I was so excited when we bought our first home four and a half years ago to have a garage where I could work on manly projects and fix up bikes. However, entropy got the best of us and the garage quickly became a dump heap for everything we didn't want in the house. It turned into a major frustration, with some jobs taking forever just because I couldn't find the tool I needed. In my free time over the last two months, I have been remedying the problem. Here are the before and after pictures.
Before:
Some of these really don't do it justice because on the first picture I had already torn out a giant workbench that spanned half of the front wall, a really ugly shelf thing on the wall and about 1.3 million nails. The previous owners apparently just pounded a nail in the wall whenever they wanted to hang something or sometimes probably just for fun. I also had started patching several large holes in the wall that really added to the ambiance. These pictures also exclude about half of the garage's contents which were moved to the back patio. A mess!
Clearing everything out of the way and tearing out the old shelves and whatnot...
Priming and painting the first half (this was a huge job):
Putting things into one corner and painting the rest:
After:
Some of my favorite things:
Bicycle hanging rack- which is a rip-off of a system called Velogrip that retails for around $500. I made mine for less than $100 worth of stuff from the hardware store (thanks to some online help from friends over at bikeforums.net). I love how the bikes hang then angle sideways to conserve space. Plenty of space for helmets above and the bikes are off the floor so I can keep things tidy.
A new shoe bench I picked up on Craigslist for a steal:
I bike rack for the kids bikes that we made out of PVC!
The workbench that Amber got me for my birthday. I put heavy duty casters on the legs so I can roll it around if needed. The only problem with that was then the desk was a little bit wobbly, even with all of the casters locked. I fixed this by getting two gate latches and attaching them to the wall on both ends of the workbench. Now I just have to roll the workbench back and it latches firmly into place. A little bit of duct tape on the connecting rods makes the connection tight. One of the things I really like about the new garage setup is that everything can now be moved, where previously all the shelves, desks, etc. were nailed to the wall.
The metal cabinet and wall cabinet were garage sale/Craigslist finds, both for $10! The shop vac is a Hoover GUV. I really like the bagless design and lifetime filter, and it has a lot of power. The hose reaches far enough to detail a whole car in the garage and keep things tidy in the work area. The magnetic paper towel holder from Harbor Freight is also a fun addition.
My work space and bicycle repair area! This is my favorite part.
Here are a few more detailed pictures of my bike repair stand and clamp. The repair clamp is permanently connected to a piece of wood that clamps into the vice on the workbench. When I'm done using it, I can just unclamp and store away. I'm really happy with this solution, as it is versatile and out of the way when not in use. The clamp is a Park PCS-12 and the workbench is a solid wood model from Harbor Freight (one of my favorite stores).
Wow- that was a lot of pictures. It feels good to be done with such a big project. Now I've got to hide before Amber sees this and wants me to remodel the kitchen.
