Image by genevievepan via Flickr

There are basically three kinds of garages...

1. Places to store stuff
2. Places to work on stuff
3. Places to display stuff

Most garages are storage sheds. They hold tools, lawn mowers, cars, sporting goods, cleaning supplies and overflow food in the chest freezer.

The next most common group are working garages. Whether it is building a hot rod or keeping the family rides in tune, they have tools and parts and more tools.

Finally, there are the showplaces. These are less garage and more gallery of mobile art. And some of them are incredible. They are limited only by imagination and budget... and some are limited much at all.

I'd love to have one of each...

But what makes it inspirational?

I would say that what makes it inspirational is as different as the person that is inspired. For me, a garage that allows me to get dirty and throw some sparks is what inspires me. While I would love to have an incredible showroom for a bunch of cool toys, I love to get out there and weld and grind and paint and wrench. I like not having to worry about dropping a wrench on the floor and chipping the marble or scarring the textured walls.

But, for others, having someplace that looks like a stable to house their prancing horses or a full-on NASCAR shop is their dream, with checkerboard tiling and powder-coated tool benches.

The first step... Figure out what you want. Are you going to store, build or display?

The second step... Decide on your style. Do you like acid-etched, polished concrete? Epoxy Coatings? Powder-coated cabinetry? Stained wood cabinets?

The third step... Make a budget.

The fourth step... Make a plan. Even with a modest budget, there are ways to minimize the out-lay while maximizing the impact. Like Craigslist... Discarded kitchen cabinets are a great way to add attractive storage to the garage. And everything doesn't need to be done at once, it can be done in stages.

The fifth step... Pull it all together.

A couple of tips...

• If you are going to work in the garage, put anything on the floor on wheels. If it is mobile, you can move it to clean behind it.
• If it isn't on wheels, get it off the floor. If it is off the floor, you can sweep and/or hose under it. Wall mounted cabinetry is very cool.
• Floor coatings don't stand up to welding and plasma cutting. Stick with polished or acid-etched concrete.

And here is a cool place to check out... DreamGarage.com