Another Brit

[Flange]

Hello, I have posted in 1 or 2 of the other forums but have not introduced myself yet.

I am in the North and I am into almost anything with an engine or wheels. My first choice would be motorcycles and at the moment i have 3. A 2003 Fazer, a 98 XR400 and a 1939 5T.

Unusually, for an average bloke in the UK, I have two UK sized double garages. It sounds better than it is because even though they are both brick and tile construction they are in a bit of a state and both far too small. Once I have finished a couple of ongoing projects I intend to sort them out so I will put up a thread as and when but it will be a few months yet as SWMBO has higher priorities on my To Do list.

 

[bazzateer]

Welcome fellow Brit! Get pics up of the garages now so we can gauge your progress!

 

[51rider]

Welcome to another Brit!

+1 on the garage pics.

 

[galooph]

Welcome!

I'm jealous of your two double garages already!

Dan

 

[Flange]

Hello, I wont put up a separate thread with pictures about my progress as there is likely to be zero progress until at least early next year.

Like I said, 2 garages sound good but in reality they are not great garages and need quite a lot of work. They are about 5.0m x 5.5m (16' 3" x 17' 10") each internal dimensions. They were built cheaply and are on slabs rather than foundations with a separate floor slab. The slabs are 4 to 5 inches thick at the edges, although they are thinner in the center, and are made of very weak concrete which has not been finished. They are cracking up quite a lot. the walls and roof are OK but the walls are only half a brick thick (4") with no insulation and truss rafters. The poor floors drive me insane. Badly finished garage floors have always been one of my bete noire's as there is no need for it. I work in civil engineering & construction and whilst I am a desk jockey these days, in the past I was "on the tools" and have laid thousands of cubic meters of concrete so you can see why it irritates me so much.

First my workshop (garage 2)

View media item 4986

View media item 4987

View media item 4982

View media item 4983

View media item 4984

View media item 4985

View media item 4992
The second garage is nearer the house and is full of junk such as fridger, garden stuff, building tools, animal feed etc.

View media item 4988
View media item 4989

View media item 4990
The floor even comes with dog paw prints!

View media item 4991

I am currently in "discussions" with SWMBO over the garage near the house (garage 1). She wants to convert half of it into an office as she works from home a lot. I would be happy to do that but I want the other half because once I have finished a couple of other projects I want to get either a Mini, Imp, BMW 2002 or similar and I dont want it in my workshop. She says that she needs the other half of garage 1 for other stuff so there wont be room for a car. We will see what pans out.

My plans for the Garage 1 will have to include a re-roof to include traditional rafters so that I can store stuff out of the way. It needs re-tiling anyway as there are a couple of leaks.

I have thought long about Garage 2 and I have been through all of the options for the floor over and over and the only solution is to replace it. Not so easy given the way its built. I will have to underpin the entire garage and at the same time breakout the edge of the slab. Once done the rest of the slab can come out and be replaced with a decent floor. remove 1 door and put a pedestrian door in and replace the other door for an insulated and less draughty one. Replace the roof trusses for traditional rafters for storage and dry line the walls for insulation so I can actually use it in the winter.

Like I said it will be a while before any progress is made as I need to finish the rebuild of my Triumph, do an engine rebuild of the XR, build a new garden wall (planned for July & August this year) and finish off loads of snags on the house where I built an extension last year so I can get it signed off by building control. Also cash is a factor as (unfortunately) it doesn't grow on trees. Which leads to the inconvenience of having to go to work. which also slows progress on more interesting things in life.

 

[polo2k]

slightly less than optimal setup there but im sure that you can make a space your happy with.
Have you thought about tearing it all down and then starting from scratch? Im in the UK too and ive noticed that a lot of the guys in the us build "pole barns" I think that these are what we call "steel framed" in the uk. maybe the SWMBO would be on board with the idea if it were large enough that there were room for a grain store (im sure the furries dont want lumps of grease and metal in their food)

just thinking out loud what if;
you stored everything and then tore down the building. you could reclaim the bricks your self to use for the front wall. then build a steel framed mini warehouse. on the front fill the walls in with the reclaimed bricks (could double skin I think too for insulation). on the sides and back you could have double skinned metal siding with insulation. if you made the garage 8-10' deeper than you want you could then partition off a corridoor along the back wall with food bins lined along the back wall. (This would have the added advantage of a sealed off area to insulate further).

Just to make you feel better, here is my garage

those are some old pics though. believe it or not ive got a big old tool box in there now, an oven for powder coating, A bank of old school lockers. I dont think I can get much more in there now though if im realistic! I find that it helps to catagorise things in your head (for example I have one locker for grinders, one for drills, one for grinder accessories, one for drill accessories, etc etc etc)

there is a guy in the states on here who has fold down work benches which would be ideal if your not keeping a car in there.

 

[Flange]

Thanks for the input polo2k. I must have missed your reply when you posted it and only just saw it when I went to look for my floor pics.

I have considered all options including a new build. I would love to build a new garage but the simple fact is that a new garage would cost loads more than just sorting out the existing ones. Just the stark reality of life.

Incidentally, if I were build new then I would (as per one of your suggestions) go with a steel frame. A steel frame gives you maximum options with regard to all sorts of stuff, e.g. I would have part of the garage with enough heignt to use a 2 post lift. I would also want to build a gantry crane and the steel frame would make this a relatively simple process.

I would however clad the whole exterior in brick because I live in a small village with lots of old houses and my house is based on a 210 years old building and a modern shed would look out of place even if I did get planning permission for it, which I probably wouldn't as one of the planners criteria is keeping things in character as I found out when I built my extension.

By the way, I believe a Pole Barn is a different animal to a steel framed building. Pole barns are poles planted in the ground, steel frames are bolted to foundations. Sorry to be a pedant but I work in civil engineering so these subtle points stand out to me.

I note your comment

Just to make you feel better, here is my garage

I do feel for you. Some people would say that i am fortunate to have what I have so shut up. I am not moaning at all, I have spend most of my life with garages like your or even none at all so I do appreciate what i have. Its just that it is human nature to strive for better.

I like your setup. I do believe that the smaller the space be it garage, kitchen, house or whatever then the more efficient and resourceful you have to be. This in itself is not a bad thing although it does have its obvious limitations and, like you probably do, I do envy people on here who are able to announce their new 40' x 60' garage.