Planning Stages: DarkDep's Fish Room II

[darkdep]

Putting together my first attempt at a fish room has been fun.  I've been very happy with the fish wall, I've been able to keep and breed so many new kinds of fish, and I've really been able to cut down on maintenance time by having things in one place and standardized.

That being said, it hasn't been a perfect experience.  Due to ceiling height in my basement the clearance over each tank is low enough to make it a hassle to get the Aquaclear filters out of the 40gals, and the fact that the racks are against the wall makes it a hassle to get to plugs, etc.  A couple plugs, which were in ideal places before the tanks went up, aren't so good now.  Plus I still worry about the humidity in the house.  It's managable, but if I forget to close a couple of tops after feeding time the humidity in the basement jumps noticeably.

And really, all of this is hiding the biggest issue of all, and that is I have no more room to expand!  My wife is very supportive of the fish hobby but she does want some part of the basement for the rest of the family too, and a new couch has taken away the space I could have expanded into.

So, what's a guy to do?  Sit and be content with what he has?  BORING.

Thus discussions began with the committee to plan...FISH ROOM II!



Very early planning at this point, but the idea is to convert my garage into a fishroom (Probably comprising one side only; I still need some storage space). 

The garage is insulated and drywalled; although due to years of abuse a few drywall panels need to be replaced.  They'll need to be taped and painted with some kind of mildew resistant paint.  I will need to invest in an insulated garage door, or drywall off part of the garage into a seperate room.  I'll also need to replace the side door on the garage.

I will need to bring water/drain, more electricity, and some sort of heat to the room. 

The question is, how much effect will a good, insulated garage door and good exterior door have on a garage that is freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer?  Is it a better idea to seal off part of the room?

I'd like to build a rack of tanks about 15+ feet long, stacked at least double high.  That should give me plenty o tank.

I'd love to hear ideas and thoughts, especially on the insulation issue...

[beowulf]

Sound like fun, a lot of work, but fun.  Have you considered removing the garage door altogether and replacing with a bay window or something?  Might be a hassle though but just a thought.

[darkdep]

I've thought of that.  It would be work but would simplify the insulation issue to a certain extent.

However, our next door neighbours converted their garage into an office, and then when they sold the house the new owner wanted it ripped out as he wanted his garage.  So, I'm a little reluctant there.

[beowulf]

I've thought of that.  It would be work but would simplify the insulation issue to a certain extent.

However, our next door neighbours converted their garage into an office, and then when they sold the house the new owner wanted it ripped out as he wanted his garage.  So, I'm a little reluctant there.

That was what I was thinking, if you decide to sell might cause an issue.  If you don't use the door what about isulating right over it and then "temp" drywall it to turn it into a sort of room.....would be nicer if you had some windows in the garage door to let some light in but....

[hamstercaster]

Whatever you choose, you're in for lots of temperature tempering with heating or air conditionning.  A garage being a much smaller room usually gets cold or hot rather quickly although by insulating the roof and all the walls plus putting in a very good insulated garage door should help a lot in achieving what you are trying to achieve.  I'm not expert by any mean but I think it will be somewhat pricy and somewhat of a pain in the butt to achieve.  Even though you pick a good insulated garage door, you'll have to make sure that there are no gaps whatsoever between the door and the "hinges" or door frames.  You'll also need to insulate your garage roof and make a ceiling in your garage to hold the insulation... I don't think I need to explain why you need to insulate your roof and create some type of attic in your garage.. a visit to your own house attic in the summer or winter would show you why in any event ;-)  I personally think that it would be easier to make a room for the tanks in your garage.  This way you could insulate all the walls and not worry about the garage door, insulating "your new garage attic" etc. and it would probably be cheaper too.  You could then install a small heater and perhaps a small AC to keep temperatures at acceptable levels all year long.  Plus heating a 15 foot long room by lets say 4 feet wide should be to hard and/or pricy.  If I was in your shoes contemplating both options, I would definitly choose to make a small room in the garage instead of thinking of insulating the whole thing.  Cheaper, easier and quite easy to tear down if need be.. just my 2 cents.

[darkdep]

If I can budget for it, I was thinking of a small Skylight for some natural light.  The garage has it's own roof.

Come to think of it, I'm actually not sure if they insulated the roof...gotta check that.

[artw]

Chris,  Tom Herman in Guelph converted his garage to a fishroom, it may be wise to seek out his advice. (CRLCA.com I believe)
I can send you pictures if you'd like. its quite the setup

[RoxyDog]

OMG, you've officially lost it!     Wait, or your wife has...hmm...good luck though!   

[darkdep]

Art:  Yes I would love to see those pics!  I will try to get ahold of Tom to ask some Q's.

And roxy, I haven't lost it, it's a logical progression.  When Bruce came to me with his Frontosa, I actually asked two neighbours if they had an extra room for a tank.  It was at that moment that I realized I needed more space

[Quatro]

It is a logical progression.  Next year he'll be buying his neighbours house and starting work on Fish House I

[beowulf]

It is a logical progression.  Next year he'll be buying his neighbours house and starting work on Fish House I

Which makes me think, have you thought about creating a fish shed in the backyard?  I don't have the link here at work but will post from home from someone who has one of these.

[darkdep]

I can't get approval for the shed.  My wife hates sheds for some reason

The Garage can work.  I may extend the back of the garage back a bit first.  There is some dead space behind it, it could be brought back to past the side door of the house.  If I could do that, I could get rid of the existing outside door into the garage (I never use it) and get some more wall.  Plus I'd get a door from the house into the garage, which I currently do not have.

If I have THAT done (no idea the cost, probably crazy), then it would be very feasible to seal off part of the garage as a seperate room for the fiddies, and still have some "garage" for storage of toboggans, garbage, wood, etc etc.

[hamstercaster]

Or you could just buy a bigger house 

[artw]

Chris you MAY have to get a building permit for those kind of renovations, since you are converting your garage into habitable space.  If so, I can help you out with that, with drawings, and the permit process...
it wouldn't be too much, just a quick drawing and some details to show the city how you plan on doing the vapor barrier and stuff

[darkdep]

Good point.  I will likely take you up on that. 

I'm fairly comfortable with interior wall construction; I'm assuming an exterior wall simply has some kind of wood sheathing on the outside and then the siding on that, right?  I have no idea how to deal with the floor tho.

[bitterman]

Good point.  I will likely take you up on that. 

I'm fairly comfortable with interior wall construction; I'm assuming an exterior wall simply has some kind of wood sheathing on the outside and then the siding on that, right?  I have no idea how to deal with the floor tho.

Since the floor is concrete in the garage you could just put industrial rubber/plastic tile over it, Nice black and white checkerboard pattern Or you could do a in floor heating system, that used fuild going though pipes in the floor to make the whole garage floor a radiant heater  Not sure of the cost of a system like this, but they are slick!

Bruce

[groan]

raising the floor with 2x4's etc (did you know a 2x4 is not 2x4 inches!?) to level it. most garages slope to the door. at least mine does.

[darkdep]

What are your thoughts on extending the garage back Bruce?  It would be coming back about, say, 10feet or so.  Only about half the width of the garage is attached to the house, the other half sticks out (probably makes no sense to explain).  I'm sure if I got permits and drawings, and offered beer and pizza to some people we could pull it off.  I just don't know what you do for a floor extension (as the area extended over is grass now).  Do you just pour an additional slab?

[darkdep]

Putting a wood subfloor over the concrete, with insulation, is a definite possibility for helping keep the room warm.

[artw]

well it all depends on how much you want to spend, DD.  you could spend thousands. you could spend $20,000.