# New garage build



## mechrepairs

Well I am a mechanic and also love to tinker with cars in my spare time, also like to keep them clean etc.

I moved into this house approx a year ago and as soon as I did I had big plans, here they are

Well as a few of you will know I used to run my business out of my purpose built garage next to my home, as things picked up and got busier so did the amount of cars I had around me and I decided to go all big and professional, that was about six years ago now, this meant the garage was now redundant other than to use as storage.

I have since rented out the house and just kept the garage for storage of my ever growing collection of toys.

I have since moved into a lovely bungalow (had all the jokes btw), bought it because it had plenty of land and was also in a lovely area and a quiet cul de sac, we are the youngest in the street by 40 years, you can imagine, perfect hedges and gardens all round, every Sunday everyone is out cleaning there cars etc, then there is me, cars everywhere and as of these week diggers vans and skips:thumbsup

The existing garage is a double unit and to be fair is fine to park cars but other than that its all, when two cars are parked in there you would struggle to fit a rizla paper between the two.

How the house looked as we bought it-


















Here's the before-










We both sat down and planned what we wanted, me obviously a nice new and much improved garage and her a kitchen (ha ha) we had all the plans drawn up and sat tight, eight weeks later we got the thumbs up, we rang around for quotes to be astounded at the costs of some of them and finally choose our builders.

What I started with-

Monday I came home from work to this-


























Have to say I was very impressed on how clean they work. I have never even met my next door neighbour and when I came home she was flirting with the builders, she is in her 90s as well:lol

Off I went to work the next morning after having a quick chat with the builders, it was nice to day dream all day and see what I would be looking at when I got home and how much progress could be made.

Day 2-

I came home to be greeted with this, although not a lot seemed to have been done the back wall had to be dug out 2 metres for the footings as the inspector had found traces of hedge roots, been told they are the worst with them sucking up all the water in the soil

Deep hole-










All the trees and plants (well mainly weeds) had been dug up, the fence came down along with the concrete posts-










All the exterior walls had been marked out and cut with a massive kind of saw, a compressor had been brought in to jack hammer the concrete (old garage floor base)










Another couple of angles










A view from the street.












stu said:


> I must be paying you too much for all the work on my car, for you to afford all this! :laugh
> 
> Good work, should be good when it's all finished. B)


Ha ha, can you imagine, it's called having a rich girlfriend and bribing her,come on I need a nice garage so I can earn some money etc etc ( if only, two incomes into a household make it easier)

A bit more for you all.

When I get home after day 3-

All the footings are dug now and the old concrete garage base was jack hammered, four skip fulls of mud later.










Notice the yellow and black pipes, well these are the gas and electric mains , it looks like we will have to get these moved at a later date which will be a hold up no doubt.










Nice and deep, possibly dive in there now with all the water??

Well the last wall which is where the main garage door will be, I have done it like this so that when cars are parked on the drive it won't stop me getting in and out the garage.










This is where they finished for day 3 and left the digger as you see it, can only assume that's so the local scum can't steal it.

Day 4

Well this was the day the council came out to inspect the depth of the footing and made sure everything done was done to the specs of the plans, he turned up at two and at three the cement truck arrived to pour the footing, which meant the builders had obviously done a good enough job.

Filled with the hard stuff, good knows how much is in her but the truck arrived full and left empty










This will eventually be the entrance










And the final picture, this is how it stands, got to leave it three days to fully cure-










Day 5

Well got up early as the builders have been getting here so early I have still been in bed and it's a little embarrassing, got up at 630 and the buggers never got here till about 8.

Spoke to the gaffer and was told today was the drainage day and also the day they got the base to the correct level, also a bricky was coming to start with the base and build the block work up. I left for work.

Well I got home and this greeted me.










No where to park and loads of mud, old drains etc everywhere, but I have to say I love coming home to see progress.

At first it just seems they have put the drains down and thats about it but looking closer I can see we have all new drains for the existing drainage and all new pipe work for the new ensuite and toilet in my garage:thumbsup

We now have foundations for the new porch, check out my new drains, plus my draw bridge to the front door :lol-










Also my back door has a new floating feature-










The start of the brickwork, this is where the main front door will be with also a small side entrance-










Well that's about it, but I also have this view from the front door, just got to be careful not to fall down a hole-










To be continued.....

Carl


----------



## Princy

I'd have been so tempted to have them dig and concrete a pit while they're there


----------



## mechrepairs

Princy said:


> I'd have been so tempted to have them dig and concrete a pit while they're there


I have a pit in my other garage and to be fair they are a pain in the ass.

Day 6

Well the boys have had a day off and got back on it today, basically they have repositioned the drains as they didn't have a good enough angle for drain off and we have had the drains power jetting due to them thinking they wasn't clear.










Plenty of pipe work here mainly to carry turds :lol










Also had one of the pillars redone as the builders were a bit unsure a one brick 7 foot tall pillar would support the weight of itself without cracking at the base let alone the garage door and roof on the top of it.

Also got three layers of blue bricks (damp course) so it's starting to move up, how it looks now, they have also broke up the old base and moved quite a bit of earth










Still plenty more to move though










The skip guy came a little while ago and I asked him how much he thought the skip would weigh, he just said watch this, he attached the chains to the skip, extended the balance legs on the truck and took the weight, I couldn't beleive my eyes, the front of the truck lifted off the ground by a good four foot:crazy

Also had the drains sorted around the back and some of the earth put back along with what looks like kitty litter.










Then I parked today's vehicle of choice on the end of the drive, doesn't handle like a gti6 though :lol










Day 7

Came home to this-










Oh and more has happened today in between the power showers we seem to be having, this is what it looks like now










Basically we have had a three ton digger delivered today and boy it made the hard work of moving 40 tons of hardcore from the base to level it all out, we had 3 skips delivered but I think the builders under estimated the amount we had to move and these soon got full.

This is basically what we have now, which is more or less level










This is what we ended up doing with what we removed this is the second amount :lol, I think we may have upset some neighbours










We also now have some footings in for the new porch










All is going great to be fair, thee was a hold up today due to the rain but other than that I should have a garage in about 8 weeks.

The view I get out my window in the morning










Thought I would put a few pics up from the rain we had this afternoon as well, basically it went that dark the street lights came on and in 40 minutes we had this in certain areas


























Not good, quite a few people's houses also got damaged not to mention cars with hail stones the size of golf balls.

Day 8

Basically it has been a lot of mud and rubble removal to get the garage floor to the level required, the internal walls have also had the footings done and all drains have had lintels fitted over the top so when the concrete is laid they don't get crushed.

A view from the top of the drive, it seems very low so the drive will need to be re sloped










As you can now see there is a footing for a wall, this will be the start if my garage so if my calculations are correct I will have room for three car and tools/workbench etc.










Basically from the picture below where the wood is on the left that's the start of my garage.










The last piece is the new porch, the curved door will be removed and what you see will extend the front of the house










Day 9

Well it keeps bloody raining so not a lot has been done that you can see, the first part of the base was pored and afterwards covered up so the rain didn't get to it










That's about your lot for today

Day 10

Came home to the porch wall coining up nicely










Here's the best bit, a nice big fresh slab of concrete, this is where all my toys will live, can't wait.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/mechanicalrepairs/f4bf85d0.jpg[/IMUG]
[IMG]http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g284/mechanicalrepairs/ebc91fd5.jpg

Need to sort the slope on the driveway, (i know the cosworth is 4x4 but its taking the p**s) builder have said I have had my amount of soil to be removed, the rest is done to me or the cost goes up, bugger.

I dig have a crafty go on the digger though, seems easy enough.










Well a little bit has happened, with all the bad weather the builders have had other jobs to do which we're all in doors, it was raining this morning so I was surprised to see them pulle up but they did and they seem to have cracked on, when I say them it's just one builder and I imagine he is in his sixties.

Today we have got a part garage wall starting to take form, I insisted on this as we need to have the gas and electric metres moved and with the gas and electric board due round any day I thought it was best they had somewhere to go.

Here's what we have today.

Day 10



















As you can see we have decided on blue bricks at the bottom (damp course) and we are having the rest rendered, we chose this as its in keeping with the street and to be fair look a lot better than the original bricks used on the rest of the house.

Well as I type this out its p**sing it down outside so who knows if the builder will turn up in the morning??

Carl


----------



## Nally

Wow that's a lot of work
Liked the little garage before


----------



## mechrepairs

Day 11

Well we had the building inspector out today and she (yes she) was not happy that the new drainage pipes were covered up and they couldn't check them, lucky I had photos of these, one down, the other was the fact the garage wall at the far end had non insulated bricks used and this is a no no.

Well that wall came down and was re built, what we got today was this-










Really starting to take shape now, bad news is I have to pay the second installment tomorrow.

Well in between the nightmare rain showers a little bit has happened.

Day 11 & 12

We are now up to window height and the pillars are getting up to approx 6ft, all the walls are double skinned more or less all around, the weather is really starting to hamper things-

More blocks have been delivered :lol



















Sure is bloody wet, seems the floor is level though:lol










To be continued, albeit slowly with this bloody weather

Day 13 & 14

Well a bit more has been done, the cavities have been filled with insulation and the walls are now at the height required (exterior wise) few more days doing the internal brickwork and I think we will be starting on the roof.

A few pictures-










Windows, I assume there will be some brick work over the top of these or at least on course of bricks










Well this is a part of the back wall of my garage the painted wall you see will be coming down eventually, at the minute the gas and electric metres are on this hence the reason it's still standing, this part will be a study and a utility room with a toilet.










As you can see though the external and internal walls on this part are about finished and the insulation has been fitted In between the walls, the porch wall is also up to height and insulated.










Well that's about as far as its got, brickwork wise, the far end exterior wall needs the internal part finishing and the internal back wall also needs finishing, other than that we are about there with the brick work.

A structural engineer now has the plans as I have asked for the roof trusses to be as minimalistic as possible so I can have good head height, hoping to be able to fit a two post lift if possible, if not at least a lift that can lift a vehicle to waist height.

Not a lot more to report, my 67 year old builders hearing aid packed in so he had a day off.

He did do half a day and get the far wall completed inside and out and I have to say the block work is very neat, unsure whether to have it plastered or just paint it.

Day 15



















I have to say though I am sitting here bored and just wish the garage was finished so I could go in there and tinker with something.

Day 16/17

Well as of today the walls are now at the desired height and done internally and externally, just waiting for the electric board to come so we can move the metre and we can remove the wall in the middle.

Bloody electric board where due here today and they just didn't turn up.

Next up its the roofers job to erect the rsj,s and the trusses.

Here's what we have today-



















Don't you sometimes wish you never started these big ideas? Well the builders had built there walls up last week, the electricity board came and slapped my ass big time for £700 to move a metre and turned up three days late just to add insult to injury.

Now I have just been sat waiting for two rsj's and all the trusses for the roof, well come home from work today to find these-



















I had to have these made as I may want to have a ramp in the garage, as you can see these have been done to make the most of the height available.










Got to say it has made me feel loads better, it's a bloody nightmare at the minute, when it rains we seem to drag all the sand and mud into the house and it looks just an eye sore lol.

Roll on the finished product.

Well had an early start today as I had a few concerns regards the wall height in the garage and the porch, after a quick check of the plans and a bit of measuring it seems we were missing around 200mm from the porch and 100mm on the garage walls

The porch is going to get a few extra layer of bricks and the roof adjusted to compensate, the garage walls with the fixing plates etc will take up the missing height.

We got it all sorted in the end and I left for work, I was told today would be plenty of adjustment and mainly cutting the trusses to fit the walls.

Well when I got home I was shocked to find this(seem to have put my finger in the way)










Should think the roof won't be going anywhere in a hurry.










A side view, so can't wait for it all to be finished.










Hopefully will have most of the trusses up tomorrow, next week it's the gas metre to be moved and then starting to break into the roof of the house.

To be continued.

Well a bit more has happened, it has slowed down quite a bit now as the builder went on holiday then I have been having a few issues with the steel works.

Basically now just waiting for the steel work to be delivered and we will be back up to speed, paid for it today and they are being delivered on Wednesday so till then it's just finishing off the odds and sods around the porch.

The trusses have been fitted all the way to the house roof now and they have removed the tiles to match it together.










It's very odd when it's windy :lol

The rear wall of the garage and what will be or was going to be a study (now going to be a nursury:thumbsdown )










The opposite wall to the above and how it's looking from the inside of the meeting point of the garage to the house, still thinking what I could use all this space for :lol once the roof is water tight around here the internal wall from the old garage will be removed.










Hopefully on wednesday when the steels arrive I can get the front all done as without it we cant build upwards over the garage door and fit the end truss.

It's so annoying as I just wanna use it.

Carl


----------



## StevieM3

Jealous!


----------



## wylie coyote

When you had a go with the digger - please tell me you haven't accidentally driven it into next door's garden......

Must seem like Christmas every time you come home to see what's been done.:thumb:


----------



## mechrepairs

A bit more has happened, hooray.

All the steels turned up bar a plate which is needed to reinforce the front rsj over the garage door opening which meant the front wall could start to go up










I came home from work one day and the front door was not where i left it.










Where it once was










As you can see they didnt even move my shoes, buggers

They then concentrated on the porch, bringing the walls up to roof height and adding the trusses










Plus the brickwork










Well got back from holiday to find out there has been progress, not as much as I would have liked though, basically the roof should have been completed but due to the original roof tiles no longer available they stop to wait and see if I am happy with the ones they have chose.

This is what I got to see on the drive up-










As you can see all the brick work has now been completed and there has been a bit of facia put up along the side of the garage and the front porch.

The inside isnt looking to shabby either-










Note the specially made trusses to give me extra height, was hoping to get a two post ramp in here but unsure whether the height is still there to be honest-










Hopefully this will be covered in roof tiles tomorrow-










The porch, just a mini roof compared-










Once the roof is on the garage then this old garage wall which is inside the new build will be knocked down and the electric metre etc moved and all the wiring sorted, once this has gone the insides can start getting a make over.

The bike fits anyway.










Its always nice to know i can tinker at hone tho.

i think one of these will suffice-










Carl

it must take a fair bit of pumping the handle up and down to get the car right up in the air, takes a lot of manpower aswell to use all 8 mechanics everytime the coach needs lowering and raising, good teamwork though to keep it level while raising and lowering [/quote]

You are a plonker Andy, that's the handle to move the ramp around, it's like a pallet truck once the handle is upright its dropped on the floor and the lift is done by the motor visable at the top.

Well I have been away for a while as most will know but the updates are slow, had a bit of a barny with builder tonight, basically was told 8 weeks, we are now 11 in and still no full roof, plus had no gas in the house for 3 days:crazy

This is where we are, photos are better than my spiel-



















That's about it, the other pitch of the roof is half done.:thumbsdown

Main entrance halfway through the render process-










As it is now-










Main front door to the house, basically the keyed look-










Finished look, bar the paint colour-










Carl


----------



## kevin whittaker

Amazing space - very jealous mate...


----------



## a1diamond

Wow fantastic project, this is better than watching Downton Abbey, but then watching Blue Peter is better than Downton Abbey LOl.
Keep up with the updates:thumb:


----------



## mechrepairs

A bit more has happened and it's starting to look like the end is in siight.

Came home to find the old external garage wall on the drive-










Which has left the nursery (which was meant to be a study) look quite large-










Another angle-










Doors and windows should be here next week so that means it will be water tight and I can get the floor tile and start with the plumbing and electrics.

Be great when it's done, just wish it would hurry up.



dangti6 said:


> bo***cks to the nusery. Get a nice lathe etc sep up in there.
> 
> Or get the snip now and when it's no longer required convert it into another man room.


I do like your style the missus on the other hand :lol , funnily enough I nearly had the snip about a year ago but then just forgot about it.



marco gti6 said:


> It is looking great Carl, and progressing well!
> How many cars will you be able to store once it is all done?


Well with it being bare it would house 4 306s quite easily, once it's got my work bench and bits and bobs I reckon it will be two comfortably and three if you just stack em in there.

I want to strip the rear of my 205 and give that some resto and possibly supercharge it so we will see what it's like as a working garage.

Well the builders forgot or as they put it was never told that I wanted drains at the front of the garage door, I think they got the hump so as I went work the dug some trenches and trapped the bike in the garage, w**kers :lol, good Job it's chilly.










The actual trenches-










Little more has happened the non stop rain has slowed things down a little, I have now got a very posh roller shutter door that I am proud of though, went for composite side door and front house door so basically a upvc style but in old traditional colour (went for red), due to this it was a wait of ten days










Also the drains have been dug out and the pipe work all fitted, quite self explanatory, a set of drains will be positioned just in front of the roller door.



















Had the plumber down this evening to get all the heating in the garage, gone for four radiators positioned on the two largest walls, a cold tap for my pressure washer and basically he will be doing the utility, so a bog and a sink.
Electrician has also been round and I gave him a two page list (a4) that should keep him busy, even toying with the idea of cctv:dunno

Painter is starting on Monday to colour the render and hopefully things will crack on.

Drum roll please!!

More has happened, the back wall which is what the next door neighbour will see has been fully rendered and painted-










Believe it or not the old lady who lives next door actually came out and commented on how nice it looks now and that she has changed her mind and doesn't want me to fit a new fence along it, good news for her I suppose as that was never going to happen anyway, cheeky sod:lol basically she has been a little of an issue, not checking the plans when they were submitted and also just being a little funny with the builders, never even spoke to me. Old people heh.

I now have a red side door, which I was a little nervous about but looks great, these doors are meant to look like wood and believe it or not they really do, made of a composite and the garage side door and the main front door cost us quite an amount compared to standard ones so now I am relieved that they do actually look great.

As you can also see I now have drains across the front of the garage door too!










All the side windows are also in, I feel I did a good job on the choosing of these as in the end I went for frosted glass, looking at the brochures it's hard to see in reality what you are going to get, I did good I feel:dunno










Basically that's the garage and extension complete as in water tight, we also now have the massive task of doing all the internal work.

This is a picture of the old front door and the more room the extension has given us-










The new room we have acquired, looks quite big doesn't it? Well it will be split into a third and will be used as the nursery , also a utility and the man bog (for stinky s**ts)










The final picture the money shot, this is what all the pain has been for (looks bloody small on this picture)-










More to follow, decided to fully insulate the garage and have the ceiling boarder,the lighting will be little spots you see at plush used car show rooms, I tell you what though the cost has just gone mental, if you ever have any building work etc carried out take the quote with a pinch of salt, there always seems to be a nicer piece to finish the puzzle and a few hidden surprises that happen on the way.

Bit more-

Old back door bricked up, this is the new turd laying spot.










The electrics are going in, fuse box relocated, it's all happening, chap looked at me gone out when I told him I wanted a tv aerial in there 










Plenty of wiring for the led spot lights I decided to go with-










Basically first fix for the garage done.

That aside I am loving it.

Carl


----------



## gav1513

thats gonna be a fantastic space when its all done, very jealous, are you from the midlands by any chance seeing as you mentioned all that rain and hailstones the size of golf balls


----------



## mechrepairs

gav1513 said:


> thats gonna be a fantastic space when its all done, very jealous, are you from the midlands by any chance seeing as you mentioned all that rain and hailstones the size of golf balls


Yes I am also from Leicester.

Carl


----------



## gav1513

ah thought as much, looking forward to the results of this new garage :thumb:


----------



## Dan_Mol

Wow! No half measures here, that's a fair sized extension looks brilliant!


----------



## David Proctor

Great project......Love it....


----------



## spirocheter

Great to read and love all the pictures, substituted my usual read of the newspaper online (far more interesting). Superb looking and robustly built garage, looking forwards to seeing the rest of the project unfold.


----------



## freezer1

Great Garage fella! What size is it?


----------



## Ric

are you in sheffield?


----------



## cossienuts

this is awesome....i will keep watching with interest


----------



## craigblues

Looks great! What size does it work out to be? 8M X 5M? That's my guesstimate.


----------



## srmtor

I can see this turning into another epic build thread! Looking good so far


----------



## GTISnoopy

What sort of height did the roof design give you. I hope to design for 12 to 13 foot (3.5-4M) to fit a lift in.


----------



## mechrepairs

Hi people thanks for all the replies, it is about done now to be fair, i have some more pictures i will upoad when i get back home.

A few answers to the questions, garage size is 17ft x 11ft, (i can squeeze four peugeot 306s in there), i am hopeing to have a workbench and storage area to the rear so just happy to have two cars in there comfortably, the height is 11ft but i was hopeing for a little more as i am going to put a lift in there eventually.

I am situated in Leicester, think someone may have missed that reply:lol:


----------



## ianFRST

awesome, just awesome


----------



## jlw41

Awesome


----------



## Pugboi

Looking good !! :thumb:


----------



## VenomUK

Great read there mate, cant wait for the next update


----------



## mechrepairs

Well it's still on going, been getting home from work late to take any interior photos (bloody dark now) but its mainly all the bits that are hard to see, all the pipe work has been fitted for the four radiators that now sit in the garage, the electrics have all been put in for the spot lights and the insulation has been added to the garage roof, just waiting for that to be boarded now.

Spare room (nursery) has been separated with a wall so I have the out lines of a bog, room and a utility.

Also have a tap in the garage for my pressure washer. Literally just ordered £550 worth of tiles for the floor in the garage and utility (missus thinks I am off my rocker) .

Me and the missus had a fall out last week and basically she never spoke to me for 7 days solid, this drawing never went down to well (it means soo much more if you could hear her whine)










Exterior of the house has all new gutters and fascias-










Last bit of render finished-










The bit I think my neighbour most liked, her fence back up










More has happened, the ceiling got insulated and boarded, decided to go with this as its going to be warmer and will look great once done with led spot lights.










All the crap was swept out the garage and the floor was then sealed ready to lay the floor tiles the following day










The start of laying the floor tiles commenced.










On with the exterior, this is basically all done as far as building work is concerned so we started to apply the first coat of colour to our side of the build (done the neighbours bit a few weeks ago)




























Well that's where we are at the moment, just the tiler to carry on tomorrow and the builders to concentrate on my window sills in the garage then on the utility and the nursery.

Had a bedroom fitter come round and measure the corner of the garage as he is going to build me a sort of fitted workbench and cupboard storage combo. Electrician should be back soon to finish off the electrics, I am hoping that within a couple of weeks it will be completed, I will then need a gypo and a digger kind of person to lower the ground around the garage so I can actually get into it.

Carl


----------



## Bustanut

That is absolutely mint mate. I read to the point where you said you got a bedroom fitter in and thought you were adding sleeping quarters in there for a minute. Keep the photos coming, looking forward to the end results.


----------



## GTISnoopy

Really liking the tiled floor. 
And the drawing :lol:


----------



## tichy

wow !!! what a build, fair play mate i would love something like this one day. 
have you got any more pics of the rallye. :thumb:


----------



## VWman

Drawing is awesome lol


----------



## mechrepairs

tichy said:


> wow !!! what a build, fair play mate i would love something like this one day.
> have you got any more pics of the rallye. :thumb:


It's a well modified car running 392 bhp

A few random ones-


























The making of my replacement inlet manifold, good to have friends in the right places-










With the new shiny bits I had to rid myself of some rust, so from this-










A little bit of this-


















Turned eventually, to this-




























Then the finished article-


----------



## floppy_dave

Great thread, forget the rest of the house and live in the garage!


----------



## F1 CJE UK

I am in love with that car!!!


----------



## Phil H

Excellent thread!! Love the new garage, awesome


----------



## Scoobr

What an absolutely fantastic garage/mancave! :thumb:

I can safely say that if it were mine, the Mrs would never see me, I'd live in it 

Also love the drawing! :lol: :lol:


----------



## mechrepairs

Scoobr said:


> What an absolutely fantastic garage/mancave! :thumb:
> 
> I can safely say that if it were mine, the Mrs would never see me, I'd live in it
> 
> Also love the drawing! :lol: :lol:


This will be the case with me, I have even hqd a t. Point installed can't miss eastenders etc.

Carl


----------



## AndyC

Stunning. And a Pug guy too. If I was a girl I'd marry you dude


----------



## mechrepairs

Got a few more pictures, took them a few minutes ago, the tiled floor is finished in the garage, ran out of tiles for the utility and the toilet (missus wasn't happy).

Floor needs a wipe over, as does my bike-










Also the roof has been plastered, in the process of drying out.


















It's more or less done now, just waiting for the electrician to finish off and my stuff can be moved in.

Was thinking of getting a photo put on vinyl an get it put on a wall? Would it work?

Carl


----------



## PaulN

Looking great....

I cant help thinking the entrance would have look better with the peak roof moved slightly over to the left to allow it to finish before the garage roof.










Nice job on the blending ive seen some bad jobs cause its not easy adding a garage to the front of a house.

Paul


----------



## a1diamond

Looks Fantastic you should be very proud:thumb:


----------



## bobsabuilder

mechrepairs said:


> Hi people thanks for all the replies, it is about done now to be fair, i have some more pictures i will upoad when i get back home.
> 
> A few answers to the questions, *garage size is 17ft x 11ft*, (i can squeeze four peugeot 306s in there), i am hopeing to have a workbench and storage area to the rear so just happy to have two cars in there comfortably, the height is 11ft but i was hopeing for a little more as i am going to put a lift in there eventually.
> 
> I am situated in Leicester, think someone may have missed that reply:lol:


You sure on those sizes?

Looks more like 18ft wide by about 30ft long to me ?

Nice garage though :thumb:


----------



## NickCW

Looks great, can't wait to see it finished!


----------



## GTISnoopy

Have you any info about the tiles used on the floor?


----------



## talisman

fab read, love stuff like this.....the car is a real credit to you, keep us updated with the fitout, i,m sure you have gone overbudget but have a wee look at the dura garage cabinet range would look fab in the garage


----------



## mechrepairs

talisman said:


> fab read, love stuff like this.....the car is a real credit to you, keep us updated with the fitout, i,m sure you have gone overbudget but have a wee look at the dura garage cabinet range would look fab in the garage


Surprisingly i have stayed well in budget and had a bit of luck along the way, quote was very good to start with and as i am a mechanic i have fixed one of the builders vans, repaired the tilers van (in exchange for labour), the electricain is a close friend so mates rates, plumber have known for 15 years and he works for free i just supply the parts, its a nightmare when one of his vans breaks down tho:lol:

So as you can imagine its a good way of doing things, although it makes me look for toys to put in the garage as if i dont have enough already!!!

The only thing i am thinking about is whether to paint the walls, leave them as is or get a vinyl of some car or a nice view (no **** as the missus woud'nt approve).

I did look at the dura stuff and as nice as it is the prices are just out of my range, or to put it better i would rather buy something else (a new car), i priced up a setup from them, it was around £15000, waay to expensive, my fitted wardrobe man will do me proud with something he can knock up.



GTISnoopy said:


> Have you any info about the tiles used on the floor?


Regards the tiles, i spoke to a few tilers to ask what they thought would be good, i was originally going to use industrial ones which i have in my other garage but as they are quite small the cost to lay was high, these are recommended as they are graded as one of the toughest and also have been used in a friends garage and he has had no issues as yet, i will be using jacks ect on the floor but that will be about the toughest issue they will face, its all in how they are laid i am told?

Carl


----------



## shudaman

epic build this is well done!
and enought about the gti, what about that cossie in the first pic! lol


----------



## mechrepairs

shudaman said:


> epic build this is well done!
> and enought about the gti, what about that cossie in the first pic! lol


Had the escort about 7 months or so now, it's a great toy believe me, just fitted some big front brakes, not got many pictures to be honest, here's one after the brakes-










Believe it or not but the 306 is on par with this.

Can't wait to get them both cleaned up and in the new garage.

Carl


----------



## mechrepairs

shudaman said:


> epic build this is well done!
> and enought about the gti, what about that cossie in the first pic! lol


Had the escort about 7 months or so now, it's a great toy believe me, just fitted some unrated front brakes, not got many pictures to be honest, here's one after the brakes-










Believe it or not but the 306 is on par with this.

Can't wait to get them both cleaned up and in the new garage. Just after this photo I cleaned the car with a diluted mix of tfr and its sent the paintwork very streaky, it badly needs a polish, was hoping to get it in the garage before long and sort it out.

Carl


----------



## RefinedDetails

Simply awesome - what a transformation


----------



## s60aun

Looks sweet... Nice to see end product once all your goodies are in the garage 😋


----------



## shudaman

mechrepairs said:


> Had the escort about 7 months or so now, it's a great toy believe me, just fitted some unrated front brakes, not got many pictures to be honest, here's one after the brakes-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Believe it or not but the 306 is on par with this.
> 
> Can't wait to get them both cleaned up and in the new garage. Just after this photo I cleaned the car with a diluted mix of tfr and its sent the paintwork very streaky, it badly needs a polish, was hoping to get it in the garage before long and sort it out.
> 
> Carl


looks lovely mate:thumb:
are you a member of the RSOC, its a grate place for all things RS lol


----------



## GJM

17 x 11...looks a lot bigger than that....or was that just what went into the planning dept


----------



## 20vKarlos

love this!

subscribed!


----------



## zippo

Ive just spent the past hour or so reading this . I love it and i am doubly jealous, a first class man cave and an escort cosworth while all i have is an escort cosworth brochure to drool over. I've got to say though i think your other half is out standing for letting all this happen and not one moan or has there been and you've not said .Either way i think you have a lot to be proud of . My mates garage rebuild nearly came to blows and all sorts because he wouldn't paint at least one wall pink for swmbo ( Ive never really understood the female Psyche ,but it made sense to her, no body else like, just her). Good luck with the rest of the build
Daz


----------



## mechrepairs

GJM said:


> 17 x 11...looks a lot bigger than that....or was that just what went into the planning dept


My bad the garage is 50 metres squared, I am a bit of a dummy.

Thanks for all the comments people, it was supposed to be a 8 week project but with one thing and another we are into the 17th week, it gets annoying as it makes the whole house a building site.



zippo said:


> Ive just spent the past hour or so reading this . I love it and i am doubly jealous, a first class man cave and an escort cosworth while all i have is an escort cosworth brochure to drool over. I've got to say though i think your other half is out standing for letting all this happen and not one moan or has there been and you've not said .Either way i think you have a lot to be proud of . My mates garage rebuild nearly came to blows and all sorts because he wouldn't paint at least one wall pink for swmbo ( Ive never really understood the female Psyche ,but it made sense to her, no body else like, just her). Good luck with the rest of the build
> Daz


Oh we have had the odd issue but this is just the start of the modernisation here, once this has all finished and the bank account has time to recover we will be moving on the the rear extension so she can have her lounge and a new kitchen, I think this will be where issue get started, size of cooker, marble tops etc lol.

The garage has now had a lick of paint to the ceiling and also the utility has now been boarded, tiled and painted, I will whack some photos up in a bit, tomorrow we have the electrician over so we should have lights and all electrics working, I can test my roller shutter door. Ha ha

Carl


----------



## DNZ 21

Thats a very nice garage mate. The whole garage and bungalow looks spot on


----------



## Elliott19864

Awesome build.


----------



## rdoyle21

Wow! Fair Play,You Are Living The Dream With That Garage Dude


----------



## talisman

Anymore pics, looking forward to seeing both cars in the garage.


----------



## mechrepairs

Well here is an update that's a little long over due, things have been slow as its just the finishing touches to do and getting tradesmen to do small jobs is a nightmare, tiler was meant to finish off the study but still not been, good job I owe him money as I may get someone else in and fob him off.

Had the utility all painted-










Even the ceiling in the garage done white, unsure whether that was a wise choice.










I had put one of my toys in storage when the build started and only did it for 10 weeks, now we are into our 17th week it had to come out, I took it to my workplace but it would only be a matter of time before it got damaged so decided to bring it home today.

First of all I had to move a load of hard core, started with this-










Ended with this which believe it or not was bloody hard work-










Still a little problem of this, it's a good 2ft drop at least-










Well now was the time to get some of the old garage roof trusses and a few bricks to try and level it all out, I have to say my fingers and toes were securely crossed, at this point it also started to **** it down-










As you can see its quite a height I was trying to manage-










Nearly there-


















She is finally in and no damage done, phew-










Now parked, the electricians will be happy working around it I am sure-










Carl


----------



## talisman

Blimey that was a bit hairy...at least inside the garage it will nice and safe now..


----------



## floppy_dave

Would love an old Porsche to tinker with! Great project pal, very envious!


----------



## PootleFlump

Looks great, you've built a monster of an extension there.


----------



## craigblues

See I would love to tile my new garage but my big worry would be you could not jack up cars etc as the tiles would break and the hassle of replacing is a nightmare.

I don't like the price but think I may consider the R-Tek tiles.

Your garage has turned out great. Bet you can't wait for it all to be finished.


----------



## shudaman

another good update mate!

but how many "toys" have u got:argie::doublesho lol


----------



## mechrepairs

craigblues said:


> See I would love to tile my new garage but my big worry would be you could not jack up cars etc as the tiles would break and the hassle of replacing is a nightmare.
> 
> I don't like the price but think I may consider the R-Tek tiles.
> 
> Your garage has turned out great. Bet you can't wait for it all to be finished.


Got tiles in my other garage and I ran my business out of that for 8 years dropping all sorts on it, jacks etc you name it, also got them at my workshop and i have broke a couple there but boy they get abused.as long as the are up to the job and laid right you will be ok.

Yes can't wait till its done.

Oh I have a few about ten cars in total, tend to buy them or I get them as a part exchange and either can't sell them or fall in love with em.

Had the electrician in today's and so far got a row of spots installed, can see my toy lol










Cheers, Carl


----------



## JJ_

That was tricky ! You must have nerves of steal to drop a Porky in like that !

Here is a little video you may enjoy since you are also a Porsche man.

http://www.reelhouse.org/mos/urbanoutlaw/ - Magnus Walker 911 Guru


----------



## VdoubleU

Wow! lovely garage and some amazing toys! my dream life!


----------



## zippo

JJ_ said:


> That was tricky ! You must have nerves of steal to drop a Porky in like that !
> 
> Here is a little video you may enjoy since you are also a Porsche man.
> 
> http://www.reelhouse.org/mos/urbanoutlaw/ - Magnus Walker 911 Guru


Never heard of Magnus Walker. I Really enjoyed the film though. Never judge a book by its cover kept popping in to my head all the way through that. Thanks for posting
Daz


----------



## voon

You do realize I now have to hate you. Nobody is allowed such a nice garage if the person isn't me. I hatses you! Damnit. I want. So nice. Warm, cosy, power, water, aaaah ..... I won't tell you, what a garage like this would cost in Switzerland ... or that nobody has one, because a warm garage like this counts as living space here and we can only use up a certain percentage of our owned parcel of land for living space :/ 

Lovely thread!


----------



## craigblues

I may consider tiles then. Which tiles are they? A certain brand?


----------



## talisman

zippo said:


> Never heard of Magnus Walker. I Really enjoyed the film though. Never judge a book by its cover kept popping in to my head all the way through that. Thanks for posting
> Daz


Really enjoyed that short film, guys done well for himself, would love a look round..:thumb:


----------



## mechrepairs

craigblues said:


> I may consider tiles then. Which tiles are they? A certain brand?


All tiles are branded on there strenghth, best thing to do is ask the supplier, try to go with a thick tile too, these are 8mm thick.

Carl


----------



## zippo

normally the wife catches me watching educational videos of a certain type, no problem doesn't say a word and wanders off. Ive just got my ears bashed for reading another thread on garage builds. For 50th time she said. _It was this very thread actually_ . Am i missing something or do women have an aversion to garage builds, Whats she's going to be like when i get my own small piece of peace and tranquillity god knows :wall:
I believe Carls name will be on the divorce papers though, or should i cut out the middle man and hire a hit man .She'd probably moan about the bullet being too small


----------



## AllenF

Women never understand man caves....
They should just stick to the kitchen and play nicely at making cakes 
unless theybare members on here in which case there not women but wannabe men


----------



## Derekh929

Coming along great nice size, brave man with the planks


----------



## mechrepairs

Things are getting to the stage now where I can start putting things into the garage, had to finish work early today to collect the daughter so brought my painted wheel and a sign home.

Put a wheel on the wall for my hose pipe-










A sign courtesy of my street (only kidding)-










A complete roof now with all new led spots-










The boiler has now been moved into the utility and will be finished off tomorrow, bloody cold night and no hot water means no shower, grotty me.

Carl


----------



## jamesgti

Awesome garage build mate:thumb:


----------



## shudaman

i am really loveing your hose holder!!:thumb:, might have to steel that idea:lol:

also the spot lights look good been thinking about that for mine! i assume there bright enough?


----------



## dave-g

Wow. Simple as that!


----------



## d.berkay

That looks great..


----------



## mechrepairs

Well as the build is starting to come to an end it's time to bring some of my stuff home and start filling the man shed up.

I bought this on eBay for £100 a good couple of months ago-










It's bloody heavy to move around. I bought it to fill with pop and beer etc, the missus is one of those people who buy in bulk with vouchers etc.

I started to sweep up plaster board clippings, the electricians off cuts of wire and mud that's walked in from out side which left me with this-










I moved the fridge into where I wanted it to be and cracked this beast out, I brought it home from work to see if it would make the cleaning of the floor any easier-










After filling it with a diluted mix of tfr and a quick run over it left me with this-










After a while the daughter must have been bored, she has got to the age now of wanting to make hot drinks etc, I was greeted with this-










She then started to help me bring in the vast amount of drinks we had stashed away, most of which I bought from Germany after my ring trip a few months ago, then disaster, she managed to drop a bottle of bud which took out another, two bottles down, I nearly got on my knees and sucked it off the floor-










Fridge now filled with the stuff we had, unfortunately though the fridge inside and the coca cola sign at the top doesn't illuminate.










Found this and think it may be the culprit, changed the tube and it wasn't that, think this is the start up ballast, need to find one, anyone have any ideas where from?-










I then called it a day, this is what I was left with-










I only did a test patch as the tiler isn't finished so just. Wanted to see how the floor would come up.

Carl


----------



## F1 CJE UK

great thread. well done!


----------



## GTISnoopy

I'm starting to really like that floor it adds a real touch of class. Nice tile design too. It's making me think of getting mine done similar after the winter.
Do you know what tiles they were, and were from the tiler used ?


----------



## mechrepairs

I bought them from wallandfloor tiles in Northampton, they are nationwide so I am sure there will be a depot near you.

Tiles are called anti slip kuala black tiles, 8mm thick.

Cheers, Carl


----------



## GTISnoopy

Thanks, ill take a look at them especially as they are on offer too.


----------



## joelee

the gixxer looks nice mate do you want a yoshi for it????


----------



## steveturbocal

been keeping an eye on this thread and i must i am extremely jealous you've got an awesome man cave and some very cool cars,:thumb::thumb:


----------



## CIJ84

Awesome mate, cant wait to get mine on the move now!


----------



## mechrepairs

Well a lot has happened and as of now it's a working garage, I have started to strip my 911 down to cure it from its little oil leak.

This is how it looks with two cars in it, a motorbike and various electricians bits and pieces, very spacious, have to say I am loving it.










Just waiting for the chippy to finish off a few bits on Saturday then I get get all the crap out the garage and have a real good tidy up, I have been a real geek and bought a couple of carpet mats with a ford and porsche logo on, shame on me lol

Also the electrician is finishing off the wiring so that mess at the end of the garage will be tidied up.

Soon be time to bring the escort cosworth home.

Carl


----------



## Skodaw

What an epic build, fair do's


----------



## stoke st

be carefull with that coke fridge mate, if anyone from coca cola see it they will be wanting it back, coke own all of their branded fridges and they should not be sold on any auction site, not sure about that fridge but the newer coke fridges are trackable through gps as they have a chip inside them

p.s nice garage and cars


----------



## GTISnoopy

Only things I would have done different if it was mine
I would have had a bigger roller door and put the small door on the side wall. 
I would have painted the walls to help keep dust down before moving in.
Both of these I didn't do on mine 5 years ago but wish I had.

As I've said previously loving what you have done, really like how its turned out and blended into the house so well. Your build has given me some great ideas for my current garage and also some ideas for my new 8m x 8m build which I'm currently planning so thank you so much for showing the build.


----------



## ryand

Awesome read thanks.


----------



## mechrepairs

chippy30 said:


> be carefull with that coke fridge mate, if anyone from coca cola see it they will be wanting it back, coke own all of their branded fridges and they should not be sold on any auction site, not sure about that fridge but the newer coke fridges are trackable through gps as they have a chip inside them
> 
> p.s nice garage and cars


Thanks for the heads up but I bought this off the greater Manchester police so if I have a problem I am sure I will be ok.

Carl


----------



## stoke st

mechrepairs said:


> Thanks for the heads up but I bought this off the greater Manchester police so if I have a problem I am sure I will be ok.
> 
> Carl


yeh, think u should be covered then,


----------



## RAPS3

Awesome build mate and a very fine collection of cars.

I'm in the final stages of my own garage build- just finishing the internals now (4 years on since the external build! )

Can't be a good man cave and you've done an excellent job there mate.


----------



## mechrepairs

RAPS3 said:


> Awesome build mate and a very fine collection of cars.
> 
> I'm in the final stages of my own garage build- just finishing the internals now (4 years on since the external build! )
> 
> Can't be a good man cave and you've done an excellent job there mate.


4 years I don't know how you are still sain, this has sent me mental. It's all good now it finished tough, just takes a long time.

I can put my music on, lock the door and ticker to my hearts content.

Carl


----------



## RAPS3

I can't wait to be in that position.

Just painting it now and then the floor to lay and it's done.


----------



## Kev_mk3

amazing amazing build and love what you have done. Utter credit to you. Also see your avatar is from the ring like mine :lol:

Spotted the beer you brought back from Germany in the fridge aswell










Bit Burger


----------



## mechrepairs

Thanks for the comments, yes the German beer is good stuff, as is the ring.

Bit of an update, but not a lot to report really.

Well I have all my toys in there and my 911 has been stripped to do an engine bay resto on.

Been having tradesmen about the place and they have been using the garage as a dumping/storage space so it's not pretty at the minute.

I was in there last week and added a few lights-










Also got me a beer light up-









Bought a tv second hand to whack up in there too-










Other than that it's basically just sorting out the other parts of the house that was built at the same time, utility is finished and so is the second toilet, bedroom is all done to its now just concentrating on the hall and bathroom, I have two plumbers in now as we are trying to get it all finished.

Had slate tiles laid in the hall way and bathroom with under floor heating everything was going well but we had a delivery of baby furniture and the missus left the delivery guys walk through the hall and mark the freshly sealed tiled floor, I have spent a good couple of hours yesterday and most of today with a thinners based product starting to remove the sealer, that's a set back I could have done without.

Oh and a good head ache the house smells fresh lol

Carl


----------



## mechrepairs

Well not a lot has happened to my garage build as it was more or less finished but yesterday I managed to pick up a cheap tv and got sky installed in the garage, unreal ha ha.

Just need to find a wall bracket-










Also painted a face on the missus belly whilst she was a sleep










She awoke to find it funny.

Carl


----------



## legend_of_chaos

Can i ask you the manufacturer of your garage door, im thinking of having a roller door and just wanted some decent companys, im from hinckley so not far from you.


----------



## mechrepairs

:speechles


legend_of_chaos said:


> Can i ask you the manufacturer of your garage door, im thinking of having a roller door and just wanted some decent companys, im from hinckley so not far from you.


It came from the garage door company who have an outlet based in leicester forest east.

Cheers


----------



## carrera2s

Great thread, just read start to finish. Hats off to you. Can't beat a double garage! Have had a few over the years :thumb:I don't have one at the moment though

Enjoy


----------



## Tricky Red

Kev_mk3 said:


> amazing amazing build and love what you have done. Utter credit to you. Also see your avatar is from the ring like mine :lol:
> 
> Spotted the beer you brought back from Germany in the fridge aswell
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bit Burger


Word of warning on branded fridges being sold. Quite a few coke and ribena fridges are property of coke and gsk respectively and are used for promoting product in stores,

Unscrupulous vendors sell the fridges to make a quick bit if cash and remove the asset plates from the units. It is rife in the fridge world, so much so that gsk used to have a team scouring the bay to stop it.

There are lots out there which are not on this scheme, but just beware.

Garage does look great by the way...


----------



## mechrepairs

Tricky Red said:


> Word of warning on branded fridges being sold. Quite a few coke and ribena fridges are property of coke and gsk respectively and are used for promoting product in stores,
> 
> Unscrupulous vendors sell the fridges to make a quick bit if cash and remove the asset plates from the units. It is rife in the fridge world, so much so that gsk used to have a team scouring the bay to stop it.
> 
> There are lots out there which are not on this scheme, but just beware.
> 
> Garage does look great by the way...


This has been mentioned before in the thread, I think I will be ok as I bought it from greater Manchester police force.

Cheers, Carl


----------



## daniellll.bee

great build! 
are you going to paint the outside and what is the rest of the drive going to look like!?


----------



## mechrepairs

The outside has now been painted its been done in a creme to match the houses on the street, the drive has been levelled but not been finished off as I have ran out of funds for the time being.

To be fair that's the next thing on the list, I am looking into the imprinted concrete driveways.

Carl


----------



## danga200

Got any pics of the trap? If it's a proper man trap, I assume it's full of old Fast Ford mags and a 1999 Max Power.


----------



## mechrepairs

danga200 said:


> Got any pics of the trap? If it's a proper man trap, I assume it's full of old Fast Ford mags and a 1999 Max Power.


Trap? Sorry only thing that rings a bell is the ****ter?

You wanna take a look at my ****ter? Lol

Carl


----------



## sri_150

Awesome mate are you a lottery winner defo dream garage.

Just need a snack vending machine.


----------



## danga200

mechrepairs said:


> Trap? Sorry only thing that rings a bell is the ****ter?
> 
> You wanna take a look at my ****ter? Lol
> 
> Carl


:lol: You're more than welcome to put pics up of your ****ter, but I doubt they will be on here for long.


----------



## mechrepairs

sri_150 said:


> Awesome mate are you a lottery winner defo dream garage.
> 
> Just need a snack vending machine.


If only, this has been a long time saving, mad it takes years to save and just months to spend, ran out of money for the driveway it's that bad.

Hopefully in the summer I will have managed to save to get it sorted.



danga200 said:


> :lol: You're more than welcome to put pics up of your ****ter, but I doubt they will be on here for long.


I seriously didn't get what you meant regards the trap? Lol

Carl


----------



## danga200

Sorry trap is toilet in my area. And ****ter, well I was trying to be funny and making it sound like your **** lol.


----------



## danga200

**** is a swear word?...ok butt hole.


----------



## Ongoing

Great job you've done with this build, I would love a garage like this


----------



## Keir

This is awesome!


----------



## mechrepairs

Done a little more today, bought a wall bracket off a forum member to mount the tv to the wall, where I put the tv it was to shallow so had to knock up a piece of wood to space it out a little.

I think it worked a treat. A picture of the business end.










Need to get the cars out and give em a clean.

Porsche has been getting some engine bay treatment for any one that's interest, started looking like this-










Now like this, excuse the engine lid prop. Still a few bits to finish.










Even played with the escort cosworth, removed the manky rocker cover and changed it from blue to white, here's a piccy.










Carl


----------



## N8KOW

Any more finished pics of the garage? Lovely house and extension, fantastic work


----------



## mechrepairs

N8KOW said:


> Any more finished pics of the garage? Lovely house and extension, fantastic work


What sort of pictures are you looking for? Externally it's all bar bar the drive way.

Carl


----------



## GTISnoopy

How wide inside is your garage? It looks about ideal for two cars.


----------



## ChrisEG6

that is the coolest thing ever, im going to look for a house wish a garage like this lmao


----------



## mechrepairs

Well after settling in and fitting and filling most spare areas of the garage with either tools or parts and bits and bobs I went out and bought a piece of kit most of you on here would love.

I present you a one wheel car lift-










I bought an ex concourse escort cosworth this time last year and wanted to be able to get underneath and get it to its show winning standards again, this piece of kit is the way to get under the car.

This is as high as I dare go at the moment due to the car getting closer and closer to the garage wall on the other side-










I had to play so lifted up the car and took a look underneath, I was happy to find the car is in great condition with just dirt under there, no rust, not even surface corrosion, when my hot pressure washer come back (I let it freeze over winter) I can crack on and get it back to its show days.

What we have at the minute-




























I can see me having some fun with this new toy!


----------



## shudaman

Mmmmmmm cosy

Any pics of the lift working from a few feet back?


----------



## liam99

Loving the garage and cars. Have you got any info for the lift?

Thanks


----------



## cleancar

shudaman said:


> Mmmmmmm cosy
> 
> Any pics of the lift working from a few feet back?


+1 :thumb:


----------



## stevie_m

Bloody cracking garage here mate


----------



## mechrepairs

Not much to do with the garage but one of the cars none the less.

Pulled the old girl out today as the weather was nice, it had a flat battery as the optimiser was not turn on at the plug socket, doh.

Check out the dust and the gearbox oil leak.










Decided to use my new toy to get the beast in the air to clean the underside, the car was a few years ago a concourse winner so with a little bit of tfr and a scrub I wanted to see what it would come up looking like.










Sprayed with tfr and left to work it magic then washed off with a hot steam washer, first results are quite stunning to say the least.

Before










After










Other side










I went around all the wheel arch's, inside the wheels, under the front subframe and basically everywhere I could.

View from the front after working its high pressure magic










Then I drop it to the floor and my daughter wanted to give me a hand, fair play.



















Well after a few hours cleaning and the worst bit packing up the car was dried off and put back to rest, if the weather stays nice and the salt gets washed away I may tax the old girl, until then the optimiser is now turned on and she is tucked up.










Carl


----------



## Ian D

Great build and perfecting the garage for how you use it, love the Escort, especially on the Rondells. I haven't seen a one wheel lift before that looks like a great bit of kit. Hopefully one day I will get the garage I need, current house has a double but its more like two singles as the external wall of the house goes between them.


----------



## w00044

What is tfr and loving that lift - details!?


----------



## David Proctor

w00044 said:


> What is tfr and loving that lift - details!?


Tfr.....traffic film remover.


----------



## Joe90k

Read the whole thing start to finish, looks brilliant mate!


----------



## mshi

Looks amazing, respect. I might get round to something similar one day...


----------



## JOHN-MAC

What a garage carl and a stunning collection of cars loving the white rallye and escort cosworth mate. i remember you of the rallye/gti-6 fourm when i had my rallye. you gave me some good advice on it to lol 

glad your making the most of the garage wish i had a garage like that lol


----------



## mattyslk

What a garage! Any updates?


----------



## OOhnoo

Tricky Red said:


> Word of warning on branded fridges being sold. Quite a few coke and ribena fridges are property of coke and gsk respectively and are used for promoting product in stores,
> 
> Unscrupulous vendors sell the fridges to make a quick bit if cash and remove the asset plates from the units. It is rife in the fridge world, so much so that gsk used to have a team scouring the bay to stop it.
> 
> There are lots out there which are not on this scheme, but just beware.
> 
> Garage does look great by the way...


That's definitely a coke fridge, I work for them.
Lovely garage btw.


----------



## VW STEVE.

Great read.


----------



## Dawesy90

Just read every single page haha lovin it! I haven't even got a shed yet wish I had a garage though bet your livin the dream


----------



## sprocketser

Such a nice garage !


----------



## Gary gee

One word - IMPRESSIVE , would give my left testical for a set up like that,


----------



## dandam

Gary gee said:


> One word - IMPRESSIVE , would give my left testical for a set up like that,


It's good, but not sure it is THAT good :lol:


----------



## mechrepairs

Been some time and have to say the garage is great, I am now thinking of painting the garage walls, was thinking grey up to about 3 foot then the rest white, what people's opinions and have anyone done any thing different.

I bit undecided to be truthful. They do look a lot cleaner but something is telling me it would make it a pain every time I splatter the walls with exhaust soot etc.

Carl


----------



## couplands

I paint my garages white, makes it a lot brighter to help see what your doing. Depending on the paint you use, it's easy to clean if you need to. I put a Defender in mine and it kicks out a fair bit of soot, but comes of the wall/cupboards easy enough.

cheers

simon


----------



## VenomUK

Looks good, where did you get the one wheel lift from?


----------



## GTISnoopy

Ive just finished painting mine 
ive now decided to do the bottom half tiled as it will be easier to keep clean and separate the two halfs with a trunking for more wall sockets. Im now looking for some cheap tiles.
There ia a huge difference in how much lighter it looks now painted white though


May I ask how your floor tiles are holding out with the amount of work you seem to do as I have the same tiles but 7mm just not had them fitted yet?


----------



## mechrepairs

GTISnoopy said:


> Ive just finished painting mine
> ive now decided to do the bottom half tiled as it will be easier to keep clean and separate the two halfs with a trunking for more wall sockets. Im now looking for some cheap tiles.
> There ia a huge difference in how much lighter it looks now painted white though
> 
> May I ask how your floor tiles are holding out with the amount of work you seem to do as I have the same tiles but 7mm just not had them fitted yet?


Tiles are still perfect, not broke any yet and to be honest i never broke any in my other garage (slightly different tiles), I think the key is if there fitted well and you are not a hammer juggler you will be ok.

Carl


----------



## mechrepairs

Well not too much the garage but now the drive, as you can see the drive was a lot higher than needed and to remove the excess hardcore and get it to the right level I had some crazy quotes, for the time being I had the part done directly in front of the garage door so I could use it and that cost me £1000, well after some saving and the sale of my porsche I have the funds to get the drive done, this is the last piece of the puzzle, once this is done the whole house is finished, three years and a considerable amount of money later it's now a more earn bungalow.

The work commenced yesterday, how it started-



Very patchy and basically, a lot of the old drive left, the bricks and then the patchwork I had done to be able to use the garage, there was 5 tons of mud removed just from in front of the garage door so you can see what I am up against.

Another view-



In the mean time I was rushed off to collect a car for a customer that had his new car stranded in Calais, off I went to the rescue, I was quite chuffed with the car to be fair, after a 15 hour drive to get it and get it dropped off, not to mention me getting back home it was safe to say I was knackered.

Off we shot, bye bye blighty-



The beast, it drew so much attention, I even got stopped by the police so they could take photos of it-



Well back to reality and my drive way the second day looked like this, most of the bricks have now been removed and once they are out the way the hardcore can be removed to get it to a better level. This left us with this-



Well one thing I totally forgot was with the nice weather I like to use my toys, ah, yes one little issue, I can't get them out!! ********.

After the third day and this is where we are at now, around 15 tons of hard core has now been moved we are going in the righ direction of a fairly flat drive, notice how you can see the blue bricks now on the garage, also the drains had to be lowered-



Will update as things progress.

Carl


----------



## sfstu

Your garage looks bigger than the house!:doublesho:lol:
good update, looking forward to seeing finished result..:thumb:


----------



## mechrepairs

sfstu said:


> Your garage looks bigger than the house!:doublesho:lol:
> good update, looking forward to seeing finished result..:thumb:


Ha ha the garage, it doesn't go all the way back, plus the house is quite deep, I do admit it looks tiny compared.

Carl


----------



## shudaman

Lovely!!


----------



## Kenny Powers

Excellent thread Carl - just read from start to finish.


----------



## mechrepairs

Got a couple more bits for you, more has been removed and basically levelled, drainage has also been installed at the front of the house, girlfriend has also asked for a boarder so she can have some plants around the edge of the drive, ha ha, can see them getting looking after.

This was last Fridays work-



They even left us some matts to skip and hop to the front door ha ha



This is today's work, all levelled off and as the drive is quite bit it's being laid in three sections, you may be able to make this out-



Btw I don't have a light out, there are on light sensitive sensor and one obviously works better then the other.

The last one and how it stands at the minute-



Tomorrow they are laying the first of the cement so tomorrow will be a nice update.

Car


----------



## sprocketser

It s coming up well mate !


----------



## mechrepairs

Well today was the day I came back to something worthwhile to see-







View from the front door, at the minute it's not sealed hence it looks very dusty



Very happy with the style and colour I choose, this is the second driveway I have had, has a few haters but I love the stuff, maintenance free.

Carl


----------



## MDC250

Stupid question...is that block that's down on the driveway?


----------



## Kenny Powers

MDC250 said:


> Stupid question...is that block that's down on the driveway?


Imprint concrete.

You can get a couple of different patterns imprinted onto your fresh concrete.

You can also specify what colour you want (within reason) as they add a dye to the concrete mix - so you can get black, slate grey or red for example.


----------



## Den13

Imprint concrete sounds like a good idea and a lot less expensive than mono block? As I am in the process of a full house refurb


----------



## MDC250

Imprint concrete does sound interesting...

Mechrepairs/anybody...ball park what should I be looking at per square metre? 

As above looking into options for sorting my drive, block paving is looking tired and probably not put down all that well as undulates...plus I've acquired a small but useful section of land next to my driveway to extend across which currently would have David Bellamy salivating!

Next question to anybody in the know...don't think this is just where I live but over a certain area and I will need Local Authority planning permission to lay impermeable material due to surface water run off...

Anybody have experience good/bad/indifferent of Ecogrid type products (plastic tiles that reinforce ground area and you inlay with grass or decorative stone etc). Does it wear well or look rubbish over a period of time? Again cost wise how does this stack up in comparison to imprint concrete?

Mechrepairs...very impressed with your build it looks great and to be in the final stretch


----------



## Den13

As bad as I feel saying it but, imprint concrete seams to get a bad name for discolouring and cracking also crumbling, aswell as being super slippy although,
yours seams to be the best place to have it level ground and not to deep an imprint as these are the ones that seemingly give the most problems.

The other issue with it, is if you have to access gas or water mains it's not as simple to just lift and relay as it would be to do with mono block or slabs.

It's a great shame it has these problems but these could all so be down to bad workmanship, but a google search reveals these problems almost on every discussion about it. Fingers crossed you don't experience any of these.


----------



## Dan_Mol

Looks good, I quite like the finish been looking at a few done near me.


----------



## mechrepairs

MDC250 said:


> Imprint concrete does sound interesting...
> 
> Mechrepairs/anybody...ball park what should I be looking at per square metre?
> 
> As above looking into options for sorting my drive, block paving is looking tired and probably not put down all that well as undulates...plus I've acquired a small but useful section of land next to my driveway to extend across which currently would have David Bellamy salivating!
> 
> Next question to anybody in the know...don't think this is just where I live but over a certain area and I will need Local Authority planning permission to lay impermeable material due to surface water run off...
> 
> Anybody have experience good/bad/indifferent of Ecogrid type products (plastic tiles that reinforce ground area and you inlay with grass or decorative stone etc). Does it wear well or look rubbish over a period of time? Again cost wise how does this stack up in comparison to imprint concrete?
> 
> Mechrepairs...very impressed with your build it looks great and to be in the final stretch


I can only really answer one question and that's basically the price, we went for this imprinted concrete as it's been done on my old house that I still own, as a mechanic and working form home for 4 years it took some hammer, literally and it never caused any issue, although it's kind of lost its shine (we have an agreement they are going to re laquer it as part of this job) it been brilliant, it's been down ten years and looks great, I had prices for block paving, slabbing, Tarmac all the usual and it just didn't stack up, this has cost us £10k and it's 1200 square metres so quite large.



Den13 said:


> As bad as I feel saying it but, imprint concrete seams to get a bad name for discolouring and cracking also crumbling, aswell as being super slippy although,
> yours seams to be the best place to have it level ground and not to deep an imprint as these are the ones that seemingly give the most problems.
> 
> The other issue with it, is if you have to access gas or water mains it's not as simple to just lift and relay as it would be to do with mono block or slabs.
> 
> It's a great shame it has these problems but these could all so be down to bad workmanship, but a google search reveals these problems almost on every discussion about it. Fingers crossed you don't experience any of these.


Regards the under work like the gas and electric these have been routed to the side of the garage and basically under the part that the missus wants to use as the flower bed so should any problems arise they can be got at. Regards cracking crumbling etc had no issues, I would say there's good and bad in everything, if you search the net like a car for instance it's only the negatives that get posted so you wouldn't buy anything, I am happy and to be fair it's what I like had good dealings with the company and feel its a cracking job, all the drive throughs around here, like McDonald's and KFC etc are done with this and they get some serious traffic.

Today's update-



Getting there.

Thanks, Carl


----------



## Den13

Well if you have experienced it before then fair enough, did you use the same company both times? It's coming along nicely tho looking good hoes the wife's kitchen lol


----------



## mechrepairs

Den13 said:


> Well if you have experienced it before then fair enough, did you use the same company both times? It's coming along nicely tho looking good hoes the wife's kitchen lol


Yes the same company have done both the jobs, the kitchen is actually very nice to be fair, I got to have my garage and the deal was she got her dream kitchen, I will get a snap late if your interested.

Carl


----------



## GTISnoopy

> 1200 square metres so quite large.


Wow thats one big driveway


----------



## mechrepairs

Today's update-





Should be one last piece to put down tomorrow end then sealing it over the weekend.

Carl


----------



## sanchez

Pressed concrete is the way forward, I have the same for my drive.


----------



## IYRIX

how is that done? Looks awesome!


----------



## Honda

That is so impressive, what are you going to seal it with??


----------



## diesel x

Excellent work. Hope you enjoy it for a long time to come. Once it's sealed does it get slippery when it get wet?


----------



## MDC250

Looks better each time I see the updates if that's possible :thumb:

Will have to find somebody local to me with some down to check out in person.


----------



## Kenny Powers

When the neighbours come around and ask how much the new driveway cost, you can answer that it cost you a Porsche 911!


----------



## nickvw

Looks really good mate everything looks spot on !


----------



## mechrepairs

Kenny Powers said:


> When the neighbours come around and ask how much the new driveway cost, you can answer that it cost you a Porsche 911!


It literally did ha, got a replacement car lined up which blows socks off it though so that's a bonus.



diesel x said:


> Excellent work. Hope you enjoy it for a long time to come. Once it's sealed does it get slippery when it get wet?


Theres a pun in there somewhere, I would say any surface get a bits more slippery when wet, it all depends on the laquer to be fair, my last drive wasn't.



Honda said:


> That is so impressive, what are you going to seal it with??


Unsure what it is exactly but it's like car paintwork as in the base coat then the laquer

The drive is completely laid now but it's pissing it down, they are here tomorrow to finish it so it took just over a week to complete which is great, I can get the toys out the garage soon then!

Carl


----------



## mechrepairs

Today's update, it's all laid. Got a call and told they will be here tomorrow at the crack of dawn.

Seems we have upset a neighbour with the noise at 9am, bloody old folk





Last one



Carl


----------



## Dan_Mol

Noise at 9am the lazy buggers should be up! I'd be out at 6am tomorrow banging stuff around as close as possible!


----------



## Pinky

We have the pattern imprinted concrete as well I have about 100 sq metres of it .
Its easy kept I power wash it every two years and re seal with the pics sealer we can do it in a day .
Yes it does get slippy when it snows and can get greasy when wet .
When they did ours they put the concrete down levelled it with the gold colouring on it , covered it with black colouring then used the 3 ft x 3 ft stamps to lay them on it and put the grooves into it , then next day power washed it and the black was imprinted into it . ours has been down since 2005 and apart from a few marks on it we are still happy with it .
Price wise the company came from Dundee so had to stay in b and b and were there for a week . compared to the company I had price it for block paving it was cheaper and a lot better .


----------



## mechrepairs

Well just the sealant to add to the drive now and sort out the edging, pleased at final last our house doesn't look the worst on the street.



Also the drive guys are going to re Tarmac the pavement in front of our drive as we have had new edging stones fitted.

Would well recommend the imprinted concrete it's very durable and in my eyes looks great.

This time tomorrow I will have a completed picture of the drive, thing with houses and cars with some of us they are never 100% finished! we can always find something else to do, well I can anyway.

Carl


----------



## MDC250

Mate, that really does look spot on and has given me food for thought about what to do with mine, still dithering! Great thread and thanks for taking the time to post and share :thumb:


----------



## sfstu

I think it looks great too, and gotta be a fair bit cheaper than laid stone/block paving...:thumb:

Whole build looks top class...:thumb:


----------



## rob3rto

sfstu said:


> I think it looks great too, and gotta be a fair bit cheaper than laid stone/block paving...:thumb:
> 
> Whole build looks top class...:thumb:


Agree, and NO chance of weeds growing.


----------



## Ian D

I think it looks great, I have been a bit dubious in the past of some of the ones I have seen done, but I think the colour and pattern print a really good. They do last at lot longer than tarmac, look better than slabs, and don't need weeding and treatment unlike block paving, or sets. These also tend to sink over time as they are laid on sand, which will always wash slightly and don't overly like high vehicle traffic.

My personal favourite is resin bound gravel, but this really needs a concrete base laying anyway, and the costs are pretty high, especially to go to one which has the chemical resistance required for driveway and oil contamination .

Shame the Porsche went though, but I hope you still have the RS!!


----------



## mechrepairs

Well a little later than planned due to the weather but the drive is now sealed and complete, to finish it off we are going to add a fence to the left hand side and also put top soil in the craters and she in doors reckons she will look after some flowers hmm.





Even had a step put at the front door



Just had the render cracks touched up and it's being painted tomorrow, that's not damage don't by the drive it seems the filler the decorator is using is the same colour.

Very happy with the drive, I shall be parking all my toys on it tomorrow, been told to keep off it for 12 hours.

Carl


----------



## simon1969

very nice


----------



## Palmer02

Nice work


----------



## mechrepairs

Had the fence all painted and top soiled the craters, whacked some hanging baskets up and it really has made a difference.







Well happy with it.

Carl


----------



## Brophy

Fantastic read mate, very jealous lovely garage and drive to match 👍😎


----------



## Kenny Powers

_Now_ we're suckin' diesel!

Well wear mate.


----------



## mechrepairs

Now my drive is complete I can wash the car, wahoo, not been washed since September last year, although it didn't look that bad, it was splattered with bugs and just had a film of dust on it, have to say it looks stunning now, the condition of the car fails to amaze me every time, I certainly got a gem, the condition is on par with my 14 plate 208 it's that good.

Take a look at my effort-











My gloss black painted spoiler, I was worried it wouldn't suit but it looks great and cost far less than a new one-





Carl


----------



## jspeed2

What a read!!

You are one lucky guy I could,only dream of a garage like that


----------

