The ULTIMATE game storage solution. Or, 20 steps to making a dream come true.
- UbergeekUnited States
Washougal
WashingtonI spent 100 Geek Gold and all I got was this lousy overtext message! -
I finally did it. I've cracked under the pressure of boardgame addiction and more or less succumbed to the fact that it's my one true vice. More importantly, I had to find a solution to keeping my marriage intact without losing my second true happiness. Yes, I want my games and play them too (I think Marie Antoinette said something similar before they lopped her head off, something my wife was going to do to me soon if I didn't clear out the house).
So once a collection spills beyond it's containment you might have a few options. One was to start storing less played and displayed games in bins in the garage. Even though I packed them well with dry-rite to keep out moisture and mildew, I eventually ran out of space in the garage for my bins. I started stashing a few stacks in closets in the house but with bookcases full of card games in binders, stacks of games above cabinets, and the occasional game hidden under the bed, something had to give. I had five full cabinets filled the living room with another four in the dining room (which had become my game room), plastic bins with my CMG collection under bench seating, odd shaped stuff crammed in every open corner, and a few bookcases overflowing with games and game materials. There was no denying that I was out of control. Despite the most efficient space management techniques I could devise, I finally hit maximum density from over 30 years of game collecting.
Option 2: rent a large storage unit and move my games stored in bins out to it, thus allowing more games to be moved from the house into bins in the garage, and so on. Not an option. Square footage rental costs along would be a recurring item and I'd still have games hidden away from the light of day (at an even greater traveling distance than my dining room).
Option 3: "Hey honey, what if I build a big shed on the property and move all my games out of the house and garage for good. You'd get your rooms back that we can renovate however you want and you'd have room to open your car doors in the garage when you park." The evil seed was planted. With a bit of nurturing care and proper feeding, this might be the solution I was looking for.
Well what follows is the sequential story of this project. The spark was ignited back in March of 2012 and the process started soon thereafter.
- Building Options (went with Tuff Shed)
- deciding how big to make it and what would fit
- review CC&R's
- getting Blueprints
- Permitting
- discovering new hidden requirements like the requirement for a poured foundation
- contracting cement
- curing time for the pad
- building it
- inspections
- adding the extras
--- siding
--- gutters
--- paint job
--- entry patio
--- insulation
--- electric (another whole process of permitting, installation, and inspections)
--- security
--- flooring
--- heating and dehumidifyingOption 4: Stop buying games.(HA! Like this was really an option.)
Well Holy crap! The process was like living the movie "The Money Pit". So come 1 October 2012 and I can say it's pretty much complete. But was it worth it? I know my answer (and I'm still married... to the same woman). Now it's off to Essen to get more games to fill it.
So now my wife wants to buy a plaque to hang over the door naming it. I've come up with a few choices as follows in my order of preference:
1. The Boardgame Bunker (aka "the bunker") THE VOTE WINNER BY ALMOST 60%
2. The Ludo Lounge (aka "the lounge")
3. The Gaming Grotto (aka "the grotto")
4. The Playroom Parlor (aka "the playroom")
Anyway, more on that later. I figure you only live once, but boardgames are forever. So without further ado, here's the 20-step way to breaking your wallet that results from a boardgame addiction.
Cheers and good gaming.
... and to see what I've been filling it with this year start at:
Persistant Completionism: the Eclectic Collector's 2016 acquisitions
An Eclectic Collector's Boardgame Bunker Acquisitions for 2015
A Fool and his Money... My 2014 Boardgame Bunker Acquisitions
Boardgame Bunker Baubles - My 2013 game acquisitions
-
- Edited Tue Nov 15, 2016 6:19 pm
- Posted Fri Oct 5, 2012 3:45 pm
- [+] Dice rolls