Single car garage in Indianapolis

[HSpencer]

This is my favorite thread on GJ. You have many talents and much foresight. I give you tremendous credit for your work on the one car. Were I selecting a garage of the year, you would be right on top! I admire the garage.

 

[allinon72]

This is my favorite thread on GJ. You have many talents and much foresight. I give you tremendous credit for your work on the one car. Were I selecting a garage of the year, you would be right on top! I admire the garage.

Wow that's quite a compliment. Thanks!

 

[Scooter Scott]

Nice work on your garage! I had the dreaded 1 car garage too...I lived in Broad Ripple just off Norwaldo and 54th. I always dreamed of the ambition you have to setup my garage like yours but all I ever got to was the fold down work bench. Very nice work man! The houses down there have a lot of character...and if I were ever to look in a house down thee again your garage would be a huge attraction for me.

 

[nw2571]

Another Hoosier here allinon. Did a great job on the garage. I'm curious about your bench, whether you have found yourself wishing to have toe space inset below? I'm considering building in a toolbox like you have but wouldn't have enough room with my current setup to have toe space underneath.

 

[HSpencer]

@allinon72. The reason for my comment above concerns the ability you had to visualize the space you have and make the most of it. We see tons of extra large garages on here. It does us good to see such fine management of your space. Additionally, it pleases us greatly to see you manufacture a working solution to what you want in your garage. From your fold down bench (I am copying it myself) to your color schemes, you are showing that you are much bigger than your space. In these hard times, using your head instead of your credit card impresses me plenty. I enjoyed watching you post and overcome the challenges you had from the beginning. In my opinion you solved them perfectly. Your space is now your own, and it must surely be a pleasure for you to work in. As others have said you have increased the value of your home by what you have done. Yes, a powerful thumbs up on your work. I hope you keep your thread going and let us see some more of your ideas in action.
Congratulations on a job well done.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Here's my new top drawer

I THINK I'd be tempted to paint your spray can racks and the inset panels on the doors the same blue as your tool chest.

NOT criticizing because it looks fantastic as it is but just looking for minor enhancements on one of the nicest small garages on the board.

 

[allinon72]

Here's a cabinet project I've been working on. Need more storage space for power tools, cleaning supplies, etc.

 

[Requin6]

Great transformation! I might be snatching a few of your ideas for my own garage!

 

[Modern Jess]

Excellent work turning a small dark hole into a bright and functional workshop.

 

[dubber]

Awesome creations you have done to help make that a better space.

 

[kyle@hcb]

Great transformation; I love the layout!

 

[Sunbimmer]

Good transformation, good eye for detail, I like it.
I love how you integrated the toolcart/chest in your workbench

 

[55cadillacking]

Your new wall cabinet unit looks awesome and I'm sure it will give you a LOT more storage. Smart placement, too. Won't be in the way in the corner there. Smart move.

 

[allinon72]

I built the entire cabinet pictured above with a circular saw and a level clamped to the wood for straight cuts, due to my lack of a table saw. I decided that I liked this cabinet making stuff so I better get a table saw. Decided on this mobile Dewalt unit because it got excellent reviews and I can mount it on the wall to keep it out of the way. It won't be able to make 100% of all cuts due to the smaller rip capacity, but hey when you have a garage this small, you have to make some sacrifices!

 

[John in OH]

My first time to read through this thread .... really nice job on your garage refurb!! Just wondering, since your original bench design was for a HF box, what factors led to your decision to go with the Masterforce box? I've read good comments on both boxes on other threads, just wondering why you changed from your original plan.

 

[allinon72]

My first time to read through this thread .... really nice job on your garage refurb!! Just wondering, since your original bench design was for a HF box, what factors led to your decision to go with the Masterforce box? I've read good comments on both boxes on other threads, just wondering why you changed from your original plan.

I always liked the Masterforce box because of the drawer detents and the way the drawers felt solid opening and closing. I did not like the green color and the price was significantly higher than the HF box. However, when the box went on clearance, that's when I decided to pull the trigger. Getting rid of the green was still a huge pain in the ***, but in the end I had the exact shade of color that I wanted for the garage. Had I gone with the HF box, I would have left it red and it would have looked OK in the garage because red is sort of a universal color for toolboxes. However having it blue just ties it in more. I'm sure some guys are reading this rolling their eyes, but aesthetics are important to me.

 

[allinon72]

Finished the cabinet doors. I really don't know how to finish the wood so I'm leaving it raw for now. I am sick of painting everything with gray paint.

You can also see my table saw hanging out of the way underneath.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks great....again.

What finish will you put on that beautiful cabinet?

Oh, one last thing: What's the model no. on the DeWalt saw?

 

[allinon72]

Despite everything I've added to the garage, very few things take up floor space. Most of the things on the wall reside in areas that would be considered dead space anyway. You can still park a small or mid size car in the garage. Although we rarely do it, my fiances Cobalt fits with room to spare.

 

[allinon72]

Looks great....again.

What finish will you put on that beautiful cabinet?

Oh, one last thing: What's the model no. on the DeWalt saw?

Still deciding on the cabinet finish. Might try a gray stain but I'm a novice when it comes to stain so I'll have to research more.

The saw is a Dewalt DW745.

 

[K5/TBSS]

Finished the cabinet doors. I really don't know how to finish the wood so I'm leaving it raw for now. I am sick of painting everything with gray paint.

You can also see my table saw hanging out of the way underneath.

I spy some Adam's Polishes in your cabinet. Best stuff ever... I have tons of their stuff.

 

[allinon72]

Yep Adams Swirl Mark Remover

 

[wawaw]

You desrve a larger garage. That is the most outstandig transformation ive seen on here. Greatjob.

 

[allinon72]

You desrve a larger garage. That is the most outstandig transformation ive seen on here. Greatjob.

I'll have a larger garage some day, but I have a feeling i'll never forget this one!

 

[brum]

The second I saw the garage I knew you lived in broadripple haha. I grew up in Castleton, went to Chatard, now living in Bloomington.

The colors and lighting of this garage are awesome. Keep it up! What'd that toolbox run ya? I'm really needing one...

Are you going to do anything to the floors?

 

[enginewizard1969]

Only joined this fourm yesturday. I am from the UK. But mad on cars I only have a single garage as well mainly due to land and houses being so expensive!!! Have been coming up with ideas of what to do with it. Just spent the last 20 mins sitting here with my coffee reading this thread Im very impressed with what you have done and has given me some great ideas to put into my garage. If I could get my garage to look half as good as yours I would be happy fantastic work!!!!

 

[Derrickwade]

Nice job on the cabinetry.

 

[dubber]

This has definitely been a great example of a big transformation in a small space.

 

[cburnscrx]

Wow, I just read this thread from beginning to end. Very, very nice work. I too am in Indy and will be following from here on out. We bought a different house awhile ago, and are still rehabbing it. I should be done by 2019. Haha.

 

[IONH]

While the cabinets aren't finished, be careful not to get grease on them. Will be near impossible to get out and the paint may bubble. Not sure if stain would saturate at all, would definitely show through.

 

[Re-Tread]

Great job! Looks like you're ready to have some serious fun in there. You are obviously a lot more organized than I am.

 

[ryanp77]

This is an amazing garage.. now I know who to call when I redo my garage

 

[f150skidoo]

Great looking garage, really like the grey and blue bands on the walls.

 

[c0r3y.af]

Bit of a thread bump, but I just finished reading the entire thread and I'm extremely impressed with your woodworking skills and how well you've managed to keep things off of the floor and out of the way. Any updates?

 

[Olliecampbell]

I'd be tempted to paint the cabinets white to match the white stripe that they're sat on....Just a thought.

 

[xtremek]

Paint most of the cabinets the white but paint the stiles(is that what the edge of the door is called?) the blue. The dark color won't show grimy prints as much. Just a thought.

 

[cburnscrx]

Paint the cabinets white, but with a gloss enamal, they'll wipe clean.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Amazing plan for a small garage. Hopefully mine will end up in the same universe as yours when I get to finish it. I know what you mean about compromises for space, and it looks like that table saw worked out very well. I'm going to try to cram a full size Rockwell Beaver into mine with creative placement. I hope.

 

[OldH1]

Great looking transformation! I love your ingenuity in harvesting seasoned materials! Not sure if it was already suggested but on the floor have you looked at the self-leveling cement? YouTube it...pretty easy and inexpensive and it will give you a level base to put your final flooring on when you get to that stage. Thanks for sharing...EXCELLENT JOB!!

 

[allinon72]

I got tired of the top on my workbench, which is simply 3/4" MDF. My original plan was to have a piece of stainless bent up that fit over the top. I quickly realized that that wasn't going to happen due to cost. I started researching and a lot of people have used wood flooring...so I decided to do the same. I settled on bamboo because of it's hardness. I used exactly 1 carton (about 24 sq. ft.) and cost me $60.

Bare MDF doesn't stay nice very long

Roughed and smoothed the surface with 60 grit. By the way, this Bosch sander is one of the best power tools I've bought for $60

I decided to 45 everything to make a nice clean edge. It worked out pretty well

In progress

And finished

Some more info: I originally was going to rip all the tongue and grove pieces off each board so there was no bevel between pieces. I decided not to do that as the bevel was not very big. I was also planning on putting several coats of polyurethane over the top of it. Now I am undecided...I like the satin-like finish and I'm afraid the poly would make it too shiny. However, I would like the increased durability. Thoughts?