Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Nick's Two-Car Detached Vdub Garage

[MightyP]

Wow. Your garage is looking great! My garage needed a lot less work but I didn't do anything with it for so long.

I really like how you've done lighting. Keep up the good work!

By the way, what part of MN? We lived in Shakopee before moving down here a couple years ago.

 

[Trey T]

Great start. Keep up the good work.

 

[nicholam77]

#11 - Thermometer

Sometimes it's the small things!

I added a little thermometer / hygrometer so I can see what the temp is. It's been reading a bit lower than the cars on start up by a few degrees. Overall though the insulation is working well and it's sooooo much better than parking outside.

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[nicholam77]

#12 - Sure Lock OHD Deadbolt

Installed a Sure Lock overhead door deadbolt this weekend. It's pretty cool.

http://www.surelock4homes.com/

It works with all garage door openers, and prevents the overhead door from being lifted up when in the locked position by blocking one of the track wheels with a bracket. It automatically actuates via a sensor.

I'm not saying it's the perfect 1-stop security solution, but I do feel like it's a good extra step to deter your average garage thief, and would at the very least slow down access through the overhead door.

Now I will have to work on securing my service door and window.

Check out this video I made to see how it works in action:

And a pic:

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[53PontiacSD]

Hi Nick, nice shop. That overhead door system seems to work pretty good. Is it hooked to electricity or battery operated?
Thanks Billy

 

[dubber]

Just stumbled onto your new thread, and happy that I have. I like the progress thus far and will certainly be checking back. Feel free to check one of my threads for some inspiration or ideas. Good luck!

 

[nicholam77]

Hi Nick, nice shop. That overhead door system seems to work pretty good. Is it hooked to electricity or battery operated?
Thanks Billy

Hey Billy,

The Sure Lock is powered by electricity. I see that as both good and bad. Good because it's reliable, and bad if the power goes out. FWIW it can be hooked up to a compatible back up battery (either one of the integrated opener ones or a standalone) in the event of a power outage. My opener is older and does not have a backup battery so I do not have it set up this way.

Just stumbled onto your new thread, and happy that I have. I like the progress thus far and will certainly be checking back. Feel free to check one of my threads for some inspiration or ideas. Good luck!

Dubber -- if you only knew how much time I have spent looking at your threads, haha.

Your "double" is basically what I wish mine looked like. I'm definitely in the beginning stages, still planning things out, but hopefully it will start to shape up by this summer when it gets warmer again. I also have to tackle some less fun aspects like re-doing the siding and some landscaping issues. But I'm very jealous of your setup. Hopefully you won't mind if I steal a few of your ideas!

 

[nicholam77]

Wow. Your garage is looking great! My garage needed a lot less work but I didn't do anything with it for so long.

I really like how you've done lighting. Keep up the good work!

By the way, what part of MN? We lived in Shakopee before moving down here a couple years ago.

Thanks! I'm near Minneapolis. Hopefully you're enjoying the warmer Texas weather right about now!

 

[nicholam77]

Ordered this today:

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It's a replacement pad control for my wall mounted opener. But... it includes an auto-close timer with bypass function, as well as MyQ connectivity. If you purchase a separate MyQ Internet Gateway, this opener can be controlled via smartphone. I may add that later.

But for now, I wanted an auto-close solution, as I have accidentally left the overhead door open overnight a few times and that cannot happen!

 

[andyztoy]

that garage door lock is pretty slick didn't know they made such a thing. Also you did way too many things to that gti in the first year haha

 

[dubber]

Dubber -- if you only knew how much time I have spent looking at your threads, haha.

Your "double" is basically what I wish mine looked like. I'm definitely in the beginning stages, still planning things out, but hopefully it will start to shape up by this summer when it gets warmer again. I also have to tackle some less fun aspects like re-doing the siding and some landscaping issues. But I'm very jealous of your setup. Hopefully you won't mind if I steal a few of your ideas!

Definitely help yourself, GJ is a sharing community.

 

[nicholam77]

that garage door lock is pretty slick didn't know they made such a thing. Also you did way too many things to that gti in the first year haha

Lol, this is true! But I couldn't help myself , and there are so many parts that can be added it's just an awesome platform. The mods are definitely slowing down, though. I have a few more things planned, including adding some power down the line, but for now I will probably be mostly focusing on garage and house projects for awhile.

 

[nicholam77]

Hey, I actually did something in my garage this weekend! Wife's CX-5 oil change, despite it being 25 F outside.

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Winter has really slowed me down, along with some unexpected house projects (toilet leak, painting, etc).

But I am really looking forward to warmer weather and getting this plywood painted.

 

[nicholam77]

Sketchup 3D

Still trying to visualize things. Gave Sketchup a try. It's pretty cool. Was able to draw everything to scale.

I don't have much space to play with, but I'm just brainstorming of what could go where and how I want it to look.

Here's what I came up with this time:

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As you can see from that last top down angle, the back wall is really the only place to put stuff. (When the cars are in they don't allow for much on the side walls).

I am really liking the blue stripe now with gray bottom and white top for the walls. I thought it would clash with the red workbench but I actually think it looks pretty cool. And the blue ties into VW.

I dropped in some models of potential products I'm considering -- to scale -- like the gladiator wall mounted cabinets, gear track, and California Air Tools compressor.

Not sure I NEED a miter station, but I figured if I could build the compressor and shop vac into it, with some shelves for extra storage, it could work nicely.

I do have a separate shed, too, so I'm not looking to cram everything in the garage. Just the stuff I use most frequently for the cars, as well as stuff that's a pain to move back and forth like the saws.

As always everyone's thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

 

[Trey T]

I like those CX5. we were shopping for small SUV couple yrs ago and that was my top pick over the competition, but couldn't convince my wife. She ended up w/ a Subaru Forester instead w/ RWD platform instead (AWD to be exact).

 

[nicholam77]

Yeah, I am very happy with the CX-5 so far. Generally I'm attracted to smallish sedan / coupe / hatch cars that have some aspect of performance, but I have to be honest, I really like driving the CX-5. It's comfortable, solid feeling, well-equipped for the price, and the suspension is tuned really nicely in my opinion. Of course it still has some body roll and understeer if you push it enough, but overall it feels tighter and more european while still remaining very compliant and refined. The on-demand AWD system works, and it handles very well in the wet and even heavy snow.

As much as I love my manual transmission, sometimes it can be a chore in traffic, and I often find myself wanting to take the CX-5 places instead because it is just so easy and nice to drive.

 

[roost3r]

Nice Vdub and the garage is looking good! Audi and Vdub fan here, Audi S3 400hp tuned this go around for me. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

[redman333]

Re: Sketchup 3D

Still trying to visualize things. Gave Sketchup a try. It's pretty cool. Was able to draw everything to scale.



I don't have much space to play with, but I'm just brainstorming of what could go where and how I want it to look.



Here's what I came up with this time:



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As you can see from that last top down angle, the back wall is really the only place to put stuff. (When the cars are in they don't allow for much on the side walls).



I am really liking the blue stripe now with gray bottom and white top for the walls. I thought it would clash with the red workbench but I actually think it looks pretty cool. And the blue ties into VW.



I dropped in some models of potential products I'm considering -- to scale -- like the gladiator wall mounted cabinets, gear track, and California Air Tools compressor.



Not sure I NEED a miter station, but I figured if I could build the compressor and shop vac into it, with some shelves for extra storage, it could work nicely.



I do have a separate shed, too, so I'm not looking to cram everything in the garage. Just the stuff I use most frequently for the cars, as well as stuff that's a pain to move back and forth like the saws.



As always everyone's thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

I like the models. They look good. I use sketchup also to figure the arrangement and design of my garage. I only have the design so far, haven't really started changing anything yet.


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[nicholam77]

Re: Sketchup 3D

Nice Vdub and the garage is looking good! Audi and Vdub fan here, Audi S3 400hp tuned this go around for me. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Sweet! The S3 must be a beast. I really want to do a tune or piggy back but the GTI's have weak clutches and I'm not ready to commit to upgrading the clutch just yet. It's also my daily and I've never tuned a car so I'm a little apprehensive, but the temptation is definitely there.

 

[nicholam77]

No garage updates, but here are a few random projects that have been keeping me busy:

Upgraded a toilet in our upstairs master bathroom. Seemed fine at first, but had some leaking issues a week later while I was on vacation. Came home to a dripping ceiling in the bathroom a level down. Had to tear out the ceiling and re-sheetrock it. Also had the drywall guy scrape the "popcorn" ceiling in the hallway outside the bathroom. Lots of mess and sanding and painting.

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Wasn't TOO upset about the damage as the bathroom is kinda hideous and needs a remodel anyways. Plus an excuse to get the hallway ceiling scraped.

Secondly, I've been piling tools and such up in the laundry room, out of sight, but in the way of doing laundry. Last weekend I cleaned things up a bit, including installing some additional shelving and Wall Control metal pegboard.

BEFORE:

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AFTER:

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Getting things organized feels good. Hopefully more on the garage to come, soon.

 

[veedublin]

Yo! Fellow Twin Citian (St. Paul) and V-dubber (Eurovan Weekender, currently. Never didn't own a VW!) here.

Nice work on getting the garage into shape. Mine's a similar size, with similar constraints. I'm gonna wait until spring to work on mine, though. (I'll steal all your good ideas.)

Cheers!

Chris

 

[Power Sedan]

Great write-up! A lot great ideas, and preventive tips shared here. I always enjoy reading garages from a past life bring transformed into something of a modern functional style.

One thing I noticed, your trim around the garage door has a crest on top (middle exterior). Check to make sure that the joints on both sides, and to are sealed off properly from the elements. A neighbor of mine have a crest too, above his garage door. When his house was constructed the same year as mine, the contractor missedp thus critical step of sealing off the crest. Over the first 8 years water penetrated, and eventually weakened the 17' header, which then caused it to sag about an inch at center. Needless to say, it was eventually replaced, in fear of it becoming unstable or rigid enough to carry the overhead load.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to the progress!

 

[dubber]

I'm a fan of the My Q technology. I've added that to my Craftsman garage door opener and love the ability to use my phone to both control open/close functions and have the visual of the actual position of the door.

Sketchup looks great. For a standard Double or Single loading up the back wall and avoiding anything on the floor along the sides can really add to the success of a functional space.

 

[RustyBarrel]

It seems the Twin City VW fans are chiming in as, I too, am one.

I like the direction it's going. Definitely some inspiration to work on mine. Now I have the SureLock and new garage door pad to add to the list.

 

[nicholam77]

Yo! Fellow Twin Citian (St. Paul) and V-dubber (Eurovan Weekender, currently. Never didn't own a VW!) here.

Nice work on getting the garage into shape. Mine's a similar size, with similar constraints. I'm gonna wait until spring to work on mine, though. (I'll steal all your good ideas.)

Cheers!

Chris

Ha, thanks Chris. It practically is spring with this warm February weather! Don't see many around but the Eurovan is actually pretty sweet!

Great write-up! A lot great ideas, and preventive tips shared here. I always enjoy reading garages from a past life bring transformed into something of a modern functional style.

One thing I noticed, your trim around the garage door has a crest on top (middle exterior). Check to make sure that the joints on both sides, and to are sealed off properly from the elements. A neighbor of mine have a crest too, above his garage door. When his house was constructed the same year as mine, the contractor missedp thus critical step of sealing off the crest. Over the first 8 years water penetrated, and eventually weakened the 17' header, which then caused it to sag about an inch at center. Needless to say, it was eventually replaced, in fear of it becoming unstable or rigid enough to carry the overhead load.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to the progress!

I agree it's fun to see the transformation. Probably the only benefit of a somewhat rundown starting point. Thanks for the tip on the trim I will check it out.

I'm a fan of the My Q technology. I've added that to my Craftsman garage door opener and love the ability to use my phone to both control open/close functions and have the visual of the actual position of the door.

Sketchup looks great. For a standard Double or Single loading up the back wall and avoiding anything on the floor along the sides can really add to the success of a functional space.

Good to know you like the My Q, I will probably have to pick up the internet gateway at some point. Just to be able to check the door status would be neat.

It seems the Twin City VW fans are chiming in as, I too, am one.

I like the direction it's going. Definitely some inspiration to work on mine. Now I have the SureLock and new garage door pad to add to the list.

Nice! What do you drive?

Pretty pleased with how the SureLock and MyQ pad work together. Makes me feel a bit better about leaving my tools out there.

 

[-Brent-]

Where did you get the foam door protectors? I looked on-line but couldn't find those specific ones. Everything is a little different (i.e., smaller, larger, etc.). Something like that would be great for my father-in-law. He just got his dream car and he'd likely love having something like this.

 

[Finallygotit]

Subscribed!

 

[JRodsGarage]

Very nice progress Nick. Another VW guy here as well. I have a 2016 CC R-Line, and Ive had my fair share of VWs. Had a 2012 TDI Golf, 2010 Tiguan, 2002 GTI 337, and a 1971 Squareback.

This garage reminds me of my first house's detached. Old(built in '64), plain, and cracked floors. I had a big ol crack that was about 1" wide and had a 3/4" ledge... Talk about a pain in the ***! It was frustrating to not be able to use any type of floor treatment/tiles. So I feel your pain!

The place Im in now has a very similar size(~19x19) so storage is a huge factor, especially if you want to get things done AND park cars in it. As previosly mentioned by another member, the best would be some shelving hung from the ceiling. Im going to be putting mine above the garage door so that when the door is open you cant see anything. I also did these for the smaller items



I actually really like the idea of the plywood walls if you are going to hang stuff. Little bit stronger than drywall.

Subscribed for more!

 

[nicholam77]

Where did you get the foam door protectors? I looked on-line but couldn't find those specific ones. Everything is a little different (i.e., smaller, larger, etc.). Something like that would be great for my father-in-law. He just got his dream car and he'd likely love having something like this.

I got them on Amazon, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01899YHGQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I really like them. I still try not to let the door touch, but they are soft enough where I am not worried about damaging the car at all.

Very nice progress Nick. Another VW guy here as well. I have a 2016 CC R-Line, and Ive had my fair share of VWs. Had a 2012 TDI Golf, 2010 Tiguan, 2002 GTI 337, and a 1971 Squareback.

This garage reminds me of my first house's detached. Old(built in '64), plain, and cracked floors. I had a big ol crack that was about 1" wide and had a 3/4" ledge... Talk about a pain in the ***! It was frustrating to not be able to use any type of floor treatment/tiles. So I feel your pain!

The place Im in now has a very similar size(~19x19) so storage is a huge factor, especially if you want to get things done AND park cars in it. As previosly mentioned by another member, the best would be some shelving hung from the ceiling. Im going to be putting mine above the garage door so that when the door is open you cant see anything. I also did these for the smaller items

I actually really like the idea of the plywood walls if you are going to hang stuff. Little bit stronger than drywall.

Subscribed for more!

Hey, nice list of VWs! Yeah, the floor is a bummer but oh well, nothing to do about it. Your bin storage solution looks great. I might consider that. Although I do have a separate shed next to the garage I like to put stuff in that I don't use as often.

 

[nicholam77]

With all of the VW fans posting on here I thought I would share a pic of my car. In the garage of course.

Test fitted some new wheels for summer duty this weekend:

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[JRodsGarage]

Nice man! Those look great on that car. Im so glad that I dont have to "winter mode" anymore now that I live in SoCal...

 

[BrandJas18]

Love the CHs!


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[nicholam77]

Nice man! Those look great on that car. Im so glad that I dont have to "winter mode" anymore now that I live in SoCal...

Jealous...

and thanks!

Love the CHs!


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I wish they were CH's! (They are actually CO's, but very similar). And thank you, I am very excited about them

 

[BrandJas18]

Jealous...



and thanks!







I wish they were CH's! (They are actually CO's, but very similar). And thank you, I am very excited about them

Whoops...regardless they look great. Maybe see you around town..I am in Saint Paul.


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[bdbecker]

I'm diggin this build. Your space is very similar to mine, right down to the cracked concrete floor and busted up entrance door that wouldn't lock/latch. Looking forward to following your progress!

 

[nicholam77]

Whoops...regardless they look great. Maybe see you around town..I am in Saint Paul.

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Thanks man. Don't know if you go to Cars & Coffee but I'll probably be there at least a few times this summer. Feel free to say hi if you spot me. What do you drive?

I'm diggin this build. Your space is very similar to mine, right down to the cracked concrete floor and busted up entrance door that wouldn't lock/latch. Looking forward to following your progress!

Thanks bdbecker, I like your **** shack, too

 

[nicholam77]

What's up everyone. No this thread isn't dead!!

I've just had a bunch of other stuff to attend to with the house and work.

But now that Spring has arrived and the weather is nicer, I'm ready to get back into it!

Since I've last posted I've been slowly adding a few tools to my humble arsenal, like a miter saw, small air compressor, some nail guns, etc. Now I really need to get some more storage:


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Oh yeah, and the garage! I really want to move forward with the interior, but first I have to tackle the siding. It needs to be replaced. It's gross, and a lot of the boards have rot. So, that's my big project at the moment.

I'm replacing it with white vinyl siding, double 4-inch to match the house.

This is the old siding:

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Doesn't look terrible from far away, but get up close and it's BAD.

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I also have a drainage situation I'm trying to fix. Work in progress.

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Anyhow, I've stripped all the old siding off and put up house wrap. Now I just need a few days without rain to get started on the vinyl.


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Replaced some bad sections of sheathing with OSB.

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DAD helping.

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Hardly any room to work between the garage and shed! Spent a day crammed in between here.

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Getting there.

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And... a shot with the Mk7 'cause why not.

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[Finallygotit]

Lot's of progress...........and work.

 

[dubber]

Tight to work between there, BUT at least you have that shed, super useful.

 

[nicholam77]

Tight to work between there, BUT at least you have that shed, super useful.

Totally