GarageDominium

A Garage with a House attached

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• 41. Should the blog continue . . .
  Though it has been almost 3 months since the last post, the GarageDominium continues to develop.  I’ll bring you up… Read more: 41. Should the blog continue . . .
• 40. Noisy floors and the walls come tumbling down. . .
  It’s been nearly two months since the last post, so an update is overdue.  We love this house and living… Read more: 40. Noisy floors and the walls come tumbling down. . .
• 39. The Garage gets decked out . . .
  The last post was mostly about finishing details and fixing problems.  Now for some fun stuff and lots of pictures.… Read more: 39. The Garage gets decked out . . .
• 38. You get what you inspect . . .
  Has it really been almost 2 months since I posted an update?  The final few weeks of the build have… Read more: 38. You get what you inspect . . .
• 37. The Whirlwind . . .
  This part of the GarageDominium build is very different than the first 11 months or so.  It’s all about the… Read more: 37. The Whirlwind . . .
• 36. Merry Christmas! . . .
  I hope everyone is having a great Christmas.  Our kids and grandkids are with their in-laws so we are home… Read more: 36. Merry Christmas! . . .
• 35. Construction or destruction . . .
  The GarageDominium is coming together slowly, but there is some progress each week.  We are getting close but there is… Read more: 35. Construction or destruction . . .
• 34. Looking like a place we want to live . . .
  No, this is not our builder or our contractors.  Just a friendly neighborhood copperhead snake that thinks we are encroaching… Read more: 34. Looking like a place we want to live . . .
• 33. Oops! . . .
  The pace seems to have picked up considerably over the last few weeks.  Interior paint, trim work details, cabinets, exterior… Read more: 33. Oops! . . .
• 32. She Floats!. . .
  After the last post, there was a lull in construction activity for about 10 days.  More exterior stone was delivered… Read more: 32. She Floats!. . .
• 31.  Sheets and Blocks of Rock . . .
  Some have asked “Who is this U.W. person?”  If you’ll recall from the very first GarageDominium post, U.W. is short… Read more: 31.  Sheets and Blocks of Rock . . .
• 30. Sky High? . .
  It is August 7 and last week marked 6 months since construction site work began.  From the start of site… Read more: 30. Sky High? . .
• 29.  Panther attack . . .
  More insulating this week at the GarageDominium.  I wanted to insulate the garage and shop, but open cell foam is… Read more: 29.  Panther attack . . .
• 28. Giant Yeti Cooler . . .
  It is July 23 and the GarageDominium exterior is coming along.  It won’t be long until stonework is started.  We… Read more: 28. Giant Yeti Cooler . . .
• 27. One step forward and two steps back . . .
  It is July 16.  The plan for this week was to do final plumbing, electrical and roofing on Monday so… Read more: 27. One step forward and two steps back . . .
• 26. Hot tin roof . . .
  Roofers have been busy this week.  They started on July 5 and by July 8 they completed most of the… Read more: 26. Hot tin roof . . .
• 25. Almost ran out of film . . .
  Have you ever been frustrated when trying to hang a shelf or that heavy picture and can’t figure out where… Read more: 25. Almost ran out of film . . .
• 24. Contractors are frustrating . . .
  It is the week of June 26 and Turnkey Builders has found it tough to get workers to show up… Read more: 24. Contractors are frustrating . . .
• 23. Buzz, buzz, buzz . . .
  No, this is not about the sound of carpenters sawing wood.  Contractors working as busy as bees would be a… Read more: 23. Buzz, buzz, buzz . . .
• 22. Wall of glass . . .
  My June 14 site visit was good.  The patio door is installed.  There are large windows all along the back… Read more: 22. Wall of glass . . .
• 21. Wow that is a lot of wire! . .
  I’m at the GarageDominium  on June 8 and the low voltage guys have started installing many wires.  There are wires… Read more: 21. Wow that is a lot of wire! . .
• 20. We have windows! . .  
  We went to the GarageDominium on June 3 to check progress.  Contractor are installing windows.  The installers were almost finished… Read more: 20. We have windows! . .  
• 19. More digging . . .
  On May 23 we took some friends to see the progress.  It’s always good to get other opinions and input. … Read more: 19. More digging . . .
• 18. God bless this house . . .
  We recognize that none of this is possible without the blessings given to us by God.  It is a very… Read more: 18. God bless this house . . .
• 17. Water and air . . .
  I went to the house on May 13 to check progress.  Mechanical work has started!  Plumbers finished much of their… Read more: 17. Water and air . . .
• 16. How many outlets do you need? . .
  We went back to OK and spent another week with mom returning to TX on May 9.  The backyard storage… Read more: 16. How many outlets do you need? . .
• 15. Second guessing . . .
  By April 29 most of the GarageDominium framing and sheathing installation was complete. Cornice work has started.  The framers also… Read more: 15. Second guessing . . .
• 14. A house made of sticks . . .
  GarageDominium framing was set to begin on April 7, but the framing crew backed out of the job.  Lumber arrived… Read more: 14. A house made of sticks . . .
• 13. A firm foundation . . .
  On March 4 they started setting foundation form boards for the GarageDominium.  Plumbers started installing the drainpipes for the sinks,… Read more: 13. A firm foundation . . .
• 12. The wise man built his house on a rock . . .
  The contractor discovered that there is only about 12 to 18 inches of soil then it is solid rock under… Read more: 12. The wise man built his house on a rock . . .
• 11. Groundbreaking! ! !
  On February 8, site work began!  After years of wandering the Texas hill country trying to decide on a place,… Read more: 11. Groundbreaking! ! !
• 10. Workshop and Kitchen Appliances . . .
  Workshop Appliances (Tools!) Back to the garage again.  I plan to install an air compressor with permanent piping.  There is… Read more: 10. Workshop and Kitchen Appliances . . .
• 9. Keeping cold things cold and hot things hot . . .
  We want the GarageDominium to be energy efficient, but any upgrades need to have a good payout.  There are a… Read more: 9. Keeping cold things cold and hot things hot . . .
• 8. If you are an engineer, you do this . . .
  Back to the main feature of the GarageDominium, the garage.  I’ve spent a lot of time on laying out the… Read more: 8. If you are an engineer, you do this . . .
• 7. He shed, she shed and the ACC . . .
  Actually, the shed, the shop, and the garage are “he” stuff with the rest of the house being U.W.’s domain. … Read more: 7. He shed, she shed and the ACC . . .
• 6. Organization and other fun stuff . . .  
  This might be a good time to mention that it takes a lot of effort to keep stuff organized for… Read more: 6. Organization and other fun stuff . . .  
• 5. A Change of Plans . . .
  When we started this, the plan was to build the house while I continued to work.  I would retire in… Read more: 5. A Change of Plans . . .
• 4. More design . . .
  I’m definitely not an artist, which is one reason I didn’t become an architect.  An architect needs some artist ability… Read more: 4. More design . . .
• 3. The Design . . . a Garage with a house attached
  A big part of our regular visits to the hill country was looking at houses.  We talked to many realtors… Read more: 3. The Design . . . a Garage with a house attached
• 2. North of hurricanes, South of snow . . .
  How did we end up in the Texas hill country?  Well in 2009, my entire department at work was moved… Read more: 2. North of hurricanes, South of snow . . .
• 1. Welcome to GarageDominium!
  Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to design and build a house.  I had aspirations of being an architect,… Read more: 1. Welcome to GarageDominium!