What Have You Done To Your House To Accommodate Your Lego Hobby/Addiction?

Farmer_John

I always do at least one "major" project at the house each year during vacation/holiday time. These projects are like lego sets on steroids, and can be more expensive, dangerous, and frustrating. The project for this year is building an additional room in the attic for my boxes of legos, and was originally proposed by my wife with the alternative being divorce (take note, @LegoFanTexas). It will (hopefully) simultaneously clean out our room and my closet while taking this hobby out of the line-of-sight of my better half.

Presently, I have only planned a square room that is 10'x10' (3m x 3m). Since it is in the attic and we live in a warmer climate, it will require extensive insulation. I am actually planning to install a window A/C unit for climate control in the summer (winter isn't an issue). I purchased and installed a 20amp breaker to handle the lighting, A/C, and other misc. loads. We have WIFI, so internet isn't an issue.

My question is: If you could build a room from scrap based on the information given above, what would you include? I may end up incorporating some of the suggestions (based on cash flow). I also plan to post a picture of my new hideaway to this site once it is completed (including the boxes stacked to the ceiling, of course).

brickupdate

@Farmer_John Congrats on the new LEGO-cave! My wife and I are likely buying a new home next year, and tops on her list is a LEGO room to keep all of this contained! :)

cavegod

Legos? i thought Lego was the plural for Lego :-)

Farmer_John

Legos? i thought Lego was the plural for Lego :-)

To quote one of my favorite all-time movie lines, from Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom: "220...221...whatever it takes." ;-)

Farmer_John

@Farmer_John Congrats on the new LEGO-cave! My wife and I are likely buying a new home next year, and tops on her list is a LEGO room to keep all of this contained! :)

I just hope I don't collapse the roof into my wife's bedroom closet in the process of building and loading it. The legos will really hit the fan if that happens.

kylejohnson11

Well, we currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment. We are pretty cramped for space having an 18 month old and a 6 week old. When it comes time for a house, having a room dedicated to my LEGO will be a must. My wife knows this too. Ideally I'd love to fit a few tables in there for a layout.

My dream though is this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157628031860734/with/6445769941/

romdam

What I did is buy a house with a fixed basement. Half is mine for whatever and has all my sets on shelves.

Jasen

I have a corner in the spare room downstairs for animation and the garage for a layout :D

Si_UKNZ

i boarded out 3 lofts and cleared part of the basement. I'd recommend running joists at right angles to the existing before boarding ... makes it stronger and allows about 30com insulation which is about right (its the regs here in the UK). I'd board right out to the eaves, always some use for that extra space to squeeze another few sets in.

Farmer_John

i boarded out 3 lofts and cleared part of the basement. I'd recommend running joists at right angles to the existing before boarding ... makes it stronger and allows about 30com insulation which is about right (its the regs here in the UK). I'd board right out to the eaves, always some use for that extra space to squeeze another few sets in.

I talked to a guy I work with who is very thorough at building...well, really anything. He said exactly the same thing you did about running boards at right angles to the joists for more strength. To be honest, I blew it off until I saw your comment and now I have to think about it further. The other thing I have been struggling with is using metal studs instead of wood due to weight considerations. Again, this area will primarily be storing cardboard boxes with lego sets inside, so it shouldn't be too heavy compared to storing furniture and the like. I envision it looking like a smaller version of the final scene in the first Indiana Jones movie when the arc is getting stored away in a crate. ;-) At the same time, I ALWAYS wish I had done something different after completing a project, so your comments are much appreciated! I am going to reconsider running boards perpendicular to the joists. Thanks @Si_Dorking_Surrey_UK

Farmer_John

I have a corner in the spare room downstairs for animation and the garage for a layout :D

Wow! Looks like you almost have a full-blown production studio! I don't think I could get away with doing that as it would be another hobby to add to my already generous list. Perhaps when one of the kids moves out, I can hijack their room (if my wife doesn't already have dibs). Thanks for the video!

Legoboy

The reason the boards are run at right angles to the joists is because a board joint might not fall exactly over a joist below and so would be inadequately supported.

The_Brick_Builder

I used to have a LEGO room, but due to me wanting a bigger City, I moved down to my basement to accommodate by 15 foot by 16 foot table!

Farmer_John

As a prelude to my Lego room, I had the opportunity to install an entryway light with a three-way switch tonight. Unfortunately, the circuit to one of the switches had to go through a major structural beam about 18 inches down from the plate. I had to cut a piece of sheet rock out to hand feed the circuit through the beam, so wall repairs are on tomorrow's agenda. Woo hoo...

The good news is that once that's done, I will start on the Lego room in earnest. First I get to clean the attic. The breaker for the room has been purchases and installed; however, I now have to run the circuit down the wall from the attic to the main electrical panel and connect it to the breaker. While I understand electricity very well, I still hate trying to fish the wires down walls full of insulation. I would rather have bamboo shoots jammed under my fingernails than fish wires.

Once the electrical circuit is prepared, I have to work on the floor (which was discussed above)....but I'm getting ahead of myself. Pictures to come.

Farmer_John

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Farmer_John

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StuBoy

As others have said, supporting or strengthening the existing ceiling joists first is the way to go. If you have truss roof frames, it should be fine, but if the ceiling joists are separate, and span across a long room then putting a strongback (beam) at right angles to the joists, and fixing the joists to it would be best (as long as both ends of the strongback are supported on a wall below!)

You may only be storing boxes up there, but the weight of someone walking around up there could sag the ceiling joists over time.

Good luck and send some pics of the existing attic!

brickmatic

One thing people might want to consider for their LEGO lairs is the lighting and trying to reduce the amount of UV so your bricks won't fade. Just sayin.

Yellowcastle

This discussion should be renamed "What haven't you done to your house..." ;o)

Farmer_John

My wife was so excited about the new entry way light, I was asked to install some directional metal halide spotlights above the living room couch and chair. ;-( Fortunately, it was just a 2 way switch and not a 3-way switch. It looks great; however, it has nothing to do with my Lego room. I did get a new broom and dustpan to sweep the attic out to prep for the new room. I only hope I'm not too sore from all the side-track projects to finish it up before Christmas.

To @brickmatic's point, I haven't considered the lighting type for the room. Needs to be bright with limited UV. And to others' points, I plant to install crossbeams to support the additional weight (especially if the day after Christmas sale a Lego is good). Would 2"x2" crossbeams be enough or do I need to go with 2"x4" crossbeams? Again, we are just talking about lego sets; not unused treadmills, etc. I have attached an image of the attic and roof framing.

BeardedCastleGuy

I'd go with 2x4's, sure it's 'just' Lego, but it'd provide more strength and rigidity. Right now you are planning on having 'just' your Lego, your self, potentially a table and chair... it adds up, it's easier in the long term to 'do it right' the first time then it is to fix a ceiling because something came thru the ceiling... Also have you considered if the project requires any building code required inspections? If you ever DO get inspected they are likely going to be happier to see 2x4's instead of 2x2's (oriented like the existing rafters, narrow side at the top and bottom, also the 'crown' side should be 'up'). Also if you ever sell the house who knows what the NEXT owner will decide to stick up there. It sounds like you are going to be spending some time up there, make sure it's safe for you to do so.

Farmer_John

I'd go with 2x4's, sure it's 'just' Lego, but it'd provide more strength and rigidity. Right now you are planning on having 'just' your Lego, your self, potentially a table and chair... it adds up, it's easier in the long term to 'do it right' the first time then it is to fix a ceiling because something came thru the ceiling... Also have you considered if the project requires any building code required inspections? If you ever DO get inspected they are likely going to be happier to see 2x4's instead of 2x2's (oriented like the existing rafters, narrow side at the top and bottom, also the 'crown' side should be 'up'). Also if you ever sell the house who knows what the NEXT owner will decide to stick up there. It sounds like you are going to be spending some time up there, make sure it's safe for you to do so.

I like the way you think...the last thing I want to do is upset the building inspector. I guess I need to go out and get some 2x4s. Thanks!

Farmer_John

Some serious progress is being made in my quest for a Lego/Man-Cave room. I ended up hiring a friend/handyman to do the heavy construction as it was a general agreement that I might never finish it on my own. My wife is very happy that she won't have to be tripping over boxes at the end of the bed anymore. I will be posting pics this weekend of the progress. Woo Hoo...

Si_UKNZ

look forward to seeing it!
dont forget to find a way to solve the dust problem if you're leaving a big layout set up.

Oldfan

A number-one priority when I was house-shopping 5 years ago was enough storage for my collection...I found a ranch home with an addition; the owner had not only added the back room, but also dug out the ground below to expand the basement as well! Now I have a room of approximately 24' x 15' (with access to a crawl space besides) of unfinished basement to store SW, Lego, and all our other stuff. Nothing clutters the living areas except our 9-mo-old daughter's toys! Pallets to keep the boxes a few inches off the floor have already saved me during one flooding event, and a dehumidifier in the summer helps to keep the climate agreeable for storage.

I have easy access to the attic, but the height to the roof is too low for practical use (I can't stand fully upright). Otherwise I would do something very similar to your plans I'm sure!

I am extremely fortunate; the alternative is outside storage...One day I will redo the basement and turn the slapdash "office" into a true LEGO room, since the kid has taken over my original buidling area...

Farmer_John

look forward to seeing it!
dont forget to find a way to solve the dust problem if you're leaving a big layout set up.

I do want to leave sets out (10210 comes immediately to mind), but most of my walls will be taken up with stacked boxes. I do need to think more about how to display sets, which I really want to do. To be honest, I am getting more excited with each passing day. Can't wait to move in. ;-)

On a side note, I went ahead and wired the room for 7.1 surround. I figured while the frame was open, why not make it a more valuable room for the next residents living in this house. It's always more difficult once the sheet rock is up.

Farmer_John

Now I have a room of approximately 24' x 15' (with access to a crawl space besides) of unfinished basement to store SW, Lego, and all our other stuff. Nothing clutters the living areas except our 9-mo-old daughter's toys! Pallets to keep the boxes a few inches off the floor have already saved me during one flooding event, and a dehumidifier in the summer helps to keep the climate agreeable for storage.

I have easy access to the attic, but the height to the roof is too low for practical use (I can't stand fully upright). Otherwise I would do something very similar to your plans I'm sure!

I am extremely fortunate; the alternative is outside storage...One day I will redo the basement and turn the slapdash "office" into a true LEGO room, since the kid has taken over my original buidling area...

The original plans for this room was Lego storage. I've soundproofed it, so it can double as an office when required. The chief concern is heat, but I've added a thermostat-controlled window unit to ensure an acceptable temperature range, even if the house unit does not keep up in the summer.

The best thing about this room is that I can clean out my closet (actually hang clothes in it) and our bedroom. I have other hobbies, and will be able to move everything into this one special room.

No flooding potential, but we live in an area prone to tornadoes so some lucky lad in the area could have a lego room fall on his head someday. My kids are already offering to trade rooms to have the "new" room. ;-)

The biggest question now is whether my wife will negate my current claim on the garage! I need my tools too...

Farmer_John

Okay...Here's a shot from the door taken on January 7th and a second shot taken January 28th.

In the first shot, you can see a 4"x4" vertical structural support post for the roof (near the ladder) that had to be relocated. You can also see wire running across the floor that had to be moved (right side of ladder). The bed is where the wife made me sleep when I purchased too many legos (notice it doesn't have a mattress). :-)

The second shot (taken yesterday) shows the wires and support post moved/relocated, walls framed, roofing insulation in place, and wiring completed. I went ahead and installed speaker wire for 7.1 surround in case the next owner is not a lego aficionado, a phone jack, and Cat 5 connection. I also have a sorting area/office area (not shown) to the right of where the camera is positioned. I decided to put in a roughly 4'x4' built-in book shelf next to the sorting area for smaller models (and an occasional book). I also plan to install a ferrous metal plate (perhaps 3'x3') somewhere near the sorting area for my collection of lego magnets.

The excitement is building (pardon the pun).....

gmpirate

So nice. Would love to take on such a project. Problem is we started the garage and my wife would kill me if I started anything else without the kitchen being done first. Finishing off the attic space above the garage as part of the current project may be a viable solution, however ;)

Farmer_John

Problem is we started the garage and my wife would kill me if I started anything else without the kitchen being done first.

Funny you should say that...we are also doing a remodel job on the kitchen that is starting this week. We needed more storage space due to my hobbies (hence the attic) and our kitchen is outdated (i.e., ugly), inefficient, and lacks enough useful space (hence the remodel). We found another contractor that is doing the kitchen for a reasonable price. Basically, having our cabinets refinished and expanded while changing out the counter tops. Even someone like me who has no taste in these things agrees it needs to be done.

All that said, I honestly didn't think about it as "I'll let you remodel the attic if you remodel the kitchen" until I read your post. My wife never put it in those terms, but she is a lot smarter than me. Now that I think about it, I may have been hoodwinked.

I'll post more pictures this week as more insulation and the drywall go up.

gmpirate

My wife never put it in those terms, but she is a lot smarter than me. Now that I think about it, I may have been hoodwinked.

Lol, exactly.

My argument for getting the garage done first is that we will need the storage area for all the kitchen stuff once we start on that. It was the "logical" first step ;)

Ok, I promised I would have the rest of the Lego and boxes out of the dinning room by "last" weekend. Back to work . . .

gmpirate

@Farmer_John And thanks for the pics and updates! I do enjoy them :)

Farmer_John

I would post a picture of the current state of our bedroom (due to my lego mess), but I'm afraid somebody would be smart enough to find out who I am. Then I would be in serious hot water with the wife.

I should have more pics coming this week. Our handyman and his wife stopped by to visit and show her the status of the room. Even she was impressed. I mentioned in an earlier post that there will be a built-in bookshelf. The handyman took the boards to his shop on Friday and told me today that he has it completed (stained and all) and ready to install. Once it's all completed, I will probably have to get a license with the local jurisdiction as a fire hazard (due to the insane amounts of plastic that could potentially burn).

momof2boys99

Farmer_John.....wow!!!! Your Lego room is looking very impressive. That is so exciting!! I can't wait to see more pics.

Farmer_John

Thanks...

Forget wall paper...it would've been really neat to have purchased fifty 5512 sets while they were on sale at Christmas and have lego walls.

mak

Farmer _John, one word for your LEGO room - 'smashing' :-)

Farmer_John

@mak - Thanks!!! I will post more pictures as the move-in date approaches...

Farmer_John

Here are today's pictures. Insulation is in.Tomorrow the built-in bookshelf and hopefully the main door go in. The main door is being built now. I need to find a ferrous plate to mount on one of the walls for my MF magnets.

gmpirate

Wow, didn't realize from the other pics how big your room will be. I wish I had that kind of attic space to work with. So jealous . . .

Farmer_John

Wow, didn't realize from the other pics how big your room will be. I wish I had that kind of attic space to work with. So jealous . . .

The room only covers about 1/3 of the length of the house. But I figure if I have to go the full length to fit everything in, then my wife will be the sole owner of the house anyway.

The room is about 10' wide by about 15' long. Not real big, but big enough to hold my lego stuff and also have space for a small office area.

We are getting up early tomorrow morning to go pickup the drywall. I believe the doors (entry door and the door out to the rest of the attic) will be completed as well. Probably won't put up the drywall until next week, so I will spend the remainder of the week sealing the room. It is already very tight, but one can never use enough Great Stuff and Caulk, I always say.

brickupdate

@Farmer_John Looking good sir! Can't wait to see it filled to the brim with LEGO.

gmpirate

How do you access the attic? Drop down staircase?

Farmer_John

How do you access the attic? Drop down staircase?

@gmpirate - I am attaching a couple pictures of the lego room door entrance (Image 1 and Image 2). In Tennessee, they have what they call bonus rooms that are located above the garage (I had never heard the term "bonus room" before moving here). Anyway, a nice wide set of stairs leads up to this bonus room (which is already built and being used as my wife's "craft room" and the kids' play area.

Image 1 is taken from the bonus room looking towards the new lego room door. The bonus room is on the right side at the top of the stairs and the new lego room is on the left at the top of the stairs where the attic entrance was. The floor of the new room is about 20" higher than the bonus room floor (see Image 1), so I will have to step up into the new lego room. The original door to the attic (now being moved to the back of the new lego room as an access door to the attic) was 28" x 42", which is obviously too small. The contractor now working on the specially shaped door shown in Image 1 for accessing the lego room (angled because of the roof on the top). The new door is about 6.5' tall at the highest point and slopes down. The reason for having to do this door work is that there is a load bearing header below the bottom of the new door, and certainly didn't want to mess with the home's structural support. In short, I won't have to crawl into the room and the new door will be tall enough so that I don't hit my head stepping up into the room. Because of the different height between the bonus room and the new lego room, we are also going to have a nice customer moveable step built to place on the floor outside the lego room door. Image 2 was taken from inside the new lego room looking out. The third image shows the new lego room from the doorway (with some of the drywall against the wall. Hopefully the pictures make my explanation easier to understand.

I would have no problem with doing this same project with a drop down staircase, which is what we had in Texas. The main for me is not as much access as it is making the room tight and conditioned to protect the legos (and other hobby stuff) from the high summer attic temperatures. You could install R-3 to R-6 blue foam board (I got mine from Lowes) between the steps at the top of the drop down staircase to insulate that portion of your room. What I would envision as the trickiest part of doing a room with a drop down staircase is getting the drywall into the attic. We just moved ours up into the room this morning and only had to turn a 90 degree corner that did just barely had adequate maneuvering space (with the 12' long pieces), and it was tough. You would likely have to remove your staircase and pull the drywall up into your attic (assuming there is vertical clearance in the attic). It might be easier to pay someone to drywall for you and let them worry about it.

The_Brick_Builder

^^ Wow, it looks very cozy!

gmpirate

@Farmer_John If you don't mind me asking, what is it costing you to have that room done? From reading your posts, I've not sure if you are part of the endeavor or not. I've remodeled homes myself before but I just don't think it makes sense for me to do it anymore with business and all. Maybe I'll do the electrical and data lines since that can be so expensive but who knows. Funny thing is, I had all the money set aside for the garage remodel but with all my Lego expenditures lately I may just wait until after I pay property taxes and see what my income liability will be :(

brickupdate

@Farmer_John Too bad the door couldn't be shaped like a brick! Very cool to see how you got around the door issue. Also: smaller door = more room for LEGO!

Farmer_John

@Farmer_John If you don't mind me asking, what is it costing you to have that room done?

I have a full-time job as well, so we hired a handyman that our family knows personally. He did the floor tweaks, framing, insulating, door construction, and trim. I've done all the electrical wiring, data lines, speaker wiring, and weather sealing (my background is electrical). I also clean up at night, dump trash, and pick up the necessary materials at HD or Lowes. We will do the drywall together (at least the ceiling and slopes), and I will install the flooring (carpet), tape/bed/paint the walls, and pay to have an HVAC person run a duct and return air vent installed from the existing system. All told, I expect the entire cost of the project to be in the $3.5-4K range with a large percentage going to labor costs. The total square footage added will be roughly 150 sq. ft., so that equates to $23-27 per sq. ft. Based on the going rates in our area, we expect to save in the $10K-$11K range by doing it as we have and not turning it over to a general contractor.

Either way, this is a project that had to be done as we are out of conditioned storage space and I couldn't see selling our house in the current market to get a new one.

Farmer_John

@Farmer_John Too bad the door couldn't be shaped like a brick! Very cool to see how you got around the door issue. Also: smaller door = more room for LEGO!

The door was very interesting. Not only does it have the odd shape you see, but the point (top right side of the second image) had to be angled down into the room in order for the door to open and shut. Basically, it required angled cuts in three-dimensions to make it work. I also put R-3 foam board on the back of the door (even though it is adjacent with another conditioned space) to make it more sound proof.

I hope to have the drywall all in by the end of this week...maybe even taped and bedded. I hate painting, so might have to try and bribe my wife (extra dark chocolate?). I will continue to post pictures including moving in the sorting table and boxes of legos...

gmpirate

Heck of a deal. Had one guy in mind to work on mine but I heard he just fell off a ladder and broke both his heels :( I'm afraid to try Craigslist blindly and haven't come up with a reference yet.

Farmer_John

No Craigslist for me...but that's just my personal preference. I have kids around the house and won't let a complete stranger near them.

Your help is key, so I would just ask around until you find someone you're satisfied with and they have good references.

Do you have a drop-down staircase? If so, is there clearance above it to bring in material?

Farmer_John

Struggling over the HVAC to the room, which is extremely important (in my mind) to protect my lego investment. Had to run some air flow calculations to ensure the duct work is sized so that the room doesn't get 50% of the home's conditioned air resulting in my wife beating me. I found that you essentially treat it like an electrical circuit, and I feel at home in that realm.

I had a custom 10"x10" return air box built and now I'm waiting on the 10"x10" return air filtered grille to arrive from the eBay seller. I still have to purchase the flex duct and vent components from Lowes or Home Depot. Once I have all the parts, I have the unenviable task of tapping in to our existing HVAC system without throwing the entire home system out of whack (again, with the potential for me getting beat by the wife).

For me, the HVAC is the most difficult part of the entire project to date.