Garage Mods

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To make the garage a more appealing office space, I purchased a used Persian rug. I’d wanted one ever since I acquired the house, and I actually bought one last year, but returned it a day later when I came to my senses and realized I probably shouldn’t drop 2300 bucks on a floor covering for a room that is below ground level. Hah!! This used one looks pretty nice, and was a bargain especially for the size.

Mira, smart cat that she is, very quickly learned that if she wanted to sharpen her claws, she should use the cardboard scratching brick I set out for her. A few strategically-deployed cat treats made it easy.



To make it more comfortable, I purchased a rug pad. Here’s Kerry removing the plastic.



To manage the space in the garage, I purchased some IKEA cabinets with closing doors. Getting all the clothing and bicycle hardware and photography equipment out of sight did wonders for the visual appeal of the room.



I also removed the heavy door that separates the garage from the laundry room, so I could cut a notch in the corner to admit computer cabling. These are the screws I removed, all lined up for reference. One really long screw per hinge.

As an aside: HAND-HELD ELECTRIC SCREWDRIVERS ARE WONDERFUL. You don’t think you need one, until you get one, and then you always need it. A bit like smartphones I guess.

I obsessed for a few months over whether cutting a notch in the door was the right solution, because obsessive is how I roll. I wanted to be able to close the door to cut down the noise, but should I pass the wires through the wall instead? Use a wall-plate? Do something clever with wireless transmitters? Buy a quieter computer to eliminate the need for cabling?



Well. Given that a new Mac Pro would set me back FIVE GRAND, I decided to stumble along with my current hardware. One dollar for a hacksaw blade equals $4,999.00 in unspent money. Done.

As an aside, did you know that these days, a solid wood door is apparently a luxury, and now doors are made with what is basically a big pressed slab of sawdust inside? I would care, except, ... I don’t. Seems like a good idea actually.