# My prefab garage restoration



## Danjc

So after being at this house for 4 years and most of the work on it now complete I have turned my attention to the garage its an old concrete prefab job 20ftx9ft and looking a bit sorry for itself but is structurally sound and now water tight.

Tidying out the crap





I now have a half empty garage so up came the manky carpet and time to prep the floor and walls for painting. I am basically doing half and half for various reasons. 



The goal it to white wash the walls, grey floor paint more lighting and running water with cabinets for everyday tools and racking for the detailing gear and then clad the outside. Hopefully it will be done in time for winter.


----------



## cleancar

looking good !


----------



## Danjc

Thanks for moving the thread wasn't sure where to post !


----------



## Danjc

cleancar said:


> looking good !


Hopefully it will look mint I would love to knock it down and build a huge brick one but that would cost to much so I will work with what I have.


----------



## cleancar

I'd seal all cracks and gaps with silicone too to keep bugs etc, mines sealed but surprising how many spiders and moths want to set up camp on my white walls!


----------



## Rían P

Looks like a nice project :thumb:


----------



## JB052

Not a bad size garage and the added bonus of a side door and windows.

Would be nice to insulate and line the walls and roof, but not easy on a pre-cast garage.

Good luck with the project


----------



## Danjc

JB052 said:


> Not a bad size garage and the added bonus of a side door and windows.
> 
> Would be nice to insulate and line the walls and roof, but not easy on a pre-cast garage.
> 
> Good luck with the project


I was considering insulting it the walls would be pretty easy but the roof would be a little more challenging. As for the windows I'm not a fan and will probably clad over them.


----------



## Danjc

So after tidying out the garage and having a good look at the job the front tiled section of roof needs replacing. The wooden beam inside is looking rotten and roof is bowed probably due to the weight god knows why it has proper roof and ridge tiles on !!!!
I will replace the internal wooden beem then do the roof with either clear or Black Corrugated Bitumen Sheet not sure yet advice welcome.


----------



## robby71

The roof is quite easy to insulate as i did mine a couple of years ago -
Started out fixing wooden batons above the metal roof supports (trusses?) then screwed kingspan to the batons before sealing the joins with duck tape - i then fitted pipe cladding over the rest of the metal supports to stop condensation drips in the winter



only pic which shows roof



Don't forget to insulate the metal doors as this does make a difference in winter


----------



## Danjc

robby71 said:


> The roof is quite easy to insulate as i did mine a couple of years ago -
> Started out fixing wooden batons above the metal roof supports (trusses?) then screwed kingspan to the batons before sealing the joins with duck tape - i then fitted pipe cladding over the rest of the metal supports to stop condensation drips in the winter
> 
> 
> 
> only pic which shows roof
> 
> 
> 
> Don't forget to insulate the metal doors as this does make a difference in winter


Nice one I had an idea for the roof but you have just given me an easier option. I take it you just battened the walls, insulated then boreded over with something ?


----------



## Danjc

Just picked these up from halfords they were reduced from £150 to £75 then they had a web only flash sale on with a further 10% off which made them £67.50 each so I bought 2 !


----------



## Danjc

Some storage sorted


----------



## robby71

Danjc said:


> Nice one I had an idea for the roof but you have just given me an easier option. I take it you just battened the walls, insulated then boreded over with something ?


Yep


----------



## Danjc

It looks warm for the cold crappy winter.


----------



## james_death

As posted some simple solutions there painting simplest and cladding does add cost. Would not bother cladding the roof yet if your looking to replace it.

Wear proper protection and dispose of the roof properly as possibly asbestos, local tips often have an asbestos container in one of there depot's generally just need to double bag the asbestos and place in the container.

You could do corrugated sheeting or you could use osb board, that could be fibreglass covered or rubber etc.


----------



## Del-GTi

Should be good when you're finished.

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Oh, and well done on the tool chests - bargain.


----------



## Danjc

james_death said:


> As posted some simple solutions there painting simplest and cladding does add cost. Would not bother cladding the roof yet if your looking to replace it.
> 
> Wear proper protection and dispose of the roof properly as possibly asbestos, local tips often have an asbestos container in one of there depot's generally just need to double bag the asbestos and place in the container.
> 
> You could do corrugated sheeting or you could use osb board, that could be fibreglass covered or rubber etc.


Thanks for the advice mate it's just the front tiled section that needs replacing so no hassle with disposal. This is the next job to do just waiting for a decent bit of weather.


----------



## james_death

Ah ok... well cladding roof then should keep any asbestos dust from being created is it is asbestos.

The concrete tiles on the front will be heavy i expect there lighter these days but people used to get the concrete tiles put on there properties as they were cheaper than slate or clay tiles but ended up with bowing roofs as the roof was never built to take the weight.


----------



## Bero

robby71 said:


> Yep


Is the black line painted on or stuck on? I like the 2 tone.....might do that myself!


----------



## Danjc

james_death said:


> Ah ok... well cladding roof then should keep any asbestos dust from being created is it is asbestos.
> 
> The concrete tiles on the front will be heavy i expect there lighter these days but people used to get the concrete tiles put on there properties as they were cheaper than slate or clay tiles but ended up with bowing roofs as the roof was never built to take the weight.


I'm just going to replace the tiles with some black Corrugated Bitumen Sheet and put up some new guttering. It should be pretty straight forward and imagine stripping off the old tiles will be the biggest job.


----------



## Danjc

A bit off progress today I managed to replace the tiled section of the roof.

These just lifted of without any persuasion at all !


All stripped off



And the job almost finished. The the boards and tiles are just to add a little weight to stop the expanding foam from lifting the ridge pieces.


----------



## robby71

Bero said:


> Is the black line painted on or stuck on? I like the 2 tone.....might do that myself!


I only had hammerite smoothrite black paint so thought i'd try that - after 2 coats it looks great, worst part was masking up straight to paint inbetween


----------



## Danjc

I'm pricing roof insulation up at the minute and reading a lot of threads people seen to be going for kingspan any reason or is it just good stuff as I've seen some recticel for slightly cheaper ?


----------



## james_death

More firms out there I'm sure its just kingspan seams to have become much as hoover has become the deficit word for vacuum cleaners.


----------



## JB052

heavy old tiles, looks better already.


----------



## Danjc

Last big throw out at the weekend time to be ruthless


----------



## Bero

Danjc said:


> I'm pricing roof insulation up at the minute and reading a lot of threads people seen to be going for kingspan any reason or is it just good stuff as I've seen some recticel for slightly cheaper ?


Kingspan/celotex/recticel all have the same insulation rating, so I'd go with whatever is cheaper unless anyone says that Kingspan is a lot better to cut or work with.


----------



## robby71

some of mine is celotex as i ran out of kingspan - they're both the same so go for the cheaper


----------



## Danjc

robby71 said:


> some of mine is celotex as i ran out of kingspan - they're both the same so go for the cheaper


What thickness insulation did you use for the roof and also what thickness ply did you use for the walls ?


----------



## Danjc

I did some ruthless tip runs today an got rid of loads of [email protected]@t so almost ready to start battening out and insulation. 
I have done a few mock ups of how I want it set out and my go with this one. The cupboards will be wrapped the same colour to match the chests.



Decided on porcelain tiles for the surface.


----------



## jenks

Nice work Dan


----------



## Danjc

jenks said:


> Nice work Dan


Nice one mate trying to do it as cheap as I can but without it looking cheap :thumb:


----------



## jenks

Liking the tiles for the worktop


----------



## JB052

Great progress, keep it going.


----------



## james_death

looking well... don't let the odd make you spend more like wrapping cabinets... spend the dosh on products or on the garage.


----------



## Danjc

james_death said:


> looking well... don't let the odd make you spend more like wrapping cabinets... spend the dosh on products or on the garage.


Slowly getting there the latest purchase is a roll of the Costco flooring I was going to paint the floor but the finish isn't great. I know what you mean all these little bits add up quick but I want stuff to match I guess it's the ocd in me !


----------



## jenks

Did you get the versa roll Dan? Don't forget to roll it out in the sun( if it shows up again) for it to flatten out before fitting.

Didn't realise you were off work this week. Enjoy it mate


----------



## Danjc

jenks said:


> Did you get the versa roll Dan? Don't forget to roll it out in the sun( if it shows up again) for it to flatten out before fitting.
> 
> Didn't realise you were off work this week. Enjoy it mate


Yes mate the versa roll. Nice one for the tip on rolling it out. 
Yep off all week


----------



## robby71

Danjc said:


> What thickness insulation did you use for the roof and also what thickness ply did you use for the walls ?


The roof insulation is either 20mm or 25mm (can't remember now?) and the joins are sealed with duck tape.

For the walls i used moisture resistant chipboard (15mm i think). This was left bare for a couple of years as i couldn't find a proper answer on what paint i should use (with it being moisture resistant) - eventually took the plunge with emulsion (2 coats) and it came out great, this year i gave it another coat and was please to see no chipping or patches on the old stuff


----------



## Danjc

I have just picked these two lights up from gumtree for £20


----------



## Danjc

Has anyone tried these

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/PREMIER-PIR...t-/201271305382?nav=SEARCH&varId=500469586466


----------



## cossiecol

robby71 said:


>


Any chance of getting the link for where you bought the units mate? Been looking for these exact ones but can't seem to find them.


----------



## robby71

cossiecol said:


> Any chance of getting the link for where you bought the units mate? Been looking for these exact ones but can't seem to find them.


I bought these a few years ago from Halfords who don't sell them anymore - i've tries to google them but i can't find another stockist.

The units are made by Stanley and were available in drawers, wardrobe size cupboard, floor units and wall units (slightly shallower).
The 2 middle ones were the first i bought maybe 7 years ago and have metal shelves/ doors which i wrapped, the others are plastic

I found something similar from here - http://www.garagepride.co.uk/plastic-cupboards-self-assembly.html

Hope this helps


----------



## cossiecol

Looks promising cheers fella :thumb:


----------



## Danjc

I have purchased some needed security for the door this week they are nice and discrete.



This morning I have had this lot delivered.


----------



## robby71

I've got the same bolts on my doors as well :thumb:

Would love to know how the floor roll looks when rolled out, at least you wont get water in between tiles


----------



## Danjc

I have been tempted to put the flooring down a few times but I'm holding out til after I have boarded out and painted.


----------



## Bero

Danjc said:


> This morning I have had this lot delivered.


Looks familiar, I just had the last of this delivered this morning.


----------



## Danjc

Bero said:


> Looks familiar, I just had the last of this delivered this morning.


Some late nights and weekend work ahead for us both and no doubt I will get from the Mrs "there is other stuff to do as well you know" !


----------



## legs

yep I had that aswell, but my argument was that all the wood was in the way so it might aswell get done first


----------



## Danjc

legs said:


> yep I had that aswell, but my argument was that all the wood was in the way so it might aswell get done first


Good call :thumb:


----------



## Danjc

I little progress has been made. I needed to patch up the concrete at the base although it wasn't massively bad and would be hidden I thought I may as well do it right. I then sealed all gaps in the sections and windows with expanding foam or silicone. Across the base where the concrete had broken up I used a concrete repair mix. 
This side is now ready for the cable to be run in for the extra lights and sockets.

Before 


After


----------



## Bero

Have you considered screeding the floor? That would kill a few birds with one stone.

I think I would have used a mastic in the joints rather than expanding foam, but I guess it should work.


----------



## Danjc

Bero said:


> Have you considered screeding the floor? That would kill a few birds with one stone.
> 
> I think I would have used a mastic in the joints rather than expanding foam, but I guess it should work.


I have some of the Costco flooring to go down after I have don a few repairs to it. 
Expanding foam just round the windows and big gaps the rest is silicone stuff between the concrete panels. Only this side done so far so open to advice for the rest :thumb:


----------



## Danjc

A bit of advice please people. I'm ready to run in the cable for my lighting but unsure on the configuration to go for. I have come up with 3 different ideas but any others are welcome. The yellow lines are 6ft fluorescents and the red box in the top corner is a work bench. The garage dimensions are 20ft x 9ft. The drawings are not quite to scale.

Two doubles 


4 singles horizontal 


4 singles vertical


----------



## footfistart

I would go four singles horizontally but I wouldn't think vertically would be a problem either. Don't double up though because you may end up with a dark patch which will be no good for machining roofs ect ect.

Ryan


----------



## Danjc

footfistart said:


> I would go four singles horizontally but I wouldn't think vertically would be a problem either. Don't double up though because you may end up with a dark patch which will be no good for machining roofs ect ect.
> 
> Ryan


Thanks bud. I need to decide on tube colour aswell I'm thinking cool white or daylight


----------



## footfistart

Day light would be a good bet. But I don't have a garage so I rely on day light. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have the knowledge how in colour. Just need a strong enough light that won't cause glare and be more of a hinder than a help. 

If you can try and get some fat tubes. There still kicking about out there. The thinner ones don't last anywhere near as long and the light they give off isnt as nice as a normal tube.


----------



## adamb87

4 horizontals for me


----------



## footfistart

Have you decided on what light positions your going for? 

Just a thought I saw on someone else's build that they have some swissvax soft door bumpers mounted on the wall. I have had a look and there not expensive and may save unwanted door damage.


----------



## Danjc

footfistart said:


> Have you decided on what light positions your going for?
> 
> Just a thought I saw on someone else's build that they have some swissvax soft door bumpers mounted on the wall. I have had a look and there not expensive and may save unwanted door damage.


Going horizontal with the lights mate and them swissvax door protectors look just the job :thumb:


----------



## footfistart

Good choice.

If I were you and I'm sure other people may agree I'd get those door protectors. Be a worth while investment for sure. From whatbive seen there easy to mount up so I'd make some room for those bad boys .

Ryan


----------



## Danjc

Small layout saving possible future expense and lot of swearing


----------



## footfistart

A more of a reason to get them


----------



## enc

nice build


----------



## Danjc

enc said:


> nice build


Cheers mate, making slow progress at the minute with bloody work and various other things going off :wall:


----------



## Danjc

Managed to get some work done today still loads left but slowly chipping away at it. 
Drilling the concrete posts has been a [email protected]@@d I wouldn't mind but I did a load of test holes a while ago to see how I went and the various places I tried drilled fine :wall:


----------



## Danjc

It's been a while as I have been really busy so the garage was put well and truly on the back burner. 
I have managed put the flooring down, board it out and paint most of it now jut the ceiling left to do. 
I have bought some cabinets and various other bits but it's starting to come together now.


----------



## jenks

Really good transformation Dan. Just need a car to go in it now..


----------



## Danjc

jenks said:


> Really good transformation Dan. Just need a car to go in it now..


Cheers mate, motor got built on Thursday so hopefully about 3 weeks.


----------



## footfistart

That's much better. Been waiting for an update. What lighting to go for in the end as you were indecisive. 

Ryan


----------



## Danjc

Thanks Ryan, I didn't get any more lighting as the 2 6ft I bought of gumtree for £20 along with the existing 6ft seem to be doing the job.



I still plan on upgrading the lighting at some point and have put in some extra spurs ready for them but I just want to get it finished now as it's taken me an age to get this far. 
I'm sure some guys have completed a new build in the time it's taken me lol


----------



## sss360

Hi Danjc, do you have any more shots of the finished garage? I'm going to be starting a similar renovation project to a concrete garage in the future, so I'm looking for some inspiration! 

Cheers,

James


----------



## Danjc

sss360 said:


> Hi Danjc, do you have any more shots of the finished garage? I'm going to be starting a similar renovation project to a concrete garage in the future, so I'm looking for some inspiration!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> James


Not got any pics to hand and not quite finished it yet but I can take some pics tomorrow and post them for you. 
If you have any questions though feel free to ask.


----------



## sss360

That would be great, thanks very much!


----------



## jonnyw59

Can I ask where you got that rack you have attached to the wall with the bottles in it.


----------



## christopherquin

Is it bad I'm loving these garage posts more than the car posts recently lol? I need a proper house so I can have a garage like this!


----------



## knightstemplar

How did you find the flooring? Did you glue it down? Did one roll do the whole garage? Looks great by the way!


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

Looking great!

I have one small suggestion which may or may not be of any use. Where you've got the wheel woolies and brushes hanging up at the moment - you could put some sort splashback on the wall there to stop them staining it and making it look a bit grim in the future. Maybe some white plexi glass to match the walls. Or some stainless steel, the sort of thing they put behind hobs and the like?

The build does look fantastic, a great turn around - really love the cabinets etc.


----------



## Jonny_R

loving the progress and the set up at the rear of the garage with the units!

Cant wait to get my own place and a decent garage project on the go


----------



## c87reed

Great seeing how garage space can be transformed, inspiration for many of us.


----------



## sss360

Danjc said:


> Not got any pics to hand and not quite finished it yet but I can take some pics tomorrow and post them for you.
> If you have any questions though feel free to ask.


Do you have those pics?


----------



## Danjc

Small update and as the boss wanted some stuff doing to the house the garage got well and truly put on the back burner and turned back into a dumping ground !
Now I have the green light to get it properly finished I have been cracking on just recently so please excuse the mess but it's not far off now. 
A couple of led lights have added which make a big difference. 
The original plan to batten and board the ceiling was scrapped due to me being unsure if the added weight of 5/6 8x4 sheets of ply and 2x2 battens would be wise as it's an old structure so I aired on the side of caution and opted for a 25m roll of the silver insulation. I plan on a second layer of this with enough left to do the door. 
I bought a plastic cupboard from Aldi for £50 and was a little dubious but it surprised me and is pretty well made and sturdy. 
The outside front was also finished with a gate being made and put up to the side. New guttering up and the ugly concrete cladded over and a second outside tap fitted near the top of the drive. 
Obviously stuff left to do then a good deep clean and it will be all good.


----------



## Danjc

I know this has dragged on a while but finally about finished just a bit of flooring and some skirting to do and that's about it


----------



## Simz

Now that young man is a job well done....


----------



## Andypatio

Amazing! Really good read. It's made me think twice about what to do with my garage now haha. 

Cracking work!


----------



## rob267

Well that looks mighty fine buddy. Well done.😀

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


----------



## Jonny_R

great work mate

See you've got a claber hose too :thumb:


----------



## 0-MAT-0

Propper man cave there; good on you for doing such a great job!


----------



## JB052

Excellent transformation, top marks.


----------



## terror

Looking good mate. What flooring did you use, have you got a link?


----------



## Danjc

It was from Costco and is called versaroll but I can't find it on there site now and an old link comes up with an error. 
Not sure if it's been discontinued or rebranded ?


----------



## Danjc

Looks like it's been rebranded or from a different company http://m.costco.co.uk/view/p/g-floor-75-x-17ft-23-x-52m-floor-protector-112281 but I'm sure mine was a slightly bigger roll  
One things for sure it's bloody gone up in price as I paid £99 and now it's £176 :doublesho


----------



## terror

I'll check it out, thanks for the info mate :thumb:


----------



## mikyt

*Bottle holder*

Hi wheres the wall mounted bottle holder from?


----------



## Danjc

mikyt said:


> Hi wheres the wall mounted bottle holder from?


eBay

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/182616658505?_mwBanner=1#vi__app-cvip-panel


----------



## hibberd

Great improvement, something you can be proud of


----------



## steveo3002

looks good 

can i ask what you used to stick on the foil roof covering and was it easy to do


----------



## Danjc

steveo3002 said:


> looks good
> 
> can i ask what you used to stick on the foil roof covering and was it easy to do


http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsen...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKi47dC4ndYCFRKH7QodG1sBiw

Yes mate really easy.


----------



## sata

Excellent write up... and a superb transformation...well done.


----------



## Danjc

As the garage was finished a while ago and the outside of it tidied up I'm moving on to the garden so if anyone is interested I have started a new thread in the garden section.

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=404430


----------



## littlejack

Cracking transformation.


----------

