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Garage Layout Tools/Software

kf4zht

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
712
Location
Calhoun, GA
Trying to reorganize/relayout my garage. Has anyone found decently easy to use software or such to lay out where items go?

Ideally I would like to put in garage and item dimensions and then be able to drag them around and see how they fit. 2d would be fine but 3d would rock.

I could autocad it, but that seems like a lot of work. If I have to I can use pieces of paper to figure it out.
 
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scott_one

Well-known member
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
106
Location
Lapeer, MI
X2 on Google SketchUp. It's really great for other uses too. I'm using it to design a barn for the backyard.
 

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digdug18

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
311
Location
Danville, PA
I'm hoping to buy Home Designer Pro 10 sooner then later. Its $500, but is a powerful and easy to use piece of software.

Default view
chief3.jpg


Stick layout
chief1.jpg


Material/Build List
chief2.jpg


Doll House view
chief4.jpg


Perspective View, camera can be placed anywhere. Objects are of actual cars, and are to give you perspective relative to the space.
chief5.jpg
 

digdug18

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
311
Location
Danville, PA
you can pick from real paint colors of benjamin moore, ace, etc. Real faucets, toilets, wall papers, lamps, shades, from actual manufactures.
 

mikeyr

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
1,971
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Sorry but a garage is living breathing thing, you CAN'T use software to design where to put your tools, you can use software to design the garage building itself but not the tools.

In a real garage things move:

What is a good location for that table saw this year will be a great a location for a welder next year.

What looks on paper to be a perfect place for that grinder will be wrong the first time something slips out of your hand and is thrown by the grinder into the windshield way over there.

And that workbench is right in the draft area when the doors are open, while that might be nice in the summer its a ***** in the winter.

Wow the lift was really nice on the left side of the garage when I moved in, but I prefer to put the metal lathe over there next to the compressor and have a "dirty" area so the lift now has to be over there.

As you work on cars, things move, this week its motor work and what you really need is the workbench here, next week is body work and the welder is more important than the workbench, for me right now, its the woodworking tools that are more important as I am doing the woodwork on the body. Get everything into the garage and see where they "naturally" end up based on your type of work and work habits, you will be happier. And don't be afraid to move and reorganize things sometimes, you will get more done. Its not a house where the couch and tv go "there" for life, its way more interesting than a house and its alive. If you insist on drawing it up...sketchup.
 
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bczygan

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
22,002
Location
DETROIT! Arsenal of Scrappers
Sorry but a garage is living breathing thing, you CAN'T use software to design where to put your tools, you can use software to design the garage building itself but not the tools.

In a real garage things move:

What is a good location for that table saw this year will be a great a location for a welder next year.

What looks on paper to be a perfect place for that grinder will be wrong the first time something slips out of your hand and is thrown by the grinder into the windshield way over there.

And that workbench is right in the draft area when the doors are open, while that might be nice in the summer its a ***** in the winter.

Wow the lift was really nice on the left side of the garage when I moved in, but I prefer to put the metal lathe over there next to the compressor and have a "dirty" area so the lift now has to be over there.

As you work on cars, things move, this week its motor work and what you really need is the workbench here, next week is body work and the welder is more important than the workbench, for me right now, its the woodworking tools that are more important as I am doing the woodwork on the body. Get everything into the garage and see where they "naturally" end up based on your type of work and work habits, you will be happier. And don't be afraid to move and reorganize things sometimes, you will get more done. Its not a house where the couch and tv go "there" for life, its way more interesting than a house and its alive. If you insist on drawing it up...sketchup.

This is the best post ever on design, of not just garage space, but spaces and uses in general. Spaces only exist for the uses that are made of them. As uses change, the spaces need to change to accommodate them. While you need to define and compartmentalize, you also need flexibility. And don't forget to make use of other spaces outside and also in the existing residence. If a bathroom or laundry room is available adjacent to the garage, why duplicate functions. Make the whole house and yard your "man cave". Don't be afraid to bust out walls, change room functions, put up temporary structures or otherwise change things to suit your uses. I know a guy who builds ultralight aircraft who's living room is a layout room for building wings, complete with industrial sewing machine. Front closet stores sail material. Hallway has a tubing bender on the wall. Make things your own and don't be held to what society says your spaces should be used for.

Bill
Arch. Designer in Detroit
 
OP
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kf4zht

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
712
Location
Calhoun, GA
I will work with sketchup and the cbstructures one.

Most of my equipment is on wheels, I am trying to make a design where I have places that everything rolls into and cabinets for storage. I am digging the idea of cabinets with doors to help keep storage items clean and for the better look.
 

GarageEnvy

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
1,282
Location
Fresno
I used autocad as a free trial student version when I was doing mine. Autocad is powerful but somewhat difficult to learn quickly. I've been playing with google sketchup and find it much easier to use. But even after playing with these designs I still reverted back to my old stand-by, toilet paper. Yep, I've used it for year to mock up spaces. I learned it from my father who used it to layout tenant improvement walls in commercial spaces. It's about the thickness of a wall, you can write on it, it rolls out easily and fairly straight and it's cheap. I actually mocked up stuff like workbenches and equipment with cardboard boxes and pvc pipe too. It's the only way to discover things like interference problems when you're trying to swing a 2x4 around.
 
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