Build a dream garage, so you can build dream projects.
Adam Jabaay
unhappy with your garage? do something about it.....like....pull it over with a big tractor and throw it into a dumpster.
My brother Jeremy has always been a tinkerer. He married a lovely girl, Allison, who fully supports his desire to build, modify, and design things, and who's taste and style compliments him almost perfectly. You've never seen a couple so impeccably matched. Jeremy and allison bought a little fixxer-upper house just before they got married, and started to work on it. Over the past 6 or 7 years, they've turned a completely rough-around-the-edges house and knock-down-destined garage into masterpieces, and haven't gone into debt doing it. Buying a cheap house, and using your time, skills, and imagination might be a good idea for some of our readers.....read on for inspiration, and check out our late-night walk through video.
Ever done surveying work? Ever prepped a pile of rubble to be a foundation for a garage? Jeremy hadn't either.
Lots of people simply deal with the house they can afford, and maybe paint the walls and hang a few pictures. Jeremy and Allison Jabaay think about a project for a while, then knock the entire thing over and start over....or at least take a bunch of walls down.
A house should be able to fit the lifestyle of the owners, and be functional. Jeremy likes to play with cars, build cool projects, and sit by a fireplace and have a beer with buddies. Allison has a hobby-job after hours of cutting and selling custom vinyl on Etsy, so she needed some space for that, and also plays with cars a bit. Her style is reflected in many aspects of the garage, as she had a vision of how it all should look. Allison chose many of the detail pieces, and I love her taste and choices. Jeremy does a lot of the back end work, but Allison plays a huge role in much of the overall outcome of their projects, whether it be the garage itself, of a table inside of it. They've always got a project going on, and I assume it will always be that way.
Partway through framing and exterior plywood. It might look nice and sunny, but remember, it was the middle of a chicago winter in this picture. Jeremy and Allison might have picked a bad time to start........ but they did it.
Due to an impending snowstorm, and the fact that putting shingles on is not much fun, the shingles were left to a local proffessional, Vandrunen roofing. The Jabaay family has already done enough roofing projects to know they don't want to do anymore roofing projects.
Foil faced foam , with taped joints, on top of the plywood, and behind the siding adds another level of insulation to the garage. And, this shot shows the old Honda cars they drive to work to help afford to build cool projects. Car payments suck lots of cash. Old beaters with a couple hundred thousand miles suck less cash.
Louisiana-Pacific "Smart Side" wood siding mostly installed in this pic. All caulking was OSI Quad , and paint was Benjamin Moore Aura exterior, a very high end paint. LP smart side is an extremely durable wood product that offers an incredible warranty, takes paint well, and gave the look Jeremy and Allison were looking for.
A lot of the painting occurred at night.
Part-way through insulating and drywalling. Foam was placed against the exterior with a slight airgap on the roof to vent the heat build up, then expanding foam'd in place. R19 insulation was applied behind the foam, then the drywall installed.
Jeremy designed this garage completely himself on CAD, and had a racer friend who is an architect approve and stamp the plans, so the village would give him a building permit. Because the Buildings and Structures on the property would be taking up such a large percentage of the land, the village asked, for drainage purposes, that he have a permeable driveway (such as stone). Jeremy and Allison then were sent down another road, before even getting into the fun part of building a garage, and had to decide what do about this problem. Permeable paver stones were decided on, and after the garage was built, they redid the driveway, completely themselves.
Reclaimed maple flooring that was found in a shed behind a friend's house (thanks ryan!) was used in the loft portion.
Fat stacks.
Zulu insisted on helping lay the flooring, as he was an integral part of most of these projects, and didn't want to be left out.
Prepping for a natural-color varnish finishing coat.
The daybed and vintage flatfile cabinet act as storage along with adding unique style to the loft area. Additionally, the daybed is a great spot to put a track buddy who needs a place to crash for the evening.
In progress work on the ceiling and lighting of the loft area
A nice overview shot of the finished product. Allison sells vinyl numbers/stickers/creations through her Etsy store ( "singlestory" is the store name), and this is her workshop. Its also a fantastic lounge area, and everything from Christmas parties, to Concealed Carry permit classes to baby showers have been hosted up here.
The view down into the shop area
Detail shot of the DIY cable railings
Exterior detail of the Front upper dormer.
The subway tiles are a cool backdrop for the R compound tires. They planned this, obviously..... This shot is a few years old, as you can see the lack of fireplace, etc. Also in view here is the polished concrete floor. Jeremy chose to grind, polish, and seal the concrete for looks, and also because penetrating sealers have came a long way in technology, and strengthen the concrete while remaining unchippable, unlike epoxy, etc.
You might ask how two young people paid for this project. Are they rich? Did they win the lottery? Rob a bank? Did they land high power corporate jobs?
Nope. None of those.
Hard work, careful planning, and frugal living are the keys to a project like this for the Jabaays. They paid for this project as they went, since they kept their bills low by driving old cars, not living above their means, and doing almost everything themselves or with the help of friends or family. Jeremy works 4 days a week at his real job, which does leave him time to spend on large projects , but it doesn't change the fact that he and Allison built this with their own two hands, and thought it up completely themselves.
Here is a shot of the next Jabaay creation we'll be featuring here.......Jeremy and Allison's homemade teardrop trailer, while under construction. This shot also shows off the gorgeous permeable pavers.
Zulu is the constant shop supervisor.
A simple suburban neighborhood is the backdrop for this house, and it fits in just fine.
The house itself recieved a lot of attention after the garage was mostly complete. the roof was originally framed with 2x4's, and poorly done, in 1912, and Jeremy and Allison decided to have a party in the attic, during which all attendees cut the roof off and threw it into a dumpster. a new, taller roof, with the pitch matching the garage, was framed, along with a new porch/front room overtop a poured concrete foundation (note the slightly different colors in the foundation in this above pic). Future plans call for dormers on the large sides of the house roof , and living space to be added upstairs.
