My first garage. A blank canvas

Well, It’s taken long enough. I fell off the property ladder over 10 years ago and just recently got back on. I was determined to have a garage (which is much harder than it sounds in Sheffield) but I’m glad I stuck to my guns. I’ve never, ever had a space where I can just have complete bikes sitting around in one piece and have tools, work benches, storage etc. Everything like repairs and maintenance and stuff has always been a major ball ache.

So it’s a big deal for me. Unfortunately we had to buy a whole house to go with it which means we’re in the hole for the next 30 years.

Anyway. I came here for advice and inspiration. It’s just an empty box and needs fixing up.

Power-
There’s only one power point next to the side door (on the left in the top picture) and I want at least 2 or 3 on the other side where I picture a long work bench. So I’ve been reading about ring mains and spurs etc.. I understand the theory but I’ve never done it before. Safe to DIY or get a pro in?

Lights-
It looks alright in the picture but that’s a single LED bulb and is on the dim side. Plus everywhere you stand you’re looking into your own shadow. So I want more, bigger lights. I like the look of those flat LED panels that you can get on eBay/Amazon for not much money but are they any good? Anyone got anything similar?

Door-
The door control panel doesn’t work. The door goes up but not down, so you have to winch it which takes forever. The motor works because I’ve had the panel apart and switched some wires around. Then I could winch it up and the ‘up’ button would bring it down. So the motor works but are these panels a universal thing or do I need something in particular? Can I just replace it with pretty much anything? It looks like this,

Floor-
You might be able to tell, but the garage used to be smaller. The front part was a car port and the previous owner has moved the garage door to the front of the house. That’s great but the front part is always wet from water creeping underneath. I’d like to put some kind of lip at the base of the door and use some self levelling floor compound (latex?) to raise it up a little. Then the whole floor would be flush and I could paint it all one colour. That’s another thing I’ve never done before so any tips appreciated.

Miscellaneous-
Once I’ve tackled the above list I can concentrate on the fun stuff. I’ll be building work benches, painting etc.. Feel free to post pictures of amazing garages.

I’m thinking of timber cladding down one side. Probably OSB. Then when I build the benches against it I can freely attach things to it. Plus it looks cool!

Hopefully I’ll post some pictures once I get cracking, probably in 2020. Firstly, to survive xmas with the in-laws.

Mine is just full of stuff, all useful stuff, and 10 bikes. Look at wall hanging the bikes if you can, get some decent shelving units, tunes, zwift setup and the list goes on.

It will never be big enough!😂

I have a single garage and have put storage units down one side only, along the opposite wall is my home made workbench which I built on heavy duty locking castors. I also have a Halfords tool cabinet on wheels which I can also move to wherever I want it, I find being able to roll things around makes good use of a small space (depending on what you’re doing at the time).
I also ‘acquired’ some Tesco stacking veg crates and bolted the bottom one to MDF with castors on, this is very handy for movable storage.

Put shelves up high if you can as this will leave more space lower down. I’m lucky as I have a boarded loft space in the garage where I can store a lot of the stuff I rarely use, I’d be lost without it!

Have rules – no household crap in there, I foolishly agreed to a second fridge and hate the space it takes up.

A couple of pics of ours. Designed so the van will still go in.
Make sure everything is secure and have more than on line of security.
A beefed up doors as you can get, alarm, cctv and last resort ground anchors and strong chains.

Get rid of the door, brick it up and just have a single door, let’s face it you’re never putting the car in there, so take away the security risk. Sheffield is a nightmare for bike thefts as it is.

Yay! Another garage thread 😁😁 Here’s mine again:

Nobeerinthefridge +1

Security, security, security.

Screwfix do a door seal you can bond to the floor. My garage gets the brunt of the weather and it’s now completely watertight.

The door not going down, check if there are any sensors on the door. I had to replace an AA size battery in mine, but it was 3.6v lithium. You may be able to override the door by holding down the close button on control panel and also the keyfob.

Seal and paint the floor before you do anything. It cuts down on the dust levels dramatically.

I also went for some of the Halfords interlocking foam floor tiles after it was painted, makes it easy to clean and your feet don’t get really cold when you’re working in the garage in the winter.

Big Dug garage floor tiles, racking and clear boxes. Plus more than 10 bikes hanging from the joists. The flooring was a revelation and makes the room much nicer to be in. Mine is chequered grey black, but I splashed out for a 2×4 section for my Wahoo station. I also added an old 32” TV for Zwift. I sealed the front up and over door with some dragsters excluded along the bottom. Now you can’t open the door from the outside, but I didn’t want to give the door a haircut.

I would not paint the floor again.

Change the lock hide the key and don’t let it become a dumping ground for everyone else’s shit they say they will use but never do.

Argh, my lad has just turned up with a set of roof bars and a big roof box for his camping trips – where the heck am I going to store that now ? Right in the way at the moment.

Nice one sharkattack, a man needs a garage. The water thing, I just got this and fitted it. It comes with a glue and bonds to the floor. The idea is the garage door sits on top of the edge which slopes to the outside and seals better. It also stops rain. I’m hoping it stops the endless procession of insects too. Worth a look. Maybe someone who knows more can say about security, I don’t know if it would make it easier to lever up the door… it’s not an issue here.

Edit, paste the link in genius!! https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B008X59M1W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image (Spanish and evil Amazon but just an example)

Screwfix
https://www.screwfix.com/p/diall-garage-threshold-black-2-5m/616fr
Worked well, stayed stuck.

Thanks for all the pointers. Those Big Dug floor tiles look like just the right thing, I’ve never heard of those before. I just need to decide if I’m concreting the entire thing first. I know it’s purely cosmetic but that tarmac at the front bugs me! I might just end up buying one of those rubber seals for the door.

First things first though, the garage door. I need to make it easier to get in and out plus it’s an easy job to start with. I need to know what kind of control panel I can use. Then I want some way to bolt the door closed from the inside to prevent it being ripped open.

I’m also going to sink some ground anchors in buckets of concrete until I work out where the bikes are going to live long term.

Hey fruitbat, I saw Jimbob last night.

^^

I say old chap I’m not understanding your banter!

😂😂😂

It will never be big enough!

This. We have a double garage with storage in the ‘loft’ area too. It’s rammed and I’ve just had to spend the day sorting all the rubbish chucked in there to make room for Christmas crap.

I know a good sheffield mtbing sparky if you decide you want one mate.
Where’s the new place?

the tarmac might be a good bike wash location.

Seal the floor paint the walls and ceiling before moving too much in.

Hey fruitbat, I saw Jimbob last night.

I saw them both together a year ago…they did an acoustic version of sheriff fatman at Dogfest.

Stuffies any good? I saw Malc was back with them.

Right, it took me a while to get started but here’s the first progress report!

This advice was spot on…

The door not going down, check if there are any sensors on the door. I had to replace an AA size battery in mine, but it was 3.6v lithium

12 quid for some special batteries in the ‘proximity sensor’ at the bottom of the door and it’s fully functional.

Now, to do something about the tragic illumination situation,

I knew I wanted to try some LED panel lights and I grabbed some while they were 3 for 2 at B&Q.

Test fitted the first one. It couldn’t have been easier. It’s massively brighter than what was there and also a much better colour. It’s hard to tell from the picture but it’s like daylight.

Then I fitted the 2 big boys.

But before I went any further, I took them all down because I knew I wouldn’t be happy with that dirty white ceiling. So…

Out came the black emulsion! I thought I might regret it because it started to look really dark and dingy.

But then the first test of this thing proved that there’s going to be more than enough light.

A few hours messing around with wires and making everything neat and tidy and I’m left with this,

Goods things- These lights are amazing. Brighter than anything I’ve ever seen in a domestic setting. Light bulbs are dead to me. It’s also really soft and spread out, it’s really hard to cast a shadow. That means when I’m standing against my work bench with the light behind me I might not have to worry about supplementary work lights.

Major Bummers- The first light I fitted, the small one at the front, now does not work. I took it down, put it back up exactly the same as before and it’s dead. Not sure what to do with it yet.

Next Job-
Probably the floor. It’s still half tarmac, half concrete, cracked and dusty. Looked at various self levelling compounds but haven’t committed to anything yet. It’s pretty daunting for a first timer.

the tarmac might be a good bike wash location.

We’ve still got a small back yard out the back door and that’s where the tap and hose is so I think we’ll stick to outdoor washing for now.

Thanks for reading this exciting episode.

Stuffies any good? I saw Malc was back with them.

Brilliant, did 20mins of new stuff, **** off, came back and did all of 8 Legged and Hup!!!

Nice garage by the way!

I say old chap I’m not understanding your banter!

Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (frequently shortened to Carter USM) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim “Jim Bob” Morrison and guitarist Les “Fruitbat” Carter

Glad the battery fixed it. Now, don’t go painting anything else black OK!

The first rule of having a garage is there is no garage it is not there to hoard useless carp… So much junk in ours that I dread having to deal with as and when we move!

that’s where the tap and hose is

I was going to ask about that …. Where’s the nearest water supply ?

A sink is a good addition to a garage.

Now, don’t go painting anything else black OK!

I’m done for now. But it’s soooo satisfying using a roller to put fat black lines over a white surface. I might paint the inside of the side door with a nice gloss black. Then the 2 doors will match but that can wait.

So much junk in ours that I dread having to deal with as and when we move!

Don’t worry I laid the ground rules ages ago. Plus there’s only 2 of us for now and we’ve spent the last 4 years living in 1 double bedroom so we don’t have that much junk. Also I won’t be moving unless I win a life changing sum of money.

A sink is a good addition to a garage.

If you look at the very first picture, on the other side of that wall on the left is a small room with sink and cupboards, washing machine etc. In a few years I’ve gone from living in a van to having a ‘utility room’. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

Utility room, nice !

Run a cold water supply to the front of the garage and wash your bike there ?

Quicker and/or cleaner than doing it around the back…. but maybe a security risk if unsavouries see you doing it out the front ?

Like it!

One thing I want in the garage (well, the new garage once the shed is replaced) is a wash station in addition to a really solid work bench. Does not have to be plumbed in (that would be nice though), but does have to be something I can use to collect random water in. I even have the second hand stainless sink and drainer ready for it.

Also love the lights. I may need to steal the idea.

like the lights, black ceiling not so much. Although i agree mines dirty white now.

you will soon find it stuffed full of crap. do your best to stop this. Invest in some propepr boxes with lids for all household items. Limit them to this or youll have washing machines and garden tools in there. Its not that nice then.

I would liik at putting a stud wall up with a door to give you a workshop / secure area and somewhere to stick stuff when your in from a night ride and its all shitty. I clean my bike off round the back but all the clothes etc bring a substantial amoutn of mud witht hem so its filthy.I wont have the nice flouring down for this reason. Decide if its going to eb a workshop or somewhere to put muddy stuff (no bad thing) and whats most important most days.

Is it just me / weird perspective, or is the narrower bit wider than the wider bit on your measurements in the OP?

OP, looks like you have a great start.

The main thing I find with mine is frequent clear-outs are a must, particularly with a SO that seems to think garages are for dumping stuff to think about later…

Love the garage porn, some good ideas for sorting mine out which I need to get started on so I can get a car in there – it’s double length but not double width, which might make this an interesting project. Measuring tape will be used – I’m hoping I can store some bikes near the front for easy access, but still be able to drive under them so getting the car out isn’t a total ballache. I think getting the bike storage more efficient will help a lot here! Also it might be time to install some proper racking, rather than the bitty shelves, drawers and old kitchen units that are currently there.

Is it just me / weird perspective, or is the narrower bit wider than the wider bit on your measurements in the OP?

On the second picture those bricks on the right do stick out a bit. That was the archway where the original garage door was. The tarmac bit is wider though.

Also love the lights. I may need to steal the idea.

Please do and share the pictures. I’m really impressed with them.

Probably the floor. It’s still half tarmac, half concrete, cracked and dusty. Looked at various self levelling compounds but haven’t committed to anything yet. It’s pretty daunting for a first timer.

I looked at this when I bought a house and finally had a garage, I ended up going to screwfix and getting the leyland trade heavy duty floor paint in grey, had to hoover then degrease via mopping the floor but then went on with two coats and looks lovely. I’ve dropped a few things on it and its been fine but this week dropped something and it chipped the paint, will dig the can out as had some left in it and touch it up, think it also helped that my floor has a DPM.

Your garage looks similiar to mine in that its narrow-ish, to keep the floor space I have hung two of my bikes using bike hooks from the ceiling, 2 hooks for the bars and one for the saddle for each bike. They are mounted next to each other in the ceiling, bike one is close to the wall, then bike two has its bars over the toptube of bike 1 to keep them tighter to the wall. The bar hooks go into the joists, the saddle ones just into the ply which I boarded the ceiling with.

Goods things- These lights are amazing. Brighter than anything I’ve ever seen in a domestic setting. Light bulbs are dead to me. It’s also really soft and spread out, it’s really hard to cast a shadow. That means when I’m standing against my work bench with the light behind me I might not have to worry about supplementary work lights.

Do you know how many lumens they’re giving off? There are so many options for panels that I can’t tell what a sensible number is likely to be!

The B&Q website is out of action but I think the big ones were advertised as 1100 lumen and the small one was 800. The small one would be more than enough for most single garage/shed type spaces.

I just wasn’t sure what to expect so went a little overkill!

There’s been no real progress yet. I decided not to over complicate the floor and just paint what was already there including the tarmac bit. Time will tell if I regret it.

I’ve got the bikes off the ground. I’ve decided to use up the ‘car port’ section because as much as I’d like to put a Lotus Exige in there, the chances are slim to none. So the bikes are out of the way of where the workshop stuff will be.

Now I’m just waiting until we’re free to order stacks of wood and power tools. Then I’ll build a bench and storage. Still need more powerpoints and the current alarm sensor is crap and badly positioned. Really need one pointing at each door.

Wise to put the bikes near the door where they’re easy to grab.

I’d put a ‘ride station’ opposite, with space for shoes, gloves, backpack, armour, trail food, etc all in easy grabbable reach where they can all live and dry out easily.

Wise to put the bikes near the door where they’re easy to grab.

There’s some new security measures that aren’t in the picture. You can’t just lift the bikes and go. Plus there will be a van backed up against the garage door every night. If the van isn’t at home, neither are the bikes.