Our Home > Renovations > Garage
Having learnt a lot from the last five years of renovations, and feeling bolder than ever, we decided it was time to tackle something really big. Our garage! For anyone who never saw our garage, it was pitiful. (We took this photo on garbage day to make it look even more ugly!)
Holes in the roof. Rot everywhere. You couldn't open the doors, let alone park a vehicle in it! We had thrown some plywood down on the floor so that we could store junk in it - junk that you didn't mind getting wet every time it rained! So in 2003, it's time had come. After a couple of months of drawing up plans and obtaining permits, we were set to roll!
Demolition - Saturday June 7th
When the guy delivered our dumpster, we got him to bump the corner of the garage for us, just to weaken things a bit.
10:00 am, and Glenn is hard at work making even bigger holes in the roof...
11:30 am. The front peak comes tumbling down...
12:30 pm. Yay!!! Another wall gone ...
1:30 pm. Three walls down, only one to go...
But this was also the hottest day of the year so far, and the heat and exhaustion had become a bit too much. So time to rest and enjoy our new backyard deck!
Phew!! The last wall can come down tomorrow...
Sunday June 8th
Timber!!! Down comes the last piece...
Now all that was left was to finish cleaning up the mess. And to build a new garage!!!
Friday June 27th
The excavation is done, and the engineers have signed off! Finally, we are ready to start building...
Canada Day
Tuesday July 1st
Things are generally progressing well as we start building the formwork for the foundation.
However, Glenn and Rob seem puzzled over where that missing 1/4 inch has gone...
Problem solved, and work continues...
Sunday July 6th
Rob is in good form as he keeps on with the form work...
While Glenn tries to convince Theresa that he's really building her a set of monkey bars...
Sunday July 13th
Despite a weekend of rain, the formwork is almost done...
Saturday July 19th
All the engineering inspections have been done, and it is finally time to pour concrete...
Unfortunately, our computer had a fit at this point and managed to corrupt the rest of our digital photos from that day!! So we lost all the great photos of Glenn, Rob and the concrete truck driver working like frenzied slaves trying to get the pour complete before the heat of the day set the concrete too much. It took them an hour to pour, and then another two hours to finish the concrete, after which Glenn and Rob pretty well collapsed from exhaustion. But the foundations are done...
Saturday July 26th
Glenn has nearly finished burying the umbilical cord (power cable)...
While Rob is hard at work getting out the last of the forms lumber...
Saturday August 2nd
Well, the gravel back-fill was dumped in yesterday, so now Glenn can start preparing for the slab...
Glenn: "Was I supposed to be digging over there??"
Theresa: "Here, give it to me. I'll do it properly!!"
It's hot work tying all that steel on top of shiny poly plastic, so Glenn tries to find some shade for a break...
Thursday August 7th
We paid some pros to finish the slab for us.
Oh it was nice just to sit back and watch someone else working hard!!!
Friday August 15th
After letting the slab set last weekend, we already have two walls framed up...
Saturday August 23rd
It's just like a big jigsaw puzzle!!! Glenn at work on the frame for the third wall...
Wednesday August 27th
The days are getting shorter, and while we are still getting some work done in the evenings, it is getting a little too dark for taking photos. But in the next-morning light, we can see that things are really coming along after Rob, Glenn and Theresa strained and lifted the third wall into place...
Saturday September 6th
Both Rob & Glenn have been busy with work, so things have slowed down on the garage. Now we start to get worried as the great weather cannot last forever. So the guys are now back hard at it...
As the garage starts to take shape...
Sunday September 14th
Things are really coming together now, and Glenn and Rob look pretty happy as the last of the trusses are installed...
...and as the ply goes up on the roof...
Tuesday September 16th
With rain threatening for the first time in over two months, Rob and Glenn push hard and get the roof finished in an evening and a morning's work. Later that day, the skies open (at long last) and it rains for most of the rest of the week...
Sunday October 11th
Nearly a month has gone by, with visitors, work commitments and bad weather slowing down overall progress. However, we did put Glenn's parents to work on the siding while they were staying with us...
We have been gradually plugging away at the siding also. Deciding to go with cedar shingles makes for a lot of work, but will be worth it when we are finished and the garage matches the house...
Sunday October 19th
The days are getting really short now, and Glenn usually has the halogen lamps out to extend the work day past 5 pm. Oh for the 10 pm sunsets of mid summer! In this photo, Glenn is using the famous Scribe All, invented by Rob and perfect for shingling (along with 1,000 other uses)...
Saturday December 6th
Well, the shingling is finally done, along with some advance painting aound the trim...
Despite intense cold, we are still plugging away (excuse the pun) at the electrical
to get some badly needed heat and lights into the garage...
Sunday December 28th
After originally planning to have the garage completed by October, and then by Christmas, in light snow on December 28th Rob drives the last nail and we are ready for final inspection! Of course, we had no problem passing inspection, having built the best damn garage in all of East Vancouver!!!
Thursday January 1st, 2004
We got the garage finished just in time, beating Vancouver's only real snow for the winter by a couple of days. It is great to sit inside, look out, and know that the project is finally finished (other than painting, which we will pay someone to do in the spring)!!!
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