Website of Jason Lopes

I’m going to start from my yard and work from back to front.  That’s where I think I can make the most progress and see a big return on investment, time-wise.

Here is the concept for my workshop.  This is a rough draft and will be modified about one million times.

I’m not sure what happened but recently something really kicked my ass into gear and I have been working non-stop on little projects that I had been putting off for a really long time.  Most of my efforts have been focused on setting up my garage workshop.  It’s been slow-going since I have very limited space (about 200 square feet) and I have very large tools (table saw, drill press, and sliding miter saw).  I want to plan the workshop carefully so I can make the most out of the little space that I have.

I’ll post pictures of the garage itself soon but so far I’ve:

• Run a 60 amp service from my main breaker panel to a main lug in the garage using 6/3, 4 wire cable.  This will allow me to be able to have 110v or 220v circuits from the same lug.  While all of my tools are currently 110, my table saw can be rewired for 220 which I may end up doing so I’m less likely to trip a breaker.
• Mounted a pair of B&W WM6s on the wall connected to a Marantz SR4021 receiver.  The source is a Slim Devices (aka Logitech) Squeezebox Duet.  (The WM6s sound awesome, by the way.)
• Installed 2 Fluorescent light fixtures in the ceiling controlled by an Insteon remote.
• Installed a bunch of shelving on the wall that I reclaimed from the remnants of a Poliform Zoe bed that was (partially) shipped to me.  When the company never shipped me the full bedroom set or replaced the damaged pieces I bought the bed locally and disputed the charge.  I was credited back the full amount but, for whatever reason, they didn’t want the bed back.

I have a few three, and four, day weekends coming up so hopefully I’ll be able to finish up my work in the garage and then start working on the deck, which reminds me… I still need to finish designing planning that.

I’ve got a bunch of projects lined up for this Spring and Summer.  While my priorities lie in finishing the renovations in my basement, I’m already trying to visualize the deck I hope to build this year.  If all goes well, I’ll hopefully be able to get around to starting this before June.

For my own personal reference, here is concept 1:

This will evolve as I have time to take more accurate measurements but for now, it’s a start.  I still haven’t even decided what materials to use.  Ipê seems to be a popular choice but some favor composites.  It’s difficult to determine what the more eco-friendly option is since even the composite manufacturers try to market themselves as "Green."  I suppose I still have time to decide.

I finally got a chance to start framing the perimeter walls in my basement.  Though the going was slow, I got a good deal of work done in four hours or so.

Dealing with overhead pipes proved to be a real pain in the ass and was probably the most time consuming part of the construction.  Fortunately, the framing itself was fairly painless.

I’m really enjoying working with these light-gauge steel studs.  They weigh next to nothing, they cut very easily, and make for easy cleanup.  So far my biggest gripe would be with the tin snips that I’ve been using.  They don’t do a very good job of cutting across the wider part of the stud.  Home Depot sells a set of tin snips that have an angled cutting head that I bet would do a much better job.  I’ll have to swing by there sometime during the week so I can pick up a set.

I still have one wall left in this part of the basement but will hopefully finish it up, as well as run some electrical, next weekend.  I hope to be able to install the floor, insulation, and drywall before December 1st.