# Moving basement into One car stall of two car garage...



## schu777 (Feb 2, 2012)

My workshop is currently in the basement and my thoughts with 4 young kids is to move my shop into the one stall of the 2 car garage. The goal is to keep parking the mini-van in the one spot and allow people to get into the van on the passenger side without having to back the van out. I've briefly Googled for ideas of this type of a move, but haven't found anything at this point. I figured this site I've used before and like seeing others progress on different projects. So I'm going to post pictures and my long progress of moving my shop to the garage.

I've got a few things to figure out prior to moving the shop.

1) Cost of moving the sub-panel from the basement (where the main panel exists) out to the garage. Last measurement was around 110' of cable would be needed, but would like to have more just for comfort.

2) What to do with all the bikes and other junk that is in the spot where the shop would be located.

3) Layout of the one car garage of my tools. My goal is to keep the tools where the passenger can still get in and kids can get in the sliding passenger side door. The power tools are a Delta Table saw (5 feet wide), 8-inch jointer Grizzly model, Delta 14" Bandsaw, 6'x22" bench (currently building), Small wood lathe, Bench Drill press on wheels, Chop saw and a portable thickness planner.

I know that I'll have to layout on paper the size of the garage and get the tools sized on paper and move it around till I see the best arrangement.

If you have tips or suggestions, let me know.

Michale


----------



## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

Put everything on a mobile base.

Brian


----------



## Rentvent (Jan 28, 2016)

I've been working on doing the same. I haven't finished but..

There's room on the "shop" side for the passenger side car door to be opened

Everything is on wheels

Eventually I will get a real bandsaw and it will go on the same wall as the drill press.

I'm planning on building a flip top cart for the planer and spindle sander that are currently sitting under the outfeed\work table. It will go on the same wall as the drill press too. Since everything is on wheels, I can just roll the drill, BS, or planer table forward a couple feet from the wall when I want to use them.

There's room on the side of the table saw for a router table whenever I get the fund$ for a new triton router and cast iron table top.

I'm eventually going to rebuild the dust collector into a two stage cart sort of like like this:










The lumber cart is only 4 feet wide and is on wheels. I can push it out of the way if I need to cut anything really long on the table saw.

The folding table that's in the "car" side of the garage is stored on its end under the subpanel on the left side of the pic. I'm planning on replacing that table with a centipede base and pair of Paulk style tops.

Speaking of subpanel.. I added a 40A subpanel and re-wired the DC to 240V so it only uses ~5 of those 40A. I also put 110 outlets on that wall at regular outlet height and at chest height.

On the car side, near the garage door, There are deep shelves above the lawn mower and bike that go to the ceiling. There's also shelves about 7' above the drivers side of the car. I can not walk around the car when it is in the garage, but the driver and passengers can get in. I can't access the mower or pretty much any of the stuff on the shelves when the car is in. There's only about 4" clearance from the front of the car to the back wall - my garage is not very deep :.(

The back wall of the garage has pegboard and particle board on the car side, It has french cleats on the wall and a carts on the workshop side.

All the storage bins on the shelf are Clear - poor man's festool systainers. I prefer to store things where they are visible - either on french cleats or a clear container.

I don't park the car in the garage very often because I don't like opening the door and letting in the hot humid or cold air. I would probably have to shorten the main outfeed table from 8 to 6 feet long if I kept the car inside more often and I wanted to work in the shop side.


----------



## GFactor (Jan 8, 2014)

> Put everything on a mobile base.
> 
> Brian
> 
> - bbasiaga


 +1

Make sure and plan the efficient usage of every inch of wall space. I have essentially no drywall exposed anywhere in my garage, except for parts of the ceiling.

I first surveyed all of the items, which were already stored in the garage and then designed the cabinetry around the size of those items. I ended up with a wood working section of cabinets, a section for cleaning supplies, a section for all my wife's excess catering / party items, a section for outdoor entertaining, sports equipment, etc. Since everything has a home that was essentially designed for it, no inch goes wasted. Often when using standard shelving units, stacking items may lead to a large gap before the next shelf or maybe you just needed a 1/2" to stack something else. Therefore, to avoid this, I tried not to stack anything; instead, I used 50% more shelves in each cabinet. This created more usable space as well as avoided the nightmare of trying to put everything back in a cabinet the same way it came out. With all the extra shelves, everything sits on a shelf by itself (for the most part) and allows many more items to go into the same sized cabinet while looking good. I also put doors on all the cabinets to help maintain a clean organized look.

All of the wall cabinets I built are also 6" off the ground so I can use a hose to clean the floor if I feel the need. Not to mention this makes it much easier to clean underneath. Since the garage floor had oil stains and looked like crap, so before I installed the cabinets, I applied a two-part epoxy floor paint*.

Once I filled all of the wall space with cabinets, filled with all of the items that typically clutter a garage, everything seemed to be much more open. Not to mention having all of those items put away created a much safer work area.

On the wall directly above the garage door, I added a small lumber storage rack to hold longer pieces of stock, flat. I have also contemplated adding another one on another section of the ceiling.

I personally think you should first think about storing everything possible in cabinetry maximized as much as possible. Once all of the garage stuff is put away, you will have a much better idea on what you can and can not do. When it comes time to lay out all your equipment, make sure you put them all on casters! (as already suggested above).

Side Note:
I have used the same two-part epoxy floor system on 11 different garage floors now, with the first being in 2001. Each one is still in near perfect condition, with a high gloss finish that looks as good as day one. I am in no ways an expert on all of the products out there, but I do know what to do to ensure the long time success of the project. If this is something you have ever considered, I would be happy to share my info, as well as point you to a section on homedepot.com where many have thanked me.

Cheers!

G


----------



## derrickparks57 (Apr 11, 2013)

Like the others stated use all of you're wall space as efficiently as possible. Maybe clear out the stall and do a layout with masking tape on the floor to give you kinda a visual idea. As for the bikes and other non shop stuff maybe buy a small outdoor storage shed to put all that stuff in.


----------



## Perri (Apr 27, 2014)

Divorce is always an option.


----------



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Take the whole garage or else the option above. Haven't parked a 4 wheeled vehicle in a garage in ??? years - can't remember the last time. Each of us has our own way of dealing with the other half. Needless to say I'm a Neanderthal when it comes to that. Somehow I have remained married for 26 years.


----------



## schu777 (Feb 2, 2012)

Last night while working on my wood screw for my bench, I came across my notepad with measurements of the garage. I went to the computer later, printed out some graph paper so I could then map out the equipment in my shop. Things look better, it will be tight to work in, but doable. Right now, majority of my power tools are on mobile bases - so that is covered.

@Robin1 - THAT IS NOT AN OPTION :-|

@Derrickparks57 - bikes, yeah, that is something that is GOING to be a pain. I try to bike to work everyday, so I've got several bikes hanging in the garage. So that amounts to my 8.5, 5.5, 4 year old boys that enjoy bikes too, so they are littered in the one spot. Let alone 2 strollers, wagon and a pile of wood that will become my bench and possible dining table.

@OSU55 & @Rentvent- taking the whole garage is a thought that I have, at times I will be doing that, as here in Omaha, NE - it gets very hot and humid. Winter it can get quite cold too. Hence if the van is taken out and I'm planning on working in the shop, it would stay out for the duration of the time I'm working.

QUESTION: Does anyone run a dehumidifier in the garage?


----------



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

No dehumidifier. Run a window ac in summer, small electric heater in winter, and moisture is not an issue.


----------



## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

flip top mobile carts, french cleats. and luck


----------



## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

Move the bikes and other items to a shed to make room for the shop. I get all the garage until cold weather then it is 1/2 of the garage.


----------



## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

> ...
> 3) Layout of the one car garage of my tools. My goal is to keep the tools where the passenger can still get in and kids can get in the sliding passenger side door. The power tools are a Delta Table saw (5 feet wide), 8-inch jointer Grizzly model, Delta 14" Bandsaw, 6×22" bench (currently building), Small wood lathe, Bench Drill press on wheels, Chop saw and a portable thickness planner.
> ....
> - schu777


Hi Michael

My shop is essentially half a double garage. It is geared to hand tools, but I do have a combination jointer-planer, 18" bandsaw, tablesaw with sliding table, and a small lathe. While the machines are on wheels, they do not move unless I am preparing something unusually long. The bench is also in a fixed position. One advantage I have is that the garage is a little longer than standard - enough for the bench (I specified this when I built the house). It is possible to drive one car in (mine! The wife's lives outside - well mine is a ragtop).

The point is that careful layout of machines can mean that you do not need to move them. Then just drive out the car for extra room to swing that cat.

Here are some pictures. The first is nearest the garage door (combo thicknesser-planer, bandsaw) ..










... tablesaw, dust system, drill press, small lathe, and then you can see the handtool cabinets - plenty of storage space on the walls maximises floor space …










...bench and more storage …










Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek


----------



## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

> ...
> 3) Layout of the one car garage of my tools. My goal is to keep the tools where the passenger can still get in and kids can get in the sliding passenger side door. The power tools are a Delta Table saw (5 feet wide), 8-inch jointer Grizzly model, Delta 14" Bandsaw, 6×22" bench (currently building), Small wood lathe, Bench Drill press on wheels, Chop saw and a portable thickness planner.
> ....
> - schu777


Hi Michael

My shop is essentially half a double garage. It is geared to hand tools, but I do have a combination jointer-planer, 18" bandsaw, tablesaw with sliding table, and a small lathe. While the machines are on wheels, they do not move unless I am preparing something unusually long. The bench is also in a fixed position. One advantage I have is that the garage is a little longer than standard - enough for the bench (I specified this when I built the house). It is possible to drive one car in (mine! The wife's lives outside - well mine is a ragtop).

The point is that careful layout of machines can mean that you do not need to move them. Then just drive out the car for extra room to swing that cat.

Here are some pictures. The first is nearest the garage door (combo thicknesser-planer, bandsaw) ..










... tablesaw, dust system, drill press, small lathe, and then you can see the handtool cabinets - plenty of storage space on the walls maximises floor space …










...bench and more storage …










The bench lies at the end of the open half garage.

The other side wall (not shown) has a sharpening bench and more storage. There is still enough room for the car to fit in.

Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek


----------



## schu777 (Feb 2, 2012)

Well, things are on hold for untold time…for reasons I won't go into here. Thanks everyone for the ideas and comments. Maybe someday I'll be able to get back into the shop, but doubt it.


----------

