It looks much nicer at your home than at Daniel Schmitt. I didn't know you had finally bought the car. Did you replaced the plug wires? ;-) Very nice pair in a nice garage.
I'm nearing completion on two projects that are wrapping up and thought that others might like to see Before-and-After pictures of them to serve as inspiration if you have a project that you are thinking about doing. Perhaps you can find some ideas to integrate into your own project. I feel privileged to work on some of the worlds most beautiful garages, and helping others realize their dreams is something that I am passionate about, so if you have questions about these projects, please feel free to send me a private message or email. I will help you in any way that I can. If there is a take-away from these projects to share with you, it is this: dont allow deadlines in new construction or renovations to rush you from making abrupt decisions. Very often I find that clients who skimp or rush a decision because they were under duress often regret those decisions. Stay true to your vision and if your project runs a bit longer as a result of getting exactly what you what that a small inconvenience to pay for decisions that will give you a lifetime of enjoyment. The first project is based in Littleton, Colorado. When the homeowner of a newly constructed home (built 4 years ago) contacted me last spring, he explained that he wanted something more than the epoxy coated floors, melamine cabinets and basic garage doors that he originally selected, which he felt did not look welcoming. He did not have a clear vision of what the finished space looked like, but simply wanted to spend more time in the garage to hang out, entertain friends, smoke cigars and enjoy a drink. In other words, the ultimate gentlemans retreat. The client flew me out to view the property first-hand. After meeting with the client I completely re-designed the entire interior of the garage to transform its dull, unexciting appearance into an Old World car barn by drawing inspiration from the hillside architecture of Tuscany that would create a more timeless appearance, while also maintaining architectural harmony with the rest of the home by complementing the homes design, not fighting with it. The first step was to strip and remove the white and black epoxy coating and replace with porcelain tiles. The second step was to install wood beams and hand-plaster the walls of the garage so that it has a wonderful antique quality. Straw was incorporated into the plaster to give it a rustic feel. The Trestlwood veneers used on the false beams completely transformed the space from a modern interior into a space that looks like an 1800s-era barn and creates an amazing ambiance. The third step was to remove the existing carriage doors and replace them with solid Mahogany doors that look like castle doors. The doors feature a luxurious and rich dark brown stain, wrought iron hardware and jack-shaft operation of the homes main overhead doors and the double door changing its operation for a mechanically operation to a one-of-a-kind set of six bi-fold doors that open accordion style. I designed a bar area and cabinetry for a work area that pulled inspiration from old ice boxes of the 1920s and utilized heavy nickel-plated hardware, again to give the cabinets a rustic appearance. The warm glow from several custom porcelain neon signs dispersed throughout the space transform the entire room and bring it to life. This client had never previously owned a neon sign before and along with the carriage doors felt that this transformed the space more than any other feature. Several gas pumps and a few more porcelain signs will eventually furnish the rest of the space. These job-site pictures show the project 95% complete. My vision was to achieve a rustic, warm space that looked old, but was a fun, inviting space to hang out. A gentlemans club atmosphere. Higher resolution pictures of this amazing transformation will be forthcoming and uploaded to our companys gallery on FlickR. The first pictures are before we started. Others that follow are after the project concluded. The first pictures I uploaded are 'BEFORE' we began work. Everything else showcases the results 'AFTER'. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These are before-and-after pictures of a garage renovation project in Pennsylvania. This particular client was uninspired by the black-and-red checkerboard interlocking tiles, generic white garage doors and unfinished drywall. He flew me to his home and I spent the day with him going over design ideas. I love working with clients who have an open mind about suggestions and ideas and this kind of work is truly a passion of mine. We started by removing the red-and-black Swisstrax tiles and replaced them with a stained polished concrete floor that matched some of the warm earth tone colors we were using. All white MDF doors were replaced with Knotty Alder (real wood) doors. The walls were covered with stone veneer and barn siding, which gives the room a very rustic and warm ambiance. The carriage doors were also treated with reclaimed wood and all of the hardware powder coated matte black to make them aesthetically pleasing, whereas the previously specified galvanized hardware wasn't much to look at. VAULT Professional Series cabinets were given a royal treatment as all exterior stainless steel cabinet parts were polished to contrast nicely with a one-off custom orange powder coated exterior. They are visually stunning and a focal point to the back wall. The space has been transformed from 'uninspired' into a warm, inviting man-cave where the owner actually wants to spend time; whereas previously, this was just a place to park his vehicles. Vintage and custom porcelain signage and neon's are just starting to be installed now, so look for more pictures to come once this project is finished. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Awesome work Chad! Very inspiring. If you ever have a client that wants to get rid of those interlocking plates, you can send them my way for a few bucks.
Sorry to be the party pooper here, but installing wood paneling and wood baseboards which come in contact with the garage floor is a serious fire hazard. Most building codes require a concrete curb around the perimeter with fire resistant materials on walls and ceiling. I would recommend hiring a local licensed architect on your next remodeling project.
Oh my! Let's think back to a time before codes, specialists, HR, health and safety etc. Back to a time when there were two building materials. Wood and stone! Then along came concrete and bricks. So then we had four materials. Is that any more dangerous than some of the plastics and man mad crap that we are forced to use by various regulatory authorities. I'm sure 90% of the modern materials burn better and cause more issues than 'traditional' building materials. Oh, to wind back to a more simple time.
Yeah, back in that "simpler time" they had burn wards in the hospital for people who built garages out of wood....
Good question; I will try to summarize the answer. Garage structures have a higher risk of catching fire due to the flammable and explosive materials stored inside (ie: gasoline, oil, solvents, etc). Garages attached to dwellings pose a unique danger: people sleeping adjacent to the garage who are not aware of an active fire or smoke condition. The purpose of using fire resistant materials in garage construction is to slow the spread of fire to, in theory, allow the adjacent occupants more time to evacuate the living quarters. If combustible materials such as wood paneling are used in the garage, the wood paneling "feeds" the fire. The garage fire will burn hotter and faster through walls and ceilings, thus reducing the time occupants have to safely evacuate the building.
Most modern building codes for new construction would require a concrete curb around the perimeter so a gasoline spill would not seep under a 2x4 wall.
To further answer Edward's question, Type X (5/8" thick fire-resistant drywall) would be used in lieu of Type C (which is the 'standard' drywall used in typical wall/ceiling construction and is 1/2" thick). While one sheet of Type C provides a 30 minute fire protection in a normal wall assembly, Type X provides one hour. Best, Dave
Changing the look on the '57 E-Code T-Bird. Steel wheels/Black walls/Button caps from wires with wide whites. Soft top up to replace the pearl white port hole hard top. Really like the look. Image Unavailable, Please Login
