Divided garage ?

[John Coloccia]

I've lived in the Northeast practically my whole life. Still, the whole concept of driving a car into the house just seems downright WRONG. But if you must (and you shouldn't, but if you must) there's no reason you can't just use a standard roll of vapor barrier to seal it off. Use duct tape to make it air tight. Done, and cheap. You'll poke holes in it. Big deal. Seal it with a piece of duct tape. Eventually it'll get ugly. Big deal. Tear it down and put up another sheet (you buy it by the roll. It will last you a while ).

That's where I'd start because it's cheap and simple. In the meantime, you can reconsider the whole "garage" concept before spending any money on a "real" solution.

Just my opinion.

[Van Huskey]

The cheapest and probably most effective is a car cover. If the car in question is the vehicle of a significant other YOU put it on before you work and remove it after the dust settles...

Also just get a cheap cover at Walmart, it doesn't need to be able to stand up to the elements. As you take it off make sure the you don't just wad it up, don't let the top of the cover touch the bottom, the crap on it can scratch the paint, it is easier than it sounds due to the elastic.

[Tracy Hall]

I have seen pictures of automobiles in garages but, I thought they were photo shop'd. People really do that!?!

I'm originally from the northern Illinois and it was a big surprise to me about how many people use their garage as storage instead of parking their car in them.

+1 on the car cover, as others have mentioned, it gives you ability to "temporarily" use that space for a larger project or infeed/outfeed.

There may also be a problem in dividing your garage (permanently) if it has a water heater inside it like we do here in SoCal. I believe there are rules about having low vents in the walls because of the water heater.

[Vince Shriver]

Quick and dirty fix:

www.zipwall.com

[Jesse Wilson]

If it's that harsh outside then the dust will be off the car within a few minutes of driving it anyway so why bother covering it up.

[Jerome Hanby]

A garage divided against itself cannot stand.

A. Lincoln

See, isn't this nice? And you didn't want to come to the play tonight.

A. Lincoln

[Jim Rimmer]

I tried the "wind will blow the dust off the car" logic. She drove the car and it rained just light enough to make a huge mess. Didn't wash the dust off, too humid to blow it off. Solution: Next time I backed her car out before I started.

[Jack Burgess]

Thanks to all for info. Think the cover makes the most
sense. For those of you that are using the cover how do you take the cover off without dumpting all of the dust on the car - sounds like it take a trick or two.

[Jack Burgess]

Thanks for info - for those using the cover - how do you get the cover off without dumping all of the dust on the car?

[Myk Rian]

Take it off one end and let it fold over itself inside out. The elastic will do it for you.
When it gets real dusty, it takes 2 to shake it out.
Mark one side of it so you don't get the in/out sides mixed up.

[Steve Griffin]

The car cover sounds like a pain to me--while the least upfront effort, you still will need to deal with dust around the car, tracking it inside, fuss with the cover etc. There will be the inevitable time when your wife needs to leave and you have left the cover on.

I'd reconsider a partition. Maybe 2 x 2's for a framework and clear heavy gage plastic, or tarp. Or if you think you may be there a while, consider a simple sheetrock wall which is painted with a man door--sheetrock is as cheap as a tarp ,and your garage would look less like a refugee camp. It could be dismantled for house resale.

As far as the silly anti-garage talk--tell that to my wife when it's 10 degrees, blowing snow and she has to load up a 2 year old and everyones stuff. You do not want to interfere with her quality of life, or you will end up with an entire house to yourself to do your woodworking in...

-Steve

[Kent A Bathurst]

A garage divided against itself cannot stand.

A. Lincoln

I saw the thread title, and assumed it meant that one spouse's car had a Dawgs bumper sticker, and the other's had a Gators bumper sticker.

Now that I understand.........David H. is correct. Driveways are for cars.

[Tom Welch]

Here's the solution to your problem. Get quotes from a few contractors to build you a real shop in your back yard. Set up a date with the bank for 2nd mortage on the house. Tell the wife she will have to go with you for this meeting. She will probbly throw a fit, explain to her that you tried to use the garage but half is just not big enough. But if you can have the entire garage for a shop, then you can save all that money. Unless it is really you that wants to keep your car parked inside the garage.

[johnny means]

Be a MAN and take back what's yours.

[Todd Hoppe]

Thanks for info - for those using the cover - how do you get the cover off without dumping all of the dust on the car?

Drive the car around a bit before you remove the cover, and let the wind blow it off of that...