Joel's Tiny 2 Car Garage

[Jo3l]

I was planning on building a small workbench type space between the 2 rear wire shelves. But once I built and installed them I realized the workbench would have ended up being about 30 inches. Then I had a small breakthrough and realized I could move them to the front where the sliding doors made the area kind of useless anyway.

The bikes are going to take up less room than I thought as well.

I think this will free up enough space to at least have a 4' x 2' workbench.

Next up is electrical...

 

[6SpeedBowtie]

Looks great! Not sure how it took so long to run across this thread, but I just saw it the other night. I love the projects you have done in your shop! Definitely some inspiration!

Having a storage shed or basement junk area is key to having those minimalist garages! Unfortunately, we don't have tons of storage, so the garage frequently becomes a dumping ground for everything.

subscribed!

 

[bj383ss]

Looks Good Joel. A new workbench is new project I assume.

Bret

 

[Jo3l]

Looks great! Not sure how it took so long to run across this thread, but I just saw it the other night. I love the projects you have done in your shop! Definitely some inspiration!

Having a storage shed or basement junk area is key to having those minimalist garages! Unfortunately, we don't have tons of storage, so the garage frequently becomes a dumping ground for everything.

subscribed!

Thanks so much! Yeah that's on me, I haven't posted in a while but now I have a backlog of projects I can post about.

& luckily I still have 2 attics to dump the real junk in

Looks Good Joel. A new workbench is new project I assume.

Bret

Oh yes! I've already spent quite a but of time on the Journal searching for ideas. Hopefully can get to it soon.

And of course another stool!!!

 

[Jo3l]

One of my past projects that I hadn't posted about yet was in my daughters room. For those of you that haven't had a baby in the past 10 years, it's now required that you have the child's name on the wall above the crib... I guess so that you don't forget what you named them?

Rather than go with the standard die cut vinyl I talked my wife into letting me have a go at it. As evidenced throughout my post our family are Disneyland fans, I especially love the the mid century aspects of it. Among my favorite is the old entrance sign.

I thought this would be a great theme for the name plate, so I hit up the Lowes project wood section and went to work.

In the tradition of over-doing it, I had to frame each box

To create the flags, I cut them out of some old Quick Trip cups. Then heated them up to make the ripples and finished it off with some paint.

And voila

Finished product turned out great - I think my "O" is crooked, but I just tell people that's to prove it was hand made

 

[bj383ss]

Joel that is freaking Cool!

Bret

 

[Unruh]

Joel! That is awesome!

 

[Jo3l]

Joel that is freaking Cool!

Bret

Joel! That is awesome!

Thanks so much guys! One day project is my kind of build

 

[Jo3l]

Had a very productive weekend with quite a bit of time to work on the shed.
Any electricians cover your eyes.
I decided the most cost / trouble effective method to get power to my shed would be to run a glorified extension cord from a GFI outlet at the pool equipment. Rather than have it exposed I pulled it though some PVC pipe that I had around.

I purchased a 100 ft outdoor cord from Amazon, and basically used it like my own spool supply for this whole project. I wanted 2 constant outlets and 1 switched. Probably overkill, but it drives me crazy that the only put 1 outlet in whole garage when it was built and it will never be easier or cheaper than right now.

The joys of working alone

I was in need of 4 switches: Inside lights, outside lights, wall fan and vent fan. I went with the old style toggle switches that I kind of miss from my childhood. They are much more satisfying to flip on and off.

The switch for the interior lights is illuminated, which has already paid dividends in the 2 days it’s been installed.

The wire tethering was only temporary while I figured out how I wanted to run everything. I have a plan for all those wires.

I’ve been working on cars my whole life, but I’ve only been a home owner for 10 years. After I wired 1 outlet backwards I put this up to remind myself.

Went witch a couple of low profile 2ft LED shop lights from home depot.

I was afraid that there would either be too much light or not enough, but it turned out to be the perfect amount.

Also my work was throwing out these fire buckets, so I grabbed… 3. Not sure how I feel about the “contains lead” warning.

 

[bj383ss]

Joel great progress.

I still need to wire my shed. (It is running off of 2 extension cords. ) I have everything to do it except the 120 feet of 6 gauge wire I need to run from the house box into the shed. I am going to put at least a 60 amp breaker in the shed I have a 1 ton A/C to run and a 220 welder. Maybe this year will be the one.

The Fire bucket is really cool. Would be great for used BLO rags.

I agree with you on the toggle style switched for the garage and the shed. But I do prefer the soft touch ones in the house.

Bret

 

[nicholam77]

Nice progress, Joel. The light up switch is a great touch!

 

[Jo3l]

Joel great progress.

I still need to wire my shed. (It is running off of 2 extension cords. ) I have everything to do it except the 120 feet of 6 gauge wire I need to run from the house box into the shed. I am going to put at least a 60 amp breaker in the shed I have a 1 ton A/C to run and a 220 welder. Maybe this year will be the one.

Bret

Thanks Bret! Yeah it sounds like you are going to have enough heavy duty stuff running you will need to go a little more professional.

Mainly due to the amount of space I have I don't anticipate much need for a lot of power.

Nice progress, Joel. The light up switch is a great touch!

Thank you, and in case anyone else goes with the illuminated switch - it will not light up without a load on it. I wish I had those two hours back

 

[Jo3l]

Been working on a concept rendering for some outside customization. When I first was considering building shed, I was researching lots of plans for mid century sheds to build from the ground up. Somehow that morphed into running to Home Depot and buying the cheapest shed they had. But since I'm working on improving it now, I thought I could bring some of that influence back in.

Not sure if I can talk my wife into the orange doors (my favorite color), but it's worth a shot!

 

[AndySchlagzeuger]

Nice Jo3l!

 

[nicholam77]

Love the design! But I'm a sucker for anything modern. It's funny, recently I had the thought of re-siding and redoing the roofline on my shed to make it more modern some day. This is great inspiration!

 

[Jo3l]

Nice Jo3l!

Love the design! But I'm a sucker for anything modern. It's funny, recently I had the thought of re-siding and redoing the roofline on my shed to make it more modern some day. This is great inspiration!

Thanks guys! I'm not really planning on replacing the roof, I've got an idea I might try for some reverse eves. We'll see if they work as good in real life as they do in my head.

 

[kwyjibo]

Great work as usual
For Joanna's sign, is it possible to fix it by rotating the tile with the "O" 180degrees? It almost looks like it's upside-down

 

[Jo3l]

Great work as usual
For Joanna's sign, is it possible to fix it by rotating the tile with the "O" 180degrees? It almost looks like it's upside-down

Thank you! I definitely could flip it, or just get a new decal since the actual lettering is just vinyl. We will see...

 

[Trapps]

...

And by get rid of, I mean put in another tool box.

...

LMAO!!! So true!

 

[Jo3l]

A few updates form this weeks shed projects, lots of odds and ends:

I picked up this Air King wall fan that was an open box return on ebay for half price. Man this thing can move some air! Just in time for the 100s here.

As I may or may not have mentioned, I had a few leaks. Before the monsoon season hits I figured I better address them.

I can't imagine why this was leaking...

Any roofers may want to close their eyes, but once I get the flashing back on I'm hoping this solves my problems.

Lowes had these sconce lights on super sale. I might end up repainting them, but I like the simple design and I really liked the price. Wiring was tricky because the door slide open right where the wires should be .

And some parts of a future project have begun showing up. I'm going to attempt to put a solar vent fan in to blow out all the hot air that gets locked in this little heat box

 

[Unruh]

Joel you are making me want to go buy a cheap shed and pimp it out. That shed is coming along so nice!

 

[Jo3l]

Joel you are making me want to go buy a cheap shed and pimp it out. That shed is coming along so nice!

Thanks! Try Home Depot, they are only 99 cents

But seriously, if I had it to do over again I would have started with a better shed. Too late to turn back now

 

[Jo3l]

This weekend I stated on the small workbench that I had planned for my shed. I didn’t want it to be overly complex or expensive, but did want it to look somewhat nice and be sturdy enough to hold 200lbs.

Had plenty of time to doodle plans during our never ending virus Skype calls “And now we’d like to open the meeting up for questions …”

After moving the wire shelves against the doors I figured the largest bench I could squeeze in and still be able to get around would be 4ft x 2ft. For the height, I looked up standard bench height which was all over, but settled on 36”. This will end up being a mistake.

Decided to build it at my dad’s shop because he has a table saw, swamp coolers, more room, etc.

I’m using a pine table top that Lowe's sells. I doubt I’ll be rebuilding any transmissions on it, so it should be fine

Painted the base dark gray

Unfortunately I didn’t give the height as much consideration as I should have. When I got in it in I realized I had made it too tall. The ceiling it just at the top of the fan

Decided to cut 4” off of each leg and bump the lower shelf up

Somewhat back together

Added a few more 2x4s to make it a little beefier

And here it is back inside at a much more usable height. Nothing like building something twice to get it just right

 

[bj383ss]

Joel the bench looks great. Even though you had to build it twice at least you went ahead and did it now and not 5 years later after it had festered you.

Bret

 

[Jo3l]

Joel the bench looks great. Even though you had to build it twice at least you went ahead and did it now and not 5 years later after it had festered you.

Bret

Haha, thanks! I figured it would never be easier than right now

 

[Jo3l]

Finally getting to the fun stuff. I thought I had a vice up in the attic from my old desk-bench. When I finally dug it out I was surprised to discover it was a decent Wilton. I honestly don’t remember where I got it - I think someone gave it to me. As you can see it was from my garages “red phase”

My Dad used to have an old Bridgeport Mill. There were two parts of it that I always loved, the handles and the Dazor task light. In fact a few years ago he upgraded to a CNC and asked me to sell the Mill for him, I seriously considered taking the light.

But I just couldn’t bring myself to separate the two. Ever since then I have been on the lookout for one, and finally this popped up on Ebay.

I haven't mounted either one yet, both could use a good cleaning. I might refinish the vice since I didn't really do the best job the first time around.

 

[kwyjibo]

Nice Cars decal on the vice! When I first saw the movie I thought -briefly- about making a lighted sign with the logo.

 

[Jo3l]

Nice Cars decal on the vice! When I first saw the movie I thought -briefly- about making a lighted sign with the logo.

Thanks, a lighted clock would be awesome! Let me know if you need the art files.

I painted a bunch of old Tonka trucks as centerpieces for our wedding, I think the decal was probably a spare from that.

 

[nicholam77]

Oooh, I like the lights for the shed, nice find. They look just like your drawing!

Very interested to see how the solar vent fan works out.

Nice job on the workbench. Height consideration is important! I've done a bad job at that, too. Made my first mobile bench too short and then matched everything to that without realizing. It's a bit low for sanding especially, makes my back uncomfortable after awhile. Taking the time to fix yours now will be well worth it I'm sure.

That task light is very cool, I love the cone shape. This reminded me my dad gave me an old spotlight off a '30s era Ford that I've been saving to put somewhere. I almost forgot I had it.

Keep the updates coming!

 

[Jo3l]

Oooh, I like the lights for the shed, nice find. They look just like your drawing!

Very interested to see how the solar vent fan works out.

Nice job on the workbench. Height consideration is important! I've done a bad job at that, too. Made my first mobile bench too short and then matched everything to that without realizing. It's a bit low for sanding especially, makes my back uncomfortable after awhile. Taking the time to fix yours now will be well worth it I'm sure.

That task light is very cool, I love the cone shape. This reminded me my dad gave me an old spotlight off a '30s era Ford that I've been saving to put somewhere. I almost forgot I had it.

Keep the updates coming!

Thanks Nick! The solar fan is this weekends big project. Hopefully by the end I'll have some good updates and pics to post. Or possibly a story of failure.

Looking forward to seeing your light in a future post over on your thread

 

[Unruh]

Great couple of updates! I saw that cars decal right away too and thought that would look good in my son’s garage, also that is a nice Wilton. Then the light, that thing is super cool. I’m looking forward to seeing it in it’s new home.

BTW, did everyone just sleep on the fact that his wife let him use Tonka Trunks as a centerpiece for his wedding?

 

[Jo3l]

BTW, did everyone just sleep on the fact that his wife let him use Tonka Trunks as a centerpiece for his wedding?

Haha, well she is pretty great. Any believe me my the time the florist was done with them they were well disguised in flowers.

I pulled up the photos and found some more professional photos that I figured i'd post... Not many wedding photos posted on Garage Journal

It's actually a "funny" story with the Tonkas. They weren't the cheapest option, but I figured I could kind of rent them by reselling them after the wedding. Unfortunately I didn't account for guests taking some of them!!! Several went missing in action

 

[bj383ss]

Oh that is cool. I had a Chevy Bowtie Cake. I don't know if there are any pictures of it.


Bret

 

[Bighead38]

Thanks, a lighted clock would be awesome! Let me know if you need the art files.

I painted a bunch of old Tonka trucks as centerpieces for our wedding, I think the decal was probably a spare from that.

More pics of the Tonka trucks were appreciated. I was going to ask for them then scrolled down. That’s awesome.

 

[Jo3l]

I started assembly on my solar fan set up this weekend. I left my thermometer in the shed to capture the high, and below you can see the result.

I started with the easy part, mounting the solar panel. And finally got to use some of those brackets that come with everything and you hang on to just in case  The panel I chose is supposed to produce 80w, which is what the fan I am using pulls. I’ve since learned that the panels rarely produce what they advertise, but I think it will still be okay.

Slightly more difficult was mounting the fan. I elected for the wall instead of the ceiling for leak prevention, as well as the already low height of the roof. The gable vent Home Depot sells was a nice match.

In hindsight the sawzall was not the best chose for the super thin metal, but I can always trim out the inside later.

Unfortunately I’m stuck waiting on some connectors to hook everything up, but with a little luck I should have it running soon and am anxious to see if it makes a noticeable difference.

 

[Jo3l]

I know pegboards can be a divisive topic, but given my small amount of space I decided they were the best option for the back wall.

Added a frame around each one to give the hooks space & add rigidity.

It’s divided into 3 sections, I’ll need to figure out what I’ll be mounting on the sides.

The main board is pretty much done… for now. The tools are mostly the basic tools that got replaced when I upgraded last year. And several classics that I inherited from my grandparents. The clock is also a stand in for a future project.

 

[Trapps]

Place is looking good, Jo3l!

I have wrestled with implementing peg board, slat wall and other wall control type solutions. That use of vertical space is so efficient. I'm still wrestling...

129.4° is warm. *But hey, it is a dry heat right?

*said in jest by someone who used to escape the heat of the valley by tubing the Salt.

 

[bj383ss]

The shed is looking great Joel. Pretty sure I would just burst into flames at 129*!


Bret

 

[Jo3l]

Place is looking good, Jo3l!

I have wrestled with implementing peg board, slat wall and other wall control type solutions. That use of vertical space is so efficient. I'm still wrestling...

129.4° is warm. *But hey, it is a dry heat right?

*said in jest by someone who used to escape the heat of the valley by tubing the Salt.

I felt the same way, pegboard is definitely not my favorite mainly for the way it looks. But there's no question the stuff on it is easy to get at, and thus gets used more in my case.

And haha, I haven't been down the salt river since I was a kid. Probably for the best if the local news is any indication

The shed is looking great Joel. Pretty sure I would just burst into flames at 129*!


Bret

Thanks Bret! If you'll notice it was actually a comfy 103 when I was out there, the 129 was the max it had hit at some point. I'm just trying to keep some plastic etc from meltdown.

 

[Jo3l]

Doing a little research this week I came across a product made for the roof on Rvs that both seals it and reflects a ton of heat. I decided to give it a shot to supplement my solar fan. As you can see there was no shortage of holes in the roof, and various attempts by me to plug them.

The stuff was really thick, almost immediately I had to abandon the roller and brush it on.

If nothing else the white is sure to absorb less heat than the dark brown.

And with that I was finally ready to hook everything up

With the exception of having to reverse the polarity on the fan, everything worked first try! Here is the fan chugging away, only powered by the solar panel.

And here is my completely unscientific test - I reset the memory on my thermometer. That maximum the interior reached was 101, that's a drop of 28 degrees!

Moving on to the side projects, several times during the install I needed a vise, so figured it was the perfect time to mount mine. Repaint to follow...

And the same goes with the milling light.

I'm not sure how I got from fixing the floor and shelves to this, but All in all it's turning into a pretty unique little space