Garage-Moving Aftermath

Okay, we moved the garage and survived. However, there was a bit of an aftermath in the house. So for a week, we've had tools on the dining room table, an air compressor on the floor, tires and boxes in the stairwell, and an electrical panel in the kitchen.

But isn't this how everyone lives?

We are heading to Regina this afternoon to load up Rob's MGB (which is in about 100 pieces), onto a flatbed truck, and pull it back to Saskatoon--where it will live in our old garage (which is now Trevor and Natalie's), until we can sell it on eBay.

Again, don't most people do this?

The next post will be the photos of the big move--assuming the bad rain we are having, doesn't stop the use of the flatbed on the highway.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Look at what we woke up to this morning--the day after we moved the garage. Can you believe how lucky we were yesterday. It would not have been fun moving the garage in a snow storm.

Speaking of waking up, we were not as sore as we thought we would be when we got up today. Of course, Rob was popping Advil most of the evening.

And because of the snow, we were unable to tidy-up the yard of the various wood piles and construct a mini fence to go across the open back. Aw darn.

So we had a well deserved day off!

Garage Move Day--Plan for the Worst, But Hope for the Best

I wonder if the Egyptians felt nervous the night before they built the pyramids!

(before) (after)

This is it--the day we move the old garage down the back alley to our neighbour's. The forecast was for rain, but the morning was sunny but with a cold wind. We'll take it!

But you can't start any project without the proper attire--I got custom shirts made for me and Rob--Monster Garage 2010 on the front, and "Boss" and "Crew" on the back--you figure out who is the boss and who is the crew!

The plan called for Rob to cut the old garage off, jack it up, slide it onto metal rollers, and just roll two doors down.

Oh, don't forget the pre-prep work--I won't go into the gory details--but needless to say, at 10:30 a.m. we finally started pushing the garage off the pad. (I asked Trevor if he was excited--he replied he was planning for the worst but hoping for the best--I felt the same !) Well, it was really Rob and Trevor--I just shouted out if we went off the rollers. That push of 25 feet took an hour. The devil is in the details...the hour involved jacking, pushing boards, shifting rollers, and a lot of grunting.

So now we have the garage perched in the middle of the back alley. At that point, I put out the

barricades to block the alley so no one would drive into us...or the garage!

There must be a testosterone magnet within construction projects...because by this point, we have drawn in most of the men in a 10-mile radius: Scott, Trevor (two Trevor's on one job site), Jason, Ross, and Shad. But without them, we would still be in the alley, and I wouldn't be writing this until after midnight.

So, the original plan was to push it off our pad, turn it, and then push to Trevor's. However, the turn just didn't seem to work--push and pull as we might, the garage was determined not to move.

So we gave up on that and went to Plan B...which is not turning, and just pushing it sideways down the alley. We just have to move the garbage bins and piles of dirt, but there was enough clearance. But this deviation from the plan took 2 1/2 hours...okay, at this point, Trevor #1 went to get beer to fuel the crew, and Scott and Trevor wen to get more robust tools (yes, you can never have enough manly tools!)

But once we got the garage ready to go south, man did it go! It took only 30 minutes to go from behind our house to behind Trevor's. It was like a well oiled machine--4 people pushed, and the rest of the team kept leapfrogging ahead, moving boards and metal rollers. Oh, did I mention that Scott and Trevor (twin brothers) brought 5 metal rollers 24 feet in length--absolutely perfect to slide the garage along. They were lifesavers!

So, now we are poised at the back of Trevor's garage pad. So we just have to huft it up the sloping ground and then land on the concrete pad. Oh, you think that's so easy..it took 1 1/2 hours! More jacking, moving boards, and shifting rollers. And Scott had to cut a pipe, which was the most exciting part, as it involved a big pipe cutter that through a lot of sparks. Very cool!

We slide the garage up and onto the pad. Lots of groaning and grunting.

But I'm pleased to say that at 4:00 p.m., after six hours of work, the garage landed on its new pad. Yay!

It was amazing--it was so much fun and went smoother than any of us thought.

(The garage at its new home with Trevor and Natalie). So we planned for the worst, and it turned out for the best!

The Shed is Full

Believe it or not, 99.9% of the garage contents fitted into the shed! Rob certainly knows spatial relations. Who knew that much stuff could fit into that small a shed! Search me how we are going to pull out the lawnmower....

Wow--the garage is finally empty!





The last few steps are that Rob is going to disconnect the power panel and remove the bolts anchoring the garage down (let's hope there's not a big wind!)

Forecast for the Big Move on Saturday: Cloudy but no rain

Garage Sorting

Well, work progresses on emptying the contents of the current garage, and either saving, tossing, or stuffing things into the shed. It has been a bit of a struggle for one of us (Rob) to let go of tatty bits of string, odd screws, and devices that once worked, but now are broken, but could be fixed one day.....

There are also items that haven't been used in years, but you never know when you'll need them, so you can't throw them out....

It must be a guy thing.

The weather forecast for Saturday predicts 40% showers, but we are optimistic we can get the move done.

As we get closer to the move date, it certainly is getting more exciting. I can't wait to see the garage as it glides down the alley. That certainly isn't a sight you see every day!

The Birth of Monster Garage

Welcome to Monster Garage Blog!

We're Jill and Rob, a nice couple living in Saskatoon. Rob is an engineer and Jill is in communications. We dated for five years and then Jill moved in two years ago--two years of happy bliss. Home renovations are the norm, as we live in a 1929 house in the lovely funky Broadway area of the city.

Rob had always wanted to build a bigger garage, and then it morphed last year into the idea of Monster Garage....a 3-car garage, with a workshop, with the potential to add a granny suite on top (if the concept is approved by the City). When I say he wants to build a garage, that means he will do most the work himself--excavation, piles, walls, foundation, trusses, roofing, installation of garage door openers....as for me during that time, I'll be staying with friends!

You see, Rob likes to plan and plan and build things. Did I mention he is an engineer??? For example, the fence on the side of the house (we live on a corner with a deep lot) he built with meticulous perfection and detail--so much detail and thought that it took two years to finish. People driving by would always look to watch its progress. But man, it's indestructible--heck, if there was a nuclear explosion in the world, it would be the only structure still standing!

But I digress.

So Monster Garage has lived in Rob's head for two years. And now, it's about to come out (be afraid, be very afraid).

We still have yet to put pen to paper to draw plans, spreadsheets, and budgets, but who needs that when we have the cool first step ahead of us...moving the old garage.

Our neighbours two doors down, Trevor and Natalie, will buy the old garage. Great! Rob and Trevor plan to move it on metal roller bars. Scary. But Rob tells me it's easy--just cut off the garage, slide it on top of metal rollers, and simply push it down the alley. Hmmmmm. Seems a tad fraught with peril, but if if worked for the Egyptians when they built the pyramids, it should work for us!

But, you ask, if we move the old garage, what will happen with the current contents?







Ah, fear not. Rob sourced a free metal shed and spent two days reading instructions and constructing it.




Then we are still sorting and moving stuff into it.





Take a look how far we've come and keep tuned to Monster Garage Blog for the adventure of the summer!