Ed and his family relocated from Houston, Texas to Paradise Valley, Arizona back in 1982. The new house afforded them the good fortune of an attached two-car garage for the daily drivers, and a 1,000-sq-ft covered slab on the other side of the house, which would set the foundation for a growing garage. A main concern was parking cars indoors to protect them from the exorbitant heat and monsoons that area of Arizona can deliver. All was going well, Ed had a workshop and space for some cars and some odds and ends. And then he bought another car. Which led to adding an additional 1,000-sq-ft to the original pad complete with a ceiling to accommodate a lift. Currently, the garage is full with seven cars and a multitude of tools and equipment and workspaces, creating a garage that could be the envy of most anyone, even those who don’t really work on their own cars.
While Ed admits the space is tight, he says it’s comfortable, provided he doesn’t host a lot of people all at once. He’s installed a reclining chair to chill out, especially useful when a particular project is challenging him more than usual. He says the smartest thing he did was buy a couple of commercial-style portable shelves from Costco, along with about a dozen see-through large plastic bins allowing him to organize parts and supplies by car. He’s also taken care to invest in some fire extinguishers, which he says he’s been fortunate enough to have never used them, but he likes to be ready. Who can blame him?
While décor is somewhat sparce, he loves calling the cars his true décor – and what a collection he’s built up. He also enjoys spending time going through pictures and living in the past, like we all do. Demonstrating this is a multitude of pictures upon the walls. He’s also established a workbench complete with drawers and cabinets below to store more stuff. Upon it at any given time are books, magazines, nuts and bolts, liquid and chemical tools and so on, all organized and ready for use.
He’s painted the walls and ceiling white, installed hanging fluorescent lighting throughout, finished the floors in a super light grey, and created a durable, enjoyable environment that he loves spending time in. There are little office nooks as well, where he can take care of receipts and paperwork for the cars and equipment. While yes, he could do oodles of work, and he does, he can also just enjoy time and quiet within. As he puts it, it’s his own little time capsule.
