Pimp My Garage: 10 Things You Need in Your Workshop

If you’re a car zealot like some of our fellow employees at Movoto Real Estate, you probably spend a fair amount of time in your garage. The space is far from from just a storage room for your vehicle (or old belongings)–and it’s about time you treated it that way.

You want a garage with nifty gizmos and the perfect setup to work on your prized possessions, but you might not know where to begin. We polled our resident car-lovers for the inside scoop on what these guys would want for their garages, and so we give you: 10 excuses to pimp out your man cave.
What’s your workshop space missing?

1. Lighting

That boxy garage light awkwardly placed in the center of the ceiling leaves much to be desired when you’re trying to work on your ride.
You want lights that will:

• Provide enough visibility at night or when the garage door is down
• Not be so bright that they annoy the neighbors
• Not incite looky-loos who want to know what you’re doing and whether you can fix their cars too

Well-placed ceiling and front-wall fluorescent fixtures prove easy fixes for lackluster lights. Not a fan of installing new lighting? Consider investing in a few high-beam portable work lights. These can move around the car as you do, and be conveniently stored when unused.
Yet another alternative is to buy a photographer’s floodlight and use it on a clamp or tripod for quality lighting at an affordable price.

2. Lift

Trying to work on your car can often be hindered because of limited access to its underside. Enter: the lift.
A hydraulic floor jack with three-ton capacity allows you to easily access otherwise impossible parts of your vehicle, including the chassis. This type of jack is also a convenient choice, because it can be easily stored if you remove the pump handle.
For true car devotees, a portable two-post lift with a large weight limit and storage capacity is ideal for home garages with higher ceilings–it offers the benefits of a traditional two post lift without the space inconvenience.

3. Premium flooring

One of the most annoying parts of working on your car in the garage is the mess–grease can leave permanent, ugly stains on your standard concrete floor.
Extreme car aficionados will find it worth investing in customized garage floor tiles from RaceDeck or the like, which interlock and can be easily installed. These tiles are similar to the ones used by professional racing teams and much stronger than your typical floor.
A cheaper option is to apply a two-part epoxy coating, which has good grip and is resistant to grease, dirt, and grime.

4. Drive-through garage

With a standard garage, if you want to take advantage of a nice day, you have to work on your car in the driveway. This provides the perfect opportunity for nosy neighbors to stop by and pester you.
A drive-through garage will solve any busybody problems and ensure a (theoretically) peaceful space for you to modify your car. It also means:

• More space to work around the car
• Less of a mess inside your garage
• Movable workspace

Adding a second roll-up door will give you the best drive-through garage plan, but a self-made carport can provide the same functions if turning your garage into a drive-through isn’t an option.

5. Air compressor

Battery-powered tools can be bulky, difficult to handle, and usable only for short periods of time. Purchasing an air compressor not only means you can keep your tires full, but also that you’ll have power for many tools such as spray guns, wrenches, and drills.
A hose mounted from the ceiling gives you range of motion around the car and won’t get in your way while you’re working. An air compressor will prove incredibly useful, but be courteous about what time of day you use it, since it could be obnoxiously noisy for your neighbors.
If installing a hose from the ceiling isn’t reasonable for you, consider a portable air compressor. It’s small enough to put away and can be stored in your car for emergency flat tire fixes.

6. Wall Mounts

When you’re trying to get work done, digging around in the drawers of your tool cabinet can be distracting, time-consuming, and, let’s face it, more than a little frustrating.
A wall-mounted slatwall, like the Wallscape Slatwall System from Garage Envy, will allow you to maximize wall space and store many of your tools within easy reach. It’s also worth adding a power tool charging station to the mix to escape the hassle of finding an unused electrical outlet.
For those on a budget, try mounting pegboard to get the same effect without the hefty price tag. Add one-by-two strips and insert tool holders for your own customized pegboard wallscape.

7. Garage sink

There’s nothing better than getting into the zone while you’re making adjustments and modifying your car…until you have greasy hands and have to use your elbows to open the door.
A sink with a large basin and a tall spout is a garage must-have for grease monkeys. One that lets you clean up your forearms and safely rinse off grease and oil is optimal.

8. Shop Vacuum

If you’re constantly modifying your vehicle, chances are things usually get messy and you end up tracking dirt, leaves, and other crap into your car.
A wet-or-dry shop vacuum gives you an easy way to clean up whatever junk ends up on the floor of your car. Keeping a specialty vacuum in your garage also means you can stop dragging your indoor vacuum cleaner into the garage.

9. Sound system

If you spend a fair amount of time in your garage, you’re probably used to–and maybe even fond of–the quiet that gets you in the zone. But sometimes you want to trade in that silence for coverage of the latest game or your favorite tunes.
Investing in a quality sound system with radio capabilities is an easy solution to this problem. A generic stereo system (with radio capabilities) should do the trick, and it can even offer respite from the cacophony of power tools and air compressor.

10. Workbench

When you’re turning your garage into a workshop for your car–or cars, if you’re lucky–one of the first things you include is storage space for your many tools. But what about a workspace for when you need to use those tools?
This countertop-like space will allow you plenty of room for any and all work you might need to do away from your vehicle. There are a variety of steel and wood workbenches to choose from, and one with an adjustable vise on an end is worth considering if you typically work alone. Building a workbench is also incredibly easy–it can be as simple as an old door or nailed-together two-by-fours.
If limited room in your man cave has you thinking twice about this workshop addition, consider constructing (or purchasing) a workbench that can fold up against the wall. Such a design will give you the benefits of a spacious work area without taking up an entire corner of your garage.


Editor’s Note: The Movoto bloggers would like to thank fellow employee Chris Bernardo for his ideas and input on this article.

---

The Movoto blog is a service of Movoto Real Estate. If you’re looking for a new home, keep us in mind. We have up-to-date real estate listings and local agents throughout the country. When you want to take a break from browsing homes, you can keep coming back to read awesome blog posts like this one.