Garage - What features would you select?

[Lynn]

Rob,

Rob's anchor points are brilliant! I'd consider a grid system of these throughout and maybe even cutting the grid dimension in half around the perimeter for, in addition to the uses already cited, bolting down machine tools and tool stands and work tables/shelves. This would be way more versatile than dedicated tool benches, especially if they had jackable casters on them. I love it! I had, at one time, considered pipes sunk into the floor, but Rob's idea is even better by giving stability in three dimensions.

Lynn

[Steve Briscoe]

Forgot one.
9) Spring loaded exhaust vent openings in the bottom of the garage doors. Use black sewer piping that matches the size of the exhaust pipes to connect to your car. You're in business so there's going to be some nights when rest doesn't come easy. Go out to the garage like I do and enter a different world. You can work on your car late at night without the doors or open and avoid disturbing your neighbors. On hot or cold nights, it also keeps the garage temperature steady as you do your thing.

[fostereast]

Radiant floor tubing for heat, saves you when you are laying on the floor. Electrical sub-panel to easily add to the electrical needs. Conduit in the floor for running powere or air if the need comes up. Mini-Split AC is a good way to go for a garage. Dust collection, air filtering. A curtain to block off a stall designated for sanding, etc. may be good.

[Ron Earp]

Going to have a couple of simple PVC vents in the walls for exhaust. Just discussed those with the builder. Ditto electrical subpanel too and some good lines. Won't need water pipes for heating here in North Carolina, but the curtain idea is a good one. I'll have an open a frame though so I think I can hang those myself. Got any more, send em on!

R

[SylvanSRT]

i would tell you to skip the sky lites they are a hassle and are a huge source of leaks(i am a home builder).

if you can put in a floor drain(with grease trap) it will be worth the money you may just be able to drain to outside if you can set up a positve drain and the situation will accomadate it

you will probably heat it, best is radiant heat(in floor slab) otherwise forced air(furnace)

get the floor coated 100 % two part epoxy (like car dealer service, and work bays(expensive but worth it). spend time shopping industrial coatings experts in your area prices are all over the map.

set up the garage door to go up and as close to the ceiling as poss or use a commercial style door and opener this will make using a lift easier or adding one much less of a hassle later.

dont forget the cable or dish feed you will be spending a lot more time there

lot and lots of flourscent lights over head if you'll be doing anything where light color is critical use color correct bulbs.

make sure and use a vapor barrier under the slab (visqueen) to keep out unwanted moisture

insulate walls and ceiling and buy insulated garage doors

lots of elect outlets

hot and cold water along with a sop sink or large laundry tub

counter top space and lots of cabinets

use 8 or 10 foot high garage door, i would also do a single larger door instead of two smaller units. try to get higher ceiling heights inside if possible 10-12 is good 14ft is great if you can swing it, it will open up more options on what you can do inside

all i can come up with for now but i havelots of ideas if i have more i will post

[Sandy]

Ron -

I had a similar problem long and narrow property. Definitly draw it all out and don't rely on the architect. Like others have said, plenty of electrical and a 220 near the door so you can run a welder or other 220 stuff out side. Also same for Air, when the framing is done, get in with the copper and put the air lines in (don't for get to slant for water collection).

Garage lighting is also important, I did the high output floresent (small tube) all over, then backed it up with some small 75w Metal Halide surface mounts that really give some good working light.

If you can go high celing height a parking lift helps with working on the tight space (good for snooping under the car too). Measure the stuff twice as you can squeeze them in, but add drywall, beams, etc might have a problem when you actuall get cars under and on them. Garage door opener, etc.

Also Video/Speakers/Networking/Phone all can be done before the walls are sealed up. Most you can do your self. Think also about your new wall mount LCD Tv so you can watch Rendezvous loud and undisturbed. I used a bunch of the Leviton modular jacks (Home depot has them) and pulled lots of extra wires.

If you are tight for $$ for and AC/Heater unit check out on Ebay some of the Surface mount Heat pump units. They are easy to mount up and can be added after the build.

I had to do a bunch of stuff after the drywall went on, so don't forget to take video or photo's before they do it so when you have to remember where the pipes/electrical, etc are could save a lot of time

It is a fun project lots of good stuff you can do in 'your' space as my wife calls it

Sandy

[Rob]

OK guys... some great stuff here for "our" space as Sandy says....
Makes me want to get busy and reorg mine.
Ron, To Lynns comments I did the grid layout on the floor. My only regret is I could have used three times as many. They have turned out to be kinda like wall outlets. Just can't have enough of em.

Here's a specific topic for everyone... Compressor:
I have mounted mine on a metal frame work to get it off the floor, as high to the ceiling as possible. How is everyone running their plumbing around the shop. A neighbor of mine is using regular old PVC tube (glued/not threaded). He stated that the burst is ~ 200psi and my compressor is 150psi, so.... logical.

Ron, one more that hasn't been mentioned. All (nearly - accept my fixed bench) my storage is the stainless shelving on wheels from Sams club. This enables ultimate flexibility and opportunity to truly clean when it's time. Just roll them all out onto the driveway. Depending of build phase, I move them to different configurations to create space where I need it.

Now that I kinda brought it up... shop bench. A good bench pays dividends for ever. I made a frame outa rectangular tube (welded) and secured generic formica counter top from Home Depot with radiused edge and back splash. It was cheap... If memory serves $70 per section. I got two 10 footers. With steel I think I was about $250 total, and I can put an engine on the darn thing.

OK...that's all I've got for now....
R

[Lynn]

Rob,

PVC usually has a burst rating at a specific temperature (~140°F, I think) for hot water use, so that at normal room temps, there should be no problem. If you use Schedule 40, you'd never have to give it another thought (that is what I have used) and I agree about gluing it.

Lynn

[Ian Anderson]

Strong central beam above work place for hoists etc.

If you decide to put heat in the floor mark whee the pipes are so if you mount stuff later you don't drill through the pipes.

Ian

[fostereast]

I forgot one,

A trolley hoist if you'll need to lift a lot of heavy items and move them.

[fostereast]

From what I have seen most skylights leak because they are not installed correctly. From my personal experience if you get Velux and follow the directions - they don't leak (I was in the industrial roofing business for many years, so I still retain an opinion of some small value)(emphasis on small value) I can't speak for other skylight brands. And I can see how many are installed without enough regard for proper weatherproofing.

[Howard Jones]

Make sure the floor is perfectly flat! At least in one area. Great for chassis setup. Paint floor very light gray and all walls white. Tire rack on wall up high so as to get the tires out of the way.

[Rob]

Howard, excellent point!!!
Flat and LEVEL. I blew it on this. I have half "flat" the other half sloped to the drain on that side. However I did not specify "LEVEL" on the one side and I have to hunt around the floor to find level area when needed.

I also did my walls white. Additionally, high gloss up to the three foot mark, then semi gloss. This helps with light reflection and clean up. No ick or goo really sticks to the high gloss and when cleaned with soap and water, the paint is actually left where it is intended (on the wall).

Regarding the beam or means to lift, I doubled my trusses in two spots with 12" wide uprights in them. Screwed them together excessively, drilled a hole through the uprights and looped a chain through them. Quite pleased with the functionality. One disadvantage is no Trolley option.

R

[Malcolm]

Recess the lift into the floor so that any low ground clearance cars can get on the lift. I can get full lift on mine with an internal max ceiling height (pitched roof) of 12ft and with the rear deck fully open. The recess I used was 9 inches.

Also try and get a copy of the lift installation drawings before you pour the slab so that you can get the foundations right. Saves risking a cracked floor later on when you lift a heavy car.

On the heating front I would avoid using a system like the gas burners (flame thrower thingy's) as this kicks out moisture and raises humidity massively. Use a dry heat source liek radiators or slab heating as previously suggested. If you do the under floor heating, don't forget to insulate the slab.

I wish I had arranged for a roof beam to take an engine hoist in my garage to avoid using a floor standing crane.

Not that you ever get car fires (!) a fire escape door or similar at the other end is sensible.

I would avoid the roof lights. Unless they are massive you won't get enough light to not use the lighting and they are a potential security breach and cost more to install.

Have you already got some external flood lights over your driveway area? I can't remember but useful for early starts!

[CliffBeer]

Ron, just a few suggestions (mostly related to the foundation):

1. Perhaps have a two foot wide concrete pedestal poured as an integral part of the foundation wall/floor - this is so that you can have a proper mounting for a lathe/mill down the road if you're inclined to do some machine work. Lathes/mills mounted in such a way (opposed to on a bench) have much less machining chatter and this makes for better parts and more pleasant work.

2. Get the footprint diagram of the lift you're going to use - so you can have the threaded rods set into the concrete. This saves drilling and using anchors (which may not hold) later on. Also, makes sure the floor area around the lift is flat and level otherwise you'll have to use leveler and this is a big pain and compromises the rigidity of the lift mounting.

3. Finally, concrete is cheap so adding a couple inches extra to the thickness of the slab/walls above the code requirement is always wise. As said above, ensure the foundation contractor doesn't forget the vabor barrier - this will make a big difference in the amount of moisture leeching up through the floor and consequently what surface coating you can get to stick to it.

Good luck!

[John W]

My garage is 2 cars wide and 2 deep, though not as wide as yours will be.

I'd suggest:
A side door so you don't have to open the front one when it is cold outside to get in the garage.

Put up a curtain between the front and back sections, so you can limit both heat loss and dust when working. Especially if your going to have some machinery like lathes and mills.

compressor ideally in a sound proofed enclosure, and with fixed plumbing and a water drain in the line.
extra lighting over any fixed bench areas.
allow for some racking for items you need often, and a mezzanine for the bulky stuff you only need once in a while (and fill it up before the wife does !! )
A parts washer.
A decent sized trash can.
As well as the bolts sunk in the floor suggested above, some ground anchors so you can chain items to the floor if required.

A very good alarm system, ideally with a camera link so you can see what goes on from indoors (a friend has his camera linked to his video recorder, so he records any activity when they go out).

Not only a toilet but a sink and a fridge, so you can either make tea/coffee, or keep the beers cool

I use an infra-red heater (heats you, not the air). Works great, and is cheap to run. Floor heating is better, but costs more to run.

And finally, a whipping boy to do all the work while you drink beer and watch them work
Hope that helps

[Jim Holden]

Ron:

I have a 30'x36' garage with a 16' wide rollup door in one end offset with a passage door alongside. The eaves are 12" high and at the moment I have one lift. Along the other side I built a mezzanine for storage with a bathroom and shower in one corner (my wonderfully tolerant spouse said; "At your age you don't want to have to keep coming up to the house...") I can fit four cars relatively comfortably on the floor with a fifth one up on the lift.

My priorities included the best lighting that I could fould so I have six low bay Halites, plus numerous highhats under the mezzanine. Compressor, plenty of electrical outlets and a 30 year old $125.00 Radio Shack stereo topped the list of "must haves".

If I were to do it all again, I would make it 4' longer and put the furnace up on the mezzanine. But that is minor. It's my inner sanctum and while there the rest of the world could blow up and I'd neither know it nor care.

Jim

PS: ...and the increase in real property taxes here in the NE is a very real inevitability.

[diecast18]

Ron,

I would mount lights in the floor under where you plan to install the lift. Makes seeing the underside easier.