Getting closer...

I have taken so many pictures over the remodeling process I am not sure where to begin, so I think I will start with the most recent and then add old photos as I update those areas.

We should be priming and painting the siding in the next couple of weeks and then I can move on to the inside and cleaning the car port so Katie has a place to park.

The wall that faces the alley is a structural wall without a decent footing. The concrete that had been poured seems to have been added in stages without each additional layer being tied into the previous.

So much concrete, such a large hole. Kyle and I used every ounce of concrete there plus a partial bag I had from some other projects. In all I estimate at 60 lbs. per bag we used about 520 lbs of concrete for the new footing.

Before we could pour any of this new concrete I had to clean up the existing mess first. The sill that was in place was poorly nailed in and after examining it, I am not really sure how this garage didn't fall over before.

There were so many things wrong with this picture I can't really decide where to start. The gap between the middle stud and the sill was filled with a chunk of wood and the sill was held up by a similar piece

Now for the clean up. I cut all the nails holding on the siding, studs, and the sill so I could get to the troubled concrete area. It was surprisingly easy once all the wood was removed.


Before the sill was to be removed I needed to take some pressure off the sill plate by jacking up the wall to be able to remove the damaged wood. Through this whole process I have been using some of the information that I found on a wonderful d.i.y website called hammerzone.com



Well long story short I removed all the wood and the damaged concrete in this area and managed to clear out an area about 8 feet long by about 1 foot wide and 8 inches deep.

When Kyle came over it was time to get some real work done so after some research on pouring a footing I laid down about 4 inches of pea stone and then about 5 inches of concrete on top of that with some concrete anchors installed in the wet concrete to attach the green treated 2 * 6 to attach to.


This is the view from the outside of the garage with the form in place and plastic sheeting to keep the concrete moist as it cures.

I think we did a pretty solid job of creating a structural footing on which to keep the garage in place for many more years.

Thanks to Kyle and his hard work I should be able to remove the plastic sheeting and install the 2 * 6 on Thursday. The concrete will have had five days for curing, but I think I will give it a couple more before I tighten down the hardware on the anchors and the future sill.

More pictures of the siding updates and the patching of some gaps will be coming down the pipeline soon!

backlog of de/construction

When we bought our house, I really wanted a place to make pots

Over time the insulation and sheetrock had gotten wet and it was no longer a very energy efficient space. There was some wood rot, drafty windows, outdated electrical, and a micro-sized door to replace and update. and a small workshop to house my clay habit. The garage was partitioned into a workshop area and a space for one automobile. The inside of the workshop was originally sheet rock and vermiculite insulation. I have heard from the neighbors that this workshop was added by a woman who had owned the house earlier and used as a sewing area with heat from a small stove.


I started the update well before the snow melted and it has come along way. It has surely been a great experience and I can now see the satisfaction of being a home owner.

I have tried my best to take pictures of different stages in the process so I can truly appreciate the workshop when it is finally completed.

So here goes a sampling into the past; the documenting of the de/construction of our garage.

A view of the partition that separates the garage and the workshop sans insulation and sheetrock.

As I ripped off the sheetrock and the insulation I came to realize that I may have gotten in over my head with a project that was well outside of my ability. My first headache came when I removed the sheetrock and insulation from the south side of the garage near the door.

Something crucial was missing? Do you see it? (or not see it?)

So much work ahead of me (and everyone that I have suckered into helping me)!

new beginnings

Katie and I bought this house in St. Paul in February and are quickly taking to making it our own with some hard work inside and out.

This is just one of the before shots we took. Actually this is a photo we took as we were just starting to look.

So much work, but so much potential.