Coming in from the cold

[deckroid]

Hey everyone

Haven't been able to get into the train room for the past couple of days, but this weekend things are going to happen. (I hope. That dang Honey-Do list is always lurking out there...)

Greg - I took the doors off the closet and I think I will have enough room expanding that side of the layout for a turntable and roundhouse. It will be extended by 33", so a 33 x 24 piece should do it. If not, then I need to rethink how I put that thing together. I will just have to be careful where the hole goes for the turntable. Knowing my luck, it will co-inside with a stud where I need to have my railing/bracket.

Took some measurements after the three sides were up. The layout is 106" x 103". Just under 9 feet square. I am not too sure why I lost 3 inches on one side, but it those three sides are SOLID. I thought it would shimmy and shake. Nope.

Russ - The Murphy Bed is going in another part of the house. This is a very strange house plan. The main floor is a standard 3 bedroom, 2 bath track housing with a bonus room. The bonus room, or sewing/knitting/quilting room, has a walk in closet and its own bathroom. My wife took that as hers on our initial walkthru with the realtor last year. It cannot be classified as a bedroom because the window is too small for a fire fighter and an oxy tank to get thru. Go figure.

Anyway, they slapped a very oddly shaped basement and put 2 bedrooms and a jack/jill bathroom down there. There is an alcove that looks to be where a closet might have gone but they left empty. That's where the bed will be going.

Tetters - especially somewhere with heating/cooling and no mice. Well, if Kitty is doing her job.

Tom - More work than I could do on my own. The heating/cooling/water heater are all in the basement. Splitting the vent from the bonus room wouldn't have done much as they didnt insulate the friggin garage. Oh, on the one wall attached to the house they did. That's code. But the other three? Nada. Not to mention the dust and mice in the garage... I gave up a larger area for the comforts of having it in the house.

Galen - I like your layout plan and room. I might borrow an idea or two from you...specifically the Wye from earlier in your thread; that looks really nice. And as for specifics on what I am looking for is just general "what would you do" kind of tips and thoughts. I have a rough idea what I want but I always welcome advice. Especially from those who have been there and done it before. I just started building the benchwork to give me a hard visual and actual measurements. I can do scale measurements on paper and cardboard cutouts, but I like the visuals.

faraway - That window has 10 years of hard water on it. I put some CLR on a small area and the window just laughed at me. So, it's an opaque filter for the sun. Also, I was going to see if I could part of it as a waterfall. Now, I think I will just ignore it. I cleaned it before doing this, so it should be good for a few years, right?

Well, its off to my train club to help out and pick up 2 wyes to see if I can get an idea on how to build a three way wye. Then when I come back, more foam and start building the 4th side.

Any idea on how to hang florescent lighting? I have 4 shop lights but my stud finder is having issues locating the joists due to the textured ceiling.

Thanks!

George