Garage Layout Suggestions.

[garboui]

Going to be setting up my garage soon and have not much of any idea in how to situate things. Any suggestions that you guys have for bench and storage layout would be mighty helpful in helping me make this small space very functional.

Below Is the layout of the garage and the items that can not move. I am planning on being able to park a car (compact) in it while still maintaining usable bench workspace and adequate storage for tools and some other gear (nothing garden). The window at the back I want to remain open as its north facing.

Some other already defined items that will be in the garage are:
- 20gal vertical compressor (~20"dia. footprint)
- Welder cart (about the size of a small grocery cart)
- Rolling bench (32"x 48" an is one giant cupboard on the bottom with 2 drawers)
[EDIT] - Drill Press/Bench Grinder cart (25x18"; tools mounted outwards on the short ends)

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[A_Pmech]

All of the stuff you've described is small and easy to move. I would put it all in the space and re-arrange it until it fits. A quick measurement of your car will tell you how much bench space you can manage.

 

[A1an]

Fold down work benches are great for small spaces since you can fold them up when not in use. Search for Jack Olsen's garage. Lots of great ideas in there.

 

[boiler7904]

I'd try to keep everything on the wall that already has the vac and hose or on the wall that has your walkdoor and what looks like a window. Use the other long blank wall for storage of narrow things that can hang on the wall. Will make getting the car in and out a lot easier if you aren't trying to dodge things on both sides.

 

[JC23]

I made my garage layout (for construction) by making several 1/25 scale drawings and used a diecast car(s) for placement. Then I scaled down the workbenches, tool boxes, compressor etc by using paper cutouts for them.

 

[sams]

will you want to work on that compact car or just for storage?

 

[garboui]

will you want to work on that compact car or just for storage?

Just for storage and daily parking. I already know I'm pretty much SOL on space for being able to have 'work on car space'.

 

[sams]

I would like to give this a go in design however I need to know a few more things:

- how big is your cars footprint and how much extra width for you to open a door on one side?

- what sort of work do you wish to do?

- how high is your cealing?

- will you want to store much in there?

 

[garboui]

I would like to give this a go in design however I need to know a few more things:

- how big is your cars footprint and how much extra width for you to open a door on one side?

- what sort of work do you wish to do?

- how high is your cealing?

- will you want to store much in there?

Ive done an updated layout below that should answer almost all. The ceiling height is in the 8'6" - 7' area, i can measure tomorrow.

I want to be able to store normal automotive maintenance things as well as some small amounts of material stock and possibly some larger power tools (ie. small tablesaw). The stationary bench is going to be split about 50/50 with shallow and deep drawers for tool storage as well.

I added in the rest of the things I mentioned in the OP in spots that I think make sense ATM. Also one big flaw i see in it right now is for the car parking. The issue is that I need to be able to back in to the parking spot because my front lip scrapes otherwise if pulling front first in to the driveway.

Time to relocate CV and hose to the other side?

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[A1an]

You could still have room to work on the car if you can figure out a way to move that storage on the left side. Maybe shorten the storage foot print a tad and move it to the front of the garage on the other side since you can't move the central vac. This would theoretically give you some good working room further forward in the garage. At least you could work on the front half or the back half of the car depending on how you pull it in there.

Just a thought.

 

[sams]

probably not worth the compromise though, seeing he has the rolling bench he can probably wheel it outside or to the door with the car just outside, sure it won't work with the weather but otherwise.

It looks fairly well sorted already, with this lack of space I can't really see what else could be done. I can only suggest some overhead storage above your bench or even under the whole cealing

 

[bczygan]

A couple of questions.
Do you have any other spaces nearby that could be used for storage? Could you put things on wheels and roll them into this space when you want to do work?
Could you add an outside lean to shed or stand alone shed for more storage space?
Could you add a carport for temporary car storage when using this space for a workshop?
Could you bump out one of these walls to add space?
Is there any space in the rafter or attic?
Could the garden hose be wall mounted outside?
Could the compressor be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure outside?
Hang things off the ceiling, even over the hood or trunk of the car.
Use wall space up high.
Put things in other rooms, the basement or attic elsewhere.
Use adjacent rooms for shop space. Open walls and add them to this space.
Could the roof be opened up and reconfigured to add space or volume?
In other words, think outside this box.

 

[garboui]

Do you have any other spaces nearby that could be used for storage?
--Not really, I will have a shed in the backyard but that will be strictly for yard equipment and gardening.

Could you put things on wheels and roll them into this space when you want to do work?
-- that will have to be done but i dont want it packed to the point that you cant use the space at all with the car inside

Could you add an outside lean to shed or stand alone shed for more storage space?
Already addressed this with the garden shed. Although tool storage doesn't have to be complete as I will have a basement workshop aw well o split tools between.

Could you add a carport for temporary car storage when using this space for a workshop?
--Property layout (side split ranch) wont allow for a car port logistically.

Could you bump out one of these walls to add space?
-- Not a chance, at least for now
Is there any space in the rafter or attic?
-- No attic. Bedrooms above garage and vaulted ceilings throughout

Could the garden hose be wall mounted outside?
--probably, I think i might have to consider this now. It would after all be more convenient. I have the space to even give it its own enclosure outside the garage. Its a good area too so its security shouldn't ever be an issue either.

Could the compressor be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure outside?
-- I would prefer to keep it inside and for its size there's not really a suitable space for something like that to be constructed.

Hang things off the ceiling, even over the hood or trunk of the car.
-- This will happen naturally but between ceiling lights and low ceiling heights already it will be a really limited option for storage.

Use wall space up high.
-- mentioning in revised plan below

Put things in other rooms, the basement or attic elsewhere.
-- basement for tools and hardware, thats about it

Use adjacent rooms for shop space. Open walls and add them to this space.
-- not really feasable

Could the roof be opened up and reconfigured to add space or volume?
-- bedrooms above

 

[garboui]

Here is a revised layout that I have come up with this morning, thanks to many of your opinions and ideas!

Revisions:
- Central VAC moved to other side of garage to allow for more space use with back in parking.
- Hose relocated to outside wall in its own enclosure
- Removed full height wall shelving unit. Using cupboard units on each side that will go from about 5-5'6" from the floor and up to the ceiling. (still worried this may become a headbanger getting out of the car.)

I think that keeping the shelves high up on the walls I could potentially get away with being able to work on one side of the car at a time in the garage.

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[garagegeek]

Since you are also a welder, I recommend fabricating roller stands for anything you think you might need to move. I use locking casters and made stands for almost all my tools and workbenches. I can then always move the cars out and roll the tools into place when I need the extra space. The other thing that might help is use a rack system on the lower part of your wall, then put cabinets up above it. The racks allow you to store anything and use them like shelving, but are configurable when things need to change.

 

[Joe Reed]

Just 2 minor suggestions...

- Install some device to let you know when the rear of your car is just clear of the garage door. I just use a tennis ball on a string stapled to the ceiling - when it touches the windshield, I know there is just barely enough room for me to fit between the rear bumper and the garage door so I can open the trunk. If the tennis ball isn't fancy enough, you can use one of those laser devices instead. That'll let you always keep the maximum space in front of the car.

- Pull your car into the garage and open doors on both sides. Mark the space you need to leave clear so you can open doors on both sides and don't put any lower cabinets, etc., in this area. Narrow stuff on the walls is fine. Upper cabinets or shelves are fine as long as they're high enough not to bang your head. It's a real PITA if you need to get in one side of the car and you have to pull it out of the garage to do so. If your car is a 4-door, at least allow access to the front doors. Also, if you have small kids (or plan to), think about putting the kid into a car seat - you may have to leave a clear space to open a back door to insert the kid into the required carrier. You don't want to have to pull the car out into the rain to do that!

My garage is a small 2-car garage, and my MGB lives on the right side. I built lower cabinets narrow enough (about 18" as I recall) to allow me to walk all around the car. About a 24" wide gap between cabinets allows me room to open the car door on that side if I want. Since the car isn't a daily driver, I can also use that space occasionally for temporary storage of things like golf clubs, lumber, etc.