'Celebrity IOU': Tony Hawk Decks Out the Garage

Since the mid-1990s, Tony Hawk has been an inspiration for athletes everywhere. He’s won awards not only for his skating achievements but also as an icon and member of his community.

Part of the reason Tony’s maintained this level of fame is due to the skilled and loyal videographers he’s had the privilege of working with throughout his career. One that’s stood out from the rest is Tim.

When Tony broke his leg, Tim was by his side every step of his recovery. That’s why Tony decided to team up with Drew and Jonathan Scott to give Tim the upgrade he’s been dying for — turning his garage into a state-of-the-art editing studio.

Tony had never set foot in Tim’s mysterious garage until now. The second he did, he knew he was cashing in his Celebrity IOU in the right place.

Tim dreams of turning his garage into an editing studio, but it currently serves as little more than skateboard storage. The lack of ventilation and air conditioning makes the building feel like a “sweatbox,” in Tony’s words.

Drew knows the second he sees the garage that the roof is rotting. The pull-down garage door is attached to a hazardous track inside that’s begging to be replaced.

Tony can’t wait to get his hands on a sledgehammer, but Drew and Jonathan have a different idea. Once he kicks down the garage door, they put him to work tearing up and reshingling the roof. “I really have a newfound respect for people who do roofing,” says Tony, “because this is serious labor.”

With a proper ceiling, floor and high-tech air-conditioning system installed, the garage turns from a sweatbox into an editing studio that Tim will never want to leave.

Drew, Jonathan and Tony reshingle the roof — improving insulation and bringing the building up to code. A carriage-style door replaces the old garage door and the entire thing gets a fresh coat of paint.

The state of the ceiling (or lack thereof) makes the room echoey to the point where sound mixing isn’t an option. There’s no desk, monitors or any editing equipment beyond a chair.

With walls optimized for perfect acoustics, Tim can now record podcasts and edit videos without the need for headphones. With a proper desk and dual-monitor setup, Drew and Jonathan built Tim a top-tier editing studio.

Drew and Jonathan commissioned a custom L-shaped desk for Tim constructed of recycled skateboard decks. The room now has the “subtle nod to skating” that Tony wants — a way to embrace skate culture without screaming it.

“You can’t be as creative,” notes Tony on the initial state of the garage. It doesn’t fit the mid-century modern aesthetic Tim loves, and with the damaged concrete floor and decrepit interior, the atmosphere stifles creativity and productivity.

With the addition of a seating area, a mounted TV and soft lighting, Tim can kick back when he isn’t working. Drew and Jonathan installed a workbench in the wall so Tim can fix up his skateboards somewhere other than his couch — a luxury that Tony doesn’t even have.

The essence of skate culture is present in the mounted displays for Tim’s favorite boards. Despite the limited natural light, the light-toned wood and white walls give the space a radiance, unlike the brooding darkness that previously filled it.