Inspired by Grizz's essays on here, thought I'd share with you some of my shed and house building experience and how the state I allowed my garage to get into took me down a Zen-like path of self discovery and renewal. Those of you who are more knowledgeable about philosophical matters than I am are entirely free to let me know that this isn't Zen-like at all. This story will build to how I changed the layout in my garage, and inspired by the people on GarageJournal.com put in a whizzy fitted garage. Keep reading.
This story starts around fourteen years ago, the very dawn of digital photography in my house.
We moved around 500 metres from our last house into this one mainly on the basis that (1) our four year old was taking up a lot of space in our tiny cottage (2) we would be living a little closer to the pub - two minutes walk vs three and (3) that the owner had been granted planning permission to build a three car garage where a broken down timber garage was standing. This is roughly what the house looked like when we moved in.
In those days I used to travel to South Africa a lot on business and whilst I was building the garage, I bought a Series 1 XJ6 (mint and well looked after) and a VW Splitty Crew Cab (not mint, and not well looked after). Fortunately there was a lengthy delay in shipping which meant the garage was 'finished' by the time the cars arrived. Jag shown here in the three months I had it before adding it to a long list of CARS I SHOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD.
The Crew Cab looked OK from 500 feet. You'll notice the garage is more finished in this shot.
It started as a patch up restoration before I decided to go back to first principles.
Recognising that quite a lot needed to be replaced, over the eight or so years the resto took, I accumulated a LOT of stuff. Look behind the bus pics to see how the garage suddenly becomes a lot smaller.
Mid way through the build, this happened to the house while we moved out for a few months.
Which left it looking like this afterwards. I do have a picture that's not garnished by my old Vel Satis, but that's not for you. Gaze at the remarkable French barge and wonder what possessed me to ever buy it. (Actually, I loved it. Put 110k on it over five years before it went bang. I then broke it to teach it a lesson.)
Other things that were happening car wise at this time was this - full fat 960 204bhp
And this, which was mostly used for moving building materials around and taking stuff to/from store.
Eventually, the Splitty emerged from its cocoon and has been on the road for the last four years or so.
The Vel Satis was replaced by this
And the Volvo and T4 were converted into this (which is off to a new owner in Ireland tomorrow, and is another CAR I SHOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD
So, with a lot of help from Adamwatson off here, the VW is finished - (well, not actually, I've still got to finish the 1776 efi engine I'm building) - and my garage is now full of curse word.
Therefore, the right thing to do is to take this bit of back garden with a (now too small for the kids) home made playhouse and useless greenhouse...
...do this...
....and with a LOT of this...
...to make this...
...which eventually becomes this
The big folding doors came for free and were what drove the design. Free, my favourite price.
More to come shortly, I'm now in need of a cup of tea. Coming up next, another completely stupid project car, a shed restoration in Crosby, Merseyside for my OH's aged mum, and what I teased you with at the outset, the creation of a built in wall of stuff GarageJournal like, only using slightly damaged tool chests.
This story starts around fourteen years ago, the very dawn of digital photography in my house.
We moved around 500 metres from our last house into this one mainly on the basis that (1) our four year old was taking up a lot of space in our tiny cottage (2) we would be living a little closer to the pub - two minutes walk vs three and (3) that the owner had been granted planning permission to build a three car garage where a broken down timber garage was standing. This is roughly what the house looked like when we moved in.
In those days I used to travel to South Africa a lot on business and whilst I was building the garage, I bought a Series 1 XJ6 (mint and well looked after) and a VW Splitty Crew Cab (not mint, and not well looked after). Fortunately there was a lengthy delay in shipping which meant the garage was 'finished' by the time the cars arrived. Jag shown here in the three months I had it before adding it to a long list of CARS I SHOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD.
The Crew Cab looked OK from 500 feet. You'll notice the garage is more finished in this shot.
It started as a patch up restoration before I decided to go back to first principles.
Recognising that quite a lot needed to be replaced, over the eight or so years the resto took, I accumulated a LOT of stuff. Look behind the bus pics to see how the garage suddenly becomes a lot smaller.
Mid way through the build, this happened to the house while we moved out for a few months.
Which left it looking like this afterwards. I do have a picture that's not garnished by my old Vel Satis, but that's not for you. Gaze at the remarkable French barge and wonder what possessed me to ever buy it. (Actually, I loved it. Put 110k on it over five years before it went bang. I then broke it to teach it a lesson.)
Other things that were happening car wise at this time was this - full fat 960 204bhp
And this, which was mostly used for moving building materials around and taking stuff to/from store.
Eventually, the Splitty emerged from its cocoon and has been on the road for the last four years or so.
The Vel Satis was replaced by this
And the Volvo and T4 were converted into this (which is off to a new owner in Ireland tomorrow, and is another CAR I SHOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD
So, with a lot of help from Adamwatson off here, the VW is finished - (well, not actually, I've still got to finish the 1776 efi engine I'm building) - and my garage is now full of curse word.
Therefore, the right thing to do is to take this bit of back garden with a (now too small for the kids) home made playhouse and useless greenhouse...
...do this...
....and with a LOT of this...
...to make this...
...which eventually becomes this
The big folding doors came for free and were what drove the design. Free, my favourite price.
More to come shortly, I'm now in need of a cup of tea. Coming up next, another completely stupid project car, a shed restoration in Crosby, Merseyside for my OH's aged mum, and what I teased you with at the outset, the creation of a built in wall of stuff GarageJournal like, only using slightly damaged tool chests.
