D-Type (not a Jag, but a new shop/house/life)

I love your house updates.  Thanks for sharing!

It's been a while since I updated this. I haven't been doing much home improvement recently. Many certifications and licenses needed to be obtained at work, and the daily hikes with the dog have taken up some time. Not to mention the fact that I'm burned out on just about everything but whiskey.

But I've started buying cars. And parts. And car parts. And a turbo. I'm starting to dream about putting together several stalled projects. Even taking on new ones...So I figured I'd better take a few bites of the E36 M3 sandwich that is this particular never ending project. 

I paneled the basement.

Way before:

Today:

The picture is hung more to keep it safe from my ham fisted maneuvers than any idea that it might stay there. I like it, and am amazed I didn't destroy it during the grunting, swearing, and ill humor expended over the last few days.

Detail: removable panel so either future me or the next inhabitant can get the water heater out with minimal effort when it inevitably fails.

Trim still to come.

Man what a kickass project. I think our humor is very compatible- the tool chest artwork, army of darkness poster etc. keep after it! 

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

I concur. We're birds of a feather. Spridgets, you had a 400 Bandit, I had a CB-1, Supermotards, etc(edit, I may have confused you with someone else on some of that-we'll always have the Evil Dead and Spridgets.). You have seen Ash vs. The Evil Dead, right? It is awesome. Also, yes, this project has kicked my entire ass. Cheers.

Back at it this weekend to finish up shelving and trim. 

Detail shot:

That's one small project complete. Now to try to do that on a more regular basis.

My Special Lady Friend has been painting the base of the chimney/fireplace.

This for real, marks the last of the pink visible in the house. Yes, there is some by the water heater and macerator pump, in the depths of the basement, behind a closed door, but the casual observer would never notice. Good enough.

I've been framing out more of the basement.

Edit: Here's a picture from a GRMer's phone that provided some inspiration, and I wanted to drop it here, where it will likely never amount to anything. Thanks, Appleseed.

The other day, a box arrived, and by arrived, I mean the driver and I unceremoniously shoved it out of his semi into the back of my truck. The thing is, I've suffered many injuries in the last couple of years-most recently, falling from a step ladder, and not breaking, but injuring my arm. Couldn't touch my mouth, nor the other end for a couple of weeks. Also, my back is wrecked, and 4 or 5 chiropractor visits a week are enough to keep me going, but little more.

What I'm trying to say is I really didn't want to re-injur myself. So, I built a thing around the crate.

Once my leaky yet so far trusty engine hoist and I had dragged it out far enough, I screwed a lever on so my Special Lady Friend could keep it from falling over.

We walked it down a series of boxes and blocks I have around for just such situations, until, eventually it was on the ground (not too many action shots were captured.)

Then dismantling the drag, and un-boxing my prize.

Yep, it's one of Eastwood's fancy compressors.

So I got to work wiring and plumbing it, then started on a handle and spool holder thingamajig so I can take advantage of its portable nature.

We both agree it looks somewhat like a pig, so I will call it Jody.

I'll add to the rack at a later date. 

I might've gone a little too far goofing off with the cage for Jody.

I still need to make mounting points for the filter and piping below the hose reel, then disassembly, final welding, and paint. Then it can sit unused while I procrastinate on all the projects.

So, the compressor set up is more or less complete.

Let's do a walk through of features I built in to the cage.

This set up was an answer to plumbing a loud conventional compressor from the shed and around to basement, shop, shed, driveway, etc. Nobody's got time for that, but as this thing's lot in life is to be rolled through doorways, outside, here there and everywhere, I wanted to make it easy to use, and hard to damage. Also, I didn't want to void the warranty, so it all unbolts, leaving no trace.

First up, I wanted a bumper so I don't break the reservoir that was Eastwood's fix for the fact that these things take on water, and it must periodically be drained from the oil.

I also wanted a place to keep the cord so I wouldn't trip over it.

Of course, there's the hose reel for convenience, but I also wanted a port for full oomph from the 1/2" line, or just to hook up a conventional hose. Also, there are a few brackets to hold all this stuff to the cage, so I don't break the black pipe or it's fittings, as well as one to hold the filter/drier thingie.

I may yet add some stuff, but that's OK for now. Its first job was to blow itself off. Sweet.

Once again, progress has slowed-this time with a reasonable excuse. I need a new hip.

Luckily, decent insurance is one of the main perks of my job, so this all should be manageable. There is some preparation to be done on my part, though. First, I had the novelty of shopping for handicap toilet risers. I went deluxe.

And the last two weekends have been a slog to build a bed frame that will ease my ingress/egress. I made the headboard way back in '11, the plywood was recycled from that proto-bed frame, and I grabbed new wood as needed. No more plywood on cinder blocks. It's now plywood on well, wood.

The dog is playing Vanna. He's quite the ham.

Here are some detail/overall shots of my handiwork just for the heck of it. The metal was more of the 3X3X1/4 angle used in many other projects up to this point.

I added a central leg, because that's what modern bed frames seem to do.

An overall. This marks the first time we've had a bed in the Master's. September will be five years since we took ownership.

That looks like it should do the job. Good luck with the hip replacement!

Good luck with the hip replacement!  They have come a long way in the past few years, and several of my friends have had the surgery and gotten mobile quickly.  If you're like most candidates for replacement, you're probably in a lot of pain now, and that should go away.

I enjoyed reading through your house thread, having previously done several junk house renos, including one built in 1949 that we bought for $34k.  Fun to see it coming around.  Less fun to live in the middle of it!

Thanks for the kind words, fellas.

I feel pretty good about the hip replacement. Most I've heard from have had very positive outcomes with their own operations.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

Yes, good luck, I'm sure it wil help in the long run!

Again, Thanks All!

I'm 5 days out from surgery, and beginning to segue way to a cane.

Let me know if the photos are too much, and I'll remove them, I know how you guys love battle scars.

I'm told the epidural was a no-go, and the procedure that was supposed to take an hour at most took five, but I have zero complaints about the results. The pain can get a bit acute, but honestly, isn't that much worse than pre-op. I'm doing PT on my own daily, and twice weekly with a team of therapists. I can get up and down stairs, walk  1/4 mile (with a walker), and am generally on the mend. Once again, I have no idea how long I have been needlessly suffering, but am stoked to have a new lease on mobility.

Cheers!

Damn, the positive comments are incongruous with the pictures. Looks like you owed the entire surgical team money. 

Glad to hear you're on the mend! 

Ouch.  Good luck with the healing process.

That's really good to hear that the new pain isn't any worse than the old pain.  And it'll just get better.  Everyone I've know who's had a hip replacement has done really well.

Minor update.

I made a mantle.

It was all scrap I had lying around, but after 3+ years, I didn't think "I'm saving it for a Challenge Car " was a legitimate claim any more.

I've been  at it.

Sander stand

and Thresholds

Painted  and installed

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

Interesting hardwood to tile transitions. The craftsmanship is cool but Why not just a beveled piece of wood?

What's going on behind that fireplace?  

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Well, you  see,    when  you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And  I'm  a weldor.

  There's  lots of steel in this house.  Like  those stairs  behind the fireplace...

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

Makes sense - use what you got. I love it!

The top step freaks me out a little but I get it given the two sided entry. I hope there is a good light if guests use that stair. 

I'm not dead yet!

That landing at the top of the stairs gets a lot of comment. The truth is it simply works. Completely intuitive, and ergonomic, but yeah, looks a little weird. It stays.

Been soldiering on in the basement. There was framing, wiring, cussing, swearing, priming, and the like. Some photos will articulate where we are today. 

So, yeah, I had some cabinets left over. Really no need to color match them for a workshop, says I.

The "landing"   at the bottom of the stairs got some love.

And I finally did something about that electrical mess at the boxes.

As a reminder, this is what it looked like in the way back.All in primer. Color will come a bit later.

Stuff has been happening at the usual (slow) pace.

I made angle iron trim for the door opening from unfinished to finished basement. My Special Lady Friend painted, and I added some cedar both for floor trim, and a series of hooks for jackets, keys, the garage remote, etc.

...Aaaand, the upstairs fridge E36 M3 the bed.

To be fair, the last one came with the house, and while in need of a thorough clean, I figured we'd be doing well to get a year out of it. We got five. This is an updated version of the same GE model as the last one, so we're hopeful it will be a good one. My corrugated panel above should help this one breathe better, so there you go.

Incremental progress shall continue.

The $13,000 re-surfacing 0f the deck we had to pay for before we could buy/move in to the house is failing. The wood was crowned wrong. There were joists that should have been replaced. there was sloppy carpentry, missing screws, and generally, they got their check. In short, it is a bit of a E36 M3 show. 

I fully admit that this should have been stained once, maybe twice during my stewardship. However, I have determined that the whole structure will have to be rebuilt before the 5/4 board on the top is beyond its service life. 

Here's what was happening:

In multiple places, none the less. So, a patch, and a somewhat ghetto one at that, it is.

I had Aluminum parts from exit signs they were going to throw away at work laying around waiting to be useful. The price was right, and I wasn't feeling picky.

I had a E36 M3ty circular saw that had just been replaced with a newer, slightly less E36 M3ty circular saw, and figured I'd see how well they really cut aluminum. Answer: Very Well.

So I made randomely shaped aluminum patch panels.

A slathering of paint, carriage bolts, and/or lags, depending on the needs, and there you go.

I did 8 patches to start, and in the process, determined that I need to replace at least one joist, and do 8 more patches. 

Crappy, yet effective. I'll be honest, I've been considering reducing the size of that damn deck by 2/3s It really should keep the weather off what's under it, and we simply don't use it. I'd like to build something out of steel and concrete, the way God intended it, but that's cash. 

Oh well, I've got time to ponder. In the meantime, the huge deck lives another day.