PRN
Member
Hi All,
My name is Peter and I'm addicted to this site. There, I said it. I've lurked on here for years without becoming a member because I didn't have a garage of my own so I figured I didn't have much to contribute. I don't know that I've got much to contribute even now (Hah!) but I wanted to show what I've been able to accomplish with very limited funds and a "learn as go" mindset. How about some background? Trust me, it ties together at the end or feel free to skip it!
I was born and raised in Roswell, GA where I grew up in a DIY'ers environment. My parents were always working on something; the house, the barn, the yard, it never ceased. Why would it when you've got free labor (me + 2 sisters) laying around? That's something I didn't appreciate then but I now find invaluable. Once I turned 15 and got my learners permit my dad set aside 2 weeks in the upcoming summer for us to piece together a road trip. We picked some side attractions along the way but the trip's goal ended up being Colorado to see where my dad & mom used to vacation as kids as well as knock some NP's off the bucket list. I'm sure my dad wishes he might have picked somewhere closer because from then on Colorado had an unyielding hold on my mind. It became the annual road trip of ours that I cherish more than most things in this world.
Fast forward to post college graduation and life hits you dead in the face. Get a job, go to work, pay bills, repeat, all while going from apartment to apartment and no garage or DIY projects. It left me yearning for the "simpler" times and road trips with my dad. Of course life meets you halfway and reminds you two weeks would be your entire yearly vacation and replies, "Yeah, that'll be a no." Back to work I went. Fast forward four more years of "adulting" and Colorado's hold hadn't loosened a bit. Thankfully my then fiance was as open minded as they come which helped a lot when I said, "Lets quit our jobs and move across the country to Colorado." She said, "Ok, sure." And that was that, Hahah! It sounds insane and ill thought out but it's one of the best decision I've ever made. Fast forward again to February of 2014 when we got married, had a week's honeymoon, packed a U-haul trailer, and hit he road. We had no jobs lined up, no support system, and no idea how much of risk we had just taken. But we were chasing my dream of Colorado and that was enough for me.
So how did we end up with that leap of faith? Not only did we both find great jobs within months of getting here, we even had the ability to close on our first home in December of that same year! Sure, its not big (sub 2k sqft), or very new (built in 1915), but it's our symbol that we chased a dream and made it a reality, even when everyone told us it wouldn't work out.
Now how about that garage? That's why we're all here, right? The below photos are from the very beginning. The framework is there for this to be a great work area, despite the small size. As the title states it's a single car with a small work area at the back.
Reference for size. I've since gotten a haircut and beard trim. Don't you worry.
Lastly with the truck in it. This was before we perfected "parking" in the garage, i.e. being as far back as we can while playing Russian roulette with the garage door. The tailgate can attest that the door has won once.. or twice.
Before I get into the changes I've made I want to make note the influences of Jack Olsen's 12 Gauge Garage. Though mine doesn't current resemble it at all, it's Jack's attention to detail, organization, and problem solving I hope to emulate with my garage, though smaller. His details below.
Petrolicious Link (Where I originally saw the light...)
Garage Journal Link
His own website for it - Link
His old Garage remodel - Link
First on the list was to get my tools out of boxes and get them organized. I've since learned about French Cleat systems and might replace all of this with that style in the future. For now, this works just fine and is quite cheap. Note the "to code" dryer exhaust outlet. Just one of the fantastic updates done by previous owners.
Wood and General Tools
Auto / Moto tools (Metric)
You'll see that once the truck is pulled out and doors down, it's actually a good sized area to work with. This was during the time our phase 1 kitchen update.
Since this thread is already oozing emotion with phrases like "chasing dreams", its only natural that I inform you I bagged another dream by calling this mine. It all started to become a reality when my wife got me the MSF Beginners classes for my birthday. I know, I'm a lucky guy. It's a 2008 SV650 with 13k miles I snagged off Denver's Craigslist from a guy who was also born and raise in Georgia! Small world. This was done after about 5-6 months of research after I'd convinced myself I would outgrow the 250cc bikes we used in classes... Cue eye rolling and "I told you so's" from the biker group. Don't worry, I got my comeupins (once) and it scared me straight without damaging the bike. I'm not a wheelie/hooligan type, just enjoy getting out on back roads.
Bit of TLC for bike. It was in such good condition when I picked up I didn't even need the brake pads. The fluid wasn't necessarily needed either but it gave me a clean conscience.
The far wall has really just become a catch all as seen here. I plan to emulate 12 Gauge with the high mounted cabinets for tools and try and get all the yard equipment out of the garage.
My name is Peter and I'm addicted to this site. There, I said it. I've lurked on here for years without becoming a member because I didn't have a garage of my own so I figured I didn't have much to contribute. I don't know that I've got much to contribute even now (Hah!) but I wanted to show what I've been able to accomplish with very limited funds and a "learn as go" mindset. How about some background? Trust me, it ties together at the end or feel free to skip it!
I was born and raised in Roswell, GA where I grew up in a DIY'ers environment. My parents were always working on something; the house, the barn, the yard, it never ceased. Why would it when you've got free labor (me + 2 sisters) laying around? That's something I didn't appreciate then but I now find invaluable. Once I turned 15 and got my learners permit my dad set aside 2 weeks in the upcoming summer for us to piece together a road trip. We picked some side attractions along the way but the trip's goal ended up being Colorado to see where my dad & mom used to vacation as kids as well as knock some NP's off the bucket list. I'm sure my dad wishes he might have picked somewhere closer because from then on Colorado had an unyielding hold on my mind. It became the annual road trip of ours that I cherish more than most things in this world.
Fast forward to post college graduation and life hits you dead in the face. Get a job, go to work, pay bills, repeat, all while going from apartment to apartment and no garage or DIY projects. It left me yearning for the "simpler" times and road trips with my dad. Of course life meets you halfway and reminds you two weeks would be your entire yearly vacation and replies, "Yeah, that'll be a no." Back to work I went. Fast forward four more years of "adulting" and Colorado's hold hadn't loosened a bit. Thankfully my then fiance was as open minded as they come which helped a lot when I said, "Lets quit our jobs and move across the country to Colorado." She said, "Ok, sure." And that was that, Hahah! It sounds insane and ill thought out but it's one of the best decision I've ever made. Fast forward again to February of 2014 when we got married, had a week's honeymoon, packed a U-haul trailer, and hit he road. We had no jobs lined up, no support system, and no idea how much of risk we had just taken. But we were chasing my dream of Colorado and that was enough for me.
So how did we end up with that leap of faith? Not only did we both find great jobs within months of getting here, we even had the ability to close on our first home in December of that same year! Sure, its not big (sub 2k sqft), or very new (built in 1915), but it's our symbol that we chased a dream and made it a reality, even when everyone told us it wouldn't work out.
Now how about that garage? That's why we're all here, right? The below photos are from the very beginning. The framework is there for this to be a great work area, despite the small size. As the title states it's a single car with a small work area at the back.
Reference for size. I've since gotten a haircut and beard trim. Don't you worry.
Lastly with the truck in it. This was before we perfected "parking" in the garage, i.e. being as far back as we can while playing Russian roulette with the garage door. The tailgate can attest that the door has won once.. or twice.
Before I get into the changes I've made I want to make note the influences of Jack Olsen's 12 Gauge Garage. Though mine doesn't current resemble it at all, it's Jack's attention to detail, organization, and problem solving I hope to emulate with my garage, though smaller. His details below.
Petrolicious Link (Where I originally saw the light...)
Garage Journal Link
His own website for it - Link
His old Garage remodel - Link
First on the list was to get my tools out of boxes and get them organized. I've since learned about French Cleat systems and might replace all of this with that style in the future. For now, this works just fine and is quite cheap. Note the "to code" dryer exhaust outlet. Just one of the fantastic updates done by previous owners.
Wood and General Tools
Auto / Moto tools (Metric)
You'll see that once the truck is pulled out and doors down, it's actually a good sized area to work with. This was during the time our phase 1 kitchen update.
Since this thread is already oozing emotion with phrases like "chasing dreams", its only natural that I inform you I bagged another dream by calling this mine. It all started to become a reality when my wife got me the MSF Beginners classes for my birthday. I know, I'm a lucky guy. It's a 2008 SV650 with 13k miles I snagged off Denver's Craigslist from a guy who was also born and raise in Georgia! Small world. This was done after about 5-6 months of research after I'd convinced myself I would outgrow the 250cc bikes we used in classes... Cue eye rolling and "I told you so's" from the biker group. Don't worry, I got my comeupins (once) and it scared me straight without damaging the bike. I'm not a wheelie/hooligan type, just enjoy getting out on back roads.
Bit of TLC for bike. It was in such good condition when I picked up I didn't even need the brake pads. The fluid wasn't necessarily needed either but it gave me a clean conscience.
The far wall has really just become a catch all as seen here. I plan to emulate 12 Gauge with the high mounted cabinets for tools and try and get all the yard equipment out of the garage.
