Small 2 car garage in Cambridge, UK

[Megadodo]

Having found this forum on another forum I visit that covers my BMW E36 I have spent way too much time looking at all the very nice, well equipped huge garages that are here. I thought I should contribute my own humble "man cave".
Its a simple 2 car block built flat roofed affair that when I bought the house 18 years ago would do to restore my BMW 1602. The BMW never made to the garage in 1 piece having been written off on the way to the garage when I lost control of the trailer it was on on the way here!
4 years ago I bought myself a Robin Hood 2B kit car and it was time to overhaul the garage with some cladding paint the walls and floor and build an extension on the back for a toll bench and to have somewhere to put stuff as the garage isn't that big!
Photos show the old BMW, the back of the garage before the extension and some of the old fence panelling used to clad the finished "man cave"

The next few pictures show the extension being thrown up

The door was second hand for £10, the window was free form the neighbours garage and the patio sliding doors I found at the side of the road just dumped! The extension was clad in the old fencing and I knocked a doorway through into the main part of the garage. I run water, electricity and RJ45 to the wife's "studio" that I was building at the same time from an old shed!

 

[Megadodo]

I filled the extension floor with concrete up to the level of the main part part of the garage, cleaned the whole floor and painted the whole lot in some cheap garage floor paint.

Before painting the floor

After painting

Door fitted after being shortened and some tidying up and the back was finished.

 

[roger440]

Thats looking better

 

[Megadodo]

The new toy arrives and is "dumped in the garage.

Power and water is brought into the garage.

The car being worked on

The finished car, 4 years and 1 conservatory later also showing the garage clad in the fencing.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Very nice, like your car too.

 

[Megadodo]

Some inside shots, you can see the floor paint hasn't gone the distance. It sticks to the kit car tyres like the proverbial to a blanket. The Tig welder is hard to use but has been very useful on the wife's camper van! The engine on the stand is a VW VR6 that is going into the kit cat at the end of next year.

The junk in the extension needs tidying and you can just see the compressor under the bench.

 

[chris bsopke]

Good looking space for a uk garage megadodo , shame you have to share the add on with the management. Did you get the floor paint from b&q? I have the same problem rubber of any type pulls the paint straight of the floor.

Cheers Chris Cant

 

[nuttynil]

Good space you seem to have most tools set up to cover the jobs .

 

[Megadodo]

"Did you get the floor paint from b&q? I have the same problem rubber of any type pulls the paint straight of the floor."
Tyres are the main culprit for paint removal but it does just appear to flake off in the odd place plus petrol softens it, how good is that for a garage floor paint?
I can't remember where I got the paint from exactly, B&Q or Homebase, somewhere like that. I cleaned the floor as per the instructions but maybe it wasn't dry enough? I think when I do some more storage and rearranging so I can get a second car into the garage I'll go down the diamond grinding and epoxy route.

 

[ZRX61]

That house with the ivy in the 2nd pic looks familiar.... what part of town? I always lusted after the old coach houses up the alley behind the Hopbine.

 

[Megadodo]

About 8 miles West of Cambridge! I wanted the old windmill near Elsworth which has an old barn that would make a wicked garage but never had the guts to make the huge financial commitment that would have been required a few years ago when it was for sale. I don't think I ever actually seen the Hopbine or the coach house, I'll have to take a gander the next time I'm that way! Are you native to the US and a visitor to Cambridge or are you a Brit?

 

[ZRX61]

Brit in the US, Lived in town there & also out at Caldecoate which is probably why that building looks familiar. Hopbine is on that small street across from Midsummer Common between the KSR & Zebra.

Edit: just looked it up, Hopbine is on Fair St, The coach houses are up the alley on the Common side of the pub (left as ya face it). Salmon Lane is the place ya looking for.

 

[JasonPrice]

Great garage and workshop more uk threads needed any updates

 

[GBsnoopy]

Nice garage workshop, more organised then mine.
Those Rtech Chinese made TIG units are not the easiest to use, especially if its the digital front panel one. Also don't have the most steady of arc.
Nice kitcar project I always promised myself to do something similar one day.

 

[Megadodo]

With the arrival of another toy for me to tinker with I had to do something with lack of space in the garage. So after several trips to the dump and some stuff being moved to a shed I finally found some space in the garage. This was quickly filled up with some stuff brought from my late father's house until my brothers can pick it up. This oak cupboard has an impressive date, older than most north american houses I suspect!

This is still sat in the middle of the garage causing issue but Tom assures me he is coming to get it soon!
I extended my tool box collection and got some cupboards to get more "free" floor space. One of three door cupboard had to be cut down to two doors to fit in the gap but I think it works well.


With a bit more brutal disposal of gear and organisation I got to here. I treated myself to a banner to make the ne toy feel at home.


I still have to move one of the toolboxes to the annexe but for the first time in 20 years I have actually two cars in my two car garage!!!! You can the old oak cupboard on its side between the cars. This garage is getting there slowly but surely! Next is some ceiling insulation, plaster board (sheet rock) and some re-wiring!