My man room - a garage renovation
Discussion
Hi all! I've (finally) finished kitting out my garage and thought I'd share. It's nothing grand by any sense of the word - in fact, the only reason I decided to do it was because it was too small to fit a car in (damn new builds)! It was just a humble garage before I got my mitts on it and now, well, it is my own little palace....
It starts out as a bit of a s
t-heap!
What you can't see from that picture is that it was bare rafters above head height up to the sloping roof, first thing I had to do was to fix that! So I put in some loft boards and a retractable ladder. I also put in a few little lights up there that come on with the main 'downstairs' lights.
And here is the finished product. I've put in a few extra plug sockets along and underneath the top of the main work area (the keener eyed of you might notice that they are upside down, I bought them on eBay and turns out I got Australian ones, so they're the wrong way up.....). I also ran mains water from the kitchen so we could move the washing machine out there and free up a bit of space in the kitchen, plus it meant that I could put a fully functioning sink out there too so when I've been working on the car, I don't have to cover the kitchen sink in crap! There is a fridge in there too, obviously full of beer (and one cider, just so she feels included).
The toolbox was a last minute addition (last Sunday in fact!) as the room was still a st-heap with tools lying around everywhere.
There's still a few bits and bobs I want to do to it. I've got a sensor going in this weekend for all the lights so they come on when the door is opened and I am going to be painting the floor to stop the concrete dust messing up my little project! I'm also a keen homebrewer so I'm rigging up a pub style pump that will run from a fridge 'upstairs' that will house a pressure barrel full of home brewed beer - should be good!
All in all, it only took a few weeks of working weekends to actually do and was surprisingly cheap as I recycled a load of stuff from a friends house renovation - the sink and plumbing were all 'donated'! The main cost was the loft boards and the worktops, but they were only about £150 all-in - the worktops were 'damaged' ones from Wickes and they were £50 for 2 x 3 meter lengths. Pretty chuffed with the end result, well worth the time and effort to do!
It starts out as a bit of a s
t-heap! What you can't see from that picture is that it was bare rafters above head height up to the sloping roof, first thing I had to do was to fix that! So I put in some loft boards and a retractable ladder. I also put in a few little lights up there that come on with the main 'downstairs' lights.
And here is the finished product. I've put in a few extra plug sockets along and underneath the top of the main work area (the keener eyed of you might notice that they are upside down, I bought them on eBay and turns out I got Australian ones, so they're the wrong way up.....). I also ran mains water from the kitchen so we could move the washing machine out there and free up a bit of space in the kitchen, plus it meant that I could put a fully functioning sink out there too so when I've been working on the car, I don't have to cover the kitchen sink in crap! There is a fridge in there too, obviously full of beer (and one cider, just so she feels included).
The toolbox was a last minute addition (last Sunday in fact!) as the room was still a s
t-heap with tools lying around everywhere. There's still a few bits and bobs I want to do to it. I've got a sensor going in this weekend for all the lights so they come on when the door is opened and I am going to be painting the floor to stop the concrete dust messing up my little project! I'm also a keen homebrewer so I'm rigging up a pub style pump that will run from a fridge 'upstairs' that will house a pressure barrel full of home brewed beer - should be good!
All in all, it only took a few weeks of working weekends to actually do and was surprisingly cheap as I recycled a load of stuff from a friends house renovation - the sink and plumbing were all 'donated'! The main cost was the loft boards and the worktops, but they were only about £150 all-in - the worktops were 'damaged' ones from Wickes and they were £50 for 2 x 3 meter lengths. Pretty chuffed with the end result, well worth the time and effort to do!
Nice little place to go and hide from the wife in peace. 
I used 50% thinned down Wickes floor paint on my concrete floor, so it soaks into rather than just sits on the top. Less chance of it getting scratched off that way. Use a couple of thinly rolled coats.
Also think about painting the walls white, make the place look a lot more bright and homely.
I used 50% thinned down Wickes floor paint on my concrete floor, so it soaks into rather than just sits on the top. Less chance of it getting scratched off that way. Use a couple of thinly rolled coats.
Also think about painting the walls white, make the place look a lot more bright and homely.
Was going to paint the walls, but as they're breeze block, it would take about 10 coats to cover it and, well, I just can't be arsed at the moment! I think I will do eventually though!
Good advice about the watered down paint, I didn't think about that, but it makes sense!
I can justify the sink and washing machine, I need somewhere to clean my oily clothes and hands somewhere once I've finished a day of manly pursuits in the garage! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Good advice about the watered down paint, I didn't think about that, but it makes sense!
I can justify the sink and washing machine, I need somewhere to clean my oily clothes and hands somewhere once I've finished a day of manly pursuits in the garage! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Jonboy_t said:
There's still a few bits and bobs I want to do to it. I've got a sensor going in this weekend for all the lights so they come on when the door is opened and I am going to be painting the floor to stop the concrete dust messing up my little project!
Nothing worse than dust on your spindryer 
Well FUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOU!
I did say it's nothing grand, but I was pretty chuffed with it and thought I'd share what could be done to make a nice, neat, organised garage with everything in it's place for just a few quid! As for the dryer and washer, it now means I have enough space in the kitchen for a dishwasher so I don't have to waste my beer and fart time cleaning stuff anymore - small price to pay IMO!
And there was me just about to post a build thread about my new 'porn room' complete with pictures of the 10 supermodels that just make bacon sandwiches, chill beer and suck me off, but seen as you're all being narky, I won't. So there.
(p.s. just to save any confusion, I actually don't have a porn room. But I might have done, and you would have just ruined your chances of seeing it
)
I did say it's nothing grand, but I was pretty chuffed with it and thought I'd share what could be done to make a nice, neat, organised garage with everything in it's place for just a few quid! As for the dryer and washer, it now means I have enough space in the kitchen for a dishwasher so I don't have to waste my beer and fart time cleaning stuff anymore - small price to pay IMO!
And there was me just about to post a build thread about my new 'porn room' complete with pictures of the 10 supermodels that just make bacon sandwiches, chill beer and suck me off, but seen as you're all being narky, I won't. So there.
(p.s. just to save any confusion, I actually don't have a porn room. But I might have done, and you would have just ruined your chances of seeing it
)Don't worry about the nay sayers. I know it is exciting getting a bit of man space to yourself, especially if you've not had anywhere to beat off do your own stuff for a while. My current man-cave is just a car port, that I threw some sheets of plywood across the front of to stop passers-by nosing in!
Anyway, you've had more responses to your thread than my whole house build thread has!
Anyway, you've had more responses to your thread than my whole house build thread has!
garycat said:
Jonboy_t said:
(p.s. just to save any confusion, I actually don't have a porn room. But I might have done, and you would have just ruined your chances of seeing it )
Porn room? Come on, use the proper terminology. It is a "Masturbatorium". )
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