Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Mustang Cathedral

[LX-Markham]

Another 3-cars in a 2-car garage thread got bumped recently and reminded me that I needed to start a garage thread of my on-going project. I’ve posted pictures here and there in other threads, but here it goes: a dedicated “my garage” thread. I hope to keep it updated with progress pictures as (hopefully) progress continues.

As stated, we have a 2-car garage. It’s barely 2-car at only 18’x19’, and no laneway to speak of. Both daily drivers need to park in the garage, and I needed room for my Mustang. Faced with either moving to a new house or modifying the garage, my wife gave me the green light to do what ever was necessary to make it work. The lift was actually her idea!





Sharpened my engineering pencil and got to work. Designed a steel frame that could be installed in place and take the outward thrust of converting the trusses to a vaulted cathedral ceiling with rafters. The rafters were sistered to truss top chords, and the lower portion of the rafters is notched into flange of the upturned channel.

 

[LX-Markham]

Then the truss bottom chords and diagonals were cut out!





The garage door was replaced with an insulated steel roll-up door to get rid of the garage door rails.

 

[LX-Markham]

Finally the lift arrived!

Bendpak HD9SWX double wide 2-car lift.









Plenty of room to walk around under the lift (6’-3” clear), enough for us anyway.

 

[LX-Markham]

Next came insulation, lights, and drywall.

 

[LX-Markham]

Wall cabinets, base cabinets, welding table....

 

[LX-Markham]

And finally heat was added!





And that’s about where the project stands now. Still have a few storage and organization projects left to do. Still a little bit of drywall to do, and some garage art. It’s never really done.

 

[LX-Markham]

Oh, and proof that you can still park 2 vehicles underneath, LOL.

 

[sawduststeve]

That's a lovely space and two car lift you have there, makes all the roof work worth it, well done fella.
You can park a Mini under most things though.

Steve.

 

[dchance]

That is an interesting use of space. From what I see it appears that you also raise some of your equipment also so that it is not taking space when not in use.

Be interesting to see how it works out for you.

Dwight

 

[Stinger]

That's neat. You gained a TON of space with the lift and all of your foldable stuff on the walls.

If it were mine, I'd probably have to build shelves that "hover" just above the sides of the lift where you've got stuff stored on the lift, just so I didn't have to move the stuff if I wanted to lower the lift and work on the car.

 

[OCD]

Wow!!

I like the tire storage!!

 

[Styx]

Great way to gain space. Very well thought out...


Cheers Randy

 

[JDGolden]

Very interesting setup. I had to scroll back up to see if you ripped the floor cabinets out or if they raised with the car. Well done!

 

[LX-Markham]

While it’s not as convenient as a dedicated shop, it does allow me a lot of space and equipment that I otherwise would not be able to have. I’m still working on additional storage and organizational ideas. By the time I’m done nobody will be able to claim I haven’t used every square inch of available space and then some.

 

[sqznby]

That is a great idea and I agree, very well thought out.

Nicely done.

 

[Bluedodge]

Great solution to your need for space dilemna.
Are you able to get two vehicles on your lift, or do you need to cheat your Mustang towards the middle in order to clear the angled ceiling?

Regardless, excellent work Sir.

 

[LX-Markham]

Thanks for all the comments.

Unfortunately not enough headroom for 2 side-by-side cars, but plenty of room for 1 in the middle.

I got some odd remarks from Bendpak when I asked them if I could adjust the center ramps to park a single vehicle in the middle of the lift. I had to send them some sketches to explain. LOL, they said nobody has ever asked them that question before.

 

[Hotsauce]

Great stuff, big $ into that garage but offset vs realtor fees & land xfer tax at this point in time. Are you getting a bridge jack?

 

[LX-Markham]

Bridge jack and oil drain pan were a couple of my first purchases. Must haves.



The other "lift improvement" I made was a small 1 gal. compressor. Much more convenient than firing up the big compressor any time I wanted to take the car out for a spin. Plus I can use the small compressor in the house when needed.

 

[quadrcr87]

Wow this is a concept I have never even thought about. I didn't even know this type of lift existed. This could work awesome in a garage with even more headroom and you could put all the toys up top when not in use. Bikes, atvs, boat, etc.

Great job making the space work for you. Just remember to close those cabinet doors! I would have to make a 10 page checklist of things to verify before starting the lift.

 

[sleek98]

Awesome job, I would have never thought to do a single car in the middle of a 2 car lift.

 

[RangerSVT]

Wow, impressive use of space with a small footprint!

 

[Colin Len]

Love the setup! I was wondering if you had any additional info or pics regarding the metal framing you added to allow you to change the roof framing. Specifically:
1) Was the metal framing only to hold the structure together while the work was being done or is it integral to the structure now after the new rafters are in place? From the pics it looks like the metal framing is basically just some sheet metal channels and not something very structural. But perhaps I'm looking at this wrong.
2) Was this done to code or just something you engineered yourself?

Conceptually, I understand how it's designed and it seems like it might actually be a setup I could make work in my garage. It's simple and I think I could do this mod essentially by myself over a period of time unlike the other options I've looked into which required I hire some pros to re-engineer things and a team to do the work.

 

[rsanter]

Now that is crazy cool

 

[86turbodsl]

Very inventive solution to a tough problem. Well done sir!

 

[LXCam]

After seeing a couple picks before, it's great seeing some details LX. Nice job!

 

[dare23]

Hello fellow canuck!! Amazing!!

 

[marty_p]

LX, yours is nothing short of an amazing transformation.

A great use of space!

 

[phule]

That is the coolest!!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[LX-Markham]

Love the setup! I was wondering if you had any additional info or pics regarding the metal framing you added to allow you to change the roof framing. Specifically:
1) Was the metal framing only to hold the structure together while the work was being done or is it integral to the structure now after the new rafters are in place? From the pics it looks like the metal framing is basically just some sheet metal channels and not something very structural. But perhaps I'm looking at this wrong.
The sides are structural steel channels C250x23 (10"), and the ends are angles L3"x3"x1/4". It is very much integral to the current structure.
2) Was this done to code or just something you engineered yourself?
I'm a structural engineer by trade. Design drawings were signed, stamped, and all done to code.

Conceptually, I understand how it's designed and it seems like it might actually be a setup I could make work in my garage. It's simple and I think I could do this mod essentially by myself over a period of time unlike the other options I've looked into which required I hire some pros to re-engineer things and a team to do the work.
This is definitely not a DIY project, although the contractor was amazed how easily it was done. It required a structural engineer, a structural steel contractor and certified welder, and a competent carpenter.

Sorry about the late reply, haven't checked back here in a while.

 

[LX-Markham]

Thanks everyone! Still working on finishing it up. Got sidetracked by a basement reno this summer. I didn't even have time to get the car out this summer

 

[LX-Markham]

Nothing to update on the garage, but thought I would post some pics of the previously mentioned basement reno that stole all my garage-time from 2018. With the basement done I hope to get back to finishing the garage this summer.

Like the garage, the basement was an exercise in space planning with only 800 sq.ft. to work with. Once again, to make it work, there was a fair amount of structural modifications to be done. Used the same engineer (me), and the same steel guys and carpenters.

The before shot:


The plan:


New steel beam being installed:

 

[LX-Markham]

Framing underway:


Drywall:


Lighting:


Flooring:

 

[LX-Markham]

Finished office/craft room:


Billiards room:

*made this pool table in high school shop class

Laundry room:

 

[AZ Pete]

Wow! What flooring did you use?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[LXCam]

That turned out great markum, you did a nice job. It always surprises me how rarely anyone here using tin stud for non structural assemblies here. I did quite a bit of it for my home 25yrs ago and everything is still perfect and no rock separation anywhere. However I do feel sorry for the poor bastage that decides to remodel it, everything is built like a brick *********.

So what's next for the garage?

 

[rattle_snake]

So the 'craft room' can be used for mustang related projects right? Engine assembly and whatnot?

 

[LX-Markham]

Wow! What flooring did you use?

Vinyl plank, believe it or not. Thoroughly impressed by the look and feel of this product. Karndean to be specific.

So what's next for the garage?

Finish the rest of the drywall on the ceiling, paint, and trim. Then some sort of a dust collection system to try and keep the place cleaner.

So the 'craft room' can be used for mustang related projects right? Engine assembly and whatnot?

LOL. I got the billiards room, she got a craft room. I did manage to get a 4'x8' shop closet though. There will be a workbench, stool, and worklight where I could do some small engine repair.

 

[M-technik-3]

Now there is some great ideas for my own spaces. Thanks look forward to some new stuff.

 

[Colin Len]

Love the setup! I was wondering if you had any additional info or pics regarding the metal framing you added to allow you to change the roof framing. Specifically:
1) Was the metal framing only to hold the structure together while the work was being done or is it integral to the structure now after the new rafters are in place? From the pics it looks like the metal framing is basically just some sheet metal channels and not something very structural. But perhaps I'm looking at this wrong.
The sides are structural steel channels C250x23 (10"), and the ends are angles L3"x3"x1/4". It is very much integral to the current structure.

2) Was this done to code or just something you engineered yourself?
I'm a structural engineer by trade. Design drawings were signed, stamped, and all done to code.

Conceptually, I understand how it's designed and it seems like it might actually be a setup I could make work in my garage. It's simple and I think I could do this mod essentially by myself over a period of time unlike the other options I've looked into which required I hire some pros to re-engineer things and a team to do the work.
This is definitely not a DIY project, although the contractor was amazed how easily it was done. It required a structural engineer, a structural steel contractor and certified welder, and a competent carpenter.

Sorry about the late reply, haven't checked back here in a while.

Thanks for this insight, your explanation helped me figure out what I was seeing in the pics. So yeah, not full DIY I suppose I definitely couldn't do the engineering or the welding but I could at least draw up the plans and get them signed off by an engineer (I work in an architecturally related field so have access to architects and engineers). I wonder if this would even be a design that would work here in earthquake prone CA.