Neon Parking Sign

When my wife and I were looking at houses a few years ago, we had a few different choices: two car, three car, carport with a side lot, etc. Then, I came across a listing for a house that had four pictures, and three of them were of the garage. I was so excited that we ended up driving to the house at midnight on a Saturday, and checking out the garage from the safety of our car. The next day, my wife and I took a tour.  The house was a bit small, the kitchen was a weird configuration, and I wasn’t sure about the price. So I turned to my wife and said, “Do you think this would work?” She said, “Kevin, if that garage works for you, then the rest I can do myself.”

There’s a reason I married my wife.

So what’s so special about the garage? It measures 20X30, and is deep enough to hold a crew-cab, long bed truck, meaning that it’s got enough room for everything I need and more. But more importantly, a u-shaped concrete patch extending 15-feet out on either direction surrounds the garage, giving me plenty of room to park anything I want. At one point, I had a car in the garage on jack stands, two on one side, one in the back and three on the other side. I was at maximum capacity for my little compound, but I hadn’t even started parking in the street.

There are a lot of advantages to having a side lot. For me, the garage is meant to be a place of work, so I only park things there that need to be worked on, and therefore are immobile. By having space for extra cars, I can park my daily driver on the side of the garage, or use to space for future projects. In fact, that side lot gave me the ability to buy vehicles that I always had dreamed of but never figured I’d have the room to store, like my ’51 Chevrolet pickup that needed a full restoration. But it didn’t matter if it sat on the side of the house for 10 years, as long as I had the space, it wasn’t hurting anybody.

There’s also another advantage: room for large tools that I wouldn’t usually be able to own. My tubing bender sits outdoors – under a cover, granted – but the extra space gives me room to bend a 20-foot tube with no problems. A friend of mine has his lift mounted to the concrete on his side lot, giving him extra space to work on cars outdoors and even power wash the underside of his vehicles before he goes to work on them.

Not everyone has the space for a side lot, but if you do, take it from someone who knows it’s definitely worth the extra cost for pouring the cement.

Mac Tools - Tool Cart

For years, I’ve had a 40-inch Craftsman box in black, just sitting in the corner of my garage. I bought it after my 26-inch model literally broke from the strain of holding all of my tools, plus I got a smokin’ deal that just made it all worthwhile. Sure, I wanted a Snap-On box, but not only did I not know a distributor at the time, I didn’t have the cash to buy one. I joked that I’d rather buy a car than a new toolbox.

I’ve been working on cars for the past 20 years, but it wasn’t until I spent some time in a diesel mechanic’s shop that I really started to question my choice of toolboxes. In every bay I saw names such as Matco, Mac and Snap-On, all looking pretty and shiny, albeit well used. So I asked them, “What it was about the boxes that made it worth the price?”

For them, it was durability. Every day, they would open a drawer easily 50 times, and with wear like that, you want a box that will last. It also had a value and held that value better than store-bought models, as the truck drivers would often take one of their used boxes in on trade. They liked how stable the drawers were, and how they could handle a mammoth load, and still not shake side to side like a typical Craftsman box.

But for the garage mechanic – the guy who doesn’t use their tools for their profession – is it worth spending the money?

Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you have the money, and how long you plan on keeping the toolbox. For me, when I buy a box I plan on keeping it for the next 30 years, so spending $4,000-$10,000 doesn’t sound like that bad of a deal. But, the initial investment is always the kicker, so for now, I decided to fill the spot with something in the middle. I bought a Mac Tools mobile cart, one with four drawers and a sliding stainless top that can hold my sockets. It’s a great fix for right now, plus it makes all of my tools portable. Of course, I still want the big-name box, but for now, this will do.

For years, I’ve had a 40-inch Craftsman box in black, just sitting in the corner of my garage. I bought it after my 26-inch model literally broke from the strain of holding all of my tools, plus I got a smokin’ deal that just made it all worthwhile. Sure, I wanted a Snap-On box, but not only did I not know a distributor at the time, I didn’t have the cash to buy one. I joked that I’d rather buy a car than a new toolbox.

I’ve been working on cars for the past 20 years, but it wasn’t until I spent some time in a diesel mechanic’s shop that I really started to question my choice of toolboxes. In every bay I saw names such as Matco, Mac and Snap-On, all looking pretty and shiny, albeit well used. So I asked them, “What it was about the boxes that made it worth the price?”

For them, it was durability. Every day, they would open a drawer easily 50 times, and with wear like that, you want a box that will last. It also had a value and held that value better than store-bought models, as the truck drivers would often take one of their used boxes in on trade. They liked how stable the drawers were, and how they could handle a mammoth load, and still not shake side to side like a typical Craftsman box.

But for the garage mechanic – the guy who doesn’t use their tools for their profession – is it worth spending the money?

Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you have the money, and how long you plan on keeping the toolbox. For me, when I buy a box I plan on keeping it for the next 30 years, so spending $4,000-$10,000 doesn’t sound like that bad of a deal. But, the initial investment is always the kicker, so for now, I decided to fill the spot with something in the middle. I bought a Mac Tools mobile cart, one with four drawers and a sliding stainless top that can hold my sockets. It’s a great fix for right now, plus it makes all of my tools portable. Of course, I still want the big-name box, but for now, this will do.

So, you have a garage. It may be empty with a concrete slab floor and unfinished walls. Or, it could be laden with boxes and stored items, bicycles, car parts, and barely enough room for you to maneuver through on your way somewhere else. Whatever the current state of your garage, it can be resurrected into your ultimate cave – your very own space in which to escape household activity or to create something of mechanical genius.

Below are six steps for creating your perfect lair:

1. Dream the dream:
   Decide if you want to park your car inside the garage, or if the garage will become more of a living and work space. Determine what your ultimate lair will offer: Will you build things, and “tinker” with your toys? Do you want to have a social place for kicking back with a few buds and brews? Or, will you need both – and room to park the minivan?
2. Remove all of the junk and get down to business:
   After clearing out your future cave, finish the surfaces. If you need to finish the walls (drywall), install flooring, and insulate your garage, make it happen. You will want to be comfortable in your garage whatever the weather, being warm in the winter and cool in the summer. So, really think this part through. Flooring, finished walls, and insulation are not just better looking, they add to energy efficiency and will make your space more inviting, easy-to-clean, and enjoyable in the long run.
3. Light ‘er up:
   You probably will not want to stick with the basic lighting of a typical garage, particularly if you intend to spend time doing engine rebuilds or even playing poker alongside the glow of a flat screen television. Whether you prefer industrial or homey lighting, now is the time to upgrade beyond the exposed 60-watt with the pull string.
4. Get organized:
   According to what you will be doing in your lair, map out your storage and mechanical structure needs. Do you intend to be working on your vintage car and need a mechanical lift? Or, are workbenches, tool boxes on wheels, or plastic storage bins and shelves more your style? Plan for the storage you need now, along with room for expansion.
5. Have fun now and later:
   Whether you intend to use your garage for engine tinkering or more social reasons, shouldn’t you design the space so you feel more at home in your cave? Splurge on a great plasma t.v. or sound system, to help coax yourself off the living room sofa on NFL Sundays by enabling game watching while changing the oil. Add an easy to clean sofa or chairs for taking breaks (or a short nap at half time). If you frequently use the Internet to order parts or for schematics, set up a stable place for your computer.
6. Satisfy your cravings:
   No man cave is complete without some form of refreshment. Whatever your “vice,” having a refrigerator or refreshment area will make your time in the garage much more enjoyable and convenient.

Whether you intend to use your garage productively or as a quiet area for you to lounge while watching baseball and exercising full control over your very own remote, just remember to craft your space into a comfortable, organized, well-lit and inspiring place. Have fun with it, and whatever your cave dreams might be, you can create a place that is suitable for much more than just parking the car.

I think it is fair to state that we all dream of radiant heat.  If you are reading this article, you probably have a solid understanding of radiant in-floor heating.  If not check out wikipedia’s definition.

Radiant heating basically involves running tubing (pex or copper) throughout your floor (you lay it out before you pour your concrete) on 6” to 18” centers.

Radiant heat pros:

• Comfort:  Radiant heat provides a uniform heat that will ensure you are comfortable from head to toe.  No more freezing feet due to hot air rising.
• Efficiency: Generally, a well maintained radiant system is cheapest source of heat you can find.
• Reduced Dust: No air being forced through vents, or out of a blower means less air burn dust.

Radiant heat cons:

• Installation cost: You are generally looking at $6.00 – $12.00 a square foot for installation including heat source.  It’s not cheap. Though, if you building new it is something you should probably consider.
• Spring a leak:  When your concrete cracks and shifts it can put a large amount of stress on your tubing causing a leak.  Locating and repairing these leaks can be difficult.

If you can afford radiant heat, you are sure to love it, make sure you consider it.

Heating a shop (or house) with a wood stove is great for some and terrible for others.  Let’s take a look at some of things that should be considered before purchasing a wood stove.

First thing first, we should discuss the cons of a wood burring stove.  There is one major con – it’s a lot of work.

Many love their wood stoves and will plead that it’s not that big of deal but if dead batteries in a remote or running out of BBQ propane in a major inconvenience for you – burning wood is probably out of the question.

You going to need to:
• Buy your wood
• Load your wood (if its not delivered)
• Chop your wood
• Stack your wood
• Have kindling handy
• Know how to start a fire
• Clean the wood stove of ashes before each “burn”
• Be patient as it will take longer than a furnace to warm your garage
• You’ll need room to store your wood
• Clean your chimney once a year (or more often)

If you have the time, energy, and patience to take care of the above – you’ll probably love your wood stove.  Those who don’t mind the work generally do.

If you can deal with the work you will want to:

Get and air tight wood stove

It will have a manually or thermostatically controlled air intake damper to control the rate of burn and air circulation.  

Have it professionally installed

Makes dealing with the insurance company much easier should disaster strike.

Get a Free Stove!

Today, people are lazier than ever – this means that there is an abudance of wood stoves out there collecting dust.  An ad on bulletin board or I newspaper will usually yield several responses from people looking to get rid of wood stoves for next nothing.

You’ll Love It!

If you can deal with the work, chances are you’ll love your wood stove.

Propane as a heat source is very similar to natural gas.  It’s a liquefied gas after all.

It’s application is generally the same – forced air furnaces or infrared furnaces.    Propane can also be used with portable heaters (forced air and infrared)

Many heaters, bbq’s appliance can be converted to take propane instead of natural gas.

Propane is generally more expensive as it requires processing.
 
Because propane can be liquefied – it can be shipped.  Shipping natural gas is generally not an option as the volume of the gas makes it cost prohibitive.  Therefore propane is generally used where piping natural gas is cost prohibitive or not an option.

Size of Tank

Propane heaters will require 100lb tanks (or greater) to run.  Reason being that propane is pressurized.  The pressure in a standard 20lb tank (bbq) is not great enough and the propane will end up freezing in the pipes of your heater.

Buying or Renting a Tank

Many prefer to rent a tank as your propane company will generally give you a great rate.  However, purchasing a tank will allow for the negotiating of propane prices with the different suppliers in your area.  Some load the tanks in their truck and take the tanks to have them filled while most prefer to have the truck come out to their property and fill them. 

Natural Gas or Propane

Personally, I find natural gas to be a more appealing option in that the need to have the tanks filled is inconvenient – in my experience most agree and will go with natural gas of propane given the option.

A note about portable propane heaters

Some will be marked safe for indoor use.  Often they will have a low oxygen or carbon monoxide detector which will shut the heater off.  I am very skeptical about running any non vented heater indoor (even with the garage door cracked).  Carbon monoxide is a silent killer.  I personally would not run one in my garage.  

Generally, when heating a garage Natural Gas is the most economical choice.

Most large shops are heated via natural gas (or propane where running gas is not feasible).

There are two types of natural gas heaters to consider – forced air and infrared.

A forced-air heater is very similar to a conventional furnace – it has a blower which circulates warm air. An infrared heater radiates heat.

A forced air heater will make some noise (the blower will humming noise) and can cause dust from word working and automotive body work to circulate in the air. An infrared heater does not have blower but will need to be spaced 4-6 feet from any objects (check specific heater specifications) as it can throw some intense heat.

A forced air heater will heat the air before objects making you feel warmer. The air near the ceiling will be warmer than air on the ground – this can cause the cold feet syndrome. An infrared heater works by heating objects first – your body, the work bench, the floor, etc. will become warm.

Opening a garage door will cause a lot of cool air to rush in making which means it may take longer for a forced air heater to warm up your garage.

Infrared Heater Pros:

1. Lower operating cost
2. Generally very quiet
3. Allows dust to settle
4. Uniform heat

Infrared Heat Cons:

1. Expensive to purchase
2. Requires precise location of installation (to ensure object, floor, ceiling are not burned)

Forced Air Heater Pros:

1. More affordable to purchase

Forced Air Heater Cons:

1. Can be noisy
2. May blow dust around
3. Temperature variations between floor level and ceiling

Of course a natural gas forced air unit or infrared makes a great unit compared to electric, propane, or wood stoves. Here is why:

Pros of Natural Gas units over
Electrical and Propane, and Wood stoves:

1. Affordable to run
2. No need to refill tanks
3. No wood chopping, storing wood, or cleaning stoves
4. Will warm garage quickly

Cons of Natural Gas units

1. High potential cost of installation (especially for a detached garage)
2. Potential fire hazard if working with fumes

Be sure to ask your gas company if they will run your natural gas line for free!

With the increasing cost of electricity, the use of 220/240 construction heaters is decreasing.

They still have their place for some.  I’m actually heating my garage with a basic construction heater.

I typical construction heater is going to run about 5000 watts and throw about 18000-20000 BTUs.

In my case, I am not completely finished my garage so I don’t spend that much time in it yet.  It is insulated.  I simply run the heater when I am in the garage.

A single electric heater can keep a double or smaller well insulated garage warm.  If you garage is any bigger electric heat is not an option.  By the time you purchase a couple of heaters, run the wiring etc.  it become a poor financial decision as the cost of running the two heaters is going to be terribly high.  Just invest in gas, propane, or a wood stove.  To be discussed later.

There are few pros to electric heat.

1. You only looking at about $70.00 for an heater
2. They are small and portable
3. There are no fumes/venting to be concerned about
4. Running a 220/240v circuit is easier and cheaper then running a gas line
5. Less concerns if you are fishing or painting in your garage as there isn’t a fire source to ignite all your fumes

The number one con to electric heat

1.  It’s expensive to run

At 5000 watts it’s the equivalent of turning on fifty 100 watt light bulbs.  If you are in you garage all night every night or want to keep your garage at a certain temperature 24/7 electric heat probably isn’t an option.
 

Fall is in the air and old man winter is following closely.  Over the next couple of weeks the Garage Forums is going to take an in-depth look at heating options for the garage.

The series will start by looking at using natural gas as a heat source and will continue discussing other options such as propane, electricity, water (heat pumps), fire (wood stoves) and portable units. 

We will discuss concerns such as installation cost, air quality/humidity, maintenance, and efficiency.

Look for the first post – coming tomorrow.

Linden

So you’re building a garage or workshop outback and you’re not sure you want to run a concrete or asphalt driveway.

There are number of reasons owners decide against concrete or asphalt. To name a few: cracking, maintenance, expense, aesthetic issues, and drainage.

Believe it or not there are a ton of alternatives. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Twin Concrete Strips I’ve heard of some pouring 2 foot wide concrete strips. Just drive along the strips. More affordable then doing the entire drive Potential do it yourselfer job Allows for better drainage then a standard drive Susceptible to sinking
Crushed Limestone Firstly there is gravel, crushed rock, pebble, etc. Most would advice against and lose rock base as it very difficult to maintain for a few reasons: Spreads onto adjacent landscaping and grass Weeds eventually grow through Tracks dust, and dirt into the garage
Pavers Block Some love the look of pavers block. You can count on it being more expensive then concrete. It can last a lot longer (think about some the cobble stone streets that are hundreds of years old) but it’s only as good as its foundation. Extreme weather will cause more shifting (wet and dry spouts will cause the foundation to shift). Expensive Looks Great Can last a long time
Turfstone Pavers All the benefits of Pavers Block with a greener look. Expensive Looks Great Can last a long time Drains well
Geoblock Geoweb   High strength interlocking plastic blocks that allow the grass to grow between them. Expensive Looks Green Can Last a long time Drains well
Acid Stained Concrete Can look unreal! Price Range Varies. Looks Great.

As you can see, if you are building out back and want to maintain that green look you have a lot of options. If maintaining that grassy look isn’t your number one priority Pavers Block or Acid Stained concrete can look unreal!