New House... New Garage... Any Suggestions?

[rcryniak]

Awesome! Sounds like you have a very bright future making really awesome things! :sun:

The only real and good piece of advice I can give you is to never let it become a "job". Let it be your passion to create awesome stuff, whether it's auto-steering software for next generation vehicles, or adding the latest doodad to the company intranet... if you stay fired up for the act of creation alone, you'll do awesome.

 

[rubydist]

now that new house has potential - just change that big window under the deck to an overhead door, and drive your project right into the "giganormous" basement!!!

 

[rcryniak]

OMG... a 1600 sq. ft. garage... HAHAHAahahaha... that'd be nuts!

 

[rcryniak]

UPDATE: We just closed on the new house today. It's ours. All 3500 sq.ft. We own it. However, still doesn't feel like it though. I OFFICIALLY HAVE A FRIGGIN' GARAGE NOW!!!!! WOOOT!

I'll be taking some good pictures this weekend ("befores").. there's lots to be done.

If anyone wants to buy a 2100 sq.ft. house in western PA that needs a little TLC... haha... well, I'm sure it'll sell eventually.

 

[SHOdded]

Congrats!!! It's about time, party time that is

 

[yamahaSHO]

Coat the floors... I love that I can just mop up the floor and squeegee it out and it's much nicer to lay on. It keeps moisture from wicking up too.

I coated this in 2008. It was a brand new floor and I acid etched and degreased twice.

 

[rbruso]

Definitely coat it.

Our garage floor was several decades old with stains from most of that time. Surface ground with a diamond wheel then coated and couldn't be happier.

I just helped a coworker out with his truck (brakes, radiator, oil change) and we had just about every fluid you put into a car on the floor at some point.

Hit the worst with paper towels then a simple wet mop after the job was done and floor is perfect.

My biggest issue with the coated floor is fighting the urge to sweep it when small gravel bits come in from the drive.

Before:

After (with bonus flower petals from bushes outside):

 

[2011TAURUSSEL]

I don't have a garage but I will +3 on protective coating for the garage. Coat with a grey or white coating. If you look at commercial garages, aircraft hangars they are that color for a reason.

Yes it shows dirt but it also shows dropped parts. Dropped items will show up better against the light background.

 

[rcryniak]

Thanks for the suggestions guys... I would love to coat the floor, but will wait until I've had the concrete tested for strength first, so I can determine if I can really install a two-post.

I'm a little concerned too - the garage isn't on a ground supported slab - it's got a massive storage area underneath - a full-height "crawl space" with a dirt/gravel floor. The inspector pointed out the I-Beams and sheet of metal under the concrete floor of the garage (from underneath it.) He said it's the same kind of set up they use for bridges. That's all well and good, but would that prevent me from installing a lift? Dunno yet.

OK, I gotta know - what's under the car cover? Given the bubble-ish cockpit, at first I thought "Viper", but then realized that the back is way wrong - Vipers are swept back... and the fenders don't look quite right either. Then I thought maybe a Shelby Cobra, but nahhh... can't be that... then I thought Ponaz Roadster, but it doesn't have the same rear at all, and the fenders even more wrong than they would be for a Viper... finally, I thought MX-5... which made the most sense I think, based on outline, but I'm still not convinced of it... so I'm stumped. TELL ME!!!! lol

 

[rubydist]

hint: its in his signature

 

[rcryniak]

O...M...G... wow, How'd I miss that one??? Looks so obvious now hahahah... (also shows how much I pay attention to sig's lol.)

Goes to show just how much one's on mind can get in the way of itself - once an assumption is made, it can be very hard to see past it. Wow - I'm just beside myself on how I missed that hahahaha....

 

[yamahaSHO]

Haha. As been noted already, it's an S2000:

 

[rcryniak]

Very nice looking with the cover off!! Especially like the number "88". hahaha... awesome track pics.

 

[rcryniak]

OK, so a half year later-ish, and my garage is done. I didn't get a lift, no room, and $65k to rebuild the garage to make room - soooo, nope. Jack stands it is. I didn't coat the floor either - I used a waterproof polyvinyl roll out garage flooring - so I'll be using those jack stands on plywood backers, but other than that mild annoyance, it should be easy to clean, and if we hate it in a couple years, it comes right out. Anyhow, also installed a ceiling and threw some R-30 there, and raised the garage door openers to give more lift height (they were ridiculously low before)... and built a custom thermostat and heater for it too. Here's what my SHO's bedroom looks like now....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Pv8VjelNGzZi1UdUVJaDVIVkE/view?usp=sharing

Other than a lift, which would have made me more comfortable, I have a perfect garage for me, for now, given my noobishness to all things garage like. (About to do my first oil change woot!!!)

 

[SHOdded]

Looks like you made out a-ok! Nice digs The oil change is just the start of your journey to grizzled veteran

 

[rcryniak]

Yep yep... see the white bag on the ladder? Therein lies some goodies from Livernois... 160 Tstat and 3Bar Map. My first project after my first ever oil change. That one comes first though cuz my car is yelling at me to change it. lol.

 

[RAYJAY]

good luck on the new house , where in PA are you ?

as for a good place to find info on setting up your garage try

http://www.garagejournal.com

 

[rcryniak]

Western PA, north of Pittsburgh. Go to www.pittrace.com that's about 15 min from my house.