Hi everybody. First post here. I've loved reading all the build threads on here for a long time, and I'm finally to a point where I've got something of my own I'd like to share and get feedback on.
So, I recently moved into an older house (built in 1942) with an unfinished basement. It's sort of a garage, as it has a small garage door at the end of the driveway, but most of the basement is open, so there isn't really a garage "room" walled off in any way. Also, because the house is older, the dimensions are kind of odd.
There's no finished ceiling down there, so the floor joists are exposed and there are various pipes and support beams all over (and in one place you can see the bottom of the bathtub upstairs), but the "ceiling" such as it is, is very low. 6' 6" to 7' in most places, and just about 6' in some. The layout looks like this:
I really want to set up a little car shop down there, in the main ~ 22' x 11' area. But it's got a few stipulations. First of all, the limited overhead room and narrowness of the space are big constraints. Here's a shot of that area:
And second, I probably won't be in this house for more than 2 years. That's enough time that I don't want to be without a shop, but not long enough to make it worthwhile to install any permanent fixtures like an in-ground lift. Thirdly, as of now there's only one power outlet within reach, which is on the wall between the laundry room and shop areas, so that needs to be addressed.
The primary purpose of the shop will be auto work, and fortunately I have a suitably tiny project car (1972 Mini Cooper S). I also want a table for welding and clamping/hammering various metal bits somewhere, but otherwise I'm open to any arrangement.
As of now, I have almost nothing in terms of equipment. Just some basic car tools I keep in a couple old junky boxes. This is the first "real" garage I've ever had, such as it is, so it's already better than working in a driveway or a backyard.
SO.
If you've been patient enough to read all that, I thank you. I'm hoping someone can give me some suggestions on what I can do to make this space into a workable shop area, despite its limitations, and do so perhaps with some type of modular fixtures that I can disassemble in a couple years and take with me to my next garage.
Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome! Here are some more shots of the basement/garage area:
So, I recently moved into an older house (built in 1942) with an unfinished basement. It's sort of a garage, as it has a small garage door at the end of the driveway, but most of the basement is open, so there isn't really a garage "room" walled off in any way. Also, because the house is older, the dimensions are kind of odd.
There's no finished ceiling down there, so the floor joists are exposed and there are various pipes and support beams all over (and in one place you can see the bottom of the bathtub upstairs), but the "ceiling" such as it is, is very low. 6' 6" to 7' in most places, and just about 6' in some. The layout looks like this:
I really want to set up a little car shop down there, in the main ~ 22' x 11' area. But it's got a few stipulations. First of all, the limited overhead room and narrowness of the space are big constraints. Here's a shot of that area:
And second, I probably won't be in this house for more than 2 years. That's enough time that I don't want to be without a shop, but not long enough to make it worthwhile to install any permanent fixtures like an in-ground lift. Thirdly, as of now there's only one power outlet within reach, which is on the wall between the laundry room and shop areas, so that needs to be addressed.
The primary purpose of the shop will be auto work, and fortunately I have a suitably tiny project car (1972 Mini Cooper S). I also want a table for welding and clamping/hammering various metal bits somewhere, but otherwise I'm open to any arrangement.
As of now, I have almost nothing in terms of equipment. Just some basic car tools I keep in a couple old junky boxes. This is the first "real" garage I've ever had, such as it is, so it's already better than working in a driveway or a backyard.
SO.
If you've been patient enough to read all that, I thank you. I'm hoping someone can give me some suggestions on what I can do to make this space into a workable shop area, despite its limitations, and do so perhaps with some type of modular fixtures that I can disassemble in a couple years and take with me to my next garage.
Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome! Here are some more shots of the basement/garage area:
