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MG MGA - Garage at Last

Finally, after losing a year wrangling with town officials over building permits, I just moved my 'A into a brand new three bay garage to begin the bodywork in ernest. Still need to insulate, plumb the compressed air and build a removeable partition. Hopefully this time next year I'll have the body primed & off and drive the completed chassis around the neighborhood....
Thanks for the ongoing help, GO 'SOX!!
Doug
D Sjostrom

Removable partition. Interesting idea! Some ideas for garages here: http://www.lbcnuts.com/mg/garages
Steve Simmons

Wifely Mandate: No clutter!....Define clutter?
Thanks,
Doug
D Sjostrom

I am surprised by the high number of towns in Mass that have issues with 3-bay garages. Congratulations and have fun in it.

M.D.
'57 Coupe
M. D.

Wow, these angle grinders are noisy. I may have to insulate and wallboard just to keep the noise down. I'm working only about 40' from the neighbors livingroom. None the less, a very good day!

Thanks,
Doug
'57 Roadster
D Sjostrom

Doug,
Congratulations on the garage.
I will be starting my garage next year, with luck. BTW, why would any town have an issue with a 3 bay garage? Doesn't it add value to the neighborhood?
mike parker

MD, Mike,
They loved the garage but demanded engineering analysis on the attachment entry scheme. I was planning a vaulted dormer. Finally gave up on the vaulting and went with conventional construction.
Doug
D Sjostrom

I supect the unspoken issue with three bay garages is that, knowing most families only "need" two cars, if you want three bays you're probably a Car Guy. This means you'll probably be working on them, making noise, have a hulk waiting restoration (eeeek!), not to mention having your buddies over drinking beer and playing loud music. Tsk, tsk. :-)

GTF
G T Foster

G.T. hit the nail on the head. The local zoning boards also tend to be concerned about possible "commercial" use of the third bay.

Regards,
M.D.
'57 Coupe
M. D.

M.D.
Around my town, no new house has less than three bays. I can't imagine why any town would prohibit more than two bays ,as long as you meet the setback requirements, etc...

Jonathan
jonathan

Sorry, I was talking about "detached" garages. Two-car detached are generally acceptable, but 3-car detached can face oppposition in some towns. Certainly, a new home with a 3-bay attached garage should not be an issue anywhere, except in Doug's case where there seem to have been engineering/design concerns.

M.D.
M. D.

Hopefully none of you ever get to experience the joy of replacing a bulkhead. I had to do this to keep my yard from sliding into Puget Sound. A five-foot rock wall. It took two years and $15,000 in permit feess to get the OK. Engineering studies, hydrological studies, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Health, Department of Fisheries. Topological maps, blueprints, satellite photographs, etc., etc. We finally saw light at the end of the tunnel when the construction company owner called to say "We've reached a milestone: you've now paid more for permits that you'd have paid in fines if you'd bootlegged it in. They'll probably approve you now." Sure enough.
David Breneman

Dave,
Gotta love it.
Yes, regarding detached garages, I can see some concern, but as Johnathon says, no new home goes in lately without at least 3 bays. My garage is going to be detached,
barn shaped, 2 story, hopefully 30x40 ft. We'll see.
mike parker

Isn't clutter as defined by the other half as anything that does not meet their approval as being in a spot that is just not right.
Sandy Sanders
conrad sanders

Sandy,
Clutter is defined by the other half as anything that they can't use.
mike parker

She Who Must Be Obeyed understands that her dominion does not include the (2 bay) garage, home to my midget, my TF160, my bicycles and often enough, me.

Sharing sort that I am, I have provided some shelves for her to keep her gardening stuff in/on, but the rest of the garage is mine, all mine!

Bwuhahahahahah!!!!
James Reinhardt

Well I will have to make do with my 1 bay garage in Little ole England!
Dave

I built an addition on to the back of my original attached garage, 24'X 24' with an 8'X8' removable plug between the two. The removable plug is made From 1"X4" boards on 24" centers sheeted with 1/4" plywood glued to the frame and insulated. It only weighs about 25lbs. and has 9 screws holding it in place. It's solid enough that I attached shelves to the inside which are FULL of MGA parts. There is a rollup door to the backyard which I use to roll the body out on it's dolly to work on or just for air. The shop has large crank open windows just like the house and 2 nine window doors one to the outside and one from the garage. I finished the inside of the shop just like a Den complete with textured ceiling and oak trim. It was built specifically to restore my MGA and has worked great for the task, (Body is just ready to go back on the chassis). I call it the "The Doghouse" because that's where I usually am, If your going to be in the Doghouse it might as well be a nice one! Only problem I've found is that it isn't big enough, next time.....
John Nelson

Just moved house to Detroit. 2 car attached garage, plus a 60 x 40 barn, 2/3 insulated, with 1/3 'cold storage'. This after spending 16 years in California where we had a 2 car drive thru garage storing the MG's in the back yard (garden, to our English compadres).

Currently have 3 cars plus 8000 lbs of boxes of stuff from the Cali house.

Need to start moving in, but, since the wife remains in Cali, I can be found spending 2-3 hours a night in the barn.

Now to start getting it properly tooled and equipped.....
greg fast

Greg,
Where are you located in Detroit? I am on the west side, in Garden City.
mike parker

John, sounds like a great setup. You should post photos!
Steve Simmons

Mike-

Just north of I75 off M15- Maybe 40-50 miles north of Garden City
greg fast

Greg,
Shucks, If you're from Vassar, you're so far from Detroit I am suprised you call it home area. You look to be closer to Saginaw, about 40 miles north of Flint, which is about 60 miles from me.
mike parker

Lord no, I'm just up the road about 5 miles north of Clarkston- it's Groveland Township in Oakland Co. Mailing addy is Clarkston. I'm guessing about 20 miles south of Flint on I75 (It's exit 91)

Work in Auburn Hills, just North of Pontiac. I'm by the SOUTH intersection of I75 and M15, not the NORTH intersection.

greg fast

Greg,
That is somewhqat closer. Have you joined the Rowdies group, yet? If not, shoot me an email.
Mike Parker

Hooked up w/ D-W MG Club, but not the Rowdies. The MGA is my wifes car and currently resides with her in California. When I get a couple projects done out here, i'll drag it out and start working on it...
greg fast

I feel for you guys with zoning problems. Nothing worse than having some nosey nitpicker telling you what you can and cannot build on your own property. I take for granted that I can build whatever I want when I want on my property in Texas. The only thing I have to do is tell the county tax office when I did it so they can tax me more. Just the way it ought to be!
I built a 1050sq ft open span interior guest house to match my main house for my shop. Insulated, heated and cooled with a 9' garage door where the living room bay windows will be. I figure if I ever decide to get out of the tinkering business I can convert it into rentable space for the extra income. What a dreadfull thought.... having no MG and renter that I can see from my back porch!!
Ken

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2004 and 01/11/2004

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