Garage Budgets

[Administrator]

After reading some of the posts on this site, I'm wondering how you arrived at the budget for your garage projects.

Which one is it:

a) The sky's the limit (as long as my wife/girlfriend doesn't find out).

b) Whatever I can scrounge up after paying the mortage and car payments

c) I have a slush fund for fun projects/beer money.

d) I have a detailed budget spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel that has every item detailed down to the last penny.

e) My formula is value of vehicles in driveway minus value of junk in the garage divided by 10.

f) Budget, what budget?

[SBALDER]

I just came across this forum and this is my first post, but a subject near and dear to my heart. I am finally moving into a house with my dream garage, and completing everything I want to do will cost me less than $2000. The reason for this low amount is that I have been adding and collecting the items I ultimately want in my dream garage for several years and through several moves. Except for built-in lighting and paint, everything I have bought is transportable- my tool cabinets, machinery, utility sink, Race Deck floor, wall furnace, and even my vehicle lift all go to the new house. For the new house I will add 3 24"x48"x78" red powdercoated steel storage cabinets (about $1100 total), lighting ($500), and minor items like trim and additional electrical ($300-500).

[camarojoe]

My "budget" started out by getting some estimates from various contractors to build the entire place from scratch... After reviewing the widely varied estimates, I decided that with the help of some buddies, and lots of time and patience, I could "probably" build the thing myself for alot less money. In the long run I think i made the right decision, and totally "finished" the garage complete with concrete, drywall, insulation, full attic, electric, and even AC and a small gas furnace for less money than the lowest contractor bid to just build the general unfinished structure. I admit i did hire an outside contractor to dig the footers, lay the block, and do the concrete work. Even with this factored in, i was way ahead of the game as far as $$$ goes... Everything above ground I did myself, with the help of my dad and a few good friends and relatives. My current "budget" is pretty out of control, as now that its essentially "finished", I have become obessed with decorating and personalizing the interior of the place with lots of vintage (expensive) Chevrolet dealership posters, pictures, etc. I joke that I have more money hanging on the walls than it cost to build the walls the junk is hanging on... but oh well, keeps me out of trouble i guess! I hope to get some pictures up showing the progress from start to finish in the near future for anyone interested.

[Administrator]

My "budget" started out by getting some estimates from various contractors to build the entire place from scratch... After reviewing the widely varied estimates, I decided that with the help of some buddies, and lots of time and patience, I could "probably" build the thing myself for alot less money. In the long run I think i made the right decision, and totally "finished" the garage complete with concrete, drywall, insulation, full attic, electric, and even AC and a small gas furnace for less money than the lowest contractor bid to just build the general unfinished structure. I admit i did hire an outside contractor to dig the footers, lay the block, and do the concrete work. Even with this factored in, i was way ahead of the game as far as $$$ goes... Everything above ground I did myself, with the help of my dad and a few good friends and relatives. My current "budget" is pretty out of control, as now that its essentially "finished", I have become obessed with decorating and personalizing the interior of the place with lots of vintage (expensive) Chevrolet dealership posters, pictures, etc. I joke that I have more money hanging on the walls than it cost to build the walls the junk is hanging on... but oh well, keeps me out of trouble i guess! I hope to get some pictures up showing the progress from start to finish in the near future for anyone interested.

Welcome to the Garage Forum - we'd love to see some pictures of your compeleted garage complete with cool posters on the walls!

[camarojoe]

I tried posting some pics, but they are too big to be accepted (approx. 60KB, and the biggest size accepted is 39.1) ... i never had this problem on any other sites i visit... i'm not sure how to resize them, but was wondering if it would be possible to increase the size allowed in postings?

[Administrator]

I tried posting some pics, but they are too big to be accepted (approx. 60KB, and the biggest size accepted is 39.1) ... i never had this problem on any other sites i visit... i'm not sure how to resize them, but was wondering if it would be possible to increase the size allowed in postings?


If you use www.Photobucket.com, the photos are automatically resized.

Once you've uploaded your photos to Photobucket, all you need to do is copy and paste the image URL for the photo into your posting.

[camarojoe]

OK. I'll give it a try... -JB

[camarojoe]

I got it to work... posted lots of progress pics of my garage project in the garage showcase forum... hopefully they work! -JB

[autoist]

A

So long as my wife never finds out what my ongoing garage construction project costs, I'm happy! & I don't care to know either!

[knight4s]

Darn good question..... Being the part of the house I spend 80% of my free time I did convience the wife to let me get what was needed. right now we are having a Dupont 3 process epoxy floor put in. this will be done in the corvette color Velocity Yellow.... I installed about 16 wall cabinets and about 18 feet of base cabinets I got the premade oak cabinets from HD. Installed a lot of ceiling hangers to store my woodworking lumber rightabove the garage door to save room and put up a nice 6 tier wall rack for lumber also. 3 car garage I built a wall about 12 feet to seperate the 2 car from the 3 car to enable me to hange a few more cabinets on it as well. I used 3/4 maple plywood instead of sheetrock so it is solid.

i would like to get a few of the tool cabinets like the ones snap on make but that is just too pricy so any suggestions there would be great would like to have the metal made type. I had a electrician put in 2 220 outlets and a couple dedicated 110 to run the shop equipment with out throwing a breaker. Installed a ceiling mounted heater to keep warm and cozy in the winter and keep any paint stain from freezing. I do wish there were more pics available on garages cause they are great for ideas....

enough now before I bore anyone....

[Administrator]

Darn good question..... Being the part of the house I spend 80% of my free time I did convience the wife to let me get what was needed. right now we are having a Dupont 3 process epoxy floor put in. this will be done in the corvette color Velocity Yellow.... I installed about 16 wall cabinets and about 18 feet of base cabinets I got the premade oak cabinets from HD. Installed a lot of ceiling hangers to store my woodworking lumber rightabove the garage door to save room and put up a nice 6 tier wall rack for lumber also. 3 car garage I built a wall about 12 feet to seperate the 2 car from the 3 car to enable me to hange a few more cabinets on it as well. I used 3/4 maple plywood instead of sheetrock so it is solid.

i would like to get a few of the tool cabinets like the ones snap on make but that is just too pricy so any suggestions there would be great would like to have the metal made type. I had a electrician put in 2 220 outlets and a couple dedicated 110 to run the shop equipment with out throwing a breaker. Installed a ceiling mounted heater to keep warm and cozy in the winter and keep any paint stain from freezing. I do wish there were more pics available on garages cause they are great for ideas....

enough now before I bore anyone....


...not boring at all. Us garage nuts can't get enough of this stuff. What was your budget for all this work (we won't tell your wife..)?

Oh, and welcome to the Garage Forum! Hope you like what you see.

[autoist]

I'd love to see photos, especially of your over-door storage setup.

[knight4s]

...not boring at all. Us garage nuts can't get enough of this stuff. What was your budget for all this work (we won't tell your wife..)?

Oh, and welcome to the Garage Forum! Hope you like what you see.


I FIGURE WITH ANOTHER GOOD WALL TOOL CABINET FOR JUST THE TOOLS FOR THE CAR. i WILL HIT RIGHT AT 15K TOTAL WITH ALL THE CABINETS, FLOOR,HEATER, ELEC WORK, LIGHTS, ECT ECT.... THE FLOOR IS SUPPOSE TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN GET AND THAT ALONE IS 6K BUT THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE WHOLE GARAGE BEING REPAINTED TO ACCENT THE FLOOR COLOR... OF COURSE I NEED TO BUY A FEW CORVETTE WALL HANGING ITEMS AS WELL. i AM ALSO THINKING OF ADDING AIR COND. BUT A LITTLE MORE TALKIN WITH THE WIFE I WILL GET THAT MAYBE....

[knight4s]

I'd love to see photos, especially of your over-door storage setup.


WE HAVE OUR FIRST BASE COAT PRIMER ON AND TOMARROW WE WILL HIT WITH THE COLOR... CAN'T WAIT... I WILL GET PICS ON HOW I DID EVERYTHING. I AM TRYING TO UTILIZE ALL THE SPACE I CAN AND THEN SOME AND STILL KEEP IT ORGANIZED.... WILL POST PICS SOON....

[Garagefan]

That yellow floor is going to look outta this world. Can't wait to see the pictures. Make sure to include the car as well.

[knight4s]

That yellow floor is going to look outta this world. Can't wait to see the pictures. Make sure to include the car as well.

DuPont messed up with the delivery of paint today. Is suppose to be here Friday so my guy will work the weekend putting the Yellow epoxy down then we are doing about 3 coats of the Yellow Poly down to give it that deep gloss shine. Seems that no one that they know of has ever done a floor in the Corvette Yellow so when it is done the guys will come out and take some pictures for the store. Kinda exciting for just a floor. The vette should finally be done by next Friday or they guaranteed by the following Friday. Black c6 vert fully customized on the Yellow floor should be sweet. If it isn't I think I may have to sleep there for a while but hey I got a frig with beer so thats not all that bad.

[autoist]

I also can't wait to see photos of that yellow floor!

[knight4s]

Well today Rob (my killer painter) started with the first coat of the Yellow epoxy and didn't like it cause Dupont suggested he use this special hardner but the hardner was brown, so yellow paint and a brown catalist do not mix very well so the rep came out and they will use a different hardner then we do 3 coats with that then several more of the Yellow Poly..... I will say one thing these guys are just as anxious as I am and do not want to screw up the floor, so Rob being the painter as he is did another coat of the epoxy primer base and we will put the first coat on tomarrow of the Yellow.... I will keep updating ..... These guys know this will house my extreme Vette.

[comp]

I also can't wait to see photos of that yellow floor!
waitin' on pic's