09.17.2009 GARAGE

I'm gonna dance a happy dance real soon - say about 2 weeks from now - when we have a Garage. Yes, you heard me, a GARAGE folks! No freezing cold winter having to start the car 1/2 hr before we leave. No ice covered windshield. When we bought the house i was sure we would have to do the 1st winter in the cold. But that was before we KNEW. Before we had a chance to feel the cold wind that blows every night and get a glimpse of what winter will really be like.

Not only will this add obvious value to the house, it will keep us warm. And the cars will be warm (or warmer that is) and happy. And we will have "stuff" storage. I kept wondering where all the "stuff" from the garage would go once we moved. Especially now that the basement is framed and thus not just one big open area to put all our crap.

We really debated because the pad is large enough to make a 3 car garage (with no storage on the sides or back) or should we just go with a 2 car and have lots of room on both sides and another 1/2 car worth in back. My heart said 3, since we have 4 cars right now (though hopefully only 3 in the near future). But the more time i had to think about it i went back to a 2 car. Why? Stuff! Also, with kids they open the doors and would HIT the other cars we would be so packed in like sardines. Also one of my main reasons was the roof line. To have it match and run the same direction as the house, the snow would fall off right where the doors would be to pull in if we went with a 3car garage. I AM NOT gonna shovel snow each day just to be able to LEAVE my house. So that was a deal breaker.

The lumber was delivered today. We also got the door that will lead from the garage to the breezeway and 2 windows for the East side of the house (same side the front door is on). That should warm it up a bit in the winter and keep it from being cave-like. The ceilings will be 10 1/2 ft tall so it will feel really open. As a 2 car garage it will be 2 1/2 cars deep roughly so plenty of room for lawnmowers, edgers, 4-wheeler, etc.

They got to work framing the walls today. I didn't get to see the end product but i did run over there at lunch. I wanted to snap a "Before" picture when i realized i didn't have one. (Since i never worried and assumed there would be no garage). The were already practically done with one of the side walls when i pulled up. DeRell says they got 3 of the 4 walls done. We don't have trusses or a roof yet - and also there is no money in the budget for insulation or sheetrock. (hehehe i am thinking some of those rooms in the basement can do without sheetrock for now?!) But i have prayed for God's provision and i am now having a garage so i will let what happens happen!

Here's the before shot.



(Also on the GREAT news front, we are getting a killer deal on the flooring so i will be UNDER budget by about $1,000 so we may be able to get the insulation and sheetrock done after all - unless we are over budget elsewhere!)