I did a quick scan of the website, and they have literally hundreds of Vacs. A bit overwhelming. I might start with that Mytee steamer and see if I still need a heavy duty unit. Thanks.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Here's the attic access that I am going to tidy up:


IMG_7733 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Sometimes, you just play so hard, it's all you can do to stay standing:


IMG_7685 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

 

[tommyxgun]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

11 pages of amazing ideas. Keep em coming!!

 

[winnipegtibook]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I guess there ain't much car slop these days out West. If I tried that, we would be rolling in 4 inches of muck (being contained by my handy garage tarp / keeper).

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

11 pages of amazing ideas. Keep em coming!!

Thanks. I'm halfway through trimming out the attic access and I finished painting the actual panel (flat black). Should look a lot better. I'm now setting my sights on the garage door tracks and mounts. Thinking of painting them, but not sure what paint to use, or colour.

I guess there ain't much car slop these days out West. If I tried that, we would be rolling in 4 inches of muck (being contained by my handy garage tarp / keeper).

Oh, don't kid yourself. It's been very sloppy out here. We had hard packed ice on the roads until the recent warm-up. For a few days there was a foot of slush on the road. Moved the car a foot and I had all kinds of slop in the wheel wells. But, with a quick 1-2 minute mop, the floor is clean and ready for play time! The FreeFlow was the perfect choice for me.

How are your water drainage issues working out for you? Did you ever find a way to relieve the "pooling" issue you were having in that corner next to the garage door?

 

[Rockcam]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Regarding your ir heater, is it too hot to work under when pointing down? How far from the floor is it mounted?

Mytee stuff looks great - I had never heard of it before.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Regarding your ir heater, is it too hot to work under when pointing down? How far from the floor is it mounted?

It's above the recommended 8'. It's not so much that I get hot when under it, although it does get toasty, it's more about how hot my cabinets end up getting. I have my contractor coming by tomorrow. He seems to think the only solution is to install some sort of metal heat deflector. I just think he's too lazy to rework the ducting. Should be interesting what he has to say.

I had only recently come to know about Mytee myself. I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on their steamer.

 

[Harryn]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Count me in for Beers

 

[KPSquared]

I'm surprised thst heater isn't pointed at a 45* angle. When I went back to look at your pics I realized how close your cabinet is. I think the absolute minimum clearance is usually 4' . . .that cabinet seems a lot closer.

Most garage heaters in small garages are tilted. That might be an option. If he won't move the duct work, just do it yourself. Its not rocket science. . .

Garage looks awesome btw.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I'm surprised thst heater isn't pointed at a 45* angle. When I went back to look at your pics I realized how close your cabinet is. I think the absolute minimum clearance is usually 4' . . .that cabinet seems a lot closer.

Most garage heaters in small garages are tilted. That might be an option. If he won't move the duct work, just do it yourself. Its not rocket science. . .

Garage looks awesome btw.

Yeah, the the fact those cabinets there is my doing. The wall in question is my "storage wall" and I've always been weary of the overhead tube "cooking" it. I can't see any good reason the tube can't be tilted towards the center of the garage, other than an unwillingness on my contractor's behalf to get his hands dirty. If he won't do it, I'll just hire someone else. When it was initially installed, I had no idea that the garage would turn into what it has become, so I didn't even think about the angle. It's a fixable problem, for sure.

 

[KPSquared]

You should be able to just shorten the front chain and loosen the intake and exhaust to let it roll. It shouldnt take you more than 5 minutes. What brand is that heater?

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

You should be able to just shorten the front chain and loosen the intake and exhaust to let it roll. It shouldnt take you more than 5 minutes. What brand is that heater?

That's what I thought, but I need to take a closer look this afternoon when my contractor comes over. I did just get off the phone with the Tech guy at SpaceRay and he informed me that my HVAC contractor did not follow the instructions very well. He said the fact that heat rises makes the downward portion of the ducting a problem. He told me the fan housing should be pointed downwards instead of upwards and that by not allowing the heat to escape as efficiently, I could be doing long-term damage to the control box. We spoke for close to an hour and I think I am going to be asking my guy to redo a lot of the fitting. He also informed me that tiltling the unit 30 degrees towards the garage center is not an issue, at all. It is just a matter of disconnecting the tube, removing 3 or 4 links from the forward chain and then reattaching.

Here's a blow up of the connection:


spaceray by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

SpaceRay CB Series. I'd have to check once I am home as to what specific model I have. I think it is the 20 or 30, but I'm not 100% sure.

http://www.spaceray.com/garage_infrared_heaters/cold_blocker/index.php

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Good luck with your HVAC contractor. Did you happen to ask the rep to email you the installation instructions so you can highlight the portions which weren't followed by the installer? It may be a case where he didn't RTFD! LOL

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Yeah, I have the 40 pages right in front of me. From what I can see, I don't know why he went sideways all over the damn place with the exhaust, and not just straight up. It would have required a hole in the ceiling and one more in the roof, but it would have been much better. But, perhaps I'm missing something. Had he gone totally horizontal, there would be no issue, but the downward section didn't sit well with the tech I was speaking with. In the end, I will have it angled, whether he does it or someone else does. I know he's going to give me the runaround with the ducting, though.

EDIT:

I don't know why he went sideways all over the damn place with the exhaust, and not just straight up

From the manual "Single-wall metal pipe shall not originate in any unoccupied space or concealed space and shall not pass through any attic, inside wall or concealed space, or through any floor"

I guess that's why he went horizontal instead of vertical. There's a bit of an attic space above that part of the ceiling. Still, the manual says no elbows within the first 5' of the run, and no more than 2 elbows. I'm guessing he was quite constricted by my layout, but I'm sure we can get things less convoluted. I'll be sure to keep this thread updated, because I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seat!

 

[KPSquared]

To late now but if you ever need another heater, give Calcana a call. Made in Calgary, customer service second to none. I've had a great experience.

Good luck with tilting the heater!

Don't know if I missed it in the thread, but what did your race deck cost? Local purchase or online?

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

To late now but if you ever need another heater, give Calcana a call. Made in Calgary, customer service second to none. I've had a great experience.

I think I got a better deal going with the SpaceRay, and to be honest, it is a fantastic heater. No complaints whatsoever. I do hear good things about Calcana, too.

I might give them a call and see if they could refer me to a HVAC guy if things go the way I see them going this afternoon!

Don't know if I missed it in the thread, but what did your race deck cost? Local purchase or online?

I went online and found a company out of Cali called Cartwheel Factory. I got it for $2.99/sq ft plus a 10% discount off the total because I purchased in excess of 500 sq ft. Best quote I got in Calgary was for Swiss Trax and they wanted double that! I have seen that Swiss Trax is online right now for $2.79/sq ft. The shipping tacked on another couple hundred, but I was pretty happy with the overall cost.

 

[KPSquared]

The "garage stores" in Calgary and Edmonton ask absolutely ridiculous prices for everything. Hard to support local business when they have their middle finger attached to the price tags. . .

I'm into my 75,000BTU, 20' long Calcana for under $1400. The garage stores wanted like $2200. Stupid.

Good luck. Hope you can find a good HVAC guy.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I couldn't agree more. I'm by no means made of money, but I do alright and there's NO WAY I'm going to pay the jacked up prices our retailers think they are entitled to. I can't count how many times I have told a guy that I am going to get it elsewhere for 1/2 price and they couldn't care less. For every one of "me's" there must be 100 jokers who don't know better. Otherwise, how do they stay in business?

$1400 for a 20'er? That sounds like a great deal. My unit is 9.5' and the tube is 15'. I think I paid $1500 including the install. I'm going off memory here, but I think I looked at their 10' model, which is what my space requires, and it was 10,000 less BTU's than the SpaceRay I ended up with and they were the same price. My SpaceRay is the CB 50 model which puts out 50k BTU's. I was prepared to order the unit myself, but my HVAC guy did save me a few hundred off the price I was quoted. I didn't even bother checking with the local outfits.

My HVAC guy came by this afternoon and it went better than I had anticipated. He was under the illusion that you couldn't rotate these tubes, but I showed him the MANUAL that states up to 45 degrees is possible. So, he is now going to rework the angle and reduct it all. I'm happy. He will be back in the next week or so to do the refit.

My garage door was giving me issues the past two days. I had the door company come out and it turns out I had a malfunctioning switch on the wall, as well as a bad sensor. It was a flurry of activity in Rick's Double Garage today!

 

[sfd524]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Good to hear the HVAC tech is willing to rework the unit. We have similar units in all our fire stations and they do work well. When we dump a full station there are four 12'x14' OHD open at the same time for 90 seconds (timer). within minutes of the doors closing the bays are back up to temp. It is my understanding that these units heat the objects, walls and floors not the air. However it works, it works well.

 

[shopnut]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Great looking garage Rick. If I ever give my double a facelift, I need to review this thread in detail for some ideas. Thanks for sharing.

 

[KPSquared]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Glad you got it worked out.

I'm in the "do all right but not made of money" category as well. . .I guess the fact is, in Alberta, there's a lot of the "made of money" types that keep those places in business. I mean, I'll fork over an extra 10% to support local business, but double? Heck no.

 

[BMW_Garage]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Great looking garage Rick! Your attention to detail is amazing.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Good to hear the HVAC tech is willing to rework the unit. We have similar units in all our fire stations and they do work well. When we dump a full station there are four 12'x14' OHD open at the same time for 90 seconds (timer). within minutes of the doors closing the bays are back up to temp. It is my understanding that these units heat the objects, walls and floors not the air. However it works, it works well.

Yes, I am very impressed with the effectiveness of the infrared versus the forced air system. It does heat the objects, most importantly the floor, so heat radiates from everywhere and everything. The recovery time is under 5 minutes on an average winter day. Just amazing. Plus, no blowing air means no dust.

Great looking garage Rick. If I ever give my double a facelift, I need to review this thread in detail for some ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Shopnut reviewing MY thread for ideas?!? That means something to me. Your shop/garage/organization is unsurpassed. Thanks for the support and compliment.

I'm in the "do all right but not made of money" category as well. . .I guess the fact is, in Alberta, there's a lot of the "made of money" types that keep those places in business. I mean, I'll fork over an extra 10% to support local business, but double? Heck no.

I'm with ya brother. Even if I had long dough, I'd still hunt down a deal. A big part of the fun for me is in the chase!

Great looking garage Rick! Your attention to detail is amazing.

Thanks for the comment. 99% of the world would make fun of me for it, but it's nice to have a place where that is actually appreciated! I grew up in a pretty disorganized household, so I vowed to have everything in its place once I was an adult. I guess I stayed true to that early vow.

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I thought I would just post up a couple pics of the current vehicles that get housed in my garage:

2009 Audi Q7
Babied since new - LOVE IT!


2009 Audi Q7 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

2011 Kia Optima SX Turbo
I know, I know, it's a Kia, but DAMN I love this car!


IMG_0152 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

These were our cars back in 2008 in our old house:

2006 Cadillac STS-V
2007 Lincoln MKZ


0012 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

Wrapped up my little "attic access" project earlier this evening. With this minor issue resolved, I can confidently say that no further examples of corner cutting on the part of the home builder exist.

BEFORE:

IMG_7733 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

AFTER:
IMG_7743 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr


IMG_7745 by 55cadillacking, on Flickr

 

[AaronH87]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

man..... you must have a good paying job... im very impressed with your cars and your work. attic door looks good. and with the trim around the garage door, back when i painted my garage the dark grey, i had considered painting those pieces of wood a light grey (opposite contrast of what you have) and seeing how good it looks painted has confirmed it for me, i just have to get in there and clean them up. the builders sprayed them with popcorn ceiling, so i have to clean them off before i can do anything. I bought the paint to do it a couple months ago, just havent done it. I still have to finish trimming the dark grey in some places too lol

 

[55cadillacking]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

I go in fits and spurts. There were a few months where I didn't feel like doing much in there, but I'm on a bit of tear recently. I'm sure it is related to this forum. When I see what people are up to on here, it gives me that push I need. "Let me push you"' to clean up that popcorn ceiling coating!

 

[AaronH87]

Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN

haha yea, i need to do that.... id love to get rid of the popcorn all together, i hate popcorn ceiling.