Ok I have my 54 Ford in the Garage and will be getting another vehicle that's 18.5 feet long and 6 feet wide the 54 is 5 wide and 18 long. What creative solutions have you all come up with to store cars, kids bikes, tool box, compresser, etc in your 20 x 20 2 car. Need Help the Wife ( aka Fun Govenor ) was not happy about my latest purchase and said there is no way it will all fit in there and she wont have a "junker" sitting in the driveway. I am thinking aboout building shelves on the larger side to get stuff off the floor and the kids can put bikes and wagons under that shelf. Lets see what you have or some creative solutions ( please dont say lose the wife, build a bigger garage, get rid of the kids, I got a week or so to figure it out ) Thanks for your input
dude, ya gotta check out the garage journal, those guys over there do some incredable stuff with garage space and storage, it'll blow your mind!
Shelving is always good. Stack stack stack. Find places in rafters, anywhere that opens up floor space. Also, declutter. Get rid of stuff.
Ditto on the Garage Journal! It's amazing what you can do with a small garage. I did LOTS of things on cars in a single-car that was 12'X19'...and it had the washer, dryer, water heater, and the furnace all in there, too!
I gained space by hanging my extension ladder under the roll up door for my 2 car garage. I built a shelf to hold my step ladder under the door on my single car garage. I added shelves hung from the cieling with chain over my cars (just be sure your garage roof is strong enough or add support). Charlie Stephens
Agreed on getting stuff off the garage floor and up above walking height if possible. Build a shed in the yard and dedicate it to hold all the non car stuff; bikes, lawnmower, camping gear, toys, etc. It'll be easier to get at too. If there's room left over, move some of the big car parts to the shed too; wheel/tire sets, sheet metal, etc. Don't overlook the home attic or crawl space for long term storage (for **** you won't need for awhile, but can't get rid of).
You might want to go through the garage with a keen eye and get rid of the things you don't need or find clever storage space for them in the house. A set of wheel dollies (maybe two sets in your case) are absolutely essential for moving one car all the way to the side while you work on the other. It's amazing what one man can accomplish with a car on dollies in a confined space. and ditto on the garage journal for space saving ideas...
I gained some cheap space by hanging some free pallets and a lead pipe... Wheel dollies are money well spent too.
I have a 20x20 garage.In it I have a stacker,with the L79 Acadian on the stacker and a 71 Nova on the ground underneath the Acadian.I have the Softail beside it, I have the TBucket beside that. I also have,from the door back, a garage battery charger, booster; a 12 ton press; a belt,disc sander; a drillpress; a metalbender; and my roller tool box. I also have a full size Milling machine;a Linde 250 ampTig welder; a110 mig and a 60 gal.compressor. I also have many tools in one of two steel cabnets and parts in the cupboards above the bench. So yes you can put both cars in there and lots more if you organize things properly.
The best bet is to hang as many things as you can. You would be amazed at how much space you have. I have bikes hung next to the roll up door by the front wheel with the back wheel on the ground since that space does not get used for any thins. Overhead storage is great for getting things up and out of the way.
Is there space above the ceiling? Clean wheels and tires can go inside the house. I keep a covered motorcycle in my living room. I store clean and wrapped parts in my spare bedroom. If you can't open the doors on both cars at once you do not have room for the cars. (my grandfather's advice many moons ago)
If you have any yard space a good used shed can handle some of the overflow. In between the (if) exposed overhead rafter's can store delicate trim, grill, ect. with a little effort. Think of a hip level lean-to beside the garage for long item's-ladder, folded engine picker, ect. With recycled building material's to save $. Enclose it, locked and it blend's in. Heck you can hang a ladder off the fence if you have one.
I agree, move out all the non car stuff first! Kids bikes and garden equipment belong in a dedicated shed and any household stuff can go in the ba*****t or attic of the house(reserve the shop attic for large light weight stuff like fenders and such). Once that stuff is gone, you'll be impressed with how much you've gained. Next step: prioritized the equipment. If it's portable and not used often, put it away - you'll never be able to have everything at hand and keep two cars in there too. I have used grid paper to pre-plan where stuff will go before actually putting it there. Any big stuff not on wheels you'll only want to move once. Make a pattern to scale to replicate the garage floor space available, then make 'floating' templates(patterns) of all your cars and equipment (in the same scale of course). Place your big items in the most logical space and fit in the smaller items last. If you don't like it, dump the little templates and start over - no back pain!!! Good luck!!!
I have a 20x20 with two cars and tools and make it work OK. There is always something in the way, so everything MUST be on wheels (cars are rollers). Push stuff out, work, put it back. Makes cleaning possible as well. At some point, it also becomes a matter of safety; tight quarters put you too close to machines that melt, cut, grind, and bend metal. Previous suggestions to use airspace in various ways are right on.
2 sets of castered car movers,clear out one side of garage and push one all the way to the wall,push the other on within 1 inch of the first ,should gave nearly 8 ft to work with. Or put the good one outside and run it in at nite.I have an 14 by 23 with all my shop tools and room to work on one side of my project at a time,plus in snowy weather the project go`s outside while Mothers ride gets the shop.
Whatever space I have is occupied. I'm sure it can be done, just not by me, ha! Good luck and take some pictures of your solutions. Some of us could use the inspiration!
I have a 56 Nomad and a 47 Ford coupe in a 20 x 20 garage. I park them really close to each other and get out on the p***enger side of the Nomad. I have a workbench, tool cabinet, chest of drawers for misc items, a parts washer, an air compressor, a sand blasting cabinet, a MIG welder, lawn mower, pressure washer, bicycle and more I did go through my garage and cull a bunch of stuff in order to make room, and I sometimes have to move things around some. But it all fits and I can close the garage door at night!
I seem to be covering up my last project with stuff from this project...you can still see it, but not much of it. Shelves and peg board are your friends.
I bought one of those plastic sheds and put a bunch of stuff in it like the lawn tools and bikes etc. helped a lot.
I've got a 54 chevy sedan and a 37 Cadillac in my two car garage, and yes it is crowded but shelves are your friend. Hang stuff on the walls and use the attic space as much as you can. Like others have said, a shed for all the yard stuff.
Don't care How BIG the garage is!; you never have enough room........... Best Investment Ever,......Spend $40...... on a good Tarp! If that don't give you e'nuff? Spend $40. on another, Good Tarp. __________________________________ Smoked'up In the "Great Smokey Mountains"
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