Garage / workshop project

[gasstingy]

It’s been too long since I’ve written about any progress to building the garage / workshop. About three weekends ago, I started working outside again, this time to build a pair of temporary garage doors until time comes to install an overhead door. {The only things keeping me from installing the real door is blocking the ceiling joists so I can hang sheetrock, wiring the downstairs and insulating the walls so I can hang sheetrock, hanging the aforementioned sheetrock and finally installing trim around the overhead door opening. Oh yes, and the money to buy all that would be nice, too. We’d run too low on money to do any serious materials buying.}

So, the criteria for the door was that it look presentable and be something that would be relatively secure. After all, it may have to be here for quite some time. I’ve added some pictures to show the basics of how I designed and built the doors.

Picture 1 is to show off the only joint I know how to build somewhat correctly with the tools I have on hand. I make half lap joints, and then glue and screw them together. Picture 2 is the first door frame hung to see if it actually fits the opening. The door frame you don’t see is the one that the joints weren’t made tight enough, so it sagged a little. Aargh! Picture 3 is the sag solution. Cut some scrap door skin material into a sorta’ triangle, liquid nail and brad nail into all the corners. Picture 4 shows how we cave men drove screws before cordless drill/drivers. My trusty speed handle with a ratchet adapter and socket. {I stripped out the only ¼” socket I had that would fit my drill, so as Gunny Highway would say: I improvised, adapted and overcame!”} Picture 5 is the door nearing completion showing how I am securing them shut.

The doors are each skinned with three pieces of matching roof metal, bought from the company that supplied the metal on our roof. Each of the upper pieces of metal needed trimmed lengthwise. The first was easy to cut, using a metal cutting blade on a RotoZip. When the blade was worn out, the cutting attachment broke while I was trying to remove the old blade to replace it. I cut the other one with a set of ‘aviation’ snips. Then, I got another cutting attachment in case there is a next time.

The outside of the building is getting close to being finished. We still need to buy about a dozen pieces of Hardi Plank to side the south wall. That is something we are trying to get before this next weekend. Then we'll cut the pieces lengthwise before we paint them. Finally, paint them, hang them and caulk them. I love progress you can see!