Broke ground for the new garage

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Jim Lusk

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Pics tomorrow. One two-car garage with four cars is NOT enough. We've had ideas for years, but it's finally happening. Hired a guy with a Bobcat today while I was at work (yeah, I sort of unretired for the rest of the year - took a temp job with Schneider Electric through VOLT). Plans are being drawn up. Hope to have the roof on by the end of summer, if not sooner. Adding tons of concrete as well so we'll have full RV parking. Still have more dirt than I know what to do with...

All this while trying to get my Barracuda finished and help my son finish his Dart, write a book (yeah, really), and live a little. Gonna be a busy year...
 
Pics tomorrow. One two-car garage with four cars is NOT enough. We've had ideas for years, but it's finally happening. Hired a guy with a Bobcat today while I was at work (yeah, I sort of unretired for the rest of the year - took a temp job with Schneider Electric through VOLT). Plans are being drawn up. Hope to have the roof on by the end of summer, if not sooner. Adding tons of concrete as well so we'll have full RV parking. Still have more dirt than I know what to do with...

All this while trying to get my Barracuda finished and help my son finish his Dart, write a book (yeah, really), and live a little. Gonna be a busy year...

Very nice, Jim. Can't wait to see the pictures.
 
The crazy thing is... whatever you build, it will still be too small! It'll fill up fast.
But, congrats it's always nice to have some extra room for the toys.
 
Sounds awesome. I have been to Fresno several times. I was in the USAF 20 years. After College ROTC, I drove to Mather AFB in Sacramento to attend Navigation school. We took the southern route so we could go to Disneyland on the way. Heading north out of LA, somehow we wound up on 99 instead of I-5. Hey, I hadn't been through Nav School yet. Anyway, the trip was longer, but we really enjoyed driving through Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, etc. I am not sure what Sacramento is like now, but for the year I was in Nav school (74) and the 4 years I was a Navigator instructor (77-81) there, it was AWESOME.
 
I have a 24x30 garage that I built in 2013, I have had 4 vehicles in there over the first few winters, but it is very close quarters and leaves little space for tools and equipment, so now I limit it to 3 over the winter and 2 in the summer months, yes I wish I could have built it bigger.:BangHead:
Unfortunately my budget wasn't as big as my wishes.
 
Doesn’t matter how big you build it, it’s never big enough! Build in enough height for 4 post lift so when the floor is full you can start stacking. Mine is 40 x 42 and full and 10 inches too short to maximize a 4 post! If you build it they will come.
 
Can someone start a GoFundMe page, I need a roof. Just a roof guys, I ain't fancy!!!! Pay for the roof, I will build the sides. OK, so I need a concrete floor and power there too. Running water is a luxury I don't need, I will pee out back.
 
Good for you Jim! Looking forward to pics. If you can get the fall on a sewer line, it might come in handy to add a place to be able to drain the RV tanks. If I ever concrete the driveway/parking area behind my house, I'm gonna make a full hookup for an RV. That way, I'll have a place to get some peace and quiet when all of my wife's sisters are over here!! :realcrazy:
 
I agree it’s never big enough, build it so you can expand it down the road.
 
I'm limited by space and budget (and didn't get any pics today - too much dirt hauling and building the power steering pump for the Barracuda). The new garage will be 19'9" x 23'. Can't go deeper than the 19'9" due to setbacks and a bedroom window. Can't go wider than 23' and still have RV parking. Also, we're not adding any more cars, even if I was tempted to go look at the '64 300K that my son sent me the link to this morning. Can't hookup sewer to that side of the house without saw cutting the driveway or pumping it around the entire house.

Had probably 7,000 lbs of dirt on the car trailer (the Durango complained, but got the dirt the few miles to its new home). That guy filled his 3/4 ton Chevy pickup three times as well today...and there's still too much dirt...I think I'll get the tractor guy back out in a week or three to finish the job and take the rest of the dirt to this same guy as he needs a bunch.

Here's a pic of the concrete that came out. Garage will extend the back wall of the house and go to the window. This was during the teardown of the old illegal "shed" (no, the city wasn't on me about it).

The carport in the front will be torn down when we're done.
20210209_145452.jpg
 
I'm limited by space and budget (and didn't get any pics today - too much dirt hauling and building the power steering pump for the Barracuda). The new garage will be 19'9" x 23'. Can't go deeper than the 19'9" due to setbacks and a bedroom window. Can't go wider than 23' and still have RV parking. Also, we're not adding any more cars, even if I was tempted to go look at the '64 300K that my son sent me the link to this morning. Can't hookup sewer to that side of the house without saw cutting the driveway or pumping it around the entire house.

Had probably 7,000 lbs of dirt on the car trailer (the Durango complained, but got the dirt the few miles to its new home). That guy filled his 3/4 ton Chevy pickup three times as well today...and there's still too much dirt...I think I'll get the tractor guy back out in a week or three to finish the job and take the rest of the dirt to this same guy as he needs a bunch.

Here's a pic of the concrete that came out. Garage will extend the back wall of the house and go to the window. This was during the teardown of the old illegal "shed" (no, the city wasn't on me about it).

The carport in the front will be torn down when we're done.
View attachment 1715714816

Congrats! It’s a great feeling seeing it actually happen!!

The footings were completed on mine last week and they’re now making the footings for the retaining wall around one end of the garage. The cement trucks should be onsite at the end of this week for the pour.
 
We want pictures! Am curious about permit requirements here in Calif.

As I understand it in R-1 zoning there is a percentage limit to how much of the ground can be covered by buildings. House is 1,450 sq ft and the lot is 10,500 so I'm in good shape. Anything larger than 120 sq ft needs a permit. Years ago you could show up with plans roughly drawn on a paper towel and get a permit. Now it must be engineered and drafted. That's not cheap...
 
As I understand it in R-1 zoning there is a percentage limit to how much of the ground can be covered by buildings. House is 1,450 sq ft and the lot is 10,500 so I'm in good shape. Anything larger than 120 sq ft needs a permit. Years ago you could show up with plans roughly drawn on a paper towel and get a permit. Now it must be engineered and drafted. That's not cheap...

i dont know how things work there, but here in MI i put up a lean too a while ago
i had my construction buddy go into the local lumber yard with the paper towel drawing, and those guys plugged it into a computer to get an actual drawing
they used that drawing to figure out a supply list, and i took that drawing in to the county to get the permit
 
When I built my garage in 2013, I drew up a sketch on a sheet of paper and took it to the city planning office to get the building permit. They advised me of a few changes that I needed to make, which I did on the spot and had my permit. Took the same sheet of paper and an additional sketch I had drawn for my trusses to the building supply store and they were able to calculate the materials and have the trusses built to my specifications.
 
Congratulations!! That is SO exciting to make that move toward building you some new space. I hope it all goes GREAT for you!!
 
Jim, too bad you are the west coast. I'd take all of the dirt off your hands for fill on the back of my property. People here in Texas want a FORTUNE for fill dirt. LMAO
 
Jim, too bad you are the west coast. I'd take all of the dirt off your hands for fill on the back of my property. People here in Texas want a FORTUNE for fill dirt. LMAO
Hey man, this stuff ain't dirt, it SAND!!!!!! And real dirt, has some rocks in it too!
 
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