equipping your dream garage

[parb]

Hi all,

I'm hoping to build my dream garage in 2019.

A bit of background on how i would like to use this garage... I do a bit of hobby work on cars and motorcycles. got a q1942 and a 1957 motorcycle. Got a 74 GMC Jimmy 4x4 that i commissioned a frame off restoration on (i had no space to do that myself at the time). I also have a modern sports car.

I'm thinking that i at some time would like to build up a kit car (been eyeing the factory five as well as the exocet) so some welding is in my future (i know how to gas and mig weld).

I have a single rolling tool chest today (older craftsman), and i have custom built sturdy wood closets as storage (courtesy of the previous owner) with a bit of my old kitchen as a work area.

Here is my question. If you could pick cabinets, rolling tool chest, work areas for a 3+ car garage with a work area which brands would you pick?

I would like to stick to one brand as i would like to avoid it looking like a collection of random stuff so i can preserve resale value of my property in the future. i assume the chests and tool cabinets would be part of the real estate sale when that day comes.

I've looked at Snapon. Nice stuff but really pricey. I could afford it if i really wanted to -but man that stuff does cost a lot....
I want to stay at a quality level above harbor freight.
I've seen the swivel Pro, i really dig the quality but the wedge shaped drawers seems kind of gimmicky to me, however the 1/2" steel table on their work space seems to be able to take loads of abuse. web: swivelstorage.ca

So, if you want to be in the mid-high budget, mostly metal work with the occasional glue up job for household stuff, which brand would you look at to outfit a whole garage with?

What should i make sure i consider and don't forget as i plan this out?

I'm in earthquake country in Monterey county California, all cabinets needs to have solid closing/locking mechanisms so an earthquake doesn't spray tools all over my vehicles!

Thanks a bunch!

 

[matt_i]

You said dream. I say Vidmar

Doesnt have to be brand new.

 

[OptionalStop]

The Harbor Freight US General boxes are a really good value and good quality, I wouldn't overlook them. They are much better quality than the junk the big box is pushing now.

 

[jonshonda]

Skip Harbor Freight and head to Menards. They have matching tool boxes and cabinets from Masterforce that are pretty decent. That is an easy one stop solution.

 

[A**holes Garage]

https://badassworkbench.us/gallery/

 

[finn]

Depends on if you are interested primarily in making a fashion statement / tool polisher palace, or equipping a working shop

 

[parb]

finn, its a great question and i'm sure my reply will come across as a bit superficial.

i think i need to balance function with style as the home is near pebble beach and i like the idea of having an option to rent out my home and/or the garage during the big annual car show (pebble beach concours d'elegance).

There are garage only complexes around here that are pretty high end in the looks department. Take a peak at Monterey motorsports park where garages sell for $300-800k each and they are setup a mix between mancave and garage.

I just got back from Scottsdale and the Barret-Jackson car auction where i rented a house with my brother and while that home was well placed for entertaining, the garage area was functional but very uninviting. I could not place a $200K collector car in that very functional garage and get top dollar. Its kind of the same reason why people stage empty houses with furniture when they are selling a home -they need it to be less about function and more about lifestyle.

But in my case i intend to work in the garage as well, i just need to keep it clean

so to answer the question. Yes function matters, at least when i am working on my vehicles in it. But so does style for when i rent it out or when i or others want to sell a collector vehicle and have potential buyers coming over to see a vehicle they may want to buy.

final point, i have a strong preference for made in the usa. In general i believe in creating jobs here rather than overseas.

 

[Lucky13driver]

I'm doing a build using HF 44" tool boxes. the upper cabinets are Gladiator.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=408820

 

[bdbecker]

You said dream. I say Vidmar

Doesnt have to be brand new.

Yep.

If you go the used route, you could probably find an autobody shop that would paint them a custom color as well.

 

[BoostAddiction]

No one has said Lista yet? They are still a tremendous bargain for people who want the best cabs, and don't want to pay tool truck prices.

 

[zmotorsports]

When you say "equipping your dream garage" I personally interpret that as more than merely tool storage. Tool storage is important to me but just as important, if not more, is the actual equipment you will use for your projects.

Tools storage is tools storage, buy according to your needs. If you wrench every day you will want something to hold up to the rigors of daily use, if only on weekends there are a lot of options out there that will look nice while your tools are nestled in the drawers. Higher end tool storage is generally made of higher quality and thickness material and the slides are designed to handle hundreds of cycles per day. I'm a Snap-on fan but also like Lista and Vidmar but there are many that would fit the bill.

When it comes to actual tools and equipment is where I won't sacrifice just to look good or match. Buy the best you can afford and you won't be disappointed. A functioning workshop is much more than having all matching tool storage in my opinion.

 

[parb]

zmotorsports. Very good point. I feel pretty good about where i am on the tool front actually. I have much of the tools that i really find useful, and over the past 30 years i've picked up enough tools that i feel fairly well placed. I'm sure i am going to discover additional tools that i got to have but in general i think i am having a pretty good assortment of tools that work for me.

I do some off paved track driving/club get togethers and i decided to invest in a series of affordable toolsets that i bring with me to that, and which i wouldn't cry over if they got mistreated, lost or stolen. Enough for roadside repairs.

I'm reading the various threads on car lifts with interest and i found a couple of brands that look promising. I learned about the hansen socket organizers on this forum a few years back and i totally love those organizers. So much better than clips or cutouts.

Boost addiction, i'll check out lista.

 

[finn]

finn, its a great question and i'm sure my reply will come across as a bit superficial.

i think i need to balance function with style as the home is near pebble beach and i like the idea of having an option to rent out my home and/or the garage during the big annual car show (pebble beach concours d'elegance).

There are garage only complexes around here that are pretty high end in the looks department. Take a peak at Monterey motorsports park where garages sell for $300-800k each and they are setup a mix between mancave and garage.

I just got back from Scottsdale and the Barret-Jackson car auction where i rented a house with my brother and while that home was well placed for entertaining, the garage area was functional but very uninviting. I could not place a $200K collector car in that very functional garage and get top dollar. Its kind of the same reason why people stage empty houses with furniture when they are selling a home -they need it to be less about function and more about lifestyle.

But in my case i intend to work in the garage as well, i just need to keep it clean

so to answer the question. Yes function matters, at least when i am working on my vehicles in it. But so does style for when i rent it out or when i or others want to sell a collector vehicle and have potential buyers coming over to see a vehicle they may want to buy.

final point, i have a strong preference for made in the usa. In general i believe in creating jobs here rather than overseas.

In that case, skip most of the other advice here, get a wall of Lista cabinets, polished epoxy floors, a rotary screw compressor, call your Snapon dealer, or, better yet, one of the German tool manufacturers (better image than Snapon, but foreign made), and get a Rotary or Mohawk lift.

Also, call Baileigh to get an assortment of metalworking tools. They add a lot to the ambiance of the garage.

Make a conference room with leather covered chairs, a ten foot hand carved mahogany conference table, a few potted plants, some original artwork on the walls, a tiled bathroom with a touch less air jet hand drier, and you’ll be covered.

Richard Rawlings could probably help you out.

 

[pogrelis97]

I'd consider how long you plan to keep it, for instance, I bought a nice Snap-On box when I was 25 (5years ago) It was expensive but I'll use it for the next 50ish years.
If I was 55 buying a new box I'd definitely think about a cheaper option since you can easily get 15-20 years out of a cheaper box.

 

[GrayFlattop]

No one has said Lista yet? They are still a tremendous bargain for people who want the best cabs, and don't want to pay tool truck prices.

And with the 28" depth cabinets, the density of storage is second to none (although to be fair, Vidmar is similar). If you order new, you can customize the drawer heights to fit your needs.

Used, they can be cheaper, but can consume a lot of time to clean and restore and parts aren't always available for the older stuff. Evaluate a used Lista or Vidmar (or Lyon) cabinet carefully. New cabinets come with a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser (I think?). Custom orders can be had in a number of standard colors.

Pricing is less than Snap on, but more than Menard's. Flexibility and customization is second to none. 440# capacity is also second to none.

With Lista, you only need to buy once in your lifetime.

 

[Fueler]

I would add Dream Money to the list.

 

[protegeV]

I would add Dream Money to the list.

That'll take care of anything I could dream up.

 

[LXCam]

No one has said Lista yet? They are still a tremendous bargain for people who want the best cabs, and don't want to pay tool truck prices.

OP, if you want some ideas on how you could configure a solid clean functional system click on the link in my signature. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's the best but it might give you some ideas to work with. Being you plan on renting this out I'd be far more concerned about the ability to secure everything in a manor no one can get themselves hurt. This not only applies to hand tools but all the powered equipment as well.

Locking stuff up is great but I'd consider the same premise for everything. I'd suggest you install a master relay that all the circuits for the powered equipment runs they with a keyed switch. That way you can kill those circuits and limit your exposure in a very clean manor.

 

[parb]

Lots of good suggestions. I've seen the lista cabinets, they look pretty good. I peaked into the garage construction forum, and i got some great ideas.

I don't mind the "richard rawlings" snickering comment. I don't mind using my garage as my mancave. I find the man to be too superficial, but i don't mind design/style in my life. Also makes it easier to get approvals for expenses from the minister of homeland affairs (aka the wife).

My brother builds high-value instruments. Think a box about half the size of a refrigerator, 1/3rd stuffed with electronics and 2/3rds stuff with mechanical motors, pumps, vessels and fluid chambers. Its about $500k per each and they are built by hand. My brother swears by some of the german tools he is using to build that product, and i've played with them. I like them a lot but for my car stuff i'm not that sure that i think they will be as valuable. i got a screw driver set from his supplier (i think it is wiha) which i really like. they got some insulated ones which i like for electrical work (i worked as an electrician very early in my career).

Anyway, thanks for the inputs. i really like the opinions you've provided me with.

 

[lowside67]

In my opinion, there are virtually no toolboxes that fall between Harbor Freight and Snap On in quality. There are many that fall between them from a price perspective, but ultimately the HF box is arguable close to as well built as a cheaper Snap On and hard to improve on.

I bought the SPG International "Super Heavy Duty" series (no longer available) and think they might be one of the few that would fit in that tweener space but could not find any other boxes that were worth spending more than HF when I reviewed gauge of steel, quantity and rating of slides, etc.

-Mark

 

[parb]

Lowside, this comment is probably the most insightful i've read. I have never used the harbor freight stuff, and most of the reviewers tends to caveat their review of harbor freight stuff with "for the money" which always makes me cautious.

Cheep and below average is not what i'm looking for. I'm willing to pay for quality, but i also don't want to pay a premium for zero additional value.

I tend to have a strong bias towards made in the USA because i think it is important to create job in our country even if it costs me a bit more. I would pay a 20-30% premium for made in the USA.

par