This Old Garage (Phase 3 and 4)

Appears that I didn't post anything between Phase 2 (concrete is poured) and now.  This should reallyb be Phase 4 (Almost done) but I'll squeeze some Phase 3a in before the Phase 3b and put them all here.

Phase 3 (rebuilding)

Step one, install sill plate and wall plate, reinforce side walls and set onto stem wall.  We just sistered 2x4 pieces onto the good garage all the way around, leveling as we went, didn't really even have to lower it down other than for leveling purposes.  Once we were done sistering and attaching the new joist pieces to the wall plate we took out the jacks.  It's beautifully leveled all the way around and looks great just standing there.

Step two, pour concrete.


I was back at work so didn't have much to do with this one.  I showed up and shoved a bullnose something or other back and forth for a while.  It didn't seem to be working properly so the guy that knew what he was doing did it instead.  Turns out you have to shove it back and forth for about half an hour, not the minute and a half that I did.  How boring a job would that be?

However, with the concrete poured I have a gloriously uncracked and smooth floor

plus space for a proper shed.

The next part was mostly not me.  I was back at work (as previously mentioned) and by the time I got home each day they were just about ready to wrap up.  Mostly it was building shed (as my neighbor pointed out, this shed will probably outlast the house and the rest of the garage)

Install siding

Siding is expensive.  Well this stuff is.  It is tongue and groove drop siding which has a little bevel cut out of the top of the board.  If you get the good stuff (wooden bits on the upright at the left end) it is almost $3 a linear foot.  Not residing the whole garage but turns out just the stuff I am doing is about 750 lf.  So after the first batch switched to cedar, which comes primed and is under $2/lf.  Not happy as the boards broke easily and were not actually tongue and groove which meant that they didn't fit into the old siding.  Had to mill off a strip on the back of the first row to side the bottom of the garage.   At that point, however, we have it all and might as well finish the project.

Garage door company finally shows up and does their bit.  Wow.  Worth the wait.

Were you fooled?  No, I didn't put carriage doors on my garage.  That is an honest to god roll up electric door, molded to look like carriage doors with fake actual hinges and handles.  I love it.  Will look that much better once the garage is painted and doesn't look like a shack.


Phase 4 (3A): Finish

Most of my stuff is back in the garage (other than motorcycles which are still at my shop as I'm waiting for a decent day).  Still a few things to sort out so that I can return the storage box and stop paying $3 a day rent (that number is so small that it is hard to be overly concerned).

All that's left to do is paint (spring), re-roof the old part to match the new part which matches the house (summer), and trench out for drainage (later). 


I do have to put up the man door, but that took a left turn today when I finished the three coats of polyurethane on the back side, flipped it over, and discovered that poly drips had stuck to the cardboard, leaving cardboard bits stuck to the door.  Sanding those off took off the stain in various places, stain requires eight hours to dry before coating, done until tomorrow.  I'll post up pictures of the door once it's installed.

One more nail in the coffin of I'll-never-leave-here-no-matter-how-good-the-reason-because-I-have-too-much-emotional-blood-sweat-and-tears-invested-in-fixing-it-up.  I do get attached to stuff and have more reason than ever to be attached to this one.