The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk What are ya doin in you garage?

The ole garage is really cluttered with misc. treasures and collectables. (Old motors, trannys, and misc parts) I'm gonna take all this stuff and put in another building I've got, then re-do with more insulation, sheet rock, elect. outlets, lights and paint, not to forget cabinets etc. The more light ya have to work by, the better. I'll also have a relax area, with TV, and E Z chair. Ya might call it spring cleanin.
resto44

Just a thought.If I had to do my garage over again,I would use waterproof sheetrock(green)and mount the shop lights at an angle between the side wall and the ceiling.Seems I never have good light where I need it.The best thing I did was to put in a electric/hydro above ground lift.It is so much better to stand up and work.No TV or easy chair for me.I would be sound asleep in seconds.

I'd love to put some kind of furnace in, it's all insulated but up here in the praires it's just too darn cold to work there in the winter. I do a lot of work restoring small parts in the basement. Bob T

Hi bobt, I know what you mean, Too Cold, my compressor froze, or I should say the relief valve froze and I saw it by accident and could shut it down before I had to renovate myself and the shop. No work there till spring. Ok, an oil change is doable, but no fun. Cleaning parts in the basement is no fun eiher, my girl complains about smells and dirt, so I'm off for the winter.

Stay warm
Richard

I like to keep my garage warm also. I bought a propane warm mornin stove and I set it on the lowest setting at night. It keeps the temp around 40 degrees even in really cold weather, and it doesn't use a lot of gas ( bout 200 gallons per winter) I've got a wood stove to install for next winter, which will sit outside with a heat exchanger on top and a blower fan, should keep er warm as toast.

Right, that's the way to go, I wish the PO of this shop didn't want a well ventilated shop, steel siding, steel roof, but so well ventilated that the snow gets in there. Not insulated, so when I really have to be there for a longer period, I’ll just start up the BBQ on wood and with the doors closed it gets reasonable for a polar bear, the smoke is no trouble at all, did I mention well ventilated? Putting heat in there, would take some major changes and lots of insulation that will have to come out of Truck’26’s budget. I’m not in a hurry and get my exercise anyway, it’s calving season from the middle of January till May, not my choice, but that’s what’s happening here.
Stay warm and have fun

Richard

My big plan for this summer is to have our uninsulated double garage door replaced with an insulated door with some window panes. Our garage has no windows and is a disaster to walk through/in without.

I have my shop attached to the back of my hardware store. I just open the door between the to and intant heat and if I need a nut or bolt I don't have far to go.
Bobt: Why don't you get a 220v construction heater they work good. Canadian tire has them.

Whe I built my shop, I did all the tricks, plenty of light, insulated walls, air conditioning (3 units), service pit 4' X 16', black/white checkerboard floor. Now is is only used for collecting parts and junk. When I finish working out of town I plan to clean it up, sell several tons of scrap metal and finish my 3 project cars and 6 (or more) project motorcycles. I'll have to live to 100 or more to get the done if I don't pick up more projects. The age old problem is when I have the time I don't have the money, and when I have the money I don't have the time. How do you get around that?

I spend alot of time in my shop.Iuse two wood stoves for heat.Its 31/2 stalls .A franlin type for working around the bech and one with a blower for heating the whole shop.You have to be comfortable in your shop. Of course alot of times we just go there for fun.

the last drafty shop i had was a converted greenhouse. with f/g roof panels to cover the holes. overlaped plywood on the dirt floor. jersey winters don,t drop below 0 very often, but wind blows and it is wet more than dry. i used a salvaged hot air oil furnice, pulled the intake air from outside and sort of presurized the place. the thermostate was a toggle switch. but they were fun times.

You gotta have a clean work area with a few comforts of home. Maybe a toy or two sittin' around, but most importantly, HEAT! I've got a 60,000 BTU nat. gas furnace and it's the best thing I've done to my garage. Stays 45deg. all the time, no more taking all my paint and chemicals in the basement every winter.

It,s probably mean to say this, but where I am at in Florida, I don,t have to worry about heaters. Air conditioning would be nice

I live up north where it gets extremely cold and what I have to heat my shop and house is a outdour wood boiler it heats up water and then pumps it through lines that run under ground to the buildings and then into radators that blow warm air. It's a cheap way to heat but the input cost is pretty high at least I don't have monthly heating bills.

GARAGE?! WHAT'S THAT??

I have a patch of ground, about a half an acre, that's my designated garage area.. no walls, floor, or roof.. AND it's a mess!

I can't get in my garage due to spare parts, motors and body parts from my 64 truck. Good thing it isn't too cold in Texas as we can work outside most of the time. I did manage to get 220 set up for my air compressor this winter. Now if I could just get the truck back together my wife could get her car inside.

I just finished wiring 220V into the garage and buying insulation for the walls and the ceiling.

Now all I have to do is endure the itchiness of the Pink. I'm not looking forward to that.

I just finished moving all my lawn equipment and yard tools to a new metal shed behind my garage to give me more room in my 1 1/2 garage. I have to say dont ever buy a metal shed too time consuming and the instructions suck. I hope in the future to build an two car oversized garage, complete with insulation. It cant come fast enough.

I just found a 30X40 metal shop building,new but un-assembled,I'm working a deal out with the owner. The bad news is the only place I have room to put it up is about 20 miles from my house,on some property I inherited. I sorta plan to pour the pad this summer,build the shop,work on getting the power,well,and septic system in as I can afford it,and eventually have a mobile home out there.I'm putting in a set of RV hookups while I'm doing the utilities so I can park my ol' motorhomeout there to stay in if I have a longer-than-a-day project to finish.
Any input from you guys regarding the best way to insulate a metal shop? The temp around here ranges from 103 or so down to -25 or thereabouts.
Speed

After years of wallering around in the dirt and sand I have just put the finishing touches on my concrete 30x40 shop. I put up an accoustical ceiling, 6" of insulation,painted the floors, shelves all the way around. I had the trusses made for storage upstairs and I have a propane heating unit hanging in the corner only needing the vent pipe ran through the roof. I'll have it next winter. Its nice to finally "settle down". My only regret...... I didn't make it bigger!!!
(Its already bigger than the house, hehehe)

Well have a 28x48 polebarn with 12x12 heated part time. kinda restricts the big projects. A salamander heats the rest but poorly. try to hold off the begger projects till better weather
the little shop has all the creature comforts of a play room.

I just scored some heat, a 3 y/o used 100k propane furnace. I spent $345 in propane last Sept only to find my infrared heater called it quits. been a warm winter so not too bad, now I have more heat than I need. borrowed a hoe to run a water line to the shop, got 3/4 of it dug yeasterday. brian

i have a32x30 barn half is walled off for storage with a wood floor so that leaves me 16x30 for a workspace. floor is concrete walls insulated with celotex to cut down on the drafts but it doesnt breath well in the summer it can get pretty hot. need to do something about ventilation.mama aproved an air cond. but i want to insulte the ceiling first.this was my first summer working in it since i got it "liveable" the new electrics are nice. no more rotary switck to turn on a single 60 watt bulbhanging from the rafters i have two banks o 8ft florescents that almost blinded me the first time i turned them on. i also have my own breaker box to keep everthing separate from the house. the biggest mistake i made was when i ran the phone line underground in conduit was to run a cable line with it then installed 27" tv ,dvd player and digital surround sound. oh yeah forgot about the lazboy. if i had to do it again i would have waited until the truck was done. also have water cooler ,pop machine and a built in display cabinet for some of my diecast trucks and other treasures. this is the first garage i've ever had .i love it.

Guess ive got it made... ive got a 36 x 60, with 14 footsidewalls metal building i put up last year... concrete floor, insulated with that plastic aluminum bubble wrap thats about 5/16ths inch thick. (that stuff works wayyyyy better than i thought it would).. ive got 5 bays 12 foot wide that the two bays on each end are walled off and two storys hi for storage upstairs and the bottom is i call a clean shop LOL (althought not terrible clean with wood stove and me uhhh bein a little sloppy sometimes...ive got cable tv in that part...a puter thats on broadband too... ive got a bathroom there..but the toilet isnt installed yet... the other end the Old lady has for her storage...if i could get rid of her i could have tons of parts storage...*S* Any offers? hehehe.. that gives me three bays in the middle, one is for tools and workbenches compressor and grinder welder,,and stuff... and the other two to work in....one has 12x12 overhead door..and other has 12x10 over head door... with the wood stove in the smaller room and doors open i can keep the big part at about 30 degress warmer than outside...thats keepin stove purty hot... and the little room its in...can stay at about 80 if ya dont run the fan into the big room... I love it..and spend more time there than anywhere including work...LOL... I built the shed myself with the help of my uncle.. and yup i work on his stuff too...for payback... anyway...yup..ive rolled around in the dirt and snow drifts with snow blowin up the crack of my butt...before too....and i dooooooo love my shop... just hopin at 56,,,and gettin older and stiffer and arthritic by the day...that i cant enjoy it for at least aonther ten years when i retire.... if i live that long..... if not...???? well all i can say is hope ya like mean old women...cuz thats what it would take to get mine...then you can have my shop...at least i bet someone would appreciate it.....heheheh...

Sounds like a nice shop.I snooped your website, link to lantern http://www.rustyoldrelics.com/rrlantern.htm isn't working, like the stuff and the trucks, but too far out for me.
Thanks
Richard

Guys,
I'm a 49 chevy Sedan/Delivery project peace just where can I fit in here?
I could be called a truck I think?
My first question would be is there a way to convert the 49 to power steering?

If I'm not where I belong please advise ok?

What's a garage?

-W

I finally built 1500 sq ft of insulated and finished heated (in floor radiant) garage. I used plastic panels on the lower section of the walls like you might find in a car wash. I put every cabinet and bench on wheels and lots of extra lighting. Got a A/C, fridge and a toilet. Hot water and a shower. I have some nice office chairs, TV and stereo. Now if I could just get the Ol'Lady to keep the house as nice as my garage I just might go to bed at night. I need her train her to bring me some hot meals now and then too so I don't have to miss any NASCAR on the tube. Now and then when she wants to move some boxes into the garage, I have to remind her of our deal. Garage Mine, House Hers.

24x24 ft two car garage,2x6 walls 12ft ceiling,,in floor heat, cieling fans,freezer full of deer meat,fridge for beer, tv,lazyboy and insulated ,3 inch floor drain for washing the trucks,12 ft shed attached to the back for a parts/sandblasting room. this spring plastic paneling on the lower portion of inside and corrugated steel for the rest,outside i need to do the plastic fantastic,and set up my wood burning stove,,,the infloor 220 heater sucks up alot of juice!!! but sure is nice to lay down on.
half of the shop is overun by the 59 and the other is for parking the silverado. i want to put more lights on the sides about 8 feet up..just means less cash for the project,,

I have a shop in progress says my daughter, if you call a 11 X 15 area a shop than I do. Have big dreams of a shop alot like you all describe, hope I get thier before old age

i have two tin machine sheds one is 35x45 just used for storage and the other is 30x50 storeage and shop neither one is heated nore insulated and dirt floor and the both have one big sliding door on the front that don't close and your reg. 3x8 door but the shed used for a shop has that one boarded up (door was pretty much not there anymore) very much a pain in the arse when is 0 degrees outside but i make due got terrible lighting the 35x45 is bout 15 feet to the rafters and the other is bout 20 feet each have maybe 4-6 outlets had another shed of similar size that was insulated, heated, concrete floor (was used for chickens when my dad had his poultry business) but that one got to much snow on the roof and collapsed would have been nice shop, still don't think i could used the heat though, bit spendy
Nate

I would like an A/C in the garage! ..... come to think of it I think I will do just that this summer. and I plan to put up those angle lights that gtow69 talked about.

Cliff59

Hey fatweed, ya wanna trade garages? Only kidding. Soundz like ya gots a taj mahal fer a garage. Everyone has giving me a lot of good pointers, ideas bout things to spruce up my castle (oops garage). keep up the good work.
resto44

Is there ever enough space for all that old neat stuff? Actually show hands for who thinks Fatweed should share?

Most of that stuff and old vehicles belongs to my uncle...hes got a big shop but dont know how to use it...LOL..has me do his work..LOL.. ONe thing i might mention tho to you guys plannin...shops or whatnot..someone mentioned a woodstove... ya might precheck with your insurance company first.. everysingle company i checked with wont allow a wood stove in a garage..the only way i got around it was having the seperate room with it in it..... and i just open the doors to the small room and let heat in with a blower there... later on im plannin on doin a hot water reservoir thing to heat the big part... but reminder..check with insurance first...that is if your gonna insure ur garage....

have a 40x60 shop all white steel inside and out large end door ((sliders))small side door((overhead)),,heated,,aircond,,,water,,washbay,,,finished cement floor,,well lighted,,was a farm shop when farming now full of old cars,,trucks,,and parts...love it out there everyday...doc

mines filled with misc parts from my 52 5 window pickup... getting ready for paint

I'm going to build shelves all the way to the ceiling... before I start moving stuff in.. and I'm going to sort everything out too... get rid of all the crap i dont need.