I am a Jeep fan, so much so that I’ve built a Jeep lifestyle website called jeepfan.com as well as written two books about building Jeeps, but this site isn’t about my Jeeps or what I do with them it’s about the garage. Over the many years my work has been done in a tiny garage that shares house stuff along with the Jeep stuff. So I, like many people, have always dreamed of having a garage that I could work in without things falling over and on me constantly. For a long time I thought it would never happen but a strange twist brought this garage dream into a garage reality.
The scene out behind my house is rather open. A small simple shed along with a patch of woods and a lot of grass. Keep in mind for now that the woods aren’t mine.
What’s in a Garage?
I’m a bit simple in that I don’t want a lot of things or even big things but I like quality and function. I have a modest house on a modest lot so what I would do would fit into what I like. In reality who wouldn’t want a garage that could fit a fleet of vehicles as well as all kind of tools but most of us will never have something like that. I just wanted enough space to do what I love. Below is a list of my garage “gotta haves”.
- Heat
- Cooling
- Storage
- Light
- Space
- Dedicated
- Value
Heat
Much of what I do happens in the off season and since fall/winter/spring in the northeast can bring cold temperatures and I am not one to work in the cold the garage needed heat. We eventually chose radiant in-floor heat and it’s wonderful. Sealing the garage and good insulation will keep the heating bill as low as possible.
Cooling
This is somewhat less important since less work is done in the summer and I deal with the heat much better than the cold but it’s something that I will do. Split system style air conditioning systems have become very popular and relatively inexpensive.
Storage
Staying organized in a garage is key to having room to work. Nothing is worse than trying to work while dealing with stuff in your way. Been there.
Light
I’ve read many many garage forums and most people can’t stress enough on how having proper lighting makes all the difference. It’s amazing how adding the correct lights in the correct way makes the work experience so much better. Also, it’s amazing how inexpensive good lights can be.
Space
If you’ve worked in a crowded garage you know the struggle. I promised myself that this garage would have enough space so that I could work freely. This means staying organized and not filling the garage with too many tools and not filling to garage with too many vehicles. The second one will be a hard promise to keep.
Dedicated
What I mean here is that this garage is dedicated to why it’s being built. No toys, yard tools or holiday decorations belong in this space. Jeep stuff, tools and a small office space is all that belongs here. As you follow along you will see our solution to yard stuff.
Value
You can’t go into a project like this expecting to not spend money but you can make sure that you are spending it wisely and getting the most out of your funds. We will explore how to save some bucks along the way.
Digging In
Since this is the first article of my project this will also serve as a hub for the whole thing. From the start of the dream to the planning to the construction to the finishing I will post updates as time moves forward.