Welcome to the second phase of my garage build-out project. I’m calling this the coronavirus project as I’m able to have extra time to work on this since our weekends are free from entertaining and travel.There are a lots of garage buildings for sale near me available to start up your own projects.
This stage is called the research phase as I’m putting together a list of items I need to complete the project as cost-effectively as I can. As everyone knows by now I’m a little stingy when it requires spending money on a wishlist of stuff I would love to have versus things I need to have. For example, do I really need flush mount speakers in a garage ceiling or will the two exterior speakers mounted near the ceiling corners work just as well although not as appealing to look at? They sound fantastic and since I already have them sitting in the attic doing nothing I can save $300 by using them instead of buying new speakers. The answer is obvious.
I have all the 14-2 and 12-2 wire that I need which was saved from the previous remodel and I have plenty of outlet and switch boxes. So we’re good there. I will upgrade the outlets and switches to Lutron so they look good and match the rest of the house.
I will have a 42″ flat-screen TV mounted on the back wall that is sitting in the workout room ready to be used as this was given to me so that expense is removed, although flat screen tv’s are pretty cheap these days I have to keep in mind that this is still a garage and I have no idea how much time I will actually use the TV. The TV was free so I’m going to put it up. I will have to buy a wall bracket to mount it, though. I’m going to “cut the cord” so I will use the Amazon Firestick and Youtube TV for channels. (There will be a blog article on Cutting the Cord in the near future as I’m researching the benefits right now.)
Ceiling lights! This is a tricky problem as I have a certain look I want to accomplish and a certain purpose too. I want the garage to look very cool and I want it to function as a car detailing station as well as an entertainment area when the car and truck are backed out. By entertainment area, I mean a place to throw darts or play ping pong as there is plenty of room as there will be plenty of room in a 400 square foot two-car garage with a 10′ ceiling.
The Exterior! This is the fun part I’ve been looking forward to. I’m taking off the vinyl siding and I’m going to put up 7/16 
ZipSystem wall sheathing versus a regular OSB board. Since this is just one wall including the bump out I can absorb the additional cost plus I won’t have to add the Tyvek vapor barrier. All you need to do is seal the seams with tape. If I total up the amount of sheathing I need minus the Tyvek barrier I will spend an extra $70. I’m OK with that. The bump-out is going to be 12′ x 7′ as that’s as far as I can go in width and length but I will have a 9′ vaulted ceiling where I can add storage items. The trash and recycle bins will be in there as well along with a new extra refrigerator.
I will attach a 4″ stained lap boards to the outside as a nice contrast to the vinyl siding with a window and a door so that access can be made from the yard. I also want to be able to take the trash and recycle bins out to the curb without having to move the vehicles and then through the open garage door.
I do worry a little about woodpeckers and other birds pounding holes in the wood siding for nesting purposes and will give the siding choice some extra thought before I reach that point.