TK's garage build 1

[Kapt]

Your garage looks great. What's the plan for finishing the interior?

I'm in the process of starting a paver patio with small seating wall at my house. Do you have any advice or lessons learned that would make life easier? I'm going to try your doormat trick on the compactor when I get to that point.

Thanks.

For the interior I have the insulation and drywall left to do, and my lift. I haven't yet decided what type or brand of lift to get. I'm leaning towards a four post so I can store a car underneath.

Most of the paver manufacturers post pretty good installation instructions on their websites. Like everything else, preparation is the key. Once you get to putting the pavers down, the hard part is over. But a few things come to mind to make life easier. When it's time to lay the 1" of bedding sand down, I used 3/4" electrical metal conduit that comes in 10' lengths and has an outside diameter of 1". It only cost a few dollars at home depot. Also, depending on how big an area you are doing, it might be cheaper to buy a plate compactor and then sell it when your done. I didn't do this and wound up paying a little more than half its cost in rental fees. Good luck.

 

[Kapt]

That's an incredible job! You are a true craftsman, I've done alot of paver work in my backyard with all kinds of retaining walls so I know exactly how you back must feel.

I was just wondering how you handled the drainage off of the driveway, unless it's pitched a certain way (can't tell from the photos) it seems like it would go into the thru garage.

Thanks.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it pitches away from both garages and drains to the corner of the fence line. I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees with a flat shovel getting a reasonable pitch. I was concerned about flooding my neighbors yard, but we just had some heavy rains all day and so far so good. If it's a problem, I'll have to install one of those long trench drains at the edge of the pavers.

 

[boiler7904]

Thanks.

For the interior I have the insulation and drywall left to do, and my lift. I haven't yet decided what type or brand of lift to get. I'm leaning towards a four post so I can store a car underneath.

Most of the paver manufacturers post pretty good installation instructions on their websites. Like everything else, preparation is the key. Once you get to putting the pavers down, the hard part is over. But a few things come to mind to make life easier. When it's time to lay the 1" of bedding sand down, I used 3/4" electrical metal conduit that comes in 10' lengths and has an outside diameter of 1". It only cost a few dollars at home depot. Also, depending on how big an area you are doing, it might be cheaper to buy a plate compactor and then sell it when your done. I didn't do this and wound up paying a little more than half its cost in rental fees. Good luck.

I've only got 360 square feet to do so I'll do base one day and then the pavers on another at the end. I hear you on the hard work. I pulled up 200 sf of grass yesterday and moved it today, moved 2 yards of sand. Now it's time to start moving about 7 yards of black dirt and clay so I can get ready for the gravel base material. The biggest problem I have is weather - supposed to rain most of the next week - they're saying up to an inch tomorrow.

 

[Plushy]

That is some seriously nice work on the building and paving . You should be proud of your work it looks awesome .

 

[Kapt]

I've only got 360 square feet to do so I'll do base one day and then the pavers on another at the end. I hear you on the hard work. I pulled up 200 sf of grass yesterday and moved it today, moved 2 yards of sand. Now it's time to start moving about 7 yards of black dirt and clay so I can get ready for the gravel base material. The biggest problem I have is weather - supposed to rain most of the next week - they're saying up to an inch tomorrow.

I know what you mean about the weather. It seemed that rain was constantly slowing me down. By the time everything dried out, it would rain again. I finally bought tarps and 6mil vapor barrier material to keep things dry. (The vapor barrier material is cheaper than tarps). Every time there was a forecast for rain I'd cover the area.

 

[Kapt]

That is some seriously nice work on the building and paving . You should be proud of your work it looks awesome .

Thanks for all the nice words everyone.

 

[M-technik-3]

Very impressive, what is the goal for the loft?

 

[Kapt]

Very impressive, what is the goal for the loft?

Thanks.

I don't know yet. It's currently being used for the storage of the left over construction materials. Maybe a flat screen in the future?

 

[Kapt]

I've been using my garage for a while, but I finally decided to finish the inside. It has 100 amp service, (4) 240V outlets, (16) 4' T-8 florescent lights doubled up, a Pro Park 9 lift, Liftmaster garage door openers, Epoxy Coat brand floor paint, and an electrically controlled tankless boiler for the radiant floor heat. Eventually, I will add storage cabinets/shelving.

Best money ever spent on rental equipment.

Temporary scaffolding made with leftover materials.

I used PVC trim board to cap the cinderblock and routed the edge.

I used some angle iron to combine two T-8 florescent lights and hung them with cable.

This 9KW tankless electric boiler may eventually be changed to natural gas because of the cost to operate. My electrical costs have gone up to approx 12cents/KWh.

Two rolling jacks make brake/suspension work much easier. Also, I've found placing plywood on the ramps makes for a huge workbench for big jobs. And when I'm done for the day, I raise everything up out of the way.

 

[gesoffen]

Very nice. I've been contemplating lifts for my future garage expansion (in the 3 to 5 year plan). And have been flip - flopping between a two post and a four post with the rolling jacks. I'd be sold on the four post with rollers but am concerned about the ramps being in the way. Any advise or thoughts from your perspective?

BTW - Nice E28 too! (especially with the big 6)!

 

[JMURiz]

What did you use for insulation, I cant' tell from the picture?

I have a roof similar to yours and had to buy foam vent channels and R30 to put over them (to keep the soffit vent gap). I will be putting it up this weekend and was curious if there was something better out there.

Also, you chose the 9000 lb lift over the 8000, any reasons? I'm in the market for the same and was wondering the advantage if not lifting a super-heavy truck.

Thanks, the place looks amazing!!!

 

[chadman]

Kapt, do you have an estimate of how much more it costs you per month to heat the shop with that hot water boiler? How warm do you keep it? I am looking into the same setup. Gas is not an option for me. Thanks

 

[Quiksilver]

It's been said already, but you have an awesome garage. You should be proud of what you have created. The attention to detail is incredible. If you don't mind me asking, what is the running total on the project at this point? Thanks.

 

[Kapt]

Very nice. I've been contemplating lifts for my future garage expansion (in the 3 to 5 year plan). And have been flip - flopping between a two post and a four post with the rolling jacks. I'd be sold on the four post with rollers but am concerned about the ramps being in the way. Any advise or thoughts from your perspective?

BTW - Nice E28 too! (especially with the big 6)!

If all I used my lift for was maintenance, I would buy a 2-post. It takes up less room and no ramps to get in the way . But since I have a car stored on the lift most of the time and park a car underneath, I needed the four post.

With that being said, I find just being able to drive the car up on the ramps without positioning lift arms as in a two post very convenient. Also, the ramps do provide a nice shelf for placing parts/tools when doing maintenance. I wouldn't buy a four post to do maintenance without a rolling jack. I bought two rolling jacks, but find just having one would probably have been sufficient.

 

[Kapt]

What did you use for insulation, I cant' tell from the picture?

I have a roof similar to yours and had to buy foam vent channels and R30 to put over them (to keep the soffit vent gap). I will be putting it up this weekend and was curious if there was something better out there.

Also, you chose the 9000 lb lift over the 8000, any reasons? I'm in the market for the same and was wondering the advantage if not lifting a super-heavy truck.

Thanks, the place looks amazing!!!

I also put up the vent channels before I put up the roof insulation. It was a tedious job all around. I think the only option would be to get it sprayed and do away with the roof venting. But it's expensive. Good luck.

9000 lb lift vs an 8000 lb lift? No good reason. It's like when I bought my welder that will do 3/8" steel even though I never weld anything near that thick.

 

[Kapt]

Kapt, do you have an estimate of how much more it costs you per month to heat the shop with that hot water boiler? How warm do you keep it? I am looking into the same setup. Gas is not an option for me. Thanks

The first time I used it was in the dead of winter with a cold soaked slab. It ran forever. My electric bill was over twice what it was normally. So I did some math. I calculated it takes approximately one dollar for every hour the thing runs. When I'm working, I turn it on for a couple of hours and when the space heats to approx 55F I shut it off and it continues to heat up until almost 60F. If I'm not working in the garage I turn down the thermostat to about 40F. So on average last winter near the DC area, it cost about $60 a month to operate. Also, since deregulation our electric costs have skyrocketed here.

 

[Kapt]

It's been said already, but you have an awesome garage. You should be proud of what you have created. The attention to detail is incredible. If you don't mind me asking, what is the running total on the project at this point? Thanks.

I have about 31K in it to date. This includes everything except the lift and driveway. And I kept every receipt no matter how small. The only labor included in this total is the slab work, the rest of the labor is my own. If I were to build it again, I'm sure I could knock 5K off of the total, now that I have some experience.

 

[dipper]

This is a great build with extreme attention to detail.
You should be proud of yourself!

 

[cdrewferd]

Very very nice. Great job on the pavers.

 

[Rte66Charlie]

Good on ya, Kapt - hell of a job, one hell of a job!

 

[snm95ls]

Incredibly nice garage man.