Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Project Functional Density - Track Car Prep and Storage

[Sawbladz]

I've lurked here forever but never really made a thread to detail all my activities. Since I am halfway through my most recent garage build I thought others might find it interesting so I should document it here.

I am working with a 19x24 2 car subdivision garage with a 4x7 chunk cut out in the back left corner making one garage bay only 20 feet deep. The original height of the ceilings was about 9.5 feet. The entire garage was drywalled very poorly by the builder with no insulation except on the walls shared with the house interior. There is only one 15A circuit for the entire garage which feeds all lighting, receptacles and door openers. Life decisions have been made that we will be here for around 5 years or longer so I decided to spend the time and effort to make the space more functional and fit the too many vehicles I own.

My girlfriend and I purchased this home back in Oct 2022. It was only 3 years old but the previous owners had 10 cats and had destroyed all the floors, baseboards, doors, and sections of drywall. We purchased it well below market value but here in Ontario, Canada that still means way too much money. I’ll likely end up making a post dedicated to the overhaul of the house but I was able to get us moved in after 2 months of possession and fully finished after another 2. Lots of other changes have been completed since then including a large deck, front landscaping and a basement gym. It has finally come time to focus on the garage.

The attached photo shows the garage as I got it, and every piece of carpet that used to be in the house loaded into the back of my old truck. This thread should progress quickly while I detail previously completed activities. I'll likely do some posts on house work, car projects or new car purchases.

 

[Sawbladz]

As you may have figured from the thread title, I have a few sports cars that see HPDE and AutoX duty. However, even with these cars being quite low there still isn't enough height to stack the cars in this space as is. I have always had garages with lower ceiling heights so I purchased a set of Quick Jacks about 5 years ago and have used them constantly with a variety of cars. The goal of this build is to make the garage more functional for doing repairs, upgrades and weekend track prep.

Just for fun I have thrown in some of my past cars to give you an idea of the toys I’ve been playing with over the years. I am 36 now but have always had some kind of a sports car since I was 16. My first car was a 92 Civic hatch with a B16 swap and coilovers. Then I had an 88 Supra turbo which I built to low 400’s whp. After I graduated school and bought a house I sold the Supra and purchased a 2013 Corvette Grand Sport which I owned for 7 years. During the same time I daily drove a 2013 Civic Si and bought a 2000 Miata to get more competitive at local auto X. That escalated further when I sold the NB and picked up a 2007 NC miata which I have since engine swapped and prepped for autoX.

I ended up selling the Corvette back in 2021 and a few weeks later put down a deposit on my dream car. 2 full years later and I was confirmed my allocation, and in the spring of 2023 took delivery of my GT4. It has already seen airport autoX and track time at a local track. Can’t wait for summer to be here so I can do more track events.

About 2 years ago I was given a company car to drive. This was great timing since it coincided with me moving significantly further from work. It’s nice to pile the miles on someone else’s car. Previously my daily was my 2016 F150 so the gas cost was not something I was excited for. The truck was very useful during the house renovation but my need for it has dropped off significantly. I now have a Civic Touring which gets incredible mileage and is a nice place to be. My next replacement is due in August and I have upgraded to a Civic Si for the next 24,000km.

 

[69charged]

Growing up we had a dark blue 88 Supra Turbo Targa. Man I miss that car. Always wanted another one.
Beautiful collection.

 

[Sawbladz]

Growing up we had a dark blue 88 Supra Turbo Targa. Man I miss that car. Always wanted another one.
Beautiful collection.

Thanks! I bought that Supra in 2004 when I was in high school and owned it until about 2012. It was a great car but as I got more into AutoX and track days it made more sense to move on to cars that were more capable.

I wouldn't think of my cars as a collection. I tend to keep them for a while and enjoy them fully before moving on to a new experience.