What "options" have you done?

[schwalby]

I have found a ton of great ideas on this forum and thought maybe it would be cool to have a thread to list some of them. Things I have found are:

Curtain partition to seperate areas but still keep a single large area.

Cubbie hole for 4x8 stock, plywood, peg board...

So whatcha got in your garage or plan on doing?

 

[holdover]

1. Put "pull points" in the floor on one side of the garage, they are surrounded by rebar and over a yard of concrete. I am a gearhead and do alot of auto work this way I can straighten frames etc and hold down anythig i want to.

2. Also put outdoor motion detector security lights on the inside of the garage in all 4 corners, this does two things, one when you pull in at night it really lights the place up, much better than the garage opener light(my garage is 40X60, gets dark in back) and two, should scare away anyone who breaks in, the silent alarm will go off in my home close by, and if they haven't left before I get there, the lights will guide their way to hell. They don't come on during the day unless it is real dark, and i also put them on a switch so i can turn power to them off on days that aren't bright.

3. Also put a mirror in front of the 4 post lift so that you can see exactly where the wheels are when you drive on it.

4. ceiling fans for hot summer days and to get heat down off the ceiling (cathedral) in the winter

also put in the sliding screen so i can just heat the working half in winter

 

[c/o say]

I put in a sloped floor in my shop just the bays were the trucks go sloped to the center floor drain. Also have a 6/12 roof pitch then put a floor down the center giving me a 8 foot by 40foot loft for light duty storage.

 

[Gary S]

Curtain partition to seperate areas but still keep a single large area.

I seriously considered that one, BUT, I can't find a curtain with any R value to insulate the shop area from the parking area. So, I'm still waiting the perfect solution to "break" my garage in half and still have the option of a single large area.
My best idea so far is to split the building with a well insulated garage door as large as I can fit inside. That way, I get some real R value, and when the door is open, it should still give the feeling of a single large area.

 

[jcp907]

Overhead storage that is accessible from below, but insulated from the attic, at ceiling height so it doesn't take from garage space.

Single angle iron support for garage door track on each side

Four airline drops, 10' black pipe for each drop, 1/2" pex in the attic. We'll see how it works with this FL humidity!

Working on-
Huge Spice Rack style pull out drawer for jack and jack stand storage
Built in overhead cabinets

In planning:
Welding curtain that doubles as golf ball net for indoor driving range practice

 

[Adrien]

 

[djjsr]

A dividing wall that you can drive a vehicle through ........

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=900&pictureid=5473

 

[dirttracker18]

Flood lights under the soffit on all four sides on separate switches. I can put motion sensors on them if I want but right now only the big one above the service door is on motion.

Many thought it was overkill but I have used them multiple times now. It is great to be able to light up all the way around the shop when needed.

Pallet racking down one entire wall. First level is above head height so I can still work and store things under it. One section has a work bench and peg board on three sides with a light under the shelf.

 

[10.5 outlaw]

I put alot of thought in my mine one big one was the mezanine

 

[jmauld]

If you're referencing someone's project as something you did, please post a link to the original project. Just a suggestion since you probably already have it bookmarked and finding old posts can sometimes be difficult.

 

[Adrien]

I put alot of thought in my mine one big one was the mezanine

Do you have another thread or more pictures showing how you built that? I'm very interested.

Thanks,

Adrien

 

[holdover]

fork lift to get the tire changer off the mezanine?

 

[ddawg16]

Not painting my floor.....I use my garage....I know if I epoxied the floor, the first time it got chipped, I would be bumed for a month....hearing all the good and bad here helped me to wait until I have NOTHING left to do.....

 

[ovilla]

800 lb Electric hoist installed on 12' of linear barn door track inside my garage attic. I built a 4'X4' opening and I store lawnmowers, snowblowers and a ton of other stuff up there. My HOA won't allow us to have sheds outside so this is my indoor shed.

Working on:

Vaulted Ceiling over 3rd bay - Need to make more headroom for my BendPak HD9. Thinking of sistering scissor trusses to existing roof trusses from inside the garage.

Overhead oil storage/pumping station - Already have three 50' oil hose reels with electronic metered guns that I got from a Chevy dealership that closed down. I also found a source to buy oil in bulk but I still need to decide if I want to purchase 16, 30, or 55 gal drums. Also need to purchase an air or electric pump for each drum. Everything (including the hose reels and oil drums) will go up in the garage attic. I'm planning on having a "wet" wall where all you see is 5 hoses (three guns for oil, one gun for water/fluid?, and an air hose) coming down from the ceiling, right next to the BendPak and workbench.

Heater - I bought a Hot Dawg Modine heater over the winter (and I'm ashamed to say it) but it got too damn cold to install it. Seems silly to install it now but better late than never. Plus, it's taking up a ton of floor space in the garage.

Overhead Windshield washer dispencer - This is like the oil drum set up but strictly for fluid. I know this one seems silly but I'm tired of storing gallons and gallons of fluid and would like to use that space for tools instead. Besides, I have a spare 50' air hose reel that is collecting dust right now.

NOTE: I have a 3 car garage but I really just use one bay for my Bendpak HD9 and all vehicle maintenance for a small Friends & Family fleet of about 10-12 cars. I need to free up as much space as possible and get things organized well. That's why I'm building a mini Jiffy Lube in my 3rd bay.

 

[ovilla]

I put alot of thought in my mine one big one was the mezanine

That is AWESOME!!! Great use of the unused vertical space!

 

[Lkdelta]

Wow...nice place!

 

[10.5 outlaw]

One like this!

 

[10.5 outlaw]

No pics on how i built it,Other than took measurements and fab it up.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

I added Dock lights at each door. Mounted to the wall just inside the door they can be swung inside or out.
Got mine on e-bay.