bazzateer
Well-known member
Maybe this is Jeff, the one with the Berlin 1940s haircut!
http://scontent-b-ord.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1450159_416254378498072_1124047265_n.jpg
Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage
- Thread starter Jack Olsen
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
Maybe this is Jeff, the one with the Berlin 1940s haircut!
http://scontent-b-ord.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1450159_416254378498072_1124047265_n.jpg
tuner4life
Well-known member
Congrats on yet another shoot! Your garage is an inspiration!
slik560
Well-known member
Kudos....again. For a couple of years now I've been trying to put my finger on just WHAT IS IT about this garage? WHY is it so appealing? Organized? Obviously. Efficient? And then some. But a lot of garage spaces fit this description. What I finally realized that on a simple, personal level, Jack's space is just inviting. It's cozy - you want to visit and spend time there. The layout, color schemes, everything about it just works together. Even with Jack's step by step, phase by phase descriptions of how it was done, no one will ever be able to completely re-create the 12-Gauge Garage.
There...I'm done....I'll stop posting for a while and go back to stealing ideas from Jack. Now all I need is a vintage Porsche to toy around with. Still working on that angle.
There...I'm done....I'll stop posting for a while and go back to stealing ideas from Jack. Now all I need is a vintage Porsche to toy around with. Still working on that angle.
Such an inspirational everyman's garage.
The lighting is one of my favorite aspects. I much prefer the softer and warmer glow to the harsh clinical blue I see in so many garages/office spaces.
Jack, do you have a photo showing how your trouble lights are wired/plugged in up there? Going through so many photos in this thread I wouldn't be surprised if I just skipped over one.
The lighting is one of my favorite aspects. I much prefer the softer and warmer glow to the harsh clinical blue I see in so many garages/office spaces.
Jack, do you have a photo showing how your trouble lights are wired/plugged in up there? Going through so many photos in this thread I wouldn't be surprised if I just skipped over one.
955point9cummins
Well-known member
This garage makes me want go puy an addition on mine so that I can keep all the working space I have now with the added kitchen type layout work area. Amazing amazing amazing.
Red Leader
Well-known member
Jack, congrats on the video shoot of the garage. We just cannot get enough of the 12 ga garage!
-Dave
-Dave
katotter
Well-known member
Where can I see the video?
BHR4CE1
Well-known member
No....that's Matt.
bazzateer
Well-known member
Looks like Jack's love of Porsche has extended to a family car for a trip to London - complete with (almost) personalised plate (JA05LEN)!
(sorry for the crappy phone pic)
(sorry for the crappy phone pic)
Saw this today in the Pelican newsletter: Fast through a corner -- 1960s technology still shines
BRIANBB
Well-known member
Just curious on how you determined the quantity of bags you needed for the pour? Is there some calculation chart to estimate this? I want to be sure I have enough on hand just in case.
All right. Monday's over and here's the recipe: 1 oz gin, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz Lillet Blanc, 1 oz lemon juice, 3 drops Herbsaint (or absinthe, or pastis). Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish by dropping in a stemless Maraschino cherry.
It's just a shame that there isn't a similar cocktail designed for cars, as my 28-year-old Jeep deserves something for the work it did today, too.
First up, 1,100 pounds of concrete and 2,000-2,500 pounds of clay are now gone. It took three trips and the poor suspension on the Jeep was down very low. But all the concrete I cut out and all the clay I dug out are no longer sitting around in trash cans and tubs and the back of the poor Jeep.
Then two trips to Home Depot for 24 bags of Quikrete. These are the 90 pound bags that only Home Depot seems to carry. I wish they would have carried them for me to the Jeep.
Then I started removing tiles -- first, it was just the ones that bordered on the hole I cut. Then it was the ones damaged as I got tired and sloppy while removing the first set. Some had welding scars on them, so I figured why not. They were not easy to get up. And I've still got some work ahead of me getting rid of the old thinset.
Then... building the forms for the new pour -- which might just happen tomorrow. I've got to thank GJ-er Dan in Pasadena for the very generous loan of the cement mixer. The fact that my back is going to survive this ordeal is thanks you you, Dan.
And all of that loading and unloading and lifting was on top of some work (the stuntmen heist story is now set in the Ukraine, not the South Pacific) and a couple of doctor appointments (one for the 2-year-old and one for the pregnant wife).
I'm not complaining -- but it was a pretty long day.
Cheers.
(Not my photograph, but it's the cocktail I mention -- and it kind of captures the spirit of what I'm talking about.)
Flange
Well-known member
Its quite simple. You need to measure the volume of the void that will be filled with concrete and then either buy ready mixed concrete by the cubic yard or mix your own. Jack used a ready bagged concrete mix, each bag will give a certain volume which will be stated on the bag, you then just need to divide the overall volume by the volume in each bag to give the number of bags.
If you are buying separate ingredients and mixing your own then, rather than explain here, if you google it there are plenty of online calculators based on cubic yards (being from the UK I work in cubic metres so I wont confuse issues by using my calc)
Jack!, I got to say, Beautiful garage and details of it from start to finish. I only have three questions though, and they may have been answered before but who but you and the rest of my garage junkies has the time to read all of them?...#1- did you say you were a Writer or an Engineer?...#2- I cant quite read the numbers on that $1 bill you use for reference, but is it still the same one?...(if not than your as cheap as the rest of us garage dreamers)...#3- how and where do you find the time with the 3 wonders of life to spend time in "The Garage"?...
You are an inspiration to us all...Thanks!...
P.S...and your right, when its clean and organized, you are driven to work in it. But when cluttered, you just stand there and dream of a 12 gauge garage and lose the focus and ability of your own ingenuity!
You are an inspiration to us all...Thanks!...
P.S...and your right, when its clean and organized, you are driven to work in it. But when cluttered, you just stand there and dream of a 12 gauge garage and lose the focus and ability of your own ingenuity!
OP
I don't think any of the trouble lights are hard-wired in. I've got outlet strips up there that they plug into. The electrical work on the garage is definitely its weak spot. If I'd known where the place would end up, I would have pulled most of the plywood and put in the outlets and junction boxes I'd need before I did anything else. But I didn't, so it's kind of a mess.
Cool!Looks like Jack's love of Porsche has extended to a family car for a trip to London - complete with (almost) personalised plate (JA05LEN)!
(sorry for the crappy phone pic)
That's me -- still plugging away with the same car at the same track. I've got two more chances this month to get into the 1:26's at Willow Springs. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.
Like flange says, you just take the area and the depth and do some quick math. I added a couple extra, since it's better to end up with $6 worth of extra cement mix than to be two bags short.
Thanks! I'm a screenwriter -- I mostly do rewrites of other peoples' work. My father an older brother are both engineers, though. So some of it is in the blood.
Grizz1963
Well-known member
Hi Jack, been a while but nothings changed ........ Continue to love your thread and approach to solving challenges and maximizing space.
Remember to give us a shout when you come to the UK
Remember to give us a shout when you come to the UK
mrnvgtr
Member
Well long time lurker, rare poster here. Saw a magazine article on your garage quite some time ago. Im a fellow 911 owner ('91 964 C4 coupe). I'm also currently in the early period of a house build, so I've been sifting through a lot of ideas to figure out whether they're critical enough to be incorporated into the house due to a tight budget. I will be making accommodations for a scissor lift, but that's not necessarily an inspiration provided by your garage. I just think it's a smart clean utility for lifting a car and doing a lot of maintenance with a small footprint. The one idea you've given me is the classic and clean appearance and utility of your garage; the use of a very simple color theme. I love the re-use of the metal cabinetry to hide the clutter that only you (and the many ******** observant readers here) know exist. Well mine will be a three car, new construction, but I look forward to using some of the same theme on my eventual garage build. My twist, just to be different, will be to use some kind of a rust red color against white walls/ceiling and stained/epoxy clear coated concrete floor.
Anyway, just thought I'd share some of the passion with you and everyone here. Hopefully I can share real results later, but it may be a while; even used cabinetry can be pricey. Thanks for a great website and the inspiration to create a special place to house my passion.
Anyway, just thought I'd share some of the passion with you and everyone here. Hopefully I can share real results later, but it may be a while; even used cabinetry can be pricey. Thanks for a great website and the inspiration to create a special place to house my passion.
OP
Thanks.
I finished up some work on the car and then cleaned up the garage this morning. Then, after blowing it out with the leaf blower, I walked through it carrying a camera. There is really nothing new to see in this clip, but in some ways such a low-tech snapshot might give a more-accurate picture of what the place feels like in real life.
So, I can't say there's any compelling reason to click on this. But since this thread has over a million views, then, who knows, maybe someone has wondered what it's like to walk around the place?
Click the image for the video.
I finished up some work on the car and then cleaned up the garage this morning. Then, after blowing it out with the leaf blower, I walked through it carrying a camera. There is really nothing new to see in this clip, but in some ways such a low-tech snapshot might give a more-accurate picture of what the place feels like in real life.
So, I can't say there's any compelling reason to click on this. But since this thread has over a million views, then, who knows, maybe someone has wondered what it's like to walk around the place?
Click the image for the video.
vwracer
Well-known member
Thanks Jack Great video of your garage. Someday my shop will look as sharp!
santagary
Well-known member
Is that Neal singing in the background Jack?
bczygan
Well-known member
A comment above, about what makes this garage so appealing, has made me to want to finally comment on it.
It's not the biggest, or fanciest or even best equipped garage ever.
I don't even like the color.
It does have EVERYTHING put away. Which gives it a continuity and simplicity that makes it easy on the eyes, especially in photos. Not the way I would do things. I would have work stations all set up and ready to use, with tools out and at the station. This would look visually complicated.
One thing Jacks garage has, is versatility. Multiple work surfaces can be used for a variety of jobs.
And a big appeal is that it is every man's garage. It is average size. It shows what anyone could do. It gives inspiration to people with every kind and size of space.
But to me, the best thing about the garage is Jack himself. Through this everlasting thread, he is always here to answer any and every question about anything the members can think up. He explains in detail, what he did and why, and photos every step. That kind of attention is what makes this thread have life far beyond the garage itself.
Thanks Jack.
It's not the biggest, or fanciest or even best equipped garage ever.
I don't even like the color.
It does have EVERYTHING put away. Which gives it a continuity and simplicity that makes it easy on the eyes, especially in photos. Not the way I would do things. I would have work stations all set up and ready to use, with tools out and at the station. This would look visually complicated.
One thing Jacks garage has, is versatility. Multiple work surfaces can be used for a variety of jobs.
And a big appeal is that it is every man's garage. It is average size. It shows what anyone could do. It gives inspiration to people with every kind and size of space.
But to me, the best thing about the garage is Jack himself. Through this everlasting thread, he is always here to answer any and every question about anything the members can think up. He explains in detail, what he did and why, and photos every step. That kind of attention is what makes this thread have life far beyond the garage itself.
Thanks Jack.
turbowoodworker
Well-known member
Very well said. Couldn't agree more.
Zeke
Well-known member
Sounded like Bruce.
aka Larry
Well-known member
Well said, and I agree as well. I actually hate that color, but that is the only thing I don't like.
DynamicGarageDoor
New member
Neat garage! Awesome work!
Ding ding ding!
That's an acoustic version of "Racing in the Street," originally off of 1978's Darkness on the Edge of Town. I'm not sure where that acoustic version is from, but it sounds like later (90's an onward) to me.
(Sorry for geeking out, Bruce Springsteen is my all time favorite musician and songwriter.)
OP
It's what was playing at that moment -- but I won't deny that Springsteen is by far the most-played artist in my garage.
I just looked it up on my Itunes, and it's from a Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake -- instead of a '69 Chevy with a 396, he uses a '32 Ford with a 318 in the opening verse.
I just looked it up on my Itunes, and it's from a Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake -- instead of a '69 Chevy with a 396, he uses a '32 Ford with a 318 in the opening verse.
Last edited:
cramar
Member
Well, I've looked forward to this day! Even since your posting on my 1st thread recommending I consider your garage design, I thought I would read all I could on it. I finally finished all 170 pages and almost 3400 postings! Took over a month! This is probably now the most famous 2-car garage on the planet! Like countless others, I've picked up many ideas. The Porsche and deck stuff was also an interesting and informative diversion.
The Oxford English Dictionary should add a new term called, "The Olsen Effect. This is a sociological term meaning the inspiration and ideas that people receive from Jack Olsen's '12-Gauge Garage' in LA, which has influenced garage utilization all over the world. The garage shows what a common individual can accomplish."
Due to the Olsen Effect, I plan to use several ideas in my own makeover. Due to the Olsen Effect, I am considering learning welding (done only carpentry), but there is no local welding course or anywhere near to buy steel that I know of.
Jack, I hate to propose added work for you, but I'd like to suggest something. Having lived with your garage for 170 pages, I feel I know it rather well. However, many pages back you stated that you have 10 work surfaces (not counting your son's bench—beats lego at that age!). I've been wondering ever since where all are located since I can only count 8 or 9. What I'd like to see is a 2-dimensional layout schematic showing exactly where all 10 work surfaces are located. You could even expand on this idea with another schematic showing every cabinet and what they contain. Even a third, listing your tool locations. If you do one or more of these, they would be a good index or TOC on your garage website. As a retired technical writer, this is what I would do to easily explain the layout if I had a similar garage.
I think you are now running out of things to improve, but I'm sure you will come up with more. Look forward to it.
The Oxford English Dictionary should add a new term called, "The Olsen Effect. This is a sociological term meaning the inspiration and ideas that people receive from Jack Olsen's '12-Gauge Garage' in LA, which has influenced garage utilization all over the world. The garage shows what a common individual can accomplish."
Due to the Olsen Effect, I plan to use several ideas in my own makeover. Due to the Olsen Effect, I am considering learning welding (done only carpentry), but there is no local welding course or anywhere near to buy steel that I know of.
Jack, I hate to propose added work for you, but I'd like to suggest something. Having lived with your garage for 170 pages, I feel I know it rather well. However, many pages back you stated that you have 10 work surfaces (not counting your son's bench—beats lego at that age!). I've been wondering ever since where all are located since I can only count 8 or 9. What I'd like to see is a 2-dimensional layout schematic showing exactly where all 10 work surfaces are located. You could even expand on this idea with another schematic showing every cabinet and what they contain. Even a third, listing your tool locations. If you do one or more of these, they would be a good index or TOC on your garage website. As a retired technical writer, this is what I would do to easily explain the layout if I had a similar garage.
I think you are now running out of things to improve, but I'm sure you will come up with more. Look forward to it.
OP
Wow. Thank you, cramar. I think that this thread has value to people looking for garage ideas that goes a long way past whatever my actual garage has to offer. In some ways, the discussion has more to offer than the shop.
I can rattle off the 10 work surfaces for you. Starting from left to right, there are the fold-down benches (1 and 2), then the lift surface comes up to height and is a 48" square work area (3), then there's the center island (4) and there's also what I call the Swiss Army Bench, which holds the grinders, sander and band saw (5). Then there's the main bench on the back wall (6) and the inch-thick steel bench with the hammers (7). Up at the mouth of the garage there's the butcher-block bench with the curved steel undercarriage (8) and the steel surface around the sink (9). Then, up along the ceiling above the car is the steel bench that lowers down with cables controlled by a winch. That's kind of a cheat, but it's still... #10.
Here's that bench that lowers. It has legs that bolt on when it's down. I used it as a base for the fixture I made when I was welding together the wrought-iron fence for my front lawn.
I can rattle off the 10 work surfaces for you. Starting from left to right, there are the fold-down benches (1 and 2), then the lift surface comes up to height and is a 48" square work area (3), then there's the center island (4) and there's also what I call the Swiss Army Bench, which holds the grinders, sander and band saw (5). Then there's the main bench on the back wall (6) and the inch-thick steel bench with the hammers (7). Up at the mouth of the garage there's the butcher-block bench with the curved steel undercarriage (8) and the steel surface around the sink (9). Then, up along the ceiling above the car is the steel bench that lowers down with cables controlled by a winch. That's kind of a cheat, but it's still... #10.
Here's that bench that lowers. It has legs that bolt on when it's down. I used it as a base for the fixture I made when I was welding together the wrought-iron fence for my front lawn.
OP
You guys (and especially what bczygan wrote) have me thinking now. And to give it some (goofy) context, I'll start off with a provocative quote:
"Jack Olsen's 12-Guage garage is probably the most famous two-car garage in the U.S." - Autoweek (January, 2013)
First off, I'll make it clear that that's crazy. And probably not true. There's nothing all that magical about my garage. It's small. The structure itself is old and not very pretty. It's not the ultimate space for auto work -- or metal fabrication -- or woodworking. I didn't sink a ton of money into it. I'm not rich. I'm not any kind of super-gifted builder or craftsman.
But in spite of all of that, the shop has something about it. I can say that it really is a relaxing place to work. I mean, it doesn't matter what kind of day I'm having -- I feel better the moment I get out there. And there are probably some decisions I made in the process of putting it together that contribute to that quality it has -- whatever that quality is. I'm not an architect or a designer. But there's something about the design of the place that's calming, or focused -- or just puts you in a place where you want to get something done. I'm not really sure how to put it, beyond that. But I'm really glad that I put the place together.
Now, it wasn't always that way. Not at all. For the first four years that I owned this house, the garage wasn't a place to park a car at all. It was just storage for boxes and household **** and some tools. I did all my actual work out in the driveway. When I finally did clean up and organize the place, back in 2007, this is how it came out:
Now, that's a huge improvement over what came before it (no pictures, unfortunately). And at the time I was proud of the fact that I used almost all recycled stuff for the shelving and benches. But it wasn't the kind of shop you'd look at and think 'I wish I could do that with my garage.'
But that clean-up set the stage for one of the first 'forward leaps' for the place -- which was the somewhat impulsive decision to tile over the old floor.
Now, no TV shows or magazines were calling me up at this point. But you can see that the basic layout has already been established. And there's a real difference in how the place feels once you don't have that stained-and-uneven slab sucking up the light and keeping everything dusty. It looks brighter, even a little bigger. And I'd made the decision to enclose that high shelf in the back, which also points to where things would eventually go.
This was the first picture where the place really started to have its own distinct look, at least to me:
It was the picture that an editor from Popular Mechanics saw and sent a writer out to find me. I think by some dumb stroke of luck, I'd just happened to put up enough of those cheap trouble lights that the place actually looked like you'd be able to see what you were working. The light also made the car look good. Compared to the other garages on my street, it already was the one with a distinct 'look.'
But by that point, I'd found my way to the Garage Journal, and -- for better or worse -- I'd started thinking about garages. Does this happen to people with laundry rooms -- or pantries? I don't know. I don't think so. But when I finished a big work project back then, the treat I decided to give myself was a big piece of inch-thick steel plate, which I perched on a second-hand cabinet made by a company called Strong Hold.
Now, my 'compliance station' (as I called it) wasn't all that great an idea. But the way I set aside upper cabinet space, work space, and lower cabinet space with it would end up becoming a defining concept for the garage. I think Ryan posted something about Art Deco service station workbenches back then, and I got it in my head to use aluminum as a border for the upper storage area and have one side curve around (so I could still open the cabinet doors I'd put up above the bench).
I put some of the same aluminum trim over my back-wall workbench. It made a line.
And that led to the first time where I sat down and thought about the way the whole garage looked. I put it in italics, because -- like just about everybody -- until that point I'd only really thought about each piece of the garage and what function it had. After a discussion with some guys in a thread on this board, I sat down and worked out this:
The idea I'd put together was that there were three basic zones in the place -- upper storage, work benches and lower storage -- and if I made them consistent across the whole three walls of the place, I would also create a sort of visual design (well, I wouldn't have used that term at the time) where there was a main defining line emphasizing the width of the place -- the line formed by that aluminum trim, and then also a secondary defining line which came from the uniform height of all the work surfaces. It would make everything look simpler, less cluttered -- more like it was put there for a reason.
Now, is there any functional benefit to having a visual design idea in a garage? Of course not. But it wasn't going to mean compromising on function to get it, so... why not?
And this also tied into the other key idea I think I happened on, which was this: even though it's a small garage, I wanted to have as much workbench surface as I could possibly manage. I know this runs contrary to the way a lot of guys approach their garage, where the concern is that the more bench you have, the more stuff is going to end up collecting on top of it.
It's a fair argument, but my thinking was also practical. When you're working on any kind of job that stretches out over time, you tend to fill up a workbench pretty quickly. The more bench surface I could manage, the more I could keep working without having to push stuff to the floor or put it away. I'm not a neat and tidy worker at all. So having lots of space to work is really a necessity for me.
And the other piece of the new cabinet plan was that there really would be a place to put just about everything I owned. So when the job was finished, I really could clean the place up -- quickly -- without having to make any decisions about how it should be cleaned or what should go where. This means that the shop can get really, really messy -- and never be more than an hour from being very clean again.
So: lots of benches, a simple division of space allowing me lots of storage and lots of work surface, decent lighting, and -- slowly, because I buy most stuff second-hand -- some good tools to work with.
Oh yeah, and I also went from four original wall and cabinet colors down to two. The green was chosen in a hurry, and I'll grant you: it isn't to everyone's taste. But it has an old-school feel to it, at least to me. The tan is just a neutral color that reflects light well. The paint is the part I gave the least amount of thought to, but it's the part that gets used to describe the garage ('that green two-car garage with the Porsche') more than anything else.
It all eventually clicked as what I now think of as the 12-Gauge Garage:
And because you're never really finished, no matter what you think, 2011 saw the addition of a home-engineered lift:
Now, with those two pictures you can see that it really does have a kind of unique look. And apart from making for a cool picture, that visual component also carries over to the experience of the place when you're working in it. It's kind of a strange thing to define, and an odd one to talk about, but... for whatever reason, it really is a great place to work on stuff.
Then, stuff happened. Those photographs led to a story in the Hemmings blog, which in turn (I think) led to all the other media stuff. Car Craft, then Popular Mechanics, and later Hot Rod and others. I don't doubt people think I've got a PR team hustling the garage out to the media, but that's not the case. I'm willing to have the place photographed, but I'm not looking for more press for it.
That said, it's going to be in the German magazine Auto Bild later this month, it's in a French Porsche magazine called Speedster right now, and it'll be featured on the MAVTV show Ultimate Garages sometime in February.
And also, this week marks the one-year anniversary of the video that Petrolicious did on it, which I'll include here as well.
Hosted on both Vimeo and YouTube, the video has close to half a million views so far. I mention those numbers only to express how weird it is that an ordinary guy could sink $3,500 into an ordinary two-car garage and have so many people show an interest in the result. To everyone who's viewed it, or participated in this thread, I've got to say: I really don't understand, but I'm very grateful for the interest, the great ideas I've received from the discussion, and also all the conversation.
Thank you!
"Jack Olsen's 12-Guage garage is probably the most famous two-car garage in the U.S." - Autoweek (January, 2013)
First off, I'll make it clear that that's crazy. And probably not true. There's nothing all that magical about my garage. It's small. The structure itself is old and not very pretty. It's not the ultimate space for auto work -- or metal fabrication -- or woodworking. I didn't sink a ton of money into it. I'm not rich. I'm not any kind of super-gifted builder or craftsman.
But in spite of all of that, the shop has something about it. I can say that it really is a relaxing place to work. I mean, it doesn't matter what kind of day I'm having -- I feel better the moment I get out there. And there are probably some decisions I made in the process of putting it together that contribute to that quality it has -- whatever that quality is. I'm not an architect or a designer. But there's something about the design of the place that's calming, or focused -- or just puts you in a place where you want to get something done. I'm not really sure how to put it, beyond that. But I'm really glad that I put the place together.
Now, it wasn't always that way. Not at all. For the first four years that I owned this house, the garage wasn't a place to park a car at all. It was just storage for boxes and household **** and some tools. I did all my actual work out in the driveway. When I finally did clean up and organize the place, back in 2007, this is how it came out:
Now, that's a huge improvement over what came before it (no pictures, unfortunately). And at the time I was proud of the fact that I used almost all recycled stuff for the shelving and benches. But it wasn't the kind of shop you'd look at and think 'I wish I could do that with my garage.'
But that clean-up set the stage for one of the first 'forward leaps' for the place -- which was the somewhat impulsive decision to tile over the old floor.
Now, no TV shows or magazines were calling me up at this point. But you can see that the basic layout has already been established. And there's a real difference in how the place feels once you don't have that stained-and-uneven slab sucking up the light and keeping everything dusty. It looks brighter, even a little bigger. And I'd made the decision to enclose that high shelf in the back, which also points to where things would eventually go.
This was the first picture where the place really started to have its own distinct look, at least to me:
It was the picture that an editor from Popular Mechanics saw and sent a writer out to find me. I think by some dumb stroke of luck, I'd just happened to put up enough of those cheap trouble lights that the place actually looked like you'd be able to see what you were working. The light also made the car look good. Compared to the other garages on my street, it already was the one with a distinct 'look.'
But by that point, I'd found my way to the Garage Journal, and -- for better or worse -- I'd started thinking about garages. Does this happen to people with laundry rooms -- or pantries? I don't know. I don't think so. But when I finished a big work project back then, the treat I decided to give myself was a big piece of inch-thick steel plate, which I perched on a second-hand cabinet made by a company called Strong Hold.
Now, my 'compliance station' (as I called it) wasn't all that great an idea. But the way I set aside upper cabinet space, work space, and lower cabinet space with it would end up becoming a defining concept for the garage. I think Ryan posted something about Art Deco service station workbenches back then, and I got it in my head to use aluminum as a border for the upper storage area and have one side curve around (so I could still open the cabinet doors I'd put up above the bench).
I put some of the same aluminum trim over my back-wall workbench. It made a line.
And that led to the first time where I sat down and thought about the way the whole garage looked. I put it in italics, because -- like just about everybody -- until that point I'd only really thought about each piece of the garage and what function it had. After a discussion with some guys in a thread on this board, I sat down and worked out this:
The idea I'd put together was that there were three basic zones in the place -- upper storage, work benches and lower storage -- and if I made them consistent across the whole three walls of the place, I would also create a sort of visual design (well, I wouldn't have used that term at the time) where there was a main defining line emphasizing the width of the place -- the line formed by that aluminum trim, and then also a secondary defining line which came from the uniform height of all the work surfaces. It would make everything look simpler, less cluttered -- more like it was put there for a reason.
Now, is there any functional benefit to having a visual design idea in a garage? Of course not. But it wasn't going to mean compromising on function to get it, so... why not?
And this also tied into the other key idea I think I happened on, which was this: even though it's a small garage, I wanted to have as much workbench surface as I could possibly manage. I know this runs contrary to the way a lot of guys approach their garage, where the concern is that the more bench you have, the more stuff is going to end up collecting on top of it.
It's a fair argument, but my thinking was also practical. When you're working on any kind of job that stretches out over time, you tend to fill up a workbench pretty quickly. The more bench surface I could manage, the more I could keep working without having to push stuff to the floor or put it away. I'm not a neat and tidy worker at all. So having lots of space to work is really a necessity for me.
And the other piece of the new cabinet plan was that there really would be a place to put just about everything I owned. So when the job was finished, I really could clean the place up -- quickly -- without having to make any decisions about how it should be cleaned or what should go where. This means that the shop can get really, really messy -- and never be more than an hour from being very clean again.
So: lots of benches, a simple division of space allowing me lots of storage and lots of work surface, decent lighting, and -- slowly, because I buy most stuff second-hand -- some good tools to work with.
Oh yeah, and I also went from four original wall and cabinet colors down to two. The green was chosen in a hurry, and I'll grant you: it isn't to everyone's taste. But it has an old-school feel to it, at least to me. The tan is just a neutral color that reflects light well. The paint is the part I gave the least amount of thought to, but it's the part that gets used to describe the garage ('that green two-car garage with the Porsche') more than anything else.
It all eventually clicked as what I now think of as the 12-Gauge Garage:
And because you're never really finished, no matter what you think, 2011 saw the addition of a home-engineered lift:
Now, with those two pictures you can see that it really does have a kind of unique look. And apart from making for a cool picture, that visual component also carries over to the experience of the place when you're working in it. It's kind of a strange thing to define, and an odd one to talk about, but... for whatever reason, it really is a great place to work on stuff.
Then, stuff happened. Those photographs led to a story in the Hemmings blog, which in turn (I think) led to all the other media stuff. Car Craft, then Popular Mechanics, and later Hot Rod and others. I don't doubt people think I've got a PR team hustling the garage out to the media, but that's not the case. I'm willing to have the place photographed, but I'm not looking for more press for it.
That said, it's going to be in the German magazine Auto Bild later this month, it's in a French Porsche magazine called Speedster right now, and it'll be featured on the MAVTV show Ultimate Garages sometime in February.
And also, this week marks the one-year anniversary of the video that Petrolicious did on it, which I'll include here as well.
Hosted on both Vimeo and YouTube, the video has close to half a million views so far. I mention those numbers only to express how weird it is that an ordinary guy could sink $3,500 into an ordinary two-car garage and have so many people show an interest in the result. To everyone who's viewed it, or participated in this thread, I've got to say: I really don't understand, but I'm very grateful for the interest, the great ideas I've received from the discussion, and also all the conversation.
Thank you!
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Falcon67
Well-known member
It's just well done. "Clean and precise" are things that touch a special nerve in people that spend time working with their hands and creating. It's like a hot rod with clean lines and a simple color scheme, the care in the detail gives a feeling of sound design and construction. I think that fits the "channel" that has propagated your space to a fair level of fame.
>It does have EVERYTHING put away
Yea, that part makes me nuts.
>It does have EVERYTHING put away
Yea, that part makes me nuts.
Jack, thanks again for taking time to share your garage with us-it reminds me that it doesn't take an unlimited budget to produce an extraordinary result. The press coverage you've been given is well deserved.
I also appreciate the patient manner you express in responding to everyone's questions and critiques.
And for the record, I like the green paint!
GGB
I also appreciate the patient manner you express in responding to everyone's questions and critiques.
And for the record, I like the green paint!
GGB
bczygan
Well-known member
Jack,
Thanks for the write up that summarizes the evolution of the garage. I, like many others I'm sure, haven't had time to read the whole thread.
You mention that you aren't a designer. But I maintain you are. Your process in the evolution of the garage, was as much a design process as anything. The horizontal lines make the garage seem more expansive. And the horizontals tie different masses together. The monochromatic color scheme ties things together. The practical reasons for all the work surfaces and storage created a visually pleasing space (When everything is put away). The space has a Zen like quality. Even when all the tools are out, the basic space still has a continuity throughout. It is a great balance of functionality and serenity. It has a Japanese feel to it. The only real problem I see, is that it is as close to perfection as it can probably get. You are going to need a new project.
And the green IS growing on me...
Bill
Thanks for the write up that summarizes the evolution of the garage. I, like many others I'm sure, haven't had time to read the whole thread.
You mention that you aren't a designer. But I maintain you are. Your process in the evolution of the garage, was as much a design process as anything. The horizontal lines make the garage seem more expansive. And the horizontals tie different masses together. The monochromatic color scheme ties things together. The practical reasons for all the work surfaces and storage created a visually pleasing space (When everything is put away). The space has a Zen like quality. Even when all the tools are out, the basic space still has a continuity throughout. It is a great balance of functionality and serenity. It has a Japanese feel to it. The only real problem I see, is that it is as close to perfection as it can probably get. You are going to need a new project.
And the green IS growing on me...
Bill
This is exactly *why* this garage is interesting to so many of us. It's done with space and money that most of us have or could have -- and done with a level of care and thoughtfulness that makes it far more than the sum of its parts.
Of all the garages I've read about here this is the one that is my inspiration, as it represents what my budget could do if I just think it through properly. In some ways you've removed the excuses of space and money for us -- there's no reason we all can't do it too.
I'm sure it wasn't your original intention to do anymore than share what you've done, but thank you for doing so.
YoungMedic
Well-known member
"Jack Olsen's 12-Guage garage is probably the most famous two-car garage in the U.S." - Autoweek (January, 2013)
First off, I'll make it clear that that's crazy. And probably not true.
And also, this week marks the one-year anniversary of the video that Petrolicious did on it, which I'll include here as well.
Hosted on both Vimeo and YouTube, the video has close to half a million views so far.
Thank you!
Welcome to the power of social networking,
Your garage dips into so many interest groups/forums, its not hard to see why you get 1 million views here.and I just love the petrolicious video, its such a great concept for a car story, im sure at least a handful of those half a million are mine.
Cheers!
OP
Thank you.
Here is the Auto Bild article, which I'm told is now out in the print edition. I haven't seen it online yet, but my German Googling skills are limited.
Oddly, it might be the highest-circulation appearance of the garage in print, and I can only barely understand what it says. It's kind of a cool visual effect they got with the main picture, though.
Here is the Auto Bild article, which I'm told is now out in the print edition. I haven't seen it online yet, but my German Googling skills are limited.
Oddly, it might be the highest-circulation appearance of the garage in print, and I can only barely understand what it says. It's kind of a cool visual effect they got with the main picture, though.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Jack, this is my view on the 12 ga. Garage:
Size isn't' everything!
What comes out, with each publication and internet blitz, even when you have "action" shots, and stuff is "all over the place" (not really, it just looks in use, which is it's purpose!), it clearly has a purpose.
You can actually work without tripping and falling, EVERYTHING has a place, if not supper handy. You don't have to walk to the "back 40" (my families name for the corner of my lot than has my small storage shed and parking for two vehicles...) to get something, and you get stuff done! A lot of stuff done!
The 12 gaarage is like the Shop Smith; not ideal, but what single woodworking tool can do more wood working than a Shop Smith? Time consuming to setup at times, yes, but you CAN get'er done!
You have shown that you CAN have a multi purpose shop (even down to a lift!), you can keep it clean ( a lot of it is that, it IS clean...) and you can have an operational shop that is not just all show and no go, because the owner is afraid to get it dirty... (I suspect many of the showpiece garage's are a show piece only, and not a lot gets actually accomplished in there...
You show that you can take something from it's humble beginnings as an old used garage, cabinet, desk, whatever, and modify it, a lot or a little, and make it fit. You think about what the impact is when you lay things out, whether its the garage and the latest mod, or when you are fabbing a new spoiler for the Porsche.
It's lines are simplicity itself, and things transition nicely from one area to another. It has a color scheme that works, and while it's far from my favorite color of green, (I lived with that shade in my bedroom as a kid for years, was I asked? not once!
), things look like they belong! Paint all that stuff into haphazard colors and guess what? The flow gets lost in the busyness of the colors. The impact is lost!While it has simple looking lines, it is actually anything but simple. The complexity is hidden and smoothed over with your ability to make it look simpler than it really is!
Don't sell either yourself and what you have accomplished, nor what you have accomplished short. Few could get even a little of what you have done into a garage 2X that size.
I'l never get my garage to look like that, ever. I'm too much of a packrat, and I'm into way too many different things and I know it.
Could I simplify and just say, "I'm going to focus on just this one or two things"?
Sure, but I'd get pissed at myself because I LIKE being able to work on almost anything. I just wish I had more space to do so. I bought this place 26 years ago when I was still racing with the intent of having a 20 X 30 shop in the back, plus the garage. Life intervened and it's never happened. Short of winning the lottery, it probably never will.
Am I doing something about it? Yes, but slowly as life continues to intervene. There are things in life you can control and things that just happen. Call it fate, call it whatever. But its a fact. People envy you your garage because you beat the odds. Not one in a hundred, no, not one in a thousand people could pull it off
So hats off to you Jack. You really DO have something here. Better still, you aren't pretentious about it, and I hope you keep your feet firmly planted, because that is part of what enables you to pull it all off...
JMcFly
Well-known member
Love the German magazine article.
I am curious about your floor tile, what type of tile is it?
I am curious about your floor tile, what type of tile is it?