[Closed] New garage - what do you wish you had done to yours?

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)

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!

I'm just about to paint the new build garage internal walls. Hopefully the garage door is getting fitted at the end of the month, pitched roof storage is half way floored and insulated. I was going to epoxy the floor but this thread has changed my mind and I'm going for some interlocking floor tiles instead.

I also painted the walls white but opted for concrete sealer over paint on the floor but have cheap Halfords foam tiles where I stand and work. The best floor tiles are supposed to those used on farms / horses / donkeys etc so check out a farm supplies place.

I prefer a tool box on wheels over a tool board as everything's then away and not prone to condensation & mobile.

Alarm.

Definitely get sound and lighting sorted.

I made a bench from 4x4 fence posts, 4x2 & ply, lots of them, it's well overbuilt and I store stuff inside it.

I picked up a huge monster vice from eBay for £7.50.

Was a guy popped up on my IG feed who made a bike stand using Park jaws that came down from the ceiling like a periscope and could be rotated, looked very practical.

The best thing I did to mine, and I wish I’d done it much sooner, was fit a decent sectional door. It has eliminated the draughts and made it possible to heat much more efficiently, I feel it’s more secure (I know) than the up and over door that was on there, and frankly I love the convenience.

That, and the Big Dug floor tiles as above (shamefully, without the attention to detail of the blue section)... 😉

Extend central heating in to garage.

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

Agree with other posters that advise this. We bought our current house as it had a double garage for our Spitfires. Luckily we got the keys about a fortnight before completion from the vendors so we were able to paint the garage floor and walls before moving.

With 2 cars, 3 sets of shelving, workbench, welder and loads of spares it was far easier putting the stuff in a ready prepared garage.

For floor tiles to support a crane they would probably have to be the heavy rubber ones rated for vehicles and stuck down. We used to have them in our turbine hall loading bay where fork lifts and low loaders drove over them. But they are heavy as, probably expensive too.

If you want instant heat I'd look at infra red heaters, again we have them at work and considering some of them run 24/7 they have been reliable.

I'd forget a sink and have a parts washer instead.

Degrease the floor properly before you do anything.

If you want instant heat I’d look at infra red heaters, again we have them at work and considering some of them run 24/7 they have been reliable.

That's certainly what I'm leaning towards, do you know what manufacturer the ones you have at work are?

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

Absolutely. It also seals up the walls, if brick, to make it feel less dusty and musty. Floor paint as well, although not white...

What did you paint the walls with? Saw loads of things saying if you dont get it right the masonry just soaks up all the paint.

If you have a side door make sure it is properly secure and robustly constructed. My garage was broken into twice through the side door. Both times the door was destroyed.

If you have a side door make sure it is properly secure and robustly constructed. My garage was broken into twice through the side door. Both times the door was destroyed.

Thanks. The garage is under the first floor and on the 'inside' of the semi detached properties so 3 walls are internal and the front is the up and over door. I'd like to improve security on the garage door itself though.

What did you paint the walls with

Cheap brilliant white emulsion after 2 coats of diluted PVA

I used to have a stereo but replaced it with an Alexa which I put in a sandwich bag so it doesn't get covered in dust etc. Best thing I did as you don't have to touch it which is a huge advantage when you have oily hands

First thing if to is get rid of the up and over, if you're never gonna put the car in there. Weak point right there. And its a big heat sink.

I’d like to improve security on the garage door

Any door can be defeated but I'd go for an insulated Hormann sectional garage door - security and warmth (assuming you want to keep a garage door)

If you don't want to keep the garage door, build a block wall and add a normal door of your choice.

What did you paint the walls with? Saw loads of things saying if you dont get it right the masonry just soaks up all the paint.

Cheap white emulsion

No less likely to have issues with water than putting PVA on the walls.

Obviously actual masonry paint would be better if it's going to see moisture at all.

But no issues with the blockwork soaking up the emulsion

Planned ours out when it was been built to accommodate car, bikes and windsurfers. Only done a couple of additions since then which includes a padded floor in the bike area, extra security after a break in and a fold away bike stand.

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Yup, as above white emulsion for the blockwork walls. I didn't realize until after the first wall what a massive difference a specific blockwork roller makes. Get the widest one you can find.

In my old (ex-wifes) house we had a hot water tap outside by a soakway. Probably the best thing I'd ever done, transformed the end of a winter's ride or run.

I really want to tile the floor of my garage with quarry tiles. But the cost puts me off!

Currently it's rough dusty concrete. I had foam interlocking tiles for a while and they were pretty good but rubbish if you want to roll anything over them (tool cab, sack barrow, trolley jack) and they ended up getting recycled into campervan flooring insulation. I've had a temporary loan of top notch horse rubber stable matts until the horse wanted them back, they were brilliant.

I don't want to paint it as I think it will just start chipping off at a later date.

Paint on our floor has been down 10 years and has a car on it every day. Apart from a bit of discolouring where the tyres are it looks as good as the day it was painted.

Paint is good, as long as the concrete is clean, of its had oil leaked o to it then,in my experience, the paint won't stick properly (but perhaps my preparation was just rubbish). It also chips if you drop something heavy and metal on it.

Having said that it's cheap and quick (half a day plus a day drying when it warm!). I re did the dodgy bits of mine every couple years (30 min job) and it's the approach I'd take again, assuming I couldn't afford epoxy (which I know nothing about...)

One thing about single part paint (I used ronseal's floor paint) is that it's never as tough as epoxy, but, it's also super easy to repair. I've put a few decent chips and marks in mine just through dropping stuff, or dragging an autobox across it at one point, things that'd mark any floor. But I can just slap on some repairs and tomorrow you can only tell because there's a clean spot. You can do that with epoxy too but it's not so quick and easy which I really like.

I'd like a new bigger garage on the near future. I'd like to put a basic shower in one corner, then when I get back from a ride/run/beach I don't have to drag any dirt into the house.

https://www.duragarages.com/

These people exchange will money and dirty looks from your wife for a perfect garage. They'll come and measure, suggest cabinets and flooring, and even come and do it all for you...If you need to ask how much etc etc. But..they used to (dunno if they still do) sell unused tiles from other garage builds, which is a pretty cheap way of getting very good quality tiles for a lot less than list price as long as you don't mind a bit of mis-matching

has anyone made a workshop partition in their garage using big curtains? I've got a 6x6m double garage with a pitched roof, draughty doors and vents so no chance of heating in an environmentally/economically conscious fashion! I was thinking though if I could partition off a quarter I'd have a good size work area I'd be able to heat more easily. Obviously I could do this with a stud wall but that would lose me the flexibility of a bigger garage, hence wondering if a thick curtain (heavy fabric or vinyl or something) would provide a decent alternative?

(apologies for the sidetrack OP!)

We completely renovated our house a couple of years ago. I'd always wanted to spec the 'perfect' garage. Pictures are below. I did use Dura Garages for the units. They are undeniably expensive but it's nice to get the exact units to fit the available space. I had the floor tiled with porcelain tiles (Dura Garage tiles were way too expensive) - I found some for about £1.20 each. First mistake was to use light grouting rather than dark. It looks good initially but soon looks messy. I wanted a window as it's good to have useable light without needing lights - should have got an opening window and placed it higher up. Hormann roller door is pretty good. Am using Steadyrack mounts for bike storage. The LED light panels are really cheap and way better than fluorescents in my opinion. Garage has about 20 electrical sockets and is networked and has wi-fi coverage. Has a sink with hot/cold water which I use all the time.

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was;

Now;

And to answer the OPs question - I wish I had better wifi.

That’s certainly what I’m leaning towards, do you know what manufacturer the ones you have at work are?

No but I can find out next week, I'm next in on Tuesday.

@howarthp wow that really shows how much bikes intrude into the space! Would it not take up less space haing three end to end with another three stacked on top? (and the last two double stacked) Looks great otherwise BTW but you've certainly made my mind up for me on that.

I’ve got a 6x6m double garage with a pitched roof

*measures ground floor of house*

*cries*

^^ true, the bikes intrude but it is effectively ‘just’ a bike room and ease of access was my primary focus. Will soon be housing a motorbike too. I’ve got too many bikes and really should sell some as there are probably 5 I use a lot

[i]wow that really shows how much bikes intrude into the space![/i]

Yep I've tried them hanging from the wall a couple of times. It not only takes up a huge amount of space, it also leaves lots of pointy bike parts sticking out at hip/rib/eye level.

They only take up slightly more floor area rolled into wheel racks (or a pallet rack) along the wall with the front wheels at 45 degrees, but this leaves space for wall units or a massive timber shelf above the saddles for all your riding gear and spare parts, and clear line of sight over the top so they are less intrusive.

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Some good inspiration here. I'm doing my garage soon.

I was wondering about hinged double doors instead of up+over / roller doors - the thinking being you can open it without showing everything to the world. Has anyone done this?

I'm considering using those hinged bike hangers so you can food the bikes in and they protrude less.

I'd like to replace the standard up & over door with one that has a pedestrian door in it as only access is via the up & over.
Only thing that puts me off is security of the pedestrian door - the up & over has extra bolts on the bottom corners.
Anyone got one and what extra security did you put on?

the up & over has extra bolts on the bottom corners.

My mate had those, a bottle jack popped them, £10k of bikes gone.

Suddenly I want to fit ceramic tiles to my floor......

Knowing full well they will be a liability in my garage it'll be epoxy in the end.

What should we be replacing our up and overs* with that won't be popped with a bottle jack. Enough force and most things will be broken into.

*I don't have an up and over but I do have pacribolts - I'm.far more concerned about the uPVC access door than I am my front door.

But equally If they want in they will come in locks only stop an honest man.

What should we be replacing our up and overs* with that won’t be popped with a bottle jack. Enough force and most things will be broken into.

Absolutely, multiple layers of security is always the best option, with a good insurance policy. Up n over doors are pointless for the vast majority of garage owners though.

After 12 months of failed attempts at making it water tight, frankly knocking the thing down and replacing it with some kind of wooden 'cabin' thing. Half workshop, half home office.

french doors.

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

majority of (dont look awful) alternatives need more driveway than most have once theirs car is on the drive though.

Double side hinged doors would be my preferance - cant have it as my drive slopes up slightly after the drain

Anything that involves bricking/boarding up the front(on an integral garage) and putting a single pedestrian door in just looks awful its even dificult to get them looking not nasty when folks do a garage conversion but usually involves a large window or french doors before they look half decent. non integral garages have alot more options as making them look like a shed can look ok

but the up and over you get on the majority of houses might as well just not be there- could just be a curtain for all the good they are.