One of the primary reasons we bought this place (now over eight years ago!) was the ginormous garage. In two years of looking at houses, we came close a few times, but close only meant a) the garage was nice and roomy but the house needed to be set on fire and completely rebuilt; b) the location was not optimal, like, say, off Highway 17 which frequently turns into a car park; or c) the pool was only large enough to dabble one’s toes into.
So we ended up here with a huge garage, great big pool, more land than we ever intended, an unusual house, and so many projects. Here are some shots of the garage: first from before we bought the place and then a few from the early years.
After seven years here, the space in the garage was getting a bit tight. With the far left side segmented into parking for daily drivers in front and storage (including the Radical, a post about which is coming up soon) behind, we (well, really Agent Smith) wanted a bit more space. Thanks to the mess with the Pit and Santa Clara County Department of Planning, we can’t fix up the barn just yet, as that requires permits which we cannot get until we’re out of their bad books.
Turns out though, there was another, better solution: there is an aftermarket for mezzanines! That’s right, people buy and sell all sorts of stuff on the interwebs. After a bit of mezzanine shopping, something of the right dimensions popped up for sale, and as a bonus, delivery was included. The only sticky wicket was that all the remaining cabinetry original to the garage finally had to be removed. Out to the trash pile it all went, and the swanky new mezzanine eventually went up.
Agent Smith installed some plywood to provide a suitable floor and then while I was off diving at my Happy Place, our regular painter came and spent a day sealing the new floor and painting it.
While the platform structure was easy enough to put in place, the large (and heavy) staircase was another matter. Thankfully our “regular” house guest came to stay in March of 2022 and was assisted with getting the staircase in place.
First a platform extending over the bit of empty space to the right of the mezzanine had to be constructed, else people going up the steps would simply plunge back down to the floor of the garage.
Once the platform was in place they attached a stair bracket, and then it was “simply” a matter of lifting up the staircase and attaching it. For that task they brought in Bambi, as the stairs are incredibly industrial…and very heavy.
Once the stairs were up, there were just a few more details that needed sorting, but one can now easily climb up to the extra space.