I’m moving house soon and will have a garage approx 2.5m by 5m that’ll be bare concrete floor and bare concrete block walls. I want to fit it out with a workbench, possibly epoxy the floor, maybe fit a sink that drains into a drum (no plumbing in there) and some storage.

Since it’s a blank canvas I’m almost lost in the choice of stuff I could do or how to arrange it. What one thing do you wish you did with yours that you would suggest?

It’s worth mentioning I wont be parking a car in it.

More outside lights. I have one, want ne the other side.
Hot tap for the hosepipe. If you are going to put plumbing in there now is the time to do it.

Knocked down the left hand wall and rebuilt it in the boundary line……

I’ve done it now sort of by building a large metal clad/insulated timber shed on the side and knocking out the double window to the floor and making it walk through. But would have been massively better not to have a wall up the middle.

Things I did do. Get the boiler out of the garage asap.

Put in decent speakers/stereo high up out the way.

Self built solid wooden shelves and benches out of heavy timber that will last my life and battering away at them.

Then I filled it with bikes.

Can’t win em all.

Not put so much stuff in it

Put an old carpet down sooner (it’s great).

Really not put so much stuff in it.

I put in a side door, not visible from the road, really worthwhile. Avoids letting people see what you have, and allows you to put security on the main door from the inside.

It had power, I wish it had network.

Sex swing obvs.

I’d have a look at the all in one Chinese diesel heaters. About £80 or so. You’ll need to run an exhaust to the outside (just drilling a hole really, they come with the exhaust).

I use one in my campervan and its great, I wish I had one in my brewshed – goddamn freezing working in there just now, my nose drippings start to freeze up!

Hot water could be handy too?

If you’re going full on, maybe dig an inspection pit for working on a car?

I want a pit for tinkering with cars.

Mine has:

WiFi.
Bluetooth speaker.
Vice.
Work benches.
That’s all I need really.

Would like a heater.

Inspection pit might be a step too far, the garage is under part of the first floor!

Seems a common thread is powrr/internet/wifi and some kind of heat.

I think it’s a standard up and over door too, I might look at adding additional security to that. Eventually I’ll install a door into the kitchen but that will have to wait until we replace the kitchen as I’d want to do it together.

More space. You always need more space!

I’d have a look at the all in one Chinese diesel heaters. About £80 or so. You’ll need to run an exhaust to the outside (just drilling a hole really, they come with the exhaust).

Exhaust and air intake but really. I am using one to heat my office -which is an insulated garage.

I wouldn’t bother. They are noisy and can’t hold a constant temperature(and wierdly don’t go off when the temp is reached) . Not my greatest purchase but bought in haste after my superser set off the CO trying to gas me.

The truma in my van outshines it in almost every aspect other than price.

Floor floor floor. I know you’ve said you’re going to epoxy it but this*1000 should be the first thing you do. The minute you’ve started to put moving boxes in there you’re shafted and it’ll never happen.

Epoxy by all means but I didn’t bother, levelled the floor with compound…. You may not need to do this… Then fitted interlocking floor tiles. Very pleased with those. Side door is great for privacy.

Paint the floor, walls and ceiling before you put anything in.

Have a hot and cold water tap inside. I just went for cold.

Improve the lighting.

Build you own workbenches

Get a vice and beer fridge

Use old carpets or old rugs to cover the floor

What interlocking tiles are folk using.

I have foam ones in my office. They have not even stood up well to my office chair never mind being in a workshop*

Interested to hear what others are using.

*Note I ran the engine crane over them once (empty)and it pretty much cut the mats in half.

These mats are being relegated to insulation under laminate in my office now

Storage in the roof (assuming it is pitched)
Insulation
Opening windows
More power sockets
Not filled it full of wood
More racking floor to ceiling down a whole wall
Level floor (currently runs back to front, wish the back half at least was flat so could put trainer across and not take up so much space)
Fully secure doors that swing out onto drive with a small human sized door to one side
Hot tap

Lighting and sockets. More than you think you’ll need. If it’s attached to the house a door into the house. Electric garage door is a very nice to have. Don’t be too ambitious with the space. It isn’t very big and if it gets too cluttered up it just becomes too much of a PITA. I’m talking from experience.

A brush/vac then Leyland floor paint worked fine for me. Does need a reasonable temperature to cure though, not a winter job.

I brought some metal shelving things from my last place but am planning to put in some twin slot stuff in instead. Partly you lose too much space to the freestanding ones, partly I want to have different depth shelves (deep up high, shallow lower down) and actually go up to the roof. Useful to keep the floor clear for sweeping. It’s plenty strong enough unless you’re storing engines and the like, and can adjust heights easily too.

Why do folk want a hot water tap in their garage?

(Am about to kit out my garage so am hit water tap curious)

Always wanted an indoor bike wash so made a raised area out of joists and ply, covered in cheap non slip flooring that drains into the back corner then out through the wall to a big bucket. Then 3 sheets of Perspex to protect the walls.

Keep the rest of your household out of there so they don’t fill it with crap that will be out of sight, and hence, never moved again!

You need a surprising amount of space to swing a bike around these days, what with the all being super slack long 29ers.

In fact.. get a shed! Use that for the crap so the garage is nice and clear for evening beer fueled tinkering whilst listening to podcats.

We are moving soon too and I’m getting the double garage I’ve always dreamed of. Getting lots of good ideas from this. Mainly lights lights and more lights. And water. I think maybe a raised bath type area with hot and cold feed. Big enough to fit a bike sans wheels. Should be better than a dedicated outdoor washing area. And not just for bikes…honest.
I have a mitre saw so a dedicated station with run off space. Also planning a central “assembly” bench on raisable/lockable wheels to be able to move it around. Hoping to have a power feed to it but a built in extension at least. Although I’m starting to wonder what the difference is.

Not let the Mrs put loads of crap in it….

More power, better lighting and Paint the floor.

Way more difficult to do with stuff already in it.

If its part of the house do a garage conversion but put in french doors.

Warmer. More secure. Still all the access you need for bikes and you can still use it like a garage as such if you put down a hard wearing floor.

Its what I did 🙂

Not let the Mrs put loads of crap in it….

I’ve accepted that will happen no matter how firm I resist..

french doors.

This is what I did with the garage I use as an office. Much better than garage doors

Big dug floor tiles. I have them and they are so much nicer than a painted epoxy floor. Had one of those previously. Worth every penny.

And I have a checkered black/grey floor with a 2z8 patch in wahoo blue on which the kickr sits. I know. Had to be done.

If I could do one thing differently, I’d keep the rest of the family’s junk out of MY space!

And buy an expensive tool wall.

Do you still want epoxy?

I’d love a sink but outside- save space and lets you be messier.

More lights. Basically work out the correct number of lights then add at least 25% more lights, it makes such a difference. And similarly, twice as much workbench as you think you need, so that you can start something, then do something else- I have enough workbench for any job I want to do but never enough free for the job I want to do right now. And of course lots of unassigned storage so that your needs can grow into the space that’s left.

I guess not everyone will agree but light coloured walls and floor really just make me feel generally nicer about being in the garage, wish I’d done it years ago. Everything’s brighter and easier to see, easier to keep clean too (which basically has made the difference between me actually keeping it clean, swept etc, and not bothering because it always looked like it needed done even straight after I did it)

Storage in the roof (assuming it is pitched)

slight threadjack but how would I go about looking into this? Our new place has an old (30s maybe? Older than the house oddly!) detached garage approx 5m x 5m with RSJs holding up the roof so fairly substantial construction. A couple of people have had a look and muttered about asbestos ceiling. Would be great to be able to use the space though, either just for storage or as another small room maybe? Idly dreaming about a dormer or velux etc? Realistically something I can do myself or do I need to get an expert in?

Proper power, sockets everywhere
Lots of light
No windows
Side door
Storage storage storage
Best floor you can afford (dust)
Woodburner (if you want to spend all day in the winter)
Rock solid workbench with biggest vice you can find, storage underneath.

Possibly controversial, and not space efficient, but my best garage feature is the table tennis table.

Do you still want epoxy?

Depends. Can you run an engine crane across those tiles forme 😉

Door that stops leaves and rain being blown in.
Insulation.
More lights – I’ve only got 2 double battens, you always need more.
Floor tiles.

best garage feature is the table tennis table

The assembly table I’m planning is roughly 4 by 8. Big enough for a bit of a paddle?

TR – I’ve got smooth 7mm Ecotile and you could probably run an engine crane across them.

Zilog – carefully send a small sample of the ceiling lining for testing (only costs £20-30). If it is a fire resistant lining it could be asbestos insulation board that is nasty stuff and sheds lots of fibres if broken.

I just put one of these Dimplex fan heater with Bluetooth remote into a mate’s garage, I want one now. £150 if you don’t want to click

https://www.snhtradecentre.co.uk/product/dimplex-compact-commercial-pfh30-fan-heater-3kw/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuoqABhAsEiwAdSkVVGUscpxz8pjJpAckHgwW72W0wBJauKrYbpYjj4IuRHNDY3ryuSmdtxoCNHkQAvD_BwE

MarkyG82
Full Member

The assembly table I’m planning is roughly 4 by 8. Big enough for a bit of a paddle?

Big enough for a whole paddle, they’re only about 10 inches long after all

Got round to sorting my garage last summer. Got everything out, chucked loads of crap. Slapped white masonry paint all over the walls and ceiling, used interlocking vinyl tiles for the floor (much easier than painting,) some metal shelving and other storage plus some wall mountings for bikes. Oh and lots of hooks for hanging stuff!

It was well worth doing and so satisfying to have space in there. Painting it white makes it feel clean. Need to get a speaker in there now, the wi-fi reaches already. Maybe I’ll set up a turbo out there for next winter if I can face the outlay.

I painted the inside of my old garage white, made a massive difference to light and airyness

Having a well sorted garage is great! Like many others, I painted walls and ceiling white and also painted the floor. This alone makes it a nice place to be.
Lots of lighting (I have 5 double strip lights, wouldn’t want less) and sockets near most corners.
Don’t let the family fill it with junk!
Dehumidifier is good too – garage was a little damp and had no airflow. Think it cost £20 secondhand. Helps to dry wet stuff too.
Mine isn’t heated and it’s ok but it isn’t drafty.
But, to your question, what more do I wish I had? More space (a bit like n+1, it’ll never be enough). And a hot water tap – it cleans muck off a lot easier (so no need for detergent) and is just much more pleasant in winter!