My wife and I recently purchased a new (to us) house with a 3-car garage. I was so excited to upgrade from our old 2-car setup, I didn't pay much attention to how the garage was laid out...until now.
Plan is to store two vehicles in the garage and use the third space for a workshop. Vehicles include the wife's Camry and my '73 Bronco. The Camry can hang out in the driveway from time to time if I need that space for a specific project.
The workshop would be used for general auto repair/maintenance and woodworking. No lifts, lathes or flat panel TV's, just your basics (plenty of benchtop workspace, storage cabinets, a decent size table saw, chop saw, table-top drill press, small HF tool chest, etc. There are only three outlets and two light bulbs in the whole garage, so I plan to beef-up the electrical situation.
Here's a rough sketch of the space:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413163874/" title="Garage01 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/11413163874_1387bf7071.jpg" width="500" height="431" alt="Garage01"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413266074/" title="Garage02 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/11413266074_64a75ebd9b.jpg" width="500" height="256" alt="Garage02"></a>
My first thought was to use the more isolated bay as the work shop.
Pros:
- Plenty of wall space
- Furthest from the house (sound insulation from power tools)
- The single garage door has no opener, so it would be better-suited for the work shop
Cons
- SMALL
- Both cars in the 2-car space looks pretty tight
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413266014/" title="Garage03 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/11413266014_761969fe8c.jpg" width="500" height="397" alt="Garage03"></a>
Option 2 is to put the Bronco in the isolated bay, then have the Camry share the 2-car section with the work shop.
Pros:
- More flexible space
- The Camry might have more space in this configuration which would make it easier for my wife to retrieve our toddler from the back seat.
Cons:
- Not much wall space when you really look at it. (That bump-out in the back houses the water heater and sub panel.)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413252095/" title="Garage04 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11413252095_9f62e04383.jpg" width="500" height="386" alt="Garage04"></a>
So if you were in my shoes, how would you use this space and why?
Plan is to store two vehicles in the garage and use the third space for a workshop. Vehicles include the wife's Camry and my '73 Bronco. The Camry can hang out in the driveway from time to time if I need that space for a specific project.
The workshop would be used for general auto repair/maintenance and woodworking. No lifts, lathes or flat panel TV's, just your basics (plenty of benchtop workspace, storage cabinets, a decent size table saw, chop saw, table-top drill press, small HF tool chest, etc. There are only three outlets and two light bulbs in the whole garage, so I plan to beef-up the electrical situation.
Here's a rough sketch of the space:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413163874/" title="Garage01 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/11413163874_1387bf7071.jpg" width="500" height="431" alt="Garage01"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413266074/" title="Garage02 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/11413266074_64a75ebd9b.jpg" width="500" height="256" alt="Garage02"></a>
My first thought was to use the more isolated bay as the work shop.
Pros:
- Plenty of wall space
- Furthest from the house (sound insulation from power tools)
- The single garage door has no opener, so it would be better-suited for the work shop
Cons
- SMALL
- Both cars in the 2-car space looks pretty tight
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413266014/" title="Garage03 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/11413266014_761969fe8c.jpg" width="500" height="397" alt="Garage03"></a>
Option 2 is to put the Bronco in the isolated bay, then have the Camry share the 2-car section with the work shop.
Pros:
- More flexible space
- The Camry might have more space in this configuration which would make it easier for my wife to retrieve our toddler from the back seat.
Cons:
- Not much wall space when you really look at it. (That bump-out in the back houses the water heater and sub panel.)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37848796@N04/11413252095/" title="Garage04 by mark_havelka, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/11413252095_9f62e04383.jpg" width="500" height="386" alt="Garage04"></a>
So if you were in my shoes, how would you use this space and why?
