Re: Rick's Double Garage in Calgary, CAN
are you able to use a floor jack on that surface to jack a car up?
Unfortunately, no. I did the first time and the pressure points, being as they are, resulted in a gouge in a few tiles, which I had to later replace. I end up popping a few tiles out where the jack will go, and then replace once I'm done. One disadvantage vs. a floor coating.
do you have to pull up the floor in the spring to wash the sand from under the flooring?
Yes, that's exactly what I have to do. At first it was a major pain, but now I have a pretty slick system. The tiles pop away from each other pretty easily, so I rip 3 sections out and drag them to the driveway. I rinse the floor and then drag each section in, while using a red jerry can to lift the section off the floor, I rinse the section as I'm dragging it back in. Next time I do it, I'll snap a photo. But, I'm sure you can envision what I'm saying. I do that quite regularly because I'm a bid OCD (if you haven't noticed). In the winter, I go through this process whenever the weather allows. (Which isn't too often!). I get the whole thing done in about a half an hour. Although it's a longer process, I do LOVE the fact that all that grime is under the floor so I'm never tracking it in the car or house.
I think I see some Ikea shelves, or is that my imagination?
No, you are not imagining things. I tried to source some stainless steel shelving, but I just kept coming back to the Ikea website. I actually think they are the perfect shelf for what I'm looking for. I wouldn't suggest them for heavy duty use, as the finish is a little fragile. But, for a few car cleaning products and towels; perfect.
what do you use for cleaning / vacuuming interiors? I am not really interested in paying for a $300 "detail" and would rather do it myself (Volvo SUV with caked in salt / grime stains).
I have a wet/dry vac that I keep handy all year-round. For soldified salt stains, there's a relatively new product that works great called "Salt Eraser" which is available at a number of major retailers. It comes in a black and blue spray can and it does a terrific job of breaking those hardened salt stains. You spray it on, let it go to work, and have at it with the wet vac. Other than that, I use a variety of carpet cleaning sprays. I'm currently using a carpet cleaning solution by Griot's Garage and it's my favorite so far. Basically, I vacuum, spray, vacuum, spray and repeat until I feel it's thoroughly clean. But, do try the Salt Eraser, it's really effective.
you couldn't have your neighbors any closer to you in that subdivision
A million more bucks would get me a 1/2 acre in my current neighbourhood with the provision that my house be at least 4000 sq ft. I guess I'll have to settle for what I got! In all seriousness, this is the way it is in Calgary these days. The developers have it made. Then again, I lived in South Korea and Japan for years, so I feel like I'm isolated in my current home! It's all relative, I guess...
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. The highlight of my day is when someone asks about my garage!
~ Rick