A bit of background before the pictures.
I bought my first car, a '79 camaro 5 years ago now. I've been working on it fairly steadily since. However, it's mostly been in rough driveways, hobby clubs, parking lots and friends garages.
The wifey and I moved into our current house last year with the goal of having a garage no matter what. Ended up with a 1.5 detached. The garage door opener was powered by a 30 foot extension cord drilled through the cinder blocks and just dangled under the gate.. it was weird.

I ran a 60a 240v service this fall, and with that roadblock passed I moved ahead with workbenches, power tools and all the goodies I had in storage.
I know my garage is not much compared to some others I've seen here but I'm proud to have a place where I can work on my car and other projects. It beats paying rent on a garage so small I can't open the car doors, that's for sure!

the pictures!

The garage from the street
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs679.snc4/61970_10150268773540046_507310045_14640723_198560_n.jpg

Put up 4 4ft T8s for overhead lighting, all kinds of hooks and racks.
The overhead storage was the previous owner. He was no mechanic. This shelf didn't even have screws in it!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1156.snc4/149802_10150303084170527_709855526_15763509_2135039_n.jpg

The benches are an old kitchen counter top and a piece of old solid core door. Both are extremely sturdy. It was a challenge to move the long one the 200km to the new house though. The taller bench is more my height. It's 46" from tabletop to the ground. I'm 6'4" so it's a really nice change to have something up at my level. The shorter bench is about right when I'm on a chair.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1180.snc4/150257_10150303084130527_709855526_15763508_1341721_n.jpg

Currently have an XL-76 chainsaw torn apart all over the bench waiting a few parts. It's basically a homelite xl-123 but made in Canada in the early 80s. It's in extremely nice condition, just needs a few consumables.. fuel line, filter, bar and chain to be a great backyard runner.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs889.snc4/72282_10150303084455527_709855526_15763516_7580946_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs497.ash2/77057_10150303084780527_709855526_15763521_5730424_n.jpg

The beer fridges, toolbox, parts bins etc. Wife got me the toolbox from costco as an engagement present.. now that's love! The darn stickers don't stick to the crinkle finish though....
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs485.ash2/75847_10150303084365527_709855526_15763513_5331525_n.jpg


I used this shelf as a workbench before I got the nice ones installed! Got a halogen spot and a worklamp for some good electrical work here. I had a drop cloth over the wire mesh for a tabletop.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1133.snc4/149539_10150303084235527_709855526_15763510_5165029_n.jpg

Spraypaints, lube, misc POL and the thumpin stereo with remote!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1155.snc4/149700_10150303084305527_709855526_15763512_6994550_n.jpg

Nice overhead storage in the form of 2 3/4" 8ft sheets. HEAVY.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs996.snc4/76906_10150303085550527_709855526_15763530_4719228_n.jpg

The reason for the crazyness.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs292.snc4/40945_10150229604785527_709855526_14137709_1872729_n.jpg

The last little project on the car..
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs978.snc4/77113_10150303084830527_709855526_15763522_7053979_n.jpg
Pcv valve baffle off of a set of factory '87+ sbc centerbolt heads. Had to bang and file it a bit, weld a bit, but it should work great :)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1158.snc4/150083_10150303084920527_709855526_15763523_1243756_n.jpg

The only thing left to do is insulate and heat / cool a little more regularly. As it is the little propane heater throws enough warm for me to tinker right now, but when it hits -40 I think I'll be inside!
I hope you guys like looking at my humble garage. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to help. I'm a vehicle tech by trade but I work on anything from computers to 30t armoured vehicles :)

-40?? Yikes! I guess insulation is on the schedule for next year?:)

Looks good. It reminds me that I need a shed, since my 2 car (attached) is stuffed to the gills.:screwup:

Lookin good. It's nice to have your own cave!

Good idea with the rafter sheets. I put R19 insulation in the walls of my garage and covered it with 3/4 ply wood. Gives a great anchor point for shelves and stuff that can hang on the wall. I am looking to get a good space heater to facilitate working in the garage this winter.

hey, didn't know there was a garage sub-forum here now. Took me a while to find my thread again :confused:

I'd love to put up plywood sheets instead of drywall but they're quite expensive.

I ended up doing it in sections. So, 19 sheets cost me almost 400 dollars. The garage went a few years with just one wall done, and the other just insulated. Drywall can do the job, but I wanted to be able to bang into the walls and hang anything without worring about it pulling out. My buddy has a 30X40 garage and its 3/4 sanded ply top to bottom $$.

depending where you are, and what utility is cheaper makes a big difference on your space heater. Electricity is fairly expensive here so most people use propane or natural gas.

I use a cheap little tank-top heater which works great for workbench tasks.

When I insulate and start working longer seasons outside, I am going to look into natural gas. It's the most economical option.

I have been BUSY

I got that chainsaw running a while back.

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/76892_10150323116355527_709855526_16059901_988516_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/199699_10150432258340527_709855526_17786623_6456950_n.jpg

Got the garage walls completely insulated

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/315975_10150817098500527_709855526_20998415_801814820_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/297810_10150817098615527_709855526_20998416_454699838_n.jpg

Got wood? 1/2" plywood. SO EASY to put up. Circular saw, jigsaw, drill and drywall screws.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/300665_10150827559085527_709855526_21081773_1973152964_n.jpg

And yes, my garage is extra messy with the work in progress look. It happens.

hey, didn't know there was a garage sub-forum here now. Took me a while to find my thread again :confused:

I'd love to put up plywood sheets instead of drywall but they're quite expensive.


I went with OSB board and am happy with it! Wasnt trying to build a museum anyway!!

Ok, I'm gonna start by saying... the walls look great unfinished... almost like a den!

However, if you paint the walls white, it brightens it up enough that you don't need as much lighting.

The overhead storage is great. I did something similar in mine, but used much cheaper/thinner plywood (3/8s I think) and put mine over the joists. I have a REDICULOUS amount of stuff up there. That's probably my favorite storage 'mod'.
Great looking shop.

However, if you paint the walls white, it brightens it up enough that you don't need as much lighting.

One of the main reasons that I used drywall - easier to paint than plywood or OSB. Plus - drywall is a fire resistant material - just in case doo doo happens.

With studs every 16" - I wasn't worried about being able to hang stuff - just need to position it "right"...:bowtie:

Love the garage...just starting one myself.

One quick question about your overhead storage:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs996.snc4/76906_10150303085550527_709855526_15763530_4719228_n.jpg

How is that sheet of plywood fastened up there to those bottom chords?
Just asking....Glued and deck screwed may be enough if the items up there are fairly light weight.
I know you lose alot of room if you laid the plywood on top of the bottom chords. Storage space is a premium in every shop.

Got wood? 1/2" plywood. SO EASY to put up. Circular saw, jigsaw, drill and drywall screws.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/300665_10150827559085527_709855526_21081773_1973152964_n.jpg

And yes, my garage is extra messy with the work in progress look. It happens.

The plywood looks sharp, I went with OSB, the plywood was just too pricey at the time.

Dave
:bowtie:

My garage project is very similar, except that I used drywall on the walls... How do you plan to insulate the ceiling(roof)??

The plywood looks sharp, but I like the drywall due to fire protection. Looks like you done a good job .

Hey guys, thanks for all the comments!

Rudy: With all the flammable/explosive chemicals in the garage, I don't think drywall would cut it. The garage is not attached, so no lives are at stake and code does not call for drywall. Thanks though :)

77thor: When I get around to the roof I'll have my work cut out for me. First I'll vapour barrier the ceiling, rent the blower and blow in insulation for a nice high R value. Then put the ceiling up. I haven't decided what I'll use although drywall is definitely an option. The main reason I went with plywood for the walls of the shop is durability. I could have used osb as well but couldn't get it locally in 1/2".

Teamchevy: yeah it's about twice the price. Thank god it's a small garage!

John Wright: it's 3/4" plywood just screwed up there. I think there's about 6 screws in every joist. Heaviest thing I ever put up there was a 20lb propane tank. There isn't enough room to put anything much heavier up there.
When I first moved into the house, these sheets were "attached" via some shoddy 2x4s and a few deck screws to make a huge storage shelf. It was ultra sketchy and a miracle it never fell down. I feel this was a nice improvement and had the added benefit of providing somewhere for me to put lights!

TheChamp and POS71RS: I don't think I'll paint it :) Maybe polyurethane.

More progress!!


Spray foamed around the door, vapour barriered this section of wall and removed the previous owner's retarded stack of lumber in the wall. I need one more sheet of plywood to put the storage back up.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/317748_10150830042495527_709855526_21096720_300052751_n.jpg

Tools! Neatly organized, SO MUCH EASIER to hang things off the plywood.
Moving the bar fridge back into its corner was difficult considering how full it is. Oh well I've had worse problems.. lol! :crazy:

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/308905_10150830042650527_709855526_21096722_229722126_n.jpg


$10 pawn shop speakers. Made the shelf out of a 2x6, lath, and a couple shelf straps. Speaker wire is run up in the attic to the stereo. These speakers are nothing fancy, just a 6" mid and 2" tweeter. The other one will be mounted on the opposite wall. I've got the little amp hooked up to my netbook, which is on the house network for the youtube tunes.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/301057_10150830042735527_709855526_21096724_1856396881_n.jpg

Looks like a shop now, doesn't it? Benches are back in place and bolted to the wall.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/300163_10150830042840527_709855526_21096726_115532288_n.jpg

Looks great. Better get that ceiling in, winter is coming and will be here before you know it.

only advice ill give is you wrote"going tyo blow the attic then cover it"
the plastic usually wont hold up the insulation.put yur plywood up first then blow it in.

Damned nice garage. I think your home's prior owner may have been related to the idiot who built my house.

Thanks guys.

Got 7 more sheets delivered today, so I could get things done ish

Got the wall around the door done, storage shelf is up and loaded up and hooks are in the wall for shovels/brooms and work clothes.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/297853_10150838284195527_709855526_21148368_1075810407_n.jpg

Some wall decoration

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/302216_10150838284065527_709855526_21148367_391739837_n.jpg

Here's a cool trick - screw some hooks into your wheel chocks.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/310477_10150838284000527_709855526_21148366_384330854_n.jpg

The work place

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/313900_10150838284345527_709855526_21148370_264086082_n.jpg

The door etc

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/312886_10150838284250527_709855526_21148369_1744314602_n.jpg

Here's tomorrows "before" shot. I'll get this wall up in no time.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/297754_10150838283940527_709855526_21148365_1132929887_n.jpg

Looks great. I did my old garage with osb and loved it. The house we just bought one garage is paneling and the other is dry walled. The dry wall is nice but a pain to hang things on. I would maybe put some more support to the shelf over the door though, looks like it is bowing down some and that wouldn't be cool if you couldn't get in because of a collapsed shelf. JMO though.

Lookin' good!

Dave
:bowtie:

I am totally feeling the bad shelf vibe. It is pretty damn well attached but it would be nice if it was squared up. Maybe a piece of angle iron or something.

In any case I was busy all day today in the garage again.

Ok, so here's the bare insulated wall. Everything moved out of the way, screws and hooks removed, outlets ready for plywood.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294015_10150840223575527_709855526_21165379_1304637812_n.jpg

The Vapour barrier and me
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/309840_10150840223465527_709855526_21165376_2137578632_n.jpg

Tuck tape
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/296089_10150840223345527_709855526_21165373_419967566_n.jpg

Plywood!
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/302065_10150840223220527_709855526_21165369_1729550457_n.jpg


A beautiful clean slate. I'm going to put up a few little shelves for the stereo, a shelf for all my 4L jugs / jerry cans, and find some way of neatly storing the chainsaw.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/294424_10150840223120527_709855526_21165367_1643203353_n.jpg


The garage has a way of getting COMPLETELY out of hand in the middle of a construction project in the rain. Couldn't put anything outside.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/319504_10150840222705527_709855526_21165358_1040743738_n.jpg

Well that's it for now I think. Another 5 sheets should finish the entire garage. Now I need to get some shelving and organization going on. Things have been a bit messy and while I'm not a neat freak, I do appreciate being able to find and easily access everything.

Thanks for watching :)

Nice work!

Dave
:bowtie:

tim the tool man taylor !!! :cool:

Dude!...you're getting that pink stuff covered up....Looks great!....plywood gives you something more substantial to hang things from, vs sheetrock. I like it!

I am totally feeling the bad shelf vibe. It is pretty damn well attached but it would be nice if it was squared up. Maybe a piece of angle iron or something....


If you're only putting light stuff on it I wouldn't worry, but it does look like it's sagging a bit.

If I had to deal with that, I'd cut the shelf in half lengthwise... make a 2x3 or 2x4 frame (a flat frame to save space) for both pieces and put put a support cleat on the back wall, and run stringers from the ceiling joists to the frame of each shelf. Longer shelf that's easier to get at and YOU could stand on it without any worries. It might go over the top of your window, and might have to move your speaker... but that wouldn't bother me. Maybe hang it an inch or two higher than it is now and mount one of your lights to the bottom.

Had my super garage helper out there for a bit today to spur me on.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/291728_10150844522230527_709855526_21199052_834376117_n.jpg

He's 5 months old and freakin huge.

Got my stereo rockin with some fine tunes.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/315058_10150844521670527_709855526_21199044_906551852_n.jpg

It was nice to see the top of this bench again. It's been buried for months!

Here's the old grilles in a nice place so they don't get ruined.
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/303005_10150844521780527_709855526_21199046_53162473_n.jpg

The original radio! It still mostly works, just the tape player is a little wonky.
The original dash and gauges as well back there, steering wheel button too.

I like the style of the original button - cream background, black triple stripe. It's a shame the wheel itself was like glue.
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/315708_10150844521890527_709855526_21199047_160190597_n.jpg

Everything pretty much sorted out here. I have plans for lots more hooks nut need to pick some more up and plan it out. I want everything off the floor eventually.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/316391_10150844522020527_709855526_21199050_1954919057_n.jpg

and the car back in pride of place. Once I get the last 5 sheets up it'll be pretty much set.

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/311893_10150844521545527_709855526_21199041_635881861_n.jpg

Great job!

Looks like you and your helper are going to enjoy the new digs for some time to come.

Had my super garage helper out there for a bit today to spur me on.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/291728_10150844522230527_709855526_21199052_834376117_n.jpg

He's 5 months old and freakin huge.


LMAO... that's great. He's got a look that says "I fell for it again... you said I could HELP!".

I found my guy "helping" me with body work... whacking away at the driver front quarter with ball peen hammer... I was like... http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll376/Earlsfat/Smilies/eek7.gif.

Looks good.

Looking good