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

[bdbecker]

Even though it’s my Dad’s, I couldn’t resist sharing this new tool arrival. I received this cryptic photo in a text message from Mom last night while I was at Sis’ gymnastics class.

I instantly knew what it was. My folks just got back from spending a few days with relatives who live near Bentonville, AR. Not far from there is a place called Springfield, MO. Springfield just happens to be where one of the Grizzly Industrial distribution centers is located. Yep, Dad finally did it. He finally bought the G0776 lathe he’s wanted for the better part of two decades (not sure if the PN is the same, but it’s a version of the Grizzly 40” gunsmithing lathe that’s been around for quite some time).

13" x 40" Gunsmithing Metal Lathe w/ DRO - Grizzly Industrial

<h1>G0776 13" x 40" Gunsmithing Lathe with DRO</h1> <h2>A precise lathe with a spider mount and DRO.</h2> <p>The G0776 13" x 40" Gunsmithing Lathe with DRO is called a "gunsmithing" lathe because it has features typically not found on standard lathes, such as a "spider" mount system and a large...

www.grizzly.com

I couldn’t be happier for him. Mom was surprised that I was able to ‘guess’ correctly not only where he got it, but also what it was when I replied. No Mom, that wasn't a guess... he's only been talking about getting one for most of my adult life. For obvious reasons, I have been unable to contact Dad since the text exchange with Mom last night. I will try again tonight to get the full details.

Now this puts me in a bit of a pickle. Knowing my Dad, I have a feeling that he’ll ask if I want one (or both) of his current lathes to help make room for the new one. It’s been a while since I’ve messed with either, so I’m not sure of the exact model numbers or sizes, but I believe they are both Craftsman Atlas.

They are both well used and likely need some level of repair/servicing, but even that isn’t really a concern. The issue is that I’m going to have to completely rethink my shop layout to make room for one of them. I’m not going to say ‘no’ to a lathe if he asks – is that even an option? Maybe this is just the kick in the **** I need to get back out in the shop and get things moving again.

More to come...

 

[bdbecker]

I finally got a hold of Dad last night to get the full scoop. I caught him while he was doing chores - his shop is lined with steel panels both inside and out, which creates a Faraday cage that blocks cell signals. While this was not the intention when he was finishing the shop, I don't think he minds.

The lathe was a scratch-and-dent unit, which resulted in a 25%+ savings on the purchase price. He intended to buy a new unit, but they are currently out of stock. Not wanting to go home empty handed, he looked at the 'damaged' unit and was happy to find that there wasn't a scratch on it and it had never been setup (all the accessories were still in boxes and the lathe was still on the factory shipping pallet). Apparently it's not uncommon to find that items that are sold as scratch-and-dent by Grizzly are brand new, but the customer refused delivery for one reason or another (got cold feet, decided they wanted something bigger/smaller, wife just happened to be home when the delivery truck pulled up, etc.). Whatever the case, Dad has been pouring over every inch of the machine the last few days and has yet to come across any issues.

While he has certainly experienced it before with his mill and other lathes, the old joke about how buying the machine is the cheapest part of getting into machining rings true again. Last night, I helped him track down some leveling feet and found a decent deal on eBay for a NOS Starrett 98-8 machinist level. The feet should show up at his place today, and the level will arrive sometime next week. He still hasn't plugged the machine in yet (factory cord is about a foot too short, going to get some SO cord to make a new one today) and he's already spending more money.

Despite all this, I can hear his smile through the phone.

 

[dwysywd]

@bdbecker Hey man, it has been a long time. Just getting back to the site. And checking in on all my friends here. Glad to see the **** Shack is still posting strong!

 

[bdbecker]

@bdbecker Hey man, it has been a long time. Just getting back to the site. And checking in on all my friends here. Glad to see the **** Shack is still posting strong!

Lol... the term 'strong' is too generous... I think 'chugging along' is more appropriate. Glad to see your back!

 

[bdbecker]

A quick update...

I should have knocked on wood when I made that comment about having a more relaxed winter at work a few months ago. One of hats I wear at work is the admin for the CMMS software our maintenance group uses to keep track of their work. Long story short, the product we've been using for the last 5 years has steadily increased in price, and the updates and "improvements" they have been making over the recent year or so have made the software increasingly more difficult to use with little (if any) increased functionality. Our contract expires at the end of the year and I'd already been researching a replacement. About a month ago, it was decided to pull the trigger on replacing it. The typical timeline for a switch over is 3 months, we're doing it in ~5 weeks.

It's been a slog extracting 5 years worth of data out of our current software, but I'm making good headway and should have the bulk of it knocked out within the next day or two. After that, I just have to cross my fingers and hope the data pulls over into the new software fairly cleanly. I know there will be issues, but at least everyone up the chain from me is aware of the compressed timeline and the expectation is low that there will be clean break. Obviously I don't want there to be a ton of issues, but at least it takes a little bit of pressure off the situation.

As far as projects go, I've mostly been focused on getting the house/property ready for winter and hosting family festivities the last few weeks. Wife's family is coming down this weekend for Christmas, next weekend is my side of the family, and then actual Christmas and New Years the following weeks. I have a feeling I'm going to blink twice and realize it's January.

Because a post without pictures or projects is kind of lame, below is a post I've copied over in the 'Lets see your GUNS!' thread regarding my latest acquisition. The backstory is that I've been thinking about and researching this build for the last 8 months or so. When Wife said that she didn't feel like trying to shop for a Christmas gift for me this year, and that I should just buy whatever gun or tool I had been wanting, I knew exactly what I was going to do before she finished the sentence.

---Copied post below... there are some references to earlier in the thread that may not make sense, and I do have the new muzzle device installed... I'll try to get a pic and post and update---

Christmas came early…

…and with the help of a Brownells tutorial video and taking my time to triple-check my work each step of the way, I had her together in a little over an hour.

It went quite a bit faster than the previous one I assembled about 12 years ago. If I remember correctly the previous one took most of the afternoon. Then again, I also was using a very basic tool set and didn’t have a decade’s worth of experience taking things apart and putting them back together again like I do now (I honestly don’t know how I did it last time without screwing something up). Either way, I’m very happy with how it all came together. While I haven’t had a chance to fire it yet, it does pass all the function checks so I’m not expecting any surprises.

Background story… I got turned onto the retro AR fad this spring when I was watching ‘Black Hawk Down’ and started getting curious about the Gary Gordon CAR-15 featured in the movie. I did a search online about it, which led me down a YouTube rabbit hole where I found a bunch of people were building their versions of the rifle, along with the Colt 733 Commando from ‘Heat’, and the Frankenstein CAR-15ish from ‘Blood Diamond’. While I was a little late to the fad, I knew I had to have something like it in the collection. It should be noted that I did not want to sink a ton of money into something that would essentially just be a range toy/plinker, so I made no attempt to source period correct parts. Doing so would have easily doubled (if not tripled) the cost of the build. Essentially, it resembles the shape of rifles mentioned above but is nowhere near correct.

The core of the build is a Palmetto State Armory 11.5” Classic Pistol kit with detachable carry handle. The lower is (you guessed it) from Anderson Manufacturing. The optic is a Vortex Strikefire II red/green dot mounted using a Vortex 30mm 0.83” height ring on a carry handle picatinny rail. I was worried the low ring height might not give enough clearance, but it ended up being absolutely perfect. I’m also really digging the heads-up position that the optic height requires. Not installed yet is a KAK retro extended flash hider (which should arrive later this week). The flash hider was a late decision. Originally, I wanted to get a suppressor for this build, but I ultimately decided to save that money to put towards a new scope for my 6.5 CM. The reason for that particular flash hider is that it resembles the XM177 flash hider that was used ‘back in the day’, but also because if I end up liking it, I will probably do a pin-and-weld to permanently extend the barrel past the 16” mark, which would allow me to swap out the pistol brace for an actual stock without having to file for a tax stamp. Yes, it would have made way more sense to just get an actual rifle barrel from the start, but where’s the fun in that?

All in all, I am very happy with how it all came together and can’t wait to get it out on the range. Wife is also pretty excited to have an AR back in the family. She really liked shooting my last one and was sad to see it go (we needed a more reliable vehicle after our daughter was born so I sold it to get some cash to put towards a down payment). That being said, I feel myself slipping down the AR rabbit hole. I need another hobby as much as I need another hole in my head, but here I find myself putting together parts lists for another couple of builds and compulsively watching videos and reading about what it would take to do a full build from the ground up. Before I attempt any of that, I’ll need more tools and gauges to ensure I can do the job properly, which all costs money. It’s a vicious cycle. At least with AR’s, the cost can be spread out over time and I can pick up parts as I find deals and/or have a few extra bucks.

 

[GeddyT]

Maybe a mile or two from my house is where the other Grizzly warehouse is. Its parking lot is where I've taken both my kids to teach them to drive. After hours, it's a pretty big, empty lot with nothing more than a few speed bumps to dodge.

And I also got my lathe there on a scratch and dent discount. It was the floor model, so it was also in pretty much perfect shape and with all the accessories.

 

[bdbecker]

I would have a really hard time not swinging by the showroom on a regular basis if I lived that close. Thankfully the only place I have to worry about is the ReStore that is near my work. Way too many impulse tool purchases have been made there over the years, but thankfully the items are usually only a few bucks. You can't pass on a $4 pair of vise grips even though you already have a drawer full of them, right? It must run in the family - the Vancouver, WA ReStore is near my brother's house and he has the same problem.

 

[loganb]

Merry Christmas good sir! Hope you had a great time with the kids and family!

 

[zanyad]

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

[bdbecker]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you as well!

 

[Trapps]

All the best for a great 2025!

 

[loganb]

Hope things still going well in central Iowa and your big work installation let's you out once in awhile

 

[bdbecker]

Things quieted down, at least for my involvement in that project. The last milestone is doing a final walk-through with the contractor and take possession of the building expansion, which will happen next week. It's kind of bizarre walking through the building now that production is in full swing and is working as expected. I promise I'll show you guys what that big piece of equipment does as soon as it's public knowledge.

The CMMS software transition went smoother than I expected. A lot of screen time over the holidays making sure everything was ready for the switch to be turned on, but when we went live, it was remarkably uneventful. Sure, there have been a few hiccups here and there, but no show-stoppers and nothing I haven't been able to fix quickly. The big win is that the maintenance crew seems to really like the new software - lots of positive feedback so far.

On the personal project front, not much to report. I could feel myself getting burned out and promised myself to just take it easy this winter. Catching up on some books I've been meaning to read, movies I've wanted to watch, sticking to my exercise routine, and most importantly, spending time with the family.

I do have one project in the planning stages... inspired by @nicholam77 's progress on his basement, I took a good, hard look at how I have my home office/den setup right now and started imagining what I want it to be. Right now, it's a few wire racks of open storage, an old futon that really just needs to be taken to the dump and put out of it's misery, and a desk that is way too big for the space. Functional for me, but not a place anyone else wants to spend time in (other than our cat Mr. Whiskers).

I guess I'm just addicted to doing CAD layouts. I'm polishing up the last details of the layout, but after at least a half-dozen iterations, I've figured out how to incorporate everything I want. Built-in storage with doors so guests don't have to see my totes of 'inventory', my work-from-home computer, a small workbench for tinkering on little projects and 3D printing, space for a TV and stereo, and room for a pull-out sleeper sofa so the den can also serve as a guest room when we have visitors stay.

In preparation, I've been picking away at the stuff that I have stored on the wire racks. I haven't given them a serious sorting in probably five years. It's amazing how many 'important' pieces of junk a guy can accumulate in that time. Nothing a few trips to Goodwill, the ReStore, and the trash can can't fix. As I said earlier, I'm trying to avoid burnout and stay focused on what's important right now, so progress is slow, but steady.

 

[nicholam77]

On the personal project front, not much to report. I could feel myself getting burned out and promised myself to just take it easy this winter. Catching up on some books I've been meaning to read, movies I've wanted to watch, sticking to my exercise routine, and most importantly, spending time with the family.

I'm right there with ya

I do have one project in the planning stages... inspired by @nicholam77 's progress on his basement, I took a good, hard look at how I have my home office/den setup right now and started imagining what I want it to be.

Nice! Looking forward to it when you get it started. Even though not tangible, I think the 'imagining phase' really pays off. Sometimes I feel like I'm perpetually stuck there, though, unable to commit to a design and reluctant to do the work to execute it.

In preparation, I've been picking away at the stuff that I have stored on the wire racks. I haven't given them a serious sorting in probably five years. It's amazing how many 'important' pieces of junk a guy can accumulate in that time. Nothing a few trips to Goodwill, the ReStore, and the trash can can't fix.

I threw away so much during my remodel. I had to move everything out, anyways, so it forced my hand a bit. Something I'd been wanting to do forever but always too daunting and unable to complete in a day. At least our closets are usable now. Still a ways to go with organization and simplification and de-stuff-ification, but... progress. If it were solely up to me I'd prefer to live way more minimally, but I have the wife and kids to balance me out

 

[bdbecker]

It’s been a weather roller coaster this year. One day it’ll be sunny and 70’s, snowy and freezing the next, and then dreary and rainy for a few days. Gotta love the Midwest! I always say our unpredictable weather is a good thing because it keeps the weak people away.

Spring does appear to have finally sprung for the final time this year (maybe… you never know for sure). Time to get the summer wheels and tires back on the Flex. I know some of you prefer the silver winter 18” rims I have, but I absolutely love getting the black 20’s back on the car. It just changes the whole look. Also, for this year, new tires! I decided to mix things up a little and ended up going with a set of Toyo Proxes STIII. Technically it’s a truck/SUV tire, but as heavy as the Flex is (and how poorly my last set of tires wore), I wanted to see if a heavier duty tire will make any difference. I immediately noticed that the ride is a little rougher due to the stiffer sidewalls, but the car also feels a lot less roly-poly on corners and curves. While I’m not planning on auto crossing the Flex any time soon, I do like how it feels more planted and think I made the right choice. Time will tell.

The Law of Infinite Projects states that it is not possible to complete a project without creating at least one additional project in the process. As I was changing wheels, I noticed that the front brake pads are getting close to the end of their life, and the rear pads aren’t far behind. Since I am buying new rotors too, I figured I might as well give ceramic a shot (I’ve always just run organic pads) – new brakes should arrive this week.

I also have a blend door issue I need to investigate before it gets too hot. When the AC is running, it is ice cold on the driver side, and blazing hot on the passenger side. When the heater is running, it is only warm air on the driver side, and hot on the passenger side. This is a known issue with these cars. Thankfully replacement blend door actuators are relatively cheap, I just need to figure out exactly which one needs to be replaced. I'm hoping it's not the one that requires the dash to be removed, but knowing my luck, it probably is. I also need to give the old girl a proper bath and polish as well, but I might farm that out if I don’t get to it soon. There’s a guy in the neighborhood who does detailing as a side hustle and his prices seem very reasonable.

Other than that, most of the weekend was spent cleaning up the yard and getting a head start on my tan. Smasher was a big help. We raked up a mountain of acorn shells, blew he leaves out of all the nooks and crannies, picked up and sorted through all the sticks (because Smasher likes to ‘keep the cool ones’), and conducted the annual spring dog poop collection. Wife and I did that. Smasher was not interested in helping for some reason. I learned that Ms. Magnadoodle (our dog) has developed a taste for foam earplugs over the winter, not that anyone needed to know that.

I’ve done a terrible job of documenting projects and sharing here… apologies. Wife has a new height adjustable desk in her home office. Not a complicated project – I used a slab of butcher block from the Restore and a set of legs sourced from Amazon. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I learned that stain preconditioner stinks like hell but makes a huge difference on pine. The next time you are staining, give it a shot, you might be surprised. Planning and preparation continues for my home office/den remodel. Warm weather makes it hard to get down there, but when it’s been cold and rainy, I’ve made good progress. The layout is locked in, hardware and fixtures have been identified, and I’ve picked out flooring. There are a few minor details that I’m still working out, but I’ve got a good enough plan to get started and will just cross those bridges when I get there.

That’s pretty much it for now. The next month's worth of weekends are full, so I probably won’t have much to report for awhile. Until next time...

 

[XJSuperman]

I too am getting new summer tires...and very much enjoy the changed look of the vehicle, totally get where you're coming from there. The flex is looking great. I've got a detail guy here in town I need to call as well, thanks for the reminder. With all the wind we've been having, its been a real war on leaves lately. They end up right back where I just removed them from it seems.
Good to see ya with an update!

 

[bdbecker]

I hesitate to even share this because it's not a sure thing yet, but my stomach is in knots right now and I haven't slept well for the last three nights. A big change might be coming...

(Picture Deleted)

Let me back up a little...

For at least five years now, Wife and I have been entertaining the idea of adding on a large family room to our house and remodeling our kitchen. At first, it was just conceptual. What would make the most sense in our layout? How big should we go? How do we make it look like it’s a natural part of the house? Just to give you an idea of how long we’ve been thinking about it, the maple tree we planted a couple of years ago was placed in the yard so that it wouldn’t interfere with our potential future addition. As the kids have gotten older and finances have gotten better, the idea of adding on and remodeling is looking like more of a reality. But (and it is a big but), Wife recently brought up a very valid concern. No matter what we do with our current house, it would always be a compromise on what we really want.

Our current house is a side-split level house. While it has plenty of square footage, that space is spread across four different levels and often feels compartmentalized and disconnected. For example, we setup a playroom on one of the levels for the kids but keeping an eye on them is a chore if you want to try do something productive like cook dinner, and the kids don’t really like hanging out down there because they aren’t near us. If we have a large gathering, people are spread out across two, or even three levels if the kids are playing upstairs in their rooms. While some people don’t mind that kind of arrangement, we’ve come to realize that it just isn’t for us. So now that we’ve established that spending that kind of money remodeling our current house is likely not a good long-term strategy, that means applying that money towards a house that is already configured how we want makes more sense. That leads us to the next big question, what is it that we want?

We love our neighborhood. A giant park within easy walking distance. Good access to anywhere in the metro, but still quiet. Everywhere around us was developed decades ago, so there is no worry about a big new warehouse or strip mall popping up just around the corner. The kids’ school is just a short walk away, which is very convenient. Plus, both kids already have a good group of friends established, so moving to a different district should be avoided if possible. As far as the house goes, Wife and I both agree that a single level ranch (minimum 4 bed, 2 bath) is the style of house we prefer. While there are a handful of ranch houses scattered around the neighborhood, the vast majority are split levels like we currently have. The one exception is the street that runs parallel to ours, one block to the west. So yeah, we’ve set a near impossible bar for ourselves - essentially narrowing down our search area from roughly 18k houses (our current city) down to maybe a dozen or two potential houses in our neighborhood. That doesn’t even take into consideration whether the house would be priced at a level we could afford or not.

And then, Saturday night, Wife sends me a link to an open house scheduled for Sunday. A brick ranch only a block away from where we currently live. 5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms. And it’s priced at a level we can afford. An odd mix of excitement and panic set in. We agreed we should go check it out. The listing photos show that the finishes are worn and dated, but it checks literally every box on both our need and want list, including a wood burning fireplace. That was the first night of poor sleep.

Sunday we go to the open house, and it is packed with people. I liked that it was busy because then I could really poke around the house unnoticed looking for red flags. Long story short, while there were a few minor issues here and there, I didn’t find any show stoppers. The hardwood floors that are under the carpet appear to be in great shape. The windows are all relatively new, and high quality. The shingles are nearing the end of their life, but so are the ones on my current house. Brick siding had been recently cleaned and appeared to be in good condition. HVAC unit is the same age as my current one (2017 install), even the same manufacturer (Carrier) and serviced by the same company I use. The basement is pretty much unfinished, which allowed me to look for any issues with the foundation, but I did not find any. The sliding door to the patio needs to be replaced but is functional. The patio slab is well worn and slightly pitched towards the house, so it will need to be replaced right away. There was a spot where it appeared some water had seeped into the basement at some point. I believe this is due to poor grading in the back yard and the patio slab. I also had my laser measuring tool and found that every room of the house is slightly larger than our current house. Oddly enough, main living area and bedroom layout is very similar to our current house, just on the same level and slightly larger.

Most importantly (in the context of this forum), the two car garage measures 22’ wide by 28’ long – plenty of room to park both cars inside and still have my toolboxes and some equipment stored along the back wall. Additionally, since there is not room on the lot to build a detached shop, and the unfinished basement is the same size as the house, Wife and I agreed on a compromise that I could take a good chunk of the basement to turn it into a workshop, provided the other half gets finished out as a family rec room area. Theoretically, if this all goes through, I’ll end up with more shop space than I have now, and it’d be heated and cooled. Dust collection for the woodworking equipment will obviously be a priority. Wrenching and any metal work will take place in the garage.

After spending Sunday afternoon and evening running numbers and weighing out the pros and cons, we decided that we should make an offer. If the house was updated, it would command a much higher price, likely out of what we can afford. While it needs a lot of work, most of the work that needs to be done is well within our capability and can be spread out as time and money allow. Sweat equity, as they say. That was the second night of poor sleep.

In a flurry of emails and phone calls, we had the green light from our financial advisor, our preapproval letter from the bank, and an offer submitted by 1pm on Monday. Having an Uncle who is a real estate agent makes these sorts of things easy. I also had a good talk with him about the house, what I saw, and the price, and he agreed that it seemed like a good opportunity. By 3:45pm, my Uncle had heard back from the seller. We were the only written offer submitted. More than likely a negotiation tactic, she said that she expected a second offer to be submitted yet that day, and two others were supposedly working on offers. Since this is an estate sale, she wants ‘best and final’ offers submitted by Wednesday. Bluff or not, we don't want to play any games and potentially miss this opportunity. Wife and I reworked the numbers and came up with a higher offer that we are comfortable with. A third night of poor sleep.

So that puts us at today. My uncle is working on the revised offer and we’ll see what happens. If it’s meant to be, it will be. Sure, we'll be disappointed if we don’t get it, but it's very much a first-world problem. We have a good house already. At least we know gave it our best shot. Going any higher starts to stretch out the budget more than we are comfortable with. (We are factoring on having to replace the patio, roof, and sliding door right away.) I expect a fourth night of poor sleep today… I’m like a kid a Christmas… the anticipation is killing me!

 

[zanyad]

Fingers crossed for you!

 

[nicholam77]

For at least five years now, Wife and I have been entertaining the idea of adding on a large family room to our house and remodeling our kitchen. At first, it was just conceptual. What would make the most sense in our layout? How big should we go? How do we make it look like it’s a natural part of the house?

I feel this so hard. I have a full set of plans in my head for adding an second story and reconfiguring our spaces. Probably would never be financially logical. I literally think about it non-stop. Similar to you, after 10 yrs I have a much better understanding of what I like, how we live, our needs, etc. And I am constantly picturing teenagers because I know they are going to need more space (or it would be nice). I am super conflicted for all the same reasons as you. We love our neighborhood and area of town. The kids like their schools and friends. I've put in so much effort personalizing our house and there are many things I love about it. And similarly I am also after a very narrow target... modern or architect-designed, in decent enough shape it's not a gut job, but not so finished I can't put my stamp on it... and at a livable price. I feel like that ship has sailed 5 yrs ago for me. Prices and interest rates are still insanity. And I know a 2nd story on my house would likely be $200k. And still wouldn't have the privacy or nature or other things I want. We bought our house when I was 28 yrs old, I didn't know a dang thing, but I certainly wasn't planning on it being the house I die in. Now I'm not so sure

Like you said, it's 1st world problems, in the greater context I am super lucky to have a house as nice as I have, or at all. But it is something I think about ALL the time.

I am truly rooting for you and I hope it works out for ya!

Additionally, since there is not room on the lot to build a detached shop, and the unfinished basement is the same size as the house, Wife and I agreed on a compromise that I could take a good chunk of the basement to turn it into a workshop, provided the other half gets finished out as a family rec room area. Theoretically, if this all goes through, I’ll end up with more shop space than I have now, and it’d be heated and cooled.

That would be amazing! Being in the Midwest, woodworking usually grinds to a halt for me during the winter. An indoor workspace would be awesome.

If the house was updated, it would command a much higher price, likely out of what we can afford. While it needs a lot of work, most of the work that needs to be done is well within our capability and can be spread out as time and money allow. Sweat equity, as they say.

As long as it has "good bones" as they say, I think buying lower and then customizing the finishes to your liking over time is the way to go. And more personal, too, instead of living with someone else's choices.

So that puts us at today. My uncle is working on the revised offer and we’ll see what happens. If it’s meant to be, it will be. Sure, we'll be disappointed if we don’t get it, but it's very much a first-world problem. We have a good house already. At least we know gave it our best shot. Going any higher starts to stretch out the budget more than we are comfortable with. (We are factoring having to replace the patio, roof, and sliding door right away.) I expect a fourth night of poor sleep today… I’m like a kid a Christmas… the anticipation is killing me!

Good luck, Brad!!

P.S. The FLEX looks great!

 

[bdbecker]

Final offer submitted. Now we wait... trying to stay focused today has been extremely difficult.

-----

Fingers crossed for you!

I am truly rooting for you and I hope it works out for ya!

Thanks guys!

That would be amazing! Being in the Midwest, woodworking usually grinds to a halt for me during the winter. An indoor workspace would be awesome.

It'll be a little bit of a compromise. The ceiling is only 7' high in the basement, so I'll have to go back to being extra careful with full length materials, and hauling materials in will be more difficult, but I am really excited by the prospect of not having to plan ahead to work in the shop by starting a space heater and worrying about if it's warm enough for glue to set properly. Assembly and finishing (depending on the product) will likely still have to be done in the garage.

Taking apart the table saw might be interesting. No way it's fitting down those steps in one piece.

As long as it has "good bones" as they say, I think buying lower and then customizing the finishes to your liking over time is the way to go. And more personal, too, instead of living with someone else's choices.

That appears to be the case with this house. 1959 construction with some cosmetic updates made (I'm guessing) in the mid-90's through mid-00's. Otherwise unmolested. Original baseboards everywhere, cove ceiling still intact, original narrow hardwood looks great (at least where I could see), and so on.

Our plan would be to preserve as much as possible as we bring it back to it's former glory. If something needs to be replaced like, for example, the front door, we'll do our best to pick something that would have fit the style of the era. At the same time, while Wife and I are fans of mid-century design, we aren't purists in the sense that the house will look like a time capsule when you walk in. Luckily, since our current house is already a 1960 split with similar styling, most of our current furnishings will fit right in.

 

[Xti04]

Good luck with the house!

 

[XJSuperman]

You'll need a CrapShack 2.0 thread if they accept your offer! The new house sounds like a good fit so far, best of luck in getting it secured.

 

[loganb]

Fingers crossed for yall!

 

[burger]

Brad,

This is exciting! I'll be checking in tomorrow to see what happens!


Ed

 

[bdbecker]

Update... my Uncle finished up early on some meetings yesterday afternoon and called asking we wanted to take another/closer look at the house. We spent a good 2+ hours pouring over every nook and cranny last night. I even brought along a ladder so I could take a look in the attic. Long story short, we didn’t spot anything that I wasn’t already aware of, but I think my Uncle thinks we’re a bit crazy for wanting to take on this project.

His main concern is the roof, particularly the structure. Two of the corner hip rafter tails are sagging a bit. This is something I noticed during the open house and why I want to have the roof replaced/repaired right away. I have done a fair bit of reading and research the last few days what the cause/repair might be. I suspect that the rafters are likely damaged at the notch where they intersect with the plate. In my mind, this doesn’t seem like an overly complicated repair once the shingles have been removed. Pull up the decking in the affected areas, get the rafter board straightened out, and then either sister some additional material (wood or steel) to reinforce the area. I’m planning to ask the contractors to reinforce all the hip rafters right away for peace of mind. A little more expensive now, but if in 5-10 years I have a different one start to sag, I’d be kicking myself. I’ve got three companies identified that do both roof replacement and structural repairs.

His second big concern is the grading around the house and the evidence of water in the basement. Again, this is something I did notice and plan to address. Thankfully there is no evidence of water in the part of the basement where I intend to put my home shop. But, with that possibility of water in mind, anything stored in the basement will be raised up for the time being to prevent damage. If the issue ends up being something besides grading, we’ll find out soon enough and figure out how to address it.

The last thing he voiced his concern on was just the sheer amount of cosmetic work that needs to be done. He laughed in agreement when I said “One thing is for sure, there are no small projects in this house.” It should be stated that I love my Uncle and have a deep amount of respect for him. He is a very smart guy and a very good businessman. He knows more about cattle, crops, farming, hunting deer, and real estate than I ever will, but he’s not the DIY type and I think he sees this house as a daunting project.

It was interesting hearing him talk about the place through his perspective. Comments like “I can’t even guess how much it would cost to have all this repainted…” and “You’re probably looking at $250-300 each to have these ceiling fans and lights replaced…” kind of cracked me up. If I’m going to tackle painting a room and replacing a fan, my biggest worry is that it’ll be busy at Menards or Home Depot, and I’ll have to wait a half hour for them to get my paint mixed. We all have different strengths - I don’t know jack about tagging cattle, but I do know how to replace a faucet.

He did say that if we are willing to do the work, it would be a fantastic house and we'd likely see a significant return on our investment if we ever decide to sell.

We did find a couple of good things during our second tour. When I stuck my head in the attic, the roof framing I could see looked very well done. All the joints are nice and tight (straight cuts, no gaps), and the lumber is straight, tight grain douglas fir. There is also a boatload of insulation in the ceiling. I took a second look at the HVAC unit and saw that it was a gas heater. I wasn’t sure if we had gas service to the house or not because all kitchen stove and top are electric. While we won’t be swapping those out any time soon, it’s nice to know that we could go back to having a gas stovetop in the future. Also, there is a 220v outlet from the old dryer hook-up in the basement, which happens to be right next to the area where I intend to setup my shop area. Finally, while there are a couple of cracked tiles in the kitchen that we agreed we could live with, we found a box and a half of extra tiles in one of the closets, so we can fix the floor right away.

We are still the only offer as of yesterday afternoon. The deadline for submissions is today. My Uncle seemed pretty sure that we are the only interested party and held off on submitting our second, higher offer. I got a solid four and a half hours of restless sleep on the couch last night… I finally fell asleep around 11pm, only to wake up around 3:30am. No point in crawling into bed for an hour. Besides, Mr. Whiskers was snuggling on top of me and I figured one of us may as well get some good rest.

 

[bdbecker]

I got call from my Uncle last night. The real estate agent has a meeting with the executor of the estate at 4pm today. I'm guessing we'll know by 5pm or so if our offer was accepted. Closing won't be completed until June, which is actually a bit of relief because it'll give us more time to pack and prep our current house to be put on the market, and will hopefully reduce the number of months we'll have to carry both mortgages.

I actually got a decent night's sleep - nearly 9 hours! I even got to sleep in a little later than normal because I took a few hours off work this morning to take my kids to school since Wife had to be a conference. Feels good to be awake for a change - it was starting to remind me too much of when Smasher was a newborn.

 

[bdbecker]

Looks like my 'honey do' list just got a loooooot longer... they accepted our offer!

 

[XJSuperman]

Whoo hoo! Better have your dad bring up some hay wagons....it'll be the fastest way to move from one house to the other lol

 

[bdbecker]

Whoo hoo! Better have your dad bring up some hay wagons....it'll be the fastest way to move from one house to the other lol

Lol... he's got a car hauler. Tracks a little better at highway speeds.

 

[Xti04]

Congrats Brad!

 

[loganb]

Congrats!

 

[nicholam77]

Exciting times!

 

[zanyad]

Looks like my 'honey do' list just got a loooooot longer... they accepted our offer!

Congrats!

 

[bugnut]

Brad congratulations and time to get busy!!!

 

[bdbecker]

Thank you for your support guys! Seriously, it means a lot.

-----

We told the kids yesterday and they were pretty excited. It wasn’t a surprise - they came to the open house with us, along with the second tour when we really dug into everything. We’ve been answering a lot of questions from them over the last few days, which I believe has helped them accept the idea of change. I’m sure when the time comes to actually move there will be some more emotions to work through, and likely for a few months afterwards. Sis is more sensitive to the situation, but I’m proud of how she is handling things. Smasher is more like “whatever dude… as long as I can bring my toys, I’m good.”

I’m having the inspection done today. The company I wanted to use just happened to have someone cancel an hour or two before I called, so they were able to get me on the schedule right away. I did add on a radon check and sewer line scope. While we won’t be able to go back to the seller and ask for any allowances based on the findings, it will help me know what the status of everything is.

I’ve also got emails out to four contractors to quote the roof project. Hopefully I can start getting bids later next week and we’ll have a better idea of how much of a down payment we can put on the house.

We’re busy this weekend with Easter, but starting Monday, it’ll be time to get to work.

 

[bdbecker]

The inspection went well today – no surprises. The sewer line was in great shape. I’ll be curious about the radon test. You never quite know (our current house did not have any issues). Probably the most reassuring thing was when the inspector, a guy who makes his living looking at houses, said “This is going to be a really nice house once you get it cleaned up” after he got done walking through. The guy was super thorough. If anyone is in the Des Moines metro area and needs an inspection done, shoot me a PM and I will forward you the company I used.

I also snapped a few pics to share while I was there. Behold, the future shop…

Overall, the space is right around 620 square feet. The main open area measures 15' wide by 27' long. There's another 8' past the pole line. I’ll definitely CAD the space out to maximize the useful square footage for my needs. The water heater looks like it could be relocated without too much trouble. Don’t worry about that diagonal line on the wall in that second pic. Best guess is that was where the switched between loads during the pour and the color was different. The wall is solid and straight. Plenty of electrical already installed, hot and cold water lines for a shop sink, and I even have some natural light from the windows. If I really wanted to get crazy, I might see about tying into that sewer line and adding a toilet (if that sounds silly, it’s because I don’t know much about plumbing). I might consider furring out the walls and adding drywall, but we’ll see. No idea on how I’m going to tackle the spiral staircase leading directly into the second living room… that’s a tomorrow problem.

Probably the best thing about where that space is in the basement, is that its right next to the room that we are going to turn into a storage space. That means all the project specific totes that I currently store in my garage can get moved into there. My shop will be just a shop with tools, not a dual-purpose storage and work area. Another thing that will help is that the new garage is extra deep at 27’, which means my metal working and automotive tools can live in there. Speaking of the garage…

It’s a little narrower than I’d like at 21’, but we’ll make it work. There is a little jut out near the door for the fireplace chimney, but it’s close enough to the door to be able to angle in once you get past it. We might also play around with offsetting where the cars are parked to make getting in/out easier. For the first time in my life, I will be able to park inside a garage. That’ll be especially nice living in the Midwest (car will be cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter).

Here are some additional pics of the house (there will be plenty more as I document my work). Here is the main living room as you walk in the front door. Yes, that is white carpet glued to the walls, and it’s going to be a pain to clean up.

Here is the view from in the kitchen. The kitchen sliding door is very difficult to open (likely original to the house). The other one works pretty well but is heavily worn. While I’d love to replace them right away, they seem to be weather tight, so replacing them is not an immediate need. We’ll have to see how everything pans out with the repairs that we do need to tackle. Cabinets are likely a 90’s or 00’s era remodel. Functional, but they do not match the style of the house. We can live with them for now.

Finally, this will be my home office and the guest bedroom. Other than potentially removing the bookshelves and replacing the fan, this is probably the most move-in ready room of the house. Yes, the wood is staying. Not open for debate. I freaking love it.

That’s it for now. I’ve got appointments setup with the roofing contractors next week. Hopefully the numbers aren’t as scary as I think they might be.

 

[XJSuperman]

Hell yeah, hardwoods and revolving stairs. House looks great

 

[GeddyT]

Late to the party, but way to go, Brad!

 

[bdbecker]

In the interest of letting this thread be its own entity and minimizing crossover, I've created a new build thread for the house/future shop.

Factory 59

 

[Bob Heine]

Brad, when the stars align, great things happen. We returned from a wonderful two year assignment in Australia in 1991 to the same house and Liane announced she was tired of the same old same old. The mortgage was paid off and we had saved a decent down payment on another home so we started looking. I wanted a 3-car garage attached to whatever we found. Unfortunately everything we looked at with a 3-car garage was attached to a McMansion with two stories, five bedrooms, too many bathrooms for two people and all were on lots so small you had to call the neighbor to let them know you were opening a window on their side of the house.

One day in 1996 we stopped at an open house for a brand new structure. Nice house but two car garage killed it for me. I backed out of the driveway and headed for home 1.6 miles away. As we drove away, Liane noticed the house next door had three garage doors and said: "Too bad it's not for sale." As she spoke those words, one of the garage doors opened and a woman in a bikini walked to the end of the driveway to put a "For Sale" sign in the lawn. I made a safe U-turn a block away and returned to the house. The sign said $185,000 and had a phone number on it. Bikini lady was gone so we headed home and called. Arranged a walk-through the next day.

Brad, like you, I did not sleep much that night. On the short drive over the next day Liane crushed me like a bug. Her demands were: 1) Great Room (no living, dining and family room layout), 2) Large Kitchen, 3) Large Master Bedroom, 4) Large Master Bath, 5) Laundry Room inside (not out in the garage) and finally 6) Jacuzzi Tub in Master Bath. I was looking for a place to turn around and go back home but decided to at least look.

Walked into the house and found a Great Room at the end of the hall. Turned right into a kitchen twice the size of the one in the old house. Master Bedroom was at far end of house and measured 14'x23'. The Master Bath had two sinks in an L-shaped counter and it was four times the size of our old one. Laundry Room was next to the Master Bath but there was no tub in the bathroom, just a large shower. I asked if a small Jacuzzi hot tub in the screened room at the end of the patio would be acceptable. When she said yes, I asked the owners if a certified check from the bank for the asking price would be acceptable. They looked at me like I was a Martian Frog but I explained the down payment we had saved up was withing a couple of thousand of their asking price. They explained another buyer was coming to look the next day. I sealed the deal by offering to pay a lawyer to represent us both at the closing.

Neither of us mentioned a big lot in our lists of demands but there's a backyard beyond the screened-in pool/patio that was larger than our previous house's whole lot. He was almost finished building an 18'x12' shed in the corner of the back yard but his building permit was about to expire. I agreed to apply for the extension and finish the building.

We closed on the new house 21 years to the day we closed on the previous house.

The house was in immaculate condition but the owner's wife thought sponge painting walls was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Luckily it was limited to the two bathrooms, kitchen and a practice wall in the garage. I was ready to put my feet up and relax after a moving company emptied our old house and deposited it all in the new place, helping us put a lot of it away for a stupid low price of $400.

My feet never left the floor except to climb a ladder. The kitchen had a 4-foot wide archway between it and the great room and Liane wanted the opening enlarged. Luckily it was November so moving all the wiring for the lights and whole-house intercom was not a heat stroke project. The PO even left some tile so I could make the floor look like the wall was never there. Before Liane even asked about widening the opening I had been in the attic and discovered the whole house had a truss roof so none of the interior walls were structural.

That wasn't the last project but the rest were trivial by comparison.

I feel like you are living the same stars aligned moment. Congratulations! I'm following your new thread so thanks for the link.