Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack

[bdbecker]

...The house was in immaculate condition but the owner's wife though sponge painting walls was the greatest thing since sliced bread...

Sponge painting... I'd almost forgotten about that fad! Mom painted a room in the house using that method. Dad and us boys were skeptical of the final results, but Mom insisted it would grow on us. It only lasted a couple weeks before she got annoyed by it and repainted the room a solid color.

That archway turned out great! It looks like the house was built that way from the start.

-----

Wife had her best friend in town to visit, so I spent Saturday hanging out with the kids. Smasher and I took an early morning trip to get some donuts. After coffee and breakfast, we took Wife's friend over to the new house so she could have a look at it. We met one of our future neighbors while we were there and she seemed very nice. I think she was happy to see a younger family was moving in.

After that, I took the kids to the park for a picnic. It was an absolutely picturesque spring day and we ended up spending close to three hours there. Besides playing on the playground, Smasher made friends with another little boy and they spent a fair amount of time picking dandelions and then smashing them into the mud behind a tree with sticks. Sis seemed to enjoy herself as well, laying in the grass and reading her book. I got to enjoy watching some little league baseball tournament games - some of those kids can crack! It was a nice reprieve from working on the house, and I think the kids appreciated getting out as well.

Sunday we loaded up a spare queen mattress in Wife's friend's short box GMC Canyon. I learned that with a few ratchet straps and moderate amount aggressiveness, you can in fact refold a memory foam mattress into a small enough package that it fits under the tonneau cover of even a small truck. There was a chance of rain and I didn't want her to have to deal with a wet mattress when she got home.

Once she left, it was back to packing. Thankfully a lot of the work I'd already done preparing for my office/den remodel has made things a lot easier. I'm still sorting the stuff I previously sorted and finding more things that I just don't need to keep around. We've got a big pile to donate, and I've trashed a fair amount as well. I just keep reminding myself that it's just that much less to move. Still, packing is one of my least favorite things. In all seriousness, I think I'd rather have a cavity filled than to have to pack. Once I got bored with packing, I decided to disassemble the old futon and get that out of way. It's a nice visual indicator that I'm actually getting somewhere.

About that time, Wife noticed that I was getting a little squirrely being stuck in the basement on a nice day. She suggested that I take advantage of the nice weather and prep the deck for another round of oil. She didn't have to tell me twice! At first, it was a little bittersweet washing the deck for the last time because of how much time and effort I'd put into it. By the time I was refilling the fuel tank on the pressure washer, I was over it. Man, it takes a lot of time to keep it looking nice, and I haven't done the oil yet! I'll be glad when I just have a concrete patio to deal with. If the weather forecast is correct, next weekend should be a perfect time to re-oil the deck and get that project checked off the list.

 

[Liam2018]

Epic progress, although, took a while to read the whole thing haha

 

[bdbecker]

Epic progress, although, took a while to read the whole thing haha

I'm honored you took the time to read through all my nonsense!

BTW, welcome to Garage Journal!

 

[bdbecker]

Still alive... still kicking... I'm pretty sure the employees at Home Depot and Menards are going to know me by name by the time the dust settles this fall.

We're making good progress on prepping the house for listing. A huge thanks to my MIL and my Mom for helping with painting around the house. While we never minded some of the paint colors that came with the house, some of the choices were a bit dark and were starting to show some wear after a decade's worth of kids running around and pawing at them, so we decided to freshen up the paint in a few areas. Hopefully some of the more neutral, lighter colors will help the house to show better.

Speaking of the kids, they have been real troopers throughout the last month letting Wife and I work on stuff relatively uninterrupted, but their patience ran out this past weekend. I can't say I blame them. We ended up going to the movies Sunday night to see the new version of Lilo & Stitch. It did not disappoint. Very entertaining despite being a kids movie. I highly recommend it if you have kids of a certain age. Monday morning, Wife took the kids to the park for a few hours to play while I knocked out a handful of odd projects around the house. That afternoon when Wife was getting groceries, I hung out with them in the backyard. Some undivided attention from us seemed to be what they needed as they were both back to their happy selves last night before bedtime.

Hard to believe that school finishes up this week. My Mom is taking the kids down to MO to spend a week with their second cousins. They've got some fun activities lined up, including a mini cheer camp for the girls. I'll be curious as to how well that goes with Sis. She is getting pretty darn good with her gymnastics, so maybe it'll be fun to show off her flips and round-offs. After that, they'll be back for a couple of days before heading up to the farm for a week. We should be able to make the final push on the current house projects during that time. Then it's closing and we'll be off to the races on a whole host of projects for a different house. The plan is to knock out some improvements on the main living areas right away so we can live normally, and pick away at the other stuff that needs to be done as time allows.

Sorry for the lack of pics... it's kind of the last thing on my mind as I've been going about packing and knocking out house projects.

 

[bdbecker]

I do have a decision to make that I'd like some perspective on... what to do with my current work bench?

There’s not really anything wrong with it. It has served me well and withstood everything I’ve thrown at it. While it’ll fit in my basement woodshop, I don’t know that the configuration is what I want in that space. I also would like to take a more refined construction approach for the new shop and take the time to learn how to build cabinets and drawers. It won’t fit in my attached garage space unless I give up the idea of being able to park in there. I will likely end up with a small but stout metal bench on wheels that can be tucked away when not in use. Essentially, the one option that is not on the table is keeping the workbench in its current configuration.

Option A – Leave it behind… I would take the 3/16” metal top with me and swap it out with some 3/16” hardboard. The $50-75 I’d spend on hardboard sheets seems like a no-brainer to be able to use that steel for other projects in the future. The next owner can decide whether to keep it or not. I know that large of a workbench may be a turn-off for some potential buyers, but others might like it.

Option B – Try and sell it or give it away for free… I think this is such a long shot that it’s probably not worth considering. If you are willing to buy a workbench like this, you more than likely have the ability to build a workbench like this. Taking it apart into manageable pieces and helping someone load it up onto a trailer seems like a lot of effort for little potential reward. But maybe I’m wrong, maybe I could get some cash out of it.

Option C – Scrap it and be done with it… just plan on taking it out from the start, save any materials worth keeping, and get rid of the rest. This would give the next owner a clean slate to do whatever they want.

I’m somewhere between Option A and C. On the one hand, I don’t think leaving it in place would cause someone to pass on the house, but then again, people are strange, and you never know what the deciding factor might be. I suppose if they ask that it be removed prior to closing, I could list it for cheap on Marketplace to see if anyone bites, and then just give it to them for free if they actually show up to get it, otherwise I'll just toss it.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

You do have a dilemma on your hands. I think a lot depends on how far you are moving, how much time you have before the move, and whether you are moving yourself or paying a mover. I see a lot of reusable material that is probably better quality than what is currently available. Depending on the factors above, I would consider disassembling and moving all the materials.

 

[XJSuperman]

Option A, I'm not even sure why the debate on it. Save your efforts and worries for another matter. Chances are the next buyer won't care at all, and they'll use whatever bench you leave them to pile stuff on. If they really don't want it they'll tear it out. Either way, not your problem. You have a family, a new house to set up, and demanding job. You don't need to waste efforts piecing out a bench that won't affect the sale or perfectly fit your new place. "Don't sweat the small stuff" applies here.

 

[Xti04]

Pull it and take it. Only reason I would leave would be if its a garage guy and its a make or break for selling the house.

 

[bdbecker]

Option A, I'm not even sure why the debate on it. Save your efforts and worries for another matter. Chances are the next buyer won't care at all, and they'll use whatever bench you leave them to pile stuff on. If they really don't want it they'll tear it out. Either way, not your problem. You have a family, a new house to set up, and demanding job. You don't need to waste efforts piecing out a bench that won't affect the sale or perfectly fit your new place. "Don't sweat the small stuff" applies here.

That is the perspective I needed... thank you. You are right, more than likely the next buyer will either look at it as a non-issue, or may be even happy it's there. If they want it removed, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[burger]

I'll save you from having your wife kill you. Option A! You already have eleventy million things on your plate. Re-read your last few months of posts. You don't want it for the new space and it's not blocking parking space.

 

[bdbecker]

After nearly 11 years of trouble free service, our dishwasher decided it had had enough yesterday.

A new one will be delivered tomorrow. I considered getting a new control panel, but the dishwasher has seen better days. 'Lipstick on a pig' type thing. Wife also rejected the idea immediately and started tracking down a replacement. It'll be delivered tomorrow. There were a few Memorial Day sales still going on and she found a good deal. I guess the future homeowner will be getting a new dishwasher. Crossing my fingers that the oven (the only appliance we haven't had to replace) holds on for just a little while longer.

In more uplifting news, I got my Father's Day gift early... a pellet fired pizza oven!

With as crazy as the next month is going to be, Wife wanted to give it to me early so we could enjoy it this weekend. Plus, she was worried the kids wouldn't be able to keep it a secret much longer. One of Smasher's favorite shows is Bluey, as is the case with pretty much every other kid his age. There is an episode called "Hammerbarn" that he particularly likes where they go to a store called Hammerbarn (a fictitious version of Home Depot) and get a pizza oven. We also have a handful of Bluey books that are episodes turned into short stories that we often read before bed. Earlier this week, he asked me to read the Hammerbarn story to him and was giggling the whole time. Now I know why.

Assembly was very simple and it seems well made. The legs fold up and all the attachments tuck neatly inside when not in use, so it is very portable (Wife also got me the storage/transport bag). The manual recommend doing a 30 minute burn off before cooking with it, which is what I did last night. This thing is no joke... flames were literally shooting out of the chimney once I got it rolling! Apparently that is how it's supposed to work. The maiden voyage is tonight. I'm sure there will be a few bodgy pizzas until I figure out my method, but it should be fun no matter what.

 

[burger]

That is terrible timing on the dishwasher! That being said, 11 years seems better than most with today's throwaway appliances. Sitting on my kitchen counter are a hinge for my washing machine and a rear bearing for my dryer. Both are 20 something years old and they need parts every few years. When they break I'm nagged by the SO to replace them, but $60 here and there seems better than throwing down $1500 on a new set. The control panel on a dishwasher though, that's an expensive part. I replaced mine last year for that exact issue. I couldn't justify repairing an older dishwasher with a part that would cost 1/3 of a new one. The new one requires an app on the phone to access all of the functions, something we grumble about daily still.

Pizza oven looks awesome! I've been eyeing up one of those for years! We have foodie friends with a pizza oven and it's always fun to go over there for a pizza night.

This is my favorite dough recipe if you don't already have one.

 

[bdbecker]

That is terrible timing on the dishwasher! That being said, 11 years seems better than most with today's throwaway appliances...

I suppose if anything, I'm kind of glad it failed for us instead of the next owner. How frustrating would that be if you just bought a house and within a week or two the dishwasher breaks? 11 years is a good run, especially considering that it wasn't new when we moved in. During a normal week, it runs 5-6 times. When hosting, it runs 2-3 times a day, so it has at least 3000 cycles on it. Not bad at all. I'm also glad it was a failed control board and not some sort of leak that created a big mess.

...Pizza oven looks awesome! I've been eyeing up one of those for years!...

We have as well. I nearly picked one up at Home Depot this winter on clearance, but I just wasn't impressed by the build quality. When the display unit is broken (physically broken, not just missing parts), that is not a good sign. I checked the reviews on it later and they were mixed, which is probably why HD was getting rid of them. I also put a disproportionate number of tickets in the bucket for the pizza oven during the kids' school fundraiser raffle last fall in hopes that I'd get lucky, but that didn't pan out either.

Here's a link to the oven:

https://a.co/d/67UE8dG

I'm fully expecting less than stellar results tonight. Cooking with fire is always temperamental and it takes time to figure out a process that works. But it is a good excuse to sit outside, sip some beer, play with fire, and eat pizza, so I'm all in.

Wife does have a good dough recipe (already mixed and resting), but I'll forward that link to her as well. You never know, it might be better!

 

[burger]

Hope pizza night went better than you expected! How was the new oven?

 

[bdbecker]

Hope pizza night went better than you expected! How was the new oven?

It did! Here's all that was left of the six pizzas we made...

Mom and Dad were in town for the night, so it was four adults and two kids eating. The keen observer will notice that the only pieces left were the ones that got a little too charred on the edges. I still need to play around with my process, but I was hitting a groove around pizza number four and the last few that came out were particularly good. To my surprise, there were no total failures, just a few that had some charred spot because I wasn't quick enough to rotate or get the pizza out.

The oven worked well. It does take a bit more tending to keep the temperature and fire consistent than I would have expected. It is not a 'dump pellets in and let it run' setup, at least not until I get more time practice with it. The other thing I didn't expect is how many pellets it uses. I probably burned more pellets cooking those pizzas than I would smoking a pork **** for 12+ hours. That is really a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. Cleanup was super easy - I ended up just blowing out the oven with compressed air the next day and a stiff nylon brush made quick work of getting the crispy spots off the stone.

I did send that dough recipe to Wife - turns out, she uses a nearly identical recipe/process. We also finally figured out how to keep the pizza from sticking to the peel. A light dusting of semolina flour makes transferring the pizza into the oven an absolute breeze.

-----

The new dishwasher was delivered Saturday afternoon. No issues with the install itself, but in the process another problem was found...

I just replaced that drain basket a few years ago. I'm not sure why that nut was corroding so badly, but luckily there was a plastic tote full of cleaner bottles underneath it that caught the drips and prevented any damage to the cabinet. It was about 6pm by the time I got the dishwasher finished up, so I made fixing the drain my Sunday project.

Replacing that ended up being a 'three trip' project that took way longer than it should have. First trip, I bought a new drain and p-trap kit. Once home, I realized I forgot to grab a 6" drain extension. The one I had was disgusting and my sensitive gag reflex quickly determined that cleaning and reusing it was out of the question. Trip number two, I managed to buy the wrong style of extension. I know I grabbed it out of the right bin, but it must have gotten put away incorrectly at the store and I didn't look closely at the bag until I got home.

At this point, Wife saw I was getting frustrated and said "I need a few things... let's go together". The kids are in MO with my folks right now, so we just took our time and enjoyed a little time together. I got the right extension on that trip, and within 5 minutes of getting home, had everything connected and not a leak at any joint. After that, I wanted nothing to do with plumbing or dirty dish water, so I weeded the back flower bed while Wife finished painting some trim in the lower level. We decided to go out for dinner and have a mini-date despite both of us being kind of grubby and tired from working on the house all weekend. It was really nice having a quiet meal together.

Another weekend of doing things that needed to be done, but were not in the plan... sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

 

[burger]

D'oh! I hate those three trip jobs. Not sure how close HD/Lowe's is, but for me it's a 20 minute drive each way plus time at the store.. so your three trips would have ended up turning a 30 minute job into three and a half hours! And let me tell you-- I've made that series of mistakes way too many times!

What's your overall review of the pizza oven? I've been on the fence about spending upwards of $400 on an oven .. I'd like one, but it's tough to justify at the handful of times per year that I'd realistically use it. At $150 though..

 

[bdbecker]

I'm spoiled... I've got both a HD and Menards less than 4 miles away from my house... I really can't complain too much.

Regarding the pizza oven, I think Wife summed it up best in saying that when this one wears out or breaks, we'll know a lot more about what to replace it with. If we find we are using it so much that it only lasts a year or two, it'll be worth buying a nicer, higher quality one the next time. If we find that we don't use it very often, we'll just get another cheap one (if we replace it at all). There's really not much to go wrong with it. Even if something were to break, it's not like I don't have a couple of welders sitting in the garage. (Dammit... now I'm thinking about what it would take to fabricate a badass, heavy duty pizza oven)

As I mentioned before, tending the fire and maintaining heat is a lot more 'hands on' than I expected, but I also think with some practice, I'll get it figured out. If you are curious about getting one and don't mind the idea of having to play around with it to figure out a good process, I don't think you could go too far astray with the Bighorn. The price vs. quality seems pretty fair to me (so far). It's not an Ooni, but for $150, I don't expect it to be either.

 

[burger]

Thanks! I think I'm going to try that one. I can wrap my head around the perspective of the $150 oven being a trial, where either you use it so much it wears out and you buy a nicer one .. or you don't use it much and you only spent $150 to figure that out. I like it. Sold.

On the other hand... I'm evaluating my first 3d printer. I'm not buying a cheap "trial" printer. I jumping right in. I have a million ideas for things to make. What's held me back is that for years they seemed like toys you would have to calibrate and fiddle with to get just right until something went out of whack and you'd do the dance again. They've finally evolved to the point where they're a tool to make things and not a hobby in itself that may result in useful things. That's what I was waiting for.

 

[bdbecker]

On the other hand... I'm evaluating my first 3d printer. I'm not buying a cheap "trial" printer. I jumping right in...

That is a wise move. I jumped in just a touch too early with my CR-10 S4. Not that its bad printer... it's actually been pretty solid. But there are features on the newer ones that I'd really like to have. Getting a newer one is on the shortlist once the new shop is setup.

Good luck with the pizza oven!

 

[burger]

This thread is responsible for a solid 25% of my current random thoughts obsessing on a $150 pizza oven! Have you thought about cooking a freezer pizza in the oven? Thawed first of course. I once heated my oven to 550° with a stone inside it and cooked a freezer pizza. It turned out really well, but it took a long time to preheat the oven and the house was a million degrees. Way too much for a freezer pizza. But maybe it could be a good idea with one of these?

 

[bdbecker]

This thread is responsible for a solid 25% of my current random thoughts obsessing on a $150 pizza oven!...

Lol... sorry-not-sorry.

...Have you thought about cooking a freezer pizza in the oven? Thawed first of course. I once heated my oven to 550° with a stone inside it and cooked a freezer pizza....

Funny you mention that... I actually was thinking about that when I was grabbing a few things at the grocery store last night. I'd be curious how the crust comes out, but otherwise see no reason why it couldn't work. I've had good luck with frozen pizza on the pellet grill - both with thick pizzas like DiGiorno, and thinner pizzas like Tombstone or Jack's. Super handy when it's hot outside and you don't want to warm up the house by running the oven. I wouldn't say it tastes significantly better than when prepped in the oven though.

I do want to try some fresh take-and-bake pizzas as it might be a nice shortcut. You'd still get the wood fired cook without all the prep work.

 

[bdbecker]

I’ve been beating around the bush on what I wanted to say to close this thread out. Part of me wanted to just post a picture of the empty garage and nothing else. Another part of me wanted to write a (what would likely be) a multi-part, overly sentimental post about how much I’ve enjoyed working on and in this space. As is usually the case, something in between is probably the most appropriate.

It is certainly an odd feeling walking into an empty shop. I’ve never actually seen it this empty because the previous owner left a bunch of his junk behind. After shoving his pile to the side, I started dropping my own stuff into the space. While I’ve pulled items out and rearranged things many times, the space has never been empty. There is actually an echo in the room now.

Wife asked me again yesterday if I was sad about leaving this shop behind after having spent so much time and effort on it. My answer is the same today as it was a few months ago – no, I’m not sad. A few months ago, I wasn’t sad because I was excited about having more space. Today, I’m not sad because I’ve come to realize that the important thing about the space is all the things it taught me, not the building itself. I’m only leaving a structure behind. The lessons, skills, memories, and confidence I’ve gained along the way are coming with me.

A quote from the post that started this thread…

…So my new plan is to do what I can to make my space better without spending a bunch of money. The slab is probably just going to stay the way it is. I’ll probably put three-tab shingles on the roof instead of steel. I’ll probably just patch in a few new boards on the siding and slap a good coat of paint on it. The Re-Store and Craigslist will be my new best friend for finding things like windows and a new door.

Coming to this realization has been very freeing for me. Since I might end up tearing it all down in 10 years anyway, I really don’t have to worry about making everything absolutely perfect from the start. Do it, and if I don’t like it, change it. At least I’ll learn something and have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t…

While I’m not tearing down the building to replace it, I am walking away from the shop a little over 9 years after I wrote those sentences. It’s an odd bit of foreshadowing that, at the time, I had no way of knowing would eventually come true.

With that, it’s time to close the chapter known as The **** Shack and turn the page to my new shop, Factory 59. Same shenanigans, different place. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Factory 59

Factory 59

Welcome to my new shop/house remodel thread! Updates will be coming in June once we close on the house.

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