US Culture Shock: My First American Garage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2024
- Now that I own my first American house, it's time to take you out to the garage, which is quite different from the one I grew up with in Britain.
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Cleaning out a garage and trying to chase down a destructive squirrel makes you more American than any legal document. 😃 Congratulations on the house and the citizenship.
Larry Brown and the Rodents...
Doesn't have quite the same ring as Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
I was hoping to see him go into Caddyshack mode. Come here little gopher.
Facts. Squirrels here in NY kept biting into the side of the house I grew up in and getting into our attic. My dad bought a BB gun and we resorted to shooting them when I was a kid.
Boy, you have that right.
@@willvr4 That’s what the Second Amendment Is for.
Laurence, those sleds are valuable collector items. I had one very like the flat one when I was a child in the 1950's. The other has got to be exceedingly rare, as I can think having seen one only once. Don't even consider putting them in a "garage sale". Have them appraised. What a lucky find!
Yes, here in the US , you would mainly see those in antique shops . Most people don’t buy them to use . I’ve mostly seen them used for decor
That sled with the tall-ish side & back rails--WOW! My parents had one similar to this to bundle me up in when they went ice skating. That may be worth some pennies!!!
Yeah, I grew up in Louisiana so I'm no expert in sleds but I've seen my old movies and those suckers had some real Rosebud energy. They look like they're in great shape, too.
I saw hundreds in PA. They crank them out by the hundreds, just like these. Same size, usually sturdier for decoration. I can tell you from living in Fairfield CT. Xmas porch staple. All wood and metal. Trust me, I’m trying to save you embarrassment
@@infjandcoping4614 My Grandparents had two of these and so did my brother and sister. They were great down hill if the snow was packed and worked really well pulling someone while you ice skated but they were heavy. I can still hear my father bitching about having to pack it up the hill for us "lazy kids" good times...
Hang onto those sleds, they are in great shape and could easily go for hundreds of dollars! Especially the toddler version; they are very rare on account as the child got older the parents would remove the rails and toss them out. The floor looks good, and I recommend you apply a concrete sealer to keep down the dust. Also, you need to block off the eaves, for ventilation you can install a roof vent. Ask any homeowner and the man will always say the garage is his favorite part of the house! Remember, garages are not for storing cars, they are shops and they are a hang out for all the other male homeowners in your neighborhood.
Some women don't mind hanging out in them, either. (Dad hung out in the kitchen or over the backyard grill.)
@@diannt9583 True, I had a female neighbor who used to come over to see what I was making in the garage. She told my wife her husband was totally useless with tools!
Speak for yourself, my garage is for our two cars and storage. This is a must when you live somewhere with extreme weather or have a rash of catalytic converter thefts in your area. I have plenty of room in the house for what I want to do hobby-wise, which is also a must for extreme weather.
Having googled the sleds, they're currently trending on eBay for as low as $170 to $320
@@xczechr I did my woodworking in my basement shop, But worked on my motorcycles and friend's cars in the garage. I kept my truck outside all year, and the wife's and kid's car in the driveway. We lived in Rochester NY, when it snowed, we were not wimps, we got out the shovels. We had no problem with thieves in my neighborhood.
Also, a little word of advice... when you are cleaning out dusty old sections of any property, like garages, attics, basements, etc., it's always a good idea to wear a Respirator. There could be asbestos or other hazards and it's better not to breathe any of that dust in. ❤
Second this. Definitely breathing in aerosolized squirrel poop
haunta Virus has entered the chat
OMG, Y E S !!! And, as your home was built before 1970 (?), ASBESTOS could well be present. Check your purchasing paperwork for a CERTIFICATE as to Asbestos presence in your home, especially around and to do with your furnace and ductwork.
The kind of people that comment safety advice on TH-cam are the kind of people who would never survive in the Midwest/South. Your health might be fine, but somebody will beat you up.
@@L0VTX_H8CA You do what e v e r makes you feel your oats, dude!!! But if you’ve ever spent more than an hour in the presence of someone you cared about DYING day by day of Mesothelioma, you m a y have second thoughts.
Holy smokes!! I gasped when I saw those sleds!! That’s frikken treasure!! Wow!!😮
-you mentioned how most folks don’t park in their garage… I was told this too. My garage is a lot like yours… not finished inside or heated but I’ll tell ya, it feels like pure luxury pulling out of your garage in the winter, driving past neighbours digging out and scraping off their cars. I didn’t plan to also buy a house for my car but I don’t regret for a minute that I did.
Those sleds are worth a buck! They look to be in great shape. Especially the one with the "small child seat back". My Dad had a couple of "Lightning Guider" sleds made by "The Standard Novelty Works" in Duncannon PA, which was local for us. They were NJ's "Flexable Flyer" main competition. Those sleds of yours, the "Yankee Clippers", were also made in PA, in Philadelphia. Make sure you research the current value before you do anything with them.
I had a couple Flexible Flyers when I was a kid and they were great sleds. They were almost indestructible. I used one so much the runners wore out.
@@jimwilloughby We had the California Version with wheels instead of runners.
As several other people have noted, those sleds could be worth a lot. You should get them appraised by a knowledgeable expert. Don't try to do any restoration work on them before they are appraised. If the sleds aren't worth that much monetarily, they'll still look good in the house.
@HemlockRidge - Here in NY, we mostly had Flexible Flyers, but we had a few Yankee Clippers as well (where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?). You are right, the one with the 'stake' sides (mimicking a 'stake truck' on a farm), are worth a pretty penny, particularly in that good of a condition, given first sight.
I have a Flexible Flyer in my basement. It could probably be restored by an expert to look good again, but right now all it needs is a new rope to work. I'll sometime get around to find out if it is valuable or not. I had and well-used it as a child. Won't mention the time my lip got adhered to the metal after I went down a hill on my belly.
My parents bought a house with a separate 3 car garage a few months ago. It's huge because the previous owner was a car guy, and had a lift and stuff. We call it the "Garagemahal."
I used to care give for a retired lady, of her two lady friends one let her ex husband live with her when husband cancer was terminal, he built a garage she called the TajMahal... I like your version better
@@Stache987 thanks but my mom actually came up with the term. I'll tell her you liked it!
@@Mick_Ts_Chick - Tell your mom "garagemajal" needs to go viral. My city neighborhood has become a garagemajal ghetto (Green space? Who needs THAT!), and that meme is PERFECT.
I’m going to borrow your name! My son bought a starter house with a 3 car garage! Thanks!!
@@susancook1448 Go for it! 😀
Here is my suggestion - go to Home Depot or Lowes and get wire rack shelving with wheels - allows you to store stuff and also to move it when cleaning. If you build too much into your walls you will regret it at some point. You can put up some peg board on one wall and use that to hang things like rakes and shovels. Mark off the floor for two cars and keep that space clear - once something goes there it grows roots!
Go to Menards.
I gotta write that down. We're buying a house later this year and I want a garage that actually can hold a car! I may move a car out for some space to work in but the rule I'm setting is that cars go in the garage. I don't want my car mischiefed or actually stolen if I can help it.
@@BeeWhistler The best shop I saw had everything on wheels, shelves, work tables and large tools. Took minutes to rearrange it for different projects.
The shelves seen, even if the garage never gets filled to where no car will fit, will get used. Empty storage just fills itself sorta automatically. Exploring the attic of a finished garage was an adventure when I moved in to my place.
great idea,,,(as IF!!)
Fun fact: a huge number of Chicago garages, particularly in older neighborhoods started out life as horse stables! There is actually a podcast that goes into quite a lot of detail regarding the history behind Chicago alleys and "garages" and the purpose they served before automobiles were the preferred method of travel in the US.
The best neighborhoods for this are areas with very large houses like Ravenswood/North Center. The houses along Hermitage Avenue in the 4000-4300 range -- it sort of alternates between very large houses and quite nice apartment buildings -- are particularly good for this -- multiple stall (three, four spaces) garages that are converted stables.
I recommend adding a freezer and shelves that will act as an additional pantry/refrigerator. You can save a lot of money buying in bulk and then freezing it. A small garden in back will help with that too.
Your advice is exactly why our garages are full of cluttered junk.
@@blackhawk7r221 lol
I had that exact Yankee Clipper growing up in Iowa in the 1970's. They only really worked well on icy or packed snow hills, so we eventually replaced them with plastic toboggans that would glide better over snow. The dilemma using them was always " do I sit upright and steer this with my feet, thus making them uncontrollable, or do I lay on my stomach and steer them with my hands, thus putting my face in the path of whatever tree/pole/building I hit?"
I was about to comment on the Yankee clipper when I read this. I grew up in the late 70s, early 80s. You said exactly what I was going to say, right down to replacing them with plastic toboggans. Yes, if the snow was deep and powder like, the sled blades just sunk down into it. Had to be hard packed or icy. I preferred riding down on my belly but if I had my little sister on board, then we’d both sit and steer with my feet. Great memories.
I used these in the late 60's early 70's as a child. True, they just sank in powdery snow, but where we lived the snow almost always had some ice in it. And man, will those things FLY on ice!! I never felt like the steering worked very well either way, but we always lay down on them so as to go even faster (and thus maximize the damage to our faces when we inevitably hit the rock/pole, etc.).
Parents seemed to have had no chill back then. ‘Oh Joe, go play outside or whatever. I don’t care if you come back with broken bones and scrapes from head to toe, just come back alive.”
My brothers and I grew up with the same sled. We had a fleet of four that required a good sanding on the runners every fall to get rid of the rust that formed while they were stored.
Had one growing up in Vermont in the 1960’s. Same dilemma how did we want to crash😜
I still have mine from the 1960's and yes its a Yankee Clipper. I use it as a Christmas decoration along with a pair of Ice skates from my child hood.
I still have mine too!
Oh, nice, I see your garage is detached. There's something indefinably different about a garage when it's a separate building rather than being just a room in or an addendum to the house. I'd think that would be a bit inconvenient when there's snow, though... And you might want to seek out an antiques dealer--those sleds might be worth something.
Came here to say that exact same thing. Especially since they seem to be in really good shape. I'm thinking the second sled he pulled down could be worth a decent chunk of change. It seemed to be in exceptionally great shape.
I still have my sled. It's a western clipper. It's longer than the one he has though, but still in good shape.
As a woodworker in the UK, it makes me laugh out loud every time I see a 'tiny garage workshop' video recorded in America. They go on about how small their woodworking shop is, when it's still 3x the size of my entire garage and I have to use it for woodworking as well as utility room.
As a Floridian, I find it amazing how good of a condition the wood door, sleds and fencing are in the garage. Unless something is totally protected here in an air conditioned environment, it will get moldy or rust. Be grateful for being able to keep things stored in your garage. - - And Congratulations on your new home and garage!!!
Same here in Houston TX. Slime city!
I grew up using those exact type of sleds, and let me tell you, with the right steel wool and candlewax treatment on the runners, those things would just fly downhill. The memories are a treasure, and so are those sleds. True pieces of Americana and a fortuitous find for your home!
We used Ivory soap, not candle wax.
@@clairenollet2389 , we also used soap. I’m lucky enough to still own the sled my sister and I used back in the Seventies growing up.
Having a garage in Chicago is something you guys are probably going to love. Especially in the winter (assuming you don't fill it with junk and thus can't park your car in it).
Park the car in the garage.
@@dkadkins6545 You're supposed to say that with a Bostonian accent, i.e., Pahk thah Cah in the Gahrahj. 😸
I love my garage even though it doesn't get nearly as cold as Chicago. Keeping my car in it is my incentive for keeping a lot of junk out. The attic is another story.
❄️ We haven’t had snowy winters for a few years, but as a resident for 60+ years, I’ve lived through some doozies.
I recall visiting a friend who lived in Wrigleyville on April 1st & got snowed in for 3 days before the city plowed. My car was completely buried under 8” of snow & of course, plowed in, too.
❄️ Issues to contend with parking in the garage in the winter in Chicago:
1) Shoveling from your back door out to the garage.
Keep the shovel in the house.
2) Hopefully you have a paved alley (most of the city does) and they plow your alley if there’s a lot of snow. Snow in the alley means easy garage access if you’re at the end of the alley; pain in the ass if you in the middle of the block.
Also - remember main streets get plowed first, then side streets, lastly, alleys.
(Call your alderman if there’s a problem; that’s how they keep their voters happy)
Consider where you’re going to put your trash cans for pickup. You’ll want easy access in snow.
Investing in a snowplow for Chicago winters is not a bad idea & an electric start is a boon (you have electricity in the garage) unless you don’t have problems with a pull-start.
Speaking of electricity, if you have an older home you may not have outdoor electrical access. Think about installing an outdoor outlet. Convenient for a hedge-trimmer or a weed-wacker.
Welcome to your neighborhood! 😊
Yeah, but you need to insulate it and figure out some kind of timed electronic heating system.
The Yankee Clipper sleds were last sold in the mid 1980s. The 2 that you have are in very good condition and are worth several hundred dollars to a collector. I recently sold an old one that had some of the wood split to a person who made it into a sign for their business. They paid me $300 for it.
Congratulations on your new garage! If you’re able to you should insulate the walls and then put whatever material, plywood or drywall, to make walls. Then paint on top of it, that way your garage won’t be as cold. And it will look really nice and you can hang tools on the wall, bicycles or whatever. Since you only have one car you can use the other side as a workshop.
And, he can hang the sleds on the walls too!
definitely insulate and drywall the garage
@@rockdion2049 Double glazed windows, insulate the garage overhead door with a good weather seal, and install a good propane heater. Then it will be nice an warm during the winter. Ok, don't forget ACF for the hottest summer days Then, he will have a veritable man cave. Fit it out with a big screen TV, overhead projector, a fridge, and some comfy chairs and then just set out the sign at the edge of the alley and see how many of the neighborhood men come to call. Oh, and maybe a pool table. Car? Who keeps their car in a man cave .... I mean garage?
careful with insulating, you don't want condensation...that leads to rot.
Ply is pretty precious these days. Maybe drywall. You could make a nice office space in there if you framed out a corner and added a mini-split heatpump.
The Yankee Clipper sleds were manufactured by the same company as the famous Flexible Flyer. The patent dates back to 1900 when a farm supply manufacture came up with a way to keep his employees working during winter months. His innovative addition to the basic sled was to build in a way to steer the sled via the steering system. If I had been the one to find them I would clean them up and find a way to display them in your home. They really are a treasure, especially the one with the sides and back that was meant for toddlers.
I had a sled like that. They came in differing lengths, for one small person or two. I love the modification adding the sides so a young child could be pulled along without falling out. Those are both in great shape. Worth holding on to!
The sleds bring back memories of what would now be called child endangerment. My father would attach the sled with a rope to the back of his truck and pull us down the road on snowy days, or even more exciting, nights. It may have even been safer than the only hill we had since at the bottom of that were lots of trees, and if you avoided those, you could land up in water.
We did the same, but with big tractor sized inner-tubes and a snowmobile. hehehe
We did that with a tractor pulling a plastic sled out in the hay field😊
And those metal runners could dismember you.
We still do that in the south. We call it rednecking.
Been there, done that.
Those vintage sleds sell on ebay for $100+. It looks like you could put a floor up in the upper part of the garage and use it for some storage. My father did that with his garage in the house I grew up in. It was very handy to have extra storage outside of the house so it wasn't as cluttered.
I was going to say, I'd bet those sleds are worth some money!
Keep one for a Christmas Decoration 😉
My brothers and I had these EXACT sleds in the 1970s. At that time, leading up to the US Bicentennial, patriotic toys were big. We didn't have the seat one. But we had two of the other. These sleds are antiques and worth a pretty penny. I'm beyond amazed someone left them behind like that.
Probably a case of: Out of sight, out of mind....
My brother ran into a power pole and got 15 stiches in his head on a sled like those.
@@brendaclark8344 Ain't childhood great?!
I live in Texas. Several years ago we had a squirrel infestation in our attic. Someone recommended fox urine to repel them. (It would sure repel me!) And it worked! We soaked cotton balls with it and tossed it around the sides of the attic, and they were never heard from again. Guess you can order the stuff online, but we picked it up at a feed store here. Congrats on your new house!
Yes!! We had Yankee Clippers when I was growing up in the 60's in Pennsylvania. They work best on packed down snow, and really well on the kind of icy packed down snow you got on residential streets.
I have no idea about sleds, but those might be collector's items. You should look into that. You might get lucky.
Yes, we had several Yankee Clipper sleds 🛷 many wonderful memories. Lived at the bottom of a hill.
Gaining Citizenship, buying a house, AND chasing squirrels from your new garage? Welcome to America! (Yes, I know you’ve been here for over a decade.). Unfortunately, once they know a place is nice and sheltered, they’ll want back in pretty badly to escape the cold, especially if they don’t have nests elsewhere. That board won’t last long. They’re prodigious, determined chewers-I know because we fight them constantly. Even after you fix the window, it’s constant vigilance! Think the groundhog in Caddyshack…
There’s a product you can get from a D.I.Y. Pest Control company, often labeled “Poisoned Peanuts”, that can help with the problem, but “Amanda Byrd” is right … it’s an ongoing problem .
A metal mesh will last longer but just barely as they will hang onto it and knaw.
gopher
Growing up… the garage was a very special place. Dad was always building something there or fixing something for us kids. He put up an excellent speaker system where he would play music that he loved… music that we all love because he loved it so much. It was a place we always knew where to find him. He even parked his truck and motorcycle there… it was as significant as our front door driveway… so many memories. That garage was also a go to for our neighborhood friends because Dad put up a basketball hoop for us and we would play handball against the garage door after school. Our friends always knew where to look for us first before they knocked on the front door to ask if we could come out and play. They would swing by the garage on their bikes and find us there and then we would ride out together on our adventures.
Sounds like a wonderful way to grow up. 🥰
Don't get rid of your sleds. They can be worth hundreds of dollars sometimes. I was tempted to put mine on front porch to use as a Christmas decoration but was advised not to for theft reasons. A suggestion: French door/doors between kitchen and dining room 😉😊
Nice pre-war construction in your "new" house! The roof sheathing isn't plywood, as is common on more modern homes, but instead hardwood boards. Real quality construction right there
The Yankee Clipper was used to pull a baby or toddler on a winter walk. Wishing you two much happiness in your new home!
Also good for hauling groceries home.
i had one of those sleds as a kid, it was my grandfather’s when he was growing up, i found it one day in his shed and so i started restoring it for him, i sanded it down, painted it, lubed everything up, and waxed the skiis, and he was impressed with the final product, it was one of my favorite memories as a kid, the look on that mans face was so heartwarming.
That was so much fun going on yet another discovery tour with you! You have your very own “Rosebud”! I grew up with sleds like that. Those were the days of dependable winter snows, even in Maryland. Don’t be swayed by us “Amurricans” to ever change your charming pronunciation of GÆ-ridge and Squeerel - too endearing.
I can see it now. By next fall, you’ll have a snow blower and leaf blower, a lawn mower and gardening tools. What fun!
Those sleds are awesome! I remember my older brothers taking me for sled rides when we lived in New York on sleds 🛷 like those. I’m 65 years old now. They’re in good shape too.
You can use mothballs to deter squirrels. Just put them up in the eaves of the garage. It should drive them out.
I used mothballs to discourage rats and mice from living in my attic in So Cal...
Another option is fox/bobcat/coyote urine, on cotton balls (wrap in wax paper or baggies) that are then tucked in the squirrels' entry holes. But it at hunter supply places, as they use it to mask human scent and not scare the deer. This doesn't work in some urban areas where the squirrels don't have predators.
Oh my god - those sleds! Priceless. I love the videos of your new home and garage! Don’t ever sell those sleds!
Not really priceless, but you should be able to sell them for a nice amount, especially the one with the back.
@@anneschepeler4086 uh. "Priceless" is just an expression. I think she understands they're not literally priceless since she ended her post by saying "don't sell those sleds!"
@@hello-cn5nh I know what she meant, dear. I know that she knows that I know what she meant. However, thank you for taking the time to explain it to me because there was the off chance that I didn't know that she knew that I knew what she meant.
When I lived in Ireland my father had this tiny garage, which made sense, we lived on an island off the west coast and there were I think four cars, two motorcycles, and an ambulance on the entire island back in the 80s. After moving to Pennsylvania and eventually buying a house, I was amazed just how massive the garage was. It can fit three cars, or two cars and my motorcycle. It's shockingly gargantuan when you first see it. My first thought was "How many people have this many cars they need this much space?" Then it occurred to me. A lot of people have a car for themselves, their spouse, and sometimes their children. Which made me then think Americans are all just incredibly rich, because in Ireland that would be a massive luxury, especially in the west. Everything is bigger here.
It's somewhat that, but also in many parts of the US it's basically impossible to get around without a car. Public transit is not emphasized much, especially in smaller cities and towns.
The sleds are worth money… but memories are worth something, too. One of the last Christmas gifts my dad gave me was a Yankee Clipper sled; he told me he’d have to take the paint off the runners and wax them. He was true to his word, staying up late to get it ready in his basement workbench lair (we had no garage).
2 weeks later he passed away suddenly. I waited all winter for the right kind of snow so our street was hard packed, icy, and fast.
When it finally came, it was glorious. Wish he could have seen it.
Laurence, as an American Dungeons & Dragons fan and home owner, one thing I still do is watch my garage door close completely. I imagine it's the drawbridge to my castle closing securely for the night, keeping brigands and barbarians out.
Picture that the next time you close your garage! :)
It's an unwritten rule at my co-op that when you leave or enter the garage, you stay until you see the door fully close behind you.
I watch my garage door close all the way because I have cats that sometimes like to try and Indiana Jones their way under it. Despite the door having safety sensors down there, it takes a moment for the door to stop and reverse if they get triggered and I'd rather not have that happen when I'm not right there.
"Squirrels and barbarians." Hahahaha 🐿
Thanks, I'll do it first thing in the morning.
Yankee Clipoer baby sled! We had one for my youngest sibling, born in 1971. I’m sure it was a hame down of some sort.
We had a Yankee Clipper, several metal 'disks' and a great 4 man wooden toboggan that needed regular waxing. We lived two blocks from a hill with an actual toboggan chute. No tow rope or anything, just stairs that were often quite icy. We had a blast a few times a year. I grew up not far from where your wife works. My parents owned the house until the twenty-teens. I'll be 60 in two months and if I live to be 100 I won't ever forget zooming down the hill and using that momentum to make it halfway across the field. Snow spray and the inevitable capsizing were all part of the fun.
We had the metal disks too! We called them Flying Saucers and you could get quite a bit of speed going down hills on them!
Youngster, I'm 77 and I had a sled that looked like that one also (in the 1950s) but I don't recall the manufacturer.
Thanks for the memories. Those really were the good old days.
Was it called rocket hill?
Those sleds look like the kind that people bring to the Antiques Roadshow & find out they are worth thousands of dollars. lol Hope they don't try to refurbish them, sell or give away til they find out if it's worth anything.
My family had two sleds. One was similar to the first one you grabbed. The other was longer and supported three people. I remember using candle sticks to wax the skids. We didn't melt them. We rubbed them until it felt slick. Fun times sledding down a hill. I hope you can experience it .
What cool sleds!
If we get any kind of significant snow ever again. The last few winters have been pretty sparse on the snow cover.
We had one that fit 3.. 4 smaller kids. I was the youngest so they would put me between my 3 brothers, to keep me safe. I loved sledding with them!!
My mom used to give my sisters and I sheets of wax paper to sit on while sliding down a circular slide at the local beach park (back when they made slides out of retired fire escapes). Littler kids would be afraid because the slide was so slick that you just shot past the landing and slammed onto the ground. Then a wet kid who had been swimming would go down the slide and wreck everything. 😠
I still have the sled I used as a child. It was my grandfather's, so it was made somewhere around 100 years ago. It is a Flexible Flyer, another famous brand. The flexible part refers to the ability to steer it by "bending" the sled rails. Your Yankee Clipper does the same thing.
Those sleds! I had one as a kid! When there was snow in the forecast, we would get our sleds out of the garage and wax the runners. The feeling of the cold wind hitting your face as your speeding down the hill was exhilarating!
A very exciting time for you as a new homeowner. My advice to you is to get to know your neighbors. They can be a great resource of information on home maintenance, contractors, and such. I was not a very handy person when I bought my house, but over the decades, I tackled many home improvement projects on my own.
Oh.....And DO NOT let that garage become a storage trap! Keep your car in that garage! No more cleaning snow and scraping ice off your car in the morning.
Seeing you as a homeowner, Laurence, is an amusement that I didn't know I wanted in my life, yet here we are. 🙂 I hope to see more YOU vs SQUIRREL content.
those old sleds are a real find! fancy ones with seats too.
Awesome sled. Collector’s item. They are in great shape. My brothers and I used them in the late 50’s and throughout the 60’s. We beat ours to death. Keepers item❤
The new home thing is fun, isn't it !! Those sheets of drywall in the background will wick water out of the concrete, ruining the edge. I suggest some wood blocks between the concrete and the drywall. Cheers !!
The garage also becomes the "Man Cave" and a place to keep all your lawn/home tools, car stuff, home project workshop, extra freezer or fridge, and storage of old or seasonal stuff/junk. Some add wall/ceiling insulation, dry wall, custom shelves, fans, heaters, TVs, etc... to really make it a Man Cave.
I still have my sled from my childhood!! It's all rusted & really just a porch ornament now but oh the wonderful memories every time I see it!! We didn't have the one with the side rails, just the flat ones. Mine was shorter than my siblings but I'm shorter so... The best snow days were the ones that my daddy was also snowed in & couldn't get to work. He & momma would go out playing with us. Fun times!!
Lawrence, My suggestion is to strip everything (Cabinet, shelves, non-electrical features) off the wall, have an electrician redo the electrical so it's "inside" the walls, then insulate and then panel the walls. Makes your garage look nicer and helps keep it warmer/cooler when you're working in it.
I'd offer to help, except there is a distance issue... You're in Chicago and I'm in Phoenix. No, not the one that's closer to you. The one in Arizona.
I was thinking the same thing
those were the very common, stereotypical American sleds of my childhood. I am 54. They are exceptionally fast. The other big sled one would see is the Toboggan sled but the kind you have is much better for racing and speed. I adored mine.
Yea, if they're on an icy path they will really fly. Need to use some fine sandpaper to take off any rust, and even better a file with some skill to really sharpen them.
@@festerofest4374 then rub a candle down the rails where they meet the snow.
@@festerofest4374 oh wow I remember the candle bit
@@mikehatter979: It doesn’t need to be a candle. It can be anything that is primarily made of wax such as blocks of clear paraffin wax from the grocery store, or any hard bar soap (not Dove or any other type that has lotion/Shea butter added). These are also great to rub on the bottom of old wooden drawer runners.
I have many good memories of being pulled down an icy country road by our tractor/pony/snowmobile! At the beginning of every winter we would use sandpaper on our sled runners, and then wax them up with paraffin wax blocks, or old bars of our homemade Lye or Castile soap.
@@mikehatter979 We did the candle thing with our snow racers in the early 90s still, but then they were plastic. In Sweden.
Those sleds are a nice garage find! Very vintage. If only you still fit on them....
Enjoy your house. Your list of things to get done around your house never ends. Always something to do
We had sleds like that as kids growing up in the 50’s/60’s. We had so much fun. Used to sled across the street from our house on a big hill beside our school playground. Best sled run ever. Hours of fun sledding day and night. We had some doozy snowstorms in those days too. Bought a big one for our daughters when they were little and ended up giving it to my grandson when I downsized after I retired. He loved it. Hang onto those sleds. They’re valuable. Congratulations on having a garage. I miss mine.
Check out the prices of those sleds on eBay. And you have 2 of them! Or you can use them for Christmas decor inside the house. They'd probably get stolen if you put them outside. Oh, and I love, love, love your hardwood floors inside!
🛷 ⛄️ My dad called them “runner sleds” due to the metal runners on the base. In the right conditions, they could nearly fly through the snow. I think they were invented earlier in 1900s. We had similar ones growing up. As the youngest in a large family, I would sit on one with the backrest and my older siblings would pull me around the yard. Plus we had a large hill for epic “runs”. A few seconds of pure downward bliss seasoned with treks back up to the top; and the runs would get longer & longer with each go. Thanks for the memories! 🛷 ⛄️
An older, colonial name for a sled that could fit several passengers and go super fast was 'bobsled.'
They’re really only good on icey stuff though.
Same. Big families would have a long one that would fit a bunch of kids. Those really flew.
Runner sleds only work when conditions are right. The weather has to be warm enough for the pressure on the runners to melt a thin layer of snow as the sled goes, creating a slippery wet surface for the runner to slide on. Also, the snow has to be shallow enough that the main body of the sled doesn't get caught in it. When there's more snow and it's colder (so the snow is a dry powder), what you want is an innertube sled. But when it gets too warm out, innertube sleds don't work right, because the wet snow actually sticks to them and slows them down.
The toboggan is a compromise between the two; it's not ideal in either kind of weather but will kind-of work in both.
Also, yes, we had a runner sled when I was a kid. I think it was my dad's when he was younger.
Congratulations on becoming an American citizen! Buying a home is part of the American dream. I’m very happy for you both. I’ve seen some people decorate old sleds with wreaths and put them on the porch for Christmas decorations.
Having a squirrel in the garage, welcome to America!!!!
Kimberly Adams, the sleds Lawrence found are way too valuable for decorations -- but the wreath idea is great, in fact "ideal" to patch up a broken sled. 🛷
My inlaws lived in the city of Chicago for almost 70 years. Please be careful of what you leave in the garage. My inlaw's had their garage broken into at least 10 times. They are good to park your car in, but please don't leave anything expensive in it. Take care!!
Lock the car
Put a deadbolt on that service door...like he should have on all the doors in the house as well.
Word of advice . . . keep the sleds, any doors original to the house, along with hardware, fixtures, etc. Original elements to a house help preserve the original charm . . . you'll have to spend money on things like replacing the heating, plumbing, and electrical, however those are hidden and keeping the original look of the house and carefully restoring it will enhance the future value. In addition, the phone niche is elongated to accommodate the chimes that used to hang from the original doorbell - if you find the doorbell in the attic, basement, or garage, it can be restored . . . they rarely fail . . . the problem is usually the transformer and is easily replaced or repaired. BTW, this is a great channel . . . really funny!
Hi Laurence! Congratulations on your new home! Those sleds are tip-top ... really nice vintage items and probably from the late 1950s - in great shape, too. They usually go for about $100 in that condition. The one with the guard/gate around it goes for a bit more. That one's called a "pull sled", used for toddlers and pulled by their Dads. I'd keep 'em, though. They'd look great as a decoration on a wall or near your tree at Christmas. Best of luck with getting that squirrel. You can always try out one of those humane traps ... a can of tuna or salmon works out really well as bait. We had a rat hole in the back yard. They were too smart for the trap. But, a few pounds of dry ice thrown down the hole, did the trick in getting rid of them. The carbon dioxide given off as the dry ice broke down, suffocated the little ...... animals. Hey, the vid of your garage door opening could be a great intro to an episode or two! Best regards!
I grew up with those sleds. They were the real deal. We went out sledding every new years day with the cousins. My father would pull us up an old mountain road on a tractor. At the top he would unhook us and we headed back down the mountain. My mom and aunts were always at the bottom of said hill with Cocoa, chili, and first aid kits. Good times.
Love the sleds…they bring back tons of memories! No matter how you tried to steer, it always rammed into the tree at the bottom of the hill. And the metal skids always managed to run over your foot. But since we all (of a certain age) grew up with blazing hot metal slides, asphalt under the swings at the park, and toys made out of metal, with a hundred sharp jaggy bits and bobs that would slice and poke and choke (not to mention being covered w lead based paint,) we all ended up learning how to survive.
I grew up with that sled,and eventually grew out of it. I was born in 59, the youngest of 5, and it was a hand me down from my next older brother. Very fond memories of Eastern Massachusetts. I now reside in Gulfcoast Mississippi. Not much snow here 😒, and no hills. Getting to old for sledding, but I bet my Great Grandson would love it.😅
In Texas the garage is a hang out spot for the family in homes that don't have front porches. My garage is somewhat organized with shelving units storing extra food that won't fit in my pantry, along with my wifes quilting and knitting goods (4 shelving units for her stuff, 2 for the food and other kitchen gadgets.) The rest of the space has our still unpacked stuff from our move (4 years ago), along with exercise equipment. No room for cars.
When I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, I had a Flexible Flyer sled. Probably the next iteration of your Yankee Clippers. The big thing about a Flexible Flyer was that you could (supposedly) steer by moving the front handle. We used to sled down the hills near the beach. If you were *really* brave, you went down Suicide Hill, the steep incline leading down into Gilson Park in Wilmette. But you must be really *really* brave...lol...
I think that every neighborhood must have had a “suicide hill” - ours certainly did!
It looks like those sleds have the steering function too. 👍
Older GenX here, I had a Flexible Flyer too that looked a lot like Laurence's Yankee Clipper. No idea what happened to it.
Laurence, your home is lovely. I love the floors. You really don’t need a door from the kitchen to the dinning room.
I have an old Radio Flyer sled (circa 1971) that was given to my son many many years ago. It’s long and appears to have all the original ropes and levers. It needs a little work. My son never used it but he cherished it because a perfect stranger gave it to him when he was three.
My previous home, 1928, had a 2 car garage the same size as yours. They spared no expense building that house. The garage was of brick, like the house, had an actual ceiling panelled in bead board in a dark stain finish, and it had two radiators plumbed underground to the home's central heating system. It also had the original wood garage door. Those things sounded so different and old school when they operated. Very solid sounding compared to modern flimsy steel doors.
We had those sleds growing up in the 70s. I also lived in the Chicago area at that time. They were great because you could steer them with your feet. I bet those might be worth something, they look to be in amazing shape.
I saw the Yankee Clippers in the video before you mentioned them, and I was ready to start typing here about how you missed the best part of your garage! I can remember busted lips and sliced legs from these as a kid, and wish I could go back to do it all over again!
This is the content I never knew I needed from Lost in the Pond. I love, love, love when my favorite channels take me on a little detour. It's both funny and charming. Can't wait to see how you guys decorate, restore and bring everything together.
I didn't have a Yankee Clipper but I did have a Radio Flyer which was another popular kids sled brand. You could also have a Radio Flyer wagon, most of them were red. :-)I like your garage and I think once you get it organized, you'll like it even more.
We still have our "little red wagon." It can be useful for hauling stuff around when you're doing yard improvements. Bags of mulch, for example.
I've got my dad's radio flyer in my garage right now, he was born in '47.
Well, well, well. Welcome to homeownership! Fun to see what was left behind when you buy a house. Those sleds are not junk and are worth some $$$. You and Tarah should go sledding when/if you get snow or take your niece. It would be a fun video. BTW I did have a sled just like the one with the wood seat and side rails. It was probably a gift from Santa in 1960. It is fun to see someone enjoy a garage even though they don't drive. I can see bikes, garden equipment and a work bench taking up one of the bays but first get the building sealed and secured. Tarah will love it not having to de-ice the windshield in the winter and not getting into a sun baked car during the summer.
Yes, I'd also suggest some solid type insulation now while it's empty and easy to reach the insides. And start saving for a decent insulated aluminum garage door.
That tar paper did not look good. I wonder, how would they go about fixing it?
That's what I was thinking. Those sleds could be collector's items and be worth enough to matter.
@@gl15col Yes. I was thinking that same thing.
It's true, my friend bought a house in Phoenix and found an old Nazi Luger in the attic, he's thinking it was a trophy taken back from the war.
I am old enough to say I had a Yankee Clipper when I was a child. It brings back memories of sledding down the hills of the Golf Course with my cousins. To add to the thrills of our sledding adventures we were featured on the local evening news.
Yes, I grew up with, and still have the “Flexible Flyer” sled my parents gave me for Christmas many decades ago.
American homes only had a single car garage back in the day. You can find a lot of houses where the attached garage has been remodeled and added to the house floor plan. Has America's fortunes improved, two car garages became normal. Today, it isn't unusual to see new homes with three car garages.
Vintage Thrifter--In postwar USA, it was usually a one car garage and a carport between the garage and house. Later, if there was enough land, the carport was enclosed as a "rumpus room" and the garage expanded to two cars. We had a two car garage under the house instead of a cellar. My father built another 2-car, detached from the house. He made 1/2 of it where he worked on cars as his hobby, and the other 1/2 was his carpenter's workshop.
Being that this is an alley garage like most in Chicago it is very possible it was built as a two car garage. But it may not have been built in the 40’s at the same time the house was built.
True. I'm single and I own three cars. Never had a garage though.
@@onemercilessming1342 It depends on where you live. A lot of the VA housing had attracted garages.
and all of them are still too full to put a car in.
Congratulations on the new house. Please don't get rid of those sleds you found. They would make such cute decor pieces for your front porch at Christmas, plus since Tara likes retro stuff she could use them too.
Those sleds are a bit heavy for door decorations, plus someone will steal them.
Kelli Dominguez, those sleds are way too valuable to use as decorations, but it's a great idea for sleds that are broken or otherwise not useful anymore.
Congratulations on you home. Just a little hint… with older homes you may want to wear a mask when doing cleaning of older spaces. Asbestosis is no joke! (Neither is squirrel poo dust)😂🎉
And be aware that mouse droppings can be a source for hantavirus. Mask up!
I grew up calling those 'runner sleds' - you can somewhat steer with ropes on the handles, but mostly used by feet or hands for steering. If you polish the steel on the bottom and wait for a good hard snowpack, you can really get going quite fast on those. Tons of childhood memories!
Are these made for ice? I live in Colorado, so I know snow, and I can't begin to imagine this working here. It wouldn't go! The only types of sleds that work here are the flat kind - I think the old fashioned name is "toboggan," - we just call them sleds. :D
@@rosemary20001 I used these primarily on hard packed forest service roads in creekbottoms in the winter. So somewhat icy and hard packed snow they work great. Anything less than that and they'll sink through to the grass and halt.
@@rosemary20001 We would run those runner type sleds down the hill behind our house in the winter. They did pretty well on the fresh fallen snow and when you had a whole gang of kids going down the same run, it became hard pack and then we would fly!
What a fun video. A new house with a garage is always a bit of an adventure. If it was insulated you could spend time out there in the Winter and/or it'd keep your car warmer during those months. (BTW, it's easy to put insulation in.)
We had a rat problem and didn't want to use poison, so we got solar powered sonic rodent repellents and it worked like a charm. Our dogs & cats don't seem bothered at all (as they shouldn't). They make plug-in kinds, too. Good luck!
If you have the name of those, I'd appreciate it!
Another option is fox/bobcat/coyote urine, on cotton balls (wrap in wax paper or baggies) that are then tucked in the squirrels' entry holes. But it at hunter supply places, as they use it to mask human scent and not scare the deer. This doesn't work in some urban areas where the squirrels don't have predators.
My cousin used those for mice and he said they worked great.
I'm glad Tarah was there to make sure Laurence knows that fences and gates aren't going to keep raccoons out of anything.
Laurence, those sleds that you found up in the rafters of your garage brought me and my 5 brothers countless hours of icy cold fun every winter. Just seeing them has caused a ton of memories to flood over me. Thanks!!!
I absolutely had that sled as a child, down to the red paint. We’d sled on a nearby hill on snow days. If the roads were clear, we’d go to Art Hill in Forest Park, a real St Louis tradition. Good times!
A door, a gate, sleds, a storage cabinet. Awesome treasures. Tarah is right to be doubtful, don't assume the squirrel is dead until you see a corpse. Put its head on a pike as a warning to other vermin, and fashion its pelt into a loincloth. (the last part may require multiple squirrels). A newly cleaned/organized garage is very satisfying.
I had an American Flyer growing up in Iowa. It turns out the best hill in the area was at the back side of a funeral home. It was about 2 stories tall and ended in over flow lower parking lot. The joke we said as kids was "Well, you break your neck on the hill, your in the right place."
"I got a greater level of splashback (and you can quote me on this) when I lived in the UK"
- Lawrence Brown
Just saw your video with the Beasleys and we NEED this on a T-Shirt. Thank me later 😉
Growing up in Detroit in the 70's we used our garages for working on our cars. We would reinforce the rafters and use a chain fall to pull/install engines. Great place to hang out with your friends with the stereo on and do lots of wrenching/drinking. Good times.
Yankee Clipper was the best sleds! I had several growing up. We gave our 3 year old son one for Christmas, then later that year ended up moving to Florida. He was so attached to it, we actually brought it with us and it sat in our garage like a family joke until he was grown. These sleds are collectibles now. Cheers!
We had sleds like the one without the backrest. When really small, my uncles would lay tummy down, then either my sister, one of my cousins, or myself, would lay on their back, and we'd fly down the road (about a quarter of a mile) to the bridge. Then, another uncle would give us a ride in the back of a truck up the other end of the road and we'd sled back down to the bridge. That was back in the early 70's. Can't do that now, too much housing growth. And you can't ride in the back of trucks anymore. Wow, you triggered loads of nostalgia. Loving your tours! And congratulations again!!!!!!!
I am pretty sure your Tree Rats are getting into the Garage around the rafters unless you have some sort of screens keeping them out. I say this because of the daylight I saw when you were on the ladder.
Those sleds look like they are in good shape 😁 🛷
I was so delighted when you pulled out the Yankee Clipper. I was seven years old (1974), living in StPaul MN when I had mine. It was ridiculously fast and thinking back on it, it's amazing that no one died from it. I didn't have the one with the seat though, probably because I didn't have any younger siblings to tow around. Great find!
Laurence - you crack me up 😂😂 I moved to the States in the 70s (and moved back home in the mid 80s). Basements and garages were a shock to me….like the black widow spiders nest under the washer and drier in the basement in Kentucky (and its general creepiness) and the HUGE size garage in Seattle. (My dad would have fainted with joy). All of your reactions mirrored those that I experienced. Just great 👏😂
As another expat who lives in Canada I have found the best use for a garage is for keeping vehicles, it was as if that’s what it was made for. Keeps the snow and ice off in the winter, sun and heat off in the summer. Amazing.
My last house had squirrels or raccoons in the attic. A handyman found the hole where they were getting in and put in a one-way door there, then sealed it once they were out. If it's a small enough hole, you could fill it with a can of Great Stuff from the hardware store.
dining rooms often don't have doors. opening them while coming from the kitchen with hands full of food is a pain. my grandparents had a pocket door between their dining room and living room. it was never closed until they bought an atari and then it was closed when the atari was being played in the living room and card games in the dining room.
In my first apartment here on the East Coast, I had pocket doors between the living room and dining room! I did not discover them until I have been living there for a week or so. I used to call them "piano doors" because I didn't know any better, and I thought it sounded elegant 😄
When you got to the point that you said, "I couldn't leave without pulling down one very north American looking thing" I knew you were talking about the sleds. I noticed them in the background about 30 seconds prior. When I moved into my house there were 3 items that I wanted from my parents' garage... Two of those sled and a little pedal tractor... Much to the chagrin of my oldest sibling.
Lawrence I would love to see vlog style videos of you renovating/cleaning up your home and the move in process [jokes included of course!]
Garage door opening is ASMR to me. I love the creaking and the raw mechanical noise of it. So comforting.
I was weirdly thinking about that!