Craig Balzer
Well-known member
Ultimate Garage Handbook, Richard Newton, MBI Publishing (Motorbooks Workshop), St Paul, Minnesota, 2004 (ISBN: 0-7603-1640-6)
This is a soft-bound 8 ½ x 11 book with 110 pages. The book has 160 full color photos and another 15 sketches. All the photos are large format and every photo has a large caption beneath it; a mini-paragraph. Cover price is $19.95
The 10 chapter titles are:
1. Planning Your Garage
2. Building a Solid Floor
3. The Challenge of Storage
4. Workbenches
5. Tools and Other Fun things
6. The Electrical Grid
7. Let There Be Light
8. Climate Control
9. Wall and Ceiling Treatments
10. Some Ideas from the Professional Shops
. . . these almost sound like the titles of some of the threads on here.
Bottom Line up front: if you’ve only got $20 in your wallet and want to get a good, concise reference (essentially a Garage Junkie forum in paper form), this is the book. Feel free to judge THIS book by its cover. It is the best by far of the seven books I bought when I was looking for floor plans, ideas and information. It explains technical aspects of garage design (air compressors, electrical, lighting and such) while providing clear and well thought out basics. If I had bought this book first, I could have saved quite a few bucks.
There are no Garage Mahals here in the sense that all the garages are standard size. There is coverage given to some very nicely designed garages. A three-car garage is about the biggest referenced and while they are well appointed, none lavish $1,000s on lighting or cabinets. There are photos of large professional shops or race garages but used only to make a point.
Some key quotes from the opening chapter set the tone for the book:
o “Good garages just don’t happen.”
o “One of the goals of this book was to come up with some ideas the average car nut could use.”
o “Before starting a garage rebuild project, spend about 6 months wandering the aisles of HD or Lowes.”
o “It’s never finished.”
Each chapter closes with about half a dozen resources being quoted: either useful web sites or contact data for various vnerdors. There is a wealth of information found in the last handful of paragraphs of each chapter alone.
His chapter on flooring discusses the technique of taping down a square of plastic sheeting to test of moisture migration. He discusses the pros and cons of carpet, tile, vinyl tiles, paint, epoxy and polished floor as floor covering options. Newton provides excellent coverage of stain removal during the prep for laying the covering of choice. He lists 8 resources for tiles or epoxy or polishing concrete
He considers tools, parts and whole cars in his discussion of Storage. He covers Hansen socket trays, slider vs. roller drawers on tool cabinets, some ideas on storing tires/rims, shelves vs. cabinets, use of the attic or rafters, and more.
Workbenches: Newton gives a nod to making your own and references the same Simpson Strong Tie system as Jacobs – same sketch, too. But just the one and that is where the similarity ends. He compares wood and metal bench tops. He includes photos of high-end systems from Griot’s, Craftsman, and Mid-America Motorworks. However, oddly enough, no mention of Lista or Snap-On.
His Tools and Things chapter gives good coverage of air compressors, blast cabinets, spray booths, drill presses, shop vacuums, welders, grinding, wheels, parts washers, and vises. But – I just noticed – nothing on lifts.
I found his discussion of the Electrical Grid to be excellent: comprehensive coverage without getting so technical that a EE degree is required. He talks you through deciding the number of circuits, the size of the wire (12 vs. 14 gauge wire in particular), color codes and GFCI. I don’t think W-Cummins or BMWPower would be impressed (given HIS wiring skills) but its pretty decent stuff for the rookie / novice.
Newton’s coverage of lighting was likewise excellent. He explains lumens, color rendering, and color temperature, again without sounding like a college professor. He strikes a balance between technical data and useful information. The pros/cons of natural light vs. security is given good coverage. He mentions in paerticular track lighting, PAR lights and portable lights.
Climate control seems a bit thin, but he touches on insulation, portable heaters, heat pumps and split units. No one – not even Newton – even mentions in-floor radiant heating. Ducting, ceiling fans and filtration are given a nod.
“Wall Treatment” turns out to be a very detailed discussion of how-to’s of installing dry wall. Very comprehensive; I’ve never installed one sheet of dry wall, but having read Newton’s explanation I would not be concerned. He does a small bit on slotted walls: their benefits and costs and a glancing blow on garage doors (a few paragraphs).
As I said – the best of the lot. If you have read this far, you know I am not real high on Jacobs and trust me that the last few books I plan on reviewing are pretty pathetic. Newton is hands-down the best book on planning a shop. But he wins a race against some pretty shameful entrants. I read this book three times in the first few hours I bought it; of course that was on a 12 hour plane ride.
Craig
This is a soft-bound 8 ½ x 11 book with 110 pages. The book has 160 full color photos and another 15 sketches. All the photos are large format and every photo has a large caption beneath it; a mini-paragraph. Cover price is $19.95
The 10 chapter titles are:
1. Planning Your Garage
2. Building a Solid Floor
3. The Challenge of Storage
4. Workbenches
5. Tools and Other Fun things
6. The Electrical Grid
7. Let There Be Light
8. Climate Control
9. Wall and Ceiling Treatments
10. Some Ideas from the Professional Shops
. . . these almost sound like the titles of some of the threads on here.
Bottom Line up front: if you’ve only got $20 in your wallet and want to get a good, concise reference (essentially a Garage Junkie forum in paper form), this is the book. Feel free to judge THIS book by its cover. It is the best by far of the seven books I bought when I was looking for floor plans, ideas and information. It explains technical aspects of garage design (air compressors, electrical, lighting and such) while providing clear and well thought out basics. If I had bought this book first, I could have saved quite a few bucks.
There are no Garage Mahals here in the sense that all the garages are standard size. There is coverage given to some very nicely designed garages. A three-car garage is about the biggest referenced and while they are well appointed, none lavish $1,000s on lighting or cabinets. There are photos of large professional shops or race garages but used only to make a point.
Some key quotes from the opening chapter set the tone for the book:
o “Good garages just don’t happen.”
o “One of the goals of this book was to come up with some ideas the average car nut could use.”
o “Before starting a garage rebuild project, spend about 6 months wandering the aisles of HD or Lowes.”
o “It’s never finished.”
Each chapter closes with about half a dozen resources being quoted: either useful web sites or contact data for various vnerdors. There is a wealth of information found in the last handful of paragraphs of each chapter alone.
His chapter on flooring discusses the technique of taping down a square of plastic sheeting to test of moisture migration. He discusses the pros and cons of carpet, tile, vinyl tiles, paint, epoxy and polished floor as floor covering options. Newton provides excellent coverage of stain removal during the prep for laying the covering of choice. He lists 8 resources for tiles or epoxy or polishing concrete
He considers tools, parts and whole cars in his discussion of Storage. He covers Hansen socket trays, slider vs. roller drawers on tool cabinets, some ideas on storing tires/rims, shelves vs. cabinets, use of the attic or rafters, and more.
Workbenches: Newton gives a nod to making your own and references the same Simpson Strong Tie system as Jacobs – same sketch, too. But just the one and that is where the similarity ends. He compares wood and metal bench tops. He includes photos of high-end systems from Griot’s, Craftsman, and Mid-America Motorworks. However, oddly enough, no mention of Lista or Snap-On.
His Tools and Things chapter gives good coverage of air compressors, blast cabinets, spray booths, drill presses, shop vacuums, welders, grinding, wheels, parts washers, and vises. But – I just noticed – nothing on lifts.
I found his discussion of the Electrical Grid to be excellent: comprehensive coverage without getting so technical that a EE degree is required. He talks you through deciding the number of circuits, the size of the wire (12 vs. 14 gauge wire in particular), color codes and GFCI. I don’t think W-Cummins or BMWPower would be impressed (given HIS wiring skills) but its pretty decent stuff for the rookie / novice.
Newton’s coverage of lighting was likewise excellent. He explains lumens, color rendering, and color temperature, again without sounding like a college professor. He strikes a balance between technical data and useful information. The pros/cons of natural light vs. security is given good coverage. He mentions in paerticular track lighting, PAR lights and portable lights.
Climate control seems a bit thin, but he touches on insulation, portable heaters, heat pumps and split units. No one – not even Newton – even mentions in-floor radiant heating. Ducting, ceiling fans and filtration are given a nod.
“Wall Treatment” turns out to be a very detailed discussion of how-to’s of installing dry wall. Very comprehensive; I’ve never installed one sheet of dry wall, but having read Newton’s explanation I would not be concerned. He does a small bit on slotted walls: their benefits and costs and a glancing blow on garage doors (a few paragraphs).
As I said – the best of the lot. If you have read this far, you know I am not real high on Jacobs and trust me that the last few books I plan on reviewing are pretty pathetic. Newton is hands-down the best book on planning a shop. But he wins a race against some pretty shameful entrants. I read this book three times in the first few hours I bought it; of course that was on a 12 hour plane ride.
Craig