Let's Talk About Your Home Garage / Workshop!

[artois7 21]

All being well, in the next few months the Mrs and I should exchange/complete on our first house, all being well with the mortgage application, which comes with a slightly larger than single garage! By slightly we're talking 5.9m x 2.6m.

 

Home is where the 205s are, of course! The garage is big enough for one of the 205s and the bike, the main 205 will have to live on the driveway, probably under a cover when I can afford a decent one.

 

Naturally my mind is now racing with exactly what to do with the garage - first order of business will be adding in new / better lights, and installing a sink.

 

Any must-haves, recommendations or cool ideas you have (or want to have) in your garages?

[welshpug 1,657]

2 post lift and enough height to raise a large van to 6 foot+

[Bobbafett 49 2 Cars]

I just moved to a new place we bought about 6 weeks ago. It has 2 garages so one of them i've gone about converting pretty quick to a usable space. I have sealed and painted the floor, painted a bit of the walls (massive ballache!). But the main thing I have done is insulate the ceiling with Celotex, ply it off and then install 6 x 30W LED light tubes. Makes it an amazing space to work in compared to my old rented council garage. If I shut the door down and put a little fan heater on it stays lovely and warm.

 

Pic I took the other day. It's ridiculously bright in there.

 

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Lots of racking and hooks. The more you get off the floor the more space you'll have.

 

A shed for the domestic stuff, lawn mowers, paint tins, general crap.

 

An old hifi

 

A whiteboard.

 

An old carpet, or they 600x600 foam matts you get.

 

 

I'm gonna put a shadow board on my wall, to hang tools that I use regularly near the front in mine.

 

I've got a double garage, but it's double longways, but I had to work like this at the weekend as I couldn't get the car in for stuff (and a 205).

 

It was a pleasure compared to working with no roof, only £60 odd from B&Q a few weeks ago, seems good quality and pops up in less than a minute.

 

[Ozymandis 97]

2 post lift and enough height to raise a large van to 6 foot+

+1, right on their Welshpug.

 

 

 

A subject dear to my heart and bank balance.

 

Good locks,good alarm and CCTV!

Fire extinguisher.

 

Good lighting plenty of sockets and a strong workbench with a min 4"vice.

If you haven't the room, a fold down wall mount workbench is handy.

I just made one for extra bench space at the side its really useful.

 

Paint it all white. This is worth the effort. i supplied and fitted an exhaust system to a decorator to get mine painted, bargain. shes coming back to paint the roof and steel-work, in exchange for an engine mount and a CV boot.

 

keep as much off the floor as possible, high up wall mount shelves/cupboards not floor standing racking are best.

 

A vacuum cleaner with a long hose.

 

And tons of other stuff, if you really want to know i could bore for Britain on my current toy garage playroom.

 

I am Just finishing the improvements to a garage at my house this week, i will post a few piccies soon.

I really enjoyed doing it as well. Cant wait to get back out there in the morning and plumb the airline in.

 

It was an eighties pent roof prefab gloomy damp concrete box, its a lot nicer now.

I raised the roof and converted it to a pitched roof the max height the council allow, were in a conservation area so its stone clad, green steel cladding and a green door.

Lets not forget the industrial roller shutter door, kin fabulous idea.

Walls all boarded out and insulated

 

My experiences of floor paint aren't good long term, so i left this one plain concrete.

[tartanbloke 35 1 Cars]

Lots of racking and hooks. The more you get off the floor the more space you'll have.

 

A shed for the domestic stuff, lawn mowers, paint tins, general crap.

 

An old hifi

 

A whiteboard.

 

An old carpet, or they 600x600 foam matts you get.

 

 

I'm gonna put a shadow board on my wall, to hang tools that I use regularly near the front in mine.

 

I've got a double garage, but it's double longways, but I had to work like this at the weekend as I couldn't get the car in for stuff (and a 205).

 

It was a pleasure compared to working with no roof, only £60 odd from B&Q a few weeks ago, seems good quality and pops up in less than a minute.

 

 

I recognise that street in the background......................walked down that many times in my teenage years on the way back from the girlfriends.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

 

I recognise that street in the background......................walked down that many times in my teenage years on the way back from the girlfriends.

Yeah? Nice one ????

 

Pity you didn't walk down it in Saturday, I could have done with a hand!

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

+1 for good lighting - mine is useless and I spend most of my time working by inspection lamp. Hopefully going to add more ceiling lights soon, but also lights around the perimeter too, cutting down on shadows.

 

A decent bench with lots of sockets, and if you've got the room then a sink and running water..

 

[welshpug 1,657]

I have the use of this space.

 

 

 

that's a 7.5 ton truck in the corner, 6 foot between it and the back wall, you'll get a decent sized estate car between the truck and the door with room to walk around it easily.

 

3 ton 2 post ramp, no compressor in there yet.

Edited November 14, 2016 by welshpug

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

I don't have as much room as you guys but at least it's in the dry

 

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

Echo all the recommendations above... Best thing for me has been my white board. I also boarded out the loft space so I can bung stuff up there. Here's mine...

 

[speno 239 2 Cars]

Have you not got a sink in the house ;0)

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

I think a sink is asking for burst pipes..... with the weather up our way anyway.

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

Have you not got a sink in the house ;0)

 

Yeah, but I use the loo when I'm indoors

[Bobbafett 49 2 Cars]

I think a sink is asking for burst pipes..... with the weather up our way anyway.

 

If you use Speedfit pipe it won't burst if it freezes.

 

I use this stuff you put on your hands before working. The oil just wipes off afterwards with some wipes. The downside is that it smells like vomit and cheese combined.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

I just moved to a new place we bought about 6 weeks ago. It has 2 garages so one of them i've gone about converting pretty quick to a usable space. I have sealed and painted the floor, painted a bit of the walls (massive ballache!). But the main thing I have done is insulate the ceiling with Celotex, ply it off and then install 6 x 30W LED light tubes. Makes it an amazing space to work in compared to my old rented council garage. If I shut the door down and put a little fan heater on it stays lovely and warm.

 

Pic I took the other day. It's ridiculously bright in there.

 

What's that thing in the bottom right of the picture? what's is for?

 

Also, you best make sure your 240V outlets aren't protected by a 32A breaker, (you've got what looks like two radials).

Edited November 17, 2016 by dobboy

[Castorkid 11 1 Cars]

Does anyone have any security recommendations for an up and over garage door? I'd like it to be more secure without it looking too much like I've got something worth nicking in there.

[barneys66 122 1 Cars]

It's only when you get broken into do you realise how feeble your security is! I had an engine crane knicked amongst other sundry items and it was obvious they'd just spun the T-handle around to activate the lock - as it was in a wooden door the self-tappers came out easily. From the marks on the door they had a special tool..

 

That was a couple of house moves ago, but I've got these on the shelf ready to install in my new place - like them as pretty discreet..

 

Asec HS1829 Garage Door Lock - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004ULMMXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yg4lybP41MGXK

[Castorkid 11 1 Cars]

Totally agree. I've just been discussing security with my mate who installed my house alarm. He thinks CCTV and a link into my alarm is a bare minimum these days. 205 is worth more in parts than I can get from the insurers so need to put a plan in place. Up and overs are so flimsy.

[juice willis 2]

Thought about wiring my up and over to a van battery. Bit extreme but there's a lot of thieving going on in my area.

[Castorkid 11 1 Cars]

It's only when you get broken into do you realise how feeble your security is! I had an engine crane knicked amongst other sundry items and it was obvious they'd just spun the T-handle around to activate the lock - as it was in a wooden door the self-tappers came out easily. From the marks on the door they had a special tool..

 

That was a couple of house moves ago, but I've got these on the shelf ready to install in my new place - like them as pretty discreet..

 

Asec HS1829 Garage Door Lock - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004ULMMXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yg4lybP41MGXK

As it's a metal door Im thinking that bolts might be of limited use, you can just lever up the middle of the door pulling in the edges releasing the bolts. I'm currently thinking of fitting a full width bar on the inside, sat on the lower edge preventing them from levering the door up. I have a side door I can use to exit after locking up.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Castorkid

[Ozymandis 97]

Does anyone have any security recommendations for an up and over garage door? I'd like it to be more secure without it looking too much like I've got something worth nicking in there.

My old door was up/over.

I made two 6mm steel plates approx 6" by 8" and bent up an edge 1 1/2" to an L shape.

Then got two weld in shutter "bullet locks" and welded then to the small leg of the L.

Then drilled the plates and fitted them to the outside with coach bolts,a foot from each side, sandwiching the door with a plate "spreader" on the inside.

Drilled vertically through the bullet lock bodies down into the concrete and made the holes in the concrete a little oversize to allow for misalignment.

Worked well.

Eventually the springs inside the locks rusted away and they became a bit fiddly. So i put bronze springs in and they were fine for years.

 

Security is often about making it look obvious that its a hard target and i think looking like your protecting something puts off most thieves they find an easier target.

 

If you get serious thieves with cordless grinders ,oxy acetylene etc then CCTV and decent alarm systems are a help, but we had a case recently where proper robbers with lorries hi abs etc did over an industrial estate locally and they cut the phone lines pried the alarm boxes off and put them in a tub of water.

My friend was cleaned out and nearly lost his business as a result.

His alarm was top notch but it didn't help.

 

My brother loosed a pair of big savage dogs in his yard at night, thievery stopped completely. Then he came one morning and found them shot dead with a shotgun.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

http://www.lockandkey.co.uk/p/gdm1/garage-defender/?gclid=CLuHyLLGtNACFc8K0wod0KMBxw

 

For up and over doors.

[Bobbafett 49 2 Cars]

What's that thing in the bottom right of the picture? what's is for?

 

Also, you best make sure your 240V outlets aren't protected by a 32A breaker, (you've got what looks like two radials).

 

It's a gearbox jack. For taking off and refitting boxes on your own

 

The second bit I have no idea what you're talking about! haha. There is a dedicated Wylex fuseboard in the garage that the outlets run through and a main Wylex fuseboard in the house. We are having the entire place completely re-wired in the new year, including the garage; but the electrician who is a mate of mine said that it's fine for now.

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

I see, I thought it was some sort of fancy jack for lifting a car up quickly.

 

Regarding sockets, if your mates a sparky then I'm sure it'll be fine, it's just I've seen some dangerous DIY stuff in my time ????