Garage/Workshop Wish List Advice

[NGOT8R]

30X40(W) detached here.
Go as big as you can
Install more outlets than you think you could ever use if you are going drywall(speaker wired too)
Get your water ran, floor drains are nice but a sloped floor will work if permitting gets tricky
Determine what kind of garage door openers you will use(jack shafts are nice)

See how it all fits using this link - https://coachhousegarages.com/willitfit/
Have you approached your city regarding this project yet?

Killer looking setup right there!

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[NGOT8R]

@TrackMeisterWannabe, here is a pic of a 4’ level on the ground next to my car to give you an idea of how mild the floor slope is. As you can see, it’s not that bad at all.

 

[Strokerswild]

Go as big as you possibly can.

I was limited to 1,000 square feet on a detached structure by my county (and available space), so I built my shop 30x33' back in 2004. I had about a year to plan so everything was considered, but my only regret is not going with 12-14' walls versus the 9' I went with. I never thought in a million years then that I would need or want more room, but with the advent of 4-post lifts I could pack more in with a taller ceiling.

Water would have been nice too in order to have a sink and urinal, but it hasn't really been a regret. My yard is heavily wooded and I live in the sticks so the world is my toilet...

 

[FKE SNK]

My "water hack" was to run a hose from the house to the garage. I have a spigot on the outside that takes water "in" to a sink, power washer and an additional spigot. It's not code but it gets the job done outside of the winter months.

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

One of my favorite garage additions was the polyaspartic flooring. I was going to do a DIY epoxy, but had concerns with hot tire pickup on the DIY stuff. The polyaspartic is damn near impossible to damage and impervious to any chemicals it'll come in contact with in a garage. When I was testing it out I had the sales rep leave me swatches for a week long torture test. Brake fluid, oil, gas all left for days and just wiped clean. Best part is it came with a 30 year warranty.

The other addition that I've become surprisingly fond of is the wall mount garage vacuum system. I use this way more than I thought I would.

Was there a specific manufacturer you liked over the others?

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

30X40(W) detached here.
Go as big as you can
Install more outlets than you think you could ever use if you are going drywall(speaker wired too)
Get your water ran, floor drains are nice but a sloped floor will work if permitting gets tricky
Determine what kind of garage door openers you will use(jack shafts are nice)

See how it all fits using this link - https://coachhousegarages.com/willitfit/
Have you approached your city regarding this project yet?

Thankfully I live out in the country where our zoning restrictions are still reasonable so I feel confident I will be able to build pretty much what I want.

 

[Cobra Jet]

And if you need more ideas, there's always https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/ - the most comprehensive garage forum online. I've been a member there for a few years now, always good ideas over there with very knowledgeable folks.

 

[tosha]

Add a second floor on top with a bar, party area, home theatre and maybe guest bedroom.

Actually, I'm not joking . At some point I saw one of the houses on sale, it had a large detached structure with awesome garage/shop on the ground floor and mind blowing 2nd floor party space. it had a big bar, sofas, proper home theatre and etc. It was a big selling feature in my opinion.

If you try to build this in your basement, you have to deal with whole bunch of structural limitations, invest tons in soundproofing, light management, work around ceiling height, room dimensions, take away space from something else and etc, and at the end it rarely works really well. Here, you just need to raise the walls by another 9-10ft and you get a killer man cave space.

 

[Tucker80]

Was there a specific manufacturer you liked over the others?

I used Garage Living Cincinnati, but the product they use is what most of the garage flooring speciality companies use.

https://go.garageliving.com/cincinn...39stoKlqOE-yt2dVWLonltA8nejkug5hoCXscQAvD_BwE

 

[JG M1]

@JG M1, I love that Cobra too! I wanted to build one myself many years ago. Maybe some day I’ll have an opportunity to build something nice from the ground up. A nice garage/shop is crucial to making a project like that a lot more fun.

I started my build in 2004 and finished in 2006. I had a one bay garage at that time and had only jack stands to support the frame with many hours on my back, of course I was a lot younger then at 50.
Painter did all the body work and it took him six months before I got it back. The lift sure would made life easler!

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

Actually, I'm not joking . At some point I saw one of the houses on sale, it had a large detached structure with awesome garage/shop on the ground floor and mind blowing 2nd floor party space. it had a big bar, sofas, proper home theatre and etc. It was a big selling feature in my opinion.

If you try to build this in your basement, you have to deal with whole bunch of structural limitations, invest tons in soundproofing, light management, work around ceiling height, room dimensions, take away space from something else and etc, and at the end it rarely works really well. Here, you just need to raise the walls by another 9-10ft and you get a killer man cave space.

Similar thoughts had crossed my mind. The build starts to get rather tall and expensive when accounting for the height necessary for a lift though.

 

[NGOT8R]

Here’s what I use for a shop vac. The holder mounts to the wall, just lift and go and then stow again when done.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-...VdAytBh0_aQ9vEAQYASABEgJQUfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[FKE SNK]

Similar thoughts had crossed my mind. The build starts to get rather tall and expensive when accounting for the height necessary for a lift though.

I did 10 ft walls and vaulted the rear of the garage ceiling to clear a 2 post lift. These typically need 12ft of clearance. The front half was 10 ft tall which still gave me room for attic storage

 

[NGOT8R]

I did 10 ft walls and vaulted the rear of the garage ceiling to clear a 2 post lift. These typically need 12ft of clearance. The front half was 10 ft tall which still gave me room for attic storage

Did you have a custom attic access opening and stairs installed? My attic access is a measly 22” X 54” with no stairs. There’s no way I can get anything up and through that opening for storage. A 36” X 60” with pull down stairs would be perfect for getting things up or down from the attic.

 

[gfitzge2]

Two and a half car garage about 22 x 22. Bigger would be better of course. 12 foot ceiling is good because it feels less cramped and allows for some storage. Not really big enough for a 2 or 4 post lift, but mine is more of a garage and not really a shop.
Most concrete will crack eventually, mine was already cracked so I went with the Race Deck floor tiles they still look good after 5 years. Also went with the mini split HVAC and it is great.

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