HELP. I need to hide in plain sight

[fred d]

My 16' garage door is pointed directly at a very busy road(2 lanes each way with a center turn lane)
When working out in the garage in the Texas heati need to leave the door open for the purpose of air flow.

When the door is open during the day anyone driving by can see, but because its bright outside it is not real easy to tell what's inside.

But when working out there at night...it is like a becon to any would be criminals of what is inside.

Someone tried getting into the big door and ended up breaking the handle. Luckily I always put a padlock on the track of the garage door.

Any ideas or suggestions on a way to keep the criminal elliment from seeing in while I am working
Air conditioning the garage is not really an option I can afford to do

 

[nine4gmc]

Large louver vents on the wall up near the ceilings on the doors side and a couple hvac blower fans exhausting the back side. You'll be able to keep your doors closed and still have the same or more air flow.

 

[southalabama]

Venting the garage is best option


Dad freaks out if we raise his garage door with the lights on at night.

 

[rtbt]

you're probably looking for something like this. http://www.myscreendesign.com/index.html or this http://www.coolbreezeincorporated.com/ i remember seeing a similar thing on hgtv a couple years ago. you could see out but people couldnt see in very easily and it still allowed for decent air flow.

 

[67carl]

you're probably looking for something like this. http://www.myscreendesign.com/index.html or this http://www.coolbreezeincorporated.com/ i remember seeing a similar thing on hgtv a couple years ago. you could see out but people couldnt see in very easily and it still allowed for decent air flow.

That's pretty cool but I would think at night with the garage lit inside and it being dark outside, you'd be able to see through it pretty good.

 

[fitz11]

I'm thinking a drop down "screen" made from the material they print stuff on for truck and van back windows. It has holes for ventilation and allows you to see from inside out but not outside in.

 

[nicksnothereman]

My 16' garage door is pointed directly at a very busy road(2 lanes each way with a center turn lane)
When working out in the garage in the Texas heati need to leave the door open for the purpose of air flow.

When the door is open during the day anyone driving by can see, but because its bright outside it is not real easy to tell what's inside.

But when working out there at night...it is like a becon to any would be criminals of what is inside.

Someone tried getting into the big door and ended up breaking the handle. Luckily I always put a padlock on the track of the garage door.

Any ideas or suggestions on a way to keep the criminal elliment from seeing in while I am working
Air conditioning the garage is not really an option I can afford to do

Get a crazy looking dog and have him outside when you're working. That's the theory with criminals not liking animals that can bite them (I think it's bupkiss though).

If you got good stuff get it insured man.

 

[kenfain]

Put a carport out front of the garage, then you have options for cover. As well as a very useful carport.

 

[bushmechanic]

A window AC unit of appropriate size can be pretty darn cheap, and can be installed in a wall, not only a window.

Any curtains, screens, or drapes you may fit will only cause people to wonder what's inside, and a great many of them will actually be more expensive.

 

[Bigplum]

Get a second hand garage door , paint it the same colour and mount it on a frame with wheels , then push it out a couple of feet when you are working in the garage , from a distance it wouldn't look any different

 

[Cadillac fan]

+1 on the carport idea.

You could install a roller door on the front of that (just like my friends dad did). You will still get the air flow and everything but people won't be able to see you, plus you have a sheltered area for your car/other stuff.

 

[PCO6]

That's pretty cool but I would think at night with the garage lit inside and it being dark outside, you'd be able to see through it pretty good.

That's been my experience. I use a black mesh tarp like the one shown below. It's great during the day time. You can only see a few feet into the garage. When darkness falls and the interior lights take over it's better than nothing but it's not fool proof.

 

[bad_idea]

I like the vents on the walls w/ fans pulling air through the shop. I am thinking you could get more air rolling through there than you have now.

 

[jimindm]

Knowing the layout of your property would be helpful.

A five lane road has traffic moving on it. Likely a higher speed limit than a normal residential road. The screens work but for the dollar value that is what you get. There are other things you can do with landscaping. You may not stop the ability to directly look up the driveway in to your garage with landscaping though.

If the house sit back a ways, light pointed directly towards the street.

If it sits higher, you could also line you driveway with small bushes or any landscape feature. The closer to the road more would be needed, the farther away less would be needed. Many big box stores have trees and bushes on end of year specials.

A raised bed of some sort. You could put a fountain in it, or a water feature. A small garden or flowers..

You may never block the view totally by landscaping, but a little goes a long ways, and a car parked at certain places in your driveway can accomplish a lot also.

The bad thing about landscaping is what you are trying to hide, anybody trying to get in will be hidden also.

Insurance. Make sure you are covered for what you have in there.

If neighbors are close a cheap alarm system. You do not need anything monitored. Just a siren when motion is detected.

 

[galute]

Personally I think worrying about someone seeing inside your shop while the door is open is pointless. Shops are expensive and anyone knows that the purpose of a shop is to store and work on expensive things. They don't need to see what's inside to know there are goodies worth stealing. In fact, just having a shop is an advertisement that you have stuff to steal. I would worry more with making it secure while you are not there and less about what they see while you are. JMHO.

 

[nehog]

Don't stand up!

I think AC or high power vents are the answer.

 

[crewchief888]

i keep a vehicle parked in the driveway anytime the door is open...

and a 75lb german shepard that dont like strangers

 

[Wood'nMetal]

What about closing the door half way and putting a screen or roll of light fence across the gap? Use box fan to keep air moving.

You might also look at a swamp cooler to help keep the interior cool.

 

[Wingnut65]

At night, I only open the garage door about 2' and keep the back door open. It is just enough to get air to circulate. A fan helps as well

 

[gearhead1]

Layout would be helpful. My driveway is about 100 feet long. House is beside the driveway, or put a different way the front of the detached garage is not even with the front of the house, it is set back 30'. So even with the from of the house, I put in 2 6x6 posts with cattle gates. Then I bolted fence boards on the gates. From the road it looks like a fence, except for a little peak of the garage you can see. It gives me a 30' work area to have a car completely torn apart but no one can see it driving by. If your layout allows it, this works great. The two 8' gates allows a 16' wide access I can get the truck and trailer through there.

 

[Zeke]

Get a second hand garage door , paint it the same colour and mount it on a frame with wheels , then push it out a couple of feet when you are working in the garage , from a distance it wouldn't look any different

Have you done something like this or are you joking? The wind would blow that thing like a sail.

No matter what is done if someone is in a garage working passersby will know there is something in there by way of tools, etc. Best thing is to not hide in plain sight, just hide.

 

[fred d]

Lots of good ideas here
More info

Carport not doable because of layout of driveway

Landscape not applicable because of layout street to house

It is not a "shop" it is just a standard 20x24 detached 2 car garage with a single walk thru door, a 16' roll up door and 1 window on opposite wall of 16' door

Have good insurance coverage, just hate the idea of someone taking my stuff.

A/C is a great thought and can get unit, just increase in electric bill is main concern about monthly note going up. Garage has no ceiling or insulation

Will try the door up 25% with fans going. Have 2 very good air movers, but working on project truck that fills garage. To work on it need to move it 1/2 way out of garage to have room to work.

Blocking view with my DD is helpful but looking for something better.

With the high humidity here, have been told swamp coolers are not very effective.

Keep ideas coming.
will draw up layout of garage-driveway-street. And post

 

[67carl]

I'm in the same boat in that I don't like leaving my garage door open and I don't want passers-by to see what I have. I'm very careful about stuff like this and knock on wood, have never been burglarized.

What I did was to install a gable fan above my garage door. Single car garage with a laundry/workroom at the end, so it's long and narrow. With the fan on and a man door open at the opposite end I get a good breeze moving through. Ventilation of some sort may be your answer.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

A possible solution would be to keep your eyes open for a Carpet Dryer fan. It only needs to have the door open 6 inches or so and will push in outside air.

http://www.powr-flite.com/product/one-half-hp-carpet-dryer-air-mover.do?sortby=ourPicks

They are also great to dry wet carpet as needed . . .

They are a bit expensive on-line but they move a lot of air and are pretty quiet.

Cheers

Jim

 

[GreyOwl]

1 or 2 old furnace squirrel cage fans would work as well and much cheaper, maybe free. Check local Heating & AC companies for junk furnaces - they might just give you a couple.

 

[gearhead1]

+1 on the squirrel cage fan, they were designed to move air in a building. I use one when I'm outside working on cars.

 

[NitroSun]

How about an alarm system like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A1D907U/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Then you won't have to worry about hiding anything.

 

[bczygan]

I'm thinking a combination might work well.

Do the 25% open thing.

Put a screen across the 25% with a fan behind it.

Cover half the view with the daily driver.

Park a boat or utility trailer with a load or solid tailgate, or better yet, an enclosed trailer in front of the remainder.

A sheet or two of plywood, leaned against the back of the trailer, but sticking out from the side, could block any remaining view. Make it look like you are just bringing some materials home. Throw a couple of 2x4's into the mix. Use a white noise machine to mask your activities inside. Camouflage! Misdirection!

Only have a flat bed trailer? Make an ersatz enclosed one with a few 2x4's for a frame, a piece of OSB for the roof and a big brown tarp to cover the whole thing.

 

[bczygan]

A louver panel with a fan:

 

[Regnar]

If you have a ceiling you could always put in a Whole House Fan. Leave the garage door up about 3-4 inches and vent it through the ceiling. It would also help keep the roof cool too.

Pictures would help everyone give you ideals. Some taken at daytime and nighttime.

 

[Mike Miller]

Swamp cooler.

 

[600SL]

you're probably looking for something like this. http://www.myscreendesign.com/index.html or this http://www.coolbreezeincorporated.com/ i remember seeing a similar thing on hgtv a couple years ago. you could see out but people couldnt see in very easily and it still allowed for decent air flow.

Now that is pretty cool.

 

[rharman]

At night, I only open the garage door about 2' and keep the back door open. It is just enough to get air to circulate. A fan helps as well

This^^^^^^

Crack the door even 6" and it helps a LOT. Do you have a back door? Open that, crack the big door open and you should be good.

 

[ez-duzit]

If you need this solution to work while a vehicle is partially occupying your shop, and the big door is mostly open, then a/c probably won't help much, without some attempt to seal off the gap. And you would still have a night time security problem. If this situation is rare, then the a/c should provide instant relief with the door closed.

My shop has been burglarized (LE captured the burglars, red-handed!) and I have thwarted a robbery attempt (he had a club--I had a revolver). Its overhead door faces an alley in an improving area on the fringe of gang territory. I only work alone, so I understand about eternal vigilance.

There is enough space, off the alley, for me to park alongside the door opening, leaving just an adequate space for the big door to swing, completely, and still allow others to pass on the other side of my truck. The truck, with its work shell, blocks much of the view to passersby. During the day, I leave the OH door ajar at its point of balance--this blocks from view about the upper 1/2 of the opening, and casts a deep shadow on nearly all inside, except where I have lit. At night, I'll sometimes either lower the door until it rests on a yard-sized trash can (or lower), for further visual security and more difficult intruder access. Or I'll just close it, especially if I will be heavily distracted. Had to chase a determined possum out, one night.

I like the idea presented about the louvered panels. And can see how easy it would be to hinge them together, and arrange them around a vehicle that was 1/2-protruding from your shop. Better to just keep things out of sight. And be prepared.

 

[Norcal]

Swamp cooler.

In Texas? Too humid for a evaporative cooler, they need a dry climate to work.

 

[Falcon67]

Swamp cooler.

Not in Houston. Right now he has around 71% RH. Thats kinda nice - for Houston. I want to know how you'd work at night with the door open and not get eat up with the bugs. Lived there, dealt with that.

 

[Tucko]

Welding curtains.....

 

[padronanniversary]

Just have spot lights pointed from your garage down your drive way that are really bright . All those people looking in will just see a blinding light

 

[fred d]

Keep them coming
Some pretty good stuff here

I do have a carpet dryer type fan(see pic below)
I also have a old home blower fan/squirrel cage that moves a lot of air also

Working with the project truck half in half out will be necessary over 50%of the time

 

[Jere]

Harbor freight sells garage door screens 20 bucks on sale. They darken up the view fairly well and you could open the door only part way with them in place too.

At the house I am at now I have almost the same problem. I keep a car in the drive expensive stuff out of view as much as possible ( compressor in attic, tools in drawers, larger machines behind plywood ...) I also paint bigger tools in dark colors like Grey/black, and truck bed coating . I only use lights where I am working, and keep the radio on and loud (even when i am not in the garage) and put the dog out to bark at passers by.