EJ's Garage - A Foam-Core Exclusive

Our Christmas 2010 trip to Nevada gave us a chance to get better acquainted with our three grandchildren, Olivia (the Doll Bed), EJ and Gabby.  Being a normal little boy EJ tends to run around and shout a lot, unlike little girls who only run around and shout, a lot.

EJ NOT running around and shouting.

EJ needed somewhere to park his Hot Wheels cars instead of all over the floor.  Two and three year old's don't really understand "picking up" and "putting away" so I had to find a way to make it fun.

Before you begin cutting Foam-Core Board, gather some of the cars that will be housed in your kid's garage.  Some may be a little wider, longer or taller than others so size your stalls accordingly.

My garage used 4 roof supports and 3 stall dividers.

I had a spare piece of Foam-Core Board 9"wide x 12" long for the Base so I made 6  Stalls, 1-1/2" wide.  I decided to make the Stalls 4" long by 1-1/2" high at the front and 1-1/4" at the rear and cut 7 identical Stall Divider/Roof Supports to those dimensions.  Take a moment to mark the square corner at the rear and bottom edges.

I drew guide lines from the back edge of the Base to locate 5 of the 7 Stall Divider/Roof Supports, spaced 1-1/2" apart, the first and seventh will set flush to the 9" sides of the Base  The Back Wall will be 9" wide to fit the Base and 1-1/8" high.  The last part to cut is the Roof.  I cut mine 9" long and 4-1/2" wide

Start assembly by applying glue to one long edge of the Back and locate flush to the back edge of the Base, holding it vertical for a few seconds for the glue to set.  Now apply glue to the bottom and rear edges of one Stall Divider/Roof Support and locate against the Back and flush to the side of the Base.  Repeat with a second Divider/Support locating flush with the other side of the Base.  Now glue the remaining Divider/Supports, placing them on the locating lines drawn earlier.  The last part to assemble is the Roof.  Apply glue to the top edges of all the Divider/Supports and locate the roof to fit the sides and back edge.

I cut a carry handle opening 1" from the "front" edge, 4" long and centered on the 9" dimension.  This allows EJ to carry the loaded garage around the house without dropping any cars along the way. I also cut the sharp front corners at a 45 degree angle. All that is left to do is paint your garage.

I received word a month ago that EJ's Garage has stood up to him standing on it so I believe yours should be just as strong.

Happy Modeling, Armchair