What's the one garage upgrade you wish you'd done sooner?

[Briandel]

After seeing so many impressive garages here, I'm curious what upgrade made the biggest day-to-day difference for you. Lighting? Insulation? Air lines? Better storage? Looking back, what was worth every penny?

 

[danfromsyr]

garage monkey to put away tools and sweep up under the cabinets and corners..

I seem to have the opposite monkey who works in my garage...

 

[Jgaz]

Mini split for comfort
Storage cabinets on the walls to free up floor space

 

[niget2002]

Air conditioning.

The one upgrade I'm still wanting to do is adding a loft in one corner. If I can move a bunch of my more 'longer term' storage up into a loft, I'd free up a lot of wall space for daily-used tools.

 

[jblnut]

Mini split for comfort

I was going to post the same thing. I should have done the mini-splits right away.

A forklift came after the shop was built and I use that thing daily. We debated on a few jig cranes and a hoist and went with the forklift instead and do not regret it one bit.

Other than making it larger I really like how my shop is setup. A lot of planning and looking at other builds on GJ and in the area helped shape this thing into what it is.

If I were to add on the additional space would be for clean fab/machining and a deticated office. My office is shared with the break room and it works okay but when others are in here using the break room I feel the need to hide anything I care about that normally lives on my desk. It's not that I don't trust people but I just don't need business paperwork out for everyone to see. A separate space would be great.

Bathroom right away was debated on and we ended up doing it and I don't regret that one bit.

I wobbled a little on the in floor heat but now that it's in and paid for I love every part of it.

I wish I'd have gone 20' sidewalls instead of 18' but this works. I have to fold the hopper on the combine to get it through the 16' door but that isn't that big of a deal. Once inside I can open it but there isn't much space between it and the ceiling.

 

[pcmeiners]

In order.....Vidmar cabinets, Mini split for HVAC, storage shelves, 20 ft container for all the stuff which should not be in my garage.

 

[johnre]

Enclosing the shop from the main garage (car) area. It provided better organization, more cleanliness, added shelf storage, added power drops, better temperature and humidity control, and kept things out of sight to passer-bys.

 

[Skellyii]

In no particular order:

• Mini-split - I have a full unobstructed southern exposure, it was unbearable in the summer. It's nice to have heat as well.
• The Lift - I'm getting too old to crawl around on the floor
• Lighting - Self explanatory

I'm torn on which of the three was the one I wish I'd done sooner. ALL of them made a big difference.

 

[cannuck]

To put in order: extra storage of 2 x 40 sea cans with 20 x 40 covered by crane in between, the whole thing covered with tensioned fabric. - Shops were crammed to the roof with accumulated tools and materials, so this one meant able to use.
- spray foam on roof = fantastic comfort year round, no longer need ac.
- second overhead crane in main work bay. double my capacity and nade turning things over easy
- replacing a bunch of flourescents with LEDs, adding more fixtures. As visual acuity decreases with age lighting really matters.

 

[Gangly]

1. Shelving units; Off-the-floor storage is number one for me, space tends to fill up quicker than you'd think.
2. Lighting; Good lighting coming from multiple angles eliminates a lot of shadows and goes A LONG ways when crawling in, on, around, under projects.
3. Excessive electrical outlets; I added up what I knew I would need, then doubled it to make sure I had enough "extra". Now that I have everything moved into the shop, I realize I would have been screwed if I hadn't. I'm grateful to have added so many more quad boxes than I thought I would need.

Things I didn't do that I wish I had:
******INSULATION******
Texas heat is killer! My shop sits between 105-110 in the afternoons right now. I have to open both doors, kick on the fan, and give it 20-30 minutes for the temps to get down into the high 90's.

 

[kaehlin]

Lighting is probably the most significant, and has helped more as my eyes age.

 

[rd65]

Getting my water hooked up. Ran the line when the shop was built in '08 but just got the water hooked up last fall. No bathroom, just an old kitchen sink with a small 2.5 gallon Bosch water heater under the sink and a yard hydrant.

 

[Steve W.]

After seeing so many impressive garages here, I'm curious what upgrade made the biggest day-to-day difference for you. Lighting? Insulation? Air lines? Better storage? Looking back, what was worth every penny?

Going along with your questions, then expanding:
1. Lighting was planned from the start. What was to be installed was not determined until the hospital where I was working was upgrading lights. I got 16 double-tube fluorescent troffers that I recessed into the ceiling. Recently re-wired for LED tubes.
2. Electrical planning included receptacles in quads, around the room (24x30) and powered by at least six circuits on the lower level. 240v receptacles are included inside and out (so my son can plug in his RV).
3. Insulation was also planned from the start. Only have 2x4 studs, so limited to R-13. I have attic trusses, so upstairs is also insulated, giving a bit more moderation for the lower level.
4. Air lines also planned from the start. Compressor lives in the closet under the stairs, 1/2" copper line comes out near the ceiling, then splits to front and rear runs. Two drops on each leg, each drop has its own drip leg.
5. HVAC was planned from the start, but did not happen until 10 years after construction. Pre-ran wiring to where I thought the outside unit would be. Things changed a bit, had to extend the wiring across the back of the shop to the new location. The 24k mini replaces a 50k K-1 torpedo in winter and a bunch of fans in the summer. THAT was worth waiting for.
6. Bathroom was also planned from the start. Just a toilet and sink, but that's enough. A small on-demand water heater hangs on the wall over the toilet, it serves the bathroom sink and the shop sink that is on the other side of the wall.

Other improvements along the way include a bike lift that is capable of handling my wife's CanAm Spyder. Most of the storage consists of shelving that was salvaged from the hospital just before it was pushed into the dumpster, so it was all free. Might not be exactly what was planned, but the price made it worthwhile.

.

 

[willf650]

Insulate the walls and finish them. I had a pole barn built with the eventual intentions of insulating it and finishing the walls.

There is way too much **** in it now to ever get that completed.

 

[abfish]

A four post lift. Reignited my interest in wrenching on cars.

If you ask me next year, it will be air conditioning.

 

[nadogail]

My Garage/Workshop is a work in progress. I am making incremental improvements, a little at a time. Many of my projects have been made with found materials that others discarded.
I have made more than a few things from repurposed bed frames. Having an Ark Welder and a cutoff saw has been helpful.

Welcome to the Forum from the Southwestern Corner of California

 

[finn]

Two major steps forward were first, building a stick framed 32x54 at was then our lake cottage in about 2003, and second, buying a 48x75 building about a mile away to serve as a real
The larger building still isn’t ideal, as it was built in a couple of stages by a local logger to work on his heavy equipment.

The bigger building has 16’ ceilings and 200 amp service. It’s got three 50 amp circuits for welders and parts washers, and has in floor heat, a toilet room, and a small office. The well is a sand point, which works, but is marginal. There’s a 1000 gallon septic tank.

I poured a floor and added a 12x10 door to what was the semi enclosed cold storage lean to. That and installing LED lighting, as well as ditching the oil boiler in favor of a propane are my biggest improvements.

Even with all that space between the two garages, I’m crowded and would like to build a 32x 48’ “shed“ with a concrete floor to store the CTL, tractor and attachments and the mini ex, mower, etc. I’ll likely age out before that, though.

Perhaps it’s time to downsize.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

After many years of working on a gravel driveway. Roof and walls, were both upgrades for me. I'm very happy that I waited until I could afford the heated floor. People told me that outlets every 8 ft was overkill, I wish I'd added more. I also added more lighting. A/C (mini-splits) are nice but I don't them often.

 

[gatewaysysop]

After seeing so many impressive garages here, I'm curious what upgrade made the biggest day-to-day difference for you. Lighting? Insulation? Air lines? Better storage? Looking back, what was worth every penny?

I'm only a home gamer in a 2-ish car garage, so take within that context. For me, getting as tall and deep of a locking, steel cabinet as I could. Having things organized there, instead of a bunch of open shelves, at a working height, was huge. One shelf for consumable, one for PPE gear, one for fluids/chemicals, automotive parts/fluids, and so on.

Using vertical space and full shelf depth is a really good way to capitalize on low square footage. If I had room and the need, I'd add more cabinets but for me one is plenty.

 

[Dig Doug]

5 ton AC & ceiling fans
fridge
65 inch TV
ice maker

Happy Hour w/ my buddies = Priceless !

 

[2001ZR2]

Electrical upgrade to the Garage. Have 4 outlets with two 20 amp circuits. Added outlets to hang vastly improved lighting i.e. I have the ability to practice for the rapture if I look up.

No more re setting the GFCI on the only 15 amp circuit for lights and 2 outlets

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Water line and a utility sink

 

[AC-WC]

1) the lift-game changer for anyone working on cars.
2) electrical-220 for air compressor/welder. Also allowed multiple circuits and outbuildings.
3) lighting-went from 4 or 5 flourescents to 16 LED fixtures.
4) insulation-nuff said.
4) still working on mini-split but do have 80k heater for the winter.

 

[loganb]

It's always infrastructure....conditioned air(heated or cooled), lighting, electrical, compressed air, ventilation....the things that make you more comfortable, more efficient, often safer etc are what's often overlooked but make the biggest difference

For me, on my attached garage...it's the mini-split without a question.

 

[MushCreek]

I wish I had insulated and finished the walls and ceiling before moving all my stuff in. Major hassle moving everything around to do it 12 years down the road. The mini split went in right after.

 

[Yankeefarmer]

For me it was the new garage. I spent 40 years of “making do “ in the 30x18 that I had expanded to 30 x 30 in my first year of ownership, but still had a cracked and shifted floor in the original section where you couldn’t roll a creeper without getting stuck and a ceiling too low for a lift. I had upgraded it with gas heat (and later a mini split for AC) , but the fundamentals were too limiting. I was able to use my 40 years of frustration to design and build a new structure that incorporated all my needs from the start, including a shop area adjacent to but separate from, the service bays, a lift, loft for storage with wide walk up stairs instead of a ladder, etc.

 

[Notgrownup]

Made it 36x24 right off the bat with a 2nd floor usable space.

 

[sjvicker]

Not for the shop its-self but an accessory to the shop was the shipping container for storage. I had it before we built the shop but now I couldn't imagine being without it.

I like a clean, clutter free workspace and the container allows me to store infrequently used things and keep the shop clean. It's been the perfect spot for spare solar panels, log splitter, concrete mixer and working as a place to store my spare (scrap) steel in a way I can see it all and grab it easily for projects.

 

[brit vet]

4 post. Got more and more nervous under a car on stands to a point where it became No.1 priority

 

[txvwnut]

Mini-split. I've had my garage/shop built for over 20 years and just put a/c in it a couple years ago.

 

[racecougar]

Mini-split. I did pretty much everything else right off the bat. I shouldn't have waited four years to put the mini-split in.

 

[theoldwizard1]

4' LED lighting ! I stuck with bare bulbs much too long !

 

[JuncleJohn]

Insulate

John

 

[Lassen Forge]

3ø power.

 

[slomaro3.4]

Having worked in some small dark attached garages most of my life and finally building a small dedicated space these are my favorite things: Tall ceilings, Lights, Insulation, Mini-Split, Maxjax

 

[i84x]

Decent lighting. Use to have just one single tube fitting right in the middle of the garage that was fine 90% of the time. Replaced with 3 double tube fittings that are on a 2 switch, so you can turn just 1 or all 3 on and they really make a big difference when working on something.

 

[Sweetcorn]

The only thing I wish I did sooner was build the garage.

But in that garage, my most appreciated things I did were the following:

1. Over the top insulation & a thermostat
2. Vidmar cabinets and other organizational/storage things
3. Quite a few high quality hose reels and electric cord reels
4. Excellent LED lighting

 

[2001ZR2]

One thing that is out of sight so out of mind was the outer walls were uninsulated...the side I replaced the board and batten with Hardy board is insulated. This is the biggest outside wall and made a bug difference.

Been following this thread and others mentioned this.

 

[engineer2]

A new insulated OH door. I insulated my old one myself but a broken door spring bent the top panel.
Found a new insulated Clopay garage door at the Menards clearance center for $500. Much nicer looking!

Williams between-the-studs gas heater I got for free. Added a Wi-Fi thermostat I can control from my phone.

Chamberlain side mount door opener. Our phones are the remotes and operation is nearly silent. The track down the middle of the garage is gone.

Finishing all the drywall in the garage and painting it. Looks so much better.

Adjustable shelves wherever I could fit them.

50ft HF air hose reel.

Adding more outlets and another circuit. You can't have too many.

Adding too much lighting and converting the fluorescent fixtures to LED. Bright lighting makes work so much easier.

 

[rharman]

Mini split for comfort
Storage cabinets on the walls to free up floor space

This, absolutely.

We remodeled in 1993 and I just put back the old cabinets - kitchen cabinets from a place called Home Club or Home Base. Kind of an early Home Depot.

In 2004, my wife gifted me new cabinets from a local closet company. Cabinets on all walls and a 10' long workbench with a 2' return. Butcher block top. Custom built to fit the space including the ceiling slope and to fit around the water softener. Large/Deep cabinets on the back wall that you can pull cars under. I use that space for my table saw and a few other large items - still have room to fit the cars.

All the cabinets and the workbench have open space underneath. It's fantastic.