DIY Sunday

The weather is getting cold, and I realized if I didn't get my little DIY garage-door project done soon, it wasn't going to happen until spring.

My goal was this: The single-car garage, which is in the base of a condo building eight blocks away, has no alternate entrance. It's the garage door or you don't get in. I've long wondered what I would do if the opener broke and I couldn't get in. Rent a blowtorch?

Then my garage neighbors pointed out a little gizmo to me. It is simple -- you unlock the key core and tug it out. It's connected to a steel cable that you tie to the emergency release. You tug the key which tugs the cable which tugs the release, voila, you're in.

I found the gizmo for $10 online, ordered it, and then proceeded to let it sit on my coffee table for a month.

Today, I drove over to the Home Depot by the Holland Tunnel, picked up a 3/4" drill bit, and went to work.

Here are some photos of the project in progress. See how it works?