"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
11/13/2019 at 18:27 • Filed to: None
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"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
11/13/2019 at 18:27 • Filed to: None | 8
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I know it was only noticed by a few people but I haven’t posted or replied here much of this year. It was a home issue, mostly garage related. It started in April with a massive water leak. This was the second failure in 3 years of “American” made toilets that were actually foreign and inferior despite not being cheap. Both developed cracks in the tank and one had a hairline one in the bowl that later became bathroom water features. The first failure did minor damage a few years ago and we replaced it with another major brand but made in the USA. Never thought it would happen again. That second failure in April we weren’t as lucky. The water streamed into the garage for hours before we discovered it. Between my labor and insurance paid restoration crews it went into the thousands to do the repairs and clean up.. The coverage handled about 3/4 of the expense. I spent $1500 out of pocket accompanied by a lot of sweat and body aches.
Water damage was mostly inside the garage ceiling , a small section of laundry room ceiling and some damage in one wall. Everything inside was removed and went into the POD. Then we found out that the testing discovered the late 70's drywall mud and texture compound contained traces of asbestos. That mess required the ceiling removal after a lengthy permit procedure and the disposal of the contaminated materials. Its was weeks before we were allowed to really get to work.
I removed an old wooden workbench on the back wall that had absorbed water while we were doing this because I was determined to at least make my garage better while fixing this mess. It took months of doing new drywall, then painting, and new 5k lumen LED lights because the old fluorescent fixtures had rust stains from water inside the lights. Installed a motion sensor on one LED so whenever you enter the garage or drive in there is more light than just that from a single garage door opener.
Since the ceiling and walls were to be new I figured I needed to at least do something to the floor which had bad spalling on a portion. Enough DIY epoxy to do 3 1/2 garages was needed to fill the rough surface to where it would at least last and have better texture. It took a lot of prep and once the insurance crew workers had fixed the ceiling and painting the walls I did the rest. The epoxy batches had some color variation and don’t look uniform but its done and it all came with some unexpected gains I’ll tell at the end. I’m happy with the results and will let the pictures tell the story for now. Its not a perfect man cave but at least I can offer my friends a cold drink from the fridge while we are working on our cars.
In all 15 trash cans of car parts and junk hit the curb other than the construction debris. Old paints were mixed together and used to refinish the shelves on the metal racks, some shelves I replaced with laminate covered panels. New sink, new stereo speakers, black Harbor Freight cabinets, new workbench etc and enough of the old stuff was cleaned and refinished to at least look like it belongs. In all I spent about 60 hours working out there, labor other than the hours the professionals spent working.
Now the bonus from the redo. The garage in winter used to drop to 30-40f when it was below freezing. Now the sealed floor has the place feeling less damp. The ceiling received upgraded insulation and everything was sealed a bit better during the repairs. Today it was 15f degrees out and the garage is just under 60 degrees. We also wonder if the small fridge has added a tad of heat to the room In the summer it seemed cooler and now in winter its warmer so we aren’t sure what exactly is the reason but its awesome. I may sand next summer and put another coat of epoxy on the floor to make it match but for now I’m loving it all.
John Norris (AngryDrifter)
> Dave the car guy , still here
11/13/2019 at 20:15 |
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Oh the joys of home ownership. It so un ds like a sad beginning to the story but a great ending. Yo u got forced into clean up / overhaul and it looks great.
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Dave the car guy , still here
> John Norris (AngryDrifter)
11/13/2019 at 20:20 |
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My wife and I had a plan to do a little clean out, repaint the garage and I was searching for bargain priced large porcelain tile to do the floor. The water leak changed the time line on all that.
imadick
> Dave the car guy , still here
11/13/2019 at 20:26 |
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Be careful with keeping fridges in the garage. Below a certain temp they stop working correctly.
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Dave the car guy , still here
> imadick
11/13/2019 at 20:37 |
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Knew that and planned to turn it off in mid winter but now that we’ve seen it staying warmer I don’t think it will be an issue. When we get sub zero temps our garage has never gotten below 35f but it now stays warmer so not sure how much it will drop. . Its advised not to run one under 50 so I’ll unplug it if gets that low which it might when we get below zero. Have also considered a small dehumidifier for out there which I’m told might raise the room temp a few degrees as well.
shop-teacher
> Dave the car guy , still here
11/13/2019 at 21:09 |
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“Installed a motion sensor on one LED so whenever you enter the garage or drive in there is more light than just that from a single garage door opener.”
That is a great idea!!!
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Dave the car guy , still here
> shop-teacher
11/13/2019 at 21:37 |
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Thanks. Found a plug in motion sensor on Amazon for a standard outlet. With a 5k lumen Harbor Freight LED shop light its amazing. Plugged it into the openers ceiling outlet closest to garage entry from the house. Opening the door to throw away the trash has become a new experience. Wife likes when she gets out of her car and my side of garage is empty. The time is adjustable and I’ve found the max 20 minutes to be perfect. Two of the LED lights are wall switched and a fourth is just pull chain operated. The garage could be an operating room with all 4 lights on. No need to use the single incandescent much anymore.
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shop-teacher
> Dave the car guy , still here
11/13/2019 at 21:55 |
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I need to redo the lighting in my garage with those. It’s a hodge-podge of mismatched old florescents.
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Dave the car guy , still here
> shop-teacher
11/13/2019 at 22:08 |
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W ait until Harbor Freight has a sale coupon to get them at a bargain price . Each of the LED shop lights draws the same amps as a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb. Its almost overkill when all 4 are on but sometimes good to have a light for each section.
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shop-teacher
> Dave the car guy , still here
11/13/2019 at 22:17 |
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Will do!