I hope it happens (a move for us)IT HAPPENED finally

[TeamCheap]

Well with the way things are around here real estate has become dirt cheap and we have found a decent sized parcel of land for next to nothing.

It is only 132x338 but a far cry larger than the postage stamp we are on now(40x136)

It is a scary move right now with my wife not working but we have to go for it and we are really hoping to get it.
No mortgage just a cash purchase then we'd have to try and sell our current home or rent it or just wave it bye-bye :oops: .

There is a house that comes along with the land but it is in need of repair (who'd figure at the low price of $14k :roll: :lol: ) and no garage but that just means we can fix it up the way we want and I can build the biggest garage I can (hoping for a 30x40-45 in 2-3 years(cash & codes being the decider))

Right now I hate the house we are in yes yes it is still home but it rubs me the wrong way like rubbing a pets fur backwards does to a pet.
Right now I have to deal with moving cars around to get in and out of a cramped yard and we have been here for so long its time for a change.
The other place is a little smaller than a football field but large enough to putt around on our toys and test them and have a little fun.
(I'll try not to tick off the neighbors)


I was telling the guys at work if I get it I might just be seen running around the yard like Julie Andrews in the movie "the sound of music"..............
ok :lol: I doubt I'd go that far but I will be smiling from ear to ear.

If it all goes thru I'll post pics of the rundown house(and property) that I'll have to fix up (but its worth it to me)

[suprf1y]

Sounds like a big project, but a great opportunity.
Good luck.

[Jim]

Sounds like a good deal, good luck.... I was sort of hoping the economy would do that to our realestate but it hasn't really dropped prices much here :S I bought a house in Saskatchewan around that price a couple years ago, but I decided not to move half way across the country so I sold it and used that plus other savings as a down payment on an apartment, now I have a mortgage :(

Anyways, good luck, and hopefully you have lots of fun with your toys there too.

[TeamCheap]

Its a good enough deal for us as we live close to the house and can run over there and work on it easily.

We were told another couple offered the asking price but they were in another state and when they came to see it realized that it wasnt close to move in ready condition.

It is in a neighboring city that has better police and other services.

The waiting for all the stuff to come together is killing us.We made an offer and the bank countered and we met them half way but we havnt heard back yet on our last offer.

There are other properties but this one is very close to what we are looking for all around.

[Jim]

Good luck :)

[winwun]

You're making the right move -- baby steps first, then giant leaps.

[BUG]

Sounds like a smart move. My wife and i bought a place like that back in the mid 90's. Place was a dump, dead animals, garbage, old furniture, i worked on it a week before i would let my wife even look inside. Took about 6 months working nights and weekend before we moved in. Sold the place 4 years ago and bought a bigger place w/ mortgage payment and $6500 year taxes. Sure do miss the old place, no mortgage payment, low taxes....aah the good old days.

I have some picture if your interested.

[Alaskan-Dad]

Wow TC that sounds really cool, I hope everything works out and ya get your new place!!
$14,000 I must live on the side of the world, here you couldn't dream of finding a lot with a building for less than $40,000.
Good Luck!!!

[TeamCheap]

You know we are picture hounds here. :lol:

This house is fairly cleaned up since there is a property management company looking after it so we were told and since the pile of garbage that was in the driveway 8 months ago is gone I believe them.
No heat in it so all the drywall has cracks in it from the extreme cold.

The one bad thing about that house is no dsl and I hate comcast so I might just be doing dialup for a while. :cry:

This weekend is going to be a long weekend waiting until next week to hear whats going on with it plus I got a flu bug or something YUCK.

[BUG]

You know we are picture hounds here. :lol:



The before pictures are pre-digital. Added the garage and the steep pitch one story addition.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/scan0001.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/scan.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/scan0002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/Pics005-1.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/Pics023.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/Pics049.jpg

[dsrt4]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/scan0001.jpg


Norman Bates.. "Mother, she's just a stranger. She's hungry, and it's raining out! "

Mother Bates...." "Mother, she's just a stranger"! As if men don't desire strangers! As if... ohh, I refuse to speak of disgusting things, because they disgust me! You understand, boy? Go on, go tell her she'll not be appeasing her ugly appetite with MY food... or my son! Or do I have tell her because you don't have the guts! Huh, boy? You have the guts, boy?"

http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/images/psycho/psycho_motel_sign.jpg

[Jim]

Wow TC that sounds really cool, I hope everything works out and ya get your new place!!
$14,000 I must live on the side of the world, here you couldn't dream of finding a lot with a building for less than $40,000.
Good Luck!!!

Here you couldn't dream of finding a lot with a house for less then $350,000 (this is the bottom end). A mobile home, no lot, paying pad rentals, you may be able to swing for $40,000, an apartment I would say at least $98,000 but that is older, smaller, crappier ones...

[TeamCheap]

OMG Bug that was in rough shape but a very nice rescue.(thanks for the pictures)

Jim normally in that city you wouldnt find a house for less than $100k and it would be on a small lot on a slab empty lots would go for $35k and up.With the economy the way it is around here most anything is findable.

The house we are looking at is actually in much better condition than that one so I have hope thanks its not as big as that one you saved but it will do for us.

We have a few pics of the outside but I havnt put them on my computer yet.
We are supposed to go over there monday with some friends and go thru it so they can see it and I want to take a few more pictures.

[winwun]

I know there's another world besides the one I live in, but $6,500 a year in TAXES ? ? ? ? ?

I don't guess it would do for me to travel too far out of East Tennessee.

I have a moderately nice little 2,000 sq ft brick and my taxes are a little less than $400 a year, and I am thinking vile and unspeakable thoughts about what I would like to do to the tax assessor.

In today's depressed housing economy, my house and .8 acre lot would likely sell for around $150K, but I'm not planning on selling, 'cause I gotta have someplace to live, and I like it here, so I guess they'll carry me out, one of these days . . .

[TeamCheap]

The taxes on that house we want when everything is going normal around here is right around.......................$2k OUCH

but that is about the same as our current postage stamp home and we have lost 2/3rds of our police and crime is rampant for some reason(DUH).

I just want the bigger yard and to NOT have to see the hookers walking down the road.

[BUG]

I know there's another world besides the one I live in, but $6,500 a year in TAXES ? ? ? ? ?



Yep, and we are under assessed. There are houses around the corner with taxes of $12,000+ a year. The taxes on the house i posted the pictures of were around $3000 a year. Welcome to New York :(

[TeamCheap]

Some pics my wife took.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/0000206.jpg

This is about the worst of it and it doesnt scare me in the least. :lol:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/100_0218.jpg

It needs a good trimming with a chain saw all the way around to get rid of the unwanted brush and shrubs.

[VinceDrake]

Well, the yellow police tape is a little bit scary... :D

But aside, best of luck with your purchase, sir!
--Vince

[TeamCheap]

Yeah but the chalk outline is gone so it's not to disturbing anymore. :lol:


No they just taped off that area where the back steps used to be and also the ground is a bit rough right there.

The back where the siding(T1-11) is is open and critters can get in there right now.That would be one of the first projects redoing that back wall.

[BUG]

Looks good for the money. In the first picture is that a slab for a garage?

[TeamCheap]

Thats what I had thought but then one of the guys I work with seen what looks like a chunk of carport anchoring metal so it probably was a carport.

I may pop a carport up on the slab asap if we get it and then box in the 3 sides but I dont like how close it is to the house.

I keep thinking how nice it would be to walk out the back door and go about 75' back to an RC track and run the cars/trucks around.
I dont even run them around my house here because I dont want every kid to bug me and get idea's of borrowing them.

[TeamCheap]

A satellite image from google map.The smaller picture on right is my current home.(same scale on google maps)
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/1286Vine.jpghttp://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/home.jpg

This a shot of where I work well its the yard I work out of because the whole city is my work area.(having fun with google maps)
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/work.jpg

I worked here for 12 years it is a private country club that used to have 72 acres but the idiots sold off the chase lane area and now it isnt really much of anything.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/BOH.jpg

[Jim]

This is the house I had bought in Saskatchewan for about $12,000 Canadian...

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture127.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture128.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture129.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture130.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture131.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/truckgotstuck/oldhouse/Picture137.jpg

I wound up deciding not to move half way across the country though, where I knew no one and had no job.... I sold it and pretty much broke even with the costs all considered... About half of what I used as a down payment for my apartment mortgage here :? The same thing here would probably be $200 - $300 K I would have to guess...

[TeamCheap]

Thats a small house but good enough I suppose.I think you made the right choice.
My sister wanted me to move out to denver years ago and its nice out there but that was a bit much for me.Most of my family is here and my sister even moved back here.

Denver is strange to me because I am so used to seeing water everywhere here and out there it just isnt around like it is here.

If we get that house it will be a short 5 minute drive to the next city and the move will be very easy.(1.79 miles as the crow flies)

[Jim]

Yeah that will definitely be nice....

That house I think was 1200 sq ft, it would have been ok, but the area was a big change... From BC here, with lots of mountains, the ocean, and everything near by, out into the prairies, population 500 in the town, and an hour from anywhere else.

When do you figure you will hear back about that one?

BUG, that place does look good in the after photos, a job well done.

[TeamCheap]

Maybe today but most likely tuesday.

Today is presidents day so I have it off but I'm not really sure what else is open today.

It really is down to agreeing on a price right now and hopefully there are no other offers on it, I dont want to get into a bidding war.

We are going over there today and meeting some friends there they want to check it out.

I have been sick the last 4 days or so and still feel lousy.

[katoranger]

BUG, Is that a 782 in the garage?

[elroyjetsn]

TC,

Sounds really exciting! Nice to have some room to play. No mortgage is an enormous advantage, too.

We bought a fixerup on the Balto City line (county side) years ago for 45 and had to gut it.

We've got a really nice place now and love WV. Cost of living is about half of what it was in MD. No more Balto-DC corridor rat race to deal with! :)

[TeamCheap]

Well we are getting closer we just got the call and they accepted our offer of $12,750.

Now we have 10 days to get an inspection and check on a few more items.

If we end up with this and get rid of our current house we'll have no mortgage payment.YIPPEE No large chunk of change hanging over our heads to pay too a bank.
(it probably means everyone who has a mortgage will get huge tax breaks- :roll: )

[BUG]

BUG, Is that a 782 in the garage?

It's an 1811


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/upstatechili/Pics014-1.jpg

[BUG]

Well we are getting closer we just got the call and they accepted our offer of $12,750.



That's great news. How long do you think it will take to close?

[TeamCheap]

Well we are getting closer we just got the call and they accepted our offer of $12,750.



That's great news. How long do you think it will take to close?One month, closing would be in one month and then we can do with it as we please.

Bank owned so no one living there and with spring right around the corner it is all timed out to well.
My goal is to be living there before thanksgiving.

Looking at that back wall that is rotted out I cant help but wonder why they never put up some eavestroughs and did a bit more to keep it from rotting out.
We'll just put some concrete steps in and brick pavers behind the house.

[katoranger]

Not to get off-topic. But nice Cub.

TC, probably a great investment. The lot looks really nice.

Allen

[TeamCheap]

My sister-in-law made the comment "your gonna need a riding mower to mow that" my wife just looked at her and siad "we have one".

Its not as nice as that cub but it does work and thats good enough for me.

So we just got back from signing an actual purchase agreement on the $12750 so we are getting closer just an inspection needed and then go from there.

[Cal25]

Congratuations on the new purchase!

[frostbite]

From Crack House to Home & Garden. Very nice.

[TeamCheap]

Ok well it happened but not the first house.

We closed monday on our new/old house (1925) and we have a lot of work to do to make it our home but I think we can do it.
(mostly because we'll have to-failure is not an option)

The house we bought has a bit smaller yard :cry: it's only 50'x200' but the house has a better layout in our opinion.
Plus a two car garage and two so-so sheds (1=8'x8' and 1=8'x16')
Looking at the house from the street it looks compact but once you get next to the garage the back yard just opens up.

Its on a dead end street :D with no trains :D or expressways :D nearby but it does have an elementary school at the back yard.

I can put in a real RC track now and my wife will still have room for her square foot gardens and we'll still have room to test run the toys when needed. :D :D :D :D
We did pay more for this house but we are still very happy with it and we have met some of the neighbors and they seem to be very nice :) .

The first house had some major drawbacks that forced us to bail.

[yozalo]

Hmmmm...funny thing is that in Toronto townhomes start at 280,000 which are very small and barely come with a backyard. Maybe the size of a car.

[katoranger]

so-so sheds (1=8'x8' and 1=8'x16')

but it does have an elementary school at the back yard.



Room for the toys and an audience.

[TeamCheap]

One shed (8x8) will be the garden/tractor shed with all the tools and such and the other will be for the toys and assorted excess toy parts. :D

We have to have an electrical panel put in the house and I'll have to gut/redo the bathroom and do all new plumbing but thats easy enough except its on a crawl and I'm "Biggie sized" (no thanks to the fast food industry :x :lol:J/K-ing ).

The kitchen needs a new counter top and lower cabinets at the very least and we'll try to get the uppers also but we have to watch every penny we spend.

[TurboT]

Good grief! All this talk of 12,000 dollar houses is making me depressed!

...oh don't forget that HORRIBLE $400 a year tax bill.

I need to move!

$300,000 mortgage, 2500/year taxes here. No acres, just a plot in the middle of suburbia.

Yes yes, I need to move..

[TeamCheap]

While your mortgage is up there I'm sure its worth it, your taxes are far lower than what a $300K home here would cost and in fact our taxes will be right around $2400 :roll: a year on the house(we may appeal) and our house is not anything special.

We did pay a bit more than $12K but still only $18K is cheap :) cheap :D cheap :lol: and we will have no bank hovering over us for that monthly payment.

If I could have found 20 acres of land with a 3 bedroom ranch and a 3 car garage and a 40x60 pole barn out in the middle of nowhere for a price we could afford I'd have been there but we had to buy into what we could afford.

Atleast we are moving out of the hooker zone and away from the ATM's that are like bug lights for criminals.

[AZ200cc]

CONGRATS! WHens the party? :lol:

[TurboT]

While your mortgage is up there I'm sure its worth it, your taxes are far lower than what a $300K home here would cost and in fact our taxes will be right around $2400 :roll: a year on the house(we may appeal) and our house is not anything special.

We did pay a bit more than $12K but still only $18K is cheap :) cheap :D cheap :lol: and we will have no bank hovering over us for that monthly payment.

If I could have found 20 acres of land with a 3 bedroom ranch and a 3 car garage and a 40x60 pole barn out in the middle of nowhere for a price we could afford I'd have been there but we had to buy into what we could afford.

Atleast we are moving out of the hooker zone and away from the ATM's that are like bug lights for criminals.

Yes well we live in a beautiful part of the world I can't complain too much but tough to make ends meet at times. The house is worth quite a bit more than the mortgage YET, although dropping lately like everywhere.

Congrats on the new digs it's always an exciting time.

[TeamCheap]

The party will be near the end of the summer I hope (sooner if I can get it all done).


I bet its difficult at times to make ends meet, its bad all over.
For what we paid for this house I would hope it could go up a little in value as we get it back into decent shape even in this economy but probably not.

[TeamCheap]

I cant hardly believe it.....we got both sheds moved out of my way at the new house.

We started with the 8x8 shed and 3 pieces of 3"x10' PVC and a floor jack and assorted blocks of wood, a prybar and of course 60' foot or so of chain.

My little craftsman tractor got a workout. :lol:

The 8'x16' shed was a bit more of a fighter and just after the first good tug on it the raccoon living under it bolted. :lol:
(I was glad there were no babies under there)

The neighbors around there appear to be happy we are moving in as the house has been vacant for a while.

I got stung :roll: by a bee while mowing the 3' tall grass where a tree had fallen.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/100_0511.jpg
I retaliated with a can and a half of bee spray then mowed their honeycomb hideout down. :lol: :lol:


EDIT: picture of the floors inside.
This was what we found after tearing up the nasty/stinky carpeting.
My wife has since de-stapled the floors and swept them but we have no water service yet. :cry:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/WoodFloor.jpg
We plan on area rugs or nothing on the floors as we have begun to hate carpeting and all that comes with it.

[TeamCheap]

Here is a picture of the raw garage floor (the lab floor :lol: I call it "THE LAB" )
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0002-10.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0003-10.jpg

Here is the pictures after the TAN paint.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0006-5.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0007-7.jpg

This is just the first stage of the garage but I wanted to get it done before we moved all my JUNK into the garage.

In the future there will be insulation in the walls/ceiling and most likely white masonite type panelling as well as lots of custom made counters and cubboards/shelves.

The holes in the floor are from the previous owner who used the garage to do body work and the holes are anchor points to pull things into alignment from what I was told.

We still dont have electric at the house but will by the middle of august (new service and breaker panel needed).

Yep so while everyone else is out having summer fun we spend countless hours at the new/old house doing any and everything we can to make it a home.

[TurboT]

Hey mate,

Score on the useable floor underneath the carpet. That's great!

..and love the yard.

Used to have a bondo bob shop besides us at the old engine shop (now retired) and they had hooks and chains in the floor as well. Frame straightening I believe they told me.

Enjoy making the house a home, you'll remember it forever and sit in there when you're 80 smiling that you made it yours.

[TeamCheap]

We spent today raking/leveling the dirt in the crawl space and rolling out some plastic after getting some junk out of there so we can do some work.

We also started messing around with the floor joists and I'll probably take a day off this week to spend over there sistering up floor joists (only 22).

After I get the floor joists sistered up I'll redo the center pads and try leveling the center beam a bit.

After all that I'll have lots of drywall to do :roll:

[TeamCheap]

WHEW....................I hate crawl spaces :!:

We spent the day under the house and got most of the joists in that we could until we hit the plumbing mess which I now have a way around so it will be just another 3-6 hours and that will be done but there is still lots to do under there.

Cracked a bit of drywall but thats easy to fix and I'll be making some holes in it anyway.

Thankfully the weather here has been about perfect.

[TeamCheap]

After two full months we are still just working on that house and probably atleast a month away from being able to move in.

We had to gut the bathroom and do some major work to the floor and walls and git rid of the old ABS drain pipes.

I feel that we are now on the downside overall as we are putting it back together.We have electric service now with a new meter and breaker panel and the floor leveling (drywall cracking- :lol: ) is going well.

We have new cabinets for the kitchen and new toilet, tub W/surround, 60"vanity W/ dual sinks and a 48" medicine cabinet ready to go in asap.

The utility room is close to being ready for paint and the concrete floor in there is looking good after the extensive prep it took to get it ready to paint.
(NO she didnt want tile in there again she wanted it painted- :roll: )

Sadly we havnt rode our bikes for two months even though we have had excellent weather overall here we are either to tired or to busy to bother with them.

This concludes another boring house (money pit)update.

[katoranger]

I wish my lab was that big. Fortunately I can work year round on projects outside.

[AZ200cc]

Those floors will look great with a sanding and resurface......You'll have a place to put You feet up when You're older and that's a great thing.

[Weldangrind]

One of the great things about your lab is that there's no post in the middle; that's my only complaint at my place.

Is that a furnace in there?

[TeamCheap]

I also like that it has no post in the middle but it could probably use a few more boards going across but where can I get some 22-24' long boards now :?:
(manufactured wood I-beam maybe :?: )
The PO probably took the center posts out and I wont rally know it until it collapses under the weight of the snow this winter. :cry:
I plan to put my air compressor and extra air tank up in the rafters near the back and plumb the garage for air.HF has a garage air hose kit that I may use.

That is a furnace in the LAB but I havnt tried to fired it up yet mainly because we havnt had the gas turned on yet.
I doubt I'd use it much until I get insulation/walls/ceiling put back up in there.

There is a floor drain of sorts in the middle also but I have no idea of where it leads or if it even works.I have ran some water down it but it needs a good cleaning.

The bathroom and the plumbing are my major concerns right now.

[Weldangrind]

I think I know what you mean by "a few more boards going across". If there was a post (or posts) in there before, you'll need to make up for them. One way is to buy a beam that suits your length in about 6"x 6" finished. You have the ability to buld appropriate support for the beam, since your walls are still open.

Without seeing the ceiling, I can't determine where the beam would need to be, but I would guess the center of the structure (widthwise, that is, perpedicular to the direction you'd park a car). This depends on whether the garage is free-standing or is attached to the house.

For support, you could create a beam support out of four 2 x 4 studs nailed together in the perimeter wall. That way, when you're ready to board the lab, the support posts will be totally invisible.

Keep your eyes open at demolition sites or used building supply stores for a beam.

Cheers!

[TeamCheap]

A beam would have to run front to back running parrallel to the cars when parked in there, I'm not going to worry to much about it right now I'll just keep an eye on it.

I will look for evidence of a support beam or pots but I dont think there was any but it looks a bit sparse up there for support.

[TeamCheap]

OK well.......we are at the new/old house and back on the net.

We have so much JUNK..........I never thought we had this much junk but then 20 years of collecting at one house and to then go and fluff it all up in a move is just crazy.

Oh well we'll get it all put away sooner or later I do see a landfill trash run coming up soon :lol: .

[AZ200cc]

It's not junk, It just a person treasure who has not picked it up yet.

[TeamCheap]

I'm sure some of this JUNK is anothers treasure but then again some of it is just..........junk :lol: .
I see tons of stuff that will either be sold (Ebay,craigslist,garage sale,net forums) or just given away on craigslist.
Hopefully just one more landfill trash run to end out this year.

We did ride the bikes over to the new house rather than trailer them here but havnt had any time to ride them at all this summer :( .
Both bikes started OK for sitting so long and the battteries were still charged well after just sitting in the bikes for months.
(we've had bad battery issues)

I've seen things that I havnt seen in over ten years :lol: .
I've seen things that I dont even know what they are or how we got them :lol: .

We have one more load to get from the old house and it is a relatively small load then I'm going to winterize the house and call for utilities to be cut on monday.
That 6x14 enclosed trailer has been an absolute blessing to us on this move and we can really back alot of stuff in it.

[TeamCheap]

Loft is done and it is fairly large.I have a bunch of RC stuff up there and other junk and still have the trailer to unload.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0034-2.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0037-1.jpg

These pics were taken when it was only half done.

I now have 2/3rd's of the lights up in there and lots of floor space again.

[katoranger]

Those must be the fuuuture projects up there.

[Weldangrind]

TeamCheap,

Does this mean that you've installed new posts and beams to support the loft?

[TeamCheap]

Some future projects but just RC cars/trucks.I have more RC stuff than I remember buying :lol:.

We built a 12x16 loft.
We added 5 2"x6"x22' cross ties and then put one 4x6 post against the back wall and another 4x6 post out 10' from the back wall to keep some floor space open towards the front of the garage.
In the 4x6 posts we set 2 2"x6"x16' boards to support the 22" long cross ties.I notched the posts to set the 2x6's into them, one on each side.

The thing is solid as a rock but I still want to put a couple of brackets at the post bottoms to hold them securely.

I hated to put a post in the middle of the garage but I wanted the loft to be supported.I'll make the best of it with a retractable cord and hose reels mounted to it.

The posts are actually offset to the garage center since I preferred to center the posts to the garage door.

I'll post a picture of the finished loft soon that last picture was just the first half.

[Weldangrind]

That makes perfect sense to center the post with the door(s).

A sturdy post can also serve as a mount for a bench grinder. In my case, I have a range hood that I'm going to install (some day :roll: ) to draw welding fumes up and out. The range hood will be mounted near the top of the post, and I'll just wheel the welding table underneath.

[TeamCheap]

Oh that reminds me that I need a steel table set up to weld on I'm sick and tired of welding outside like I mostly did at my other house.The old garage was to small and I was afraid of burning it down plus the fumes.

I have a piece of steel that I did most of my cutting/grinding on that I'll most likely use as a table top but it is a little bent up so maybe a new piece of 1/4x3'x5' would be better.I'm thinking I need a 3'x5' table with sheet metal walls on the back and sides with a lighted exhaust hood.
I like the range hood vent idea.

I guess I should make or buy a real welding cart for my welder, up until now its just been on an old serving cart :lol:.

I installed some lighting outside the garage finally so now we can see what we're doing, before it was pitch black out there until we got inside and turned some lights on.

The wiring at this house is a scary mess and I'll need to get it straightened out before I can safely use it to weld with.

[Weldangrind]

Bonus points if the serving cart is stainless. 8)

I'm with you on the welding table. I do most of my welding outside right now, and it sucks. My welding table project is in pieces in the shed right now.

I tell ya, I'm going to have a "welding day" one of these days, when I'll get all of this junk sorted out.

On that topic, I aquired a 48" wide door that I want to hang in a frame under my deck to close it off. The door is pretty heavy, although it's under 100 pounds. Would you recommend a steel frame for it, or do you think a wood frame would support it?

[TeamCheap]

The cart is stainless steel with two formica particle board shelfs.

I think a solid wood frame would work but I'd probably go with 3 hinges or just make a steel jamb for it out of 2"x1/8" flat stock or even angle iron.

[TeamCheap]

Heres few more pictures of the mess and loft.
The six 4' lights really brighten it up.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0001-10.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0002-11.jpg

This is a shot over the garage door there is a small overhang out front and this is the cavity inside.Huge header over the door.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0008-8.jpg
Heres a shot of the 6' loft overhang, the last cross tie is doubled up.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0013-9.jpg

Future home of my 18' long workbench.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0011-10.jpg

[Weldangrind]

You and I have some of the same toys.

You can insert an ABS plumbing adapter into the dust port of your tablesaw, and then attach a sink drain compression fitting to that. You can then insert a Shop Vac pipe into the compression fitting and pull out most of the sawdust during operation. It works really well if you mount the saw on a plywood base and then seal up the perimeter with silicone.

I fastened a 1 x 2 to the bottom of the plywood base so I can easily clamp it in the Workmate. I like having many tools and one base. Storage is much easier.

[TeamCheap]

That tablesaw even though it is a cheapee from HF has been very helpful.
I should have made a more permanent setup for it but just never did.Wood working is not my favorite thing to do I like playing with steel more.

I have been thinking about maybe setting a piece of square 2" steel tubing into the concrete floor and use it as a base to hold things like a bender, vise or whatever but I doubt I'll do it now that the floor is painted.
I most likely will make a universal base that I can fasten to the floor using the already installed anchor points from the previous owner once I find what screws into those things.

That garage is a total mess right now but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

[TeamCheap]

Well I got a bit more done in the garage but nothing to drastic I almost have the back corner cleared out to make a more permanent workbench out of scraps.

I added a junction box setup in the attic for the living room and one line down so far to power up our tv and other junk.(dsl, Wii, wireless router)
I used a two gang plastic box and used the decora plugs (retangle looking outlets/stuff) and I put in combo video-phone jacks on the other side.
So we now have an outlet with the phone and video jack all in one nice neat package.

With the junction box setup in the attic I can now begin to rewire the whole living room and then move onto other rooms as time/money allows.

I need to get back into the kitchen and get that closer to being finished or turkey day will be a bit of a bummer for me :lol:.

[MICRider]

Off topic I know, but what are you doing with the old bug? Is it for a restore project or a baja bug?

[TeamCheap]

The bug is a convertable but I wanted to try and make a removeable hardtop for it.

The plan is to put the body on a 4 door chevy tracker chassis 4wd with a roll cage and other goodies.
I may end up going the easy/cheap route and just put it on a standard bug chassis with some mods.

I wanted to work on it this summer but this house took all my time and then some.

[MICRider]

The bug is a convertable but I wanted to try and make a removeable hardtop for it.

The plan is to put the body on a 4 door chevy tracker chassis 4wd with a roll cage and other goodies.
I may end up going the easy/cheap route and just put it on a standard bug chassis with some mods.

I wanted to work on it this summer but this house took all my time and then some.

Cool! Though the house is more important to finish first, seeing as you have to live in it and all :). Amazing how much stuff we accumilate over the years, I would hate to move... I got too much stuff!

Regards,
Stew

[TeamCheap]

This house will be a work in progress for atleast 2-4 years but most of it will be done before the years end.

The kitchen is next to get most of the attention.
Since we are now living here I can get more done on the house becuase I just have more time to work on it but I hate living in a house that is somewhat torn apart.

I also need to get the garage set as much as possible for the winter, I'll miss being able to have a heated garage in the dead of winter this year. :cry:

If I can I'll mess with the bug a bit just to see if I can get it to fire up.

[TeamCheap]

Here's an update of my garage.
I just made a temporary CRAP, scrap workbench out of some plywood I had left and some 2xfer's.:lol:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0005-12.jpg
The top is 12' long 4' wide at the end and 27" at the narrow section and the corner is cut to a 45.The shelf underneath is about the same except it's only 19" wide at the narrow section and only 8' long.

Heres what it looked like after we emptied the 6x14 trailer of the last JUNK we took from our old house.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0009-7.jpg

I have so much left to do out there.
I cant hardly wait until I get my air compressor set up and all that junk sorted out so I can start working on FUN projects.

[katoranger]

Pic two looks more like my workspace. I think I have a workbench someplace.

[TeamCheap]

This is a total mess and this was taken before the trailer got emptied.
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/TeamCheap/DSCF0007-8.jpg

But given a day or two out there and I'll have it looking a lot better.
I have to get it tidied up ASAP because I have tractors to work on so I am ready for the snow.