Broadway Wrecker Service Garage

Very cool i hope to be able to do this one day!

Here is a brief update on my Broadway Wrecker Service Garage project:

Since my last update in this thread (over 3 years ago), a lot has happened -- but most of that did not involve moving this project forward.

Due to several issues, roadblocks, etc., not much has been done on the renovation (especially the exterior) of my garage. Among the things that took precedent over continuing work on this project, there was a roof replacement to the house, other projects, life changes, etc.

But the most important thing (and the reason I'm posting a belated update) that stopped the momentum of this project was a legal issue related to the contractor who was hired and completed phase one of this garage renovation.

After work had long been completed (and paid for) on the garage exterior work by the general contractor, a local supplier placed a mechanic's lien on my property.

This came as a complete surprise. The supplier alleged they had not been paid for supplies by the contractor we had employed, and claimed that after exhausting other options to obtain payment for this and other jobs, they were forced to place a lien and serve me a legal notice that I was being sued for payment.

I was forced to hire an attorney to resolve this problem. Fortunately, I was able to prove I had paid my contractor in full (on time and as agreed) and I wasn't involved with whatever the supplier was alleging. They dropped me from legal actions they were pursing, and released the lien on my property. But I was forced to cover legal costs, and construction/work during that time stopped while trying to resolve this problem.

I'm mentioning this because I wanted to warn everyone: you must get signed lien releases from everyone involved with work on your projects. (You should also have a signed contract with your contractor -- make sure that contract doesn't involve you waiving your rights with regards to lien releases, etc.) I know this has been mentioned in other Garage Journal threads in the past, but it bears repeating:


Get a signed UNCONDITIONAL WAIVER AND RELEASE document signed by all contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, etc. providing any kind of goods/services/work on your project.


Rather than provide a lien release document or link in this thread, I encourage everyone to research your own state's laws with regards to liens and acquire a form geared towards your own project(s). And of course, speak to an attorney for any legal advice.

I can't tell you how important getting release/waivers are, no matter what the size/cost of your job may be. Ever since that experience, I've had all workers/suppliers sign releases, or they don't work for me. When I had to get my roof replaced, I handed the roofing contractor a stack of release forms and asked him to get them signed by everyone involved, including the roofing supplier. (He had no problem doing that, saying: "We pay our suppliers as we go.")

This all may seem like overkill, but keep this in mind:

Anyone can place a lien on your property (valid reason or not).

They simply go to your local county courthouse and pay the small filing fee.

So that sub-contractor or supplier working on your renovation that you never see or aren't even aware of? They can place a lien on your property to exert pressure on the general contractor over a disagreement by exerting pressure on you.

Protect yourself.

I am so sorry to hear about the trouble you had but VERY happy to hear your house and shop are now safe! Thank you for the warning! Keep up the great job!

The next step after the last update was to install metal cabinets on the wall.

I was hoping at some point to find some sort of used/old metal cabinets to match the look of the rest of the garage, but that never happened. So, like many of you, I couldn't pass up a deal on Gladiator metal cabinets that pop up at Sears every now and then.

I'm not a fan of the look of the Gladiator cabinets -- especially the gray diamond plate -- but the cabinets themselves are well constructed. I was wondering what sort of change or treatment could be applied to the Gladiator cabinet doors to change them. Was even considering trying to give the doors more of a rust color look. Anyone have any ideas on that?

After installing Gladiator metal cabinets, the next project for the garage was building a work bench.

Like many others on Garage Journal, I opted to use a Simpson Strong-Tie Workbench kit to build my (first) work bench.



I used the Simpson Strong-Tie KWB1 Workbench Kit (which has since been discontinued and replaced by the WBSK Workbench and Shelving Kit. Does anyone know the difference between the old version and new version of the kit?) I added additional Simpson Strong-Tie connectors to extend the length of the bench and attach the tops.

Decided to stain all the wood pieces with Sedona Red.















After staining all the cut wood pieces, the kit went together pretty easily.















I had a hard time deciding what to use for the workbench top. I opted to use two Masonite solid core doors, which I treated with Danish Oil.











The doors turned out pretty well -- although due to the cold weather I only put on two light coats of the Danish Oil since I wasn't really applying it in the recommended temperature range. I'll probably have to go back and treat them again once the weather warms up.







The two doors end-to-end are much longer than the length of the bench frame -- I may go back later and cut them down to size. Although I do like the overhang on the ends and the whole bench feels pretty solid.

Looks good! I would keep it as it is: fits perfectly between your wall and window and you can store anything on wheels underneath it.

Yes it looks great nice work!

nice work so far.

love the stain for the work bench supports