duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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My garage is small, it's a funny shape, the floor is tamp concrete, and there are things in there that I can't relocate, both on the floor (washing machine), and on the walls (electrics, boiler, solar inverter, electric car charger). It's built into the house, which is a terrace with no back access, so I can't just create a better one somewhere else, and renting somewhere you can work on a car around here is expensive and difficult (council lockups are £20pw, and you are not allowed to do any work). Here's a scale floorplan (with the dotted outline of a car 3.1m x 1.5m, just so you can see how badly that corner cut affects the space available):  And this is what it looks like now (ignore the stuff in the middle at the front, that's going):  I want to make it better so that I can put a (tiny) project in there later this year and actually work on it (and still have space to work at a bench). Throughout lockdown I've been tidying it up and getting rid of stuff, but I'm beginning to approach the time where I need to actually improve the garage itself. Things I think I ought to do: 1. The floor. It's horrible ridged concrete, which means that jacks etc don't roll very well on it and it's super dusty. Also, it's not super flat. Unfortunately, there's this manhole cover in the middle, which is going to make doing anything to it rather awkward.  2. The lighting. It's got a single bare bulb in the middle at the moment - I bought an LED striplight a few months ago but haven't done anything about putting it up. Is one LED strip enough? should I get another one? Maybe I should add some spotlights on the walls with the sockets. 3. Electric sockets. At a bare minimum I need to get a proper socket for the tumble drier (it's currently running on a heavy duty extension lead that I bought to charge my electric car when away from home). Ideally I'd have sockets all the way around the garage. 4. Create better storage? At the moment, aside from one shelf, the shadowboard, and a cabinet that was there when I arrived, all my storage is on the floor. For somewhere with relatively little footprint that seems a waste, but there are a lot of things on the wall including gas and hot water pipes. 5. Painting the walls/ceiling and sealing it so smells don't get into the house. I don't have the space to insulate it for noise (except maybe the ceiling - the garage is directly below the living room, but I don't know what the ceiling is made of). 6. Replace the garage door? The current one is a strange up and over where the top half runs on a sort of rail. It makes a chunk of the wall unusable, means that you need a few feet in front of the door permanently spare, and it's got a big bow in it so that it steals a few inches at the front. I'd love a proper roller door, but those things are quite expensive. 7. Consider making part of the bench folding so I'm not so restricted in length? I'm fairly competent at woodworking and metalworking stuff, but house wiring scares me, and I've no idea what to do about the floor. Any suggestions on the best way to do any of the things that I've listed (or any new things you think I should add)? And if you have some secret tardis recipe please let me know - there aren't too many cars that are 3.1m long short! |
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How about move the tumble dryer under the boiler, build a bench along the wall where the tumble dryer was, where the angle bit is narrow that down with shelves or a narrow bench, build a little timber frame around the manhole and use self leveling latex for the floor, I think the ceiling should be 2 layers of plasterboard for fire protection and call an electrician for the wiring as electricity kills and will burn your house down!
Get cracking and get a project!
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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There's a little wooden door (I assume for the old style "No hot ashes" bins) under the boiler. I guess I could seal it off and put the tumble there, or even have the door for the tumble drier door opening out of the wooden door! Might mean you get wet when getting the dry washing out though! The big bench on the angle is a relatively recent addition, but it's easily moved. If I put it alongside a car then that won't give much room around the sides though (approx 30cm to the dotted line car in the layout). Gonna go have a measure up.  On the floor stuff - how easy is it to lay that screed and would it stand up to using trolley jacks and stuff? I had some rubberised interlocking mats in there when my bike was set up in there, and they definitely wouldn't have stood up to a trolley jack or other heavy things on them. Obviously the manhole is a problem for other sorts of tiles (like these www.bigdug.co.uk/mega-deals-c411/single-garage-interlocking-floor-tile-set-mega-deal-p18846 ), even if they could cope with the lack of flatness of the floor. Just been poking around, adding to the pile of stuff that needs to go! It's amazing how much extra space you can clear when you are ruthless! I also realised I have at least a couple of metres of wall space at the back that I could put high shelves on. Also, there's another couple of metres above the garage door frame. There would be so much more space if it weren't there at all! I'm assuming the step down in the picture below is the little bit of flat roof that sticks out beyond the edge of the house.  Loads of people put shelves above head height - do you have little steps or something to help you get at the stuff up there (especially if you have to reach over a bench or something)? |
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Definitely look for a roller shutter (mine came out of a garage that was being converted into a room- look on gumtree etc but make sure you get your measurements right😬) or if you've got space out the front - double doors...
As far as high level shelves go... I don't need steps I'm just tall🤣... But an old plastic beer bottle crate from a pub has many uses ( they make good portable workbenches if you stack them too🙂)
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,971
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Garage improvementsMiataMark
@garra
Club Retro Rides Member 29
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Definitely look for a roller shutter (mine came out of a garage that was being converted into a room- look on gumtree etc but make sure you get your measurements right😬) or if you've got space out the front - double doors... Fitting a roller door was the best thing I did for my integrated garage, saves so much space. |
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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oldisbetter
Part of things
If it has a ECU it's complicated :)
Posts: 478 
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box all the pipes in and insulate them this will save accidents and save heat loss and freeze ups, can you find a space for a shed behind the house for bikes and stuff that is of low value and just taking up space?
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oldisbetter
Part of things
If it has a ECU it's complicated :)
Posts: 478
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Definitely look for a roller shutter (mine came out of a garage that was being converted into a room- look on gumtree etc but make sure you get your measurements right😬) or if you've got space out the front - double doors... Fitting a roller door was the best thing I did for my integrated garage, saves so much space. Double doors can be useful as you can just have one opening and then create storage behind the other but depends how big your projects get, my mates garage floor was evil with all the bits sticking up but we chiselled off the high bits and did some cheap self levelling on it and now he has used commercial carpet tiles on it and it feels a lot nice to work in, a folding bench can be useful but i have one that has not been folded down more than a few times since i built it. There are some very usefull bench builds in this section that use claver ideas and show you a few how things in skips or sitting around can be used.
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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box all the pipes in and insulate them this will save accidents and save heat loss and freeze ups, can you find a space for a shed behind the house for bikes and stuff that is of low value and just taking up space? Sheds are explicitly banned behind the house. I have built a leanto which currently houses 3 bikes - I can probably fit another one under there, but the other 2 would have to go under a cover (and I've never seen a good cover). Boxing in pipes sounds like a good idea - I will have to look into that (though there's no freezing problem - the only water pipes in there go to/from the boiler and as it's built into the house the temperature never gets that low). I really like the bench with the cutout where the chop saw is level with the bench. It needs a really deep bench top - I guess whether it's worth adding something like that would depend on how much I use my new chop saw. I've got lots of ideas about changing the layout and building new features, but I think for now I need to get the basics as good as I can - walls, floor, door, electrics. Your friend with the carpet tiles - what sort of stuff does he do in his garage? I like the ability to just sweep up sawdust or grinding dust or whatever, and I'm concerned about putting something down that would mean that trolley jacks or other stuff that has point loads but needs to move would be a problem. If the latter isn't an issue, maybe I should consider floor tiles (with a vacuum cleaner dedicated for the garage). |
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Jun 10, 2020 17:59:10 GMT
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Jun 10, 2020 18:35:13 GMT
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Those tiles look interesting. Does the floor underneath it have to be flat for you to be able to wheel the Jag around? I had some dollies when I had the Lancia, and they were basically useless because they wouldn't roll over the floor ridges. If possible, I'd rather use that sort of thing than have to lay a screed. While I agree it's not ideal, the tumble drier has no-where else to go - there is no shed, and it's not possible to install one. Obviously the boiler is staying, so I'll put it underneath that and work around it. The other wall has other hardware that can't be moved like the inverter and car charger, but they only stick out about 20cm. Would you remove the wooden cabinet on the same wall as the boiler? It's about 30cm deep. More pictures. The back half - there's enough space up high to put shelves across the back wall and towards the trike:  The side opposite the cabinet/boiler - as you can see while the garage door frame is there there's not space for shelving around here.  I've been googling the roller doors, and they seem pretty reasonably priced. I assume it would be pretty hard to install on my own though? |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Garage improvementsChrisT
@christ
Club Retro Rides Member 225
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Jun 10, 2020 18:48:51 GMT
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Fitting a roller shutter is a fairly straight forward process, easier with a couple of people but doable on your own.
Assume you're looking at the small plastisol coated insulated 'continental' type rather than a traditional single skin galvanized shutter.
What you've got to bear in mind is the headroom required for the door to roll up out of the opening, about 250mm
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Last Edit: Jun 11, 2020 18:38:06 GMT by ChrisT
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Jun 10, 2020 19:06:02 GMT
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Have you got anywhere else you can put any of your stuff that you don’t need to access that often? Eg, loft? My Mrs has a habit of dumping things in the shed which I then relocate to the loft!
We did have the tumble dryer in the shed for a couple of years before we had an extension done as there was just no space for it in the house. However, I assume you have a washing a washing machine in the house already? What about a combined washing machine/tumble dryer?
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Jun 10, 2020 19:39:36 GMT
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Those tiles look interesting. Does the floor underneath it have to be flat for you to be able to wheel the Jag around? I had some dollies when I had the Lancia, and they were basically useless because they wouldn't roll over the floor ridges. If possible, I'd rather use that sort of thing than have to lay a screed. The simple and unhelpful answer is i don't know. My floor is in good shape and I have never tried these tiles on top of the type of unskimmed tamped ridged floor you have.
You could hire a floor grinder:
VERY dusty!
If the floor is in very poor condition then you could buy tanalised tiling battens and lay 300mm apart. Use shims to get them level in both planes - or a slight fall towards the main door. Then fit 18mm OSB 3 to make a new floor. Mark where the battens are and place jacks axle stands etc on or near them. Expensive solution only worth doing if the floor is very bad.
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2020 19:41:14 GMT by theoldman
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Jun 10, 2020 19:40:58 GMT
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Have you got anywhere else you can put any of your stuff that you don’t need to access that often? Eg, loft? My Mrs has a habit of dumping things in the shed which I then relocate to the loft! We did have the tumble dryer in the shed for a couple of years before we had an extension done as there was just no space for it in the house. However, I assume you have a washing a washing machine in the house already? What about a combined washing machine/tumble dryer? I've been shifting stuff into the loft, but I can't put bikes up there! I got a proper loft ladder installed last year so it's easy to put stuff up there (and get it down again) now. The washing machine lives in the kitchen (on the 1st floor) - we looked at getting a washer dryer, but they were expensive and the reviews were terrible. I'm afraid the tumble drier will have to stay. I don't think the floor is bad enough that it needs battening! |
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Jun 10, 2020 19:44:06 GMT
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I've been shifting stuff into the loft, but I can't put bikes up there!
For bikes I had hooks and pulleys in the ceiling close to the wall and hauled the bikes up 'flat' to the ceiling on rope. The stuff came from Lidl's Magical Middle Aisle of Mystery for pennies. High enough up that I could easily walk under them without hitting my head.
Edit: As the boys got bigger the same parts were briefly repurposed to store an MX-5 hardtop against the ceiling.
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Last Edit: Jun 10, 2020 19:46:06 GMT by theoldman
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oldisbetter
Part of things
If it has a ECU it's complicated :)
Posts: 478
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box all the pipes in and insulate them this will save accidents and save heat loss and freeze ups, can you find a space for a shed behind the house for bikes and stuff that is of low value and just taking up space? Sheds are explicitly banned behind the house. I have built a leanto which currently houses 3 bikes - I can probably fit another one under there, but the other 2 would have to go under a cover (and I've never seen a good cover). Boxing in pipes sounds like a good idea - I will have to look into that (though there's no freezing problem - the only water pipes in there go to/from the boiler and as it's built into the house the temperature never gets that low). I really like the bench with the cutout where the chop saw is level with the bench. It needs a really deep bench top - I guess whether it's worth adding something like that would depend on how much I use my new chop saw. I've got lots of ideas about changing the layout and building new features, but I think for now I need to get the basics as good as I can - walls, floor, door, electrics. Your friend with the carpet tiles - what sort of stuff does he do in his garage? I like the ability to just sweep up sawdust or grinding dust or whatever, and I'm concerned about putting something down that would mean that trolley jacks or other stuff that has point loads but needs to move would be a problem. If the latter isn't an issue, maybe I should consider floor tiles (with a vacuum cleaner dedicated for the garage). He does all the normal stuff in his garage but where he jacks cars up he has 18mm ply he puts down and to keep clean he has a henry vacuum he found in a skip that worked fine after a clean. |
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Jun 12, 2020 20:57:16 GMT
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the floor could be given a grit screed , easy to do , will give you a nice smooth surface which you can then seal/paint, also having the floor sligthly higher means no water getting under the door
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retired with too many projects!
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 something like this above the door for added storage? For flooring, I used clip together B&Q laminate flooring (long strips) designated for bathrooms. It's worked really well. easy to slide on. stood up to jacks and stands, though I do use a square of ply wood under the stands to help. An if you don't mind the colours, you can pick up 'damaged' or returned packs cheep |
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Last Edit: Jun 16, 2020 8:21:10 GMT by molebert
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Garage improvementsduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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I'm not sure where all the joists are in that ceiling, and I don't really want to take the plaster board down to find out. There is some space above one of the rails for a shelf though, if I can work out how to fit the brackets properly. Laminate sounds interesting, and I have some spare stuff (non bathroom) in the loft, but I fear I would end up blocking access to the manhole, and as soon as I do that it's certain that it will be needed! I've been adding to the pile of things to throw away, and also moving loads more into the loft. My storage requirements are coming down dramatically - if I keep this up I won't need any of the extra shelving! I also moved the tumble drier to under the boiler. It created a lot of space under the cabinets, but I'm not sure if that is useful for a workbench - only the front half of it would have good clearance. I'm trying to learn Fusion 360 - I might have a go at modelling the garage this week. It's lots of square shapes, so should be pretty straightforward. Latest progress:  |
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Last Edit: Jun 16, 2020 8:49:59 GMT by duncanmartin: Adding picture
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You can find the joists using a strong little magnet. Rub it around on the ceiling u til it sticks to a nail or screw head and mark it. Once you’ve confirmed the joist spacing you can find the rest easily. 👍👍
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