Preparing for Spring 2020

[RayS]

Hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner.  For the Florida friends, it has pretty much arrived.  The south east is another 15 or days away and for the northern folks, June isn't that far off, hang in there.

 

Given that we've all been rather quiet on the detailing side, I thought it would be interesting to see what the members have planned for their houses and vehicles.  

 

Mary and I are looking at some landscaping to pretty up the front of the house after putting the new fence in last year thanks to the tornado.  In addition, we've finally decided on the design for our new building and now it is all about the prep work and finalizing the a few items.   

 

This is not an endorsement or recommendation, but is the company we are in discussions with and the building model we both like. The one change will be the wall on the left side will go to the ground.  The size will be 36' long, 18' wide bay and 10 maybe 12 foot wide enclosed area.   The peak will be 14' so I can put campers or motorhomes in there and it will be a full wash bay.  

 

 

 

So that is the initial plan for the Spring and the wife has made it pretty clear that the landscaping comes first.  Then I just need to do a bunch of vehicles to replenish the savings account.  It will be nice to have a decent sized shop for the vehicles we rehab since they tend to be longer term projects.

 

What does everyone else have planned?

[Rich]

That's going to be great.  My wife would plant a nice picnic table in that covered area and a bunch of plants. 😂

[mc2hill]

For us - a little landscaping, and a few cars on the books (including a 67 Shelby GT 350 clone!).  Our big thing is our son's wedding next Sunday (01/26).  It is at an outdoor venue, and looks like it will in the 70's, with a light breeze...whew!

[ObsessedDetailer]

That’s awesome! can’t wait to see it completed

[TheWolf]

That is going to be very nice!

 

One suggestion.  If you are going to install siding on the left wall, then I would enclose both ends with a large garage door on the front.  This would not cost too much more because you would then not have to install lap siding on the dividing wall.  The dividing wall is likely needed for supporting the roof, but you could just use OSB sheathing on it without the lap siding.

[RayS]

On 1/19/2020 at 12:51 PM, TheWolf said:

That is going to be very nice!

 

One suggestion.  If you are going to install siding on the left wall, then I would enclose both ends with a large garage door on the front.  This would not cost too much more because you would then not have to install lap siding on the dividing wall.  The dividing wall is likely needed for supporting the roof, but you could just use OSB sheathing on it without the lap siding.

It is actually a steel building and the artists rendering is showing horizontal siding, but we prefer vertical and will go that way. The construction gives us the option to enclose the large bay if we choose to do so next year. We have priced the doors and they will run about $5,000 for the pair, installed.  Each door would be a roll up, 16 wide by 14 tall and they are running $2,200 each.  The large bay will also have plenty of light with ten 8 foot 5000k LED's on the ceiling and air moving with two 84" ceiling fans.   

 

We really would have liked to have gone with Brick, but the additional $12,000 price tag put that beyond what we want to spend for now.   The one thing we can do with Steel is add the Sandstone on front to match the front of the house so it has the curb appeal.  I'll do all the wiring myself and will insulate the enclosed area so it can be climate controlled.  

 

To get to a design type that we liked, we've probably looked at close to 300 different models and drawings and each of those can be customized to exactly how we want it.  Now that we've in the final design stages, we're getting rather excited.  We still have the end design, company selection, permits, concrete, delivery and construction, inspection and then usage.  There is still a lot left to do, but the in the end this is going to be a very nice step up from using a 10' x 10' portable canopy to get out of the sun.    Should I also mention that the wife is tired of her garage queen getting moved out of the garage so we can put project cars in there.

[RayS]

We continue to make progress on the building design and plan.   The wife has decided the colors and the drawing is close, but not exactly as the picture shows.   @TheWolf made the recommendation to enclose the large bay and after some additional reviews, we have decided to do so.  

 

We also made a size adjustment, the big bay is going to be 18 feet wide with a 12x11 wide door on both ends.  The short section will still be 10' wide with a 8x8 door and the entire building will still be 36' long.   There will be a standard walk in door on the side of the large bay and in the center wall separating the sections.   The total building footprint will be 26' wide and 36' long.  The door on the back of the building will be a standard metal building roll up door and the ones one the front will be from the same company that put in the garage door on the house 2 years ago and they will all match.    

 

Next up is the concrete, whenever it stops raining.  We are going with colored concrete and it will match the sandstone on the front entrance of the house and front sidewalk.  The location of the building will be behind where the vehicles are parked. Pretty much from the center of the Lexus and going 26' to the right.  The driveway is currently 48' wide were the vehicles are parked and it will be extended to 60 feet.  We also want to have the driveway resurfaced and colored to match the rest and it is 102' long and goes from 10' wide at the narrowest point to 48 at the widest point.   The last picture gives an aerial view and with my poor freehand drawing, the Red line shows where the building will be going and the Blue line where the driveway will be extended.

 

The timeframe for the building to be put up is 3-4 weeks after the concrete is poured and that is dependent on the weather.

[TheWolf]

Nice modifications Ray!  That sure is going to be nice to have all that enclosed space.

[mc2hill]

That will be a great work space!  Very jelly.

[RayS]

Since I haven't given an update in a while, here it is:   We had an interesting time and multiple delays and have had to go through a major redesign of the location and building.  Once the concrete team came and started their site prep, we discovered problem with the yard that was going to result in at least 60 yards of fill needing to be brought in.  This would have also required putting in a block retaining wall to hold everything together.  Simply put, having lose sand is not an idea construction base and I can't believe I parked at 17,000 pound motorhome there for many years.  The blocks and fill were going to completely hose us on what we were trying to achieve with a drive through building.

 

The redesign is a smaller building, not be choice, but by properly lines.  We have to maintain a 7 foot minimum from the properly line and I'm going 10' to make sure there is no a doubt since several areas around us require 10 feet.  The new design, pending the final location check from the concrete folks is a 23'x31x10.  We don't need the height so since it it won't be as long and won't be parking the camper or motorhome in there.  The door will be a 16'wide by 8 foot tall and I'll have enough room inside to put a lift for the project cars.

 

For reference, according to DHEC, pure exterior projects with small crews who always work together are ok.  In our case, it would be two crews of three people.  The concrete guys and then two weeks later the building team.  The electrical is one person and the garage door will be two max, but they usually only have one person do them according to the door selected. With the exception of the company that will deliver the concrete, the others are small business or franchise owners.

 

First and foremost with the way the recommendations are changing on an almost daily basis, we can put this project on hold at any point an pick it up later.  I do not want to put anyone, including myself and family at risk, there is just no need.

Edited March 20, 2020 by RayS

[LucaRusso]

Oh great ! Now you will have a good garage. I think it will look good and the location is nice. It is very important now how you will build it, alone or you will ask for help of professionals. Anyway it will be good if you find ways to save on both hiring a professional and taking the DIY approach. I am living in UK and for such service you can check here . In future I also plan to build a small garage near my house but I am not ready for that yet

[RayS]

Here's another update.  I'm still using the wife's garage for now.  The place doing the building has restarted work and they are slowly getting caught up on their backlog.  The bigger challenge is the delivery and setup since they are limited to day trips and for now and each crew is kept separate.  

 

I put the concrete work on hold when everything else got shut down, since I wasn't sure what the outcome of all the shutdowns would be.  I certainly didn't want to spend multiple thousands on concrete to end up with a change in building specifications.  I'm watch the health trends, market and keeping in contact with the businesses doing the work.  If the current trends continue moving in the right direction, we'll still get it done it this summer if at all possible.  

[RayS]

The last week has been a busy week and it is hard to believe that it has been a year since I update this thread.   During the time the market has came back, business is picking up, the redesign was completed and engineering drawings submitted for approval. The inspections have been completed and this last Thursday the concrete poured.    The first picture is the redesign of the garage and the second picture was taken a couple of days ago after the concrete was poured.

 

The ramp extends to the walk in door since having a gap and step into the walk in door would have most likely lead to someone getting hurt.  The ramp does extend out 36", so we've looking a putting a horizontal cabinet there to store the garden hose, pressure washer, bucket and such and it is a 84" opening.   

 

The building should be done in 4-8 weeks and the item that may be much longer is the garage door.  We're getting it to match the one on the attached garage and have been told it could be multiple months.  Given that we started this endeavor in January of 2020, a couple more months isn't going to make a difference at this point.

[rkj4243]

Your patience really has paid off, the building plans and concrete look great. Looking forward to seeing more as it progresses along.  

[Rich]

Maybe a bit smaller than the first post, but still fantastic plans!  Thanks for the update. 

[RayS]

Hard to believe that I started this thread in the Spring of 2020 and here it is Fall of 2021.  Thanks to a couple of setbacks, the first being a soil issue and the second and longer term item being the pandemic.  The building has finally been put up and now I can start working on the interior and the garage door can be ordered.  We'll get the electrician in next week to finalize the quotes.  I haven't decided if I'm going to have him do all the electrical or just the service entrance and breaker box.  We've used this electrician multiple times and they do good work for a good price.

 

The first picture is from standing inside the attached (wife's) garage, the second  is from the front yard and the third is the interior.  The garage door opening is 9' x 16' which should let me get anything in there that I desire.  The cross braces on the ceiling are 12' high  which will give plenty of head room to put any vehicle that will fit through the door in the air at least 2 feet.  I've pretty much figured out how I want the lights set up, the only question is whether I do 2, 3 or 4 zones.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by RayS

[Rich]

Have motion lights put outside, and maybe a Ring system for security.  Motion lights are one thing I have around my entire house and garage, and haven't regretted it once.  About the only thing I'd have done different on your garage is I would have extended the concrete past the door. I'm such a klutz that I'd come out the door, turn right, and drop off that thing and break a leg.    But that's going to be great once it's all done. You'll get years of pleasure and good times with it for sure. Thanks for the update Ray. Lookin real good.

[GXPaycheck]

Looking good! Put a planter in that drop off area. Should keep anybody from missing the step. 

[falcaineer]

That looks awesome, Ray! Now, what recommendation can I give to help with Mary's input?! 😉😁

[RayS]

On the left side, there is a small shed going there that will be locked and bolted to the concrete.  It will have an electric outlet, a place for the hose reel and the pressure washer, plus the buckets.  As long as any plumbing is external to the garage I don't have to do the water inspections since you can put a hose outlet in an external shed without the need to put in a sewer qualified drain inside the building.

 

This picture should give you an idea of what I'm doing with the open area and it will go to the edge of the ramp.    Open the door that will go around to the side of the garage and latch open and everything you need for the wash is right there.  From the end of the ramp to the end of the building is 7 feet wide and 3 feet deep, so I may do a 6x3 foot external shed and add shelves for plants on it next to the garage door to make it look better.

 

I do appreciate the ideas and yes Rich, we already have the electronics for security and the exterior lights on order for visibility.  As for interior lights, there will be 20 4 foot 5000k 4800lm LED lights on 6 zones.  I doubt that I will ever need or want them all on at the same time, but no matter what I'm doing in there or where, I'll be able to see.  

 

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by RayS

[RayS]

The latest update is that the garage has passed the final building inspection and I have the overhead door after 4 months of waiting.  Now I can get started on the interior with the insulation and walls.   I'm still undecided if I'm going to use a contractor for the insulation or do it myself, at least now I can get a few contractors out to take a look and give me estimates.  The insulation will be a minimum of R-10 and will be either foam board or spray in.  

 

 

We also had the gutters installed which are Leafguard and the wife decided to have new gutters on the entire house at the same time.  She also had all the soffits wrapped in metal to match the trim on the garage.  I have to admit it came out looking good, although it might take a while for my wallet to recover.  Leafguard asked permission to use a garage picture in their marketing since they blended so well.  They did make it easy for me to approve the usage of the images. 

 

At least now that I have a door I'll be able to start doing detailing in my garage instead of the wife's.

[falcaineer]

That looks awesome Ray!! I'm jealous 🙂

[Rich]

Let me know how you like the Leaf Guard gutters. I've been thinking about getting them in the spring because I'm too damn old to be climbing ladders now to clean gutters.  I've heard good and bad about them,  the bad being mostly about the company itself.  The garage looks great!  Except for one thing.   

It should have been in my yard.  

[RayS]

@RichOur experience with Leaf Guard company was excellent from the sales to the installers, they all were all professional, non-pushy and the diligent in the jobs.   As for how well they work, we have a large valley in that poured water on the front sidewalks and steps by the front porch.  With the total length of that one gutter being over 50 feet, we do not get one bit of water going over the gutters.  The worst thing that I would deal with were the pine needles and we have not had any problems with them at all since we got the Leaf Guard gutters installed.  I also like the one piece design, no seams or gaps the deal with.

 

The picture shows the longest gutter on the house along with the valley that I mentioned and Ellie sniffing to see what other critters have been around.

[Rich]

Beautiful house. I have a ranch as well. We had a row of pines that ran between our property and the next one, and one year a storm brought them down, one on top of our house. Smashed the whole backside of the house and porch.  It was -6* that day. So we had all of the pines removed, and planted a Silver Maple that my wife's uncle gave us in a coffee can.  Well, the thing is about 40' high now, and even though we have had it trimmed back, we still get one hell of a lot of leaves in the fall.  I put gutter shields on most of the house, but the back gutter and the front are odd sizes and gutter shields weren't wide enough.  You can see all the trees I clean up after every fall.  Anyhow, those look great.  Will definitely be looking into them in a few months.  Thanks Ray.