The New Garage

[bob_the_builder]

I have spent hours on this site seeing what others have done both in and to their garage. It has given me some great ideas and I thought I would share some pictures of my garage. My wife and I have just finished building our new place a few months back and now I can spend some time cleaning up the new garage.

Living in Canada both my wife and I really wanted a garage where we could park are cars in during the winter plus have a little room to work. The overall garage is 26' wide and 34' deep on the one side and 21' deep on the other. Both doors are 8' feet and the small is 9' wide and the other is 12' wide.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and I look forward to your feedback. The garage is always a work in progress.

Front of the garage during framing:

Back of the garage during framing:

20amp wiring for the compressor, 220V for the welder, and all stereo connections
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8140328364_22058115b9_b.jpg[/IM]

Garage after spray foam on ceiling and back wall where heating is located
[IMG]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8140321192_32470ba69f_b.jpg

Skipping over a few steps below are just some pictures after paint

Picture of the 54W T5 HO lights (I have 10 in total)

I just love the new Snap on Box

 

[Bib Overalls]

I think you need more light and more reflective white walls.

 

[BowtiePimp]

Nice garage!! my style Chevy vehicles parked in there and its nice and clean!

 

[p_mori7]

Very nice !

Whereabouts in Canada ?

 

[NCAudi]

Good choice of colors and plenty of lighting makes that a great looking space. Any plans for the flooring? Noticed your parking on some drop clothes to protect the floor from stains.

 

[bob_the_builder]

I am about 1-1.5 outside of Toronto Ontario.

I get the cars oil sprayed for the winter so the drop clothes was protecting the floor from the oil. I usually only use them for 2-3 weeks after getting the vehicles oiled. The SS is more of a summer truck as I have a 99 Silverado that a drive mostly in the winter.

Right now I am trying to figure out what is the best way to cover up the foundation that is showing at the bottom of the garage walls. I think the next step will be the floor but I have been going back and forth between epoxy and racedeck. I do some work on the cars plus family and friends vehicles so I am not sure if I want to deal with recedeck and having to put wood under jackstands.

Bob

 

[NCAudi]

Right now I am trying to figure out what is the best way to cover up the foundation that is showing at the bottom of the garage walls.
Bob

I've been thinking about the same. I have looked at the concrete paints a few times and since my walls, like yours, are a dark grey believe the standard colors for the concrete paint may be a good match. I'd be interested to see what you come up with for yours.

 

[sarman47]

Hello fellow Canadian. Very nice. Love the color and striping. I am thinking of doing the 66 mustang GT striping in red on my walls to match my car as well.

 

[Modern Jess]

Nice space!

Question for you, and this should in no way be construed as criticism. Just idle curiosity.

In Canada, what are the garage ventilation requirements? Down here in sunny California, we're required to have ventilation to the outside (for various reasons, accumulated CO is one of them) but I can see how that would be a problem in your cold climate, and you're obviously insulating the hell out of the walls (for good reason).

What's the balance between ventilation and insulation?

 

[4xyota]

what type of T5 lights are those very nice looking setup

 

[bob_the_builder]

Modern Jess, In Canada the garage ventilation requirements are very simple. The garage has to be completely blocked off from the house. Any commons walls between the garage and house have to be insulated, drywalled, and tape. All trim around doors, gap between drywall and foundation have to be cocked. This is to prevent any gas from the cars getting into the house. This is really the only reason.

As for insulation, as I mentioned above only the common walls are required but because I have a gas heater in the garage I insulated the entire garage. Above the garage is part of the upstairs living space therefore to make sure that room is worm we drop the ceiling in the garage to create an airspace which we heat. Then the ceiling of the garage gets a ton of space foam.

4xyota, the garage lights are from Lightolier. Below are pictures of the spec sheet. I picked them up from our electrical wholesaler. They come in a few differ configurations and you can get either plastic or metal screens for additional protection. They were a little more money then I wanted to spend but I am super happy how they turned out. In my past house I had only 4 lamp holders and could never see what I was wondering on. All the bulbs are 6500K so they give off that nice bright white/blue colour. I find it perfect for working on the cars. I can do brakes or wheel bearings with no additional lights in the wheel wells.

The lights I ordered where part number FH4DXX354UNVPU at $192 ea plus a $10.25 bulb (x4). The lights are made in Canada but they did offer a FH4DXX454UNVPVC that is made in China for $147. I went with the Canadian one and was very supplied how thick the sheet metal was. I was expecting a light similar to the Home Depot ones that flex and bend as you put them up. I also liked they have venting so they can mount right to the wall.

 

[Derrickwade]

That looks awesome! I love the colors! Kinda looks like mine, only way bigger. Lol

Oh and also, my 3 year old loves watching your shows on tv.

 

[bob_the_builder]

Thanks for the nice compliment. Bob the Builder is a great show.

 

[bob_the_builder]

So with the weather getting a little colder I finding got around to installing my garage heater.

I have been very happy with the performance of the heater so far and it is so nice to work in a warm garage.

I also picked up a Cox air hose reel over the holidays and I will post some pictures once I get it all mounted. I went with Cox over Reel Craft just to keep everything blue.

Bob

 

[Corvette Joe]

Nice shop and blue snap-on box. Now you need to get them tools dirty and have some fun.

 

[55cadillacking]

Very clean set up. I love your SO box. I have been meaning to frame my "build sheets" too. What are you future plans for the space?

 

[Rockcam]

Great looking space, Bob.

I'm thinking about blue trim too - please tell us the color codes for the paints you used. Really like the combination.

Thanks.

 

[bdamico]

really nice and clean

 

[Olliecampbell]

Looks great, nice and bright! Very jealous of your Snap On roll cab!

 

[bob_the_builder]

I'm thinking about blue trim too - please tell us the color codes for the paints you used. Really like the combination.

There was another member on the site that had a blue Audi and a Blue Snap on Classic 96 box. He was the one that recommended the blue colour for me. All the paint came from Home Depot and is semi gloss. The semi gloss is a pain to paint but it cleans up really well. The blue came from the Disney collection "Cast a Spell Blue" (DC3C-30-4). It was the closest blue I could find that would match my truck (GM Arrival Blue) and my Royal Blue tool box. The bottom is grey colour is from CIL "Evening Shadow" (30B 21/056) and the white colour is also from CIL " Drifting Snow" (10BB 83/014). In the garage of my old house I had the same paint style but I went with a light grey on top since I was afraid the white would get dirty too fast but it was a big mistake. I detail a lot of cars and the grey was just too dark. The white is much better in keeping the space light.

Very clean set up. I love your SO box. I have been meaning to frame my "build sheets" too. What are you future plans for the space?

My wife and I just had our first baby (4 month old girl) so I have less time to spend in the garage right now but I do have some upcoming plans. For me the garage has many functions and I have been trying to find good ways to organize it to fit all these functions such as: general house garage for garbage cans, snowblower, rake, shovel...etc, car detailing, welding, and small automotive repairs.

Some of my short term plans would be:
- Trim out the garage doors
- Figure out a good way to cover up the concert foundation along the bottom
- Rolling or fold out welding table maybe similar to way Jake did in his garage.

Longer term plans would be:
- Garage floor. I have been going back and forth on the idea of epoxy vs. race deck. I really like your garage floor Rick but I heard it does not hold up well to jack stands and with the number of cars I have up on jack stands I really don't want to have to worry but putting wood or something down all the time to protect it. My fear with epoxy is with the winter salt and all the dirt from new construction it will just get destroyed.
- Garage lift. I have been thinking about my options for a lift and because my truck is so large if I go with a 4 post lift I cannot get a car above my truck due to the low ceilings. I could however fit 2 cars. My other option I have been thinking about is a scissor lift just to get the trucks off the ground quicker and easier then jack stands.

Rick - I noticed you had a cart in your garage setup with detailing products. Do you find you use the cart often? I have been thinking about building a detailing cart but with my garage size I think it might be more in the way when storing then anything else.

Bob

 

[55cadillacking]

- Garage floor. I have been going back and forth on the idea of epoxy vs. race deck. I really like your garage floor Rick but I heard it does not hold up well to jack stands and with the number of cars I have up on jack stands I really don't want to have to worry but putting wood or something down all the time to protect it. My fear with epoxy is with the winter salt and all the dirt from new construction it will just get destroyed.

I can attest to it not withstanding jacks or jackstands. I should've known better, but I was a noob, so I began jacking up my car and I could tell after the third pump that I had made a mistake. But, to be fair, I have the FreeFlow tiles. They are probably the least capable for handling lifting. It will also depend on the jack and/or jackstands. I was on the fence too, but I'm happy with the RD tiles. I may swap out a 3x8 area with a solid tile in the same "alloy" colour and then I don't have to remove tiles every time I do a wheel swap. Might look cool, actually.

Rick - I noticed you had a cart in your garage setup with detailing products. Do you find you use the cart often? I have been thinking about building a detailing cart but with my garage size I think it might be more in the way when storing then anything else.

I have two Craftsman carts, but one got relegated to the basement because I didn't really need it. I got a little carried away when I saw them online for 50% off. The one I keep in there doesn't move around too much. I started out with detailing products in it, but now it is home to my new compressor, jackstands, and some shop cloths. Can't say it's overly useful, but I do like the look of it and it is easy to move around if need be. Griot's Garage does a smaller one with a middle shelf that may work better if you are tight on space.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/compact+detailing+cart.do?sortby=ourPicks&page=2

Back to your floor concerns, I would shoot the RaceDeck (Snap Lock) people a quick email and see what tiles they say would be best suited to your needs. I found them very helpful. Good luck.

 

[dubber]

Awesome garage Bob. Just saw your post in Rick's thread but i didn't want to leave my comment there. Question for you: why the tarps under the truck? And second you mentioned wanting to wash your truck inside in the winter. Do you have a floor drain or does the garage pitch lead the water to the door and out?

thanks

 

[bob_the_builder]

The pictures were really old. I just had the truck oil sprayed for the winter so I did not want the oil to trip and leave marks on the floor. They were just temporary.

No I do not have a floor drain. I wish I did. I have a large slope which drains the water very well but it makes it hard for installing a lift which I have been thinking about.

I just really post some new updated pictures since you reminded me. I added an air hose reel and a few other things.

Bob

 

[blacksporty]

Nice space!

Question for you, and this should in no way be construed as criticism. Just idle curiosity.

In Canada, what are the garage ventilation requirements? Down here in sunny California, we're required to have ventilation to the outside (for various reasons, accumulated CO is one of them) but I can see how that would be a problem in your cold climate, and you're obviously insulating the hell out of the walls (for good reason).

What's the balance between ventilation and insulation?

That is because here in Cali most of us have our water heater in the garage and they don't want explosions from fumes.

 

[bob_the_builder]

We get some pretty cold winters. We could never get away with a water heater in the garage. We had -20 and -30 Deg C last winter. I needed the heater to run over night just to keep the garage at +7C to prevent the water lines for my link to freeze.

Bob

 

[nicksL98]

Looks good!

 

[nicobkn]

Hello Bob!

You have a really nice garage! its looks pretty clean, well organized and with tons of lighting!

I saw your post or Rick's thread about washing your truck during our cold winter. I'm sort of a "pro" detailer. I used to believe that a foam gun/canon were an essential tool for car cleaning/detailing. I've met very successful detailers and came to the conclusion that the tools I once thought were absolutely necessary are somewhat useless. I haven't touched my foam gun/canon in over a year and can tell you that I do not miss them one bit. I'd strongly recommended going with a good rinseless type of approach. I have a single garage now and I've been doing winter preps with a hose and my favourite rinseless wash with no issues. Once you get the hand of it you'll be able to wash your truck in 20 mins or less.

Let me know if you have any questions by PM, I don't come on the forum as often as I'd like to

Cheers,

Nico

 

[1/2 Cup]

You have a fantastic set up there Bob, the colours just look awesome, neat clean and tidy. Well done.

Regards

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

Looks great very well set up.

Not much in to newer trucks but I do love that SS

 

[55cadillacking]

Nico's no fun.

 

[the dean]

what color blue is that?

 

[toyz4roy]

Where did you find the lift masters in Canada?

 

[bob_the_builder]

what color blue is that?

There was another member on the site that had a blue Audi and a Blue Snap on Classic 96 box. He was the one that recommended the blue colour for me. All the paint came from Home Depot and is semi gloss. The semi gloss is a pain to paint but it cleans up really well. The blue came from the Disney collection "Cast a Spell Blue" (DC3C-30-4). It was the closest blue I could find that would match my truck (GM Arrival Blue) and my Royal Blue tool box. The bottom is grey colour is from CIL "Evening Shadow" (30B 21/056) and the white colour is also from CIL " Drifting Snow" (10BB 83/014). In the garage of my old house I had the same paint style but I went with a light grey on top since I was afraid the white would get dirty too fast but it was a big mistake. I detail a lot of cars and the grey was just too dark. The white is much better in keeping the space light.

Where did you find the lift masters in Canada?

I ended up purchasing the doors from a local garage door shop: http://winserdoors.com/contact/

I looked online and the best prices where in the US but shipping was terrible. Winser Door had the best price and then gave the openers to the builder to install when the garage doors were going in. I just love the lift master doors. Really quite. I had a minor problem with one. The deadbolt latch would not retract sometimes. Ended up calling liftmaster and they sent me a new deadbolt latch. After that all the problems went away. Definailly would use the jackshaft openers again.


Thanks for all the nice comments.

Bob

 

[dubber]

Where did you find the lift masters in Canada?

I've been saving this link for awhile, in hopes one day i can use it

http://www.overheaddoorparts.ca/

 

[bob_the_builder]

Thanks for the link. I have been looking for a second wireless button and their prices are pretty good.

Bob

 

[rmalkow2]

I saw your link on another thread and had to check out the garage. Very well done. I like your color combinations for paint and wall accents, the work bench that comes out from the wall a little like a work island. Nice idea to get work space on 3 sides. Also, hanging the tall cabinets up off the floor is not only practical but looks good lined up with the tops of the smaller cabinets. And the large wall speakers just seem to belong there with the overall look. Keep the updates coming.

 

[Chester39]

Bob,
Here is a flooring product that is worth checking out. It far exceeds Epoxy.

http://www.rhinoliningsindustrial.c..._one_day_polyaspartic_flooring_system/125/126

Here is a link to a Southern Ontario company that works with this product and I've personally checked this out as a few home/garage shows in the Toronto Area. It's great.

http://www.garageliving.ca/garage-products/flooring/application-process/?subcat=44

Cheers,
Paul

 

[bob_the_builder]

So its been a while since I posted some updates so I thought I would share some of the improvements I have made to the garage over the past year or two.

Taking some inspiration from Obsessed Garage I took my old Italian made portable pressure washer and made a bracket to wall mount it. I then added a Cox pressure washer reel for my Kobra Jet hose. I love this setup and it makes car washer so much nicer. It is so much quicker now that I no longer have to pull out the pressure washer.
IMG_20181016_1911216 by Bob , on Flickr

I also installed a Rotary Asymmetrical two post lift. I don't have a full 12 feet in my garage to take full advantage of the list but working with a car 5' in the air is still better than working off jack stands. My garage height is 10'-4" so I had to set the lift in its lowest setting and then still notch my ceiling. Here are some pictures of the installation.
IMG_20161014_093104 by Bob , on Flickr

IMG_20161014_094559 by Bob , on Flickr

IMG_20161014_145345 by Bob , on Flickr

IMG_20161014_204954 by Bob , on Flickr

IMG_20161025_193608 by Bob , on Flickr

I also mounted a Cox air hose reel. I have the compressor in the basement so everything is nice and quiet when I am working in the garage.

IMG_20181016_1911286 by Bob , on Flickr

 

[ridgecrawler]

Nice set up . I like your pressure washer setup that’s pretty handy . I’m working on my garage to get it put together the way I want it . Seems like it takes forever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bob_the_builder]

Nice set up . I like your pressure washer setup that’s pretty handy . I’m working on my garage to get it put together the way I want it . Seems like it takes forever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you.

Yes, I find it to be a slow process but it's worth it when it is all done.

Bob

Sent from my STV100-3 using The Garage Journal mobile app