Advice needed: organizing 1 car garage

[gb99]

Hi all,

I think I found the right place for this project! I’d like to maximize the utility of my 1-car garage to allow for my car hobby, but yet be fair to the family and let them store their stuff in there too (mainly bikes). I do my own work on the car and have a bunch of auto and household power tools which I want safely stored out of the way. I’d also like to allow the kids to walk through the garage without scraping my car!

Here’s some ideas I had:
- Get a metal 2-door cabinet to put by the interior door – right wall. All the power tools would go in there.
- Get a rolling tool chest to stand next to the cabinet.
- If needed, mount a couple of cabinets on the right side wall.
- Mount hooks on the wall so bikes can be hung in the little nook near the garage entrance.
- Build a foldaway table for the rear wall of the garage (next to the interior access door)
- Back the car into the garage and park as close to the left wall as possible. This way foot traffic can go straight from the garage door to the interior access door.

I want to keep this low budget…for many reasons.

Let me know what you think and thank you!

 

[nolimits76]

Check this out. Nearly identical layout and similar ideas.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155324

 

[Tre900]

Here's some thing to think about: Use as much wall space as you can. Try to build high shelves. Just someting simple but have it run the entire langth of the walls with supports at the studs. You could then use totes (if you get the cash) in the future and label them, or you could put your parts up high so the kids aren't kicking them around when they go for their fishing rod.

it can be done! I did it for years, only my one car was not dry walled so it was easy to make shelves when I needed it or use the inside layer between the studs as a shelf for oil, or carb cleaner or what not.

Check out the dollar store and just stroll around. Think about milk crates and cinder blocks.

Good luck

 

[Colin Len]

That's not a bad size for a 1 car, mine is a few feet narrower than that The biggest problem will be the bike storage since they are so big and odd shaped,everything else you mentioned will be pretty easy and you should be able to make a good deal of extra storage.

If you have stuff that needs to be stored that you don't need frequent access to you could put a shelf/rack above the garage door and potentially store a lot up there. Something like this.

It ***** that your garage door isn't either wider, or closer to the left wall, that would make it a lot easier to park closer to the wall. I'd probably fill that wall with some cabinets, if you did upper only then you could still get the car over towards the wall as long as your car isn't too tall. As with the above garage door storage the access is inconvenient when the car is there, but many of us have things we need to store that we just don't need to get too very often and having an inconvenient place to store something is better than not having a place at all!

For the rolling tool cart check out the US General offerings from Harbor Freight, there's a great thread here with modifications people have done to theirs: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137365 I have the black one and LOVE it - for the price these can't be beat other than finding something used.

And it's definitely worth checking out the 12 Gauge Garage, Jack has done more with this 2 car than most guys have in a full size shop! There are also some basic plans on his website for a fold down bench/table. I recently adapted his basic design and built one for my single car. It's super sturdy, and I have since mounted a vise on it too.

 

[crewchief888]

Hi all,
but yet be fair to the family and let them store their stuff in there too

Here’s some ideas I had:
- Get a metal 2-door cabinet to put by the interior door – right wall. All the power tools would go in there.
- Get a rolling tool chest to stand next to the cabinet.
- If needed, mount a couple of cabinets on the right side wall.
- Mount hooks on the wall so bikes can be hung in the little nook near the garage entrance.
- Build a foldaway table for the rear wall of the garage (next to the interior access door)
- Back the car into the garage and park as close to the left wall as possible. This way foot traffic can go straight from the garage door to the interior access door.

I want to keep this low budget…for many reasons.

Let me know what you think and thank you!

welcome to GJ

first off theres nothing fair in the garage

if you are trying to keep costs down,
start dumpster diving, salvaging, repurposeing, & trash picking.
flea mkts, garage sales, & (sometimes) CL will get you something you can use for a reasonable cost.

i've gotten everything from steel cabinets, shelf brackets, shelves, and even toolboxes out of dumpsters or picked up off the curb on trash day.

cheap organization from dollar store, "repurpose" what they have, just because it's a "shoe box" doesnt mean it has to have shoes in it.

 

[pmiranda]

Go vertical! High shelving and hooks for stuff you use infrequently. Lower shelving and cabinets for stuff you need ready access to (or that short folks need to reach). I've got 20" shelves running along both long walls of my garage about 2' from the top and can actually put 3 cars, a workbench, 2 trash cans, 4 bikes, and a 250cc scooter in our 3 car garage. I consider it a minor triumph that I would post pictures of if it weren't so shamefully messy at the moment.

 

[bczygan]

Hi all,

I think I found the right place for this project! I’d like to maximize the utility of my 1-car garage to allow for my car hobby, but yet be fair to the family and let them store their stuff in there too (mainly bikes). I do my own work on the car and have a bunch of auto and household power tools which I want safely stored out of the way. I’d also like to allow the kids to walk through the garage without scraping my car!

Here’s some ideas I had:
- Get a metal 2-door cabinet to put by the interior door – right wall. All the power tools would go in there.
- Get a rolling tool chest to stand next to the cabinet.
- If needed, mount a couple of cabinets on the right side wall.
- Mount hooks on the wall so bikes can be hung in the little nook near the garage entrance.
- Build a foldaway table for the rear wall of the garage (next to the interior access door)
- Back the car into the garage and park as close to the left wall as possible. This way foot traffic can go straight from the garage door to the interior access door.

I want to keep this low budget…for many reasons.

Let me know what you think and thank you!

Welcome to GJ!
Bikes?
This is the biggest problem. Get EVERYTHING not related to the task at hand, OUT of the garage. Put it in the basement, attic etc. Don't even put the car in there unless you are working on it and have to.
Build a lean to shed on the outside of the garage, or a free standing one with a shed roof, for bike storage.