# Show me your 2 car garage (or 20x20) shop



## sawedoff (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm somewhat in a planning phase. As soon as I sell my house in NJ i am planning on buying a house here in Ft. Worth. We will be looking for a house with a 3 car garage and have the wife's full support in putting a dividing wall down the garage and turning the 2 car garage into a wood working shop. Would like to see what other folks have done and get some ideas on layout and DC layout.

Thanks

Tyson


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I built a 30' X 33' detached garage with a 10/12 pitch roof with dormer. I have a 700sqft room above the shop and garage. There is a bathroom, gas heater and 200 amp service. Old pictures are on my workshop, the shop has become more organized and several pieces of equipment added. I have to leave one bay open in the winter for my wife.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

Mine is smaller than 20×20 as it's only 16×18 with a low ceiling, and it also houses motorcycles. But here it is:










Workbench on the back wall with french cleat setup, cabinets on the left side, wood storage on the right side, TS/Router Table in the center on wheels.


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jan 31, 2014)

My garage i think is around 18×18 maybe, don't know where all my space went, got too much random crap in the way or I'd take a pic haha.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I'm in the same boat as Joe, if I could find my shop, I'd take a picture. Unfortunately, I share the 2-car garage with storage shelving, a motorcycle, and a stack of 400 bf of rough maple which sits in the middle. It isn't very conducive to efficient working. Gotta sell the bike and mill the maple. Our next house will have, or at least have space for, a separate shop.

I'll be following thread for inspiration.


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## pike0x1a4 (Mar 10, 2014)

Here's a panorama of my garage/shop. This was about a month ago and things have been re-organized and messed back up at least two times since then.










Click here if you want to ZOOM


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jan 31, 2014)

I'm still finishing my hf dust collector put together then gotta move everything around. I won't have any dc piping up or anything since I still need to figure out how I'm going to do that, but ill take a pic once I get it somewhat presentable, if I can find the time that is.


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## SirIrb (Jan 12, 2015)

I would like it to be bigger. In the pic I am rebuilding 2 shapers with a DP and planer to be rebuilt next.


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## sawedoff (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks guys!


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## Jay39 (Nov 9, 2015)

Here's a link to my workshop. It's a 3 car garage with my shop occupying the one car and half the two car! The layout is decent but I'm in dire need of wall space. I have a wood lathe and a planer and jointer that I still have to put together. Here's the link: http://lumberjocks.com/Jay39/workshop


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

I really only get about half of it. The rest of the space is shared with family stuff/storage:


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Mine is 24×28, but holds 2 motorcycles, a fridge, freezer, tire changer, reload table, a 10×10 spray booth with blower. Pics here. I've added a larger dust collector and a full size lathe since I took the pics. Everything but the workbench is mounted on a mobile base, so it can be positioned as needed.


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## pike0x1a4 (Mar 10, 2014)

OSU55 - I really like that roll down paint booth! I made a ~7'x9' temporary one out of PVC but even disassembled it takes up a decent amount of room..


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## beevis (Jul 30, 2010)

Here's my 2 car garage shop. Roughly 20X20.


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## pike0x1a4 (Mar 10, 2014)

Ben, no table saw or is that one in the back by that old bandsaw looking thing? It appears that you have plenty of room.


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## CueballRosendaul (Jul 16, 2012)

I only use half of our garage, but there are a few pics of it in my workshop profile. Matt


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## beevis (Jul 30, 2010)

> Ben, no table saw or is that one in the back by that old bandsaw looking thing? It appears that you have plenty of room.
> 
> - Ty


Sorry Ty, didn't see your question until now.

I have a little Bosch 10" table saw on a folding stand. Most of my work is on site, so I haul that around. However, I am really needing a dedicated table saw! Shopping for one now.


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

Due to budgetary constraints we had to let Consuela go and my three teens are not "IN" to working for Dad, so the shop is a mess, but it is getting better as I work on the remodel. See the blogs;
http://lumberjocks.com/bearkatwood/blog/71178


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Have part of a garage. A bit crowded but I get the job done. May have to move a couple of things once in a while but that goes with the territory.
sawedoff, good to have an understanding wife. Be prepared for some hot summers in FW. Used to live in Shreveport, LA- worst weather I have ever experienced!


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## sawedoff (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks for the replies!

I'm prepared for the heat, I was raised in South Texas so somewhat ready but it has been a while since living in TX. One thing I have noticed about North Texas is the absence of humidity most of the time. Makes it bearable. I will be rigging up an air conditioner if need be (maybe a portable unit)


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## webbrowan (Jan 5, 2016)

I think the idea might just work because it sounds like a huge garage you've got there indeed. A partition with some plywood panels would do just fine just to separate the 2 areas and to protect the cars from any dusts from the work stations. Would love to see your end result!


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## sawedoff (Oct 10, 2011)

I did this in my garage in GA and it worked well. Problem was that it was a two car garage and I ended up with a smaller than ideal workspace. If I had a 3 car garage at my disposal I could make a nice space with the 2 car garage. I plan on putting a 2×4 wall down the middle of it is a full 3 car garage. I'd love to find a house with a 2 car garage and a single that way I don't have to worry about putting a wall down the middle. Either way, I am ready to have a shop again. As soon as my house sells we will start house hunting here. It will happen fast as soon as that weight around my neck is taken off


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## Gentile (Jun 3, 2013)

Here's mine, you'll notice most things are on wheels. My next home will have a 3 car garage, instead of a 2.
It looked bigger when I moved in and shrunk as I moved my stuff in…

http://lumberjocks.com/Gentile/workshop


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## JackOlsen (Mar 19, 2017)

Reviving an old thread. I'm not much of a woodworker. But some of you might like this video I made about my shop.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

Ha, this is a good thread, Im glad it got revived.

I'd love to have a 3-car garage, but if I did it would be a larger 3-car sized shop space. Married 36 years, neither of us has felt a need to keep cars inside the garage. It would have been a near deal-killer on getting married to have to give up the garage space!

Of course we do live in a no-snow zone, and 17 years ago, we added a very nice carport.


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## Notw (Aug 7, 2013)

oh you fancy people and your 2-car garages, must be nice!


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

never enough room


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## KellyShowLow (Sep 11, 2014)

OK, I'm lucky: I am building my shop from scratch basically. Current thought has it at 19' x 26' x 14' high. Probably won't have a separate finishing room (at least to start) so I have the entire space for wood shop. Have a 3×8 heavy bench that I will keep. Shelving, router table, jointer, etc. Normal stuff. Plan on adding a Sawstop PCS maybe with 52" fence (just because I'm only going to do this once). Plan on building workspace around the saw. Going to use Laguna small duct collector as I like the size and portability and I don't mind moving it around to each machine. Will also have Jet air filter mounted on ceiling. I worked far too long without any of that stuff. Lumber storage will be a rack along the wall and probably leaned up against the walls in places. Probably some sort of sheet good rack too. Mostly building furniture.

I've attached a jpg showing the layout as I'm currently considering it. Now, though, is the time to make sure I get it right.

I started in the single garage bay, moved to a two car, built a small shop/garage and now doing this so I have my own ideas but why not ask a bunch of other guys?

Random thoughts in no particular order:

1. I would like to steal some space from the garage part. Maybe 2'. Bad idea, I know, but will that be fatal in the long run?

2. Anything wrong with basic orientation?

3. Anything else you can think of that I'm missing?

OK, OK, some are asking why not keep the RV and stuff outside and use the whole thing as a shop but understand that the boss said I have to have everything in the garage! I've already coopted the existing two car garage for my truck!

TIA,

Kelly!








!


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## KellyShowLow (Sep 11, 2014)

I intend to collect "dust" not "ducts"...


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

Kelly, is the entire structure to be 19×26, as you suggest - or is it just the shop section that is 19×26, and the whole building is 19' wide and a lot longer?

If i was building this new, I would try to stretch to 22 to 24' wide, and I do realize that other limits such as lot lines might mean that isn't possible.

As to your question #1: I don't know how to reply regarding stealing 2 ft from the garage section. Seems to me that depends on the dimensions of your stuff and the walk space you want to have.

Have fun with this project, it's a great one that will cause a lot of envy!
.


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