When we retired from the Army in 1993, we built our retirement home outside Gurley, Alabama where I also built my dream garage.  The garage was designed with enough space for all the cars I envisioned owning--at least, all the cars I envisioned at that particular moment in time.  Naturally, Shannon and I called it theAutoist" garage; Jerri just called it my "Garage-mahal".

And, we also built a separate little garage (16'x32') next to the Garage-mahal to house our odd cars:  Shannon's '71 Karmann Ghia, Jerri's '73 VW Bug, and my Mercedes 380SL.  The photo to the right was taken just as we were installing the roof, before we started thinking about siding.  Still, today, my 2 pickups and Jerri's C280 still sit outside in the weather!

THE BUILDING PLAN:

I finally convinced Jerri to allow me to add onto the Garage-mahal  (She says it looks more like a house than a garage anyway so, why not; well, that's what I wanted: a house for my MG's!).  So, we recently began construction on a 20'x44' solid glass addition on the rear that can't be seen from the street.  That makes the entire garage 54'x48', and space is already at a premium!           A local apartment complex was remodeling and was replacing all its sliding glass doors.  I bought them and am using them for windows on 2 walls of the addition.  And, while the front half (or the original structure) has a 10'4" ceiling height, the addition has an inside clear ceiling height is 12'4", plenty of space for a 4-post lift.  Here's a photo of the rear of our house with the garage attached to it.

That apartment complex was also remodeling its kitchens so I bought their old cabinets to use in my 20'x20' workshop and in other places around the garage (like in my sand blast/parts wash area).  Under them, I built sturdy work benches.  Oh, on some of the cabinets I left the doors; on others I removed them.  In the center of the workshop I've a large table saw that sees double duty as a heavy work bench.  And as you can barely see in the photo, I've a dust collection system built in.

Work shop wall holding stereo & drill press work station. Workshop back wall, part 1. Workshop back wall, part 2. Work shop wall with refrigerator & work area.

        As part of the new addition, I'm also adding a 4-post lift.  To gain access to it, I've installed a sliding garage door in one corner of the new addition.  Earlier, I had removed one of my Clopay overhead garage doors - a cedar one - when I enclosed the small area it opened into to use as a sandblast/tool wash area.  So, I decided to turn that door into a sliding one and use for this purpose.  It was quite easy, actually.  I just bought barn door hardware and replaced the folding hinges of the door with metal straps.

        So, here's the installed lift.  Its a  Garage Master 7000N I purchased through Metro Lifts & Equipment in Mobile, AL (1-888-661-5454).  We had to move the off-side ramp inwards about 5" so both Midgets and MGB's fit.

 
My 1974 round wheel arch Midget is on the lift.
My 1968 MGC & 1963 MGB are under it.  Both were painted
about 3 years ago & no rust has returned so they're ready for restoration.

        Over the last few days, I've been working around the garage, finishing off the tin and paneling installation, and installing a drop ceiling.  At the same time time, I'm also beginning the trim work.  Here are some updated photos:

        Oh, what's in my garage today?

L to R:  1976 MG Midget,  1979 MGB, 1967 MGB GT, 1968 MGB GT	1970 MGB GT	1974-1/2 MGB GT	1972 Norton

      Well, work progresses and I realized I've not kept pace here.  The drop ceiling is in the front half, paneling is going up, and lighting is coming together.  Soon, I'll crank up the 3-ton central heat pump to provide air conditioning and heat on demand - after I insulate the back half.  But, here are some progress photos.

 

Front Porch Here's where I'm going for the old gas station theme.	How do ya like that lighted Texaco sign?			Dropped ceiling & permanent lights in front half of garage.  The section that is wood will be painted white.

      Oh, did you see my winter restoration project in the last photo?  A 1958 A. O. Smith gas pump!
    

        PHASE IV:  Yesterday, we poured the slab for the next phase of construction.  Initially, we built a 28x54 garage.  Then we built a smaller 18x32 shed off to one end of the garage.  Next, we added a 20x44 glassed showroom onto the rear of the original structure.  This 16x32 slab bridges the area between the smaller garage 'shed' and the main structure.

        Let the destruction begin!

11 May 2006:  Gotta put a date here to keep things straight.

        Since we took the first photo of the new slab, we're gotten pretty far in the build.  The front and rear walls connecting the large garage with the little garage shed are finished.

        Next is the roof.  We'll extend the roof of the little shed garage up and out to the garage itself, covering the addition.  The trusses arrive next week.  Before they can be erected, we have to remove the old roof that extends out from the original garage and build a fake wall alongside the original garage wall to support them. 

        Demolition of the final part of the existing garage to be removed is finished!  The new "Midget Room" s ready for its roof.  We went...

From This:

To This:

Then This:

        And my custom-built trusses arrived today; so, after I lay out the roof plan, we start setting them in place.

        We have a roof!  One good, long Saturday:

        Now that the trusses and strand board are up, its rolling out the felt in preparation for shingles, building overhangs, facia and sofit in the rear, and extending the front roof to cover the outside work area.   Plus, the gables have to be closed in. 

        WHEW!

15 July 2006:   Now that I'm back in town, things are progressing slowly.  The back wall is ready for trim and cedar siding and the rafters are up for the front open carport section.  The front wall of the addition is also ready for its siding; but, I've not yet figured out what I want to use there..

24 July 2006:  The roof decking on the front carport/outside work area along with its black paper is finished and now I'm working on the finish work for the front facia.

5 August 2006:

9 September 2006:  It may not seem like I've done much lately; however, everything's been going on behind the scenes.  We redid some fencing in the rear of the garage to open up an area so I can drive straight through the new addition to get to my side overhead door.

23 September 2006:  Unfortunately, I neglected to take any photos as I finished the little lawnmower shed; however, its complete and ready for siding.  I also moved some of the fencing that separates our lawn from Jerri's raised bed garden, orchard, and grape arbors (as well as my MG parts storage buildings).  That new fence allows me to bring cars straight through the new "Midget Room" to the side door of the main building where the 4-post lift is located.  

        Then, this last week, was spent installing the facia and soffit of the main showroom garage as well as  OSB between all the tall windows.  After that was finished, we switched back to the new construction area (lawnmower shed & Midget Room) and tackled the soffit, facia, and siding.  For this new part of the Garage-Mahal, we decided to use a different siding that would complement the cedar siding on the main building while breaking it up.  We found a barn siding that comes in 4x8 sheets and installed it.  Then, all corners, facia, and edging was done in rough cedar like the main building.  

        A little side bar:  The lawnmower shed was built around my favorite fig tree.  The tree came from one that's been growing in Mississippi at one of my elderly aunt's home for well over a hundred years.  Confederate soldiers picked figs from it during periods of rest between battles.  One day when I was visiting her, I mentioned how much I had enjoyed those figs as a youngster - man, they are sweet.  Well, she grabbed a garden tool and whacked a shoot out of the ground.  I've placed it in several locations around my property but where it is now is the only place it liked enough to grow and bear fruit.  Hopefully, the shed will provide additional protection to ensure it continues to flourish.  (I know, you didn't care - but I do!)

28 September 2003:  The front of my outside work area is finished, the front wall of the stair enclosure is ready for rafters, and the back of the showroom is coming along.  Today we added the Western Cedar around the windows in preparation for the cedar siding.

30 September 2006:

7 October 2006:  We've spent the last week putting shingles on the roof (except for the stair enclosure), and we've finished the cornice work on the new construction.  We also added a window to the 2nd floor stair landing.  All the cedar is around the showroom windows and the seamless 46' gutter along the rear of the main garage is finished.

        Plus, we've started on the rough electric work in the Midget room; ceiling light boxes are installed along with some of the wall outlet boxes.

13 October 2006:  

        And we're continuing on rough electric work inside at the same time.  Plus, we'll be building a couple of temporary walls so we can remove the wall between the original structure and the Midget Room.  To do that, we have to build a new header capable of supporting the end of the original garage and the trusses of the addition.

22 October 2006:  The siding is almost finished all around the outside and we're moving inside.  Here are updated exterior photos"

        Inside, we've finished the rough electric and started installation of the hard insulation on the Midget Room along with strand board ceiling and wall coverings; and we've cut a huge 14' opening through the wall between the new Midget Room and the original garage.

25 October 2006:  

8 November 2006:  Finally!  Except for staining, the exterior of the GarageMahal is finished!  We're now working on the interior of the addition plus I've been working in the "command center" which is now equipped with a computer linked to the internet, copy/fax machine, and telephone.  

        Ain't she purty?

        Landscaping is going in, we're working on Jerri's outside kitchen that's on the breezeway, and generally turning our focus to the interior. 

2 January 2007:  As I said: interior!  The back half of the "Midget Room" is finished and occupied (there's still some straightening up needed).  The bottom half of the walls are corrugated tin, and the upper part is white peg board with paneling overhead.

        Now we turn to the interior of the "center room" that will house my '53 Midget, my '53 TD, and my motorcycle.

4 January 2007:  Here's a sketch (not to scale) of the footprint of the GarageMahal:

14 January 2007:  Finally!  The interior of the 'Midget Room' and 'Center Room' complete.  All that's left is for the roll-up doors to be installed and the trim painted. Painting the trim will come when the weather turns warmer.  The roll-up doors are ordered and will be installed when they arrive.

17 March 2007:  It seems as though its been a long time since I've gotten anything done; and it has.  I was out of town the entire month of February so work came to a halt.  During that lull, however, my roll-up doors were made and delivered.  Yesterday, we got them installed.  Lemme tell you, roll-up doors are easy to install!  Now we can lock the garage and set the alarm.

        Because I chose to put the doors on the outside of the garage so the huge roll wouldn't take up ceiling space inside, I now have to go back and pour a 4" wide concrete lip at the rear door.  I may just concrete the entire 20-or-so-foot square area around the rear of the new roll-up door and the sliding door to my 4-post lift; less grass to cut that way!

        Now I've got to clean up after all the construction and put away the lot of parts I recently purchased from a garage that went out of business.  Man, there's stuff stacked everywhere.  Seems no matter how big this garage gets, there's still stuff everywhere!.

28 April 2007:.  I hate leaves!  Especially when they blow through my open garage doors.  Well, I recently found a web site that solved my leaf problem:  Kitty Mac Fresh Air Screens.

        One half hour per door and no more leaves, insects or stray birds inside my garage.  And they don't block any sunlight or darken the garage at all.  I can roll them up to drive in or out and unzip one side to walk through.  Man, where have these things been all my life!!

        Installation is so easy anybody can do it.  Each door comes with a roll of self adhesive  hook and loop material long enough to go down both door jambs and across the door header.  After its stuck to the door jamb, attach the screen to the jamb and put roofing nails (I used  sheetrock screws with the roofing nail plastic squares) through the screen where the straps are attached.  Then, simply attach the screen door to the hook and loop along both jambs.  Finally, insert a piece of 3/4" plastic electrical conduit through the pouch swen in the bottom of the door to weight it down and make it easy to roll up and secure to the straps at the op of the door.  VOILA!  Screen door!

And we also finished the gutters and landscaping around the rear of the Garage Mahal.  Jerri even pitched in and added some color with lots of rose bushes in front of the evergreen soon-to-be short hedge.  The building finally blends into the entire lawn.

21 July 2007:

Fall 2007:   We've had a crew of painters over for 6 weeks redoing everything, the house & garage.  They pressure washed everything, replaced cracked cedar boards, caulked, primed and painted.  The place is now Hunter Green.  Here's a few photos.

Right View	Rear of Garage	Rear of House	Left View of House	Front of House	Front Door

        And while we had crews at the hose, we removed all the screening from the dining and sleeping porches, laid tile floors and will redo the screening next summer.

14 September 2008:  I  found these lights on sale at Hobby Lobby for $10 apiece so I got enough to go all the way around my shop.  And, the diamond tuft plug strips came from Lowe's; they're all around the shop also.

2 December 2008:  A friend who lives in Connecticut recently installed a solar heater panel on his garage, and told me about it and how much it helped with the inside temperature of his workshop.  He got the idea from Mother Earth News magazine.  You can read the article he sent me here.  The rear of my garage is a bank of windows made from siding door panels which will be perfect for solar heaters.

There are 14 windows along my south-facing wall.  My plan is to use the center 2 windows for a solar heater and then use every other one from those two out to the corner windows for additional solar heaters.  That way, I'll still have 7 open windows to allow the light into the garage.  One modification from the way the article says to build the heaters is that I'm going to use my sliding glass door panels instead of the clear corrugated polycarbonate panels.  I also do not want to open my garage up to the outdoors while I'm building the solar heaters.

Step 1 is to prepare the interior side of the south-facing wall so that I can later go outside and build the solar heaters without affecting my garage's interior space.  Since each of my solar heaters will be 28"x82", I cut 4"x14" vents at the top and bottom of the 5/8" fiber blackboard that will be the back of my collector.   The magazine article explains the placement of the vents.  Then, I painted the blackboard with some flat black paint.  Yes, I know the blackboard is already black from the manufacturer; but, it has white writing stamped on it & the original black paint doesn't permeate the board itself.  Next, I  temporarily stood the blackboard in the window frame, holding it in place with tiny strips of wood.  On to the other windows that will become solar heaters.

More steps to come.....

16 December 2008:   Had to put the solar heater project on hold for a few days.  Some time ago, I told a very good local contractor who primarily does renovations of  'antique' houses that when he got caught up and had some free time, we wanted him to finish an upstairs 20x20 game room we had designed into the original GarageMahal construction.  We also wanted him to finish Jerri's 8x16 pantry, the stairs going to the 2nd floor and build a half bath on the pantry level.  All something we've had in the back of our minds since I started building 15 years ago!

Well, last week he called and said he and his sheetrock guys wanted to stop by to look the job over.  He's too good to miss out on so when he came over, we talked, ironed out details and they began insulating yesterday.  One change we made while he was here is that Jerri wants a small apartment-sized kitchenette (stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator).  So that's been incorporated into the plan and all the wiring done for it as well as for the TV I wanted.    

Photos of our progress to date:

Looking up the  stairs from the pantry area	Part of game room where sheetrock is hung	Crew figuring out one of the many ceiling angles	The large cathedral dormer	Wall where the kitchenette will go	Looking down into the pantry area at the roughed-in 1/2 bath

        Part of the construction was some destruction, especially in the pantry and 1/2 bath area.  The last photo above shows the area where much of that destruction is occurring and where some of my earlier mistakes are being corrected.  Once the entire project is complete it'll also be where we house my HO train setup.  I'm thinking my grandson will soon take over this 'attic nook'.

22 DECEMBER 2008:  Sheetrock work is coming along and the bathroom is laid out; all plumbing rough-in work is also finished.  So, I thought I'd show the modified 1st floor plan of the pantry/entry/bath area:

        About the only thing that's changed from my earlier original sketch of the GarageMahal footprint is the bathroom/stairs layout.  Because we decided to go with a full bath (shower), we had to redo the stairway and bath footprint, moving my air compressor and expanding the bath into the space it had earlier occupied.  I'll try to add photos of the finished sheetrock as soon as the workers remove all their scaffolding.

27 December 2008:  All the sheetrock is hung and the rough plumbing finished.  Now, we wait for the sheetrock finishers to do their thing.  The stove, microwave, under counter refrigerator and sink are all ordered - white appliances all.  And the cabinet maker is stopping by next week to get his measurements.  Here are photos of the project as it is today:

 Here's a sketch of the entire project - 1st & 2nd floor - layout (not to scale):

30 December 2008:  Sheetrock finishers came by today to taped the walls and  make the finished corners. Two of the doors (bathroom & to attic) are here, and the custom exterior door between the new space and the garage will arrive Tuesday.  The refrigerator and microwave arrived yesterday, and the stove/sink will be here Wednesday.  The vent hood will take another week before it arrives.  

        So, things are moving along.  The next thing that happens is my contractor will set the door between the studio apartment and the unheated attic to keep heat in the apartment so the sheetrock mud will dry.  And the finishers will be back in a few days to do the second layer of  sheetrock mud over everything.

        Here are photos of how it looks after today's work:

 

From breezeway looking through pantry to bathroom door	Looking up stairs to landing	Looking back out over top of landing and pantry	Kitchenette wall to right of previous photo	West wall with entrance to attic area	Dormer area	East wall that connects back to landing

9 January 2009:  Doors are installed, and we spent some time outside repairing a leak we found.  Here are photos of the doors:

 

Bathroom Door	Door to garage.	Looking down from studio apartment landing at both doors	Garage door from garage side. New utility sink sitting in place where its cabinet will be built.	Door from studio apartment to attic portion of 2nd floor.