Time to clean up my mess

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 26, 2011

I live in Fairmont, WV. Originally from Thomaston, CT. I know, how does someone go form CT to ending up in WV? I have a 2-car garage, single 16' door (that is loud(er) than normal after the wife backed into it) with 12' ceilings.

I made built-in cabinets in the large nook in the back, but never got around to finishing them. My wife and 4 kids keep it nice and messy and I don't even get to park my car in it.

I always get around to cleaning it, but I never get a chance to put away or reorganize my tools before it gets trashed again.

I sealed the floor in gray with white, black and blue fleck, but will be doing that again this summer in black with white/gray fleck and some clear. I'm planning on tearing out the cabinets since they are taking up too much space and have simply been used to hold **** off the floor. I'm going to put in some actual cabinets and new worktops.

The garage is an odd shape, but that will be apparent once I take some pictures when the project begins.

Love the garages in here so far and am simply in awe.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 26, 2011

My digital camera broke the other day, so I was taking snapshots with my HandyCam. Only 1.2 megapixels or something, but I want to document what happens. I took a lot of shots although they probably won't come out well. I had to get the shots because I started organizing all the tools and actually emptied some toolboxes then washed them in the driveway.

We've had as much as a 2003 Yukon XL Denali and 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS, along with my 2006 Kawasaki Brute Force 750i and two 70cc ATVs for my boys at the same time. That included the huge work bench as well. I'm going to draw up some plans for what I'm going to do and post them as well as the beginning pictures.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 26, 2011

I finally got around to uploading the photos, no matter how bad. Anyway, here's the former view.

The cabinets back here were built to cover the 7" ledge that runs around that entire area. Only ended up making more horizontal edges, which equates to more areas to store ****!

Now I have to get the "new" ones listed on here. Back in a bit...

P.S. I hope I have lightened everyone's mood by giving you something to laugh at!

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 26, 2011

The stairs going into the house and the ones leading out the side entrance were made of 2X material that was simply for function. They weren't even wide enough to allow the screen door to open all the way, but I hung it anyway to enjoy the cool breeze during the summer.

And now I realize why it's taken so long to post ANYTHING!!! "Daddy?" "Honey?" "She keeps waking me up!" "Can I eat this?" "Wanna watch a show tonight?" (4 kids)

Here is the progress so far. I know the stairs eat up part of the bay, but hindsight is 20/20. Actually, it makes going in and out of the house so much easier. And we've only ever parked my wife's vehicle in the garage unless we were expecting a lot of snow.

The new stairs

The huge cabinets are gone!

The garage door has been straightened and I replaced the seal. Still leaks a little, but the clown that did the concrete put NO grade on it. I'd like to install a drain, but that's for another time... You can see the flooring is a bit messed up from where salt leaked in during one winter.

Another shot of the area where the hideous cabinets resided

The NEW stairs. Whole thing cost pennies. Had most of the materials, including leftover 5" oak flooring from when the house was built.

Another shot of the stairs. (no the black covers are not permanently installed)

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 26, 2011

A small section of the built-in cabinets still remain just to hold a few things while I straighten out the rest of the garage. I was fortunate enough to have a neighbor with a dumpster the other week so I dropped off 3 loads of trash - filled the bed and was over the cab pretty much each time. That also helped with the fact I had "spring cleaned" the basement recently as well.

I'd love to get a LiftMaster and get rid of the center mounted lift, but I'm not going to replace things on a whim or I'll have no money left. Maybe put higher rails so the next owner can install a lift?

My Dad is building a [removed], and I'd love to take one of those projects on some time in my life.

I'll post a top down floor plan sketch sometime in the near future and mark out what and where I want things: compressor, shop vac, utility sink, cabinets, loft storage, etc.

Let the games begin!!

jtbinvalrico · Apr 27, 2011

I believe part of the solution to your dilemma is the altitude of that garage....You can get a ton of stuff airborne and free up the whole floor....Nice work on the steps.

billyM · Apr 27, 2011

Bingo, I'd have some shelves built above that garage door in a heartbeat!

--billyM

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

Here's a basic layout with some fairly close dimensions.

The two items on the right are Visio do-it-yourself rollaway stencils (base cabinet, handrail and multi-light bar).
There are 3 light switches above the door on the 9' wall. 1 for the light over small covered porch, 1 for the wall lights outside garage door and 1 for the interior overhead lights. There are no switches at the door from the house! Only the garage door opener. That, at least, operates the door opener light. In order to turn on the 2 overhead lights, you have to flick a switch inside the house on another wall! What the heck were they thinking!? I'd like to have another set of switches at the interior door.

The overhead lights are simple porcelain dome lights with bare 60W bulbs. I really want to increase the amount of light without having to tear into the ceiling or run surface-mounted wiring. Trying to keep everything hidden, even though you wouldn't get that from the beginning of this project! Should I just replace with two 4' fluorescent trays with multiple bulbs? I actually discovered a case of new 4' bulbs in the garage when we moved in.

There is a 7" ledge 16" high that runs along the top left corner where you see the refrigerator. It continues along the back wall, but 2/3 of this ledge is actually as high as the new stairs if you are coming out from the door. There is a 7" overhang the entire length of the 20' wall. Looks like the whole house is askew! You might be able to notice this from the pics.

I had started making built-in cabinets that went up and over the ledge to make it to the actual sheetrock and hide the ledge. Again, more horizontal surfaces to store ****. I am thinking this may be the main area where I install some shelves from floor to ceiling. Maybe even some cabinets that aren't too deep to be in front of the ledge, then use deeper material and maybe even a countertop.

The 20' wall with the 7" overhang might even get deeper cabinets to use that extra space. I really like TONE's (http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42080) use of his one wall

I'll post another drawing of some ideas I am toying with. It's going to at least include (after purchasing): wall mounted shop vac, ceiling mounted retractable ext cord, utility sink (includes running water lines), compressor, cabinets, etc.

jam0o0 · Apr 27, 2011

your problem as i see it is that the floor of your garage is storage. make it so that nothing is on the floor unless you use it every week. the next big thing is that your garage is tall. you are using about 25% of your space. the lowest quarter. use the high storage. you can get this space back with some organization.

good luck. it's a nice space.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

The only reason why there is anything else on the floor is simply due to no time to get the rest of it out yet. As mentioned earlier...

And now I realize why it's taken so long to post ANYTHING!!! "Daddy?" "Honey?" "She keeps waking me up!" "Can I eat this?" "Wanna watch a show tonight?" (4 kids)

I'm going to post another picture soon with some of the changes I'm thinking about. I'd love to find a 2005 F150 SuperCrew stencil for Visio. Alas, it will probably only appear as a big rectangle. And the measurements are illustrating a very tight fit.

28HopUp · Apr 27, 2011

Nice job on the steps! Question, is the space between the overhead garage door and the steps large enough to park the 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS?

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

28HopUp said:
Nice job on the steps! Question, is the space between the overhead garage door and the steps large enough to park the 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS?

Yes, it fits. My Dad measured that before coming up with the stair plan. He called me after returning to CT and said, "It just came to me... you will never be able to fit another car in there if you buy anything larger than your Matrix." Got it, Dad.

I got the specs on a few other cars that I'd like to buy and they all fit so far.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

Here are some ideas on this one image

28HopUp · Apr 27, 2011

Given what you posted about lighting, I would suggest going with 8' dual-bulb fluorescent fixtures instead of the 4 footers. That's what I have in my 2-car, and it still could be brighter.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

It fits!!! (sorta) :wtf:

The next pic shows the horizontal beam that does NOT appear on the previous pic. It took up more than 2" and would have hit the bumper.

This is what happens when your 10 and 12 year old boys like to drain the water out of the basketball hoop base and is followed by a strong wind. I couldn't get a shot of the 2 other dents on the hood. They did it again recently and shattered the backboard. My 10 year old was emptying the base after it happened, so I informed the 2 of them they could have a backboard again after they buy it.

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 27, 2011

I didn't get the other pics from earlier. I put one of the old stackable shelves back on the one remaining cabinet and stored everything that was on the floor temporarily. Hey, at least it's all off the floor and I'm making some progress. My wife told me one time that I should work on projects 15 minutes each day in order to get SOMETHING accomplished - even if it's only a little bit. Of course, most times you'll work on it for much longer than 15 minutes. It's always worked for me so far! I know, she's just manipulating me.

GirlnAgarage · Apr 27, 2011

Keep up the progress! I'm doing the same thing with my garage. Doing a lot of reorganizing and I know it takes a lot of work moving stuff in and out and all around. Takes a little time between that and other family and work responsibilities.

You'll get there :thumbup:

marty_p · Apr 27, 2011

Lookin' good, Boss! :thumbup:

Keep us posted...

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 28, 2011

The new garage door seal is working a lot better than the old one. We had major storms and wind last night, so I went to check out how bad the water was coming in. It appears to only be from one spot under the door. I put a rag against that part of the door and that kept the water almost completely at bay. It is in a spot where there the concrete started chipping away from salt corrosion. I'll have to wait for some better weather, but I'm hoping I can use my concrete patch to get rid of this issue. Oh well, I plan on resurfacing the entire floor anyway. I'd rather not have to cut a drain across the front of the garage or put a rubber sill along the bottom.

Victorymike18 · Apr 28, 2011

Thats' a nice garage, and allows for some creative layout. The stairs are a nice improvement!

As others have suggested, make use of that awesome ceiling height and get stuff off the floor. How tall is your ceiling? The space above the door looks massive!

I have 10' ceilings and have only utilized about 10% of the space available over the 6' point. There's so much room potential in yours.

I like your idea for the storage room. Just be careful to utilize the above space. Rather than have ceiling-high shelves that can only be accessed by ladder inside, maybe make 8' shelves inside the room, and then have the remaining height accessed from outside of the room (from the garage area).

At least your wife encourages 15 minute minimum a day... I have trouble getting that (but I have a four-month old that needs attention, so it's understandable).

Good luck, keep the updates coming!

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 28, 2011

This is what I would was thinking about for above the door storage...

I thought the doors could slide, like this

and make them so I could have at least 3 out of the way at any time or even be able to remove them if necessary. Some angle iron, plywood and a movable ladder (or just the existing stepladder). Again, I'd like to keep everything hidden.

I thought the idea of having the storage area open from the main garage was a good idea, but if that room gets closed up, the whole thing is getting closed (I think).

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 28, 2011

And seeing as I have to create and hang the racer plaque ala F1 garages...

MajorLeeGassole · Apr 28, 2011

Weather permitting, we watch Mountaineer games, UFC and movies with the projector against a king-sized sheet hung from the garage door. Great time for the family. Bring out a section of astro-turf, make some popcorn, drag the firepit from the deck and voila!

I am toying with the idea of creating a projector mount from the garage door opener (so much for my List Master screw drive idea). CATV is already available from the garage, but this would get rid of the need to place it on top of something in the driveway and run all the cables, including stereo equipment. Then you simply flip the picture from the projector and watch from outside. Undo that and watch from the garage when it rains. Not all of us have bunkers!

MajorLeeGassole · May 1, 2011

I know each wife is thinking, "Yeah. That's great, honey." Then turning around and placing an L hand to their forehead.

My wife has been great about me cleaning the garage, my neighbor was probably wondering, "How many friggin' truckloads of **** did that guy have?", and my kids are probably glad the cleaning process is pretty much complete.

Now I have to get started on the storage situation. My wife likes the ideas I've had so far, but she doesn't want me spending lots of money. :wtf:

Cool thing tonight was showing my wife the before and after pictures. Her exact words were, "Jeez Louise. I guess we did have a lot of ****."

What a difference a little each day makes...

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After - Yes, I have to get the T-Maxx tuned soon

Before

After

Before

After

The blue garden cart is our "soccer" cart. Since we still have two small kids and it's a long walk to the fields, we place cushions, blankets, coloring books/crayons, bubble stuff, a cooler and load our own chairs into it. The sides all fold down, so we turn it into a couch sometimes and place golf umbrellas on it to shield the sun/wind. Toss it in the back of the truck each weekend and we're good to go!

MajorLeeGassole · May 2, 2011

I would like to create the enclosed storage space over the garage door, but I don't have the material I want/need. Plus, if I only had the overhead storage, I'd constantly have to get the ladder to get to anything. Since I have quite a bit of 2x4 material left over from various projects, I am going to try tackling the 5x11 storage room. The only additional material is sheetrock, the doors and some additional 12' 2x4s due to the high ceilings.

Upper left of image:

Do you think I should install a register(s) to allow better ventilation? There won't be any chemicals, but might help if there are moisture issues. The doors aren't going to be airtight, but you get the idea why I'm asking (besides being an idiot). There is one window on that wall and it's constantly plastered with bugs. I'm planning on giving it one more final cleaning and then sealing the window with shrink winter wrap or some lexan. I never opened the window in 5 years anyway. I might even insulate the panes with something white so as to appear to be blinds on the window (as it is now), but get the added benefit of the insulation.

Ooooh... just doodled and came up with a cool idea. Back later with a new sketch.

Nighttrain · May 2, 2011

Is it just me or is there a little ghost in this picture? :lol_hitti

The garage is looking good. I had to laugh when I read about your boys draining the water out of the goal post and causing it to fall on the truck. i thought it was just me that had kids that do stuff like that. :beer:

MajorLeeGassole · May 16, 2011

Great! One of my neighbors has an outdoor cat. We have caught a glimpse of it in our garage lately and have discovered it's been ******* on items such as canvas, soccer cleats, rugs, etc. It got caught in the garage last night, only to be discovered after it knocked over a huge load of lumber at 11:30PM onto my table saw, chop saw and ATV. We found it today, but it discovered a small space that leads into the basement after burrowing into some insulation. Now it's in the f'n house and ******* in the basement!!! I already called the HOA about the cat causing damage (listed in bylaws), but no one has contacted me yet. I have since informed them that if they can't find someone to claim the cat, it's going to be "put down" as soon as I get my hands on it. If someone does claim it, they are going to be responsible for one helluva cleaning/replacement bill. Now I have to go clean the GD garage and basement again!!!

MajorLeeGassole · May 16, 2011

Oh yeah, and there is no county animal control in our area. I guess being in West Virginia just makes everyone assume we're going to eat whatever animal is around?

ZRX61 · May 16, 2011

ChetUbetcha said:
outdoor cat.

That's vermin in my mind, just shoot it.

Time to clean up my mess

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