Size matters!

[bluestripe67]

I have been a reader of the GJ for a while, but didn't feel I was ready to post pics of my garage. But now I have been moving forward with the transformation.
It all started with a one car when we bought the house in '89. The garage is on the same level as the basement. My '67 Vette fit just fine, but my shop equipment had to stay at my mother-in-law's garage. That arrangement worked well for a while, then we had an addition put onto the full width of the back of the house. This would result in an enlarged garage. Moving from 20x11 too 44x16. It is brick-n-block, insulated walls, cast iron baseboard heat and overhead A/C. Light is via 10 4ft fluorescents. I have started the painting with gray base, accented with a red and blue stripe, topped by white all gloss finish. The workbench sat outdoor in a neighbors yard for years. They gave it to me and it now has a new lease on life. The cabinets are all from a repurpose center in the area. I'm working this whole thing as two sections. The back area which is the real work area and the front for the DD car. Some of the stuff you see will be relocated to the new garden building being erected next week. That will make the area look more like a need and clean garage/shop. The floor will be done in the spring since winter is here.

 

[bluestripe67]

Re: Size matters! UPDATE!

Guys, about a year has passed and much has been done to finish my "Size matter's" garage. In the pics you will see much better organization, space use, and new and better cabinets. If you recall the weather worn workbench got me going in the right direction by doing all the painting with a stripe theme.
At the end of Oct. I had the floor contractor, Stronghold Floors out of Baltimore Md. put down a three part Polyaspartic red, white and blue flake floor coating on a gray base color. I am more than glad it was a contractor doing it. It turned out absolutely fantastic as it followed my color theme for the garage.
Along the back wall are base cabinets from a local person doing a kitchen reno. He had 11 cabinets, of which I knew I could use 9 of them and paid him $400. On top of the two base cabinets is a new solid oak no panel door I purchased from a area building material repurpose warehouse for $15. It was the perfect size for a workbench top. Attached it with "L" brackets, added a backsplash, painted the base to match all the baseboard in the garage. I took a suggestion from one of our GJ members and did 6" pine base board finished in gloss black. To the right is my engine crane, a odd monster too place. On the side wall I added one small cabinet for spray paint can storage. To the right of my tool box, up above is my music center. On the left of the back wall is the compressor closet. It has full insulation and will be plumbed for an external port for a hose reel. The top serves as storage for car covers, fender covers and work blankets. On the forward exterior wall I had a plumber come in and remove the old fin-n-tube base radiator for the cast iron base unit. Each unit on the exterior wall is 10 ft long and keeps the garage at 66* of comfort. On the front side wall I removed the old cabinets and installed the better ones. I keep all my car cleaning supplies here. Under it is an organizer rack for frequently used stuff. On the exterior wall the feed lines for the base rad are concealed in the boxed panel. It can be removed because up above are two 1/4 turn valves too shut the system down if necessary.
For me this has been a long haul with the initial garage extension being built 9 years ago. The front half of the garage is for my '01 Mercedes 4-Matic wagon, my accepted version of a pickup truck. I will enjoy this garage it too the fullest. Dennis

 

[Autorotica]

Dennis, you have come a long way with your shop and as you are finding, there will always be something "better" to do.

Congratulations and keep up the good work!
Chris

 

[larry_g]

That is a nice looking space.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Kevin54]

Great looking garage. Just a suggestion....cut a piece of 1x2 and stick it behind the stile of the cabinet to hold the shelf up level. That's the bad thing about particle board or MDF is that is sags from weight.

 

[bluestripe67]

Great looking garage. Just a suggestion....cut a piece of 1x2 and stick it behind the stile of the cabinet to hold the shelf up level. That's the bad thing about particle board or MDF is that is sags from weight.

Yeh, I caught that the other day. That and a couple of other tweaks are necessary. Thanks for the kind words. Dennis