Maximizing Space in a 2 Car Garage

[danny4327]

Hey guys!

Here's my current layout in the garage, circa early 2018:

I've since upgraded to a 60 gal 240v compressor (same place as my 30 gal in the corner) and a snow blower is taking up space where the fan on the left is but that's pretty much the only change.

Do you guys have any ideas to maximize the space even more?
Currently, I can just barely fit my NX200T (SUV) in and still squeeze behind it to get to the other side and if I have my MR2 inside, I can walk behind the car easily.

Open to moving items around but I've done my best to maximize the space I have (~17x17) considering this garage was really only meant to park cars in and nothing else.

Edit:
I wish I could center the lift but I have a concrete beam between the 2 doors and it doesn't make sense to resupport the roof just to get a single door.
I would rather save the money and buy in a few years (currently 25). I work on cars for fun and am the mechanic for my friend's DD's or auto-x cars when I'm free.

 

[66Caprice]

In the picture which walls are your outside walls?
Option 1. Move compressor to an out side location.
Option 2. Make a bump out where the bench currently sits (if it's an outside wall) and recess the bench 3/4 of the way into the wall. This is what I have planned to do in mine for a little more room to work.

 

[danny4327]

In the picture which walls are your outside walls?
Option 1. Move compressor to an out side location.
Option 2. Make a bump out where the bench currently sits (if it's an outside wall) and recess the bench 3/4 of the way into the wall. This is what I have planned to do in mine for a little more room to work.

Wall with the tool chests is along the fence line, back wall is also against another fence line. Right wall has a door which leads to a small backyard/garden.

So in terms of expanding in any direction, it would have to be forward. I've considering extending the garage forward but what would entail:
Supporting the center portion of the roof, extending/rebuilding the roof and side walls, and repouring concrete in front of the garage (and possibly inside to match). I haven't asked for a price on this but would imagine it costing at least $10k.

I've already made a makeshift extension but this realistically only works in the summer to help keep rain off me if I need to walk around the car

 

[danny4327]

One year later I caved, cleaned up the back yard and built a shed to house the new compressor and tire machines. The snow blower also fits in there.

Currently working on cleaning up the garage and putting down some type of racedeck style flooring.
Now the question is should I insulate the walls with rigid foam + drywall.
I'm not sure how to do the ceiling though, any suggestions?

 

[PhantomEB]

Looks like flat roof? Either gonna have to frame in a structure to hold batts or spray foam, not sure if spray foam can hold itself that wide of a span. Framing would allow ceiling to be sheeted to boot.

Want more room, limit the amount of cans you got on the shelves, clean up the work bench, clean up wiring to the lights, run them in one direction. Less clutter makes it appear cleaner.

 

[danny4327]

Looks like flat roof? Either gonna have to frame in a structure to hold batts or spray foam, not sure if spray foam can hold itself that wide of a span. Framing would allow ceiling to be sheeted to boot.

Want more room, limit the amount of cans you got on the shelves, clean up the work bench, clean up wiring to the lights, run them in one direction. Less clutter makes it appear cleaner.

It is indeed a flat roof. I was considering framing from the wall to the I beam in the middle but do I need an airgap or can I just go straight into the ceiling.

The paint cans are getting discarded one the hazardous waste collections start. Currently in the middle of decluttering, so I have even less things in the garage than pictured

 

[LeonardY]

One year later I caved, cleaned up the back yard and built a shed to house the new compressor and tire machines. The snow blower also fits in there.

Currently working on cleaning up the garage and putting down some type of racedeck style flooring.
Now the question is should I insulate the walls with rigid foam + drywall.
I'm not sure how to do the ceiling though, any suggestions?

That's not caving. That's smart. I have a couple of small sheds. They are filled with the yard equipment and supplies.
My two car is packed. I've done everything I can to maximize space. Wall hung cabinets with clear space below so I can roll tools and tool boxes to the wall.
Hanging ladders fro the ceiling and building some loft storage above the garage door.
The big thing was tossing all the 1 gallon, quarter and half full cans of paint. I went through and took a picture of each code. Now if I need touch up paint I take the code to Home Depot and get a sample tester.

Good luck.

 

[danny4327]

After things were moved to the shed

After shelves were taken down

Since knocking down walls/roofs isn't an option to redo everything but I still want to use heat, I'm adding insulation to the walls and ceiling:

I'll lose 2" per wall but the heating/cooling retention and cost savings should outweigh those losses

 

[Kevkx125]

Sounds like a nice shed you have going, how bout some more pics please. It's pretty cool that you help your buddy out with is auto-x hobby.

 

[danny4327]

Sounds like a nice set you have going, how bout some more pics please. It's pretty cool that you help your buddy out with is auto-x hobby.

What did you want more pictures of?

I also auto-x but he doesn't have as much mechanical knowledge so he usually needs help.

 

[danny4327]

More insulation up

Wall insulation goes up tomorrow

 

[captain14]

No photos showing for me on post # 4, 8, 11.

Just the little white squares.

 

[Kevkx125]

I would like to see some pictures of the shed. What do you drive?

 

[danny4327]

No photos showing for me on post # 4, 8, 11.

Just the little white squares.

Thanks for letting me know, I guess garage journal doesn't like imgur for photo hosting

 

[danny4327]

I would like to see some pictures of the shed. What do you drive?

This is the shed from HomeDepot, just barely clears the aircompressor intake

I drive a '91 MR2 will full bolt ons and upgraded turbo

 

[danny4327]

Got one side of the garage fully done and half of the other

 

[Kevkx125]

Pictures not showing for some reason

 

[danny4327]

Pictures not showing for some reason

No photos showing for me on post # 4, 8, 11.

Just the little white squares.

Okay, should be fixed now. Using https://postimages.org/

 

[PhantomEB]

Time for sheeting? Then paint?

 

[danny4327]

Time for sheeting? Then paint?

I haven't decided on plywood/drywall/metal for the side walls yet since the right wall will definitely get scuffed a lot from maneuvering around the car/working on that side.
The back wall is getting plywood and the ceiling should be getting aluminum soffit (once I find a supplier).

For now everything except the back wall is staying bare until I finish the tiling the floor

60% of the garage is already laid from before:

 

[driftpin]

Here's something I just made, to provide ease of movement for a benchtop cabinet/appliance I needed to give its own space, and to be easily-movable. Perhaps something similar could benefit your needs, help you to group things, and to provide movable storage.

I used a Bora rollers kit to make a base for a benchtop Harbor Freight (HFT) media blast cabinet, and it worked-out so-well, I'm considering making a wider, taller one, depending upon the expected load, I may go to Bora's heavier-weight rated set (620 lbs.). Mine is 400 lbs-rating, and I believe what I have is 1/10 of that. My thought is to make another roller large-enough to hold smaller toolboxes, individual tools/supplies, and to be able to easily roll-around the storage, to-suit my changing needs as projects come-up. I'd rather have two 30" wide X 18" deep x ? tall roller storage shelving units than one 60" long. This one is ~34" tall to give me the proper height for the glove sleeves in the media blast cabinet. The HFT media blast cabinet fits neatly-into the rabbeted area on the top perimeter 2x4 box. The one I may make would be taller and would have shelves. I was planning to use 3/4" CDX for the shelves, and to dado the roller vertical members for the placement of the shelves, and to glue and to screw the shelves into-place.

You could use large diameter PVC piping, and fasten it to the underside of one of the shelves, to make sleeves for drills or whatever, with space below for battery chargers, and use a buss strip to plug the multiple chargers into. As-long as you put heavier things on the lower shelves, I think you could go five feet high with no issues. That could give you four shelves including the top of it, spaced about 16" apart in height. Attach a 1" x 2" to the shelves and/or the top, to keep things from going-off the back, or use Masonite or 1/4" plywood on the sides, to enclose it, if you need that. I probably will leave mine open.

Amazon Prime $70 shipping included, 620 lbs rating. Home Depot sells the set about $10 more.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R26Q6HT/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[danny4327]

Here's something I just made, to provide ease of movement for a benchtop cabinet/appliance I needed to give its own space, and to be easily-movable. Perhaps something similar could benefit your needs, help you to group things, and to provide movable storage.

I used a Bora rollers kit to make a base for a benchtop Harbor Freight (HFT) media blast cabinet, and it worked-out so-well, I'm considering making a wider, taller one, depending upon the expected load, I may go to Bora's heavier-weight rated set (620 lbs.). Mine is 400 lbs-rating, and I believe what I have is 1/10 of that. My thought is to make another roller large-enough to hold smaller toolboxes, individual tools/supplies, and to be able to easily roll-around the storage, to-suit my changing needs as projects come-up. I'd rather have two 30" wide X 18" deep x ? tall roller storage shelving units than one 60" long. This one is ~34" tall to give me the proper height for the glove sleeves in the media blast cabinet. The HFT media blast cabinet fits neatly-into the rabbeted area on the top perimeter 2x4 box. The one I may make would be taller and would have shelves. I was planning to use 3/4" CDX for the shelves, and to dado the roller vertical members for the placement of the shelves, and to glue and to screw the shelves into-place.

You could use large diameter PVC piping, and fasten it to the underside of one of the shelves, to make sleeves for drills or whatever, with space below for battery chargers, and use a buss strip to plug the multiple chargers into. As-long as you put heavier things on the lower shelves, I think you could go five feet high with no issues. That could give you four shelves including the top of it, spaced about 16" apart in height. Attach a 1" x 2" to the shelves and/or the top, to keep things from going-off the back, or use Masonite or 1/4" plywood on the sides, to enclose it, if you need that. I probably will leave mine open.

Amazon Prime $70 shipping included, 620 lbs rating. Home Depot sells the set about $10 more.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R26Q6HT/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Hmm that's a great idea but I don't need a mobile workbench. Even if I had one, I don't have much to move it around anyway. I'd have more use for a foldable workbench for when I'm doing brakes and don't want to hold the caliper

I was planning to do this for the guns/drills

 

[danny4327]

Foam is up and gaps filled