It’s week 5 of the Spring ORC 2022. This year marks the 10th anniversary with an amazing partner in Apartment Therapy. We have a few balls in the air (mind you I’m a terrible juggler). Here are some updates.
If you came here from the ORC site, hello! I’m Sanju Patel. By day, I work behind a desk, typically crunching numbers. By night, you can find me in a garage. My wife and I purchased a home in Texas 4 years ago – a quick close without costly bells and whistles. As lifelong fans of DIY, we’ve decided to invest into our home as our family grows with an open invitation to see our process from start to finish.
Mini split slab
In order to install a mini split unit, we need to install a 6’ x 4’ slab for the condenser unit. No joke, the effort to install was underestimated. From digging and clearing the area to unloading 16 bags of 80 lb concrete, this was definitely a workout that spanned multiple days. But this will be so worth it to keep our garage cool because it is near 100 degrees out here (and it’s only May). Crossing fingers to wrap up this project next week.
Storage lift drama
Our 9.5 ft Xmas tree needed a new home away from the garage floor, where it was taking up precious space. Though it’s not the tallest tree, it is bulky – 100 lbs bulky. It’s difficult for a single person to move it or even lift it. In our search for a solution, we came across a product from Fleximount: a storage lift that raises a platform from the floor to the ceiling. A hand crank does most of the lifting.
We spent 2 1/2 days installing the lift. Two joists were added from the attic using brackets from Simpson Strong Tie for the lag bolts. For the most part, installation was straightforward.
It’s operation on the other hand wasn’t. We were able to raise the platform, however it wouldn’t balance. We contacted Fleximount support and the response was quick; a few solutions were offered. However, the solutions did not seem to work in our instance.
We painted the space, but the project was abandoned for a while and to our surprise, Fleximount personally reached out to inform us of a product safety issue reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and to discontinue use immediately. It turns out that the wire rope clips could result in failure potentially causing the platform to collapse (along with its contents). Obviously, with a toddler running around in our garage, we decided to uninstall it. And the company worked with us to make things right.
In the end, we ended up acquiring an alternative product from Fleximount: an adjustable work table with a crankshaft that works perfect for the space. It was easy to assemble and can support a couple hundred pounds. We may choose to place our small Ryobi bandsaw here in the near future along with some wall organization solutions. Touch ups to arrive shortly.
Moral of the story: do the research, but also work with a proactive company. I actually did not realize how proactive Fleximount was until this experience, allowing me to work with them in the future. Not every product is a home run, and that’s ok as long as the company is listening to customer feedback.
As always, send us any questions and don’t forget to follow our Instagram stories. By the way, check out the official One Room Challenge site with Apartment Therapy as a media partner.