Kenny B's Hitting Bay

[Kenny B]

When I bought this house in 2019, it had a concrete patio with an aluminum roof off the north side of the house.  The original owner framed it in and used it for storage and a place to build cabinets.  Here's a view of the back NW corner of our house...

It leaked and the footings for the walls were not to the building code.  I used it as my hitting bay when COVID hit.  But I wanted a permanent leak-proof, heated and A/C room.  Very hard to find contractors this last summer; I had one estimate that had a start date in 2023!!  The contractors that we picked were working on other houses, and got to it when they had a little down time.  We weren't in a big hurry, so that was OK.  They started on July 6.  We would see them for a day or two here and there all summer long.  

Didn't take long to tear the framing and roof off and remove the concrete patio.  Then the concrete guys poured new footings and the new floor.  It was a long run from the end of my long driveway to the back of my house; the guys ran two wheelbarrows at a time.

Since we are tying the addition into the roof of our house and the roof is 20+ years old (a long time in this wind-blown part of the state), we are re-roofing the entire house while waiting for the inspector.  After golf yesterday we came home at 6pm to this as we drove in the driveway...

I'm hoping that the door and window get hung and the interior work gets underway next week.  More later...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GolfSpy TCB]

2 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

When I bought this house in 2019, it had a concrete patio with an aluminum roof off the north side of the house.  The original owner framed it in and used it for storage and a place to build cabinets.  Here's a view of the back NW corner of our house...

It leaked and the footings for the walls were not to the building code.  I used it as my hitting bay when COVID hit.  But I wanted a permanent leak-proof, heated and A/C room.  Very hard to find contractors this last summer; I had one estimate that had a start date in 2023!!  The contractors that we picked were working on other houses, and got to it when they had a little down time.  We weren't in a big hurry, so that was OK.  They started on July 6.  We would see them for a day or two here and there all summer long.  

Didn't take long to tear the framing and roof off and remove the concrete patio.  Then the concrete guys poured new footings and the new floor.  It was a long run from the end of my long driveway to the back of my house; the guys ran two wheelbarrows at a time.

Since we are tying the addition into the roof of our house and the roof is 20+ years old (a long time in this wind-blown part of the state), we are re-roofing the entire house while waiting for the inspector.  After golf yesterday we came home at 6pm to this as we drove in the driveway...

I'm hoping that the door and window get hung and the interior work gets underway next week.  More later...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is pretty awesome Kenny!!  Can't wait to see the finished product!!

[revkev]

This is really cool - love it!

[Kenny B]

7 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

That is pretty awesome Kenny!!  Can't wait to see the finished product!!

It's not going to be anything fancy; after all this I can't afford the launch monitor system I would like!!  I just had a net and the white Spornia sheet covering it; that worked pretty well.  I will put sufficient high-density memory foam on the walls to help with errant balls, and may eventually replace the net with a quality impact screen.

[GolfSpy TCB]

4 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

It's not going to be anything fancy; after all this I can't afford the launch monitor system I would like!!  I just had a net and the white Spornia sheet covering it; that worked pretty well.  I will put sufficient high-density memory foam on the walls to help with errant balls, and may eventually replace the net with a quality impact screen.

The key is it will be an indoor and weather proof place to swing in the cold winter months... LM or no... that is great!  I have converted my built in carport into my practice area.  I have to time it well though... anything before 10 am or after 5 pm and the mosquitoes run me off.  Probably a good thing... I would never leave it.  Meanwhile, my wife and daughter get the driveway, and I park on the curb.  We all make sacrifices

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

The key is it will be an indoor and weather proof place to swing in the cold winter months... LM or no... that is great!  I have converted my built in carport into my practice area.  I have to time it well though... anything before 10 am or after 5 pm and the mosquitoes run me off.  Probably a good thing... I would never leave it.  Meanwhile, my wife and daughter get the driveway, and I park on the curb.  We all make sacrifices

We were fortunate to get this house 3 years ago.  Everything that came onto the market has a sale pending in 2 days.  This was an Open House we walked through; it was a little higher priced than we were looking for, but it checked all the boxes.  My hitting bay is behind the 3rd bay of the garage, and the 3rd bay is long enough that two midsize cars could park inside.  Right now the 3rd bay is a general storage area; houses my Infrared sauna and club repair station, and it's where I park my motorcycle.  My car and my wife's car go in the big garage bay... my truck sits outside of the 3rd bay; it's been outside it's whole life and looks like it with the hot summer sun.

Last winter while I was using the hitting bay, the temperature got down to 40º.  Not this winter!!!  It will also be our exercise room.

[cksurfdude]

oh ohh.... I've been talking myself out of splurging big bucks on re-doing my garage for 8 years .. now I may weaken sheesh thx Kenny... 

[cksurfdude]

So how's it going out there? You busy hammering and nailing?

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

So how's it going out there? You busy hammering and nailing?

 I don't hammer and nail.  Did you know that you can hire people to do that?... especially on the roof!!

The re-roof of the house is almost done; hopefully wrapped up on Monday.  The electrical and insulation is done, sheetrock on and the window that used to be in the old wall is reinstalled; the door isn't on yet.  Heating and A/C unit will be installed when the sheetrock mud and paint are compete.

I'm anxious to use it!  Didn't play today due to sore back, but I did go to the club to try hitting a few and chip and putt.  If this project was complete, I could do it here.  

Thinking about what flooring (putting surface) and launch monitor to get.  Don't need anything fancy.  While I have room for a radar system, they are way too expensive, and I don't want to give up the room needed to use them.  I'm leaning toward the SkyTrack.

[MacTourney]

I like the sliding window.  You have your own fast-food joint and someone on the inside can hand you a sandwich and drink.  Clever!

[cksurfdude]

On 10/15/2022 at 8:17 PM, Kenny B said:

I'm leaning toward the SkyTrack.

Maybe look at Mevo+ also; looks pretty good for less $.

[cksurfdude]

On 10/15/2022 at 8:17 PM, Kenny B said:

Thinking about what flooring (putting surface)

Someone else on here did a smart thing - got cheapo mats and then cut out a rectangular strip to fill in with a nicer hitting surface .. which you could then later replace just that strip.

[Kenny B]

1 hour ago, cksurfdude said:

Maybe look at Mevo+ also; looks pretty good for less $.

That was my other choice, but it's radar based and needs 8 feet behind the ball indoors; not as much outdoors.  I have that much space but I would like to use it for other things.  The SkyTrack is camera based and sits next to the ball.

[THEZIPR23]

Sweet project.

Skytrack is probably perfect for how you are going to use it.

Price is always a factor but my Launch Pro (GC3) is lightyears better than my skytrak was.

[Kenny B]

Room is done inside; I have heat and A/C!!  Still waiting on gutters for the eaves outside.  Now I can start "furnishing" it inside...

The room is 12' 6" wide x 24' long x 9' 4" high.  Using HD foam interlocking gym tiles on the floor; supposed to be here today...sometime!!  "grass" turf over the tiles is yet to be decided, but I will also have a putting area.

I ordered the Sim golf enclosure kit from Carl's Place on Thursday and it arrived by FedEX freight today!!  Amazing... coming from Wisconsin!  Now I have something to do on these cold non-golf days!!

 

[cksurfdude]

Nice, starting to look like something good!

[sirchunksalot]

Looking good @Kenny B! I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

[Shapotomous]

Looks Awesome!! 

Couple questions....Do you use a layer of something between the foam and the concrete floor to allow for some airflow? (That is concrete, isnt it?)

What is the mini split unit that was used?  I need to look into something similar for the area above our garage.

[Kenny B]

42 minutes ago, Shapotomous said:

Looks Awesome!! 

Couple questions....Do you use a layer of something between the foam and the concrete floor to allow for some airflow? (That is concrete, isnt it?)

What is the mini split unit that was used?  I need to look into something similar for the area above our garage.

Yes, it's concrete and no I'm not putting anything between it and the foam.  The foam has little nubbins on one side that should provide some airflow, but it shouldn't be an issue anyway.  Remember I live in a desert... it's dry here.  The foam tiles are 24"x24" and interlocking; they are not airtight connections.  I've had these tiles on the old concrete floor (old patio) for a couple of years and no issues.  I can lay these tiles in less than an hour, and remove them just as quickly.  I'm not attaching the fake grass carpet unless it moves when swinging.  This was done in a YT video and the guy had no problems.

The unit is a Daikin; based on the recommendation of a good friend and retired contractor. Remote control, Auto, cool, dry, fan, and heat pump.  It is whisper quiet!!  

 

And YES!... there are 2 windows in my hitting bay; an outside window next to the exterior man-door, and an existing window into the master bath that was on the exterior of the house originally.  I don't anticipate any issues hitting them; didn't for two years hitting into a net.  I suspect that my wife will want to change that window one of these days, because remodeling the master bath is on her list!!

 

[Caddie1966]

5 hours ago, Kenny B said:

Room is done inside; I have heat and A/C!!  Still waiting on gutters for the eaves outside.  Now I can start "furnishing" it inside...

The room is 12' 6" wide x 24' long x 9' 4" high.  Using HD foam interlocking gym tiles on the floor; supposed to be here today...sometime!!  "grass" turf over the tiles is yet to be decided, but I will also have a putting area.

I ordered the Sim golf enclosure kit from Carl's Place on Thursday and it arrived by FedEX freight today!!  Amazing... coming from Wisconsin!  Now I have something to do on these cold non-golf days!!

 

I am envious.  Dimensions sound perfect.  Looking forward to pics of the final setup.  It’ll provide many happy returns, I’m sure.

[Kenny B]

12 hours ago, Caddie1966 said:

I am envious.  Dimensions sound perfect.  Looking forward to pics of the final setup.  It’ll provide many happy returns, I’m sure.

Thank you!  When we bought this house in Dec 2019, this "room" was already there... sorta.  It was a concrete slab patio that the previous owner put an aluminum roof over, poured a foundation and walled in with 2x6.  The concrete slab had quite a slope to it for water runoff, the foundation was not to building code, there was no electricity, no insulation, no heat, and the roof leaked.  I used it through COVID with a net inside... bouncing balls off the walls but didn't break either window!!  

I decided to invest in a room that would add sqft to the house and get a real hitting bay.  It could be a man-cave, game room, etc, maybe even a bedroom, but that would be a stretch.  To get to the room from inside the house requires exiting the house into the garage and entering the room through the old garage man-door that used to go outside.  Not ideal for a bedroom!!  

[cksurfdude]

17 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

To get to the room from inside the house requires exiting the house into the garage and entering the room through the old garage man-door that used to go outside.  Not ideal for a bedroom!!  

..unless you're a teenage boy sneaking beers and girls into your room at night 

Speaking of bouncing balls off the walls.... ..get some small, light rubber balls and play 3D golf-billiards...

But seriously that project is really shaping up! 

[Kenny B]

7 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

..unless you're a teenage boy sneaking beers and girls into your room at night 

Speaking of bouncing balls off the walls.... ..get some small, light rubber balls and play 3D golf-billiards...

But seriously that project is really shaping up! 

It would be perfect if it had a bathroom!!!

[cksurfdude]

11 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

It would be perfect if it had a bathroom!!!

OHHHH.... for the girls .... rriiighhht.... 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

13 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

It would be perfect if it had a bathroom!!!

Maybe just an artificial tree in the corner. 

[Reesedw]

@Kenny B, that looks amazing.. I'm sure Martha (i think that's right) will enjoy her new bathroom as much as you your man-cave..... Oh wait she golf's also.. I'm sure she'll love her new She-Shed as much as Her new bathroom.. hahaha.. 

Everything looks great, congrats.. 

[Kenny B]

39 minutes ago, Reesedw said:

@Kenny B, that looks amazing.. I'm sure Martha (i think that's right) will enjoy her new bathroom as much as you your man-cave..... Oh wait she golf's also.. I'm sure she'll love her new She-Shed as much as Her new bathroom.. hahaha.. 

Everything looks great, congrats.. 

Thanks!!  Yeah, I know it's coming!  The bathroom remodel was something she wanted to do when we bought the house... maybe with next year's 401K RMD... if there is anything left in it to distribute!  

Martha is not much on hitting balls; she doesn't even hit any before a round, except to pitch a few onto the pitching green to warm up tempo.  Maybe she will when we have a SIM course to play.

[Kenny B]

Well, I started setting up the inside.  First thing is to address the issue of the ever-so-often sh**k.  I have all the materials for the sim enclosure, but didn't get the netting for the sides because there isn't much room between the enclosure and the wall; I seriously doubt the net would fully protect the sheetrock.  So, I installed a layer of interlocking 24"x24" foam floor tiles ($50 from Home Depot); 2 rows up the wall, then covered that with 2" foam ($95 from Amazon).  Lastly, I hung an 8x10 rug ($77 from Amazon) over the top.  It should protect the wall; not sure how much rebound there will be, but definitely better than the bare studs that were there the last two years.  

The enclosure should be up in the next day or two.  Still waiting for more interlocking foam tiles to be delivered for the floor.  Stay tuned.

Edit:  YES, I did get on the ladders!!!!

[fixyurdivot]

On 10/7/2022 at 10:21 AM, Kenny B said:

When I bought this house in 2019, it had a concrete patio with an aluminum roof off the north side of the house.  The original owner framed it in and used it for storage and a place to build cabinets.  Here's a view of the back NW corner of our house...

It leaked and the footings for the walls were not to the building code.  I used it as my hitting bay when COVID hit.  But I wanted a permanent leak-proof, heated and A/C room.  Very hard to find contractors this last summer; I had one estimate that had a start date in 2023!!  The contractors that we picked were working on other houses, and got to it when they had a little down time.  We weren't in a big hurry, so that was OK.  They started on July 6.  We would see them for a day or two here and there all summer long.  

Didn't take long to tear the framing and roof off and remove the concrete patio.  Then the concrete guys poured new footings and the new floor.  It was a long run from the end of my long driveway to the back of my house; the guys ran two wheelbarrows at a time.

Since we are tying the addition into the roof of our house and the roof is 20+ years old (a long time in this wind-blown part of the state), we are re-roofing the entire house while waiting for the inspector.  After golf yesterday we came home at 6pm to this as we drove in the driveway...

I'm hoping that the door and window get hung and the interior work gets underway next week.  More later...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of us attending the 2022 PNW Meet-up were provided a first hand tour of Kenny's soon to be man-cave.  Glad to see it is coming along... albeit slooooowwwly . I could be wrong here but feel pretty certain the winner of the highest priced (when factoring in scope creep), longest from start to finish hitting bay, goes to my friends Kenny & Martha. 

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Some of us attending the 2022 PNW Meet-up were provided a first hand tour of Kenny's soon to be man-cave.  Glad to see it is coming along... albeit slooooowwwly . I could be wrong here but feel pretty certain the winner of the highest priced (when factoring in scope creep), longest from start to finish hitting bay, goes to my friends Kenny & Martha. 

Sad isn't it?  The price wasn't all that expensive though for the original project.  However, I think the bathroom remodel could raise the price a little.