DIY People: Two-Car Garage Workshop

Mike Doerner managed to take a two-car garage that was little more than room for storage... into this streamlined workspace!
Decorative pendant lighting and pegboards add style to function.
"I worked on this shop during rainy weekends," says Mike Doerner.  "I really didn't think it was anything special.  Now, you're out here taking pictures of it."
 
Mike's ongoing transformation of a two-car garage into a showplace workshop really is something to see.  Well thought out, organized and spotlessly clean, his shop is a reflection of Mike's love of woodworking and his zeal for organization.
 
"The quest for perfect order is something that compels most high-end woodworkers; it’s a characteristic of an analytical mind.  Since I am also an artist, aesthetic arrangment, or composition of my tools, guided where each was placed on the wall.  But practicality is the main reason every tool has its place: if you can't find your tools, you can't work on the project." explains Mike.
 
Doing double duty as both a full-time cabinet shop and a garage, planning and organization is a necessity.  Most everything is on wheels, so workbench, storage cabinets, and floor machines can be moved out of the way when his wife's car rolls in.
 
"I kept the costs down by using scrap wood for most of the trim and beadboard panels you see," says Mike.  "Of course, I had to purchase 2 by 4s for the main bench frame, and plywood for the top, but other than that, it's all cast-off material from a cabinet shop I used to work with.  I spent the savings on quality tools."
 
 
 
Here are a few tips from Mike on building your own garage workshop:
 
 
Mike says he keeps thinking his shop is complete, but then another idea strikes him.  Recently, he installed decorative pendant lighting over his main bench--the lighting was in a discontinued bin at a local homestore.  "A workshop is never really finished; there's always something more you can do to improve it," explains Mike.  "That's really the fun of it."

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