Do I have enough room?

[nfuriate]

I know, you can never have enough room.

The wife and I moved into a new house a few months ago and the garage is still basically untouched except for a five shelf unit to get some things off the floor. It’s a 22x22 with a single 16 foot door and a landing with steps for the house door. It’s laid out about like the image I’m attaching. I’d like to put both the car and truck in it and build a workbench and some more storage cabinets or something. I’ve been looking at modifying and building this plan, but I’m not sure I’ll have room for it.

http://www.plansnow.com/dn3095.html

I know that to do much work of any kind at the bench, I’d most likely need to move out at least one vehicle and maybe both and I’m ok with that. You guys have way more experience with garage tolerances than I do so I hoped I could get an opinion or two. Will I be able to park in the garage with this plan on the back wall?

I'm attaching a picture of the garage layout and of the planned cabinets.

 

[z28snksknr]

Like it's commonly stated on this board, you can never have enough room.

I have a "2-car garage" that's about the same size as yours (20' deep x 22' wide). You can fit two cars in it, but not much else. I would add some depth to it so you have a workable space all round the vehicles. I would love another 4' of garage depth and 4' of width. Although if I had that space, I'd say "I'd like to have a 3 car garage"

 

[Falcon67]

At 22' deep, it's going to be tight. If the car is a small/medium sized unit you may have enough room to work. If the truck is a short bed, maybe it too. Mine is 24' deep and with one of the race cars in there I have room for the toolbox and some walk space between the car and the box. I wish now that it was 30' deep.

 

[Gary S]

Like it's commonly stated on this board, you can never have enough room.

Absolutely! There is an old rule of nature that says, "If your garage is too big, just wait. You will fill it up soon."
Everybody does.

 

[nfuriate]

"I would add some depth to it "

I think you might have misunderstood, the garage is built, but untouched as in I haven't done anything to it yet. I know it'll be tight, but I'm trying to make the best use out of the space I have. This isn't ever going to be a workshop, just a garage that I can squeeze my way around and to a few projects. I'm planning a shop behind the house, but that's several years off. I'm trying to make room for a few of my tools, trying to store as much in the small space I have and still make it usable as a garage.

 

[z28snksknr]

I'm sorry, I did misunderstand. I suggest you look at the small 1 car garage threads here to find some space saving storage ideas. Keeping things off the floor and storing things above the garage door / above cars will help keep your floorspace empty.

I think as long as your car is on the same side of the garage as your cabinets, you should be ok to do what you say. Alot of guys on here make due with alot less.

 

[nfuriate]

I'm thinking now if I end up going with this or a similar plan, I'm putting everything on casters. I'd like to build one and hopefully two of the towers, a traditional looking woodworking bench, and a shorter cabinet all on casters. That way, I'd have a little more flexability as far as which wall they're situated on. I've been looking at some of the small garage setups and would love to keep everything possible off the floor. I'm concerned about overloadings, though. If, for example, I wall mount a couple of cabinets, how much weight could I put in them? If I have several things mounted on a wall, is there a chance that they'll pull off the wall, or I'll overload the studs, make the wall bow, make the house unstable? This is the same concern with the ceiling. I've thought about overhead shelving and I'm planning to lift the bikes skyward with those pulley systems, but I don't want to put too much weight on the joists. There's a room above the garage that's not used right now, but whenever we do start filling it with furniture, it would worry me to no end to know that in addition to the bed, dresser, tv, etc pressing down on the floor, that there's another couple hundred pounds pulling it down from underneath.

 

[nate379]

My garage is 26' deep and it leaves enough room to get my truck in (short bed, quad cab) with enough room to move around. I may put a bench on the back wall but it will be a movable one so I can work on the truck without it being in the way.

Like it's commonly stated on this board, you can never have enough room.

I have a "2-car garage" that's about the same size as yours (20' deep x 22' wide). You can fit two cars in it, but not much else. I would add some depth to it so you have a workable space all round the vehicles. I would love another 4' of garage depth and 4' of width. Although if I had that space, I'd say "I'd like to have a 3 car garage"

 

[tdkkart]

They should outlaw garages less than 24' deep. My first was 20' deep, a standard cab longbed was bumper to bumper.

 

[nfuriate]

I've had the truck in the garage twice. Once to stand on the toolbox and untie the garage door openers off the motor after we closed on the house. The other was to pack the truck for the beach. It was so tight, I had to climb over the bed every time I wanted to get to the other side. Of course, this was after we moved in and before the post-move in cleanup. It was bumper at door and bumper at junk a few feet from the wall.

 

[TRC51]

They should outlaw garages less than 24' deep. My first was 20' deep, a standard cab longbed was bumper to bumper.

Agreed.


With regard to the initial inquirer, my primary garage is about 22 x 22 with a couple stairs into the house like you described. You can get a lot in there, but your benches have to be to one side of the garage (not at the back or else it gets tight to get around). This also has you parking to one side of the garage, but you can make it work. I wish I could take pictures but my garage is super full with junk right now while I am building the 24 x 30 shop. I am pretty much able to put a small craftsman rolling tool chest at the back of the garage and still have some walking room around a car. Put my CC - F150 short in there and it's tight when the door is shut.

My recommendation would be to look into some of the ingenious suspended storage ideas that I have seen on this board and try and get stuff up in the air when you can. Then you would have some area to put a bench, tool chests, regularly used tools, etc.

Then.... start planning your "shop" like I did.

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Mine is 48' deep and 36' wide and I still don't have enough room LOL

 

[TRC51]

BTW,

I would put the bench and any storage on the same side as the stairs. Not only will you be able to access them from the house without going around the cars, but that way you maximize the area where you park the cars so you can get around them.

 

[tdkkart]

Mine is 48' deep and 36' wide and I still don't have enough room LOL

I've got 22x24 on the house, a 16x30 carport/storage shed, and a 30x40 shop. Still won't be enough room.

 

[nfuriate]

I would put the bench and any storage on the same side as the stairs. QUOTE]

That's a good idea. I had thought of that, but not lately. I can't park very far to that side anyway because of the stairs so I have a little "wasted room" that might accomodate a few things.

 

[Gary S]

Mine is 48' deep and 36' wide and I still don't have enough room LOL

Mine's 48' deep too. 96' would be better.

 

[brwbier]

One car in frontwards and the other in backwards. Passenger sides together, then plan cabinets or benches around where the doors open.
Brwbier

 

[Falcon67]

The forward/back was what we used in the outer shed before we had a mondo pickup.

The mobile solution would be good. Most like benches 24" wide or more - you could make a 6' or 8' bench 18" wide with a fold up section that would add 12" if needed. 18" might tuck in on one or two walls. Upper cabinets on some walls would also work as they are usually 12" deep.

 

[nfuriate]

One car in frontwards and the other in backwards. Passenger sides together, then plan cabinets or benches around where the doors open.
Brwbier

Might work until we get new vehicles. That's part of the reason I'm planning without starting to build yet. My wife's car is tiny, but we're looking to upgrade. I could fill two whole walls with cabinets and that car would still fit, but our next one will have to be bigger. The truck might be on its last leg too.

I'm thinking I'll build this stuff one piece at a time and stop when I run out of room. If we get a bigger car and I've build too much by that time, my dad would be happy to have whatever won't fit. Or you might see a custom shop cabinet on the classified board in a few months.

 

[glennm]

Mine is 40 wide by 30 deep -- the 30 ft gives me plenty of room at the back with a crew cab in the building. We talked about making it smaller, I'm sure glad I didn't -- I agree with the previous poster (outlaw less then 24 ft)

 

[dropride]

My detached is 22x22. I have 2 benches along 1 side wall, my toolbox on the back wall and a bridgeport on the back wall as well between where the cars would park. I have a few cabinets and alot of stuff in the rafters. My cc f150 will barely fit on one side and my wifes durango fits with enough room to walk behind.

 

[JMURiz]

One question, how tall is the ceiling in the garage (seeing as you have stairs and a landing)? It also looks like there is more space between the garage door and the right-side wall.

I'd put the workbench over there and build higher cabinets for items you don't use as often. Then do the frontward/backward parking if possible (I understand if it's not...mine MUST be frontwards on both). Do some experimenting and stuff on wheels could be your best friend.

Best of luck and post up whatever you come up with.
Actually a picture of the space with the cars parked in it would give a better idea of space.

 

[nfuriate]

There is more room between the door and the right side; less between the door and left side, but that's the side the steps are on. If it weren't for the steps, I could park way closer to the left wall and have more room on the right, but there's no use complaining about it now. I'm thinking wheels and as much stuff mounted as high as possible. I fully intend to post pictures of the process and final product. It's going to be a long process, I'm sure; insulate the door, upgrade lighting, floor next summer, storage, storage, storage and all for a tiny garage.

By the way, thanks for all the advise, this is one of the most helpful boards I've ever been on. Lots of quick and useful replies.

 

[Eazy716]

I also have a 22' x 22' detached. I built all my benches, and even cabinets with lockable wheels for easy movement. Whether it's to clean, cut long wood, etc, I can do it all.

I however only store one car in the garage, but it leaves me plenty of room for working. Here's the thread with some pics. I'll have to update it later with all the current pics. All bnenches are completely painted to match the theme now, and I'm currently working on doing trim and another section of pegboard.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14895

 

[JMURiz]

There is more room between the door and the right side; less between the door and left side, but that's the side the steps are on. If it weren't for the steps, I could park way closer to the left wall and have more room on the right, but there's no use complaining about it now. I'm thinking wheels and as much stuff mounted as high as possible. I fully intend to post pictures of the process and final product. It's going to be a long process, I'm sure; insulate the door, upgrade lighting, floor next summer, storage, storage, storage and all for a tiny garage.

By the way, thanks for all the advise, this is one of the most helpful boards I've ever been on. Lots of quick and useful replies.

Sounds good, BTW your garage doesn't seem small to me...mine is 21x23 (inside dimensions) and is the most roomy garage I've had.

 

[brownbagg]

mine is 24x30, anything more than one car at a time and there no room to work on them, counter benches, table power tools, air compresssor, welding machine TAKE UP VALUABLE REAL ESTATE