Single Car Garage Build Out

I know we're a group who usually searches out properties with the largest garages, pole bars, and shops, but unfortunately I found a great house that meets a lot our needs with one exception: it's got a small garage.

It's a classically small 10x20 garage with 9ft (at back) and 11ft (over door) ceilings.

Having seen the 12-Gauge Garage and other very resourceful folks cramming a lot of crap into a garage while keeping it clean and organized, I'm hopeful that I can get what I need into it while still keeping it open during the winter months for my wife to park her Fit inside.

Some challenges:

1) I've got bare foundation concrete block on two sides. At least I assume it's concrete block as the house is only 9 years old. Currently it does not look like it's had any holes drilled into it, well except for a huge doggy door that is 3.5' off the floor. I guess Fido was a good aim.

2) I've got 4 bicycles and I can always find excuses to get another. I have no other "dirty storage", so unless I bring them inside and up two flights of stairs, which aint happening; they are going to have to hang in the garage somehow.

3) I've got a "cubby". Basically it's the space under the stares up into the living space. It's 42" wide, 9' tall, and slopes about 12' to the floor. It's odd shape means that in order to best use the space I'll need to build custom shelves. It might make a great place to keep bikes with shelves above.

4) I've got some decent vertical space where I could put shelves mounted to the walls/ceiling and above the garage door, but I'd need to find studs and determine if I should try drilling the concrete block. Hanging lots of weight from unknown studs in the ceiling behind drywall has always kinda freaked me out, but I don't want to rip apart the ceiling trying to find good mounting points.

I'm following this with interest. I have a 2-car garage, but it's a townhouse, so it's not a "normal"-sized 2-car garage: it's a little narrow and not very "deep." I always feel like I can do a better job of space management.

What do you need in the garage besides the Fit and 4+ bicycles? I agree you'll want the bikes hanging--can you post a picture for us to see?

mtn currently blowing a sigh of relief thinking about his "3" car garage

One piece of advice, attaching things to concrete blocks is a pain. I highly recommend a garage "system" in which you attach rails to the wall one time, then add modular hangers and shelves as needed. That way you can use good anchors once, and simply clip things on whenever and wherever you want down the road.

French cleats are the answer in my cinderblock shop.

pinchvalve wrote: One piece of advice, attaching things to concrete blocks is a pain. I highly recommend a garage "system" in which you attach rails to the wall one time, then add modular hangers and shelves as needed. That way you can use good anchors once, and simply clip things on whenever and wherever you want down the road.

OMG, that is a SWEET setup. Where would you procure such a thing?

In reply to Sky_Render:

My local home improvement store has a garage organization section that has tons of stuff like this, but it gets pricey quickly.

Pictures would be helpful.

If I'm understanding correctly, there is ceiling space above the car. I would think a pulley system of some sort could be a great answer for the bikes and other stuff.

Sky_Render wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: One piece of advice, attaching things to concrete blocks is a pain. I highly recommend a garage "system" in which you attach rails to the wall one time, then add modular hangers and shelves as needed. That way you can use good anchors once, and simply clip things on whenever and wherever you want down the road.

OMG, that is a SWEET setup. Where would you procure such a thing?

My only problem with setups like these are they're a huge waste of space. If you don't actually have that much stuff(does that really describe many of us?) and just need it up off the floor, they seem like a great solution. However, when you're left trying to stuff 10lbs of E36 M3 into a 5lb bag, as I expect many of us are, you need to consider all these factors:

1.) Minimizing floor space.

2.) Maximizing storage space.

3.) Creating modular yet functioning workspaces.

4.) Actually having the discipline to keep it organized, and not overfill it.

The combination of those factors is really where the 12-Gauge Garage excels.

I have a wall storage system similar to that. You know what I ended up doing? I took everything down except the ladder, and I shoved it in a corner. I don't use any of the lawn implements other than the mower all that often; they take up less space shoved/leaned in a corner. Doesn't look as nice, but it is an overall improvement--it keeps the car doors from hitting the shovels, it stops the risk of something falling on the car, and frankly, it is easier to extract the things.

FWIW, while it doesn't seem like the same discussion since I have a 2.5 car garage, I need to take similar considerations since I have 3 cars in said garage. (God bless whoever owned my house in 2000 when they built that garage)

In reply to petegossett:

Agreed. For most of the items pictured there, I'd be looking for a small shed or deck box instead of having them hang on my wall and take up precious garage space.

Hmm, good point.

I like the theory of 'nothing on the floor'. Then start the necessary list of 'on the floor items' like garbage cans or mowers. I have 3 of those wall strips with a handful of attachments. One nice one is for the trimmer. I also have the kiddies tow behind bike cart thingy hanging on some and our bikes on pulleys up to the ceiling. I was going to diy a system but found a system for like $10 at menards.

We have a car and a half, which means we can fit a Grand Cherokee in the garage and there's room to have a riding mower in there but not enough room to get it out with the car in.

Not enough space above garage door to use a pulley system, and last looking at it'd be pointless to waste time putting up much storage above the door because it's only big enough for a 14" bin. I've got exposed beams at the front of the garage above the door, so I might just keep the shelves on that end. 14" high by 20" deep by 10' wide.

I don't think the cleat system is worth it honestly. I just don't expect to hang anything "low" on the walls, or else you won't be able to get in and out of the car without the door hitting whatever object is one the wall. The only place I might use cleats would be for the mounting options of hanging a ladder. With 18' ceilings in my living room having a big step ladder will be essential for cleaning the fan and windows, and too wide of a step-ladder base will prevent it from going in my crawlspace. So if I get a ladder that big it'll definitely take up the whole wall.

Towards the back of the garage the wall options start to open up more. Currently I've got some junky cabinets that I'm going to remove, and I hope to replace them with some about 30" high, 20" deep, and also 10' wide. Sitting about 6' off the floor.

Prior to purchase (only white cabinets have remained)

Area above garage door:

My garage is a "car and a half" size as well. Closer to a car and a quarter really.

I went with the get everything off the floor approach, but didn't get too far before I moved a project in. That little bit made a big difference though.

What about a fold up workbench/tool storage thing like this?

Then you could keep the space under the stairs for storing other stuff.

I like that, but work space is totally not a priority at this point. Once I've got everything stored where I want it, I'll add work benches. Fold up looks like a great use of space.

paranoid_android74 wrote: My garage is a "car and a half" size as well. Closer to a car and a quarter really. I went with the get everything off the floor approach, but didn't get too far before I moved a project in. That little bit made a big difference though. What about a fold up workbench/tool storage thing like this? Then you could keep the space under the stairs for storing other stuff.

Did you build that yourself?

In reply to Sky_Render:

No, I'm sorry- I haven't built one yet. But that is a design I have been considering.

In reply to Sky_Render:

Judging from the color scheme that's from Jack Olsens 12 ga garage.

Rufledt built one. It was detailed here. I was going to steal his design.

depending on a few things.......

What MAY work for you... is a 2x4 along the wall a tolerable height up... mount the 2x4 to studs. On the top edge of the 2x4 lay a 2' wide length of plywood against that edge of the 2x4, and then drop chain from the ceiling studs and mount the inner edge of the plywood to the 2x4, and the other edge to the dropped chain. Now you have a 2" deep shelf that allows for a lot of storage

pheller wrote:

Using wall system or just individual hangers: Ladder high on left wall and bikes on the back wall. Should be able to put them high enough to not interfere with the car. May even have some space below ladder for other stuff.

Bicycles take up a ton of room. We have two adult bikes, two kids bikes and a unicycle. The adult bikes and the unicycle are hanging on the wall and I made a hook, rope and pulley system like this to store the bigger kid's bike horizontally against the ceiling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J9LcU-1RZs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xjmvk3-LXI

It works great, was cheap to build and saves a ton of space. I'm going to make a second one for the other kid's bike.

My townhouse garage is about 19' X 19' and we can still fit our 2 daily drivers in there.

I like cupboards. Less "visual clutter." I ~hate~ peg board.

Not the same amount of space, but here's me next to my near-finished cupboards, with a hoard of junk that needs putting away.

And here's Lethal Locost #2 out of the way with my crank-and-pulley canopy-taker-off-inator:

I'm of the opinion that bikes and lawn equipment don't belong in the garage at all. That's why God invented sheds.
Instead of asking "how can I all of this crap in this space?" ask yourself "where else can I put this crap?"
If you HAVE to have a dual use space (which it sounds like you do) then I think the key is the transformation. If you didn't have to park a car in there at all, how would you organize it? I'd have bikes on the floor so I could use them. Work tables down. Tools accessable etc. In parking mode the tables fold up, the bikes are just far enough out of the way that the car fits (because a fit is smaller than even that space) and parking mode is complete.
I personally dislike things like high shelves and hanging storage (even though I have them) because the harder something is to get down the less likely it is to get used.

My garage is a whopping 12×12. With the push mower shoved in one corner i can get my zephyr in against my toolbox and close the door. Only shelving is on the back wall about 6 foot up. Bikes are all stored in my basement, but ill follow this because i need better ideas for stashing parts then the corners of the floor.