A key part of our overall logistics for this project was to build the new garage in advance so we could use it as storage and staging space during the main house demolition and new construction. As we were a little slow on the draw getting it started last summer and a very wet October put the foundation on hold, the whole garage build has been elapsing in slow-mo. Amy, my brother Neil and I put the roof on back in November, and then we took off the month of December due to holidays, travel, and weather conditions. We got back at it in January, getting the soffits and fascia put up to cover the last of the exposed wood (whew!). And now that the weather has warmed up a little, we’re able to make progress in earnest.

A couple weekends back we installed all the electrical rough-in for the garage. Strangely enough, getting the electrical wires run is required to finalize the framing inspection. The inspector wants to make sure you haven’t bored too many (or too large) holes in the framing to weaken the structure. Modern code also requires special fireproof caulk get pumped into those holes to slow the spread of any flames that might someday try to overtake our beautiful new carriage house. We mounted a dozen outlet boxes, a box for the switches, and a pair of can lights in the rafters. All that got carefully wired back to the new breaker panel which I also installed.

The building inspector and the electrical inspector both stopped by last Tuesday afternoon, and both were back in their trucks in 5 minutes flat. Passed with flying colors! The electrical guy took one look at my 7 interior and 3 exterior outlets and said “well, you won’t have trouble finding a plug!” I explained I was building it for my own family to live in. He noted a spot where I had taped over a nick in the cable sheathing and he asked if that’s indeed what happened. I said yes, but it didn’t penetrate any of the wire sheathing, to which he replied “well, if it did you wouldn’t leave it like that in your own house.” You’re damn straight, Electric Frank!

Passing those inspections was a real relief, and more importantly it let us move on to insulation and drywall. To take advantage of our very-expensive-but-very-local storage facility we kind of need to have the walls closed up. Also we need to not have parts of it taken up with pallets of insulation…. So that was the task this past weekend.

We insulated the rear wall with ThermaFiber mineral wool insulation. Sure, it nets you an extra 2 R of insulation value over fiberglass in the same 3 1/2 inches, but most importantly for our application, it can withstand over 2000 degrees(!) and not melt or burn. Since the rear wall of our new garage is pressed right up to the property line, the city requires that this wall be 1 hour fire-rated. So you could light a bonfire inside the garage and that wall should just stand there and take it for an hour. Like a boss.

We had never worked with this stuff before, so of course we read up on it in advance. Mineral wool insulation is made of stiff batts manufactured to fit snugly into standard stud bays (16″ or 24″ on center, for 2×4 or 2×6 construction). We read the easiest way to cut it was with a serrated knife, so being cheapskates, Amy had picked up a couple used bread knives at the local Habitat ReStore for $1. They cut straight through that insulation like… well, like a knife! Unfortunately despite the package assurances, the dust from this stuff was pretty unpleasant. Our son fled within minutes and had to strip off all his clothes and towel off to keep from itching. We just suffered through with dust masks, long sleeves, and gloves. Still, it left our eyes itchy and painful and you could feel abrasive fibers on your exposed skin. Nothing lasting, but not my favorite building activity so far.

The rest of the garage we filled with garden variety fiberglass insulation faced with kraft paper and stapled in. Its way easier to work with and way cheaper. We got 75% of the wall insulation in (lacking only the bays blocked by stacks of drywall) and got 1 and a half walls sheeted in drywall – all in one day!

This coming weekend we’ll need to resist the temptation to keep packing up the house for our move and instead hustle up to finish that drywall. I figure if we don’t get the drywall in before we start moving things into the garage for storage then we’ll never be able to install it in, around, and over all our stuff. So the pressure’s on! If anyone has been itching to hoist 50# drywall sheets over your head then do contact us. We have a great opportunity this weekend as we try to get the ceiling covered over.