Dream Small Garage

[danny10301]

First off, great site. I have been lurking on here for a bit and see some great ideas.

In 2008 I bought my first home and started fixing it up. It was a real dump. Now, 5 years later it's 2013 and I have finally finished most of the interior/exterior work on the main house and can start working on my garage. I have always been a car guy and wanted a cool garage to work on my toy (92 mustang gt convert) and also as a place for hanging out etc.

The only problem is that it is not a very big garage. It is a single car attached garage with an 8 foot wide door. My first task is to replace the ugly metal roll up door. I just purchased a swing out carriage style garage door (pic attached) off ebay. It is going to take a month to be built and get here. My main desire for such a door is:

1. It looks cool
2. I'll have enough overhead room for either a scissor lift or even a four post (still not decided but have plenty of time before that)
3. lighting. The door wont be blocking my lights when rolled up because it doesnt roll up!

For all the small garage guys....any suggestions? This is going to be a long term project and I am posting on here to document it. I will not have time to work on it every weekend but will be posting some current pics soon.

 

[steam_mill]

Check out mine....It's not pretty, but it is functional....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99061

I have a compressor, drill press, grinder, lot's and lot's of tools, partswasher, welder etc.

I do a lot of work on my mustang and subaru.

And you know what, really, the last year of the mustang was '85. You can't call a '92 a "real mustang" LOL!

Just kidding....

I lurk at ultimatefoxbody and at foureyedpride too.

Post some pics of your car!

 

[danny10301]

steam_mill - great job. VERY close to what i have in mind. My garage has a cathedral ceiling and from my measurements the mustang should store nicely using a 4 post lift. Which brand is it?

BTW - great 4 eye. Looks amazing. My 92 is also a work in progress. I am the fourth owner as per car fax. First two owners babied it judging by the miles they put on...then last owner dogged it and let it sit for a while.

 

[steam_mill]

It's a Direct Lift....Although, this model has been discontinued. The model I got is higher lift than the regular model, is their smallest model.

At least in Canada, they now only have the long lift in the high lift type.

 

[John in OH]

The only problem is that it is not a very big garage. It is a single car attached garage with an 8 foot wide door. My first task is to replace the ugly metal roll up door. I just purchased a swing out carriage style garage door (pic attached) off ebay. It is going to take a month to be built and get here. My main desire for such a door is:

I really like the look of that side-swing garage door you've chosen ... it has a nice Arts & Crafts style to it. I have a garage on the farm back in Ohio that has two pair of very similar doors:



My grandfather built this garage in the mid-1920's for use as a repair shop / gas station. He couldn't make enough money only farming so he supplemented his income by working part-time as a mechanic in his own shop. My biggest complaint about side-swing doors is they can be a ****** to open if there's much snow on the ground. Also, difficult to install any type of automatic opener.

 

[MPOWERD]

I had a 1 car stand alone garage, before our current home with it's 2 car attached garage, so I know where you are coming from! I suggest that you build vertically for storage to keep the space as open as possible on either side of the car. If you do put in a lift be certain it doesn't inter-fear with access to any cabinets or work benches you may want to install.

I also had a 92 mustang gt vert... Triple white. Loved that car, but someone loved it more. It was stolen in broad daylight and I never saw it again. Enjoy it while you can, before someone else does!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Hey, let's see what you have to work with, then we may be able to offer some relevant suggestions. Are you building a 'wishlist' of things you'd like to stuff in that garage, and maybe more importantly, what stuff do you not want in your garage; you'll have to find a place for that stuff elsewhere, be it a shed, basement, closet, etc., etc..

That saying "A place for everything, and everything in its place" is especially true for a compact garage. Good luck and post those pics and 'wishlist'.

P.S. - That is a good looking door!

 

[danny10301]

John in OH - yes the snow in front of a swing out door was a concern. But, I figured the benefits outweighed the drawback. I rather have better lighting, overheard storage, and no ugly tracks at the expense of shoveling in front of the door a few times a year. I live on Staten island in NYC so we only get a couple decent snowstorms a year. Clearing out in front of one door so I can get to my snowblower isnt a big deal.

I am going to post some pics and dimensions this weekend. One thing i need to do is get a shed for storing the mower, kids bikes etc. It is tight in there now with the mustang. My main concerns are making it look better, function more efficiently, and be a clean place to work in.

 

[danny10301]

Also, I would like to put an automatic opener on the swing out. It seems like the ones made specifically for this purpose cost over 1k. I cant see spending that much. The door itself was around 1200. Anybody use a dual gate opener? I am assuming that would work.

 

[drooartz]

Nothing wrong with a small space. Due to a variety of reasons I built my freestanding shop space at 12'x20' with a full sized loft. I've got swing-out doors and really like them. Keeps the inside space clear all the way to the ceiling -- I just have to shovel out in front of the shop.

Floor-level space will be your scarcest commodity, so use it wisely. Get as much up off the floor as possible. Think shelves, soffit cabinets, hooks on the walls. I fit in a full-length loft in my space for just this reason, to get all the normal oddments and clutter (think spare parts) up out of the way.

Get some lift measurements *before* you plan the rest of your space. Even though I've got just 8' of height, I could still have fit a 4-post lift if my space were a bit longer -- the lift will fit, but there'd be no room for a bench. So I'm going with a scissor lift or MaxJax for a lower-impact space.

Get us some pics and dimensions. Besides, we love garage pics!

 

[danny10301]

Good point on getting as much stuff off the ground to free up floor space. I saw another thread where a guy put his compressor in his loft. I would like to do the same. I only have a cheap 5 gallon one now but when i upgrade would love to plumb that up and out of the way...would be a pain to drain and maintain if that high up though. Another thing to consider.

 

[drooartz]

I saw another thread where a guy put his compressor in his loft.

That my plan now as well. Everything I can fit will be going up there.

 

[Thruxton]

Small garage, carriage doors, scissors lift- great ideas!

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You're on the right track(s)!

 

[danny10301]

Thruxton - looks great. Whats the blue thing strapped to your ceiling? Welder?

Attached are some pics of what I have to work with. as well as my toy.

 

[Thruxton]

Hi Danny- thanks for the compliment! The blue thing is a recirculating air filter- I do some woodworking and that helps to keep dust to a minimum.

 

[danny10301]

Hi Danny- thanks for the compliment! The blue thing is a recirculating air filter- I do some woodworking and that helps to keep dust to a minimum.

Interesting, I do some woodwork as well. You can see in the pic i posted above i am currently working on a dollhouse for my daughter. 1/12th scale of our home. Would be nice to work on car as well as other non car projects. Trying to figure that out still. I could setup a wood shop in basement....but who the heck wants to carry wood downstairs.

 

[danny10301]

Progress report 5/13/2013
Since my last post I have assembled a 8' X 7' Vinyl Lifetime shed. This was critical for getting the lawn mower, snow blower, kids toys etc out of the garage. I wish I did it sooner. I built the base using 18" X 18" patio stones. I felt this was easier and less permanent then pouring a slab. It took me a day to make the patio base and a day to put up the shed. So far it has been a few weeks and I am very impressed. I built it in one day with the help of my 5 year old. So don't listen to any negative reviews on how hard it is to assemble. Those posters remind me of when I worked at Home Depot while in College. The kind that show up on a Sunday afternoon and expect to throw some project together in an hour or two.
Also, my swing out doors came. I put on one coat of stain and have one coat of exterior grade poly on there now. I have to fine sand and put at least one more coat on. But my main concern is how to mount the frame to my brick/concrete garage opening. I am going to frame it out with 2 X 8 boards. Should I anchor those boards in with sleeve anchors, redhats or tapcons. I have a bunch of tapcons already. but not sure if strong enough. Each door weighs about 200 pounds. What should I use?

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Have you contacted the door manufacturer to see what they recommend?

On a swing-out door like you have, I've wondered if someone makes a lockable, spring-loaded, caster wheel set to mount near the center. Spring-loading to take up some weight off the hinges and to allow the wheel to self-adjust for uneven ground clearance on the opening sweep. The lockable caster would keep each door from 'blowing in the wind' and damaging the side of a car parked at the threshold or possibly ripping the hinges off the jamb.

 

[danny10301]

I have thought the same thing about the wheel but the doors are not from a big manufacturer. The guy who built the doors is named Todd Newman. His ebay name is doorman254.

I just hung them this weekend. Here are a couple pics. I still have to remove the old rollup. It's on there now behind the carriage door as I fine tune my deadbolts and latches. Probably take it off next weekend.

Now I have to get a wood door for the fron of my house and stain to match.

 

[danny10301]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5QYWQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I just ordered this wheel in the link above. Each door weighs nearly 200 pounds. This wheel is rated at 125 pounds. That should definitely take a little stress off the hinges. There were some bigger ones but this looks like it has the proper back spacing to freely swivel when I mount to the back side of the door. I only got one. if this works I'll order another one and let you know.

 

[danny10301]

FYI, works great. Just ordered another one via amazon for the other door. Home depot sells the same thing but it's a couple bucks more. I just bought a few carriage bolts, nuts, and washers. Drilled holes and installed. Definitely relieves some stress on the door and holds it from swinging around when opened in a light breeze.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Glad it worked out for you; should add to the longevity of the doors by reducing racking sag.