The ultimate garage. I want to renovate mine.

[Cooked Rice]

Like most people I have typical looking 2 car garage. Tools and random items everywhere laying on the floor down the sides, nails in the 2x4s used as hooks. 2 60 watt light bulbs for light... Too depressing for a car guy. I want to make it clean and organized, and a place you can actually hang out in. Here are some examples I found to fire my inspiration.

Before:
http://meistergaugefaces.com/garage_build/garage_07.jpg

After:
http://meistergaugefaces.com/garage_build/garage_22.jpg

http://meistergaugefaces.com/meisters_cars/20th_2.jpg

Before:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/ampcass/P4140362.jpg

After:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii47/ampcass/P6150092.jpg

http://zzz.globaldriftersphoto.com/garage/kens-garage_7286.jpg

Anyone have some garage renovation stories?

[Disoblige]

Oh man, I love the lift but I like everything else in the last pic. I think the glass framed pictures help with the room's feel too.

[Cooked Rice]

Some things I want to do right away:

Lighting: Change to long fluorescent tubes.

Retractable ceiling hung extension cords.

Retractable ceiling hung air line.

Welding cart.

Rolling tool cabinets, now these are pricey, so if anyone knows where I can get them cheap that'd be nice. It's for home use, so I don't need anything too OTT like snap-on etc...

Flat panel screen, 32 inch or something, with "pull-out" pivoting mount. And have it hooked up to the cable connection already in the garage, as well as a old desktop PC so you can pull up PDF repair manuals and write-ups online.

i also want to try and have as much stuff "off" the floor as possible. So wall mounted shelving and such. This will help with floor clean up, and will let me use a pressure washer on the floor/in the garage without getting other things wet.

[Chris88CL]

I have way too much shit for my garage to ever look like one of those. I wish I could make it work tho.

Im currently in the process of insulating and drywalling my garage. I need a ton of storage space for camping/fishing stuff but I still have 5 motorcycles, a car, a boat, and the typical household stuff (lawnmowers, snowblower, gardening shit etc) to fit in there.

Oh, and it's only an oversized double car (24x24). I had it all in there but it was a pain trying to move around. Gonna see how much organization I can get going once its drywalled.

I think the floor is really what makes those garages. I love the colored diamondplate and Im REALLY digging the shelves in the first one just above the peoples heads. I wish my garage was taller :( 8' ceilings FTL.

[2EFNFAST]

Call me crazy, but from the first picture it only looks like he put up walling, painted it, and threw out a lot of his useless crap? (oh, and did the floor)

I think you could do the same by, oh, let's say, throwing out your useless crap? :D

[ExtremeSi]

Good lighting makes a much nicer work area! We installed long florescent lights and it is so much better than regular bulbs.

Also, for shelving in our garage we built some cheap simple shelving down the whole side wall of the garage. About 18" deep and 3 tiers. Very functional and helps keep things organized.

[JC522]

where do you buy diamond plating like that to do up the floors locally? Does it come in one giant slab that gets cut to fit the garage or is it 12x12 tiles that get laid down

Edit:
Just looked online, enogh tiles to do up a dbl car garage is 4800 from http://www.garagefloor.com/garage-floor-xfloor-tiles.htm

[nismodrifter]

Here is the entire build thread for the first garage posted in this thread:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3404812

His idea for funding the cost of the floor is rather interesting hahah.

[88CRX]

I'm doing mine right now.... nothing special like the previous ones posted.

Just spent most of yesterday fixing the crappy tape/mud job the builders did. Going to prime and paint the walls next weekend. Also considering sealing the flooring, not sure though since it expensive shit.

These pics were right after I moved in, built the shelves along the two walls. Idiot proof brackets with 18" melamine shelves from home depot. Used 3" screws for the brackets into every stud so they can hold alot of weight. Also picked up a Mastercraft work bench from crappy tire for $120 or something. Metal counter, couple drawers and peg board back, works great and look also nicer then some ghetto built wood bench that I would have built haha.

Like someone else said it'll be nice to have everything off the floors to make it easy to wash out. Hopefully in a couple more weeks I'll have after pictures.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/88crx/house-pics_08-1.gif

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/88crx/house-pics_09-1.gif

[88CRX]

One other thing, if anyone has some sources for some good car banners post them up.

Found some sweet NOS banners on ebay :rofl:
http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/nos-19304nos_w.jpg

[barmanjay]

I suspect LeutyC will have a very strong dbl garage contender - ongoing project of course, but keep an eye on him as he slowly gets his done :D

He just built his, over height inside, wider door and side mount motor for more ceiling space

Give him some time, as his garage was just built :D

[Hash_man]

Good luck with your build. I am working on mine slowly, but cash flow has been a bit of an issue in getting it further along right now. Just your basic 2 car garage, but we are re-doing the electrical, adding more/better lighting, and then drywall and insulation are coming soon.

I hope to get a racedeck flooring going as those are badass, but not cheap... About $1400 USD for the floor covering.

[NickGT]

Here's my current place. Finished it all myself. It's nothing special but a great place to hang out and work on the car.

http://members.shaw.ca/nickgt/garage2.jpg

I'm building a new house though and I'm going to use this experience to go even bigger/better on the next one. Stakes for the new place go in the ground this Friday so I still have lots of time to plan :D :D

[scat19]

I must admit, I used to want a huge garage and all this and that.

I can't wait to get my first house, a normal double garage, get a lift, computer, fridge... so exciting!

Nice garages people!

[NickGT]

Does anyone have experience with Lift Kings?? Price is pretty appealing anyway and they are local.

www.liftking.ca

[Hash_man]

^^ I have talked to quite a few people who have bought through lift king and have been quite happy. They are supposed to be a pretty good place.

[AndyL]

www.kennan.ab.ca <- no guarantee; I semi-regularly deal with making overhead doors work around his lifts; figure he gives me enough referalls, I should return the favor :)

screw this 30x24 garage stuff :) 60x100 or go home :D (Yes my plans are bigger than my wallet)

As far as the doors are concerned highlift, with a jackshaft (ie chamberlain/liftmaster 3800 - or a zap) is the sh*t, but deal with someone good, lots of hack jobs out there... Everybody with a 7/16" wrench thinks they're a bloody garage door tech these days it'd seem...

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by NickGT
Does anyone have experience with Lift Kings?? Price is pretty appealing anyway and they are local.

www.liftking.ca


My parents have two of these on their garage.. they are excellent quality, and they came and did the entire install. Great idea and product if you have a garage with higher ceilings.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by NickGT
Does anyone have experience with Lift Kings?? Price is pretty appealing anyway and they are local.

www.liftking.ca
Yea those prices aren't THAT bad.... I would have guess they were more expensive then that.


Finally got all the mudding & sanding done in my garage. Primered it up. Going to paint it this weekend I hope.

[78si]

Originally posted by AndyL
www.kennan.ab.ca &lt;- no guarantee; I semi-regularly deal with making overhead doors work around his lifts; figure he gives me enough referalls, I should return the favor :)

screw this 30x24 garage stuff :) 60x100 or go home :D (Yes my plans are bigger than my wallet)

As far as the doors are concerned highlift, with a jackshaft (ie chamberlain/liftmaster 3800 - or a zap) is the sh*t, but deal with someone good, lots of hack jobs out there... Everybody with a 7/16&quot; wrench thinks they're a bloody garage door tech these days it'd seem...

I sent you a pm! I have a open garage door vs lifted car issue. :)

[NickGT]

Originally posted by 88CRX

Yea those prices aren't THAT bad.... I would have guess they were more expensive then that.


Finally got all the mudding &amp; sanding done in my garage. Primered it up. Going to paint it this weekend I hope.

Nice man. Post up some pictures when its done!

[redblack]

Has anyone used OSB instead of drywall in their garage?

[Baron O' Funk]

Here is couple shots of my old man's garage. Made some changes since then, added more storage and shelving. Costco has some great stackable shelving for around $75.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/Jbez1930/familygarage.jpg

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/Jbez1930/familygarage3.jpg

[NickGT]

Wow nice!!

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by Cooked Rice


i also want to try and have as much stuff &quot;off&quot; the floor as possible. So wall mounted shelving and such. This will help with floor clean up, and will let me use a pressure washer on the floor/in the garage without getting other things wet.

I found one of the things with my garage when I wash it is that the splash gets soaked up by the dry wall and it stats to turn all gross and shit. Either the splash back on the floor, it pools up in a corner.

[yellowsnow]

wow i think you just inspired me to do my own garage. i'm moving into a new place next week, and got an oversized double garage.

i'm lovin the racedeck flooring, that's definitely going on sometime in the future. do you guys just order it from the states? or is there someplace that sells it locally in calgary?

[nismodrifter]

Originally posted by sexualbanana

I found one of the things with my garage when I wash it is that the splash gets soaked up by the dry wall and it stats to turn all gross and shit. Either the splash back on the floor, it pools up in a corner.

Werd to this. I wash the garage a bunch of times every year with a regular ol hose + scrub it with soap/broom. Have 1 foot of concrete, a ledge, and then the drywall starts. Even with a regular hose you have to be very careful about splashing in the corners/around the edges as the water very easily gets onto the drywall. I usually do a walk around with the hose first and get all the edge/corner dirt into the centre of the garage so I don't have to worry about splashing the walls afterwards. As for using a pressure washer to wash out a garage...thats just asking for some MUSHY drywall (unless of course your garage has concrete a couple feet high on the sides...).

[88CRX]

Uggg..... done for now. Lots of work to get it this far.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/88crx/garage_aug_01.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/88crx/garage_aug_02.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/88crx/garage_aug_03.jpg

[NickGT]

Nice work man! :thumbsup: