Why I Love My First Garage (Even Though It's Small And Crap)

A few weeks ago, I said sayonara to my old house. It had a lean-to attached to the side that I built to keep Phil the V6 Mazda MX-5 out of the worst British weather, but what I didn’t account for was the fact that the foxes (who had a den on the green next to my old place) would enjoy Phil as a toilet, climbing frame and regular sex swing. Every night without fail, my phone would buzz with an alert to tell me that ‘movement has been detected’, revealing fox porn videos and the associated screaming that makes my blood boil.

I eventually resorted to getting a car cover for Phil to protect the paint, but the smell of fox and regular 4am phone alerts persisted despite me trying everything to keep the foxes away, including spraying my own urine on the drive straight from the source. Yes, really.

That all changed when I bought a new house, however, because it’s got the one thing I’ve wanted for years: a garage (or, as you can see from the pics more of an ‘enclosed lean-to’). Yes, it’s old, decrepit and small, but as the saying goes, ‘it’s not the size that matters, it’s what you do with it’.

Which is why I’ve made this poor excuse of a garage my own, including making a new and secure back door, reinforcing the walls, strengthening the gates, and adding CT touches, Phil fan art and all the things I’ve never had wall space for.

Oh, and Phil is very much the star of the show, as is the Honda CBR650R, both of which fit snugly away from weather, foxes and prying eyes.

What’s more, I can now keep my tools out of the shed and more easily accessible, as well as being able to work on cars come rain, shine, night or day (so long as the cars are very small, of course). And I’m sure many of you will have spotted the elephant in the room - yes, the 450kg, 958-piece tool chest…unfortunately it’s not mine, but it could be yours because we’re currently giving it away to one of you, no strings attached!

But you know what my favourite thing is? That’s waking up in the morning, making a coffee, opening up the side door and walking into the garage. I love it. There’s literally no reason for me to be there, I just like looking around, seeing Phil and the bike, filling my nostrils with that beautiful garage smell and planning what I’m going to do next to make my new space more ‘me’. (Perhaps I should epoxy resin the entire floor with rust flakes).

The house we’re in now is a complete doer-upper, so the ‘enclosed lean-to’ won’t be with us much longer. Instead, the plan is to create an extended and kick-ass, brick-built garage with a proper roller door, lighting and better use of space. Sure, it’ll never be big, but it’s my space and you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. And if anyone knows about that, it’s me!

So there’s a little intro to my crappy garage, man cave or whatever you want to call it. While small, it’s a complete game-changer, and I couldn’t be happier. Can anyone relate?