The Forgotten Carport Is Finally Going To Be Finished!
Do you remember our carport? The main structure of the carport was built back in May 2018, and while it has been usable ever since then, it has never been finished. Here’s what it looks like today…
The carport is behind my studio, and has an awesome concrete wheelchair ramp that goes into the French doors at the back of the studio. The ramp is nice and long, which means that the incline isn’t too steep. It has been wonderful to have this ramp these last few years, as it gives Matt the freedom to access the carport, which has another little ramp (made of recycled tire rubber) to get off of the concrete and to the back yard. He has a power wheelchair with large wheels that will easily traverse the entire back yard.
So while we’re thankful for what we do have, the downside is that it has never been finished. I have no idea why I made the decisions that I made five years ago, but when the carport was being built, I told the contractor that I’d install the lights, install the beadboard ceiling, install the ceiling fan, wrap the two big posts, do all of the caulking, and do all of the painting myself.
Well, that was in 2018. How much of that list do you think I’ve gotten done since then? If you said “none of it,” you’re absolutely right. I’ve gotten none of it done. The wires for the lights and the fan are still hanging down just outside the back doors where they’ve been for the last five years. (Don’t worry, they’re not actually connected to electricity.)
I never got around to finishing the beadboard ceiling, and a while back, we had a huge tree limb fall on the roof and poke a hole in it. The huge oak tree has been cut down and is now long gone, but every time it rains, the damage to the roof spreads just a tiny bit more.
At one time, I started adding some trim to one of the big posts, but then I stopped for some reason. And I never got back to it.
And, of course, since there are no lights and no beadboard ceiling, there’s also no ceiling fan. So working out here on those super hot Texas summer days can be a bit unbearable.
And how about that paint? Nope, I haven’t done a bit of painting, either. The original part is still gray, and the parts that were added when the carport was built are still the Hardi primer color.
I honestly have no idea why I thought I could (or wanted to) do all of those projects myself. I mean, I can do those jobs myself. And since I have a drywall lift, I could even do the beadboard ceiling myself. But whyyyyyy??? Why did I think I needed to do these things myself? Those men were already here working and building the main structure of the carport day after day after day. Why didn’t I just let them finish it?
I don’t know. I can’t explain myself. 😀 But since there have been no lights out here, and this is where I use my big tools (miter saw, table saw, planer, etc.), that means that I’m always at the mercy of the sun. As soon as the sun goes down, I have to quit working. So if the sun goes down at 5:00pm during the winter, I have to stop working at 5:00pm.
But that’s about to change because I’ve finally hired someone to finish all of these projects on the carport that I thought I was going to do myself but never got around to. And it’ll be finished just in time for the time change at the beginning of November when it starts getting dark noticeably earlier and earlier.
They’re scheduled to start on October 9th, and here’s what they’ll do:
- Repair the hole in the roof,
- Install eight of the thin lights (that look like recessed lights),
- Install one ceiling fan,
- Install a motion light towards the back yard,
- Install beadboard on the ceiling,
- Remove the Hardiboard material from the two posts, replace with PVC boards, and trim out to look like the columns on the front porch,
- Reattach any Hardiplanks that have come loose,
- Do any caulking that is necessary,
- Do all of the painting.
I’m so excited that this is finally going to be finished! I’m out in the carport all the time. I park back there about half the time. That is where I get Matt into the van if he wants to go somewhere. I have a friend who is dealing with some medical issues, so she parks back there and uses the ramp every time she comes over. And as I said above, that is where I use my woodworking tools. As much time as I spend in this carport, and as much use as it gets, it will be so nice to actually have it finished after all this time.
Once it’s finished, I’d also like to get the messy half cleaned up and organized, and then build three rolling carts for my three big tools — miter saw, table saw, and planer. That way, I can roll them out of the way when they’re not in use, and then easily roll them out when I need them. I had built a rolling cart for my previous miter saw that worked perfectly for it. (You can see that project here.) Unfortunately, when I upgraded to my current 12-inch miter saw, the new saw was too big to fit on the cart that I had built to fit the smaller saw.
So now the bigger miter saw sits on a folding table that is not convenient at all to move around. The table saw also sits on a table that has no wheels and is very difficult to move around. And my poor planer is relegated to sitting on the concrete floor of the carport. And that thing isn’t lightweight, so moving it around when I need to use it is a real pain.
The plan is to eventually build a workshop for me just past the carport, but that’s not really on the radar right now. We have plenty of land for it back there!
And, in fact, when Matt bought the landscape plan for my birthday last year, the landscape designer included my workshop on the plan.
So that’s a “someday” plan that I can look forward to in the future. But for now, it will just be nice to have a finished carport and three rolling carts.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
You used to do most things yourself because you didn’t like how others did things as I recall. You had had some unpleasant experiences with contractors. Probably the reason you said you would do it or maybe in 2018 you felt you could do it for less money and that factored in to your decision.
Idea for planer .. upgrade a furniture dolly. Add locking casters and use wheel blocks (plan for space on the dolly to store when not in use)
Then have an open bottom on one of the two to park the planner beneath it.
Did you know that you can put the folding banquet tables on wheels? Amazon carries the wheels that can be used with the 1″ diameter legs on those tables. I’ve bought several of those tables at thrift stores for $10 each and then ordered the wheels to fit them. Wonderful for putting benchtop tools on. Plus they can be folded up and put away if space is needed. Not that I plan to ever do that. You can also get them for office tables with the 1″ square legs.
I also have a bunch of those flat furniture dollies from Harbor Freight. I’m using the cut-offs from 1x4s to “fill in” the open space in them to make them more useable for moving stuff around in my garage.
You’ll love having the light from those little half-inch thick puck lights. My great room looking like a landing strip when I turn mine on!
I have comments on your previous post about the grommets. I had typed it out, scrolled, and it was gone. So I’m hoping this one stays put. You did an awesome job figuring out the junction box placement and the grommets work-around are perfect. Someone suggested leaving the plug that is beautifully covered with wallpaper. I agree. You will probably have something sitting in front of it anyway. Same yourself that little bit of hassle. You will need that plug sometime.
The carport project: perhaps you wanted to do all those finishing touches because you could. Perhaps at the time it was a money issue. Perhaps you were overly excited about the new challenge. Who know. But I am so glad you have hired someone else to finish it so you can continue to work in the studio. One can only do so much!
Have a great week. Glad Matt is back to his normal. Also I hope you wore a mask, a long sleeved turtle neck, and gloves as you cut the grommet holes so you are not back in pain from whatever that is made of.
Living in FL with the HOT summers, we were so glad that we decided to install insulation in the back porch ceiling. You may want to consider doing that if you plan to work there for any length of time.
Glad you decided to hire that out! I am also intrigued that you have used a drywall lift before, because I was contemplating the same thing (I am vertically challenged!). I searched the archives, but didn’t see an actual post about you using the lift. Any help appreciated!
Oh, that sounds like such a good idea. That work is better for the two or more workers to handle, and nothing special to be done as in a inside room. That means it will get done while you work on things you really need/want to do, while they finish off something that doesn’t actually need a lot of decisions from you. It will be so nice for you to just walk out to a completed project. Meanwhile, you have lots of plans for inside. Looking forward to the next step for your studio or entrance/bathroom. Wondering what is next?
Man !! … I wish I were younger – would love doing what you’re doing = a fantastic job … love love love the ideas … thanks for sharing all your projects in such a detailed way … keep up the good work !
Yay! You have had so many stressors on you lately and having this area finished and functional will be such a relief. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you have to! Looking forward to seeing the final result.
Well that will make your life much easier. And sitting outside of an evening, till your new patio and addition is done will be nice.
You didn’t have it on your list, but do insulate your ceiling!
Even if it is just thick foamboard with reflective side[up?], to cut the Tx heat. You will never regret it.
Fun for us to see you going full steam ahead!
Yay! I feel like 2018 you may still have been in the phase of “if I can do it myself then I SHOULD do it myself”. You’ve evolved since then and are now happy to hire out work if that fits with your vision and budget. Neither approach is better than the other. Can’t wait for you to have a more workable carport!
I know the addition is the next big project for you guys…but where do you think the driveway lands in the project list?