Planning garage

[jtbo]

I'm bit fed up with my current garage having almost no room for car, yet that you would be able to actually do something in there.

Reason behind this is all stuff previous owners have collected there in last few decades and now stuff I have managed to throw on top of all that.

Space is 4.5x7x3 meters, ehm that is 14.76x22.97x9.84 in old UK style measurements, I believe it was someone's foot or something

Now if I put 300 in middle of that space, I should have some space to work with, right?

But I should stack all useful items, tools and general equipment to some place, also I would need some work space where I could tamper with Solex or some itb manif... uups, almost slipped

Now has anyone of you had any experience of planning garage or some general information about optimizing usage of available space?

I do know of program called Room Arranger, which is gold in planning how much shelves and desks need space etc, but it does not help with general where to stack all stuff without using all space immediately problem I seem to have.

I believe there have to be some warehouse organizing programs/plans made by really clever people that I could use for my advantage here?

When I get all planned, I will take everything out from garage and then build some shelves and stuff, then put everything back hoping there is much more space after that. Of course there could be quite lot of stuff I don't need there, so binning not needed should be part of plan I guess, two bicycles, skis for motorbike and ammunition for WWII rifle is perhaps not in very appropriate place at the moment

[trabitom99]

I'll be watching this thread, because I have very similar problems. After years of this kind of situation:



I've finally managed to find and rent a garage only a hundred metres from my house (to the left of the GLT):



but I still have space problems. The garage is wide but short, so I can fit shelving to one side but can't put anything in front of, or behind the car. There's lots of space under the roof, too, so maybe there's a way of fixing things above the car itself?

I don't have access to electricity in mine either, which is a bit impractical ...

Tom

[redline]

kitchen style wall mounted cabinets are good for storing lighter items

[Ronnie]

Sounds like a pretty decent size to be honest. Wheel dollies will allow you to move the car around easily and make the best use of your space:





Rack all you tools up on the walls. Cheap steel industrial shelving running around the top of the garage will swallow all sorts of rubbish. Maybe build a fold down work bench? That way you can work on the car with it folded up, or work on the bench with the car outside.

Sounds like a fun project

[jtbo]

Modular cabinets FTW?
http://www.kennedymfg.com/extrawide.htm

Here is quick drawing from current situation, it is not very accurate, but perhaps gives some idea, all shelves and desks are completely full, so no available desk surface at the moment.



edit: good tip those wheel dollies
Space is almost too small for 2 pillar lift, but I like to get one there too, must think that a bit, though.

Also it has good concrete floor so should make good place for car repairing.

[jtbo]

When one gets older, speed decreases, I'm still in planning stage



Managed to at least do something, need to add shelves and few other things, but I guess it starts to be clear now that I need to empty garage completely, then proceed with plan.

Plan is to get space for only mostly needed stuff, some table space and lot of room to move around. I'm trying to model equipment that I need, not too greatly in detail, quite simple methods will be used, but that way I can see what are things that I need to fit and how, then it is only to proceed and make plan work in practise

Oh yes, as you can see, it is tad dark currently, need to install some proper lights and maybe need to consider paint for walls, even they are good looking dark wood, it is not good for illumination.

[jtbo]

I made few objects more and tried to adjust lights to give darker impression as it is bit dark to work there at the moment:


So it seems that instead of making more space to garage I did plan making space again today

[Ronnie]

Jani, you nutter - you could have sorted out your garage for real in the time taken to render all that!

[volvosneverdie]

I dont even understand why you did that.
I dont have a real garage, so a virtual one would is perhaps a step up.
You my friend, have a real one.
Turn the computer off.

[jtbo]

True, but at the moment impossible to sort garage out, too much snow and 360 should be get out and back in, but it had frozen waterpump and oil leaking block so it is no go and I need something which I could use to pull it back in

And it took only 5 hours or so to make that pic + some extra