Coltman151's Free Stuff Garage Build

[Coltman151]

I've surrounded myself with friends and family who know the value of what others are tossing out. They acquire a lot of useful junk. So I've decided to set up my workshop by spending as little money as possible. Since I'm just getting started in life, I've got a lot of stuff I need, and not a lot of funds for it. I'll try to keep a running tally of everything I spend building up my garage.

I've already started some work to it, so the before pictures aren't great. These are all I have.

Notice the absolutely horrible lighting. That's first on the list.

 

[Coltman151]

I picked up 8 t8 fluorescent fixtures from a friend who got a metric ton of them from a demo he did. He was nice enough to include about 16 extra bulbs also. To my surprise, all 8 function flawlessly. I had to buy wire, wire nuts, and staples. All the connections have been put into boxes now, and will be rerouted with conduit once I have the money for it.

Much better!!

Total cost: $27.

 

[Coltman151]

Now that I can see, I need a place to work at. My grandfather worked in maintenance for a hospital before he retired, and I had him save me some cabinets from a remodel they did.

I ended up with a lot more than I expected. Two 36 inch metal cabinets, a 36 inch center section to go between the metal cabinets, and a top that spanned all 3. I also got a 4 ft wood cabinet and a 50 inch butcher block from their maintenance shop. I wanted an L shaped workbench, so I didn't use one of the metal cabinets and built a wood frame from 2x4s I had laying around to support the corner. I had to buy screws to mount the tops to the cabinets and the wall.

I also found this stainless metal shelf heading to the scrap dumpster at work, and snatched it up.

Workbench cost: $20
Total cost: $47

 

[code4pay]

Nice job, the lights made a big difference.

 

[BradnCali]

Looks like you're off to a very good start Coltman! I'm really looking forward to seeing this one develop and one I will follow for sure. It is the garage thread that I've long thought about writing myself because so much of my garage was outfitted in this same manner. While I'd love to have had the money to buy new everything for my garage, I love the fact that I've been able to do so much with so little money. Even though money is not as tight as it once was, I have still not given up my frugal ways!

Brad

 

[Coltman151]

Pardon the mess. It's been almost a year since I've posted in my own build thread, and quite frankly I haven't really done anything major.

I got tired of having shadows over my workbench, so I added the last two t8 lights to hang over them. Used leftover wire from the original install, and some chain and fasteners I had laying around.

$0

Over the last year I have started (and completed, shockingly) probably 20-30 projects, ranging from furniture to a closet organizer to a complete rebuild of the front end of my truck. It's nice having a hub to do all this stuff, but I'd really like to get back into building my dream shop.