Garage Build - Engineered Beam Install

Well the biggest show stopper for me were the three vertical posts between the two bays that offered some structural support to the roof but was an unnecessary obstacle for indoor activities. They were definitely done as an afterthought, likely when the roof was redone several years ago. The middle was was actually holding it all up with the two other ones added just because. 

Engineered Beam Installed - 6-25-2021

To clear up these obstructions, an engineered beam needed to be installed to support the weight of the middle of the roof. Once the center was supported against the beam, the old middle support post got chopped off and you could see it was immediately holding all the weight. The contractor removed a bit off the bottom of the other posts and it didn't even sag a little showing just how generally useless those were to begin with. Thankfully all the walls are cinder so supporting the beam ends was very easy.

Center supported

Engineered Beam Installed 

One other thing that bothered me was the really dilapidated window at the back that didn't open and blocked too much light. I had that removed and replaced with a new double hung window. It was a weird size but someone apparently ordered one very close in size and cancelled so that took care of what we needed but still had to fill in about 1" on the side. No big deal, minor cosmetic thing. At least it's functional now. 

Old cruddy window

New window

Now I can finally open the window to get some fresh air in but it's a little too visible so I used some Kyrlon frosted glass semi-transparent paint to fix that up really easily. Still lets lots of light in but not as directly visible. 

Windows frosted for a little bit more privacy

I know these are relatively minor things but it makes such a big different to the usability of the space. Now I can get something done about the floor. It's decent but has seen better days. I should have an update for that in about 2 weeks. 

Much much better!

Garage Build - Tire Racks

While I wait for the contractors to get some important work done in the garage, I've been making slow but steady progress. One of the most important things for me was to be able to organize the extra wheels for all the cars. I've been neatly stacking them for years but I've always wanted a proper tire rack. I ended up getting three Maxxhaul 50256 tire racks because they can hold 325lbs each and of course they're black and yellow. They came with lag bolts but since my walls are concrete, I opted to use 5/16" x 3" Tapcon masonry screws instead and they definitely hold up well. I think I made the most efficient use of that corner of the garage.

Maxxhaul Tire Racks

Last week it was raining so unusually hard it overpowered the gutters on the garage roof and some water got in via the side door. It wasn't much and thankfully the floor was sloped away from the center where the battery tenders were on the ground so they didn't get wet. Vowing to avoid that risk from happening again and to protect against lightning strikes, I mounted the CTek and Optimate chargers on the wall plugged into a heavy duty surge protector. I may eventually move these above each car but for now I feel better that they're way off the ground. I'm not going to win any OCD tire management contests with this wiring job but it's better than what it was before. 

Battery tenders mounted to the wall

I also got to put up some decorations to give it a more personal touch. The sweet JBL Link View Google display is so I can both listen to music and keep an eye on the front door (Google Nest Hello doorbell) for any deliveries even when I'm not in the house. 

Decorations and Tech

I didn't like that my garage side door had just clear glass. I'm not worried about my neighbors but that doesn't mean I don't like a bit of privacy especially if I'm in the garage at night. I may eventually completely replace this door but for now I just wanted to add a bit of extra privacy without blocking light so I frosted it using Krylon frosted glass paint spray. I tried to keep the spray even but there were still a few thicker spots. It'll do for now. 

Masking off the windows

Krylon frosted glass

After a few coats

Now I'm basically at an impasse. I need the vertical posts to be removed before we can do the floors and until I know when the floors are being done, I can't purchase my cabinets and shelves so I'm trying not to bring over too much stuff from the other garage yet since I'll have to clear all that stuff out when they get to doing that work. 

DieHard Platinum H6 AGM battery

Onto some 911 updates, last week I got to battle test the electric AC on Scarlett in 90+ degree weather. It was fantastic. Not ice cold, but comfortable especially if you're wearing summer clothes already. The problem I noticed, which the shop also pointed out when they gave me the car back, is that if you're stuck in traffic or idling for long periods of time, my Odyssey PC925 simply can't hang. The high output alternator in the car can easily provide power to the AC and fans but below 2000rpm, it's not outputting sufficient voltage so the draw is almost exclusively from the battery. At only 28Ah, the PC925 can start the car and run basic electronics but not something as heavy of a load as an electric AC for long periods of time without the alternator taking over. The controller for the AC is designed to prevent your battery for completely draining so once it gets below a "safe" voltage, it turns the AC off. That's great from the perspective of keeping the car running, but horrible from the cabin heat perspective especially stuck in traffic in the summer when you need the AC the most. 

This DieHard Platinum AGM battery puts out a respectable 70Ah so I'll be less worried about hitting any traffic next time. It's unfortunate because the PC925 in the Rennline billet mount looks so good. Not sure if I'm going to keep it for the cooler months or simply sell it yet. I suppose adding weight to the front of a rear engine car isn't necessarily a bad thing anyway. 

DieHard Platinum H6 AGM battery installed - 6/13/2021