Hot Rods Do you folks crave shop time??

Dear HAMB folks

I am out in rural North East Kansas trying to find my way in the mid-west....born and raised in upstate NY...been into cars forever...I never really had my own shop until I was 40 years old (23 years ago now) and man o man we have been building all kinds of 4 wheeled junk...some nice some not so nice...

What I have noticed is my garage is my happy place...I go there for peace and quiet...a strong cup of coffee a little pipe smoke...no radio...just the sounds of me making garage noises...I am at peace there...

I have been out here in rural Kansas with no shop to speak of as I try to decide if I even want to try and live here...

Man o man do I miss tinkering in my garage...working on houses is torture for me...I do it to save a buck or two and to learn new stuff...

So I can't wait to get back East to my garage and the pipe smoke and the strong coffee too...making garage noises to such a happy place for me...

Am I nuts or not??

MikeC

 

Life can sometimes get in the way of happiness but sometimes we have to find ways to make it work and create new happy places.

 

A man's garage is his castle

 

It's always nice, when being alone means, you are in good company.
A couple too many years, I did it wrong.

 

As we age we recognize/acknowledge our "happy place", and the importance of it in our lives.
Personally, the older I get the more I realize the simpler/quieter things far outweigh the hustle/bustle of my earlier years, and I'm okay with that.
I'm convinced keeping busy (at anything) vs doing nothing, is the key to longevity.
Cars are a great escape for me, and apparently the majority of people on here.

 

Yep, just like the rest of us!
It gives me a "sense of purpose" and a feeling of accomplishment to knock another task off the list. I have to say that for me working on houses is similar in some ways, therapeutically speaking.

 

I have had a nice shop most of my life. Now after a divorce I live 65 miles away and in a different state from my shop. I still go there most week ends, and yes it is my happy place. The bummer is my cars are 65 miles away as I have no safe place to garage them where I now live.

 

Oh, we're ALL nuts! I have to go to the shop for a few hours each day to take my mind off life. Keep it buddy

 

No, you're not nuts. My garage is the place I go to work out problems, whether they are related to cars or not. For the last two years, I have been unable to spend more than a few minutes at a time in my shop. I have been my wife's care giver and most of my time has been spent running her to doctor appointments, housework, shopping and all the other things required to take care of our home and property. My wife passed away Jan. 29th and after taking care of a few more things, I will hopefully be able to get back on track with my projects.

 

must be rough on you....

I've been lucky enough to be able to have a place to tinker with cars for the past 40 years. I would sure miss it!

 

I spend winter months away from my shop, in the warm weather, and the thing I miss most is not being able to work in my shop.

 

I understand the caregiver! Condolences , Alan. M'Lady now spends most of her time in a nursing home.

Ben

 

Completely understand! Seems like I can feel my blood pressure go down when I open the door, turn on the lights and radio, sit down and think about what I want to do that night. A bad day fighting stripped threads, and rust is much better than a "good" day at work.
Nobody in my life can understand that, but that's OK. I don't invite them to join me, either.
Pretty much the only place I'm happy ( except for being around my kids and grandkids when I get a chance), and my garage is far from perfect for my needs, but it's my kingdom.

 

When I'm knee deep in a project, and it's not going particularly well, I think, "Man, I'll glad when this is finished and I can relax." Now, all the cars a really as finished as they need to be, we're at our winter home in Florida where I don't have a shop , and I'm looking for a project every day. I don't seem to ever be satisfied, but, I'm trying to learn to be...

 

There’s a whole lot of good that comes out of garage/shop time:
accomplishment, progress, satisfaction, thought, problem solving, innovation and enjoyment are just a few.
I try to get as much as possible, but despite being retired, my time can get pretty booked up. I find I need to keep making sure to keep this a priority in line with all the other stuff I find myself engaged in.
Yes, I get some cuts and scratches and make some scrap but I find my shop time good for me.

 

Yes, but life seems to always get in the way. I guess I’m lucky in a way as I have a 1.5 garage, and a shop in the basement, but I really would like a dedicated shop with a lift and all the goodies.

 

I get that. Where are you? Maybe you need to do some garage visits to some locals to get a fix

 

My wife died a year ago. It really does not get a lot better, but I'm adjusting to her being gone. Think of the good things

 

The short answer is yes. I consider myself lucky, my home and workshop are on the same property. My wife and live- in teenage grandkids recognize letting "me" have a little shop time daily makes "me" much more agreeable when they want something. In the thirty plus years I've lived on this property the shop building has been used for household projects, family storage, a business, and now just my workshop.
As I get closer to retirement my wife encouraged me to spend some time making sure my shop will be ready for my retirement. So, for the last year the old building got a new roof, updated wiring, forced air heating, and now she asked how hard it would be to put a bathroom. Maybe I'm reading this wrong. Maybe she just wants me out of the house.

 

Sorry for your loss.

 

I love my shop time. It doesn't matter if I'm cleaning up old nuts and bolts and organizing them, building something new and exciting to me, or just relaxing and visiting with shop friends who are like minded. I have a shop that isn't heated (hopefully fixing that soon). What I miss most in my shop is that group of people that drop in, maybe lend a hand, but mostly just give thoughts, encouragement, and friendship. It's rough moving to a new area and not being part of the automotive scene. Just remember that line from the movie as it applies to shops as well: "If we build it, They will come!"

 

I'm in my shop every day. Sometimes I crave it, sometimes I say "Not again..." and sometimes it's just a place to hang out and look it all over.

 

I think you're totally nuts to want to move back to New York state !
With the crazy high taxes, government regulations, wacko governors, the whole state ruled by one big ass city that has nothing to do with the rest of the state, what are you thinking man.
I'd get a shop built there in Kansas pronto so you CAN get into a happy place and enjoy yourself again.

 

A little siding, some drywall, couple of windows, call it "recreational vehicle storage", and nobody in your neighborhood will know the difference.

 

I built my first big shop (40x45 and attached to a corn crib) in the early 80's and it was in some respects the best shop I had...it was roomy, had a dedicated paint room drains and water as well as wood heat. Life changed, marriage and divorce, built a couple of shops, then 15 years ago I got married (and retired) when we bought the place we occupy now. A house that is too big for people our age but a two story 40x50 shop came with the property. Since we got married I've completed several big projects in the house, insulated and added heat and a/c to the shop and have been able to stay happy by having physical things to do. The short answer...yes the shop is my HAPPY Place and I think it is my wife's too....she has part of the shop for metal art....we share equipment and assist each other occasionally.

 

There are some posts here that are hard to read.
My thoughts are with you guys who are adjusting to your loss.

 

I built my workshop over 40 years ago, and just kept adding bits to it. I find that I spend more time building, maintaining & modifying the place and equipment, than I get to spend on projects. But as long as I keep busy doing something, I stay happy.
Throw in maintaining a 100 year old house with it's dirt (garden, trees, chooks, etc) & helping maintain one of the young'uns house, it gets harder to fit in "car stuff workshop time". I have been retired for a couple of years now, and thought "at last, I can spend a few days in a row in the shop just working on my cars, and nothing else"- but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe a couple of hours a day if I'm lucky!

 

Had my first shop in my 40's in 1983 on the home property in Oregon...
a second one in 2010 with floor heat and spray booth...
Moved to NE South, Dakota in 2021 and had no running rods or projects and
went through motorhead withdrawals the first year here.
Had plenty of projects around the house and property to keep me busy, but still miss
that hunt and build. Been working on insulating and sheet rocking a separate 24 X 36 garage
on the back property so there will be a possibility of a future build IF I really think I can..
My Mind says one thing and an 80 year old body just laughs at that stupid brain.
Did buy a running old Oldsmobile last year and the more I look....what was I thinking !
We Love living here in flyover country and will just keep plugging along with happy thoughts
and that definitely includes Shop Time !

 

First you have my sincere condolences. It will get better, just go out in your shop and sit and look at stuff. Pretty soon you will find something to pick up and look at and then start to fix it or set it down and move on to something else. Time will make things better, and in a while you will be back working on cars. All the best, Brian.

 

This summer, me and a friend of mine were discussing how we've both done nothing but work on buildings for the last few years, while most of our car projects have sat. All of the work I've done on my shop buildings and my house have paid off greatly, but yeah, I'm really looking forward to building cars again.