I have the chance to get my new garage storage right from the outset…I want to build a timber platform about 1.5m from the floor so that the trailer tent cam go underneath and I can keep bikes in racks on the platform.

My joinery skills are limited to sawing, screwing and nailing. Could probably do a simple 45deg mitre. Was thinking I would probably use half a dozen uprights of fence-post size, put a frame on top and a thick sheet of plywood or loft boarding on top of that.

Has anyone built anything similar that they can post pictures of? I’m struggling to visualise how I need to join the uprights to the top frame…..also any diagonal bracing if required….

Are you planning on taking if full width of the garage or freestanding short of the walls?

Good question. No it’s a 1.5 car width garage and the trailer is about 1400m wide. Could anchor the platform to one wall, though….would save me half of the uprights I guess….

joist hangers are probably going to be useful. allsorts down the local builders merchant.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/decks/building-a-deck/how-to-install-joist-hangers/view-all

I’d be tempted to build it like a floor with joists, noggins and hangers…and build it right across from wall to wall especially if you still have headroom to walk on it. The money you save on the uprights and extra bolts will probably cover the increased size, just the OSB sheet or whatever you use on top that will be a bit pricier.

I’ve build a wall to wall 3m x 1m platform but in my case the bikes (and washing machine) reside underneath slotted into a pallet style wheel rack that is vertical against the wall. And all the junk/wheels/tyres go on the platform.

I roll my bikes under and the rear wheel slots into the pallet…they are snug but not tangled, and I reckon five bikes is a comfortable number under a 2m platform…if you put them on top it might be a bit more unwieldy. Consider all the way across and trailer and bikes all underneath.

This is interesting…..thanks a lot for getting me started!

I built something similar for storing bikes in, use thicker joists and could avoid the middle post…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ebm3cy]Sides added to stiffen up the frame[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

I then put storage shelving on top of it

[url=https://flic.kr/p/eT3TCW]Storage Rack[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

I built this last year. Used anchor bolts to bolt joists to the 3 walls then fixed joist hangers to the side joists and hung the rest of the joists from that, then stuck a few noggins in to tie it all together. Then fixed MDF for the floor.

Its a touch over engineered, but it’s rock solid.

[/url]Untitled by Gary MacLean, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]Untitled by Gary MacLean, on Flickr[/img]

Cool – interesting approaches. Although MrsP has now decreed that my efforts should be better directed at painting the bits of the house that we are going to live in. I’m determined to get this sorted before we move in though…so will prob hire a joiner and tell him I want a “floor on legs” structure!