Hazards of a Garage Layout

Could you just frame in the door area and rid yourself of the doors?  That would certainly solve the dust issue and possibly reduce the disruption in the layout.

It does not seem like you use the doors much as they relate to the garage?

NWL

Ouch. Time to beat it flat and bolt it to the wall!

Jim

I agree!  Replace the door(s) with a temporary wall, and be done with it until you move.  It's your garage, enjoy it!

Kirk

You could even put in a walk in door and/or window for some light, a window/wall a/c unit if needed, but I think that a temporary type wall replacing the doors would be better for your needs.  

Ouch - I feel your pain.  I had to replace two big garage doors in a former house - and there wasn't a layout under them.

Walling it off was an option we talked about but eventually decided not too because we knew the house was too small for the family as it was. so we were moving.

Both options present opportunities.  The doors we had put in had an r-18 rating for insulation as opposed to the original wooden doors that were truly falling apart.  Getting the new ones installed made a huge difference in the energy efficiency of the house.  New seals should keep the dust down as you said.  Getting a wall built is a bit more of a hassle to find a contractor but is a nice solution.  Also the wall can be removed later if a garage door is needed.

Good luck Steve - keep that tin shiny!

They also make side mounting garage door openers which get rid of the overhead system. This with newer lighter better made doors would be a viable option.  If I hadn't put a new over head unit in 4 years ago I would do this just so I could add storage above the door.

Could be worse Steve. Those of us with basement layouts have burst pipes to worry about too. Garage doors are a PITA for sure.

I agree with the others- get rid of the doors and seal up the openings.

Bob

Just by going with your photos, I agree with the others just build a insulated wall, with a pedestrian door, maybe a double door.

My garage was added onto this house way before I bought it. There where two areas that use to be windows in the house, I used one to create a doorway into the house from the garage, I enclosed the garage door area, Had the HVAC company I use add ducts from our present system to give me climate control in there. Then I went in and restudded the outside walls and and put up paneling that looked like brick. 

Side note, because of the way my drive way was, It would of taken me 2 - 3 backups and arrange the truck to get it in there. ( extended cab chevy silverado. ) So there was a canopy for parking also, so that's what the truck got as a parking space

Dirty Rotten S.O.B.s.  Steve, we look forward to seeing your solution!

well Steve it's time to move from Southern California and head to a state where the houses have basements. ....and snow and cold. Naw...time to build a wall and replace the doors. Then you'll have more wall space and more room for shelves for trains.

Terrible situation! Couldn't you just remove the overhead unit and just nail the bad garage door in place? Leave it for the next owner to fix.

George

RSJB18 posted:

Could be worse Steve. Those of us with basement layouts have burst pipes to worry about too. 

 

Bob

I hope you didn't jinx us! I really need to go get some plastic tarp to put over the layout. However, it will be such a pain to take it on and off. What do people do to prevent the pipes from becoming a problem? My copper pipes are over 30 years old and have been subjected to bad water. The cold water ones have turned black.

George

If you really want to destroy/decrease the resale value of your home, removing a bedroom and a working garage are probably the two best ways to do that.

RSJB18 posted:

Could be worse Steve. Those of us with basement layouts have burst pipes to worry about too. Garage doors are a PITA for sure.

I agree with the others- get rid of the doors and seal up the openings.

Bob

and stairs to climb

HOAs sometimes don't permit walling-in of garage doors. Some municipalities have ordinances stating similar.

For me it would depend on the condition of the other garage door. If it is still in good shape I'd probably straighten&reinforce the bad door, close it and remove the opener (it would be a spare for the other bay).

Another way to fool the building inspector would be to simply close the garage door and build a temporary insulated wall behind it.  This would allow you or the next owner, depending if you plan to move from the house someday, to simply remove the wall and have the garage door replaced or repaired.

Berkshire President posted:

If you really want to destroy/decrease the resale value of your home, removing a bedroom and a working garage are probably the two best ways to do that.

The suggestion is to put a temporary wall in that could be removed and replaced with the garage door if needed in the future, so no suggestion has been made to make this permanent and reduce the resale value of the home.  

Nation Wide Lines posted:

Berkshire President posted:

If you really want to destroy/decrease the resale value of your home, removing a bedroom and a working garage are probably the two best ways to do that.

The suggestion is to put a temporary wall in that could be removed and replaced with the garage door if needed in the future, so no suggestion has been made to make this permanent and reduce the resale value of the home.  

I think a good example might be what home builders often do to their "spec-homes" by utilizing the interior garage space for a sales office and "dressing up" the exterior garage front w/ a temporary window or french-door like wall.  When the builder is finished selling from that subdivision location they remove the temp facade and reinstall the garage doors.

I have replaced 8 garage doors in the past 15 years (moved a lot, different houses).

If you have to do it, get an upgraded door.  I like a solid core (insulated) doors.  Also, for quiet operation get a belt drive opener and nylon rollers with ball bearings.  Hit your rollers, pivot points, and springs with white lithium grease annually.  You'll be surprised at the difference in noise level.

Before sealing up the garage doors in any permanent or semi-permanent manner check with your local zoning board. I used to live in a town that considered that loss of parking and would fine you big time if you did.

I came up with an idea of having my cake (garage) and eating it to (train layout in my garage). I wanted my car to have protection of the garage so I created a two way system that works for me. My garage is fully finished. I mounted my train table to a wall with hinges. I purchased a electrical lift motor from Harbor Fright for $100. Added legs.  Added a window air conditioner to help me tolerate the Texas heat. Now when I want to do trains I lower my table down, extend legs and have at it. Then when I want to put the car back in the shelter of the garage I raise the table to a height that allows my Camry to be garaged. There are a few things that limit my fun and creativity. There is a height limit on the side of the table next to the wall when I raise the table. I must remove all train cars and non fixed items and limit height of scenery to allow the table to be raised. 

ChooChoo1972 posted:

check with your local zoning board

I think Steve is in California.  Anything goes. 

Ah, the great left coast. 😁

Added a couple of pictures to the original post. I have pushed the top of the door in the best I can, but still a pretty big gap. We do have an ordinance against actually walling out the garage doors, but the allow building a dummy wall near the door. The big issue is I've been married 47 years and plan on making it a lot more. She tolerates her car outside for a day or two if I'm involved in a project or having a train day for the gang, but that's pushing it. To add to the regulations, as of last year, no garage door repairs or replacements are allowed without the door opener having a built in battery back up system, so my 1 year old opener is now illegal. Seems durin the rolling blackouts due to fires, Californians no longer are capable of pulling the release rope and manually lifting a door.

On the plus side, I have been wanting make a very small modification to a section of track and that is in one of the areas I need to remove stuff. A few items don't like my curve going directly into a slight rise for the Dorfan bridge. Now if I have to take the bridge off, guess I may as well add the lights to the bridge I've been wanting to do. The snowball effect is happening.

Steve

One more thing I put outlets every 4' and each wall has its own breaker in the panel box

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Added a couple of pictures to the original post. I have pushed the top of the door in the best I can, but still a pretty big gap. We do have an ordinance against actually walling out the garage doors, but the allow building a dummy wall near the door. The big issue is I've been married 47 years and plan on making it a lot more. She tolerates her car outside for a day or two if I'm involved in a project or having a train day for the gang, but that's pushing it. To add to the regulations, as of last year, no garage door repairs or replacements are allowed without the door opener having a built in battery back up system, so my 1 year old opener is now illegal. Seems durin the rolling blackouts due to fires, Californians no longer are capable of pulling the release rope and manually lifting a door.

On the plus side, I have been wanting make a very small modification to a section of track and that is in one of the areas I need to remove stuff. A few items don't like my curve going directly into a slight rise for the Dorfan bridge. Now if I have to take the bridge off, guess I may as well add the lights to the bridge I've been wanting to do. The snowball effect is happening.

Steve

Steve, so you really have a multi-purpose room going on there. Clearly you are gonna' have to bite the bullet and spend a fair amount of $$$ to get it done right. On the plus side the new doors&gaskets will make the room a lot cooler/warmer and less dusty.

Steve

Sorry to see you having to temporarily store away your layout while the doors are replaced. New doors should seal better and keep your garage train room warmer and cooler than before. Most of us find room for our layouts where we can. I share my main layout with the washer, dryer, furnace, and hot water heater in the basement.  

Look forward to seeing you back in action soon as we all enjoy seeing your Marx and Standard Gauge Trains.

Dean

Buy the doors, do it right......happy wife, happy life.....in the end everyone wins

Lots of code requirements when sealing up a garage and turning it into living space. Usually requires a building permit as in some states the extra square feet are taxable.

Put in a new door and your back will be grateful when you need to move boxes and such out of doors.

(You carried all that stuff in...the door collapsing implys you open that door alot.)

Best regards

Steve.

Is that split the problem?

I would get some flat stock. After you straighten it. 

Bolt the flat stock. The whole length. 3/8 should work.

geysergazer posted:

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Added a couple of pictures to the original post. I have pushed the top of the door in the best I can, but still a pretty big gap. We do have an ordinance against actually walling out the garage doors, but the allow building a dummy wall near the door. The big issue is I've been married 47 years and plan on making it a lot more. She tolerates her car outside for a day or two if I'm involved in a project or having a train day for the gang, but that's pushing it. To add to the regulations, as of last year, no garage door repairs or replacements are allowed without the door opener having a built in battery back up system, so my 1 year old opener is now illegal. Seems durin the rolling blackouts due to fires, Californians no longer are capable of pulling the release rope and manually lifting a door.

On the plus side, I have been wanting make a very small modification to a section of track and that is in one of the areas I need to remove stuff. A few items don't like my curve going directly into a slight rise for the Dorfan bridge. Now if I have to take the bridge off, guess I may as well add the lights to the bridge I've been wanting to do. The snowball effect is happening.

Steve

Steve, so you really have a multi-purpose room going on there. Clearly you are gonna' have to bite the bullet and spend a fair amount of $$$ to get it done right. On the plus side the new doors&gaskets will make the room a lot cooler/warmer and less dusty.

That's the plan. I am waiting for the company I selected to get back with me for a schedule date.

Steve

riki posted:

Steve.

Is that split the problem?

I would get some flat stock. After you straighten it. 

Bolt the flat stock. The whole length. 3/8 should work.

Riki, If I was single that may be the way to go, but aesthetically it would never pass muster with the boss. Also, 3 of the smaller stiffeners are cracked.

Steve

justakid posted:

Lots of code requirements when sealing up a garage and turning it into living space. Usually requires a building permit as in some states the extra square feet are taxable.

Put in a new door and your back will be grateful when you need to move boxes and such out of doors.

(You carried all that stuff in...the door collapsing implys you open that door alot.)

Best regards

We also have open houses for the club in the garage, as well as opening up the layout on Halloween to the kids.

Steve

SGMA President Wayne S. solved this problem by selling his house and building a new one nearby with a bonus room over the garage.  Highly recommended!  LOL

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Like many, my layout is in the garage and encroaches on most available space. Unfortunately the upper support beam on the door snapped allowing the opener to pull the door in a V shape. Being as I have 2 doors they both need to be replaced. They are about 35 years old so the seals will be replaced hopefully stopping some of the dust. Problem is I have to depopulate most of the layout and possibly move one of the display cases so they can work. The layout will support the installer while he works, but the mountain will not so it has to be removed. I’m too old for this stuff. 

If you need a place to store that Leland Detroit monorail while you are reconditioning, let me know.