In english….the garage.
We have a garage. Actually there is more to this story. Our garage was originally a carport. What can I say…it was the 70’s and people were crazy. They didn’t see the need for an enclosed garage. So the builders gave the house a carport. Ludicris, I tell ya…and I ain’t talkin rappers. But in my builder’s defense, I can kinda understand. Sorta.
They were high. I’ve seen That 70’s Show. I know what’s what. They must have definitely been smokin’ some kinda anti-garage dope. Hence – carport.
So when we looked at buying this carported house, we requested the previous owners add a garage door. Afterall, a garage door can classy up a residence in no time. It’s practically foolproof. And since we are oh-so-classy folk, we demanded (err….asked really really nicely…ok, ok…we begged on our hands and knees) for one to be added. Lo & behold, it worked. They added a garage door. It instantly turned our totally open carport into a bonafide garage.
Now that you got the low-down on our garage, let me introduce you to it. So you can be face-to-face friends. Here it is:
We emptyed it out and applied the cheapest concrete paint we could find to cover up those discolorations on the floor. But alas, there was a reason it was sooo cheap. It looked good for zero point two seconds. Right up until we touched it. And now it just chips and looks weird. It’s not even really something we wanted to show.
What I did want to share was how we moved all of our tools into the garage to create a workspace fit for any rookie DIYer.
On one side we have the garden tools – including garden rakes, shovels, a pick axe, our snow mulch shovel, and one very broken leaf rake. And in the back, we keep our mountain bikes. (check out the cabinet in the rear – obviously pre-makeover!)
And on the other side, we store all our other tools. Outfitted with two work benches and a storage shelf unit (that is soon to be replaced with a gardening bench), it houses all of our tools, cleaning supplies, trash & recycling and even some paint. It’s practically a shmorgasboard of renovation stuff that could make any novice proud.
Except this.
That would make no one proud. Just sick to their stomach.
Let’s move forward to the stuff that won’t induce vomiting, shall we?
Like this first bench. It houses our miter saw, our wet tile saw, extension cords, painting supplies and allows room on the right hand side for the pressure washer and some saw horses.
And then as we move down the line, you see our air compressor on the floor next to the blower and fun Stihl yard tool that make men drool worse than Megan Fox. Above that is a workbench with our smaller electric tools such as a cordless DeWalt drill, our sawsall, the electric sanders, and a Rotozip. And the top of the workbench is big enough to provide space to complete smaller projects all while having everything from hammers to rags to safety equipment right there at an arm’s reach.
And that’s how we do it in el garaje. It’s practically a haven for men (or handywomen) who like to create, plant and renovate. So now that you saw the storage of all our tools – tell me, how do you house your DIY gear? Do you have a garage like us to house the stuff or maybe you like the simplicity of gathering all your tools in a kitchen drawer? I know that someone out there has one of those beefy storage chests that is ridiculously hot and professional looking. One and all, don’t be a tool and tell me how you store those goodies.
p.s. So many of you asked about our favorite-we-would-die-without-it tool list…well…it’s coming….so thanks for your patience and hopefully just seeing our tools in storage will be a good enough appetizer till the list is finished. please say yes? pretty please? darn it…just say you won’t hold it against me…I’m preggo ya know?!?!?
We have a single car garage (well, a single car by early 20th century standards) that is the workshop/man-cave and an attached carport (yup, added in the 60’s) that serves as our material shed. It’s vital for remodeling and I can’t believe we looked at houses without any type of garage/carport! I would say my favorite part of the workshop is the “safety drawer”. Seriously…it’s where we store masks, goggles, gloves, etc. Once (if?) we finish our remodel we’d like to maybe turn the carport into some type of studio space. Or just demo it.
Finally!!!! A post about someone’s garage! Now that’s what I’m talking about!!!!
“Create, plant, and renovate,” I love a good rhyme!
Unfortunately I barely have a tool to my name so therefore don’t require much space to house them. My bf and I live in an apartment and I dream of the day when he have a house! and a yard! and a garage! to store, put away, and organize our stuff to our hearts’ content. Until then the bf has a burly red tool chest that houses a lot of stuff. We put it on a shelf in the laundry room and I require a step stool to reach it. As you might have surmised, not much DIY at my casa but you can bet your Georgia booty I’ll be hittin’ up all of your Bower Power how-to’s when the time comes!
We don’t have an El Ga Rah Hey. Not even a driveway, in fact. All our tools are currently housed in the dining room pantry. Not conventional but practical for now.
Assuming your bf used those handy tools to make the custom work/tool benches? Love that! Thanks for the teaser, looking forward to the tool list!!!!
We were just out yesterday at Lowe’s looking for garage solutions for our tools. Right now we have old hand me down shelving but they are so messy. And we stuff the rakes etc. in the corner. It looks like we are going to end up buying the galdiator system. A bit pricey in our opinion but I think it will make us happier the next time we need to find something. We also will probably add some pegboard and husband wants to build a workbench probably very similar to yours.
Where did you get the great tool benches?
We are in the process of finishing our basement, and we’re going to have an L-shaped corner that had a work bench on top and storage below. We have one of those metal storage things on wheels with a bunch of drawers too. I don’t know what they are called. But since the basement isn’t done yet, the tools basically float around the rest of the house freely. It’s pretty lame. At the moment.
We have a two car garage that houses everything but two cars. 😛 It is in a dire need of reorganization. We have big plans to remodel the garage but not in this lovely 15 degree weather. My dh is just counting the days till spring.
Oooo…miter saw…I’m drooling. My BF and I are impatiently waiting for a sale or until the very last minute we need one. Which is now so who knows when we’re going to go pick it up. :p
We don’t have enough room in our garage for a garbage can and a car at the same time so our tools are stored a) on a workbench in the basement for the not everyday tools (ha!) and b) in a built in cabinet in our dining room. I posted about it last week if you wanna see:
http://thepurplepeach.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/not-my-day/
-Emily
Fantastic job! I am so jealous of your tool collection and your organization. I’ve been out of the blog world for a bit so let me take the time to congratulate you on Will. I’m due in 6 weeks. We don’t know what we are having but it seems like every blog I’m reading lately is also prego. You and J are extremely entertaining and I love all of your neat design ideas. Can’t wait to see the nursery and your little bundle soon.
Take care,
Lisa
Our garage is huge, but ended up as the repository for everything left over. If I cleaned it out I could get six cars in there… but as it is, I need to pirouette around stuff to get anywhere.
Ah well.
Love the work benches! My husband works for a contractor so when they do renovations I get to benefit. In our garage we have a set of stain lower cabinets but since I love to garden my hubs added an old utility sink and placed it down in the cabinet so that is where I have my potting soil and he even made me a nice “wood” counter top so I have room to plant and since it has drawers that’s where all my tools and fertilizers go! It’s one of my most favorite things
Those workbenches are great! Did you and bf make them?
As always (well, I don’t comment often), I’m impressed with your collection of DIY stuff! We don’t have a garage, we don’t have a driveway, and our yard is the size of a postage stamp. (Ah, the joys of living in an overpriced real estate market in the Mid-Atlantic.) One day, when we have a “real” house, I’d like to have a well-organized garage. For now, we keep our little toolbox and paint supplies in a corner in the tiny basement. Maybe one day we’ll learn how to use power tools.
Awesome job! I dream of the day I have a garage – good idea asking for the previous owners to transform the carport!
Hi Carrie, Kristi & Mandy –
Those workbenches are fantastic no? My handy boyfriend made them. Maybe one day I can post the plans here…they apparently weren’t too hard to make. I think the most difficult part was for the miter saw bench – he made it a little more custom (there was a gap for the cord to go through to the bottom shelf.)
I am sure he is blushing with your compliments 🙂
And so thank you. He is adorable when he blushes!
XO – KB
Speaking of garages….I’m hoping you have some tips/ideas on adding insulation to garage doors? We have an attached garage that gets super cold! Don’t want to heat it but didn’t think there were any other options to control temperatures in there. That is, until I recently saw a quick commercial on one of the DIY networks that suggested adding insulation to the garage doors….great idea, right!? Any ideas on the best type of insulation to use?
Hi Mandy,
Insulating garage doors? Well, I think that I’ve seen two different ways to tackle this job by yourself…neither of which we have attempted….so keep that in mind. The first way is with a kit. They sell kits that have molded insulating panels or foil insulation…they come with all the supplies to install yourself. The other way to tackle this is to buy the foil insulation in a bulk roll and attach it with double sided tape….just make sure to cut each piece to fit and buy sticky tape that is industrial strength 🙂 Both would be good ways to insulate but one might be a better fit if you are looking for a higher r-value or less work or a lower cost.
Hope this helps!
Xo – Katie