Two car garage shops; how do you like them?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I'm heading from a basement shop to a two car garage shop. How well does this work for you? I plan on keeping one car in there and moving it out when I'm working. Does this work in reality? I have most of the major and minor tools but never enough of them. :) I know I'm going to miss my basement shop with it's pretty constant temp. etc. but sometimes you just can't have everything. How bad am I going to miss my basement shop? Thanks Alan in Md.

[Gary Max]

I would think a basement is hard to back a truck into---You can build bigger things now.
Locking the door should be easier now. Just a couple of good things I could come up with.

[Tony Falotico]

How big is your basement shop? If your gaining room, could be a good move......

BUT ........ Problems with garage shops:

:( If it's attached to the house and you use it for entry / exit ... mucho sawdust goes in the house creating mucho complaints from LOML
:mad: Every-time I finished working for the day I had to 'pack up' and move everything to the side...... Every-time I restarted I had to set up again.

I've moved into a 20' x 28' freestanding building that's a dedicated workshop. Works great.

There's lots of variables here and it's hard to tell exactly what your situation is. Whatever you do, I hope it works for you. Tony (don't think I helped you any)

[Carole Valentine]

My shop is a two car detatched garage, but it is a second garage (the car stays in the attached garage at the house). I think it would really bug me to have to move a vehicle in there. The only problem is I got sucked into this woodworking thing without even realizing what was happening to me. Had I realized where I was headed, I would have put in insulation, drywall and some sort of climate control before I ever started collecting tools! Now, I can't stand the idea of disrupting the shop to do that. Besides, I am too "tool poor" to pay for doing that now anyway! Get everything you need done to the garage done before you set up your shop!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Works great for me...the car only gets in during hailstorms or really bad rainstorms. The only thing better is a stand alone shop twice the size of the two car garage...:D

[Rob Littleton]

I started out with the car on one side and my shop on the other.

The wife got thru in a hurry with all the dust going in the car that we pushed it out and I got the whole garage.

I did use to move it in and out and that was nothing but a PITA.

Im sure you will eventually take over the whole space :-)

Good luck on your move

[Joe Mioux]

I sort of like the idea of a garage workshop. I just moved in 11 sheets of 4x8 of 3/4" cabinet plywood into the garage today. I'm glad that did not have to go down the basement with them.


joe

[Steve King]

Rob,
That is how I started out, the car is gone but now I have 2 golf carts to deal with :D
Steve

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I'd like to get another basement shop but the two states I may move to in the near future, Florida and North Carolina, seem to have a shortage of these. I did see one 1900 sq. ft. basement home in N.C. and I couldn't stop salivating. But it was way too expensive. I wonder if a 3 car garage would work with one of the bays was walled off for one car? I know in either state I'm going to need A/C to survive in the shop. I don't have it now in Md. nor do I need it in the basement.

Alan in Md. ( still trying to figure it all out) Thanks guys and gals.

[Don Selke]

Hi Alan:

My shop is in a three car garage..When we moved into the house from Illinois, my shop was in a one car attached garage. Now that I have a three car garage I do not know how I ever got any work done in the one car unit. I think that no matter what you get, you will fill it up. Here in Arizona, the car is in the garage during the summer months due to the extreme heat 105 to 120. Interior automobiles parked in the sun can get as hot as 165 degrees.
During the winter months the car is parked outside and I have the whole garage to myself. I sure wish I had a seporate workshop like some of the guys and gals here but I do not have the land available for that type of arrangement. On the other hand, during the winter months here in the south west, you can work all day in the shop with the garage doors open. I do have to agree with one of the other posters, It does become a pain to fit the car in the garage with all your tools. It is like having to put all your toys away at the end of the night.
Last year I installed a 14,500 BTU A/C unit in the garage but when the temperature hits the 110 range, I do not use it.

[Allan Johanson]

I have a 3-car garage/shop and one car always lives there (it's my project car with the engine pulled out). The other car that is almost always in there is my wife's baby. She wasn't pleased when a layer of dust landed on it, so I made a large curtain of sorts. I didn't want to wall off that part of the garage with a permanent structure, so I installed a bunch of that "I-beam" curtain track on the ceiling around the car. Then I hooked up a bunch of medium strength poly using eyelets for strength to the track.

When the car is in the garage, I pull the curtain around it. When I'm doing sheet goods stuff, welding, or anything else requiring space for any reason, then I put her car outside and pull the curtain to the wall to free up the entire space.

It works very well for me.

Allan

[Bob Marino]

Alan,

A garage shop that must be shared with other items (cars, lawnmowers, bicycles, etc.) isn't the most ideal situation. I know, that's what I have been doing :( . However, depending on the size of the garage and what tools you have and how you store them, it is not only doable, but can turn into a pretty nice place to work. Few of us have the luxury of a huge, dedicated shop.
I would suggest mobile bases for the big tools and cabinets. There was an article in FWW some months back featuring a garage shop where the owner had all tools and floor cabinets on casters and all at the same working height, which made set ups and projects a snap. All tools and cabinets then when back against the side of the garage,making space for the car. Worth a look at.
May want to look at proper heating and ac to make the garage more comfortable year round.

Bob

http:// festool.safeshoper.com

[George Summers]

Alan -

What part of NC are you considering?

George

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Are you familiar with this area?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I have a 3-car garage/shop and one car always lives there (it's my project car with the engine pulled out). The other car that is almost always in there is my wife's baby. She wasn't pleased when a layer of dust landed on it, so I made a large curtain of sorts. I didn't want to wall off that part of the garage with a permanent structure, so I installed a bunch of that "I-beam" curtain track on the ceiling around the car. Then I hooked up a bunch of medium strength poly using eyelets for strength to the track.

When the car is in the garage, I pull the curtain around it. When I'm doing sheet goods stuff, welding, or anything else requiring space for any reason, then I put her car outside and pull the curtain to the wall to free up the entire space.

It works very well for me.

Allan



Hi Allan,

Great name but I don't know about the spelling. :) But seriously that's a great idea. I'll definitely keep it in mind. BTW nice machine under that plastic. Thanks Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan,

A garage shop that must be shared with other items (cars, lawnmowers, bicycles, etc.) isn't the most ideal situation. I know, that's what I have been doing :( . However, depending on the size of the garage and what tools you have and how you store them, it is not only doable, but can turn into a pretty nice place to work. Few of us have the luxury of a huge, dedicated shop.
I would suggest mobile bases for the big tools and cabinets. There was an article in FWW some months back featuring a garage shop where the owner had all tools and floor cabinets on casters and all at the same working height, which made set ups and projects a snap. All tools and cabinets then when back against the side of the garage,making space for the car. Worth a look at.
May want to look at proper heating and ac to make the garage more comfortable year round.

Bob

http:// festool.safeshoper.com

Thanks Bob, I think I saw the FWW article and I'll go back and check it out. I guess most shops have some sort of compromising either with space or climate control etc. You just have to make the best shop out of what you have. Most of my smaller machines are on mobile bases. I'll have to work on my jointer to get it mobile. I'm still dreaming of a large basement shop someday. Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi Alan:

My shop is in a three car garage..When we moved into the house from Illinois, my shop was in a one car attached garage. Now that I have a three car garage I do not know how I ever got any work done in the one car unit. I think that no matter what you get, you will fill it up. Here in Arizona, the car is in the garage during the summer months due to the extreme heat 105 to 120. Interior automobiles parked in the sun can get as hot as 165 degrees.
During the winter months the car is parked outside and I have the whole garage to myself. I sure wish I had a seporate workshop like some of the guys and gals here but I do not have the land available for that type of arrangement. On the other hand, during the winter months here in the south west, you can work all day in the shop with the garage doors open. I do have to agree with one of the other posters, It does become a pain to fit the car in the garage with all your tools. It is like having to put all your toys away at the end of the night.
Last year I installed a 14,500 BTU A/C unit in the garage but when the temperature hits the 110 range, I do not use it.

Don,

Thanks for your insight on this. I have a niece who just moved back to Phoenix. I couldn't believe it when she told me it was 120 there the other day. Boy that is some serious heat. But I know it's a dry heat. :) And I was never that good about putting all my toys away after play. Thanks Alan

[JayStPeter]

As most people mentioned, when I used the garage, the car rarely went in. Heat/AC is significant. It's not a basement. In Silver Spring, I had an uninsulated garage. It would take about an hr. for a kerosene heater to make the place usable. So, I had to plan in advance during the winter. If I stayed there, I would've insulated it and gotten a gas heater of some sort. I imagine it would be the same way with AC in Fla.
The thing most people didn't mention is storage. The house in SS had no basement. So, storage of everything for the house was in the garage or attic. So, I had tons of shelves and cabinets in both places (yes, I built cabinets for the attic). All my shop cabinets shared storage of tools with Christmas stuff and rarely used kitchen stuff. Plus all my household repair stuff (which now resides on a storage shelf outside my shop area in the basement) and auto maintenance stuff.
I enjoy my basement workshop much more than the garage except when using sheet goods. Also, even almost 9' basement ceilings are no match for the 10+ footers I had in the garage when dealing with longer boards and sheets. With the soundproofing, my wife reports less noise than when I used the garage.
You should definitely try to find a place with a nice detached garage that can serve as a dedicated workshop. Good luck on your move/house search.

Jay

[George Summers]

Alan -

I live half hour north of Raleigh, near the VA line, Oxford (with three exits off I-85). If you come down checking the area out, stop by.

WWwise, we have a WoodCraft, a Klingspor woodworking Store, WW Supply of NC, Harbor Freight, Northern Tool and at least three wood stores in Raleigh or within driving distance. We have an active WW club and turners club also (I'm not a turner).

George

[Alan Tolchinsky]

George, That's the one thing I love about Raleigh; it's got so many wood working stores compared to where I live. I've been to most of the ones you mentioned already on my trips there. Now if I could just find a reasonable basement home I'd be all set. Thanks for the invite; I'd love to do that on one of my trips. Thanks Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

As most people mentioned, when I used the garage, the car rarely went in. Heat/AC is significant. It's not a basement. In Silver Spring, I had an uninsulated garage. It would take about an hr. for a kerosene heater to make the place usable. So, I had to plan in advance during the winter. If I stayed there, I would've insulated it and gotten a gas heater of some sort. I imagine it would be the same way with AC in Fla.
The thing most people didn't mention is storage. The house in SS had no basement. So, storage of everything for the house was in the garage or attic. So, I had tons of shelves and cabinets in both places (yes, I built cabinets for the attic). All my shop cabinets shared storage of tools with Christmas stuff and rarely used kitchen stuff. Plus all my household repair stuff (which now resides on a storage shelf outside my shop area in the basement) and auto maintenance stuff.
I enjoy my basement workshop much more than the garage except when using sheet goods. Also, even almost 9' basement ceilings are no match for the 10+ footers I had in the garage when dealing with longer boards and sheets. With the soundproofing, my wife reports less noise than when I used the garage.
You should definitely try to find a place with a nice detached garage that can serve as a dedicated workshop. Good luck on your move/house search.

Jay

Jay,

What you say makes a lot of sense especially with your past and present experience. I would love to have a basement shop as big and as nice as yours. Do you know off hand what the total sq. ft. of your is? Alan

[JayStPeter]

Jay,

What you say makes a lot of sense especially with your past and present experience. I would love to have a basement shop as big and as nice as yours. Do you know off hand what the total sq. ft. of your is? Alan

Alan,

Just under 600 sqft. It's L-shaped with a kind of narrow (14ft) main section. I think a full 2-car garage would "feel" just as big and be easier to layout. Especially if you replace the overhead door with a smaller door. I do have lots of open floorspace now, which is nice.

Jay

[Bob Hovde]

... I didn't want to wall off that part of the garage with a permanent structure, so I installed a bunch of that "I-beam" curtain track on the ceiling around the car. Then I hooked up a bunch of medium strength poly using eyelets for strength to the track.

When the car is in the garage, I pull the curtain around it. When I'm doing sheet goods stuff, welding, or anything else requiring space for any reason, then I put her car outside and pull the curtain to the wall to free up the entire space.

It works very well for me.

Allan

Allan,

How much room does the curtain take up when pulled back against the wall? I have added a 10'x10' "alcove" behind my garage and had planned on building a front wall inside the garage, making it a 10'x14' room. The curtain might be a better solution, allowing me to open the area for major "flat" projects. (The alcove/room is mainly intended for my new lathe, but since it will be air conditioned, I will keep my BS and Shopsmith there also to avoid the Alabama rust problem.) I would lose 10' of counter space, but I could always make mobile cabinets for my grinder, etc.

Bob

[James Carmichael]

I hate it, but haven't figured out how I'm going to build. Thanks to the HD grey ridgid closeout, I now have enough stationery power tools (albeit on mobile bases) that SWMBO has decreed a shop be built. Like Carole, I am tool poor and can't do a proper shop just yet. Ideally, I would like to extend my garage out back.

[Jim Becker]

Alan, a typical two-car garage offers a lot of possiblities for a shop, even if you need to continue to accomodate...argh...cars in the space from time to time. WOOD Magazine's Idea Shop 2 (http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/wood/story/data/60.xml&catref=wd8) offers some interesting ideas for full functionality while retaining the space's originally intended (misguided, of course...) purpose: storing automobiles out of the weather. The real key, as already stated, is mobility. Combine that with intellegent storage, great lighting and attention to DC and power considerations will work out just fine.

Of course...a three car garage or a totally separate building are certainly nice if you can scarf a property with either!!

[Allan Johanson]

Hi Bob,

I have a lot of junk in the way at the moment so I can't give you super specific measurements, but it'll be something like a couple of feet on the ceiling to cram in the 27 feet of poly on the hangers, but you can pull it back to the wall and the poly will scrunch up into a few inches for ample clearance to move around. Think of a curtain in your living room and how you can tie it back to the side of the window.

I'm using the medium duty poly. Not super light, but not the 6-mil vapor barrier stuff either. That thick stuff might not bunch up enough.

I bought the eyelets from a local discount store in the sewing/crafts section and folded over the top couple inches of poly to double up the strength before poking a hole and hammering the eyelets together. I installed an eyelet every 6 inches along the length of the poly for extra durability.

For other folks wanting extra protection against dust...you could gently introduce a positive pressure situation into the desired dust-free area. Using a fan with a filter, you can blow air into that area from the outside and that way dust from the adjacent area won't "flow" into your dust-free zone.

My garage has enough leaks around the door and by total fluke does that on it's own (I live close to the ocean so there is almost always a breeze around here). When the curtain is closed, it will gently billow towards the rest of the shop, showing the pressure is slightly greater in the area with the car. Sometimes you get lucky. :)

Good luck!

Allan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan,

Just under 600 sqft. It's L-shaped with a kind of narrow (14ft) main section. I think a full 2-car garage would "feel" just as big and be easier to layout. Especially if you replace the overhead door with a smaller door. I do have lots of open floorspace now, which is nice.

Jay

Jay, That sounds like a cool shop and I would love to have that square footage. I'm just dreaming again. Alan

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan, a typical two-car garage offers a lot of possiblities for a shop, even if you need to continue to accomodate...argh...cars in the space from time to time. WOOD Magazine's Idea Shop 2 (http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/wood/story/data/60.xml&catref=wd8) offers some interesting ideas for full functionality while retaining the space's originally intended (misguided, of course...) purpose: storing automobiles out of the weather. The real key, as already stated, is mobility. Combine that with intellegent storage, great lighting and attention to DC and power considerations will work out just fine.

Of course...a three car garage or a totally separate building are certainly nice if you can scarf a property with either!!

Jim,

Thanks for those suggestions. My dream would be to have a 3 car garage space if I can't get another basement shop. I appreciate the encouragement about the garage set up though; it's definitely doable. Alan

[JayStPeter]

Hi Bob,

I
I'm using the medium duty poly. Not super light, but not the 6-mil vapor barrier stuff either. That thick stuff might not bunch up enough.

I bought the eyelets from a local discount store in the sewing/crafts section and folded over the top couple inches of poly to double up the strength before poking a hole and hammering the eyelets together. I installed an eyelet every 6 inches along the length of the poly for extra durability.

For other folks wanting extra protection against dust...you could gently introduce a positive pressure situation into the desired dust-free area. Using a fan with a filter, you can blow air into that area from the outside and that way dust from the adjacent area won't "flow" into your dust-free zone.

Allan

I'm envisioning a smaller version of this for a spray finishing area. Good info on how to go about making it.

Jay

[JayStPeter]

Jay, That sounds like a cool shop and I would love to have that square footage. I'm just dreaming again. Alan

Dunno, your MD house ought to translate into slightly more in the areas you're looking. When I was considering Tampa, it seemed 3-car garages were pretty abundant and affordable. Don't know home prices in Raleigh, but I doubt they are quite DC suburb range. You might be able to find something even better. Or, you could add something to whatever you buy.

Good luck and have fun househunting. I am envious of the places you plan on looking ... ahhhh, no winter .... Not so envious of the actual process of moving though :eek: :D .

Jay