Barry's 18x20 Garage

[q20v]

Last weekend I built an auxiliary work bench on the opposite side of the garage from the big one.
I will use this bench for light duty work, no big vise, no grinder, just another work surface to compliment the other.
The work surface is 16"x72". I believe the height is 35-3/4", or thereabouts. I used 2x3s for the framing, clamped then screwed. I can sit right in the middle and it feels very solid. The top overhangs the framing by 2" on the front and side.

This is where the new bench is going

Framing

Small lower shelf for light odds and ends... I might add a lip on the front edge, later.

Installed

Lower shelf

The top is 3/4" pine, which I'll stain soon.

I'll be installing cabinets of some sort above this bench as well.

I also added a larger tool box to help the other one breathe, and to expand the tool collection.

Car shot

More to come...

 

[OBNXIOUS]

Nice job! Where do you do the snow racing? I m in the area, would be interesting to see.

 

[q20v]

Nice job! Where do you do the snow racing? I m in the area, would be interesting to see.

Motorsport Club of Ottawa (www.mco.org). Mostly in the winter series, but I didn't race last winter because I was out of town. The events are held at Capital City Speedway off highway 7. What do you drive? You should try an event, or maybe do the winter driving school they offer.
Google 'Rick Mercer Bad Winter Driving', he did a show at one of the events. There's also a special appearance at 35 seconds

 

[porschedude996TT]

Looking good, I see the yellow wires hanging out of the wall, could you be planning a flat screen?

 

[mat_GTI-R]

q20v,

Wow, I really love your garage! So much space! I'm with the MCO as well, did you race at Scotia Bank Place this Summer?

 

[q20v]

Thanks for the compliments, guys!

Looking good, I see the yellow wires hanging out of the wall, could you be planning a flat screen?

The yellow wires are for the 5.1 surround sound. I've been thinking about a small flat screen that I could hook the laptop up to for videos and browsing parts catalogues. I'd probably put it above the main work bench.

Wow, I really love your garage! So much space! I'm with the MCO as well, did you race at Scotia Bank Place this Summer?

Yes, the space is nice! But, even a 20x20 garage runs out of space QUICK without constant organising and cleaning. You should see my basement...
I did not, I haven't done solo2 since the events were held at the old Lynx Stadium. However, this spring the Audi is going under the knife for an extended work period, with the 2012 season in its crosshairs. I also wouldn't mind hitting some bigger tracks as well.
What do you race?? VW Golf I assume?

 

[mat_GTI-R]

LOL! Imagine having a 11x19 single car garage!

I had no clue that events were at the Lynx Stadium, I've been doing solo2 for 2 summers now with my Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, I usually run it during winter and wanted to try snow cross this winter, but the budget isn't there so the R will be stored for the first winter since 2006.

Do you plan on doing anything to the foundation walls?

 

[drmoonshine]

Everything looks really good I like the color scheme.

 

[q20v]

Well, you should come out anyway, even if it's just to check out the action. It's a lot of fun and you're guaranteed to see a few cars thunder through massive snow banks!
Most drivers are willing to take passengers along during their runs as well.

As for the foundation walls, I was thinking of just painting them with gray floor paint. I suppose that's the cheapest and easiest way to finish them... any other ideas? My neighbor had his professionally finished, I can't remember the name of the technique, though.

Everything looks really good I like the color scheme.

Thanks!

 

[AndrewBigA]

garage is comming out nice. i like that bench you built!

 

[OBNXIOUS]

Motorsport Club of Ottawa (www.mco.org). Mostly in the winter series, but I didn't race last winter because I was out of town. The events are held at Capital City Speedway off highway 7. What do you drive? You should try an event, or maybe do the winter driving school they offer.
Google 'Rick Mercer Bad Winter Driving', he did a show at one of the events. There's also a special appearance at 35 seconds

Daily driver is an 08 Lancer, I think I will check out MCO this winter. Thanks!

 

[PCO6]

Barry;

Seeing your garage door windows and thinking that you probably spend some time in your garage at night, I thought you might be interested in somethng I did to add some level of security to my garage. I built some simple window panels that are easy to put up and take down. They're basically only down when I want sun light.

See post #'s 10 & 11 ... http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77512

Stew

 

[q20v]

Daily driver is an 08 Lancer, I think I will check out MCO this winter. Thanks!

I look forward to seeing you there!

PC06: That's a great idea. Those windows have always been in the back of my mind, and I like the idea of being able to remove the covers on sunny days. I wonder how well corrugated plastic sheets would work? I think I'll be dealing with this sooner than later! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[PCO6]

PC06: That's a great idea. Those windows have always been in the back of my mind, and I like the idea of being able to remove the covers on sunny days. I wonder how well corrugated plastic sheets would work? I think I'll be dealing with this sooner than later! Thanks for the suggestion!

You might have a problem with warpage. My garage faces west and I found that the 1/4" masonite panels warped due to heat being trapped between them and the windows. I originally had the velcro strips along the full length of the window. I reduced that to 3 four inch strips to allow for better ventilation. I also installed aluminum channel along the bottom edge of the panels to act as a stiffener. That also made it easier to pull the panels off and install them plus it gave them a finished look.

 

[mat_GTI-R]

Well, you should come out anyway, even if it's just to check out the action. It's a lot of fun and you're guaranteed to see a few cars thunder through massive snow banks!
Most drivers are willing to take passengers along during their runs as well.

As for the foundation walls, I was thinking of just painting them with gray floor paint. I suppose that's the cheapest and easiest way to finish them... any other ideas? My neighbor had his professionally finished, I can't remember the name of the technique, though.



Thanks!

I'm thinking of painting the foundation walls aswell... only alternative I see is screwing some 1"x2" framing to the concrete, placing rigid styrofoam between the straping and installing dry wall... seems overkill for such a small heat loss...

 

[q20v]

Good points PC06, I'll have to bimble down to Home Depot and see what they have...

mat, truthfully I never thought about heat loss in that area, my only concern was appearance. I'll have another think about it but in the end I'll probably just end up painting.

 

[stormr]

great looking townhouse, and love the race deck, I need to do that in my garage'

 

[q20v]

great looking townhouse, and love the race deck, I need to do that in my garage'

Thanks!

 

[q20v]

Hey guys,

This weekend I decided to rebuild the main workbench to accommodate the drill press and grinder. I also didn't like how deep the old bench was, it was 30" and I found things were cluttering up at the back quite quickly. I cut it down to 24" and also tucked it into the corner to use the space a bit better. I built a small shelf for the stereo receiver and misc books. Check it out:

The old bench was 8 feet long and 30" deep. I used 2x6s for the top framing.

The new bench is still 8 feet, but extends another 40" for the drill press and grinder. I used 2x4s for all the framing on the new bench. I'll be getting a vise for the corner on the left side.

Then I added a book/stereo shelf using some scrap 5/8" OSB.

Tomorrow I'll put the final coat of stain on both benches and they should be good to go. I'll grab some pictures when I'm done!

 

[UN4GTBL]

Garage looks great!

How many cars do you have? I keep seeing different cars in your garage other than the Audi lol

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

Very nice, good woodworking skillz there.

 

[Boosted1]

The new bench looks good and makes sense.
The bookshelf looks good too. If you really wanted to detail it, you could trim the benchtop with 2" stock similar to what you did with the bookshelf.
Nice work.

 

[keduner]

Nice attention to detail. I'm going to steal your ideas for the drill press, grinder and stereo arrangement (meant as a complement). It has a nice polished look to it. Keep up the great work. Regards

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Nice work! I just got my first garage, a 20x20. I'm looking to do some of the same things you did. Do you think you would be able to squeeze two cars in there?

 

[q20v]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I really love working on cars but lately I've had an itch for wood working. Benches and shelves are fairly basic and I'm learning a lot, but I'd like to eventually get into furniture and other 'nicer' things. I have a decent size basement that I want to use as a work shop... in the meantime I really have to finish the garage!

Boosted, good idea on finishing the edges of the work bench, I just left town for a couple weeks on a business trip but when I get back I'll poke around at Home Depot and see what's available.

UN4GTBL/Snowblazer2: I have 2 cars, the Audi and a recently acquired '88 BMW 5 series. My brother is also parking his '98 Lexus GS in my garage for the winter. It's tight, but the two big sedans do fit nicely in there. I will also be making more room on the wall beside the Lexus by removing everything on that side (except the auxiliary work bench).

Here are the benches after 3 coats of Urethane. I sanded them after the 2nd coat with 220 grit, and I think now that they're done I'll sand them again with something a bit higher to smooth it out.

The next big things are cabinets and speakers! I just missed a sale at Canadian Tire for the cabinets I wanted, they will be on sale again soon, and I'm holding out for a big boxing day sale for the speakers.

 

[UN4GTBL]

Ah nice!

I'm very similar to you...love cars, but also enjoy building with wood or even metal. I'm currently planning on re-doing my room with new cabinets to hold everything.

 

[q20v]

Stereo came in! I'll be installing it tomorrow
I also got a pair of cabinets from Canadian Tire on sale the other day, they'll be going up tomorrow or Thursday.

All Polk Audio, 4x Monitor 30 for satellites, a CS10 for center, and a PSW10 for the sub.
The neighbors will love me

 

[OBNXIOUS]

The benches turned out good... Your garage stereo is better then most peoples home theater components. Nice job.. You are lucky you get to travel so much for work... weather around here drives me nuts.. Just freeze and stay cold and get it over with.. ha

 

[q20v]

The benches turned out good... Your garage stereo is better then most peoples home theater components. Nice job.. You are lucky you get to travel so much for work... weather around here drives me nuts.. Just freeze and stay cold and get it over with.. ha

Thanks! I just got home today from my final trip. After over 6 years on the road I'm really looking forward to staying in the same place for a while!
And yeah, the garage system may be nice, but you should see my living room setup... Sofa, love seat, 27" tube, and rabbit ears! Now that I'm home for good I don't intend to spend much time in front of the TV

 

[usmc_noma]

Damn that's a nice garage. I really like how the osb turned out after paint. The lines on the stripe are nice and crisp. It's crazy the builder never insulated the garage but you definitely did a better job doing it yourself.

So what's it looking like now? I'm interested in seeing how those cabinets make it look.

 

[51rider]

I remember when you started this-come a long way & looking good.

You definately need to paint the stem walls and may I suggest the use of some peg board above the Auxilliary bench-painted to match the colour scheme. It would really set it off & provide flexible hanging space for you.

 

[q20v]

Sorry to leave you guys hanging like that, this past week has been pretty busy.

Regarding the stem walls not being painted, I agree they do need paint. Probably in the spring... there will be a few touch ups needed around the garage.

So long story short, my brother is big into Buick Lesabres and he has 2 T-types. He bought a 98 Bonneville over a year ago with the intention of using the supercharged 3.8 in one of his Buicks. We decided it was time to pull the engine out of the Bonneville and officially break in the garage. See below.

Here are the cabinets. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.

Here's the main bench side.

The urethane on the benches held up really well. At the end of the weekend a quick wipe down was all that was needed to make them look new again.


The Bonneville

Later that day...

We didn't slow down for the racedeck, and it took a beating! : )

Next, I want to address the main bench side, specifically the wall. More to come...

 

[Brinskan]

Barry, this looks great. I just signed a lease on a spot with a 19x19 two car garage that will be soon housing my never-ending CQ project.

 

[q20v]

Thanks! Are you on Motorgeek? The name looks familiar.. journalist?

 

[BrendanS]

wow garage looks great! Good to see how you mounted your speakers and all. Keep up the good work!

 

[Brinskan]

Thanks! Are you on Motorgeek? The name looks familiar.. journalist?

Yup, same name on Motorgeek, though I have not been on there in a while. I used to run 0-60 Magazine (0-60mag.com) but now run the Monster World Rally Team's marketing efforts.

 

[ChristopherLutz]

Q20 - thanks for taking the time to post pics of your progress. That takes time and I'm sure I speak for everyone here - "we appreciate it".

You've really done quite a job on the work so far - your craftsmanship and finish out looks great.

I had a couple of suggestions and questions (some are 'tongue in cheek'):

- you desperately need some sort of Audi or BMW wheel to use as a hose winder instead of that generic hook

- Your benches are really nice - the fit/finish looks great - you should be very proud

- Before I saw you finishing the top of your "main bench", I was going to recommend a thin piece of masonite over the plywood. It's cheap and really easy to replace when it gets nasty. Are you using "bar topper" ?

- on your side bench, under the cabinets - do you regret the depth of the bench now? Looks like the cabinets protrude a bit farther? This is a real question....our famous "Jack aka 12 gauge" is pretty diligent about posting on workbench depth. He seems to be a firm believer in nothing over 24'' - for the same clutter reason you mentioned. Hence my question.

Lastly - your "use of space" with the workbench, grinder, press and door is fantasic - very nice work.

 

[q20v]

wow garage looks great! Good to see how you mounted your speakers and all. Keep up the good work!

Thanks! I'll grab some pictures of the speakers soon. The 4 satellites had little hooks on the back which made it easy. The center speaker I had to make a box for, which is mounted on the ceiling above the garage door. And the sub is temporarily in the tool box. I'll be making a mount for it soon.

Yup, same name on Motorgeek, though I have not been on there in a while. I used to run 0-60 Magazine (0-60mag.com) but now run the Monster World Rally Team's marketing efforts.

Sounds like it keeps you busy and is a really cool job!! Lately I've been looking over spreadsheets :S
I'm on motorgeek randomly as well. I drive the Audi daily so there's nothing really to write about, and the BMW is pretty much parked for the winter. I like to lurk though, it's a good time killer sometimes.

Q20 - thanks for taking the time to post pics of your progress. That takes time and I'm sure I speak for everyone here - "we appreciate it".

You've really done quite a job on the work so far - your craftsmanship and finish out looks great.

I had a couple of suggestions and questions (some are 'tongue in cheek'):

- you desperately need some sort of Audi or BMW wheel to use as a hose winder instead of that generic hook

- Your benches are really nice - the fit/finish looks great - you should be very proud

- Before I saw you finishing the top of your "main bench", I was going to recommend a thin piece of masonite over the plywood. It's cheap and really easy to replace when it gets nasty. Are you using "bar topper" ?

- on your side bench, under the cabinets - do you regret the depth of the bench now? Looks like the cabinets protrude a bit farther? This is a real question....our famous "Jack aka 12 gauge" is pretty diligent about posting on workbench depth. He seems to be a firm believer in nothing over 24'' - for the same clutter reason you mentioned. Hence my question.

Lastly - your "use of space" with the workbench, grinder, press and door is fantasic - very nice work.

Wow thanks a lot for the compliments Chris!!! Ok, let's see about your points...

Hose winder: It's in the plan! I have the wheels, I'll also use one for the electrical extension cord.

Benches: Thank you very much! I've was struggling with the layout up until the day I modified the main bench. The original plan was to have the drill press and grinder in the basement. I wasn't really sure how it would work out, and I haven't used the garage for any fab work yet. So far I'm happy with it! I can't wait to finish the wall above the main bench. I'm hoping to do this soon.

Main bench covering: I've thought of masonite for another bench I built, but not the main bench. In hindsight, yeah, I probably should have, but I'm still happy with the stain. It's spar urethane from Home Depot and cost about $25 for a quart. I managed to put 3 coats down on both benches using 1 quart. In the spring I might put another coat down... we'll see.

Bench depth: The aux. bench is 16" deep, and the cabinets are 12". A bit deeper would have been nice, but the piece of pine I bought was only available in 16" and 24", and I really didn't want it intruding on the garage space much. I like the ability to park 2 cars with a bit of room to spare.
I recently reduced the depth of the main bench from 30" to 24", and I kind of regret doing this. I know it's splitting hairs, but 26-27" would be good, I think.

Use of space: Thanks again, I know a lot of people say 20x20 is relatively small, but I find it suites me really well. Although, I do have a basement to help keep the junk organized.

More to come!

 

[q20v]

Here are a couple pictures of the speakers:

Center

Center, front, and sub in the tool box

Rear

Shelf framing

I used the scrap plywood from the bench top I cut a couple weeks ago.

 

[Ripcurl]

Rear

Nice engine
Good to see you can fit one of the vehicles on that side Was the GS to big? how much room do you have between the BMW and the garage?

PS: Over the holidays, I think I'll be there 3 days straight working away on the L67.