1946 - Small 9x21 Do-It-All shop.

[uncle_scott]

I have been in my house for a year and a half now, and the garge has hardly been useable. Time to clean up and shape up. The house was built in 1946, and has been renovated. We are doing a few touches to it to personalize it a bit, but the garage has always been a sore spot. It is small at 9'x21', but it can easily have a small car in it, and after lurking here for a while, there are a few tricks up my sleeve to make the most of this small space.

I like to tinker on projects. I have built a couple of old VW's and right now my Porsche sits on the driveway while the remains of a cut up Porche 944 take up the majority of space. I also have a few bikes, and like to play mechanic and wood worker once in a while.

My idea is to create a place that will house my Porsche, but still provide workbench room and space for tools and projects when I pull the car out. I guess I will start out with what we have...

Barely accessible:


I have a VR6 motor somewhere under that junk:


My neglected Work Bench:


My loft that I am moving:


New loft location, tucked up above the garage door:



First Steps:

I am cleaning off the existing loft. The ceiling height under it is only about 7' and it is very oppressive feeling making the space feel even more cramped. I will move it above the garage door so the door can still open, but when it is closed there will be space in between the joists to hang lights. I think this will give the place a more open feel. I have some recycled redwood decking 2x6 material that I am using for joists. I have already begun that process.

Next:

I am going to deep clean the place. The Porsche 944 just had the last sellable bits taken off, and will go to scrap. That will immediately open up a lot of floor space for me to work.

Plan:

My goal is to remove all of the old wall cladding and go down to the studs. I need to tuck/re-wire nearly everything, and then I can put up some insulation and sheetrock the place. I want it light and bright. I also want to be able to build shelves all the way into the studs area to maximize space.

I started this thread in hopes to stay motivated. Many of your garages have been inspiration. I hope to do the board proud with my mini space.

Just for kicks, here is the Porsche that I need to get off the driveway, and into the garage. I don't like it sleeping outside alone all night.

[madmikeee]

Stay motivated!!!

[uncle_scott]

Might seem like small progress, but I finally got the bones of an old Porsche 944 out of my garage. A friend of mine broke out the sawsall and went to town, it took a while, and it was probably some of the heaviest stuff I have ever lifted on a trailer, but it feels amazing to reclaim that garage space. I was low on time and had to just pile everything back in on some kitty litter soaking up oil. Over the next couple of weekends, I will start the re-wire and finish my new loft.

Between my wife and I, we have 5 bicycles! I have two BMX bikes and a fixed gear bike. She has her mountain bike and a cruiser. I might need to build a shed out back jut to house the bikes.

[robarosa]

Welcome. A man can't have to many sheds.

[taumac]

That loft has alot of useble space there. The use of hinging benches and shelves will be you best friend.

[930dreamer]

I can store that 911 in my heated shop for you.

[rmckee]

Gorgeous Porsche. Can't wait to see what you're able to do with the space.

[Daniel Dudley]

You already have a shed. Build a garage.

[Krokodil]

I always like to see how people make the most of such small places.

[uncle_scott]

You guys are really motivating, thanks!!! As for 930dreamer's comment about storing my car...make me an offer. Money talks, lol.

I worked in there for a while last night. No new pics, just more de-cluttering and cleaning. The kitty litter did its job, so the floor can be walked on without picking up oily footprints.

Next is the loft clearing. I am not looking forward to dragging everything down from there, but it needs to be done. Onward and upward!

[gasser1961]

Looks like a great project. That car is way to nice to be outside.

[Jack Olsen]

I was in my house for three years before I could do more than walk through the shoulder-high piles of crap in the garage. I had to do all my work under a canopy in the driveway, which was just stupid. Finally taking the time to get everything out of there was a watershed moment for me. It showed me that I was spending more time looking for stuff I couldn't find than actually doing anything.

There's a lot you can do with a small space if you take a minute and think about the whole place and what you have to work with and what you want to do in it. If you can put a shed somewhere on the property you can relocate a lot of the stuff that is simply being stored in the garage and try to only include stuff you actually will use.

The Porsche is beautiful. Now give it a good home, and (my advice) don't take on new projects until your shop is up and functional.

I wish I had a 'before' picture of mine. It would shock people.

But here's another black 911:

[uncle_scott]

Jack - Thanks for the kind words. Your shop was an inspiration to me, and I found this site through a random vwvortex.com posting about your place quite a while back. The hinged tables, and your metal work will definitely influence what I want to have going on in my small but functional space. It is slow going, but it should be rewarding to see it come together.

As for the comment about not taking on new projects...that is what started my garage clean-out. I had been sitting on an old VW project that I just sold, and the Porsche 944 shell was part of the mix of parts that needed to go. At this point all I have left are a few bits and pieces to sell on pelican and ebay, and then I will be a one-project man for the first time in a long time.

The 911 was a dream car, and I often look at yours and wish for a long-nose conversion. I am going with an IROC-tribute, and I have already gathered all of the fiberglass to make the transformation. Now all I need is a good place to work. And that is coming right up thankfully!

[bczygan]

I've got a single car garage a little smaller than yours. I'll be keeping an eye on yours for ideas.

[ckadams00]

Hi UncleScott - I was REALLY happy to see another 'tiny' space. You have about 20sq. ft more than me . . .but then you are planning to put a car in the space! A couple of quick ideas came to mind and then I hope to keep trading 'small space' ideas with you:

-I have found that the biggest challenge is moving everything multiple times in order to get work done. For example, when you go to rewire, you will have to work on one side of the garage, then move everything, then wire the other side. This is compounded by the need to get all the crap off the driveway before turning in at night. One suggestion is to take the white table you have in the back of the photo (doesn't look like something you're trying to protect), put some casters on it and a makeshift plywood bottom shelf, and use it as a large rolling cart to pile everything on to make space while you work. You could stack a lot on that thing and send it into the driveway pretty quickly. I would imagine that working with the sawzall is frustrating trying to get around all the piles.

-I think the loft idea is going to be a huge help for you. Since it is over the garage door you most likely want to use it as storage for things not used often (tires, etc), and put upper cabinets for things you use more often along the side walls.

-I am learning a huge lesson in "get as much crap you don't use outta your space as possible". That doesn't mean you can't collect things - but boxes, lumber scrap, etc - get rid of it. Also, if you have things you only use seldomly, try to find other storage for them than in your small garage.

-Read through Jack's thread for folding table ideas - looks like you will need to go that route.

Post more pictures - I am looking forward to following your build!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

But here's another black 911:

Is that BB1, Jack?
I loved that car.
R.I.P. BB1

Scott, your small garage is gonna be an inspiration to all the guys with one car, older garages. Jack's is an excellent example to follow

[Red Leader]

Wow, you've got a lot of potential!

I think that loft space is going to work wonders for your garage.

Think fold-up benches. Additional shelves would also get a lot of stuff off the ground and give you more floor area.

I see a lot of wood scraps and cardboard boxes in there - it might help to think like a minimalist and ditch the stuff you don't absolutely need.

If you like to play woodworker, there are a host of micro sized but fully functional woodworking tools you can get and you can slide them under a bench. A miter saw, if you don't already have one, would be tops on that list.

If I were you, I would try and prioritize your projects and either sell off or get rid of the stuff not related to your car or stuff that you are not going to be able to get to for a few years.

I can understand the bicycles as I am a bicycle fan, but if you were to pick just one, which would it be?

If you can pare down just a bit, then get some organization for what you want to keep, I see a killer garage in the works.

Keep it up!

[steam_mill]

I also have a similar sized garage (10X20, but about 1/4 of it is only 9 feet wide). Luckily, I had height (about 11.5'). I put in a lift to store my hobby car. My daily driver gets parked underneath it.

When I did this last year, my idea was just for storing both cars in the garage and being able to work on the cars also.

The thing I found out about the lift was it is very useful for a bunch of other reasons:

1. Great to get things into the loft space like seasonal tires.

2. By having the car lifted, instantly creates a workspace for whatever you need to do.

3. I build shelves high up around the perimeter of the garage for storage. Again the lift makes it easy to get to those items.

In the end the lift cost less than $2500. If I did not have a car to go on the lift, I think I would have sealed up the 'hole' between the ramps with lumber or metal and then that area could become a workshop or storage area.

The $2500 in many ways is comprable to building a 10' x 15' shed but without having to build anything!

[a1541]

A quick note to say that the support and encouragement that so many lend to others on this site is pleasing to say the least. You make people feel welcomed and supported. Cheers to all, doug.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Uncle Scott,
Been checking back to hopefully see more progress photos. C'mon buddy, don't leave us small garage owners hanging!