How would you setup your garage now, with all your past experience?

Bigger, taller ceilings because LIFT.  Less stuff in garage.  And remember, the floor is not a shelf.

z31maniac said:

What would you buy to keep everything organized at home and easily able to throw in the bed of a pickup or on a trailer to take to the track with you?

You're favorite stuff to get wall storage/organization (that aren't leftover kitchen cabinets, I like to be able to see things) would also be appreciated!

Let's get back to this, I have to use the garage I have for now. If we decide to build in the country in 5-10 years, it will be a different story.

In reply to z31maniac :

OK.  I've had both.

Leftover cabinets suck.  I had them all over in my shop and garage, and am ripping them out.  They are much too limiting in size and weight capacity.  And I REALLY don't like everything out of sight.  I want to SEE the stuff I am looking for.

I have several things I enjoy:

   - Adjustable open METAL shelving.  Not wood.  

   - I have found medical records shelving to be awesome.  Usually 12" and 18" in depth.  They are built to hold a LOT of weight, and are cheap used (medical facilities are all going digital).  Plus, they were never abused in a medical facility.

   - Industrial style racks (usually about 6' long and 24"- 26" deep) are excellent for storing big heavy stuff like engines.  

   - Loft storage up high is fabulous for large lightweight bulky stuff (like a car hood, or a roll of insulation you don't want to chuck).  I love getting this stuff off the floor so I can move around.

Our house came with a finished garage and we epoxied the floor before we moved in. I also installed cabinets before we moved in.  I do have one set of kitchen cabinets that I used to store my riding gear in and it works perfectly for that.

We have a garden shed for all the yard stuff and additional on the side/back patio I have a deck box with things like fenders and doors for the Datsun stored inside. 

I do have one rolling rack that my wife uses to store bulk items on (I'm ok with that as I use it as a divider)

Over the Christmas break I'm doing another round of culling; I've got one mountain bike that hasn't been used in years, bits of fiberglass paneling etc. I'm also going through the storage cabinets and any parts I don't recognize are hitting the bin.

I find that every 5 years or so the garage needs a good cleaning out although now that I've become more selective about what I keep or bring home there's a lot more space.

In reply to Tom1200 :

I agree whole heartedly on having stuff on wheels! I've got way too many tools, including big stuff I don't use much, but its been nigh on 15 yrs. since I had buds with shops. When I ever (finally) get a decent shop finished at my place, I'LL be the "bud"

Biggest thing for me was finally deciding to move all the non-car stuff out of the garage. So much easier to work on cars when you can actually find tools and parts and have space to work without piles of misc stuff in the way.

I decided against cabinets. I like wall mounted shelves. Also lined one wall with pegboard under the shelving. Pretty much anything on the floor now has wheels or is just waiting for me to hang it on the wall.

I have a 20x20x8.5 garage. Been here almost 3yrs and still debating what to use for heating/cooling system. This is important as I am too lazy to work on my cars if I'm not comfortable enough, unless I realllllly need to. I should start a garage build thread and post some pics...

My car stuff is relatively easy to organize.  Its homeowner stuff that is a disaster.

Most of my car stuff is on metal shelves ~18" deep with corresponding plastic totes organized by task.  Car wash?  Pull out the car wash tote.  Track day?  Pull out the track day tote(s).

My garage, or my shop? 2 car garage attached to the house, it's just for parking the daily drivers in.

My shop, on the other hand, is a 2400 sq ft metal building a few hundred feet away from the house, so I can make all the noise I want and not bother anybody. It's nearly the highest spot on the property, so it doesn't flood. Concrete slab, so no more rolling around in the dirt. 3 vehicle doors, two are 10x10, in line front and rear center of the building. The other is a 12x14 big enough to drive an RV through , which I used when I parked my toyhauler in there before I sold it. 2 people doors, one in front corner nearest the house, opens into corner of building that I enclosed as an office, with loft above that for storage of parts. Corner behind that is work area, with wall cabinets and floor cabinets all around, toolchests, and big worktable in middle. Center of shop has 2 post lift back near rear 10x10 door. Other side of shop with big door is for parking. Ran 220v, 100 amp electric feed underground from pole in front of house for lift, A/C, compressor, welder, lights, etc. Wifi range extender picks up signal from router in house and gives me wifi in the shop even with all doors closed, for streaming music or video to the old projection big screen in the corner and old laptop on the workbench near the toolbox. A/C is biggest window unit I could find (25,000 btu) installed through wall near work area.

What do I wish I had done different? Wish I had run water to it as well as electric, put in a big industrial sink, and maybe a bathroom. Wish I had gone with sectional garage doors instead of the cheap roll up metal ones, for better insulation. Wish I had put in a real HVAC system.  

When I say my buddies shop; I mean he has a full on machine shop. Even in his shop he has the brake and sheer are on wheels. The only thing not on wheels are the mills and lathes. He used ultra high quality castors as well as having powered wheels on the heavier equipment (they're plugged into overhead outlets). They can be double stacked against the walls and then moved out on to the floor when needed.

My garage is also decorated with lots memorabilia and I personally like stuff stored in cabinets out of sight. I know where most everything is but for the stuff I don't I label it.

+100 on making storage bins or little duffel bags up as kits for various jobs or events.

A drinking fountain.

Make the fabrication/cutting/grinding/drilling area isolated so all metal mess doesn't go everywhere.  Unfortunately it can't be a small room, as sometimes you have long exhaust pipes or 20ft tubes to cut, etc.  Maybe curtains like they use around hospital beds would work with material that isn't flammable to contain the mess.

I kinda did this to keep my washer/dryer area clean(er).

Oddly, what I want to get rid of in my garage is my tool box.  Because of the way the walls are built, it can't go against the wall, so it sits about 4" away.  So I want a wall mounted tool storage system.  Maybe something similar to a woodworker's tool cabinet.  I'd like to find some 36" wide x 12" deep mid-chests that I could mount to the wall.  The open shelves currently in my garage have a similar problem - they cut into floor space too much.  I have a single bay garage, so whatever storage I have inside needs to be a shallow as practical.  Preferably about 12" deep which will be adequate for most needs and limit how often items may get buried in the back.

More than just having things on wheels, I want as much as possible off the floor entirely.

mazdeuce - Seth said;

I want a building specifically for projects. Not storage, not lawnmowers, not parking, but a dedicated work space. Or better, a dedicated long term project building and a dedicated short term building connected by a breezeway containing a bathroom with shower and a small kitchenette. I'm not sure I want a house at all. 

GroshMahal

SVreX said:

In reply to z31maniac :

OK.  I've had both.

Leftover cabinets suck.  I had them all over in my shop and garage, and am ripping them out.  They are much too limiting in size and weight capacity.  And I REALLY don't like everything out of sight.  I want to SEE the stuff I am looking for.

I have several things I enjoy:

   - Adjustable open METAL shelving.  Not wood.  

   - I have found medical records shelving to be awesome.  Usually 12" and 18" in depth.  They are built to hold a LOT of weight, and are cheap used (medical facilities are all going digital).  Plus, they were never abused in a medical facility.

   - Industrial style racks (usually about 6' long and 24"- 26" deep) are excellent for storing big heavy stuff like engines.  

   - Loft storage up high is fabulous for large lightweight bulky stuff (like a car hood, or a roll of insulation you don't want to chuck).  I love getting this stuff off the floor so I can move around.

Awesome, thanks for the insight Paul. 

Do you have a preferred brand of metal shelving? 

In reply to z31maniac :

Not really. 

Here’s my standard...  if I can grab the vertical angles which form the legs and twist them easily by hand, it’s crap. 

Also... vertical legs should be one piece. I’ve never seen a system that pieces together the vertical legs (to fit in a box for shipping) to be satisfactory. If your shelving unit is 8’ high, it can’t be packaged in a 4’ box. 

In reply to z31maniac :

I really like Edsel for a brand. Cheap, high weight capacity, fairly solid. Sams Club. 

RevRico said:

The shelves I linked above are 18" deep.

This set, the one I found in store, is 24" deep. $149 at Sam's Club. 

Weather and labor permitting, should be up and stocked this weekend. 

They claim 2000lbs per shelf. I haven't tested the limits, but they work great for holding crap. I'll be getting another one or two when we move. 

I spent the last year getting this 1500 sf space built. I berkeleying love it!  2 post and 4 post lift getting installed next week.

right bay for car storage

left bay for car working

left side for tools and loft for storage 

I'd not put so many shelves and use cabinets instead.  Being able to put things away so they aren't out and visible appeals to me.  Labeling the cabinets is easily accomplished and you can decorate the cabinet fronts with vinyl/stickers, signs, posters, etc.

keeping non-car stuff out of the garage helps and I'm working on that, but once it is in there you can't easily root it out.

setting up areas for specific uses makes a lot of sense.  Put the air compressor outside or overhead.  Keep things that used more often more accessible and items you use less up higher or further away.

I like a comment that was made - "remember a floor is not a shelf" - Great words to remember!

17 Machine in Gloucester VA is a Fab/Machine/Diesel shop started by an old co-worker, so I had access, but no longer live in VA. Also several friends with better home shops than some businesses! but here in AL, I don't have that. I've had a 1952 Bridgeport and a lathe, and and enough stuff for a better shop than most, collecting up since mid 80's, but finally got a building put up last year.

Very much enjoying this topic. Am setting up a second building (17 x 21) for wood working only, and a lean to for L&G , and a carport. but right now everything is FULL of 35 years of being a pack rat! Had stuff ot friends / Family in 9 different towns (4 States) at one point, so I have A LOT of sorting / organizing to do!!!

Did run water / sewage / electric to what will be the Car / Bike work shop

After Moving some of the wood working stuff over to the (unfinished) wood working shed

After bringing Milling machine, and ALL of my dads garage in... I gots me some cleaning up to do!!!

In reply to RevRico :

I've got a couple of similar shelves, one set for me, one set for my much better half.

I'll try to get a couple of pics of the garage. As was mentioned about the floor not being a shelf, I definitely want to get more stuff up on the walls. But securely.