Is your garage drowning in clutter or a mouldy hole? If your garage is getting you down, take some inspiration from these stunning spaces.
1. Restored 1930s Auto Shop
On the Garage Journal forum, board member BB767 began an innocuous thread titled Restored 1930's Auto Shop. In its he detailed the transformation of a wrecked welding shop into an incredible garage, where he retained some original features and improved everything else. For a full series of before, during and after photos, we really recommend checking out the thread.
2. M.G. Nuts dot com
If you've ever had the problem of fitting five cars into a two-car garage, you need to check out M.G. Nuts dot com. When you open the garage door, you'll wonder how this feat was achieved – the five classics MGs look crammed in there – so the best thing to do is have a look at their build photo series at www.mgnuts.com.
3. Supercar collection
Is it a museum? Is it a garage? It is certainly an incredible supercar collection, with rarities like the Maserati MC12, Porsche Carrera GT and Lamborghini Diablo Roadster taking centre stage. We get the impression that very little actual mechanical work gets done here, instead there's a turntable to aid entry and exit, and stunning photography adorning the walls.
4. Vault
Vault is a garage cabinet maker that also creates bespoke furnishings, flooring and complete projects for customers wanting the perfect car storage and work space. Part of their work is restoring vintage signage and even creating giant neon logo marques. Check out Vault's recently completed projects for more inspiration.
5. Project Garage Condo
Over on the 6SpeedOnline forum, member Chris (aka HIRISC) told the board about his plan to build a garage condo – "part storage, part workspace, part place to escape" – from a 40x40-foot unit. The result is a super-clean garage with a pair of lifts, flat screen and ample storage for tools and cars. Oh, and a mezzanine for workin' and chillin'. To see the full project build, read the thread here.
6. $3200 workshop
This low-budget garage, owned and built by Hollywood screenwriter Jack Olsen, is packed with ingenious details like a floor tile-topped hydraulic lift that folds flush into the ground, a fold-up welding table with concealed clamp collection, and a sink nook created from a second-hand metal tallboy. This garage exemplifies that you don't need a huge budget to create the perfect space as the full build came in at under $3200. Read about it here.
7. Francis Wisniewski’s garage
Forty4 Asset Management CIO Francis Wisniewski recreated his home town of Las Vegas in his 15,000 square foot Chicago garage. Vegas signs hang from the ceiling and 15 cars and bikes line the 'strip', half of them stored in lifts each costing $5,000 to save on space. The room is lit like a car showroom. It took him nine months to design the garage and another nine months to build it. Image: Classic Recollections
8. Jay Leno's garage
Talk show host Jay Leno is known for his vast collection of all of kinds of cars and motorcycles – he even has a TV series about them. He keeps them in his giant Big Dog garage in Southern California. Some will say this is a mere museum, but not so – the 17,000-square-foot garage has a machine shop, a fabrication shop, and even a kitchen. Image: NBC Universal/Walker Dalton from Business Insider