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| The XJS is not as small as a Smart Car but not as big as the '56 Cadillac that once sat in this spot. |
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| Note the car's position relative to the center floor seam. That empty space between the locker and the metal shelf has been eliminated. |
It has taken two sheds to empty out the garage but it's almost done.
How do I reconcile storing two cars inside as well as dealing with storage and work space?
Good question.
Just a disclaimer. I know that the garage still looks like a real mess. I guess that I could be a little more embarrassed about it. I am a bit, but the show must go on! It's a work in progress. Updates should show steady improvement.
Most houses of my home's vintage were constructed with an empty two car garage space, devoid of any built in shelving or storage, and usually lit by a single light fixture. Electrical outlets are scarce and the walls and ceiling are unfinished. The laundry facilities, a/c, furnace and water heater are also housed in this space.
Most garages have a 16 inch section of wall that borders both sides of the front door. My garage is also using the old style, one piece upwardly opening single wooden door. The door hinges swing through an arc that requires clearance to operate properly. Luckily I had some 15 inch deep metal shelving units that can fit along the wall behind that hinge. I lined them up along the wall on the passenger side of the car. I wasn't going to have anyone exiting a car while it is in the garage.
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| Those hinges have to clearance to swing through their arc. Maybe someday I can upgrade to a roll up door. |
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| This empty space doesn't look like the best use of this area. |
Directly above the door I have built two 4 x 8 ft. shelves. These were my first projects following retirement. Just two full sheets of plywood, but strong and spacious. Primarily to hold Christmas decorations. Earlier, I had built a series of overhead shelves around the perimeter of the garage walls for the same purpose. Luckily we (?) have quit adding to the quantity of decorations.
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| Good, out of the way storage. perfect for stuff you don't need to access frequently. |
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| Jack Olsen, eat your heart out! This is before the straightening out. I added that attic access panel a few years back. |
There is an existing cabinet on the wall up by the foyer entrance door. This cabinet has not been used to it's full utility. It is currently holding some spray cans and other junk. Need to organize.
My house's garage was the sales office of the sub division development. This meant that it had a finished ceiling, walls, and quite a few electrical outlets placed around. There is even an extra 220v outlet. I guess I really could buy an electric car!
The water heater, a/c and heating unit, as well as the washing machine hook ups were all placed in a closet like enclosure. The dryer is sitting to the right of this enclosure. I used the old interior doors that I replaced to build some shelves over the dryer. The space underneath can accommodate my compressor among other things.
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| I added a 6 ft. shelf next to the locker. I lined up the tool chests in front of the XJS. Those small plastic drawer units have been moved with the pedestal mounted grinder. The tool chests can be rolled away to gain access to the locker's contents. |
I have placed the same shallow shelving units along the driver's side wall of the garage, I have to allow enough space to open the driver's door, as well as walk alongside the car to the door. Actually a last minute change was to move my six foot unit to the opposite wall, opening up another space along this wall.
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| Luckily I drink a lot of coffee. |
I ended up re-using an old Ikea bookshelf that I was ready to take to the dump. The smaller adjustable shelves are perfect for my coffee can collection of nuts, bolts, screws, nails, and other miscellaneous hardware, that I like to have easy access to. I've still got plenty of additional shelves to be able to re-arrange the configuration. Coffee cans, what would we do without them?
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| It looks like this will be useful and the price was right! |
My neighbor gave me a wire rack that usually hangs on the back of a door. It is shallow enough to fit above the wooden foundation enclosure/ base board. I covered the back of the shelves with cardboard panels to prevent things from falling out the back. It holds all kinds of cans and containers and I can hang my collection of spray bottles on the top shelves.
I don't think that I'll be able to keep my workbench. It was a cool long desk that was made by California prison industries. Long and rectangular with five drawers on one side. It looks more like a workbench than a regular desk. That's too bad because I really liked the way it looked in the garage.
I used to keep my drill press, bench vice, and grinder on top of it. My plan is now to store those types of tools in the metal shelving units behind the door hinges. For a tool stand I have the table that came along with my old band saw. I am planning on building a wheeled base for that table so that I can move it around the garage as needed.
Keeping the floor space clear means that I need to find an out of the way storage space for my floor jacks. I will probably just roll them under the XJS, since that won't be coming out every day.
I plan to store two cars inside when not currently involved in a mechanical project. This will also make it easier to rotate the use of my hobby cars.
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| Looks like there is plenty of room, now. |
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| This was the space I had available when I changed out the transmission. Note the cars position to the center floor seam. It was like a single car garage.  |
Clutter does not preclude the work of genius. This is famed car customizer and master metal man, Bill Hines. (1923-2016). His shop does look a little "cozy." I met him a couple of times at the West Coast Kustoms Nationals at Santa Maria Ca. I saw him and that Cadillac the last time I went to the Nationals.
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| Photos source: Auto Week He was in his mid Eighties the last time I saw him. He just kept the faith over all those years. Respect. |
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