August 28, 2020

My COVID DIY Garage Makeover (Part 2- The Reveal)


I am SO happy to be done working on the garage! Now I can start working IN the garage :)

Noah had friends over yesterday, and he wanted to hang out in the "man cave" in the garage, so I definitely felt the pressure to get all the last touches completed. There are still a couple of minor things that I need to do (touch up paint, add a latch to the flood vent covers, attach heater to ceiling), but yesterday I was all about cleaning up the mess and putting everything into place.

I obviously didn't do anything to the floor. There are spots of drywall compound that I scraped off, but that can be wiped away with water. For the "man cave" section, I just threw down some leftover carpet we'd had from the bedrooms. It doesn't cover the whole section, but it helps a little.

I didn't want to buy new furniture or anything, so we still have the old hand-me down stuff. I painted the futon frame and the coffee table, and I am going to make a cover for the futon mattress using some canvas fabric I have. I did buy a mini-fridge for Jerry as an early birthday present, so we got rid of the big one. 

Anyway, here is my list of projects to get from "before" to "after":

  • install insulation and soffit vents
  • hang drywall on walls and ceiling
  • tape, mud, and sand the drywall joints
  • prime and paint the walls and ceiling
  • paint the concrete foundation wall
  • add trim to cover the sill on top of the foundation wall
  • frame the windows, add trim, and paint
  • install shades on windows
  • install ceiling fan over "man cave"
  • paint coffee table and futon frame
  • build and paint shelving across one wall
  • make covers for the flood vents (I also made a framed screen to go behind the covers)
I'm probably forgetting something, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. It was so much more work than I had originally imagined, but as I saw what a difference each project made, I just wanted to keep improving things. I love DIY, so I really enjoyed working on this. And the "after" is so worth it!

Total cost from start to finish: roughly $2,000. (The biggest expenses were the drywall and insulation--$1500--and the paint--$250). I used up a lot of scrap wood that I had from previous projects!

And here are the before and after photos... the best part :) I tried to get them from the same angles where I could.









































And there it is! I'm super proud of having done all of the work myself. Jerry kept asking if I wanted help, but I insisted that I wanted to do it all. I did need help lifting the ceiling drywall onto the drywall lift, so Jerry and/or the kids would help me do that. Drywall is SO heavy!

My favorite part is the man-cave, of course ;)



My brother gave me a heater and prepared the electrical work on the ceiling to hang it. So, this winter, I'll be able to work on projects out there without freezing to death.

After a little break from the DIY, I'm going to finish my brother's ceiling. And then I'm not sure what my next project will be!

27 comments:

  1. It looks amazing!! Great job!

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  2. I'm so impressed with your skill and all your hard work.

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  3. Wow! I've loved reading about your projects. You really are impressive. Do you park either of your vehicles in ty he garage? When we bought our house I was so excited to have a garage but in the 18 years we've lived here,it's only happened one winter season! I say our garage is a home for hubby's tools.

    Ienjiy the fruits of your labor. Thanks for the inspiration.

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    1. We don't park in there... haha! Like you, I was excited to keep the car in there in the winter, but it only lasted one season. We filled it with too much stuff!

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  4. Holy Cow that came out amazing!

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  5. Katie, such amazing work you did there!! WOW!! It looks incredible and even more so because you did it all by yourself! You are so talented and dedicated. Between the updates you did in the house and now the garage, Fixer Upper has nothing on you!! Beautiful work!

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  6. Such an incredible accomplishment. I showed your pictures to my husband who wants to finish our garage. He said "that's a lot of hard work and it looks really good.". Understatement right? You do amazing work!

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  7. I am absolutely amazed!!! What a fantastic job you did!!!

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  8. Wow Katie, you did a fantastic job on your garage! You are such a hard worker and have amazing goals and complete them! You really have drive! Great job, I'm sure your husband and sons (and you) love it! Your garage is beautiful!
    Julie

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  9. This must be so satisfying; it's a masterpiece! You are really good with design to get all the electrical in where it's needed. Congratulations on your beautiful work.

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  10. Wowwww!! What a difference! I'm so impressed!

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  11. Looks amazing Katie! Is it heated?

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    1. My brother gave me a good heater that I still have to hang in the corner. So yes, I'm excited to be able to have heat out there when I want to work on projects in the winter!

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  12. You are a true professional!! Great job!

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  13. This is phenomenal! So much work. Congratulations. I hope you savor the space and your masterpiece.

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  14. I think you would be an amazing asset to Home Depot or Lowes as an employee. Usually the people who work there know very little but you would do a great job (and you'd get an employee discount!).

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    1. I think about it every time I go to Lowe's to buy something! I know the store like the back of my hand, hahaha. If I do decide to get a job outside the home, it's definitely a place I would enjoy working.

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  15. That is so awesome!! It's a great spot for hang-outs - I bet your boys love it!!

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  16. So cool to see it all done! I've been so impressed to watch all the work you've put into it every step of the way. Then maybe this is a weird/cheesy comment, but I especially think it's cool you've worked a ton on what would usually be considered more of a 'masculine' hobby and that your boys have had such a great example of both what women can do/be interested in. (not to mention the grit to follow through on a big project!)

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    1. Yes, that's one of the reasons I love doing it so much--girls can do big projects, too! ;) It was kind of funny how the male employees at Lowe's used to treat me like I was there shopping for my husband and I needed help figuring out what things were!

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  17. Amazing! This is truly so impressive.

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  18. WOW! this is absolutely amazing! I have enjoyed following you on your journey with this project. Way to go! You should be proud of yourself!!

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  19. Omg I'm so impressed!!! You've inspired me to try something that's intimidated me and I've put off doing. Thank you Katie!!

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  20. So impressive!!! Great job!

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  21. Excellent job! It looks GREAT!

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  22. Girl, you are so amazing!!! I am amazed you did all that by yourself and it looks so professional. It IS so professional. Congratulations on your "new" space!!!

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