New Homeowner and Some Garage Ideas

[OJ Bartley]

Hi everyone, like I mentioned in my intro thread, we have just bought our first house, and I'm excited about having a garage all to myself. The actual space is a pretty tight one-car garage, but I think I can make a usable area fit in if I'm careful planning (and parking!). At the very least, I need storage for my tools and a little bench to work at. Since I don't have a lot of depth, I will be pretty limited with what I can have (this means no tablesaw ), but I think I can still make it work.

I've done a little Sketchup plan which is pretty close to scale, based on my current ideas. This project will probably have to wait until spring, but I can start compiling bits and pieces through the winter. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them since many of you have been through this all before.

My general plans are to epoxy the floor, add a few fluorescent fixtures overhead, build a workbench with some storage underneath, tire storage up high on the wall, and a few cabinets. The cabinets would likely have lighting underneath, and I would need to incorporate a power strip along the back of the bench. A small pegboard (or slot maybe) for frequently used items, and a nice tool chest (I like the Kobalt one that I modeled) for the things that deserve a nicer home.

I'm open to any tips or advice, no matter how random. For example I was thinking of using oil based paint on the walls for durability. Maybe this is a bad idea, I don't know. Maybe I should have my lights installed on 2 switches if I can, for times when I don't want full brightness. You get the idea.

I've seen some great projects here, and I'm looking forward to contributing some of my own as time goes by.

 

[Scotto]

Is the garage drywalled already?

I wouldn't worry too much about using oil-based paint. It's a ***** cleaning up and I don't think it's going to be any more durable. Brake fluid is going to melt either paint .

Here's some pics of my little one car garage. Still need to trim out the windows/doors, but that's the gist of it. Also need to epoxy the floor.

The key to a small space is to keep things off the ground so you aren't tripping on everything. I need to add more shelves up high between the windows and above my work bench. Luckily I have a basement, so all my woodworking tools are down there. So is my air compressor.

 

[ovilla]

I like the design. I would just try to incorporate an air compressor (maybe a small pancake one for now) under the bench with an air reel bolted up into the bottom of the bench or hung from the ceiling. Also, unless you have a track car and are constantly changing tires, I'd consider putting them some where else so that you can free up the space for more wall cabinets, or a taller tool chest.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Scotto, thanks for the pics, yours looks very similar to the space I have. I'm not sure if it's the fact that your car is shorter than mine, or if you do have a little more depth than I do, but you seem to have a good area to work. The garage is already drywalled, but I will have to sand the clumps of filler and prime still. I will be trying my best to keep things on the wall and off the floor, because parking space is really at a premium.

Thanks ovilla, I would like to put a compressor in eventually, but that is still a little further down the road. I'll make sure to leave room under the bench for one, or an area in the overhead storage. I'll also have to put some thought into the tires. The basement will all be finished eventually, so storage in the house won't be an option, and I kind of liked the look and feel of the tire rack to make it feel more "racy" in the garage, but it just might not be an effective use of space.

Any other small single car designs out there?

 

[nate379]

Do you have room for a shed in your yard? Stuff like winter/summer tires, yard equipment, etc would free up space in your garage.

Or a crawl space? Tires would be fine down there too.

 

[Scotto]

Scotto, thanks for the pics, yours looks very similar to the space I have. I'm not sure if it's the fact that your car is shorter than mine, or if you do have a little more depth than I do, but you seem to have a good area to work. The garage is already drywalled, but I will have to sand the clumps of filler and prime still. I will be trying my best to keep things on the wall and off the floor, because parking space is really at a premium.

My MR2 is the size of a Miata, so it's kinda deceiving. With something like an Avalon in there it's very tight.

Why don't you leave a section of the basement unfinished so you can have a shop down there? That's what I'm doing and my air compressor and all my woodworking tools are down there. It's not a big space, but it's more than I have in the garage with a car in there.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Thanks for more feedback guys. The back yard is tiny, and a shed likely won't fit too well, but there might be a chance once we get it fenced in. There's no crawlspace, and the basement will just fit a laundry/furnace room, our home theatre/rec room, and some under the stairs storage. I wish there was room for a little workroom in there, but that was the tradeoff I made for the theatre (or will make, when we get to finishing it). I grew up in a house where my dad had a fantastic basement workroom, but the basement was never finished, and as much as I'll probably miss it, I'm still set on making mine all about movies and entertaining.