DrPizza's project: turn garage into ... apartment

[Modelworks]

he might be able to get around that by making electric part of the rent. Around here its common to Buy a huge house and rent out rooms to college students. $300-4000 for a room (with all utilites).

Renting out a room in a house is under a different part of the rules. Whenever you wall off a part of a house with its own entrance and the rest of the house not directly accessible by the new tenant then it becomes a whole different matter. The NEC is only concerned with safety and the rules require that the wiring inside the living space have a disconnect from the outside service wiring that is accessible by the tenant or a building manager . A subpanel in the living space doesn't meet the qualification because it isn't a disconnect for the service wiring, that would be in the panel in the main house. Installing a meter allows you to also install the service disconnect inside the tenant accessible space.

The requirement of 230.72(C) is specific to multiple-occu-
pancy buildings because the different units are generally in-
dependent of each other and access to the service
disconnecting means may be precluded because of locked
doors or other physical impediments that are inherent to this
type of building. Unless electric service and maintenance are
provided by and under continuous supervision of the build-
ing management, the occupants of a multiple-occupancy
building must have ready access to their service disconnect-
ing means and this feature has to be incorporated into the
building service equipment layout. Section 240.24(B) con-
tains a similar requirement for access to service, feeder and
branch circuit overcurrent protective devices.

 

[alkemyst]

Not everyone gets scholarships? Room and board on that site is about as expensive as is to rent a 1br anywhere near campus here and I'm paying ~250 per credit hour for in state tuition in a state run university. 20k a year is pretty standard, which is why a lot of recent grads have a ton of debt and are having a hard time finding jobs which puts them in a bad position.

Around here there are tons of scholarships even for B students...almost everyone goes to college today which is why it's so hard to find a 'good' job.

College isn't for everyone though and if you aren't qualifying for at least some free money then you probably should think military first.

Most grads have so much debt because they are using school loans to cover XBOX/PS3 and car payments + dinner out all the time.

 

[GrumpyMan]

So DrPizza, are you sorry you started this thread yet? lol....went from building out a garage to college tuition and economic doldrums....

 

[MotionMan]

nice! My dad and I did this awhile ago when I moved into their garage. Fun stuff, if anyone in So Cal plans on doing it I'm always down for some hammer swinging and insulation itching.

I am planning on redoing my "storage room" (remove all cabinets, drywall, makeshift closet and old insulation, then re-drywall, paint and put in new shelving - also will deal with crappy window and doors).

When can you come over? (And, please bring a dumpster.)

MotionMan of The Valley

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

unless our physically or mentally disabled, you shouldn't be living with your parents after college.

Accumulating a stupid amount of debt is OBVIOUSLY the much smarter way of doing things

 

[momeNt]

So DrPizza, are you sorry you started this thread yet? lol....went from building out a garage to college tuition and economic doldrums....

I'm sure an update on the progress tomorrow or something if he gets a chance to work on it tonight will bring it back on track. But yea a thread like this left idle without updates was bound to get derailed.

 

[MotionMan]

I'm sure an update on the progress tomorrow or something if he gets a chance to work on it tonight will bring it back on track. But yea a thread like this left idle without updates was bound to get derailed.

LOL. He could just lock it between updates.

:ninja:

MotionMan

 

[Rubycon]

LOL. He could just lock it between updates.

:ninja:

MotionMan

Or slap the crappers with a large tuna - in the buttcheeks. :biggrin:

 

[Squisher]

So, getting back to the actual topic of this thread, Doc have you decided on flooring?

If you're going with carpet, they do make insulated carpet pad made for basements. Unfortunately the last time I checked the company that made it would only license out to one distributor in an area.

Here in Detroit it's Fairway Carpet. http://www.fairwaycarpet.com/enviro.htm

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Or slap the crappers with a large tuna - in the buttcheeks. :biggrin:

Where do I sign up for this? :wub:

 

[DrPizza]

So, getting back to the actual topic of this thread, Doc have you decided on flooring?

If you're going with carpet, they do make insulated carpet pad made for basements. Unfortunately the last time I checked the company that made it would only license out to one distributor in an area.

Here in Detroit it's Fairway Carpet. http://www.fairwaycarpet.com/enviro.htm

Yep, bedroom and living room area = carpet (under the pellet stove, of course, will be a tile or stone hearth.) Since most carpet comes in 12 foot rolls, the carpetted area will be 12 feet wide. That makes installation pretty painless. Butt it up to the wall, stretch it, and only have to cut for length. I'm figuring on about $1/sq ft quality (I've seen some with 10 year warranties.) BUT, I'll go with top of the line, thickest pad. Bathroom - was going to go with a tile floor, but figure that'll feel too cold, so I'm going with linoleum there. And, pergo or some such product for the kitchen.

 

[mmntech]

not true, it saves a ton of money.

This. I've actually been told by my parents NOT to move out for just that reason. Sort of blew my mind since I had been talking about moving shortly after I start my new job. They want me to save up for a condo or town house instead of renting.

Looks like a cool project my good doctor. Sort of a granny flat for your kid. I'm content having run of the house though. ^_^

 

[Jeff7]

Assuming they stay together, they would have to save over $1300 EACH for 36 months to approach $100k.

That's a pretty lofty goal for any recent college grad.

Cripes, I think I'm putting >$1500 into the bank each month, after various expenses. I'm in my own apartment, too - no roommate.
Rent out here is nice though. I've got about 600-700 sq ft for $450/month + utilities.
But living at home, not paying rent or utilities? Money money money.
Obviously it depends on the job, but I'd also hope for him to be able to get something more than a Walmart salary with a (useful) college degree.



I stayed at home until I was 23. I did work at Walmart, and I was still able to save up a decent bit.
My parents liked having me around. They thought about charging rent, but decided against it because I was useful around the house, and was reasonably ok at fixing and maintaining various things. And I was certainly in no huge rush to venture out and start spending lots of money on the usual expenses of rent/mortgage/pure cocaine/etc.
Tiring of lousy retail work, it was back to college with me.

I'm a baller now though, you'd better believe it. Living on my own, decent paying job, crappy-though-sizable apartment...but no M3. Oh well.



DrPizza - cool stuff going on there. The SketchUp thing is cool too. Looks like there's a lot of space in there; that's a pretty nice little apartment setup in the works.

 

[Fenixgoon]

This. I've actually been told by my parents NOT to move out for just that reason. Sort of blew my mind since I had been talking about moving shortly after I start my new job. They want me to save up for a condo or town house instead of renting.

Looks like a cool project my good doctor. Sort of a granny flat for your kid. I'm content having run of the house though. ^_^

i lived with my parents for a year after graduating.

everyone who had graduated with me said "move out ASAP!"

everyone who had been out of school several years said "stay as long as you can to bank $$$$"

 

[Corporate Thug]

Around here there are tons of scholarships even for B students...almost everyone goes to college today which is why it's so hard to find a 'good' job.

College isn't for everyone though and if you aren't qualifying for at least some free money then you probably should think military first.

Most grads have so much debt because they are using school loans to cover XBOX/PS3 and car payments + dinner out all the time.

I don't know how many grads you now, but nobody I went to school with was making car payments with their student loans or eating dinner out all the time.

 

[z0mb13]

Very cool work and kudos to your kid wanting to save money
I don't agree with the "once you graduate you have to live on your own crowd." After I went back to my home country I stayed with my parents until marriage. I saved a ton of money and now able to live comfortably (currently eyeing to purchase my own house)

By the way the google sketchup that you did is very awesome. How long did it take you to do that? Did you have previous modeling/design experience?

Thanks!

 

[DrPizza]

It took an hour or so to do. It helped immeasurably though. For example, I already have the kitchen cabinets (thanks, Craigslist) - I had to figure out how they were going to best be arranged so that I could stick in the stove & fridge - that way I knew where to put outlets for the counter tops & outlets for those two appliances, as well as the gas line. Likewise, it helped with locating where to put ceiling lights & the ceiling box for the bedroom. Plus, if I hadn't done it on the computer, I wouldn't have realized that it wouldn't have worked out putting the television on either of the other walls. (yet another outlet location)

 

[waggy]

So, getting back to the actual topic of this thread, Doc have you decided on flooring?

If you're going with carpet, they do make insulated carpet pad made for basements. Unfortunately the last time I checked the company that made it would only license out to one distributor in an area.

Here in Detroit it's Fairway Carpet. http://www.fairwaycarpet.com/enviro.htm

you have any suggestions besides that? we are almost done finishing the basement. the contractors don't do floors though.

right now its a bare floor. The rooms are going to be a playroom and 2nd living room.

i thought about those play mats but hear they trap water under and not a good idea for a basement.

 

[TheVrolok]

Hell, I'm moving back to my parents' house in July for about a year (maybe 9 months) and I'm 27 now, will turn 28 during that year. Sometimes it just makes the most sense out of the available options. My parents are glad to have me back, and it should help them out a bit as well. It's not my ideal living situation, but it'll surely help when it comes to saving money on school loans.

As for the OP, looks like an awesome project. I think when I move back in, my father and I are finally going to put up a decent sized shed in the backyard now that he'll have some free manual labor. Love doing a good construction project. Looks like things are coming along nicely for you, and teaching your son those skills is invaluable. Keep the pictures coming!

 

[vi edit]

Yep, bedroom and living room area = carpet (under the pellet stove, of course, will be a tile or stone hearth.) Since most carpet comes in 12 foot rolls, the carpetted area will be 12 feet wide. That makes installation pretty painless. Butt it up to the wall, stretch it, and only have to cut for length. I'm figuring on about $1/sq ft quality (I've seen some with 10 year warranties.) BUT, I'll go with top of the line, thickest pad. Bathroom - was going to go with a tile floor, but figure that'll feel too cold, so I'm going with linoleum there. And, pergo or some such product for the kitchen.

Stainmaster makes an awesome vinyl product for flooring:
http://www.stainmaster.com/Vinyl/HiDef

My last house had this in the kitchen/half bath and it was great. Looked almost exactly like tile, yet it was soft under foot, warm to the touch, easy to clean, didn't crack/chip when you dropped something on it, didn't dent like cheaper vinyl products, and was self repairing if you gouged or cut it.

You can get it for around $2.50 a sq/ft and it's easy to install. Worth checking into for the kitchen and bath areas.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Alk has a lot of nerve to troll an admin's thread.

Cool project. I like.

 

[Squisher]

you have any suggestions besides that? we are almost done finishing the basement. the contractors don't do floors though.

right now its a bare floor. The rooms are going to be a playroom and 2nd living room.

i thought about those play mats but hear they trap water under and not a good idea for a basement.

Someone posted a basement system here that had a particle board product that was mated a honeycomb of plastic/rubber standoff material. IIRC it came in 2' tongue and groove squares. After installation it made just about any flooring doable.

EDIT: found it DRIcore

Cork can be installed over a moisture barrier of poly film, but this might be trapping moisture.

 

[clamum]

I never understood the shit talking about those that move home after college either. In many cases it just makes fucking sense re: debt/money situation. Maybe a lot of these people have had a shitty family life or something. That, or they think it makes them look better because they left home at an earlier age and didn't come back. Douchebags ftl.

Cool project OP; your son gets to learn new skills and gets a place to stay that allows him to save money. I'm sure he's grateful.

 

[Sephire]

So no mre garage?

 

[DrPizza]

So no mre garage?

I still have another garage/shed that I use as a summer barn. Plus I can park in the barn if I really needed to get a couple vehicles out of the weather (or to work on them.)