The garage is now fully insulated and the gas furnace is operational. The shelving around the upper perimeter of the garage is also complete and already put to good use along with the old kitchen cupboards which were installed on the west wall of the garage.

Out in the yard, this year's section of fence is complete. The old wood piles were also cleaned up and the fire pit was relocated to make snow removal easier along the pathway to the garage. The relocation of the fire pit also clears the way for an enhancement that may be done to the driveway next year - the addition of a loop around the bushes and trees in the center of the yard.

Topics: 2011, Driveway, Garage, Landscaping

The garage interior is nearly complete and ready for paint. However, there are still important things to do. The gas furnace still isn't connected. Construction of shelving around the upper perimeter is underway. This needs to be completed so the remainder of the insulation (a second layer) can be installed in the attic. These shelves will be supported with long bolts up to the rafters and the installation of those bolts will be much easier if done before all the insulation is in the attic. Other things like workbenches and more shelving also need to be built, but that will no doubt drag on for a long period of time.

The current focus is on outside activities. I'm trying to get as much done in the yard as possible before winter sets in. More landscaping work was done earlier this fall. Most of this work was at the back and right side of the garage and along the west side of the driveway right up to the street. All this should greatly improve the drainage next spring as water now has a clear path from the back alley to the street along the west side of the property.

Work is also well underway on more fence. This fence runs around the south west corner of the property. It will eventually connect with that build last year on the east side of the property, but that will have to wait until next. All the fence posts and the wood that contacts the ground are in place, so freezing temperatures won't affect the rest of the fence construction. Like last year the fence will be built as individual panels and now those panels can be built in the garage, so this activity can be completed at any time. However, the sooner it's done the sooner it will stop the snow from drifting in from the west.

Last but not least, the storage containers were relocated to the back of the garage and the old storage shed was move a bit to the south east. This opens up the center of the back yard which should make it easier to clear snow around the front of the garage this winter. It will also allow landscaping to be done in the center of the back yard, but that will be something for next year.

Speaking of snow, I finished cleaning up the middle of yard late yesterday and not long after it started snowing and it's still snowing this morning.

Topics: 2011, Garage, Landscaping, Storage

The exterior of the garage is complete, including electrical plugins, a light by the small door, and eaves troughs.

The electrical wiring is also mostly complete and work is well underway to insulate and finish the inside.

The garage door openers were also installed a few weeks ago thanks to the help from my friend Kendrick. That task was a bit more difficult than it had to be because there was no room between the door and the ceiling for the openers. The tracks for the doors had to be modified to create the necessary space.

Last but not least, a couple weeks ago there was a tree service crew in town, so I hired them for a few hours to prune all the dead branches from the big trees out front. Afterwards it took me a couple days to clean up the trimmings. In hind-sight I should have hired them to do everything :-)

Topics: 2011, Garage

This week more progress was made on the siding, soffit, and fascia. The end of that is very near.

A yard light was also installed on the front of the garage and a natural gas line was run out to the garage from the house for the gas heater that will eventually be installed. I did the trenching work and the local plumber installed and tested the line. The gas heater is a direct vent sealed combustion unit, so a thimble was installed in the back wall for the combined intake/exhaust pipe to pass through.

A few readers have asked, so I should mention that the siding being install on the garage is HardiePlank® Lap Siding. Its installation is actually a two person job, but with those simple brackets I fabricated out a few pieces of wood I was able to eliminate the need for a second set of hands. The brackets hold the siding in the correct position giving me plenty of time to pre-drill and nail it.

Topics: 2011, Garage

The siding installation is going well. It's now well over half done. The soffit and fascia are coming along as well.

Topics: 2011, Garage