Mikelly Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 ...I'll tell you... Obviously, I've had way too much on my plate all Year. Starting in January Donna had a medical scare that was pretty bad. Then in March my employees decided to mutiny, causing a HR related nightmare that I eventually survived. The first two events paralleled each other, which was very difficult. In May I got the permits for the garage to be built and started that long and drawn out process… In the middle of all that I let my best friend talk me into buying a motorcycle, which spiraled into now my third motorcycle… I also bought Chris Cloude’s former Zcar project. For those of you counting, This makes 6 cars and two bikes. With two Zs, a 240SX, my truck, the Civic, and my wife’s Mustang it can get really crowded. I was hoping to move at least one of the two motorcycles and one of the Zs. But that hasn’t happened. SO, I’m scheduling with the chassis shop (Thank you Bob for reminding me inadvertently…) to have a chromoly roll cage welded into Chris’ shell as soon as possible. I’m also taking the internals of the 383 stroker to a shop up the street and having them balanced. I finally contacted Les Heath and hope to get my parts back from him this weekend. When I get the car back from the chassis shop, the plan is to then plumb in a fuel cell, prime the chassis/ shell/ floor pans, and then get all the parts together and off to the body shop for some paint… While all these activities are taking place I’ll be focusing on finishing the wiring and other stuff for the garage. If all goes well, the roof should me completed this week, foundation sealed, and siding stained (Thank god it is a three day weekend!). Next weekend we’ll wire it and I’ll go ahead and buy the windows and doors and hang them. Sometime over the winter we’ll set the stairs for the upper level, and I’ll hang a door on that end of the garage. Then the interior will be finished off. We won’t make closing for refinancing until after December now, but that’s the name of the game. When I started this little garage project I had people lining up to help. There were so many promises that folks close to me had made and it was disappointing to take what is going to end up being 7 months to finish this project. So where am I going with this whining? My lessons learned can be lessons for others to learn from as well. Not Unlike creating a HybridZ, Any construction project should be looked at from several angles… What can I do (Talk is cheap, so don't rely on others...)? What will I have to “sub†out to another person to complete? What are the materials costs? What is the labor cost for someone else to do the work? I learned to frame, lay block, the basics of pouring concrete, and how NOT to build a foundation. However, I got to spend some real quality time with my dad, and my brother in-law, which was priceless. Just remember that other people have lives and although they may tell you that they will lend a hand, it is harder to get them to actually give up some time doing fun stuff to help you... I have $6500 invested in the Pad, block work, and foundation. I have $2100 invested in the trusses, and another $5000 invested in the materials to frame, side, roof, and shingle it, as well as the materials for the flooring, and the labor for roofing the structure. I still have to stain it ($120 in materials, plus $200 in tools), install the windows and doors (About $900) and do the electrical work (Another $500). I'll come in under the $16,000 amount that was my high point, but time was the killer here. It has proven to be to distracting to have such a daunting project looming over my head, and has caused me to think about selling all my stuff many, many times. I’m finally just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope to have a final inspection at the end of this month, and be able to move in and trim out the interior (Which will probably cost another $1500 for the insulation and walls). By spring I’ll have the lift installed and be able to use the garage as intended… I’ll move into it in early December, but it won’t really feel like home until the stairs are finished and I can use the upstairs for storage and additional workspace. Somehow, through all of this I have NOT sold the really important things that drove me to build this garage in the first place. So, I won’t be bidding on the yellow car on Ebay, and I will build Chris’ car, using the Gnose and some flares. If for some reason I still have the white Z at the end of putting Chris’ old car back together, then I’ll be building the white car into another F-prep/ track car for the kids and I to play with. Thought for sure someone would buy me out and take over all my stuff and make me sad. But you guys held out… Thanks! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Dang! Andy Rooney you ain't, but you're close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Mike, you are doing great on the budget for the garage project. Remember when you were here I told you mine cost $15K and considering your extras, you are ahead of the game. Good luck on all you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 I'm glad you came to your senses Mike! , and kept Chris's car. That shell is too nice to get rid of! I thought you traded the white car to Les for labour? Anyhow keep the spirit up, you'll make it through. Good luck on all the projects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 6, 2002 Author Share Posted November 6, 2002 Mike KZ, Les has good ideas and even better intentions... Unfortunately Les can't seem to close on anything he tries lately. Scottie asked about the Pantera Hatch that Les made promises of back in the spring. I've been trying to get my G-nose from Les since Late August. I lost a month of Construction while waiting for Les to Pour the concrete footers, and I tried to give Les the car if he did other stuff for me. Between his job, family drama, his love interest in Georgia, and who knows what else, Les has been less than dependable. Les Heath is a nice guy with a lot on his plate, and I'll just be happy to come to closure and get my G-nose and rear spoiler back from him and move on with my projects. Les did help me spread some gravel, and he helped me do the rebar for the footers. For that I am in debted to him. ...Andy Rooney??? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike C Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Life is bouncing from one emergency to the next! Keep at it. Do a little everyday and the next thing you know something is finished! I have hardly turned a wrench on a car in the last 4 years. All of my free time and money went into the shop. It is the coolest thing I own, so don't get me wrong, but it was/is an unbelieveable amount of work, but a lifetime investment. Someday I'll have a job again and maybe a little money to spend, but I doubt there is ever enough time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 Haha, I hear this stuff from soooo many people that I have done jobs for. I'm not poking fun at you. People think it's a "lets plan this and it will happen" type thing, but it's far from that. They always end up with less hair than they started with . There is always that person or people that never show up when they are supposed to and then your schedule is now worthless. I really wish I could help you out, but I'm just to far away. If you have any questions regarding the building of your garage, then feel free to drop me an e-mail, I know I can help you. I'm glad it's coming together. It may give you headaches, but think about how cool it will be and let that be your motivation. Keep plugin at it man! !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 7, 2002 Author Share Posted November 7, 2002 Matt, One thing this has really taught me is not to begrudge anyone in the construction trade. Those guys bust ass and deserve every dime they get paid. I never really knew how hard my dad worked for a living until I built this garage! Fortunately I've only got two inspections left and then the final!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rags Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 Mike, When I thought about building my garage myself I quickly came to my senses and went about finding a contractor to build one for me. Unfortunately for me, in my neck of the woods contractors are so busy that they can pick and choose the job that will get them the most profit. So a garage that has about the same footprint as yours but is only 1.5 stories high cost me 30 grand! And that was with begging and pleading just to take the job! You guys with the $15-$16 thousand pricetags are killing me. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted November 8, 2002 Share Posted November 8, 2002 Dang Mike! Your a BUSY Man! I feel frazzled with two projects. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 8, 2002 Author Share Posted November 8, 2002 Well tonight I got home and found the ROOFING done!!! It wasn't supposed to be done until tomorrow... Oh well.. I'm ahead of the weekend schedule... I'll be staining the siding tomorrow, and then sealing the outter foundation on the weekend, and then buying windows and doors!!!! I'm on a roll! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperDave Posted November 8, 2002 Share Posted November 8, 2002 Do you, um, sleep? Ever? I did some quick mental arithmetic based on your existance and calculated the last time you could possibly have slept was February 16th, 2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 8, 2002 Author Share Posted November 8, 2002 Close... March 23rd... I fell asleep at work... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 9, 2002 Author Share Posted November 9, 2002 Got off work early this morning and went to Lowes, bought the color matched stain to match the siding to my houses color and started spraying with the Wagner power sprayer... Front of the garage is done, and half one side is also done... Should be done with the exterior staining tomorrow, and finish sealing the foundation. Then it's off to the store for windows and doors, and of course, electrical stuff.... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 11, 2002 Author Share Posted November 11, 2002 Well Every part of my upper body is now soar. I stained the WHOLE garage with 15 Gallons of color Stain. You wouldn't think that holding a gallon can of paint and a wagner sprayer would be that hard... I think it took me about 11 hours total... Going to go get windows later today... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted November 11, 2002 Share Posted November 11, 2002 http://www.cliffsnotes.com <-- I can't seem to find your post reading now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted November 11, 2002 Share Posted November 11, 2002 That's a LOT of work. Maybe someday I'll have a garage of my own. One can hope, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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