If you’re a do-it-yourself type of person, then having a workspace that’s well set up to accommodate your project needs is important. You do, of course, have to work with the space that you have, in most cases—whether it’s your garage or your spare room.  

If you’re lucky enough, though, then you may find yourself moving into a larger space at some point—one where you can take what you’ve learned over time and configure it closer to your ideal workspace. That’s what’s happening in this video from SuperFast Matt, an engineer, YouTuber, and consummate project vehicle starter who needs what every project vehicle magnet needs: Just a little more space. 

The project life starts out simply enough, no matter what type of project you choose. First, you talk yourself into thinking that you’ve gotten a great deal on that dream bike, car, or other thing that you want to start wrenching on. Maybe you have some basic tools, or maybe you don’t. That’s OK, because if you don’t, you know that you’ll need to get your hands on some—and maybe you already have a plan for that. 

Then, of course, you need to find a good way to store those tools and keep them organized. Since all workspaces consist of both wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling space, the smart decision is to make as much use of available vertical space as you can. In Matt’s case, there’s a sort of ramshackle cabinet unit installed along the wall in one corner of his new garage. Even though it’s not ideal, the structure is usable enough that he decided to use it to his advantage when configuring his new project space. 

Hanging wheels on the wall is a) a great way to get them out of the way, and b) as Matt mentions, also looks pretty cool. If you have wheels around, it’s a great way to store them—as long as you mount your hardware on studs so the wheels don’t later escape (and probably rip out chunks of drywall on their way down).  

Your specific needs will vary, but there are some good lessons to draw from this video. For one, setting up your ideal project workspace may, in fact, lead you to side projects along the way. In this case, Matt ended up building a flippy-table-thing on casters in order to store his CNC machine reasonably flush against a wall, yet still be able to easily bring it down and wheel it around. That’s a pretty specific project, we know—but aren’t they all? Sometimes, the projects just find you, and that’s all part of living that DIY life you love. 

For two, just because someone told you that your car is a one, two, three, or more-car garage definitely doesn’t mean you’re stuck with that number. Cars come in different sizes—as Matt amply demonstrates here, with both a vintage Jaguar and his Smart car. He also has two bikes—and much like cars, those also come in different sizes. A Trail 125 will simply not take up as much space as a CVO Road Glide, and that’s just a fact. More bikes can fit in a two-car garage than you probably think (ask me how I know). 

Drawing yourself a diagram on graph paper can be helpful if you’re trying to plan a good layout, and it will hopefully save you from having to rearrange all your super heavy stuff too many times. Happy workspace perfecting! 

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com