My small 20x20 two car garage

[Steve91T]

Hello everyone. What an awesome forum! I wish I had found this place a long time ago.

My wife and myself just moved to the Charlotte area, and unfortunately, we ended up with a 20x20 garage. Honestly, we were lucky. All the houses we looked at had garages that were even smaller, 17x18 with 2 tiny garage doors were common. So, I can't complain.

We moved a little over a month ago and have been busy with other projects before I could start on the garage. One project that I absolutely took priority to the garage was my beer tap. My wife, who is absolutely amazing, actually gave me permission to drill holes in her table, which she bought just a few days before. Two different types of home brew is a great thing!

My garage....it was killing me. I couldn't find a damn thing.

The back corner has the water heater, next to that was a huge water softener, which was the first thing I removed. I told my wife that was not needed as we were on city water. After I took it out, our water started to taste bad. Oops. Oh well, that's what bottled water is for.

It also has this thing, for those who can't be trusted to park a car in front of the water heater...

My biggest problem was trying to come up with a plan. My neighbors probably thought I had a problem, standing in the garage for a couple of hours, drinking a beer, doing nothing but staring at the walls. The plan is tough because I need to keep it a 2 car garage. My wife's Nissan Murano needs to stay inside, and I have a 1997 Camaro that also needs to be inside. The other problem is I'm going to be making the Camaro into a race car. That is going to require some space. My problem really is how to build this garage in a way that allows me to keep 2 cars, storage, a place to work, and keep it on a budget.

 

[galexie64]

Sounds about like my garage. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[Steve91T]

I spent a lot of time online and finally found some ideas for simple, yet strong shelves. I really wish I could have huge cabinets to make it look cleaner, but I didn't have the budget for something like that. I also figured a folding work bench would be perfect, along with pegboard. I realized if I didn't paint it now, it'd never get done.

At this, I was pretty happy with how they shelves turned out. When I first started painting the shelves black, I thought they were going to look bad, but once they were up, I really liked the contrast. These shelves are strong too. All made out of 3/4" plywood. I ripped 4" stripes that are screwed to the studs, and the tracks are screwed to the plywood.

 

[Steve91T]

At this point, the one little ceiling mounted light bulb weren't cutting it. I decided to move on to the lighting.

Workbench light is also hard wired to the main lights. Couldn't think of a situation where I wouldn't want it on.

Since I had my angle grinder out to cut the conduit, I decided to go to town on the pipe. One old cut off wheel, and about 15 minutes, it was out. I ground it down and smoothed it out, so it's flush and not sharp. I need to get some cement to fill it in...it's just asking to eat wrenches and anything else I drop down there.

 

[Steve91T]

Last week I set goal to get my Camaro from my parents house to it's new home on Sunday. I started cleaning out all the **** on the floor to make room. As you can see, it's a mess. I knew that I'd have to move things around as I found spots for everything, but it looks bad, and I'm not happy with it.

My wife told me about plastic bins that she gets at Target all the time. All kind of shapes and sizes, and even some that have pull out drawers. I think I'm going to see what I can find and maybe that'll help me keep it organized. I also need more storage. I'm going to build a big shelf on the other side of the big beam going across the garage. Wasted space, might as well be able to store things up there.

I'm not sure if I like using the side walls to store things like ladders and shovels and stuff that just gets in the way when you're trying to work on the car. I may try to come up with a place to hang them from up high.

I found that tall, black cabinet at Habitat for Humanity for only $10. Brought it home, painted it, and screwed it to the wall. I like it because it's really tall, yet only 2' deep, so it doesn't take up much room.

After reading the entire "12 gauge garage" thread, which is one of my favorites, I thought the under garage door lights were genius. I have good light when the door is down, but obviously it's really dark under the door when up. I found these lights at Lowe's on sale for $17 a pop. I used 1x4's to keep them as low profile as possible. I think they turned out really good.

What's really cool about them is I haven't lost any head room. They are still higher off the ground than the opening of the garage door. And from about 15 feet away from the garage, you can't see them. I'm going to wire them up today.

 

[EVOLVO]

That post you cut off is almost certainly a code requirement. Just remember, we all have lapses of memory, hope you don't smash your water heater and break the gas line yourself. If'n it was me I would have put that post to work as a vise stand, removable work bench, post holder for a beater bag, etc.
Good Luck to ya!

 

[SuperSocket]

That post you cut off is almost certainly a code requirement. Just remember, we all have lapses of memory, hope you don't smash your water heater and break the gas line yourself. If'n it was me I would have put that post to work as a vise stand, removable work bench, post holder for a beater bag, etc.
Good Luck to ya!

Or get an inline hot water heater that is off the ground and solve multiple issues with one change.

 

[Mykl]

Hope your insurance co. doesn't find out you cut off that pipe.

 

[d0nk3y]

I'm not going to go all "Doom and Gloom" on you - I like what you've done with the space. I do like Evolvo's suggestion of a portable workstand / vice / whatnot - that's brilliant as it should be pretty strong anchored in the floor.

I have an idea - take the pipe you cut off and find another section of pipe that slips inside and weld it with 4" or 6" sticking out. You can use that to put the pipe back in the floor on a temporary basis for an inspection (if ever) but more importantly - to anchor something more substantial than a folding bench can handle. You could take a similar section of the slip-fit sized pipe and fill that with cement (with something to grab ahold of to take it out) to use to plug the hole in your floor when it's not in use.

 

[Steve91T]

I didn't know it was code to have the post there. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if it was closer to the water heater. It was very much in the way being 3ft out from one wall, and 3 1/2ft from the other. Anyway, I've been eying tankless heaters. I really like the wall mounted hybrid models that have a small 2 gal tank that eliminate the problems associated with true tankless water heaters.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Looks great so far. I too have a 20X20, and have to be creative to make everything fit. See my sig line.

Jim

 

[regguy1]

You've got some cool ideas there

I added a detatched garage and finally had time do finish the inside, here's the thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140674

 

[Steve91T]

I'm not going to go all "Doom and Gloom" on you - I like what you've done with the space. I do like Evolvo's suggestion of a portable workstand / vice / whatnot - that's brilliant as it should be pretty strong anchored in the floor.

I have an idea - take the pipe you cut off and find another section of pipe that slips inside and weld it with 4" or 6" sticking out. You can use that to put the pipe back in the floor on a temporary basis for an inspection (if ever) but more importantly - to anchor something more substantial than a folding bench can handle. You could take a similar section of the slip-fit sized pipe and fill that with cement (with something to grab ahold of to take it out) to use to plug the hole in your floor when it's not in use.

That's a great idea. What kind of table would attach to a pipe of that size? Ideally, the pipe with the insert and the table would be separate for ease of storage.

 

[Steve91T]

Looks great so far. I too have a 20X20, and have to be creative to make everything fit. See my sig line.

Jim

You've got some cool ideas there

I added a detatched garage and finally had time do finish the inside, here's the thread: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140674

Thanks guys for the links! Jim, I read through your entire thread and I really liked the wrap around shelves that you had in your old garage. Why did you go with the white wire shelf in the new house? To keep it clean looking? You make me want to paint the walls now of mine Great looking garage.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Thanks guys for the links! Jim, I read through your entire thread and I really liked the wrap around shelves that you had in your old garage. Why did you go with the white wire shelf in the new house? To keep it clean looking? You make me want to paint the walls now of mine Great looking garage.

Yeah, the old shelves were very strong, but not very good looking. In this garage I have only fairly light weight stuff on the wire shelving. It helps keep the garage clean, clean looking too. I will be doing a lot of filming in this garage for my side business, so it is important to keep it clean and bright. Plus I finally had a chance to do it right.

Jim

 

[d0nk3y]

That's a great idea. What kind of table would attach to a pipe of that size? Ideally, the pipe with the insert and the table would be separate for ease of storage.

If you're going with a different water heater, I would think you could fasten a stout metal table hinged to the wall that would swing down and use the pole as a support (similar in fashion to the swing-down metal tables in Jack Olsen's 12-gauge garage).

It would also be a great base for a bench grinder, should you ever use one of those.

 

[JimVonBaden]

A little better photo for some idea how big 20X20 can be!

Jim

 

[racerbob4]

Looks great Jim, you did a lot in a short time. Our garage-house is almost done, come over and help finish it.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I'd be happy to lend a hand. I have a few friends who have helped me too, though with the house, not the garage!

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Steve91T]

A little better photo for some idea how big 20X20 can be!

Jim

That is a great picture of your garage. Now I get why you did the wire shelves along the back wall. I was actually planning on building plywood shelves along the side of mine, but now that I see yours, I think that's what I'm going to do. It'll make it feel more open in there, and not closed in.

Thanks for the picture!

 

[JimVonBaden]

That is a great picture of your garage. Now I get why you did the wire shelves along the back wall. I was actually planning on building plywood shelves along the side of mine, but now that I see yours, I think that's what I'm going to do. It'll make it feel more open in there, and not closed in.

Thanks for the picture!

Exactly. On a small garage the heavy wood shelving makes the space look/feel smaller. I like the way these work. Just keep in mind you need to put the supports on the studs with appropriate screws, and I don't put any single box over 40# (most significantly less) on the shelves. I can hang my 230 pounds on them, but I just want to be sure. They could probably hold much more.

Jim

 

[Steve91T]

Last night I realized I needed more light towards the front of the garage. Fixed it today.

Then I was getting ready to build a long, 12" wide shelf along that beam when I realized that it's just not the right spot. It's going to make it feel too small, and kill all the light I just installed. Then I was going to do something like Jim did in his garage, except I was going to build a selves between the garage track and the wall, 18" wide by 10'.

I don't think it will effect the light because I have the small round lights under the door. But it doesn't solve a problem for my bulky stuff. I've got a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" plywood sitting in the garage. I'm now thinking that two, 4x4 drop down storage shelves, above the door, on each side of the chain. That would give me way more storage than any shelf, it would be nearly hidden with the garage door up, and isn't going to make the garage feel any smaller.

What do you guys think of that idea? The only problem will be how to mount it. Are joists 16" apart like wall studs? If so, then a 4x4 will work. Jim's shelves in his old garage went through the drywall, and were attached directly to the studs. I know this would be ideal, but is there another way to do this? Some sort of brackets that could screw through the drywall and into the studs? Then the vertical 4x4's that hold up the plywood floor (of the shelf) could attach to those brackets.


Two more pictures. I'll be able to start organizing once I get the drop down shelves built.

Let there be light!!! And I still have one of the under door lights to wire up yet.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Hi Steve! Looking good. I like the round lights for added light when the door is up.

There are a couple of ways to support the shelves. Several have done it here using allthread or cables attached to the joists. There are lots of options, and I am sure someone will show you a few.

Jim

 

[nosetackle]

Looks good so far ! You should check out 89Vert's garage, to also be what can be done with a smaller layout .

 

[Red Leader]

My garage is about that size. I really like what you did with the fold down bench. Very nice!

 

[Steve91T]

Let there be storage! Not my best work, and I definitely learned a lot, but it's strong as hell. I was crawling around up there this morning screwing in the plywood and it felt as strong as a back yard deck. Should be about 40 sq ft.

Time to organize!

 

[JimVonBaden]

Let there be storage! Not my best work, and I definitely learned a lot, but it's strong as hell. I was crawling around up there this morning screwing in the plywood and it felt as strong as a back yard deck. Should be about 40 sq ft.

Time to organize!

Looks good, and I am sure it is strong. However, without verticle 2X4 support running under the horizontal 2X4's I am betting you will see some sagging over time in the middle.

Jim

 

[Steve91T]

Looks good, and I am sure it is strong. However, without verticle 2X4 support running under the horizontal 2X4's I am betting you will see some sagging over time in the middle.

Jim

Yep, I think you're right ....didn't think about that. Problem is I wanted as much clearance as possible, so it's really close to the garage door. I'll just try to keep the heavy stuff on the perimeter and light stuff towards the center. If/when it sags, I'll just replace the 2x4s.

 

[Terapin]

You are doing a great job with the space you have. That's a nice setup with the fold down bench surrounded by shelving.

 

[lonestarky]

it would make the shelf a lot stronger if you turned the 2X4 vertical on the bottom so you had more material cross section in the stressed direction...like the floor joists of your house. Would only sacrifice 1" of space.

 

[Steve91T]

it would make the shelf a lot stronger if you turned the 2X4 vertical on the bottom so you had more material cross section in the stressed direction...like the floor joists of your house. Would only sacrifice 1" of space.

I don't have any room to spare. As the top panel makes the turn, it just barely rubes the shelf. I'll just have to deal with it some other time.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I don't have any room to spare. As the top panel makes the turn, it just barely rubes the shelf. I'll just have to deal with it some other time.

Another option would be to stand a 2X4 on top of the sheeting along the perimeter. Screw it from underneith, and to the verticle supports going up. That would still give you the support, and act as a ledge to keep loose items from rolling/falling off the shelf.

Jim

 

[Steve91T]

Anyone know if a 22 gal Kobalt compressor can be laid down and still be operated? It's a really cheap one with no oil system.

I would love to put it on my shelf over the garage door and have a reel mounted on the ceiling for the hose.

 

[d0nk3y]

Oilless = poo.

 

[Steve91T]

Oilless = poo.

I agree...it's ****, but it's all I got and all my money is going into my race car.

So, will it work on it's side?

 

[Steve91T]

Hey everyone! It's been a while.

This was my project over the past few months.

Going back in (the really scary part)

As the garage sits now

I've learned a few things.

It's truly amazing how quickly I can make a mess.
I run out of room VERY quickly
I don't think I'll EVER have enough storage
A cheap old box fan is the ONLY way I survived hot/humid summers
And, I love my lights.

So, Now that the car is more or less put back together, it's time to start planning again for future upgrades.

I think the first thing I'm going to do is build a 4' wide rack to hold a spare set of wheels/tires. That'll go on the wall over where the ladder is hanging. Those wheels and tires are on a dolly taking up a ton of room.

I also need to build another hanging shelf above the garage door. That'll make a huge difference. It's great to store extra 2x4's, boxes of parts, Christmas boxes, all kinds of things that I don't have to get to every day.

BTW, right now isn't clean and organized. I basically pushed everything to the walls just to get the cars in the garage. This week is when I'll build the tire rack and get the hood on the car. Also, everything else on the floor along the walls will be picked up. Keeping the walls and floors clear keeps the garage feeling big.

Here's why I'm really here though. I want a lift. I didn't think it would be possible in this garage, but I'm starting to think that it might be.

You saw how I had to install that engine. The car was as stable as it could be, but still not fun. Fortunately, I really never had to crawl under the car while it was up there. But even know that the engine is back in, putting the car on jack stands takes time and a lot of effort. Plus, as often as I need to get the car off the ground, safety is a big factor. The car sits so low to the ground, if something were to happen, I wouldn't have a chance.

Of course thats the excuse I pitched to my wife and she bought it. This is something that I want to have in next year sometime.

Here's what I'm thinking. I love Jack's lift, but that type of lift won't work for my Camaro. I need something to lift from the jack points.

I just did a quick google search and found a lift that looked like something I want. I know nothing about this company, it's just an example.

http://www.derekweaver.com/update/Pro-6M_Mid_Rise_Lift_Mid___Low_Rise_Lifts_Product.aspx?id=60

It lifts 52" high. Others I've seen lift 40". I think I'd rather have that than the ones that just lift 24". This would allow me to do engine swaps and all kinds of suspension work easily.

I want the lift to be in the center of the garage. Then all I'd have to do is move the car to the center of the garage and lift it up. Easy. The collapsed heigh that I've seen are anywhere from 4 1/2" to 5". I'm thinking of doing what I've seen done on here and that would be to jack hammer the garage floor and build a recessed area 5" deep (or whatever the collapsed heigh of the lift will be) so the lift sits flush with the garage floor.

I know we aren't going to be at this house for more than a few more years (maybe 5). But I figured I could take the lift with me and just fill in the hole when we leave.

I've got some reading to do. I know the 12 gauge garage documents how it was done. I'm think I'm going to be spending some time searching on here to find out how others have done it. I have a neighbor who is a contractor, I know he'd help me.

I'll post a "cleaned and organized" picture soon! Please feel free to offer any suggestions!

EDIT: One more thing that I've been thinking of. I'm often working in the garage outside of the garage. Especially when I'm cutting wood or even working on my truck. The problem is it's very weather dependent. Is it possible to change the normal two car single garage door to one solid door (instead of panels) that would swing out? Like the old school garage doors were. This would give me another 8' of covered space. But of course I have absolutely no idea if it's possible, and how much it would cost. Plus, it has to still be electric.

 

[Ivan DeSlayer]

Ok 1) you guys with the standard 2 car garages are my inspirations 2) Steve You now are my hero with the engine swap. Was wondering if I could do it and gain enough lift and sure as heck it can happen. Thanks

 

[n2ocamaro]

So what did you do to the motor? I really miss my LT1 car.

 

[AHotRod]

You will never have enough room.

What we have to do is stop draging more stuff into the shop/garage

 

[Steve91T]

Ok 1) you guys with the standard 2 car garages are my inspirations 2) Steve You now are my hero with the engine swap. Was wondering if I could do it and gain enough lift and sure as heck it can happen. Thanks

Yeah, there's enough room. But I found once the engine was out and I seperated the engine and crossmember, there wasn't much room. It is what it is.

So what did you do to the motor? I really miss my LT1 car.

The engine that came out was a 396 LT1 430 hp engine. I am building the car for NASA CMC road racing and rules require a stock LT1, so that's what went in.

You will never have enough room.

What we have to do is stop draging more stuff into the shop/garage

I know, but it honestly is stuff I need. A lot of the stuff is spare parts, oil, tools, and of course other garage stuff like scrap wood, paint, and cleaning supplies.

For example, I'm going to buy a spare rear end for my car, but I have nowhere to put it.