Low Slung Single

[Wreckster23]

Been lurking for so long, I figure it's high time I get my garage up here. Been a long time coming, the wife and I finally purchased a house last november. The house itself is certainly a project, but it has a garage!
I've spend many a weekend and evening working on gravel driveways, in the mud, rain, snow, you name it. Finding a place for tools and such was also a pain. At one point at my parents house, my room had a small sturdy work bench complete with peg board and a small vice.

The house had been owned by an Italian family. Lots of Italian engineering. The garage was no different. The reason I'm calling this low slung is the support beam in the middle of the garage. I'm 6'2", the beam is right at the top of my head. I'd say at 6 foot even I'd be good.





First thing I did was to install that garage door. The original was falling apart.

 

[Wreckster23]

No windows, no light switch. Next up was to install some switches for both the garage and run power to the flood light outside. There are currently no outlets in the garage. I'm planning on running a 240 to a compressor closet and splitting it. 120 for my current compressor and the other 120 for outlets. More on that as I get moving on this.



That switch on the bottom is for the garage lights. When off it lights up. Love it.

 

[Wreckster23]

Got a bit ambitious this last weekend. Decided it was time to do something about the tri-tone paint on the walls.


My lovely wife helping out .





We painted everything accessible. Ill need to tear out all that slapped together shelving yo get the rest.
Back corner where the compressor is will be a closet for it and a hose connected to the spicket there. There is no water on the front of the house, that'll do well enough. The beam I'm planning on stripping the paint off of and staining, it'll be a nice contrast I think. I'm in desparate need of a shed. A lot of stuff currently in the garage will go there once I can afford one.

 

[THOM9SRBA]

I've been doing the same thing. Good luck and keep going!!

THOM sent from my portable brain toaster

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Congrats on the purchase of your first home, it's an exciting time! Where are you located? Somewhere nearby some nice trails I'd hope, considering the mountain bikes and dirt bike.

 

[dubber]

Singles most certainly offer their challenges. BUT it is doable, nice work and stay strong! White walls is a great start to help brighten is up. And lots of light is also an obvious must.

 

[Wreckster23]

Congrats on the purchase of your first home, it's an exciting time! Where are you located? Somewhere nearby some nice trails I'd hope, considering the mountain bikes and dirt bike.

I just started reading your gallery yesterday, quite the garage you have. I live in New Windsor NY. Plenty of mountain bike trails around. The first few pics didn't show my actual collection. I have 3 mountain bikes - 29er, fat bike and old 26er for smaller friends to lend to. Wife had a bike, I also have an old Roady that is too small for me. As for the dirt bike, there really aren't many trails unless you know where to look. I mostly have it for dirt roads and occasional day trips to riding areas.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I just started reading your gallery yesterday, quite the garage you have. I live in New Windsor NY. Plenty of mountain bike trails around. The first few pics didn't show my actual collection. I have 3 mountain bikes - 29er, fat bike and old 26er for smaller friends to lend to. Wife had a bike, I also have an old Roady that is too small for me. As for the dirt bike, there really aren't many trails unless you know where to look. I mostly have it for dirt roads and occasional day trips to riding areas.

Thanks! It's been a labor of love, but slow going as well. This is also my first house. The garage sat un-touched for about 3 years before I was able to get to working on it, so you're already ahead of the curve

I have a 26" hardtail that I ride the **** out of, but I am beginning to look into full suspension 29ers. I can't keep up with all the guys I ride with because they are all on 29ers, and just float over everything. I bought the 26" in 2010, right as the 29er wave hit....they were out of my price range back then.

 

[Wreckster23]

I was a slow convert. Until this year there was no way to afford a new bike. The 29er was given to me. So much better than the tiny wheels of yesteryear. The fat bike, however, that's a different beast all together.

 

[HSpencer]

That will make a very nice bike shop. The painting is a great move and it will sure transform the shop. Welcome to our little garage board, and I think your doing a super job!!

Best Regards
Herb

 

[Wreckster23]

That will make a very nice bike shop. The painting is a great move and it will sure transform the shop. Welcome to our little garage board, and I think your doing a super job!!

Best Regards
Herb

Thank you! Love your garage. Only wish I had the space for something like that. Paint was necessary. Even with the clutter I'm dealing with yet it makes it much less an eyesore. I'm thinking a blue stripe bordered by black down the middle of the wall. Was considering doing the bottom half grey like everyone seems to do, though I really want this to be as bright as possible. In the next month or so perhaps I'll get some led lighting fixtures. 4 in back, one up front (garage door in way) and maybe some track lighting or something along the side of the garage door.

 

[Wreckster23]

It's been a long year with a new house. The garage has sat on the backburner for the most part as I've been busy outside or cycling. I've managed to get the whole garage painted white, a bit improvement. The old shelving is gone, with some of the old wood saved and reused in various projects (or sitting in the basement waiting for a use).

I've gotten a good deal of my compressor cabinet/solvent storage done. I just put some cabinet bases in place today, which is a huge step in the right direction.

First, the brew for the day.

This is a picture half way through building the compressor cabinet. I'll post up some new pictures once I clean up a bit.

Base cabinets were not the same height. I used .5" ply to join the 3 together. The scraps worked perfect for correcting the height difference.

The cabinets installed. Still some work to finish it up.

I haven't yet decided if I am going for a metal top on the bench, formica or wood. I may look into doing a butcher block top, could be a bit pricey though.

 

[vettex2]

I used to be stuck with a 1 car garage but I had 1000 sq ft of shop space where I worked at a couple of places.
Now I have a 3 car garage.
I do not miss having a single.
You do learn to use every cubic inch of space though!!
I used what I learned to maximize floor space in my current garage.

 

[@e91kiter]

I

I haven't yet decided if I am going for a metal top on the bench, formica or wood. I may look into doing a butcher block top, could be a bit pricey though.

Garage is coming along and the paint really gives it a new look for sure. I'm currently in the process of putting together a bunch of butcher block pieces to make a countertop, but I've recently seen some good prices at Lowes for a 54" Bamboo butcher block for around $130 which I think was a pretty good deal.

 

[Wreckster23]

Garage is coming along and the paint really gives it a new look for sure. I'm currently in the process of putting together a bunch of butcher block pieces to make a countertop, but I've recently seen some good prices at Lowes for a 54" Bamboo butcher block for around $130 which I think was a pretty good deal.

Problem being I have 84" of bench top. I could put two pieces together, though I'd much rather it be continuous. They do make larger slabs, I'll just need to find a deal on it. I've had thoughts of using two mated up ply boards to aprox 1.5" and put sheet metal on top of that. It would also give me a good reason to purchase a router

 

[Purist]

Good work with the paint; really brightens up your space. Curious to see what you end up doing with everything. That compressor cabinet looks like it's coming along nicely!

 

[@e91kiter]

Problem being I have 84" of bench top. I could put two pieces together, though I'd much rather it be continuous. They do make larger slabs, I'll just need to find a deal on it. I've had thoughts of using two mated up ply boards to aprox 1.5" and put sheet metal on top of that. It would also give me a good reason to purchase a router

You can join them up like in this post 15' long counter top

 

[MarlynOC]

Have virtually same garage in our home. Lighten up with WHITE paint as well. We do have one window that has mesh cover so can not see in from outside but lets light in. Did run electric from inside home into it for lights and working. Have same beam that is hard to work around.

 

[Robey5]

....is that a motobecane I saw in one of the pictures? Neat bikes...

 

[Maddog10]

Nice work. I'll be following along. Love to find threads of small garages, as I can relate. I may have the smallest shop on GJ. haha

 

[darren250r]

Problem being I have 84" of bench top. I could put two pieces together, though I'd much rather it be continuous. They do make larger slabs, I'll just need to find a deal on it. I've had thoughts of using two mated up ply boards to aprox 1.5" and put sheet metal on top of that. It would also give me a good reason to purchase a router

I shopped around quite a bit for maple butcher block for my workbench. I ended up getting mine from globalindustrial. They are nice and were way cheaper than anywhere else. I think they might be cheaper because it is comprised of smaller pieces of wood. You'll also want to pick up some bees wax conditioner to keep it from getting dry.

I've seen other guys use solid core doors for a cheaper alternative.

 

[Wreckster23]

Have virtually same garage in our home. Lighten up with WHITE paint as well. We do have one window that has mesh cover so can not see in from outside but lets light in. Did run electric from inside home into it for lights and working. Have same beam that is hard to work around.

The beam is definitely a thorn in my side. I'm 6'2". The beam is just the right height that it catches me if I forget to duck a bit. So long as I remember it's there, no big deal I suppose.

Nice work. I'll be following along. Love to find threads of small garages, as I can relate. I may have the smallest shop on GJ. haha

Quite the project you've got there. I would be happy with something like that for some of my smaller projects, being as the garage will be cramped as it already is.

 

[bczygan]

Might be able to do something about that beam if you could post up interior and exterior photos and measurements and room layouts and show what it is holding up.

Bill (Designer)

 

[Wreckster23]

Might be able to do something about that beam if you could post up interior and exterior photos and measurements and room layouts and show what it is holding up.

Bill (Designer)

I'll post up pictures of it at some point. I know something could be done, but it would really be a ton of work for very little gain. It fits with the name anyway.

 

[Wreckster23]

....is that a motobecane I saw in one of the pictures? Neat bikes...

Didn't get to taking a picture. I've actually 3 Motobecane bikes. An older mirage that has an assortment of mixed parts, a 29er and a fat bike. I never expected to have a collection, it's just the way things ended up.

 

[Wreckster23]

Ive gotten a lot of my stuff organized and situated. Starting to finally look like a work space.

One bike right up front. I have 2.5 other motorcycles to the left, Tractor, snow blower, mower to the right behind me.

Here's a better shot of what I have for the compressor cabinet so far. Not much more left to go, I just need to figure out how I'm situating water and air lines.

I was sure to bop the top of my head on my trusty beam for good measure

I think I'm going with 2 sheets 3/4 ply and formica on top for the bench top. perhaps start restoring my old table saw once that is done. I could use it to get some work done.

 

[Wreckster23]

Bit more work done in the garage. First is getting my wall mount bike stand up. There's just enough space on the back wall to fit the bike. This mount came with two plates, the arm itself is removable.

Second was piece of mind. I have a fire extinguisher in the basement, but that may seem a long way away if I had a whoopsie in the garage. Problem solved.

Next up, time to get a project started. My father gave me his Gold Wing this last holiday season. Mostly ready to go minus some small maintenance. The starter, for one, was a bit sluggish. Common problem on the GL1200s, easily fixed. First, is to drop the exhaust and remove the exhaust stud in the way of the starter. I was lucky that the stud came out with the nut, no extra work there for me. This pic is with the starter already out.

Not to difficult. The exhaust remains together in one piece as they will usually leak or break if you try to separate the pieces. I plan on replacing the exhaust system some day, but no need worry about that yet. Surprisingly, no exhaust gaskets found when disassembled Just another thing to put on the list.

The starter itself is an easy job. Essentially, it comes apart in 3 pieces. Front is the reduction gear, just a matter of cleaning that up. Back end (impact gun worked to get the long screws loose, I would have rounded them otherwise) houses what we need to get to, the brushes and communicator.

Brushes look good, but a rebuild kit is $16, so they're getting replaced. Otherwise, just a matter of cleaning up everything. Brake cleaner will work well for this purpose, followed by some steel wool.

I figured out what i'm doing for the bench top, soon to come

 

[Wreckster23]

Two years later? Lots of changes. Got busy with many projects. Neighbor dude gave me a shed - little wood replacement and my first time with shingles fixing the roof. Needs a coat of paint, but I'm being frugal lately. Had three giant locust trees taken down in the back yard. They were starting to rot a bit and way too close for comfort. Almost have most of the remnants burned or taken away. Bit left to do..



The biggest change, wife and I had our first kid April this year. Last year was mostly spent planning basement renovation, stripping out old work and starting on building it. Needed to get my office downstairs to make room for the babys room. Guest room shifted to where the office was.

Images and garage progress to follow.. where does everyone host images these days? Pay for photobucket?

 

[Wreckster23]

Alright, lets get down to business.

Looks like I already posted up about my finished doors on my cabinet. I also finished the work bench top. I went with 1 layer ply with Masonite on top. The Masonite can be replaced when time comes. Still need to install upper cabinets, run electric and install peg board.





Also installed 3 LED drop lights. I'm a bit limited given space and ceiling, but they work pretty well. I went the route of installing outlets for each one so I always have the possibility of using a drop light if more light is needed.

 

[Wreckster23]

A lot of last year was spent on getting the basement ready. Slope the ground outside better to keep moisture away and seal the walls in the basement. Worked a charm, no moisture ingress at all and it's been a wet year.



Took all the old paneling off the wall to do this. Previous owner was a master of redneck remodeling. There were a few electrical connections where he hooked small electrical cord to existing wiring. Many spots had evidence of burning. No wonder my washer machine outlet threw its breaker a while back. Took all that shoddy stuff out, removed an already existing wall in the basement and rebuilt. Not much done, but it's to code and most of all SAFE! My office is currently set up down there, the space is usable. In time, I need to pull a permit and continue. I'll be putting a bathroom down there (we had a girl... we need a bathroom) and I'd rather play it safe and get it all done legal to start with.





Let me tell you... the amount of stuff I had to learn to get this far is astounding! Framing, door install, electrical install (to code at that!) and all sorts of other things along the way.

 

[Robey5]

Congrats on the new life.

Doing a bathroom downstairs; eh? That sounds like fun! If you are planning a shower for down there, and would like to get the most out of your (incredible) work - I suggest that you install a vent-fan (commonly referred to as a "fart-fan" in my circles) so that you can get all the steam out of the bathroom when a shower is running.

Regarding that hack-electrical work ... sometimes I wonder if these people who do this work would realize that doing the job *correctly* will often times take as much or sometimes less time. Nice job cleaning it up!

 

[Wreckster23]

Code requires an exhaust fan. Already in my plans. Attached is pretty close to what it will look like in the end. Thankfully, I have sewer under the basement floor. The next door neighbor used to be a contractor and has agreed to help with digging out where the new pipes go. I'll have a plumber take care of the actual hookup when time comes, but this is all a ways into the future I think

 

[Wreckster23]

Trip to harbor freight on lunch break. I saw these drill bits on Mr. Heine's thread and couldn't resist. Picked up a few other things, found a nifty little rack for organizing my plier draw - before and after -

 

[Wreckster23]

Next up, I have to decide what i want to use to reorganize my socket draw. This setup worked well enough while i was playing mechanic, i knew instinctively where each socket was and there was no fiddling with holders or such.

For your amusement, some of my favorite handmedowns from my grandfather (still around, moved off the farm a few years ago though.) I have to see about resharpening one of the blades unfortunately. I've used the smaller one without much trouble.

 

[cash68]

Nice work. I'll be following along. Love to find threads of small garages, as I can relate. I may have the smallest shop on GJ. haha

You might like this:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=360107

 

[Wreckster23]

Year and a half ago we leased a car for the wife - Mazda cx-3. Really picked it up as bro-in-law worked for the dealer, got a decent deal on it as well. Wouldn't you k ow it, the wife wont drive it. She cant see out the back too well, but I can. I like the car well enough. Bro-in-law gave me some wheels off a Mazda 6 for free, they had issues one year with the clear coat pealing.

Didnt take any pictures of the repainting process, but some quick sanding and spray cans (base then clear over) and they do the job. Looks like a completely different car.

 

[Wreckster23]

Little teaser. I'll be needing a table saw to do some of my projects.

Oh yeah, there was a table saw at the back of the garage! Took to pulling it apart for a refurb (not a complete restoration. I dont have a blaster nor the time right now. Dont need all that to be usable anyway)

Parts getting painted now, assembly soon then to figure out a more usable fence system for it

 

[mike93lx]

Looking good.

 

[Wreckster23]

Cabinet for table saw is painted. Still need to finish up on the internals. I was a tad sidetracked installing a ceiling fan in the living room (attic in 95% heat, not pleasant.)

The biggest worry for the table saw was the table. It had sat outside in a very humid shed before we got the house, think rainforest humid. Miss that place but my tools sure dont. I figured I'd try some evaporust as I've heard good things. Also wanted to stay away from fines too knarley in the garage. Have to say. I'm quite impressed! I used a wire wheel on the drill quick to get the loose stuff off, otherwise left it upside down in a large baking pan (was actually in my attic when I moved in) and let it sit in the solution for 48 hours.

 

[cash68]

Cabinet for table saw is painted. Still need to finish up on the internals. I was a tad sidetracked installing a ceiling fan in the living room (attic in 95% heat, not pleasant.)

The biggest worry for the table saw was the table. It had sat outside in a very humid shed before we got the house, think rainforest humid. Miss that place but my tools sure dont. I figured I'd try some evaporust as I've heard good things. Also wanted to stay away from fines too knarley in the garage. Have to say. I'm quite impressed! I used a wire wheel on the drill quick to get the loose stuff off, otherwise left it upside down in a large baking pan (was actually in my attic when I moved in) and let it sit in the solution for 48 hours.

Is that the after photo? I'd try an electrolysis bath. I love mine, works great!