The 30 year garage

[Olinrj]

We have settled in enough where I can start to do a bit of work on my garage. After living in our previous house for 8-1/2 years we have grown out of it and with our oldest starting school in the fall we wanted to find a new house. I don't plan on moving again so this is our 30 year house, hance the garage name. I'll fill in more details later but wanted to start my thread and try to get some pictures going.

The garage is 22 x 26 attached with a 9 foot wall height. I have some plans in my head and will begin asking the GJ knowledge base for help soon. Thanks for stopping by.
Bob

 

[xtremek]

So, what are you going to do in the garage? Just park the rides? Or go all out, and build crazy stuff like Kevin and Don Campbell?

 

[Olinrj]

I'm going to have to make it a hybrid, workshop on the left and parking/mudroom on the right. We have enough driveway for my car but I want to have the option to park inside on the left if needed. Going to insulate and panel the walls and possibly the rafters, keeping the collar ties exposed but need to work out the insulation and venting of the roof. The house has a hip roof design and traditional roof vents but the garage has nothing for roof ventilation. I think I am going to install a ridge vent and modify the soffits to run rafter vents rather than use ridgid insulatio and foam. Need to figure out how to get the air through the hip sections. I did see one design where 1" holes were drilled into the jack rafters to allow airflow but need to investigate further.

 

[sublime68charger]

Looks like you get to finish off the inside how you want.



Keep the pics coming.

 

[Olinrj]

Looking forward to this blank slate. Here are a few photos of the old garage and the challenge we faced moving the packed garage. The old garage was 14 x 22 and had 7'-6" walls. Because I knew we were going to move, I didn't make any real attempt to improve the layout or organization, until the very end. What you see in the yard and driveway is about 2/3 of what I had packed in there. Nearly had a moment of clarity about my borderline hoarding. With my wife's help we got everything sorted into boxes of like items and ready to go. Then we borrowed a converted car hauler and fit the garage in it. The only major thing that we couldn't get into the trailer was the 401 and transmission, so I broke them down and loaded it into the smaller trailer. More to follow.

 

[Olinrj]

While out looking for hardware for the china cabinet my wife found this fan and metal basket and I found this Wilton. The vise was in an antique shop, holding up a book. $24 brought it home.

 

[Olinrj]

Continuing on the journey, the truck and trailer in front of our old house ready to go. Next are the front yard and driveway. The house is on .6 acres and has a great backyard for the boys to play. Hopefully it will be a while before our oldest can hit the whiffle ball over the fence here.

 

[Olinrj]

Before I could begin any work in the garage we spent a week cleaning, painting, and unpacking to make the house livable. We also tackled the bathroom remodel immediately. Still have to finish drywall, trim, and setting the vanity and toilet but the shower/tub works and we have a half bath on the other side of the house. I decided to remove the mud bed beneath the original tile as it sounded hollow in a few places. Three hours with a chipping bit in my hammer drill and the new subfloor was ready to go in. White tile and black grout to keep with the general age of the house, built in 1956.

 

[Olinrj]

The last pics I have today are the two lawncare tools I bought. The first is a Gilson YT12.5 42" mower with a 12.5 hp briggs motor. $260 on CL and a new battery and I am set for the year. The tires will need to be replaced over the winter but the only leak holds enough for me to cut the lawn. I would like to get mulching blades as there is not a bagging attachment and the side discharge makes a bit too much work and double cutting. Anyone have recommendations? We have an Ace hardware up the road and I would prefer local purchases for this.
the second is an Echo SRM -266S trimmer. My wifes uncle let it go for $60 and a promise he could stop by for some beers. A new primer bulb and spark plug and it is off and running. So much nicer than my old corded trimmer.

 

[Olinrj]

Sublime68charger, I will be able to do about 60% of what I want to do, which is enough for now. The house side of the garage will have the kids bikes, some toys, the chest freezer, and I'll build a bench/coat rack to act as our mudroom. The rest of it will be mine to play with. Long term I would love to do a small bumpout off the back of the garage and add about a 12 x 16 room, but for now this will be enough to keep me busy. Next summer the plan will be to build a garden shed. I am hoping to match the roof style on the shed and find a complementary siding for the existing brick. In the meantime we are going to get a fabric 10x10 shed to keep the yard a little neater than it is now.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Very cool, I look forward to seeing the progress!

What are you puting the 401 into??

 

[Olinrj]

Nothing yet, unfortunately. I pulled it from a '66 wildcat 4dr hardtop before selling the roller. Hopefully I can rebuild it over the next couple of years and look for a project vehicle. I am going back and forth between a '63 or '64 buick coupe or an early to mid sixties long bed pickup. Right now the only projects on my plate are the house, garage, then new cycle which I should have in the garage by the weekend. It's a 1978 Yamaha xs11 with about 55,000 miles. I also have a '69 350 2bbl in my parent's garage awaiting attention.

 

[Olinrj]

Tonight is my last night of work for the week and I'm hoping to get some progress on the house and in turn, the garage. We will finish emptying out the 10x10 storage unit tomorrow and hopefully also the trailer in the driveway. That should put everything we own back under one roof.
For the garage my current plan is to insulate the walls and use the 1/4" paneling from the basement as the final wall material. Once I can get the left wall done I will build a platform in the front corner for my compressor with floor storage for the jacks and jackstands and a shelf for my pancake compressor and nail guns. Eventually I will have hard lines in the garage but for now the loose hoses will have to do.
The shared wall on the right has a wood rack that will be moved behind the garage as the firewood will be covered by the house roof overhang and we aren't planning on any fires in the fireplace until fall. That should free up room for the heavy rack in the corner and another shelf for household items.
I think that is enough for one weekend, but I will add pictures as we progress.

 

[Olinrj]

I made a little more progress over the last two days. My cousin came over yesterday lent a hand emptying out the trailer. After removing the gutters on the house in preparation to have new ones installed I had a couple hours to remove the firewood stack from the garage and set up the heavy duty shelf, clearing some floor space. It was immediately taken up by my new cycle! It’s a 1978 Yamaha xs11. A little rough but well maintained so I should have a solid new bike once I go through all the systems. Here are some more pics of the place. Oh yeah, I also got three batts of insulation left over from the bathroom and installed them in the front corner. Hoping to continue a little more tomorrow but I'm sure something else will take me from it.

 

[kjdhawkhill]

Hopefully it will be a while before our oldest can hit the whiffle ball over the fence here.

What, you aren't a parent who thinks that their kid is the first (clean) Barry Bonds? You aren't counting on athletic ability for a scholarship? Get him swinging the power-drive swing.

He can work on the arching long balls once the pitchers start throwing curves.

Kids these days are hopeless, because of parents these days.

 

[Olinrj]

Easy killer.
the reason I say that i hope it will be a while is our old house had a typical city lot and he had no problems hitting the ball 50 feet, which easily went over the fence and into our neighbors yard.

 

[kjdhawkhill]

I was just pointing out that many parents hope that their kid develops ahead of normal, physically, and keep their fingers crossed for that athletic scholarship. And your hope that your boy was a while from "athletic feat of greatness" is so atypical of parents these days.

 

[Olinrj]

Thanks for the clarification. Your intent didn't come across clearly to me in the first post. I don't disagree that there seems to be a lot more parents over-managing their kids hobbies in hopes of turning out stars, financial or otherwise. Me, I just like to see my boys play is the yard and have a fun day.

 

[sublime68charger]

Keep the progress pics coming along.

 

[Olinrj]

I'll try but might not have anything for the next few weeks. I work nights, 4 on and 4 off. Work through Wednesday night, then out of town for a Friday wedding. Hopefully can do a few things before starting the workweek next Monday night. I did get a 10x10 soft-side shed for father's day. Would like to put it up next Sunday and get the backyard a bit more organized.

 

[Olinrj]

No real progress lately, but did get a bag of insulation and lumber from the hardware store. Also brought the light fixtures over from my parents house and removed some paneling from the basement to bring into the garage. This weekend I am going to get the insulation in and panel as much as I can. I do need to get additonal circuits to the garage. Each time my compressor runns it trips the breaker and the main bathroom loses power.

 

[Olinrj]

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Have been doing more house projects, found some lower cabinets with upper bookshelves on Craigslist and refinished them to go in the office, got the soft-sided shed built for the lawn equipment, and found a few pieces of furniture at a resale shop. Today i was able to get some more drywall finishing done in the bathroom and had a few minutes to get something done in the garage. Got three sheets of paneling up in the corner then started the shelf for the compressor. On the floor will go the jack stands and jack, bottom shelf is for the pancake compressor and air nailers, then the top shelf is for the 33 gallon upright compressor. I think I'll try to feed the compressor outlet in the wall, now that the paneling is up and I can get a better visual of things. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more progress.

 

[HSpencer]

Olinrj

I spent some time looking around in your thread today. Looks like you have a lot going on with the moving and all. Just take your time and it will all come together. Your doing a great job.
You really rang a bell for me with that Gilson Mower. It has been a long time since I thought of those. I was Battalion Supply Sergeant in 1975-78 at Fort Sill OK, and our Property Book Officer bought a bunch of those riding Gilson Mowers for the units. They were really good mowers and held up well in a tough job keeping the company areas mowed. I was pleased to see one again.
Looks like you have things going well, and I really have enjoyed looking through your thread.

Best Regards
Herb

 

[1/2 Cup]

Olinrj, what a massive project moving home is, I would hate to think how long it would take to move our home.

Keep up the great work and looking forward to following your progress.

Regards

 

[Bib Overalls]

Like you, I have a 66 401 up on an engine stand waiting for the right project to come along. Been hanging out on the V8Buick.com forum picking up what Nailhead knowledge I can. If you have not done so already, lurk there a bit and see if you like it.

Is there room on the property and do you have the desire to build a standalone shop someday? If you are planning on 30 years it is something you will really enjoy. At least that has been my experience. Any man with a 401 and a 350 put back is a serious gearhead.

 

[Olinrj]

Herb,
thanks for the kind words. I really enjoy the Gilson, with the new battery it has been great so far. Still need to put a tube in the front tire but for now, a fill up before I mow is enough. That project is a little lower on the to-do list.

1/2 Cup,
the move was/is quite an experience but my wife has been a champ throughout. She is very organized, something I aspire to eventually, and did a great job in boxing up the house and helping me sort through the garage. She truly is my better half. I'll keep posting as I make progress.

Bib Overalls,
when I had the Wildcat running back in college I found v8buick.com and was able to learn a lot of good information. Once I get back into the motor i will head back over there. There is room on the lot for a standalone building but we'll be adding a garden, garden shed, and enlarging the patio so I doubt there will be roon for a true outbuilding shop. I do envision putting an addition on the back of the garage, possibly 14 wide by 16 or 18 deep, eventually.

 

[Olinrj]

Well, it's been a busy summer and I'm still not 100% done with the bathroom but I was able to make some progress in the garage. Framed out the shelf and got it installed. It runs along the left wall full length and returns on the back wall about 6 feet. I made it a full 24" deep to allow full size Rubbermaid bins to stack tight. Should get 14 along the entire wall. Still need to brace and sheet it, but I feel better seeing something happen. I work until Monday so have to wait until then to continue work. My goal for next weekend is to finish the shelf, toss a few things up to clear floor space, then get the side bench installed.

 

[Olinrj]

Woke up a little early today, so I had time to do a bit more while our youngest took his nap and before my wife had to pick up the oldest from school. Finished the shelf framing and installed temporary braces down to the wall. Sorted out the height for the side bench. Decided on around 44". I usually stand when working and this helps me avoid bending over too far. As the photo shows, the cabinets below are installed and the side brackets are in place. Hopefully I can uncover one of the top sections soon and get it fitted.

I still need to decide what will go in the lower cabinets. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm getting to the point where I have to really plan the storage utilization.

Thanks for stopping in.
Bob

 

[taumac]

My suggestion for the lower cabinets is to mount them as uppers. That frees up floor space to put other things.

 

[Olinrj]

Taumac,
I thought about keeping them as uppers, but as installed, I have a 4" tall space above the cabinet but below the workbench top for akro bins and 'in progress' project trays and have enough room beneath to keep my rolling foot lockers. I believe I will put shallow shelves above the bench for chemicals and hardware. Need to figure a layout for it. Possibly going to make a shallow cabinet to keep them covered and clean up the space. I may eventually fab slider doors for the upper shelf, but that would be something to tackle after everything has found its home and I have a chance to work for a while in the space.

Thanks for the input and keep the ideas coming.

 

[Olinrj]

More progress tonight. Emptied out a half dozen boxes from the move and got most of it put away. Nothing worthy of pictures, but tomorrow I plan to get the last of the insulation for the walls and the final sheet of plywood for the upper shelf. I won't be able to put in a full day, have to do the brakes on my wife's Pathfinder, but there should be more floorspace by the end of the day.

 

[taumac]

More progress tonight. Emptied out a half dozen boxes from the move and got most of it put away. Nothing worthy of pictures, but tomorrow I plan to get the last of the insulation for the walls and the final sheet of plywood for the upper shelf. I won't be able to put in a full day, have to do the brakes on my wife's Pathfinder, but there should be more floorspace by the end of the day.

Not worried garages take time.... trust me still working on mine after how many years. No rush you'll get to it.

 

[Olinrj]

I was able to put in some hours over my weekend and feel pretty good about most of the progress. I spent about half of the time getting boxes up on the shelf or emptied, the rest was spent insulating and paneling, with a little electrical rough-in as well.
The radial arm saw and cabinet are in place and I started getting the saw ready for use (cleaned and lubed trolley bearings, checked all adjustment bolts, etc.) I will need to replace the cord as the ground prong is broken. As the pictures show, I am out of paneling. Unless SWMBO allows me to scavenge panels feom the basement family room, I'll have to source them from another place.
The stereo is in place, for now. Not sure if this will be the final location. For speaker wire I made use of a partial roll of 14/2 romex. Not ideal but it's what I had on hand and I don't plan to use it anywhere else.
I'm thinking of using some standards and brackets above the RAS for additional storage.

Now to sit, look, and continue to plan. I doubt I will be able to do more before I go back to work tomorrow night but I still have a lot of stuff to get sorted and find their new place.

 

[Olinrj]

I was able to continue progress yesterday afternoon. While my older son rode his bike in the driveway and mom and the younger son napped, i decided it was time to get the floor swept a bit. I wanted to protect the insulation behind the radial arm saw from any sawdust (until I can source and install the rest of the paneling). Using what I had on hand, the back panel from a lower built-in cabinet we reused in the office, my son even took time out of bicycling to help nail it in.

I also made a major milestone: workbench top is installed!!

Took one section of the bowling alley and threw some angle iron beneath to help stiffen it a bit. Once installed i realized that the extra height I added makes it a little too tall to use the vise well. Going to lower the surface, and probably change the cabinets beneath it as well.

I also figured I should try to fix the broken jaw on the wilton. Brought it to work and with a little down time, welded and ground it down. Not a restoration type repair, but this will be a user vise and I'm trying to save any extra money to put toward insulation, paneling, and electrical.

Now for a couple audio questions: I've used 14/2 solid wire run to the speakers. Should I solder stranded at the end for a better connection in the speaker and receiver? Also, when connecting my phone to the tape 1 inputs via a 3.5 mm to RCA cord, the volume is almost non-existent. I need to max out the phone and crank the receiver for any volume at all. I think it may be the cord, but any thoughts on how to improve the connection? It's a mid-90's pioneer receiver and samsung s5. Should I just go with a Bluetooth converter? If so, any recommendations?

Thanks again for stopping in.
Bob

 

[Olinrj]

Made a little more progress this afternoon. Relocated one of the existing outlets for the chest freezer to next to the rear man door. I need to pick up a few more boxes to finish the end location rough-in and be ready to pull wire. I may try my hand at bending conduit as there is a 3/4" conduit running from the sub panel in the basement almot to the garage wall. Just need to get through the wall with conduit, then I will change to MC. I may also need to buy a fish tape, unless I can figure another way to get the cables pulled through. Thoughts?

 

[taumac]

My FIL has about the same RAS. Making good progress. I would say this for the phone stereo put it about 3/4 to full and use have stereo control rest. I do this with my IPod and phone.

 

[Olinrj]

Taumac, I'm looking forward to actually using the saw soon. If I can safely rip plywood with it I hope to be able to get rid of my table saw and free up some space. I'll try your suggestion about the phone stereo, and if that doesn't help may borrow a cord from a friend to see if that makes a difference. Tonight, after the boys go to sleep I am going to try to get the back wall adjusted and frame the workbench.

 

[Olinrj]

The back wall is ready for the workbench, aside from one lower stud space of insulation. I finished adjusting the electrical outlets that are on the existing lighting circuit. I got the chest freezer moved and lowered and set the radial arm saw and cabinet. If I move the 10 drawer cabinet against the back wall I can have a 7 foot workbench and still open all drawers completely. With the drawers closed I can use that space as storage for my medical cart, wheeling it out as needed. Time to get a couple hours sleep before the boys start another day.

 

[sean Buick 76]

I love seeing the little guy out there helping! What are the plans for the 401 engine?

 

[xtremek]

Looks like your making some good progress. It looks like you're using unfaced insulation. Are you putting a vapor barrier over it? And it looks like your motorcycle gets used as much as mine.