I looked at a garage, err...house yesterday

We (girlfriend and I) went to look at some houses yesterday. First three we looked at were crap. One was really beat up, and in a quasi-sketchy neighborhood, second had a basement that was literally soaked and the walls upstairs were mushy, the third was tinier than our apartment, but the fourth...

It had a garage that rivaled one of the other houses we looked at! It had a wide, tall entrance, old carpet on the floor (a la GRM's Ultimate Shop recommendations), pegboard with hooks for tools, and then a second workshop room with phone and cable hookup, a 220v outlet, about 10 feet of workbench space, a vice, and a window air conditioner.

We were standing in the garage and since it was the last part of the property we had looked at, and the realtor did the typical "So what do you think of the house?" I was like "House? Oh, yea, it's nice..." My girlfriend mutters under her breath, "Put a stove and a cot in the garage and he'll live in here."

Is it sad that she's right?

LOL at least she knows in advance of what she's getting into.

Sounds right to me. Smart girl.

Just finished the garage addition to our house. The BEST upgrade in my opinion.

Amidst insulating and prepping for drywall in mine. So can't wait for warm winter wrenching.

My g/f's house has a really nice detached garage... we've often joked, "if it only it had a bathroom... and heat... we'd live out here..."

splitime wrote: Amidst insulating and prepping for drywall in mine. So can't wait for warm winter wrenching.

I'm with you. I insulated my garage and installed a 125k BTU ceiling hung natural gas heater. Even in the coldest weather I'm only 10 minutes from having a warm shop.

I also installed cable.

i'll be happy to get my electric hooked uup on day.

What's good about carpet in a garage? I could see a carpeted sitting area being helpful in the winter, but the whole thing?

My bathroom at the shop is being constructed, includes a shower and has its own heat source.

GameboyRMH wrote: What's good about carpet in a garage? I could see a carpeted sitting area being helpful in the winter, but the whole thing?

use cheap carpet, toss away when dirty.

roll around under you car and it'd feel like your laying in your living room. carpet rules.

Gotta be careful with used carpet. I got some that had fleas in it once. I had to toss the carpet and fumigate the shop.

I'll pass on the carpet...doesn't work with welding. Creepers and/or old high school wrestling mats are just as nice for under car work.

I kept an old area rug from my living room and it makes the winters much more comfortable, and the rose pattern adds a much needed touch of class.

I've been house shopping for a year and a half. Turned down many for too little parking, no room for expansion, etc.

First conversation about our first house:

Wife: "Do you want to go look at Donna's house that she's selling? It's in Bonaire...

Me: " What the hell would I want to live in Bonaire for??!!"

Wife: "It's got a separate 24'x35' shop>>"

Me: "Well, we can go look at it...."

7 years later and we're still there. Worth every penny.

The carpet was just like a 6'x8' piece or something like that, not tacked down at all.

Too bad the house is now under contract