XJSuperman
Well-known member
They were supposed to be featuring John Deere this year I believe. But to your point, there are a couple Oliver museum spots I need to get to up there. The historical society being one of them.
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT The **** Shack
- Thread starter bdbecker
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
Unruh
Well-known member
How is the new mower doing after you took a couple laps with it now? I have a self propelled one as well a rider. We have about 2 acres and it only took a couple of long days with my push mower to realize I needed something bigger. I actually asked my wife to give me a hand mowing once and that was enough to get her on board...lol.
I have a sister in Iowa close to Marshalltown. She has been hit by a couple nasty storms this year, how did you fair?
I have a sister in Iowa close to Marshalltown. She has been hit by a couple nasty storms this year, how did you fair?
The new mower is working out well. It's strange to just walk behind a mower instead of pushing it, but I'm getting used to it. The amount of effort required is a night and day difference. Not that I've ever found mowing to be a difficult activity, but it'll just make it that much easier on those days when the temps are well into the 90's. The other thing I really like is self-cleaning deck. I just hook up the garden hose, crack the faucet (less water seems to work better), and let the mower and water run for a few minutes. I was really bad about cleaning the deck with my last mower, only doing it every now and then which is basically the same as not cleaning it at all. With the auto clean, all I have to do is sip a cold beer and wait. I'll definitely be able to keep the deck clean on this one.
That derecho was pretty crazy, but other than a few limbs, we got pretty lucky in that we didn't have any real damage to deal with. Power was out for three days, but we were able to borrow my Dad's generator which made things a lot easier as well. Given your sister's location, I'm sure she got it a lot worse than we did.
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nicholam77
Well-known member
Wow, lot's to catch up on!
Nice upgrade on the mower. That mini-bike looks like a ton of fun and Road America looks awesome! Deck is looking great, too.
I like the solid door on the garage. For colors, if you want to be bold, I feel like your house could easily borrow some MCM personality. A contrasting color like orange, yellow, lime green, or mint/aqua-blue would look good with a dark gray. There is a house in a neighborhood adjacent to us I walk by sometimes that is a dark (blueish) gray, with pastel green front door and garage overhead door that match. (The door looks yellow in the below pic but they are both like the garage door).
Or if you don't want color... white is always a safe bet!
Nice upgrade on the mower. That mini-bike looks like a ton of fun and Road America looks awesome! Deck is looking great, too.
I like the solid door on the garage. For colors, if you want to be bold, I feel like your house could easily borrow some MCM personality. A contrasting color like orange, yellow, lime green, or mint/aqua-blue would look good with a dark gray. There is a house in a neighborhood adjacent to us I walk by sometimes that is a dark (blueish) gray, with pastel green front door and garage overhead door that match. (The door looks yellow in the below pic but they are both like the garage door).
Or if you don't want color... white is always a safe bet!
Ha! No, this door won't be white. I don't like white doors for the same reason I don't like beige - its just boring. I'm okay with a bold color and will look into your suggestions. I'd like to give a nod to the MCM influences our house/neighborhood have while trying to avoid some of the cliches you often see. A challenge for sure, but at least it'll be a fun one.
Related to that, I've got the green light to pick out the color pallet for our house. Wife want something different, but is worried that she'll overthink it too much and we'll just end up with bland. Before we get too crazy, I told her that we'd demo whatever I come up with on the garage before we commit to doing something on the house. My garage needs paint really bad, so I can't hurt anything. If we end up going with something different, it's small enough that it we won't be out too much in paint costs.
Speaking of doors and boring, this is somewhat related... Since our garage doors will probably need to be replaced at some point, I've started paying attention to what sort of doors people have installed and noticed something that I can't unsee. The next time you're driving through a residential neighborhood, pay attention to how many people have this garage door:
https://www.menards.com/main/doors-...51820-c-12358.htm?searchTermToProduct=4251592
It's absurd, or at least it is around here. I'd bet at least 2/3 of the garage doors in any given neighborhood I drive through have that same embossed panel design.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Yep, standard stamping pattern. Its not just around here, its everywhere across the country. I looked for awhile before I bought my new one. I went with the elongated (more rectangular) pattern to throw off the neighbors lol. Its simple, boring enough to keep resale value neutral, and I like that its not too fancy (read: doesn't make the garage/house look bad). ha!
nicholam77
Well-known member
Oh I forgot to add I've also made the John Heisz push stick. At first I felt like my hand was uncomfortably low/close to the blade, but I have to say having "disposable" plywood push sticks for small parts is amazing. I think ripping thin narrow pieces is where it really shines, and you can let the blade cut right through the "hook" on the back. Gives you great control of small pieces. I think you will like them.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I totally understand erring on the side of caution by not making the garage door a focal point. I'm not planning on doing that either and will probably stick with a plain smooth door when the time comes. I just felt like I was in the twilight zone a little when I was walking around the neighborhood and house after house had the exact same door. Its just something I'd never paid attention to, but now that I'm aware of it, its all I see.
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That's good to hear. I haven't had a chance to actually use them yet. I hear you on the hand position - if you watch his video on it, he actually keeps his hand on the fence when pushing stock through the blade, which takes a lot of risk out of the equation.
I don't know what's worse those boring panels or the ridiculous magnetic hardware people attach. I mean come on if your garage door is automatic why does it need fake handles? Complete waste of money in my opinion.
My neighborhood is divided into 2 builders. One did standard doors that have vertical boxes in a box and the other builder actually attached faux wood to make the doors look wooden? I have always wondered if the extra weight puts extra work on the opener.
Bret
amkluttz
Well-known member
Black? If the house is going gray/dark gray then possibly a black door and frame, or a black frame and differing shade of gray on the doors? I'm just thinking it may tie in to the black under the cedar on the deck.
I'll give people a pass if it matches the style of the house, but do agree that 95% of the time it makes no sense at all.
Right now I'm leaning towards dark gray siding, white door frames, and black garage doors. The two things I'm on the fence on are the window trim and the man doors. For the window trim, I'll either go with white or the same color as the siding. For the man doors, I'm trying to decide between black or a bold color. I'm tempted to try a bold color first knowing I'll like black and it'd be easy enough to repaint the door if I change my mind.
I hadn't considered a black frames and trim - I'll take a look at some examples to get an idea of what it might look like on my house. If I went that route, I'd probably paint the window trim the same color as the house as I suspect a black frame around a white window might look a little odd.
Now I get why Wife wanted me to handle this... so many things to take into consideration!
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
White doors don't do well around here. Too many dirty things running around. Steph would make me shower before I touched the doorknob every time.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
So this relatively local craigslist listing is the stuff of nightmares for this group? lol
https://ames.craigslist.org/for/d/huxley-garage-doors/7209096085.html
I think it checks all the boxes: white, fake hardware, square stamping
https://ames.craigslist.org/for/d/huxley-garage-doors/7209096085.html
I think it checks all the boxes: white, fake hardware, square stamping
haha
GeddyT
ALLIANCE MEMBER
When I was ordering (well, trying to order) my overhead door, I found out why steel overhead doors are almost always stamped with a pattern. I'm a person who doesn't like simulating one material with another. It's why I ordered smooth cement board siding instead of the wood grain kind and why the biggest battle of wills between my wife and I involves a kitchen floor made out of real reclaimed sliced bricks. So when I went to a local overhead door shop and asked for an insulated steel door that's just smooth, she told me I'd need to take out a third mortgage.
Stamping grain and faux raised panels into garage doors is done for the same reason texture is sprayed onto interior walls before painting. The manufacturing process for a large panel is rough, and it's extremely difficult to pull off without scratching, denting, or creasing the panels. With textured panels, it doesn't show. You see a lot of those identically stamped garage doors because that's the cheapest door to manufacture and therefore purchase.
Or at least that's what I was told...
Stamping grain and faux raised panels into garage doors is done for the same reason texture is sprayed onto interior walls before painting. The manufacturing process for a large panel is rough, and it's extremely difficult to pull off without scratching, denting, or creasing the panels. With textured panels, it doesn't show. You see a lot of those identically stamped garage doors because that's the cheapest door to manufacture and therefore purchase.
Or at least that's what I was told...
Yep... gross...
I'm guessing they got insurance to replace the door. I'm halfway tempted to try and figure out where that house is just so I can drive by in a few weeks to see if they replaced it with the same style door.
Working in manufacturing, I figured there was some sort of justification like that. However, for a smooth stamped door of equal R-value, I was surprised to find that the prices are not that different.
Stamped $825
https://www.menards.com/main/doors-...47529-c-12358.htm?searchTermToProduct=4258336
Smooth $950
https://www.menards.com/main/doors-...16826-c-12358.htm?searchTermToProduct=4252761
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amkluttz
Well-known member
I didn't know or remember that your windows were white. Agreed, black framing a white window might not be the best idea. I like the frame matching siding color at that point.
Since you turned me on to Gregor's Mid-Century Moto Mecca I just remember him changing his interior windows and frames from white to black. The black against the wood really set off that interior and I was surprised as to how much I liked the look.
I'm envisioning a smooth black garage door with vertically stacked glass on one side.
Attachments
I did look into the possibility of painting the exterior frames of the vinyl windows black and the consensus seems to be that it is a bad idea. Too many issues with getting the paint to stick and a high probability of damage due to the increase in heat absorption. Replacing them doesn't really make sense as they were only a few years old when we bought the place.
I do like that style of door. If I was only parking in the garage and my kids were grown, I'd be really tempted to get something like that.
GeddyT
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Good call on not painting the vinyl frames. A million years ago, when I was running one of those college painting franchises, a customer wanted me to do just that. I argued, argued, argued, and he persisted. So I did it, it turned out just as crappy as I told him it would, and he complained. Go figure...
Things have been fairly quiet around the Shack the last few weeks, but figured I'd check-in and post an update.
Two weeks ago, my folks came down to watch the kids so Wife and I could get away and celebrate our anniversary. With things being the way they are these days, and the fact that Buster is just six months old, we decided to forego the usual road trip and headed downtown instead. We stayed at the Savery Hotel which was a nice change from the typical Brand X newer construction type place.
Casually mentioning that you're celebrating your anniversary when the concierge asks what brings you to the hotel will sometimes get you bumped up to a nicer room, In our case, we ended up in a king suite on the top floor with a great view of the capitol. It doesn't always work, and we never lie about it during other trips, but we've gotten a few nice rooms over the years using that little trick.
View media item 107137
Other than getting several nights worth of long overdue uninterrupted sleep, actually getting to have some full conversations, we hit up a few of our favorite downtown spots like The Highlife Lounge, and did a little junking one of the days. A highlight from that outing - I found a nearly perfect condition (other than the rust) Plumb National pattern axe for restoration. These were sold starting in 1948, and I'd guess mine is probably from around that time frame because it has the "Patent Applied For" stamp.
View media item 107096
Pretty excited for this one. My first Plumb, and its probably the nicest axe I've found so far. No nicks, no grinder marks, and no mushrooming on the poll. Whoever owned this before me took good care of it. I've got it running in the electrolysis tank right now - once its done I'll post some pics of it all cleaned up. A pretty good deal at $2!
This last weekend was also pretty quiet. It was too nice to be inside, so we spent most of the weekend outside doing odd jobs around the house and yard. I did do one of the most Garage Journal things I think I've done in awhile - I sorted all small lava rocks out of my fire pit.
Let me explain... ever since I set it back up from the deck/patio project, it just hasn't run right. After thinking about what had changed, I remembered that I had dumped a partial bag of rocks into the pit when I was setting it back up. I started digging through the rock and sure enough, that partial bag must have had a lot of dust and small rocks in the bottom of it that made a layer of tightly packed rock around the burner. I had to hit it with a mallet to break apart - no wonder gas wasn't getting through. I setup the wheelbarrow with a piece of expanded steel on it and bucket by bucket, I sifted through all the rock in the pit. Now, with only large rock in the pit, it runs like it should again. Lesson learned...
Probably won't me much for updates for the next few weekends as Wife is abandoning me this weekend to spend some time with friends, and the weekend after that I'll be fulfilling my obligation as a husband and father to provide meat for my family by going pheasant hunting. Its tough work, but someone has to do it.
Two weeks ago, my folks came down to watch the kids so Wife and I could get away and celebrate our anniversary. With things being the way they are these days, and the fact that Buster is just six months old, we decided to forego the usual road trip and headed downtown instead. We stayed at the Savery Hotel which was a nice change from the typical Brand X newer construction type place.
Casually mentioning that you're celebrating your anniversary when the concierge asks what brings you to the hotel will sometimes get you bumped up to a nicer room, In our case, we ended up in a king suite on the top floor with a great view of the capitol. It doesn't always work, and we never lie about it during other trips, but we've gotten a few nice rooms over the years using that little trick.
View media item 107137
Other than getting several nights worth of long overdue uninterrupted sleep, actually getting to have some full conversations, we hit up a few of our favorite downtown spots like The Highlife Lounge, and did a little junking one of the days. A highlight from that outing - I found a nearly perfect condition (other than the rust) Plumb National pattern axe for restoration. These were sold starting in 1948, and I'd guess mine is probably from around that time frame because it has the "Patent Applied For" stamp.
View media item 107096
Pretty excited for this one. My first Plumb, and its probably the nicest axe I've found so far. No nicks, no grinder marks, and no mushrooming on the poll. Whoever owned this before me took good care of it. I've got it running in the electrolysis tank right now - once its done I'll post some pics of it all cleaned up. A pretty good deal at $2!
This last weekend was also pretty quiet. It was too nice to be inside, so we spent most of the weekend outside doing odd jobs around the house and yard. I did do one of the most Garage Journal things I think I've done in awhile - I sorted all small lava rocks out of my fire pit.
Let me explain... ever since I set it back up from the deck/patio project, it just hasn't run right. After thinking about what had changed, I remembered that I had dumped a partial bag of rocks into the pit when I was setting it back up. I started digging through the rock and sure enough, that partial bag must have had a lot of dust and small rocks in the bottom of it that made a layer of tightly packed rock around the burner. I had to hit it with a mallet to break apart - no wonder gas wasn't getting through. I setup the wheelbarrow with a piece of expanded steel on it and bucket by bucket, I sifted through all the rock in the pit. Now, with only large rock in the pit, it runs like it should again. Lesson learned...
Probably won't me much for updates for the next few weekends as Wife is abandoning me this weekend to spend some time with friends, and the weekend after that I'll be fulfilling my obligation as a husband and father to provide meat for my family by going pheasant hunting. Its tough work, but someone has to do it.
harley jim
Well-known member
Pheasant hunting is the only thing I truly miss about living in the midwest. I hope you have fantastic luck.
Sent from my SM-A102U using The Garage Journal mobile app
Sent from my SM-A102U using The Garage Journal mobile app
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
Sounds like a fun get a way.
iced98lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Couldn't agree more.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Took the words right out of my mouth. Wasn't on my radar today, and even the local radio guys didn't mention it. BOOM, snow. Gonna be 77 on Thursday.
It keeps the soft people away. You won't see a lot of Californians resettling here, which is okay with me.
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Did you guys get hit too?
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You can see my daughter's water table is still out in the yard from last Sunday. Crazy... I guess I won't be mowing today.
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
What the heck is wrong with your yard? It was in the upper 70s here.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Wow, fluffy! That's going to be us tomorrow...
iced98lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yea but nothing like that, just a dusting. Getting some freezing rain this morning which is a little more of a stinky situation.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
I actually had almost nothing at home by the time I got back last night. But then this morning I heard that some spots around DSM had almost 9 inches of snow yesterday!
iced98lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
arrgghh no thank you I need more time!
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Musta gone into hibernation after that last snow. Wake up bdbecker, its gonna be 75 and sunny today!
Lol... I'm here. The last few weeks have been busy. The kids daycare/preschool got shutdown due to the rona. Because my kids were exposed, I got booted out of the office and have to work from home. For various reasons, Wife has had to put in long hours the last few weeks trying to cover multiple jobs besides her own.
Chaos. But at least they are fed and entertained.
View media item 107766
On the brightside, no one got sick and I got to watch (sort of...) a bunch of old Top Gear episodes when I wasn't working. This week has been easier with Buster being back at daycare and the warm weather allowing Stinker to spend time playing outside. Stinker and I are back to school/work next week, so things will be getting back to normal.
I have been picking away at some garage projects - I'll post a real update this weekend.
Chaos. But at least they are fed and entertained.
View media item 107766
On the brightside, no one got sick and I got to watch (sort of...) a bunch of old Top Gear episodes when I wasn't working. This week has been easier with Buster being back at daycare and the warm weather allowing Stinker to spend time playing outside. Stinker and I are back to school/work next week, so things will be getting back to normal.
I have been picking away at some garage projects - I'll post a real update this weekend.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Glad you and your family are healthy. We've had a case or two in our daycare but never in my daughter's room so haven't had to quarantine. I can only imagine it's quite the challenge. 
Old Top Gear is a treat.
Old Top Gear is a treat.
mybigwarwagon
Well-known member
Sounds like a kerfuffle. Hang in there, it will get worse before it gets any better.
jimkinney
Well-known member
Grandpa always told me to never mow with snow on the ground, it would kill the grass. I always listened to grandpa.
I grew up near West Des Moines, but have lived in the South since 71, haven't missed the snow at all.
Air and Water
Member
Okay, I finally read through most of this thread. What a great shop! I'm quite envious.
Since much of it is old, the only thing I can comment on that's current are the colors you're working on for the house/trim/doors. My house had black trim and it looked "fine", but just that. Without changing anything else I've begun changing it from black to "near black", specifically a really, really dark brown in my case. It looks so much richer and goes with the brick and red eaves and stucco so. Much. Better! In your case I'd probably do the trim in an off-black and go for some color on the doors. Also, no, you can't paint vinyl windows, especially a dark color, as the vinyl can't take the heat. We went with fiberglass window frames in order to get a color approximating the paint color for trim and it looks fantastic. It was really costly, but since we plan on living here another 20 years it was worth it to us.It also affords the opportunity to split the colors between the inside and outside, so it's a bone color on the interior.
Since much of it is old, the only thing I can comment on that's current are the colors you're working on for the house/trim/doors. My house had black trim and it looked "fine", but just that. Without changing anything else I've begun changing it from black to "near black", specifically a really, really dark brown in my case. It looks so much richer and goes with the brick and red eaves and stucco so. Much. Better! In your case I'd probably do the trim in an off-black and go for some color on the doors. Also, no, you can't paint vinyl windows, especially a dark color, as the vinyl can't take the heat. We went with fiberglass window frames in order to get a color approximating the paint color for trim and it looks fantastic. It was really costly, but since we plan on living here another 20 years it was worth it to us.It also affords the opportunity to split the colors between the inside and outside, so it's a bone color on the interior.