New house, new car hole!

"Beefchips" (beefchips)
09/25/2020 at 13:59 • Filed to: None

My wife and I bought a new house and with it we get a garage, which in fact is literally a hole dug in the side of a large hillside retaining wall. I’m excited cause it’s big enough for my car! For the first time ever I will be able to park inside :)

But first, have to get this to work with this :

There’s about 30 pages of instructions which is a good thing, I like the help. First step, chain and motor assembled:

Now the tricky part, you need to attach one end of the opener to the wall above the door while balancing the other end with the motor on top of a step ladder.

In the end I finagled it into place and only had to go to the hardware store like 2.5 times. Feast your eyes on my handiwork while I go drink a beer. Cheers!

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DISCUSSION (50)

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:23

That is a cute garage!

jminer > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:29

Congrats on the house!

Also well done on the opener install.

vondon302 > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:29

Wow a literal car hole.

Cheers and congrats!

Beefchips > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
09/25/2020 at 14:30

Haha thanks! Yeah, when we toured the house I measured it to be sure... It’s about 10 inches longer than the WRX. Going to need to hang a tennis ball in there for sure

lone_liberal > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:32

Congratulations on the new car hole/bunker!

Beefchips > jminer
09/25/2020 at 14:32

Thanks, it was a fun job actually, got to learn how to use tapcons.

Beefchips > vondon302
09/25/2020 at 14:33

The house and the garage were built/excavated in 1925, we were joking around that if the WRX didn’t fit I should just trade it on a model A and use that for daily duty

ranwhenparked > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:34

Looks like a nice house too, kind of reminds me of a Sears Crescent.

Kinja'd!!!

Beefchips > lone_liberal
09/25/2020 at 14:35

Thanks man, the way 2020 is going we may well indeed convert it to a bunker!

Thomas Donohue > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:41

I hope you installed the safety wires inside the springs!

A bout two years after I b ou ght my house, one of the ‘original’ untethered springs broke (exploded) when the garage door was going down. Many things in the garage were hit/damaged but thankfully not my head. Scary stuff.

I had one of the replacements break about two years ago. Loud dramatic noises and the opener stopped crooked, but zero damage other than my nerves!

wkiernan > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:43

I see the steps toward the back but you should also consider installing a fireman’s pole from the room above , for better “ Batmobile zooming out of the Bat-Cave” geta ways.

Brickman > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:44

The garage opener is exactly like Chamberlain brand I put up 2 years ago. The fun part is programing the open and closing :D

Kinja'd!!!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:47

I’m seeing a great bunker location for the Times After The Pockylypse.

Beefchips > Thomas Donohue
09/25/2020 at 14:52

Hm, this door has got a single torsion spring in the middle, not sure how to safety-wire that?

Beefchips > wkiernan
09/25/2020 at 14:53

There is so little room in there that is have to get a convertible and fire pole down into the open top

Beefchips > ranwhenparked
09/25/2020 at 14:54

Oh interesting, that makes me wonder if it is indeed a kit house. I’ll have to do some digging on that...

Nom De Plume > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 14:59

10" minus what, 3"-4" to clear the door sensor?

I’m afraid to ask how far your driver’s door can open once it’s in.

Tripper > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:00

Congrats! Park your car in there, close the door then open it cue:

Beefchips > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
09/25/2020 at 15:05

Got armor plate the garage door, maybe cut some little slits in it for shooting positions

Thomas Donohue > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:07

Ahhh....different design than the two springs on either side. As long as you didn’t leave any spare parts, you are good.

Congrats on the new place.

ranwhenparked > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:07

Attic and basement are good spots to start - look for stamped/stenciled ID numbers on the lumber, but a lot of builders also used their floor plans as guides to build their own versions, too. The Crescent model debuted in 1919 and was sold through 1933, though they could have been completed later.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:13

You know, with a camouflaged net strung above the hill cutout for the car-hole, you might not know it is there at all!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:14

That is a really neat setup. Congratulations on the new digs! Looks like a charming little bungalow. How big is the house exactly? Looks pretty cozy from that angle. I love old houses but they can be a pain sometimes. Was it ever renovated? Because I hope at some point someone rewired it with modern insulated wiring.

Beefchips > ranwhenparked
09/25/2020 at 15:16

Oh nice, yeah I’ll go check in the attic... the basement has been painted a bunch of times so might be tough to see. Do you know is there a site where I might be able to look at floor plans?

Beefchips > Thomas Donohue
09/25/2020 at 15:16

Whew had me worried there!

Beefchips > Nom De Plume
09/25/2020 at 15:18

Might have to get a convertible, skip the driver door

ClassicDatsunDebate > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:19

Congrats!

Hensforth called The Pleasure Dungeon

ranwhenparked > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:20

https://searshomes.org/index.php/2013/01/28/the-crescent-for-folks-who-like-a-touch-of-individuality/

But, the floor plan comes out kind of distorted for me, did find this one on Pinterest. They had two versions, and also an optional 2nd floor. Kind of exciting if it is , but still a damn nice house and garage either way.

Kinja'd!!!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:24

Color me impressed if you did that by yourself. Me and my dad did mine, and we used that ladder trick (or was it actually in the instructions? I had the same craftsman motor you do...). Took us uhhh 5 hours but it really wasn’t too bad.

vondon302 > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:30

Lol do it!

Classic house needs a classic car.

ranwhenparked > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 15:45

Why not? Baby Lincoln ftw

Beefchips > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/25/2020 at 15:50

That’s why the janky pile of stuff on top of the ladder... had to make it exactly the right height lol

Beefchips > ranwhenparked
09/25/2020 at 15:50

Cool, thanks for the link. That’s not our floor plan, but I’m going to go searching.

Beefchips > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 15:54

Yes it has been renovated. Out with the old knob and tube, in with the Romex ! We modernized the heating as soon as we closed, so that’s pretty much the last item to bring it up to date. That and the garage door opener.

The place is about 1400sf and then an unfinished basement. Here’s a little better photo, it’s tough to get a good shot cause it sits so high from the street

Kinja'd!!!

Beefchips > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 15:56

Lol this isn’t Nam! There are rules!

ranwhenparked > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 16:08

I know Aladdin offered a similar looking model around the same time, too. Bob Vila renovated one in the ‘90s and kept misidentfying it as a Sears throughout the show. Haven't seen a floor plan for it, though.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 16:08

Rules against garage camo deterring intruders and air surveillance ? Unless you’ve got a concrete hole loving HOA I think it very well could be ‘Nam up in here.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 16:12

Plenty of privacy it seems. Those front hedges make the front yard more usable as a hangout space it seems. Shame the porch isn’t larger. My current non college home has a great porch but it also faces the cat hoarder/schizophrenic across the street and prompts many interactions with a few neighbors I’d rather not talk to. I recently read something about the perfect balance of public v private in porch placement (height and proximity to road but not too private) and it would strike the balance well in a neighborhood less full of crazies.

Beefchips > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 16:57

The crazies were part of the reason we sold our old place. There was the nighttime pallet collection business, the lady with the 24/7 barky dogs , the squatters in the house on the corner, the camper trailer used as a drug/flop house.... it wasn’t bad at all when we move d in, but we lived there almost a decade and things change I guess.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 17:05

Things have changed for the better dramatically in the 20 years my parents have lived in that house. The stormchaser/naked gardener neighbors are still there but some of the real crazies aren’t around anymore. Plus the nearby town square is much more trendy and more of an attraction so there’s more to do, more restaurants, etc. It’s a great location with some great historic homes too but the owners haven’t treated all of them the best.

A friend of mine lived next to some cardboard collectors. I don’t think they were ever a nuisance. Why were pallet collectors annoying?

Beefchips > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 17:06

LOL naked gardening! I could get into that at my new place.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 17:14

Ooo, congrats! I wish I could afford to get a house...I was possibly planning on it this year, but the housing market here has gone and turned into an insane seller’s market and prices on even the crappiest place are through the roof :(

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 17:14

Hopefully not in the front yard. Fortunately I've never been the victim of that specific pastime. Somehow their front garden still looks like a weed choked overgrown mess. Disgraceful.

Manny05x > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 17:27

Congrats to you and your wife on your new home.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Brickman
09/25/2020 at 18:04

You know you don’t have to credit images in comments right? Also you don’t even need to credit photos in posts anymore. I f you select in-hou se art there is a no attribution required slider.

Brickman > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/25/2020 at 18:09

Thanks

Beefchips > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/25/2020 at 18:12

Keep saving! Now is a really tough tome for a first house purchase. I suspect that when the pandemic ebbs and the economy recovers more people will be willing to sell and things will cool off.

Beefchips > Manny05x
09/25/2020 at 18:13

Thanks Manny!

Nom De Plume > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 18:57

Slammed Geo Tracker

feather-throttle-not-hair > Beefchips
09/25/2020 at 19:32

Awesome! Congrats! Love garaging my car, it’s an underrated feeling, you get home and you’re like “and now my fine metal friend, I will tuck you into your home. Sleep tight my sweet prince.” And then you get out of your car and try to pretend you didn’t say the monologue out loud again.