How to make the most out of a small garage??? Options

[Steve91T]

Anyone have an LT1 that they want to sell me?

See if Mitch wants to split up his car: http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=15344

If that doesn't pan out, check with an old buddy of mine in Durham, NC: http://carolinaautomasters.com/

I know Jeff very well. He is one talented individual. His ability to tune a car really is impressive. I've got his custom cam and his tuning work in the car now. We've been emailing back and forth about my plans. He said he has a bunch of LT1's laying around, but all of them need work.

[FBody383]

We have several guys in Texas running junkyard/high mileage motors that spend a lot (too much) time on the podium.

I'm really afraid of being the guy who holds everybody up in the race, so I want to be prepared. The whole move may happen sooner rather than later, so I may be able to start racing sooner than I was initially thinking.

A little off topic... don't worry about it. As you work through HPDE and licensing, seek feedback about your on track behavior. As long as you are predictable and on-line those fast guys will get around you fine. Now I have to work really hard to be able to see Casey from the CMC backmarket seat... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/cool2.gif)

[Steve91T]

Offer accepted on a house! Garage is a 20x20 with a single, 2 car garage door. I was really worried because there are some SMALL garages out there. One had a 2 car garage that was 17x18.

Anyway, I think I can make a 20x20 work. The only thing I really don't like is the water heater is in the garage. If I could move that, it would free up a lot of space. But I have a feeling it would cost a lot in plumbing work to have it moved.

[cccbock]

Offer accepted on a house! Garage is a 20x20 with a single, 2 car garage door. I was really worried because there are some SMALL garages out there. One had a 2 car garage that was 17x18.

Anyway, I think I can make a 20x20 work. The only thing I really don't like is the water heater is in the garage. If I could move that, it would free up a lot of space. But I have a feeling it would cost a lot in plumbing work to have it moved.

Might not be a big deal. What is on the other side of the wall from the water heater? Is it electric?

Other options would be less appealing...in the attic, or elsewhere in the house.

[Steve91T]

Offer accepted on a house! Garage is a 20x20 with a single, 2 car garage door. I was really worried because there are some SMALL garages out there. One had a 2 car garage that was 17x18.

Anyway, I think I can make a 20x20 work. The only thing I really don't like is the water heater is in the garage. If I could move that, it would free up a lot of space. But I have a feeling it would cost a lot in plumbing work to have it moved.

Might not be a big deal. What is on the other side of the wall from the water heater? Is it electric?

Other options would be less appealing...in the attic, or elsewhere in the house.

It's gas. On the other side of the garage wall is interior stairs going from right to left as you stand in the garage facing the back wall. Hmmm...maybe we could punch a hole and put the water heater under the stairs? I could create the space, and just have someone change the plumbing. Maybe we could change to electric so we wouldn't have to worry about the exhaust from the gas.

I saw from my other thread that you are an inspector? What is a wall that is shared by the house and a garage made of? Is it anything special?


Edit: Damnit! I was thinking of another house that we put an offer on, but didn't get. There's a living room on the other side of the garage. It may have to stay. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/banghead.gif)

This post has been edited by Steve91T: Dec 9 2011, 12:36 AM

[Steve91T]

2 days ago we moved into our new house in Huntersville, NC. Believe it or not, the 20x20 is actually one of the largest garages we looked at. Who's building these houses?

Anyway, the water heater is gas, 40 gal. It also has a huge water softener with a metal pole in front of the water heater. The water heater runs out of steam real quick and I've been thinking about replacing it with either a tankless, or a hybrid unit that mounts on the wall.

That would free up just about all of that space. We have city water, and it seems to be just fine with the water softener bypassed, so I'm going to just sell it.

Anyone have any experience with tankless or hybrid water heaters? I know they are more expensive, but they will save money. The hybrid's are maintenance free (just about).

I really want to get that mess out of my garage and free up all that space.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-01-20_09-56-17_833.jpg)

[mitchntx]

Ale Pale? You're a homebrewer?

[Steve91T]

Ale Pale? You're a homebrewer?

I am! Well, just starting out. I've only made 3 batches so far, but have no plans to stop. I love it. I assume you are also?

[Rob Hood]

2 days ago we moved into our new house in Huntersville, NC. Believe it or not, the 20x20 is actually one of the largest garages we looked at. Who's building these houses?

Anyway, the water heater is gas, 40 gal. It also has a huge water softener with a metal pole in front of the water heater. The water heater runs out of steam real quick and I've been thinking about replacing it with either a tankless, or a hybrid unit that mounts on the wall.

That would free up just about all of that space. We have city water, and it seems to be just fine with the water softener bypassed, so I'm going to just sell it.

Anyone have any experience with tankless or hybrid water heaters? I know they are more expensive, but they will save money. The hybrid's are maintenance free (just about).

I really want to get that mess out of my garage and free up all that space.

I recently had to replace my hot water heater, and looked into some of the tankless options. My research found out that the tankless versions are more suited to lower-use scenarios (one or two people, limited-use cabins, etc.). Typical family of four with laundry/daily showers/dishwasher will cause the tankless units to struggle to keep the water hot with sustained use. Plus, they are not cheap.

If you intend to turn this house into a rental you may want to keep the house as "conventional" as possible. Just because they are renters doesn't mean they will be perfect renters. Is there room for a temporary outside storage shed for some of the items that won't see frequent usage?

[mitchntx]

Ale Pale? You're a homebrewer?

I am! Well, just starting out. I've only made 3 batches so far, but have no plans to stop. I love it. I assume you are also?

It's been a while.

I'm on my last bottle of mead ...

[Steve91T]

2 days ago we moved into our new house in Huntersville, NC. Believe it or not, the 20x20 is actually one of the largest garages we looked at. Who's building these houses?

Anyway, the water heater is gas, 40 gal. It also has a huge water softener with a metal pole in front of the water heater. The water heater runs out of steam real quick and I've been thinking about replacing it with either a tankless, or a hybrid unit that mounts on the wall.

That would free up just about all of that space. We have city water, and it seems to be just fine with the water softener bypassed, so I'm going to just sell it.

Anyone have any experience with tankless or hybrid water heaters? I know they are more expensive, but they will save money. The hybrid's are maintenance free (just about).

I really want to get that mess out of my garage and free up all that space.

I recently had to replace my hot water heater, and looked into some of the tankless options. My research found out that the tankless versions are more suited to lower-use scenarios (one or two people, limited-use cabins, etc.). Typical family of four with laundry/daily showers/dishwasher will cause the tankless units to struggle to keep the water hot with sustained use. Plus, they are not cheap.

If you intend to turn this house into a rental you may want to keep the house as "conventional" as possible. Just because they are renters doesn't mean they will be perfect renters. Is there room for a temporary outside storage shed for some of the items that won't see frequent usage?

I've been finding the same. I think it would be fine for my wife and myself, but you are right, someday a family of 4 could be in this house and will require more hot water.

Unfortunately, as much as I'd love one, I just don't have the space for a shed. I do on the side yard, but that's against the HOA. I was looking at it some more, and that water softener is really taking up quite a bit of space. I think I'll start by ripping that out and see if I can live with just the water heater in the corner.

[Steve91T]

Well, 5 weeks after we moved in, my garage looks like this. I've had other "move in" projects that take priority like painting walls, hanging pictures, and hanging curtains. Of course my wife is the one who made all of these things a priority, but now that she's happy, I can get to work. Of course I did have my own little project that I snuck in.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-07_18-15-02_587.jpg)


So, here is a picture of my garage as it sits right now.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-27_09-26-36_644.jpg)

My 20x20 excuse for a garage has zero storage (except for my two cabinets), one outlet, and one light bulb that's supposed to light the entire garage.

The water softener that was next to the water heater is gone. That freed up a lot of room. There is a metal post in front of the water heater to keep people from running into the water heater that needs to be removed. I can live with the water heater where it's at.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-27_09-27-47_247.jpg)


I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go as far as storage and making the most of the small space. I was going to build a really long, but skinny work bench, but I really don't need that. I need shelves, peg board, and a small work bench.

Here's what I'm going to build along the back wall.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects...ge/Step-By-Step

I'm going to modify the design to allow for a larger folding work bench, and more peg board. Once that's built, I'm going to put in serious garage lighting, and add at least 5 more outlets. Finally, some overhead storage should finish things off. That'll give me a place to keep bulky things like wheels and tires.

My goal for today is to go to Lowes and get all the lumbar and brackets along with something to cut that metal pipe out of the floor. That's not going to be fun.


Hopefully this week I'll have the garage more or less finished, and I'll be able to get the Camaro back to the car and start working on getting it ready for CMC.

This post has been edited by Steve91T: Feb 27 2012, 03:53 PM

[Jeff94TA]

Finally, some overhead storage should finish things off. That'll give me a place to keep bulky things like wheels and tires.

I just picked up two folding tire lofts from Amazon and haven't hung them yet but they look nice and sturdy especially considering the price. Tire storage loft

[Steve91T]

Finally, some overhead storage should finish things off. That'll give me a place to keep bulky things like wheels and tires.

I just picked up two folding tire lofts from Amazon and haven't hung them yet but they look nice and sturdy especially considering the price. Tire storage loft

Thank you for the link....I think I'm going to copy the design and make one out of 2x4s tomorrow.

[Steve91T]

Here's the progress I've made. Next time I'm buying 1x4's instead of trying to rip all those boards from a sheet of plywood using a circular saw...took me forever. Other than that, it's going really well. I decided to take my time and paint everything, including the peg board. It'll make it look much nicer when done. My folding work bench turned out really good. I used two door hinges, which are plenty strong. I just have to try to come up with some folding legs. Anyone have any ideas? I bought replacement folding legs for a banquet table, which would have been really sturdy, but they are too short for the height of the work bench that I chose. I thought 2x4's with hinges would work well, but I don't have a way to keep them from flopping around. Lowes doesn't seem have anything for this application.

Tomorrow, I'm going to finish mounting the shelving brackets, and rip and paint the shelves. The next project after that is to get some serious lighting mounted on the ceiling.

Let me know what ideas you guys have for folding legs.

Steve

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-28_16-58-43_240.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-28_18-54-39_581.jpg)

This post has been edited by Steve91T: Feb 29 2012, 02:15 AM

[Steve91T]

Oh yeah, any ideas on what to do with this thing? Angle grinder?


(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Steve91T/Camaro/2012-02-28_21-51-49_641.jpg)

[nape]

Angle grinder with a cut-off wheel or a sawzall.

[Blainefab]

Sawzall with a 8" blade would be flexible enough to get it cut off pretty flush, but you'll want to smooth it out with a flap disc on an angle grinder, so if you don't have either tool, get a Makita 4.5" angle grinder from Home Depot, about $60, and a cutoff wheel and flap disc and have at it.

[BPWilliams]

I say torch it then grind, faster and less strain. just need to be careful on the heat as cement will explode....

[Steve91T]

Sawzall with a 8" blade would be flexible enough to get it cut off pretty flush, but you'll want to smooth it out with a flap disc on an angle grinder, so if you don't have either tool, get a Makita 4.5" angle grinder from Home Depot, about $60, and a cutoff wheel and flap disc and have at it.

I've got a decent Harbor Freight 4.5" angle grinder with a ton of cut off wheels. I'll just grab a flap disk and go to town.

I say torch it then grind, faster and less strain. just need to be careful on the heat as cement will explode....

First of all, didn't know that about cement and heat. As much as I'd like one, I don't have a torch.