Garage - What features would you select?

[Ron Earp]

I'm preparing to build an external garage that will be for my hobbies. It'll be 35-40 feet in length, and probably around 24 feet wide. It'll not have a room above it so that it can accomidate a lift inside.

What sort of features would you build into a garage like this? Some of the things I'm planning now:

• Probably have a couple of skylights for good light
• Lots of outlets on 30 amp circuits to run compressors etc.
• Some 220V outlets, at least one
• Drywalled and insulated, ducts for AC in case a buddy of mine can scare up a used AC unit to put on it
• I'll do the floor with some good epoxy coating as I have now in my two car
• Lots of lights throughout
• A frame vent fan of good size to help get noxious fumes out
• Some outlets outside the garage to eliminate the need for drop cords out there
• Extra high door to accomidate my enclosed trailer
• Might as well wire in some speakers for music from the get go

Other ideas? I know a lot of you fellows have done garages and have some nice ones, so I figure this is a good group to ask these sorts of questions of.

Thanks!
Ron

[CraigB]

How about a fixed position for the compressor (vented) and a a few compressed air plug in points around the workshop on a common rail. Just a passing thought.

[JohnC]

An Internet buddy started a tool/fab/shop forum awhile back and has some interesting threads on the ideal garage/shop:

Making informed decisions when building your ultimate garage/shop (Article Develop.) - Tool, Shop, Equipment and Fabrication Forum

[Rich E.]

If you can swing it a lift would be cool. They're fairly cheap (roughly $1800) and make alot of tasks easier on the back not to mention increasing the availability of space.

Rich.

[SpyderMike]

PC with broadband connection

[Jac Mac]

BIGGER!

Jac Mac

[Curtis]

Ron,

I have to agree with Jac Mac !
Depending on Space, and Budget !

Take four stakes, and a string out and see what you'll have to work with.

The size your talking about is a three stall shop.
When you add the trailer, Lift, Work bench's, Tool's, ect.
Doesn't seem so big after that !

I have a two car attached to the house, and a 24' x 36'.
Getting ready to build a new barn for the horse's,
and going to tie it to the outside shop so I can have MORE room !
Seem's never enough ! ;(

Cheer's !

Curtis

[Murray Cowley]

Ron,

If you don't have room for a lift then I suppose the next best thing would be a pit, with lights, long enough to walk in and out of with the car above. I have a pit in my garage and I couldn't be without it now.

[Graham B]

Some big locks!

[Graham B]

Coffee machine, radio, microwave, fridge for essentials (beer, snacks (what do you guys eat oh yeah buritos :-) ))

Garage Heater

How about a low level vent in the wall with a flexy pipe so you can run the cars inside when engine testing without getting gassed (in the winter). I assume it gets cold there and you would have the door shut although even with an open door its a good idea!

And a CO gas detector, all garages should have one, surprising how fatalaties there are every year from CO, check google news.

[chuck smith]

urinal--easy to plumb and very useful. large sink. drain in floor. One good steel beam to place a winch on. instant on tankless water heater for hot water to sink and one outside faucet

[Ron Earp]

Those are some good ideas, the beam, platform for compressor, exhaust vent, and sink. My two car garage has a sink now, but I need one out in the other garage too.

The lift is planned and will be done. I've spoken to people about building pits, but by the time you build the pit you could have a lift as far as money goes.

Size wise about 40ft long is about all I can handle on the property with setbacks. I'll make it as wide as possible, but I think about 28ft will be all that is possible again with property lines. I'm fairly neat and tidy do I should be able to make do with that size I hope. I've got two computers in my garage now on wireless, I'll get one for the other garage too. Urinal is good!

Keep those ideas coming!

[Gregg]

Ron, don't forget to factor in the increase in your property taxes.

[David Morton]

Desoutter electric screwdriver and nut runner, Overhead electrical power,overhead airline coupling,and an air access point about every 3m around the wall, two double site lights, built in corner weighing scales, Air jacks on the car, Flexible exhaust ducts with extractor fan,Go- jacks or wheel dollys, car cocoon, and a large picure of S. McQueen (the one with the two fingers). Very strong plastic interlocking tiled floor. Devolo system for PC, DVD Player and flat panel screen, and a small bead blast cabinet.
Oh - and not a single neon light in sight.
I wish.......

[Steve Briscoe]

1)Portable paint booth.
2)Small gas fired furnace.
3)At least 2x8 studs in the exterior walls to handle heavy wall cabinets.
4)Heavy trusses with a hoist so you can store wheels, frames, blocks, etc. on the ceiling. (3&4 significantly increase what would otherwise be floor space.)
5)14' or higher ceiling.
6)Door on the lift side that moves side to side or rolls up and across the ceiling.
7)Small floor drain with a catch basin. Sort of like a miniature grease pit.
8)Building permit and plans to deal with a property tax increase.

[Pete.]

I assume the floor will be concrete, if so a good two pot epoxy paint job for ease of cleaning. In a colour that will help you find all the things you drop.

[Rob]

Lots of good ideas mentioned already Ron.....but I've got one that hasn't been. In my shop I sunk 9 anchor points into the concrete when it was poured. Ya just never know when you will want to bolt something down to the floor. I regretted not having done this in my last shop. They are long 3/4" nuts with very large (5") washers welded on the bottoms of them. I threaded allen head bolts into them and set them in the wet concrete so they were flush with the surface. The allen bolt now acts as a plug when not in use. Uncrew the allen when needed and secure what ever you need to the floor.
Examples: This summer I rear ended someone in my Mustang (yes that's right...to make it worse it's a limited edition Bullitt too... :-( The good news...I bolted it down to the floor and straightened it myself. More pleasant example, when I paint body panels, doors etc... I have poles that thread into the holes to stand items up on. See pic.

These items cost me about $20 total to put together.... so there isn't really any argument for not dropping them in while the floor is being poured. It's the one time you have the opportunity.

[Doug Sainlar]

Just dreaming here, Ron, but in my dream garage I'd have a floor dyno. If you can see that in the future, it would be wise to have the site for it built in appropriately as the floor is being poured. Until the dyno becomes a reality the hole could just be covered and it would be additional floor space.

I'm thinking about doing so as I plan my garage, and perhaps the dyno can be a source of additional income. I attended a dyno day recently with the Houston Cobra Club and if I'm not mistaken about 30 minutes of dyno time ran around $60.

For me, a killer sound system would be a must!! Gotta have the tunes while I work! I agree on the high speed internet connection, too, but since you use wireless you're already set to go.

[edit] Oh, yeah, storage space, storge space, and more storage space. If there's room for a small "loft" area you could even have someplace comfortable to relax--might be easy enough to build in over whatever small restroom/kitchen facilities you install.

Doug

[David Morton]

and life size pictures of Elle McPherson and Claudia Schiffer.
Just for inspiration for stoking the fire.