ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,307
Club RR Member Number: 170
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The ChasR ManshedChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Mar 10, 2021 23:10:55 GMT
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So, a few of you will have noticed that over the past year, a few things have changed: Where do I start? -The Merc W108 went almost a year to this day, and a few months ago was replaced by a Mondeo ST220 -The M3 got a little more attention, but the bodywork plans have been halted. But hang on. Why would I replace a legend of a car, for one which is well, not quite as, wait-for-it, Legend-ary? Why would I delay sorting out the M3? The answer to these questions as some will know, through my moaning, partially concealed on here, as well as to others in person, was that I bought a house. Yup, this is the reason for why the Merc went, and why at one point, I even considered putting the M3 under the chop. Yup, at one point, it was near impossible to get a mortgage as a single man, unless - My Loan to Value was looooooow
- I earned more than what I knew to deal with
- I wasn't a first time buyer
Obviously, none of the above applied to me. Was it bad luck, poor management of myself or just me being an normal 'Joe'? Who knows! But selling the W108 and getting a project in the form of a new-old 18 year old Ford isn't really the right thing either. Well, that depends on opinion. However, you also need some space to tinker with things, and with the W108, and its propensity to rust, I had to admit that with it living outside, it would turn to rust. It had less rust on than either my M3 or the Mondeo  . This is where the new place will hopefully come in handy however. Did I plan on getting a place like this? Not really. It caught my eye, and it didn't seem too silly on many fronts, and so I went for it Enter Stage left:       I know, the garden is a bit curse word right? Fear not. I have plans for the garden. That will be a bit more inviting. However, the garage was certainly a USP for me. Not the right thing to look for when buying a place. But considering that the last guy had 2 large cars in there previously, I figured it should be just fine for me  . Do I have plans for the garage? Yes. Will it be the garage of dreams? I doubt that! Will it be a cool garage? Well, I can only try . More to come soon |
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mht
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 123
Club RR Member Number: 185
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The ChasR Manshedmht
@mht
Club Retro Rides Member 185
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Congratulations on the new house and a great garage!
I've been browsing for new houses too, but it's hard to find a house within budget that has enough land for an aircraft hanger to be built alongside it so I might have to compromise. Good luck with the work that you've got planned, looking forward to see how it comes on.
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Mark
1977 MG B
1992 Lexus LS400
1998 VW Golf VR6
1999 BMW 740i
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Mar 11, 2021 10:09:56 GMT
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Looks like a decent space to work in.
Congrats
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,307
Club RR Member Number: 170
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The ChasR ManshedChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Congratulations on the new house and a great garage! I've been browsing for new houses too, but it's hard to find a house within budget that has enough land for an aircraft hanger to be built alongside it so I might have to compromise. Good luck with the work that you've got planned, looking forward to see how it comes on. I was not looking for a place with a garage. I have a unit which does come in handy. That said, 20 mins each way can add on a bit of time. I originally wanted to stay in Leamington/Warwick. It's funny, I grew up there, and despite wanting to leave in the younger years, it's a great place. Alot on your doorstep and generally it has a nice vibe about it. But I was aware I'd be buying a huge bottomless pit of a do-er upper without the garage etc. I even debated a flat, and on road parking. That said, with the M3s becoming more valuable, and me dailying cars, I did wonder how that work work. The M3 until recently hasn't really been a garage queen. I was just searching for a place and this place popped up, and so after a bit of a reckie, I figured why not? . I know the opening post is a bit of a moan. However, it really was very touch-and-go with me acquired But anyway, back to the thread! The garage, while having an electric door, never had power going to it. It must have been run off an extension socket. However, it did have armoured cable running from the fuseboard in the house towards the garage, with the wiring being secured in place. After chatting with the ex-owner of the house (we both work at the same place ), it seemed this was his long term plan with the garage. So, after getting a fuseboard, an additional breaker, and wiring, the garage would shortly have a permanently wired garage door in place .   Before I knew it, with a few wiring alterations, I had permanent electricity within the garage. Wahey! It's amazing what an opening door can do eh? I even got the first vehicle in. Can you guess what it is? My M3? A mate's DS? Maybe eve the ST220. Well, hold on.   I know, a bit of a dissapointment. However, in my defense. -The M3 still doesn't have a brake line attached and is now out of MOT. -The ST220 requires insuring and taxing. Let's just say this month has been pricey! However, I am now debating what flooring to go with. So far, two options are in my mind. -Breatheable tiles. Greate for letting the floor breathe. However, they probably will take in alot dirt through the pockets -Self levelling. More awkward to apply, but with either an epoxy top layer or paint, alot easier to clean and manage spills with. Decisions decisions! Maybe I should just leave it as a concrete floor, but it would be nicer to make it easier to work on cars too. |
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sonus
Europe
Posts: 1,392
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Congratulations on the new house and garage! You could consider polishing the concrete as well(?)
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Current
1968 TVR VIXEN S1 V8 Prototype
2004 TVR T350C
2017 BMW 340i
Previous
BMW 325d E91LCI - sold
Alfa Romeo GTV - sold
Citroen AX GT - at the breakers
Ford Puma 1.7 - sold
Volvo V50 2.0d - sold
MGB GT - wrecked by fire
MG ZT 1.8T - sold
VW E-golf Electric - sold
Mini Countryman 1.6D -sold
Land Rover Discovery TD5 - sold
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Congratulations on the new house and garage! You could consider polishing the concrete as well(?) Looking at the rough tamped finish, you’d be there forever. Not sure what I’d recommend given the current finish. Ideally you’d level it and epoxy it, but I think it would be a big old job. |
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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Mar 15, 2021 10:02:55 GMT
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Hi, What about some nice red quarry tiles? They will bear a trolley jack and stands, easy to sweep and mop as required.
Colin
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sonus
Europe
Posts: 1,392
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Mar 15, 2021 14:25:32 GMT
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Congratulations on the new house and garage! You could consider polishing the concrete as well(?) Looking at the rough tamped finish, you’d be there forever. Not sure what I’d recommend given the current finish. Ideally you’d level it and epoxy it, but I think it would be a big old job. You're correct. Viewed the thread on my mobile and did not see the condition of the floor |
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Current
1968 TVR VIXEN S1 V8 Prototype
2004 TVR T350C
2017 BMW 340i
Previous
BMW 325d E91LCI - sold
Alfa Romeo GTV - sold
Citroen AX GT - at the breakers
Ford Puma 1.7 - sold
Volvo V50 2.0d - sold
MGB GT - wrecked by fire
MG ZT 1.8T - sold
VW E-golf Electric - sold
Mini Countryman 1.6D -sold
Land Rover Discovery TD5 - sold
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,307
Club RR Member Number: 170
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The ChasR ManshedChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Mar 15, 2021 19:55:38 GMT
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Congratulations on the new house and garage! You could consider polishing the concrete as well(?) Looking at the rough tamped finish, you’d be there forever. Not sure what I’d recommend given the current finish. Ideally you’d level it and epoxy it, but I think it would be a big old job. Indeed! Some folks were saying to just leave the concrete as it is, but TBH it will be easier to move the jacks around with a smooth floor. I'm going more towards levelling compound. I'm aware it will take the best part of a day of solid graft just to lay the floor down, with a couple of us doing the work. |
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Mar 15, 2021 19:57:37 GMT
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Easiest thing is to hire a concrete surface grinder. It will get that smooth in a few hours. Then just paint it.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,968
Club RR Member Number: 71
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The ChasR Manshedbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Mar 19, 2021 18:14:11 GMT
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Easiest thing is to hire a concrete surface grinder. It will get that smooth in a few hours. Then just paint it. Before you put anything in it and loose the chance to do it - I know that one too well............ Nice garage  |
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Mar 22, 2021 20:36:25 GMT
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looks a reasonable size, mine was originally of similar construction, We have lined the walls with USB (second-hand hoarding at a £1 a sheet), we also lined the roof with rockwall insulation and then thin ply, the concrete used to drip a lime / condensation mix on the cars which damaged the paint, also you might wan to fil all the gaps around the top of the walls with a couple of cans of squirty foam, I have been fighting a mouse infestation this year. (they chewed through the lighting wiring as well as nesting in the boot of my Lotus)
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,968
Club RR Member Number: 71
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The ChasR Manshedbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Mar 22, 2021 23:34:03 GMT
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also you might wan to fil all the gaps around the top of the walls with a couple of cans of squirty foam, I have been fighting a mouse infestation this year. (they chewed through the lighting wiring as well as nesting in the boot of my Lotus) I'm currently in the same battle - they've trashed some difficult to obtain leather parts, chewed thro a spare roll of boot carpet and destroyed a tent Cheese on mousetraps was eaten without setting off the trap so I've heated the prongs with a lighter and now they have some nice lumps of dairy milk sealed onto them.............. Time will tell if this proves successful |
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Poison is a good bet, they take it back to the nest and wipe the lot out
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The ChasR Manshedfr€$h&m1nt¥
@freshandminty
Club Retro Rides Member 99
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Nice space! Just to clarify is there a house off shot or do you need to partition off space for a bed / shower / kitchen area within the garage? |
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Poison is a good bet, they take it back to the nest and wipe the lot out Problem with poison is the collateral damage. If the little curse word never makes it back to the nest, then they become pickings for the local wildlife, cats etc who then also become poisoned. The trap type mousetraps are good, if you bait them with chocolate or peanut butter. Then dispose of them as you wish. I made one out of a large bucket, a bit of wood on a hinge and some peanut butter in the student house I used to live in. Self resetting and dumped the mouse into some water in the bottom of the bucket. Something like this (Pic I found on tinters)  |
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Last Edit: Mar 23, 2021 9:07:44 GMT by Soopahfly
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,968
Club RR Member Number: 71
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The ChasR Manshedbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Mar 24, 2021 22:28:43 GMT
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also you might wan to fil all the gaps around the top of the walls with a couple of cans of squirty foam, I have been fighting a mouse infestation this year. (they chewed through the lighting wiring as well as nesting in the boot of my Lotus) I'm currently in the same battle - they've trashed some difficult to obtain leather parts, chewed thro a spare roll of boot carpet and destroyed a tent Cheese on mousetraps was eaten without setting off the trap so I've heated the prongs with a lighter and now they have some nice lumps of dairy milk sealed onto them.............. Time will tell if this proves successful 1 down and clearly more to go........... I'd baited 2 traps with dairy milk chocolate - heating the prongs definitely is the key (make sure the lump of chocolate doesn't impact the arm release as one trap was chocolate free without firing) The other got it's target and was still clean of chocolate so another one had clearly finished off the meal in total safety So more careful with bait setting this time - if they are chocolate free next time I check I'll modify the traps to be a bit more hair trigger |
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Mar 25, 2021 21:58:07 GMT
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I used the cage type with a bit of cheese, caught 1 every night for a week.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,968
Club RR Member Number: 71
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The ChasR Manshedbstardchild
@bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member 71
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Mar 25, 2021 22:03:44 GMT
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I used the cage type with a bit of cheese, caught 1 every night for a week. I've tried the humane traps before and then released some distance away However I'm sure some of them found their way back........... |
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. This is where the new place will hopefully come in handy however.
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