What I Imagine My Garage Looks Like and What it Really Looks Like

ll of us imagine how we want our garages to look. There are the precious few who have made the leap to the quintessential properly outfitted garage. To date we have even featured a few on the pages of Modern Rodding, like Dave Simard’s personal garage. It’s everything any hot rodder would want. It contains finished rods, project rods, parts and pieces tucked away in the rafters, and more nailed to the wooden studs, ample laden dollies pushed under benches, and some goodies parked outside—and, tools everywhere of every type and description. (Some of which I have no idea what they’re about!) Yep, it’s a hot rodder’s garage. But alas, my garage doesn’t measure up.

Now, my garage as a normal track home garage goes isn’t bad. It will hold four hot rods, has a nice workbench area, shelving, and plenty of pegboard space. In fact, I have more square footage of 36-inch deep multi-level wooden shelves than I have square footage to actually park cars on! That’s saying something since the garage comes in at 1,000 square feet. (Yes, it was a bit of a challenge with the local building department but perseverance does pay off.) Shortly after completion I diligently spent hours painting the floors gunmetal gray only to then cover it with black and red checkerboard composite squares. I just hate it when I “out trick” myself and end up making more work with less results. Seems to be something I have mastered over the years and keep doing.

I’ve seen some very small garages that look fantastic and I’ve seen some very large garages that are worse than mine … and that’s saying something! Now seems like a good time to “fire one over the bow” of my longtime friend (he won’t admit it) and fellow rodding journalist Ron Ceridono. He has a building, not just a garage. Under its Everest-like height ceiling and within the four walls lies 2,500 square feet that houses the obligatory lift (that I wish I had), lots of shelf space storage, the workbench area, and he too has loads of cool tools—some even made in this century. But even an accomplished and veteran (Air Force) rodder like Ceridono seemed to outgrow the building (or as he says his “garage”) before move-in was finished. He found that once he was “under roof” there was no space left for him to work, parts were still outside along with projects, and he swears the concrete flooring shrunk.

Normally I wouldn’t believe anything Ceridono says but in this case, I do … my garage space shrunk, too. To his credit he came up with the perfect solution as he built more storage space via an adjacent building. Hey, it worked.

As for me I am stuck with what I have and along with building outside storage too, I still come up short on space. When I stand back and look at what I see and what I “think” I see, the two just don’t match up.

So, the other day I’m watching Mom (mother-in-law, Doris) working on one of her 750-piece puzzles. To her this is a quickie puzzle, and she tells me that even I could configure it. (Little does she know anything past a 13-piece puzzle and I’m spun out.) She tells me that it’s a puzzle about a hot rodder working on his projects in his garage. She said when she saw the puzzle, it reminded her of me. (I think she’s pushing for more garage space to store her knitting supplies … ugh!) When I look at the puzzle, I believe she has “nailed it”. But alas, when I then open my garage door and look at what’s in front of me it sure isn’t what’s on the puzzle. But I like the puzzle and I just might have to find a place of “high praise” in my Man Cave for this work of art. Who am I to disagree with Mom? If she says that it reminds her of my garage and what’s in it, I am inclined to believe her. Moms, and even mothers-in-law, are special.