Garage: One Room Challenge Weeks 7 and 8

If you came here from the ORC site, hello! I’m Sanju Patel. By day, I work behind a desk, typically crunching numbers. By night, you can find me in a garage. My wife and I purchased a home in Texas 4 years ago – a quick close without costly bells and whistles. As lifelong fans of DIY, we’ve decided to invest into our home as our family grows with an open invitation to see our process from start to finish.

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From my childhood into adolescence, a pair of fluorescent tube lights patiently waited. Waited for me to finish my homework or a project involving construction paper and Elmer’s school glue. A lot of time was spent working under this lamp. This lamp on my father’s tanker desk where my feet occasionally rested upon while reading a novel that sometimes didn’t make sense.

Soon after my father passed, I rediscovered this lamp and found it a new home in my garage. It brings me comfort and narrows my focus. It inspires my imagination.

Although the finish line escaped me for the One Room Challenge (with an amazing partner in Apartment Therapy), the work shall continue under this lamp. It has always been about remembering my favorite sci-fi memories and this project has wholeheartedly allowed me to do that.

Updates will be shared periodically. Weeks 7 and 8 focused on installing a MRCOOL DIY 24,000 BTU mini-split air-conditioning system. This installation will conclude very, very soon (pending electrical).

A BIG THANKS to all of my fellow ORC-ers for the encouragement. There are some amazing projects out there. MAJOR KUDOS TO ALL!!

As always, send us any questions and don’t forget to follow our Instagram stories. By the way, check out the official One Room Challenge site with Apartment Therapy as a media partner.