Garage Remodel #1: The Beginning

Now that the shop is pretty much complete and the weather’s turned a bit more spring-like, I’ve decided to tackle the garage. Since I no longer need it for woodworking, save the odd large-piece assembly, we’re going to revert the space back to a more traditional use: car, bike and outdoor-kid-toy-storage. In addition, we’ll be adding a workspace and storage for gardening tools andn supplies. I also plan to repaint the floor…hopefully this time it’ll last a bit longer without the heavy tools and constant traffic from woodworking. Here are the before shots:

You can see the old lumber rack on the right-hand side. This is being replaced with something a bit more compact and likely moved to the other side.

This weekend I’ve managed to clean out the clutter and apply the first layer of joint compound to patch the myriad holes and nicks in the drywall.

As for my “scrap wood” pile: the DuPage Children's Museum is a great place for kids—our 1 and 2-year-old really love it there—and they have a spot for wood donations. As I had piles of hardwood and 2×4 cut-offs that I really didn’t want to store in a corner somewhere during the remodel, I ran these over to their donation bin. Much better than tossing it out!

Next up: painting the ceiling, walls and floor!

(originally posted at http://tenonandspline.com/blog/archives/77)

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL www.TenonAndSpline.com