Show us your set up: garage / tools / workspaces

Show us your set up: garage / tools / workspaces

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Davie

Original Poster:

4,733 posts

214 months

Thursday 18th January 2018
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I know we've had a similar topic before but a lot were those highly polished display boxes for exotica, which are all well and lovely but I really enjoyed looking at the proper working garages, the man caves where stuff gets done, car and bikes get fixed and there's a grubby mug of tea always to hand... that and some of the tool and equipment set ups some had were excellent, made for interesting reading.

So, this may fall on its arse but anybody willing to share their current set up... your tool collection, the garage set up, driveways with ramps, kerbside setup under a gazebo in the rain whilst you wrestle with the rounded sub frame bolt whilst swearing loudly... doesn't matter what is it, how basic or how posh... just something I find quite interesting, proper man spec weekend spannering and all that!

I'm currently half way through completely rearranging and clearing the garage of crap, happy to share later once home!

Peanut Gallery

2,418 posts

109 months

Thursday 18th January 2018
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Sign me up for this please! - Currently have a blank canvass - a cold, un-insulated, sloped floor - but attached single garage.

Dream garage would be tiled floor with wet under floor heating, but I may just go for insulating the walls and putting a kick heater or 2 in.

What fire sprays / systems do others have in their garages?

GreenV8S

30,150 posts

283 months

Thursday 18th January 2018
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For fire extinguishing, I have a hand held AFFF which should be big enough to put out a small fuel/oil fire, or delay a bigger fire for long enough for me to escape. The supplier recommended dry powder as being more effective at putting out the fire, but that can be very dangerous in an enclosed space since it is effectively blinding - OK if you use it while you're standing in the doorway, but otherwise you risk becoming disoriented and lost. I've been told that dry powder is difficult to clean up afterwards and if triggered inside a normal car would mean you have powder coming out of carpet, crevices etc for the rest of time. The supplier said that's not a significant problem but it still makes me reluctant to use dry powder inside a car.

Edited by GreenV8S on Thursday 18th January 16:21

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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I'll get started, but my photos are dire.this was Day 1..

normalbloke

7,401 posts

218 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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A few more...




MDT

455 posts

171 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Well, I moved house a couple of years ago and the garage was a driving factor, or more the potential of the garage. As the OP hinted at I am not into display cases etc.
I spent the first 9 months just trying to get the garage to a ‘smart’ but practical state as had a few projects to in mind and wanted a nice place to work. This was a lot of work, as it was just a bare box when we moved in but despite the house being 20 years old the garage had only ever been used for junk and wheely bins, so no oil on the floor (that would soon change).

Spec
6m x 6m with 3m of head room
Insulated and sealed garage door
Insulated walls and roof
Separate loft above garage.
Commercial grade porcelain tiles. (killed my back and knees)
Central heating

I got a separate and dedicated electrical feed put into the garage with a second consumer unit, I have got both 13amp and 16amp outlets in the dado-rail which runs round the wallI have the compressor running off a 30amp feed now it’s a 200L 18cfm once more running through the dado-rail to outlets.

A few pics of the end result and it’s not just for polishing in.




dado-rail



this was it as the mid point


current project on the go.


Davie

Original Poster:

4,733 posts

214 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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Superb, proper garages!

I never had the luxury of my garage for many years and I can tell you, doing a head gasket on a Cavalier in the snow in Scotland in March is character building stuff. I did work in the trade so had limited use of some posh ramps as and when and handily a mate had a garage I could borrow from time to time. I then got a small storage unit with some friends which grew in to a part share in an old bus garage but too many people in one big space created issues.

My first garage was integral to a house, whilst warm, dry and new it was tiny... a Mk3 Cavalier barely scraped in so as a work space it was really only good for nosing the car in and tinkering under the bonnet. I then moved and the nice dry garage gave way to a concrete pre-fab, again barely big enough to squeeze the car in and put a tool box and a jack at the side. Better than being in the rain but pretty restrictive to be fair.

We moved a couple of years back, one of the plus points was the garage... granted, still a pre-fab concrete poured effort but this time about 3ft wider than normal and it had been extended back by around 10ft. Granted, leaky roof and as wind proof as a sieve but utter joy at being able to walk round the car and also have half again of space at the top to put up some benches and so on. Granted, it's pretty miserable in this weather... more so as any warmth inside quickly becomes condensation as the temperatures drop but such is life.

Currently having a reshuffle, moving the benches and storage around and have my little Aldi cheapo compressor (7yrs and counting!) in place the corresponding retractable wall mounted hose fitted... granted, lots to do and with the arrival of the little man, time in said garage is limited (hence perhaps looking here for inspiration!) but have invested in a new roller chest and restocked my tools that have gone awol over the years so it's getting there, very slowly but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Will get some images up ASAP and would be good to get some thoughts on how to try and combat the condensation, I guess boarding and insulating would be the answer but would need to address the flat roof first, it's just asbestos sheets and leak between a couple of the overlaps so hoping a roofer mate can recommend some sort of bitumen esque paint that I can slap on?

Keep them coming!

GreenV8S

30,150 posts

283 months

Friday 19th January 2018
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I noticed a picture in another thread where it looked as if somebody had built a wooden floor on top of an existing slab to let them fit a 'recessed' style scissor lift. I'm wondering whether it would be possible to install underfloor heating using a similar approach and I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried that.

MDT

455 posts

171 months

Sunday 21st January 2018
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GreenV8S said:
I noticed a picture in another thread where it looked as if somebody had built a wooden floor on top of an existing slab to let them fit a 'recessed' style scissor lift. I'm wondering whether it would be possible to install underfloor heating using a similar approach and I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried that.
The way under floor heating works is to warm up the concrete and for that to be the radiant heat source. The other issue with your suggestion is that I would be worried about the pipes getting damaged as they are not that robust.

If you have the plumbing option for underfloor heating then why not just stick a couple or radiators on the wall. My garage sits at about 13-14c even when it's zero outside. More than pleasant enough to spanner in.

GreenV8S

30,150 posts

283 months

Sunday 21st January 2018
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MDT said:
If you have the plumbing option for underfloor heating then why not just stick a couple or radiators on the wall.
I don't think wall radiators would make any difference to the temperature at floor level where I am lying, unless the garage was kept heated 24/7, which would be very expensive. If you've every sat or laid on a heated floor you will definitely appreciate the difference compared to a stone cold floor, but all the ones I've seen have been built in. I've never seen it added to an existing floor - but then, I've also never seen a false floor used to add a recessed lift to an existing floor.

Peanut Gallery

2,418 posts

109 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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MDT said:
Commercial grade porcelain tiles. (killed my back and knees)
Central heating

dado-rail
Question MDT, why do you say tiles killed your back and knees? - I have crumbling rough concrete, so I get sharp bits of sand in my knees and back of fingers when picking wheels up, I assumed tiles would be smoother and better?

GreenV8S - thank you, yeah, powder extinguishers do make a lot of mess. (only slightly less mess than a fire...) - I hope to have a hand held or 2 about the garage when finished. I was thinking of a roof mounted sprinkler system, whether just water or foam or the feared powder I don't know yet!

SamR380

725 posts

119 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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MDT

455 posts

171 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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Peanut Gallery said:
MDT said:
Commercial grade porcelain tiles. (killed my back and knees)
Central heating

dado-rail
Question MDT, why do you say tiles killed your back and knees? - I have crumbling rough concrete, so I get sharp bits of sand in my knees and back of fingers when picking wheels up, I assumed tiles would be smoother and better.
Sorry you are totally correct they are much better to work on than concrete. I would say they are the perfect floor for a garage.

But the killing my knees and back was in reference to when I laid them ahhhh at one point I did think half tiles and half concrete might have been the way to go

TR4man

5,208 posts

173 months

Monday 22nd January 2018
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If I breathe in and hold my breath, I can get from the front to the back of my garage (just).

I've been able to squeeze each of my last three jalopies in.






Old Merc

3,486 posts

166 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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Old Merc

3,486 posts

166 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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The above was at my mates barn where a number of us stored and worked on our classics.

When the work was completed it lived at my home in the summer.

Jammez

656 posts

206 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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Old garage as we've now sold the house & are currently homeless whilst we wait for the new purchase to complete.

Garage was jam packed full of stuff & many a bike was rebuilt in there



Looking forward to getting the new house which has a load of outbuildings for ramps & workshops & all kind of exciting man cave stuff!

DVandrews

1,315 posts

282 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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Here are a couple from my workshop/garagemat a very busy time..











Needs tidying..

Dave

CarsOrBikes

1,135 posts

183 months

Wednesday 24th January 2018
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A bit back to front, working outside in this weather, spaces are full but have room in one to take the engine apart at least................. even a bike outside so I can get to my tools haha.












wuckfitracing

990 posts

142 months

Friday 26th January 2018
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Heaven