Show me your garage.

[Hyper]

...looking for ideas to help finish my garage....

I'm the architect and builder on my house. The garage was plumbed with sewer and hot water so that it could support a temporary freestanding bathroom (4x4x7) during construction. I don't need the shower anymore but I'm not giving up the sink and toilet. Very convenient, keeps dirt out of the house, and can be used by day labor.

[crazy8]

Mine is a daily. It was pouring rain today and had to take it out (unfortunately). Lives in a secure apartment garage next to a wall at my request. That allows me to park in a "please don't ding me" fashion.

[X5X]

Mine is kind of garaged, but I can not explain the layout of my garage and gated driveway, I will have to take a pic when I get back But F*** snow, I roll in any weather conditions

[TPIOlds]

Mine is garaged for the winter, Hoping to create a better home for it in the next few years.

[91e34M5]

In the garage most of the time in Winter but went for a spin today.

[Koizumi]

All my cars are garaged. The 911 gets to deal with the rain though. The Bimmers stay nice, dry & pretty in their "house"

[mjrgroup]

I'm so envious of all of you. No garage here

@Fatandre: Your car and 'garage' are uber cool-lookin. My car wants to go there.

@DriftGirl:

I've always fancied the idea of having a garage with a water drain in it so I could wash cars inside!
Also it would be neat to have heating elements underneath where you park so you could pre-heat the engine block and transmission prior to even starting it. For quicker warm-ups!
Also how about a heating element to park a motorcycle on that constantly supplies hot air flowing over the entire bike for pre-heating? This way you wouldn't need to manually install and remove tire warmers.

And it would be awesome to make room for a Hunter road force balancer and tire mounter! Yes yes I know at least $10k used, but worth the investment.
Used oil tanks? 100-gallon fresh fuel tanks? Beer machine?

What I want to have someday when I have my own 'home' is to own a big warehouse or old fire station and convert it into a hybrid garage and living space...I want to have my cars parked in a big lounge area with furniture, a bar, kitchen, and lots of hanging out space...so that my workspace/garage and living area is combined! I'll only have the restroom and bedrooms in different areas!

@91e34M5:

Sweet rides!!! I'm loving what you've done with the e34! What are those little shims/spacers under the tires for though?

[Fatandre]

Why would you want fuel tanks?

[mjrgroup]

Because when an international incident occurs and OPEC cuts production and/or export, and fuel prices rise...or availability declines...I'll have a buffer.

Or when a hurricane comes through...or when the U.S. gets invaded by monsters, or when zombies come out of the ground...or when my ex comes after me...I'll have enough fuel to fill up some jerry cans and mount weeks worth of fuel onto the roof rack on my 4x4 survival vehicle (ideally a Hummer H1) and drive someplace safer...with the 8 in tow of course. Kidding about this all of course...but in all seriousness, we take fuel availability and cost for granted until the price surges and it's no longer available.

Think about it, man has invested in a spectacular form of power conversion/transportation (gasoline engine powered cars), but they depend on a resource that can only come from a survey, drilling, pumping, transportation, refining, and distribution system that only a handful of companies monopolize. I wish I had my own way to take dead plants and animals (crude) and turn it into unleaded myself! This is where I digress into survivalist forums and bio-diesel discussions, neither or which, unfortunately pertain to the 8!

[toomann]

Because when an international incident occurs and OPEC cuts production and/or export, and fuel prices rise...or availability declines...I'll have a buffer.

Or when a hurricane comes through...or when the U.S. gets invaded by monsters, or when zombies come out of the ground...or when my ex comes after me...I'll have enough fuel to fill up some jerry cans and mount weeks worth of fuel onto the roof rack on my 4x4 survival vehicle (ideally a Hummer H1) and drive someplace safer...with the 8 in tow of course. Kidding about this all of course...but in all seriousness, we take fuel availability and cost for granted until the price surges and it's no longer available.

Think about it, man has invested in a spectacular form of power conversion/transportation (gasoline engine powered cars), but they depend on a resource that can only come from a survey, drilling, pumping, transportation, refining, and distribution system that only a handful of companies monopolize. I wish I had my own way to take dead plants and animals (crude) and turn it into unleaded myself! This is where I digress into survivalist forums and bio-diesel discussions, neither or which, unfortunately pertain to the 8!

You could modify your 8 to run off of alcohol which you could distill yourself.

[Spandrel]

Why would you want fuel tanks?

Had a hurricane come through the Gulf a few years ago, and we had lines and rationing (5 gal max) for 3-4 months afterwards. If you saw a station that had fuel (easy to spot by the line of cars at it), you stopped and got your 5 gallons no matter what the fuel gauge said (can in the trunk if you were full). Prices were nuts too (from an american perspective, still not what you guys get raped for across the pond - somewhere around €1.30 per liter if I have my conversions from $6-7 a gallon correct)

[Arsenic]

Street cars in the "Street" (carport).


Total +1 for the "imagineering"

Because when an international incident occurs and OPEC cuts production and/or export, and fuel prices rise...or availability declines...I'll have a buffer.

Or when a hurricane comes through...or when the U.S. gets invaded by monsters, or when zombies come out of the ground...or when my ex comes after me...I'll have enough fuel to fill up some jerry cans and mount weeks worth of fuel onto the roof rack on my 4x4 survival vehicle (ideally a Hummer H1) and drive someplace safer...with the 8 in tow of course. Kidding about this all of course...but in all seriousness, we take fuel availability and cost for granted until the price surges and it's no longer available.

Think about it, man has invested in a spectacular form of power conversion/transportation (gasoline engine powered cars), but they depend on a resource that can only come from a survey, drilling, pumping, transportation, refining, and distribution system that only a handful of companies monopolize. I wish I had my own way to take dead plants and animals (crude) and turn it into unleaded myself! This is where I digress into survivalist forums and bio-diesel discussions, neither or which, unfortunately pertain to the 8!

[BCinPhx]

Barn - 50 Ford sharing my woodshop - waitin' for my lift.

Barn toilet...can u read the sign?

Garage - Stuffed BUT with 2 Fridges


Hope this works

Here's the sign....hehehe

Bill

[X5X]

^ I'm so jealous of you Barn garage! So much space! I've always wanted one, but you can't exactly have a barn in the middle of London

[smc850ci]

"Trixie" keeping guard.

[Enemy]

I'm a first time homeowner. Garage is your standard 2-car setup, attached to the house, low ceiling. This is a pic from 3 months into homeownership and the first week I owned the 8er. We were doing a little bit of garage cleanup, the 8er helped by holding some small items for me while I took the picture

It's a little messier now. Empty boxes from parts being shipped in, old parts laying around, floor is dirtier thanks to grease an grime from the "Nasty 8", tools all over the place. I need to clean up. I now have a few tool cabinets in there and am looking into perhaps building a sturdy workbench and some shelving for storage. Also planning to epoxy the floor, finish the drywall up and cover it all in paint. Cherry on top will be my BMW flag dead-center on the wall there.

[Jack Olsen]

And with the other car, up on the little lift.



And doesn't everyone have a video about their garage?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhoGFBMsrM[/ame]

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. Here's a video that shows the lift in action, and also has pictures from when I installed it.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WdyR-aOtpw[/ame]

[Max Lumens]

I used a steel frame structure for 2 new detached garages, with wood girts and purlins, sheathed inside and out and sided with cedar. It's overkill, but this area has both seismic and wind restrictions, so I figured I'd build things bomb-proof. One has a floor drain, and I'll run a tarp on a cable to isolate splashing. IMHO, the best thing you can do for your garage is install commercial glass doors and get some light in the place. Think of any gas station you ever saw; the bay doors were mostly glass, except for the bottom row. Most home garages are like caves because the doors are solid or have tiny windows. And if you're starting from scratch, use at least 12' sidewalls; I'm sorry I didn't go 16' and make it a 2 story structure. I put a loft in one, but it's a knuckle dragger at the sides.

Both of the detached garages were also built for adaptability when the time comes to move on; they can easily be re-purposed as residential space, with utilities already stubbed in.

[Max Lumens]

Max Lumens: LOVE YOUR ENTIRE HOME! Would love to look out my window and not see another house!

Glass doors would be really nice. however, I've had "problems" with people knowing where I live or where my cars are parked in the city. Right now the garage door is often closed. Getting another upper window (or two) would be more realistic for me.

If you're in the neighborhood...

Agree on the privacy issue in an urban area. I hung tarps on cables to keep water off the lifts and tools, and will eventually run a cable and curtains across the doorways for light and water control. You could do that for privacy/security also. My work bays face due south and it gets uncomfortably bright, gotta wear shades to work 8^)

Here's what my last "garage" looked like-

[Wuffer]

That was two garages ago Max - this was your last garage...

[BBmatic]

Please excuse poor quality pics - iPhone/ bad light etc.

Note: A whole 2 inches of clearance on each side of the mirrors, this is extremely ample, or even generous - arguably, I could manage with just 1" each side.

Garage2.jpg

Once the rear of the car is half way in, 2 very careful full wheel locks, while inching my way backwards, allow the car to be manoeuvred to the desired position flush against the opposite wall, enabling the drivers door to be opened the full 7 inches (this is the maximum possible without touching the wall on either side).
Since I started renting the garage I have needed to cut down on my nutritional intake somewhat, however this is worth it for the sake of E31-ownership.

Garage1.jpg

And here is a quick picture of my house just so I'm not left out of that part of this discussion:

a.aaa.jpg

[Ferns8]

[Omega man 1969]

My old workshop.....I miss it almost as much as I miss that car.

[duje]

Here's the one I use most of the time