Should I buy a garage or work in garage under house

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rswisher

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So I have an issue. Got the wife a '73 Duster and would like to work on it this winter. Since it's West Virginia it has to be indoors. So do I buy one of those amish sheds 12x24 for 5k or move the Cordoba out of the basement garage to storage and work on the Duster down there. Would the sound and smell of a welder and grinder keep the wife and child upstairs irritated in the evening? I would have about the same space in the basement as the shed. Thanks for any opinions.

Rodney
 
rswisher said:
. Would the sound and smell of a welder and grinder keep the wife and child upstairs irritated in the evening?
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Since you put it that way, it probably would be

There might be more to it, though, smell, noise, and FIRE DANGER are always greater in an attached garage deal, especially if this happens to be either an older place, or one not built quite to code RE fire barriers, and even then, it's certainly a concern
 
I wouldn't think much smell from a welder, but I usually use outside. Paint fumes linger longer. A grinder is fairly high frequencies, which dissipate fast over distance. They might be loud next to you, but barely noticeable far away. That is why you can tell how far away a rifle shot is, close is a sharp crack, changing to a distant boom. Safest to have sheetrock on the ceilings and walls as a fire barrier. You would spend a lot more money heating a shed for human comfort and/or find reasons to spend less time there. I have a 2 car garage, but prefer doing big jobs like pulling an engine or tranny outside (backyard driveway) because more room to work and better light, but then we have 6 months of guaranteed no rain here. But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such. I should report myself to sleep better at night.
 
Remember, every dollar you spend on a garage is one less dollar to spend on Mopar bling!
 
Yeah I caught hell every time I would paint or use any chemical in the basement. The fumes "rise" up through the whole house also. I would smell it on the 2n floor hours later.
 
Get a stereo...turn up music..they wont hear the welder...grinder or whatever...

use a fan to blow out the fumes out of the garage....

and press on...
 
But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such. I should report myself to sleep better at night.[/QUOTE]

Really? being from back East I usually say that if it starts in California, it ends up everywhere else in the country. I think California had emissions laws in the 60's or 70's for example. We didn't have emissions in Pa until the mid 80's.

Anyway you cant do major repair on your own car? What is the world coming to. I have been wrenching on my multiple cars for years, My neighbors think I'm nuts, but I don't have the car payments they do, and I can fix my own problems as I am a retired auto mechanic. Boy I would miss being able to do my own work. Talk about being controlled by "the man".:banghead:
 
I have always only had the luxury of working in an attached garage and have always been very conscious of the impact it has had on the rest of the family. No matter how hard I have tried there is always fumes, noise, dirt etc making its way into the house. My wife is very understanding, and appreciates my hobby (addiction? ) but there have been timed that it has caused problems. Like the time I ripped apart an 8 3/4 shortly before a dinner party and the whole house smelled like gear oil......you get the picture.

As a side note my wife is not high maintenance and also appreciates what I do, and the money I have saved fixing our vehicles (and many others belonging to family and friends). She happily drives her 96 voyager that we have had for 15 years and has 350000 km's on it.

Bottom line, only you know your wife and kids, how understanding they are, how neat and considerate you are and how suited your shop is for the scope of work you intend to do.


Good luck!
 
I can see each having its pros and cons. I have to agree on the those cold evenings I probably would rather walk downstairs to work on something than go out and get the garage heated up. I guess I should add that the house is an old 1930's house two story that sits on on a full basement with normal height ceilings. The furnace and all major house stuff is down there. At least there is a woodstove and a tv that work most of the time down there. It's true, money spent on garage could be money used on the Duster. I'm leaning towards doing the car in the basement and maybe building a nice sized building in the spring where all the Mopars could live in a happy world together! I can see this is going to be fun this winter#-o
 
Knew a guy years ago that did rebuild work in his basement. His house burned up, not down. Haven't seen him since.
 
Insulate, Vapor barrier, 5/8 drywall, Fire taped, Prime and Paint A good exhaust fan or a fume extractor, an exterior door to basement that seals. Be way cheaper than a shop and always be warm enough to work in. Did not work on my car for 2 months that it was to cold. Did not even want to walk 50' to shop
A finished basement adds value to house and can also be used as a rec room. Build nice benches or go find some take out kitchen cabinets.
Lots of people around here work on their cars and bikes in the basement
 
There wouldn't be any painting performed under the house. I'm going to leave that to the professionals. I do the see the problem of priming and sanding and then more priming, etc.
 
BillGrissom said:
But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such. .
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What the HELL!!!
That's the dumbest thing I've heard since the last time O'slamma opened his pie hole and I thought it was ridiculous in my city.

But I getcha wink, wink, Nod.
 
BillGrissom said:
But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such.
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Say what??

I'd be a movin'.
 
Bad Sport said:
Say what??

I'd be a movin'.
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A co-worker has many car projects (all GM's). He gets reported often by his neighbors and has county inspectors snooping around. His neighbors are mostly retired, and guess what, all claim to be conservatives and libertarians. Only when it favors them. NIMBY at work.
 
A microwave oven nearly burned down the in-laws motor home over the weekend.
Point being there is a fire danger at all times. Why amplify the odds of fire ?
I never left so much as the kids Power Wheels battery or charger connected unattended in my basement.
If you should have a open flame like gas logs, etc.. you don't want to spray anything. Braklean, WD-40, whatever, will smell bad and be hazardous to health.
 
Yep, go with a separate building. Safe for your family and home PLUS
it would be a shiny new man cave!

In 2000 we put up a 16x24 TuffShed, it was $10k including the slab. Prolly
a lot more now but I restored my '69 Charger in it and had plenty of room.
 
But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such. I should report myself to sleep better at night.[/QUOTE]

sounds to me like it's time to move out of Kalifornia, to a nicer state like Texas. unless you're a liberal in which case us Texans would prefer you to stay where you're at. we love our guns and our freedom here.
 
Bad Sport said:
Say what??

I'd be a movin'.
Click to expand...

Wrenching in California, Is both a job and an adventure.( and more).Luckily most of my neighbors are Harley riders & older gearheads. As to the O.P : she wants this car done quickly, some compromises need to be discussed. Storage fees aren't cheap, and the quicker it's done ,all the better.
 
a separate building insulated has uses long past doing any work on the car. Best investment I've made. And it can't hurt your property value either.
 
BillGrissom said:
But then I don't officially touch an engine or tranny since Sacramento County forbids any major automotive work on your own residential property, even inside a garage. You can legally only change brake pads or such. I should report myself to sleep better at night.
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C'mon up here 140 miles north to Shasta County. The only thing we've got more of than crackhead tweekers is old Mustangs and Camaros. We could use a few more Mopars up here and we'll let you work on them whenever and wherever you want.
 
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