Rally Guy

Might be buying a new-build house and it presents the opportunity to build a 25 X 20 ft, detached, wooden garage. That's max for the lot.

Given a near clean slate, (slab is poured, max height is limited to 9 ft), what features etc should I be thinking about?

Thanks for any advice.

RK

Ps. This is a legit post by the "real" Rally Guy. ; )

JimV8

Insulate it to the max and pipe in nat gas.

theiceman

At 9 ft don't think you will need 220 for a lift. But I sure wish I had air lines running in the wall from my compressor to the front of the garage.

Rally Guy

Oh - that's a brilliant tip - I'll get them to build a little cubby for my stand up compressor and plumb lines in the walls. Clever. Thanks!

RK

zer026T

These are the first few things that popped into my head if I were building...

Lift?
Flooring options (epoxy resin vs. interlocking tiles vs. ceramic etc)
Drainage (in case you want to wash inside?)
Overhead / task lighting
Heat/insulation (as per Jim)
Storage (lower/upper cabinets, tires rack, hangers, etc)
Air compressor tank + retractable hose
Electrical outlets and coaxial (if you're planning on TV etc)
Sink/wash basin

zer026T

And if this were rallyguy maybe a section of transparent floor with koi pond beneath?

wc11

Here's what I did.
I have retractable reels for electrical & air in the ceiling. (princess auto)
Extra outlets on the wall.
Ran switched hydro in the ceiling for lighting.
In ceiling speakers for the stereo.
Cable for the TV.
Two 110 cfm bathroom exhaust fans (it's the winter cigar lounge after all)
Since your building new, have the door guys install the door rails & spring right to the ceiling and install the Liftmaster 8500 door lifts for best clearance.

Come spring, it's the overhead furnace, overhead storage, lift & Racedeck.

P0rsch3F113

I agree - best way to go. I have in-floor heat and like it but nat. gas more efficient.

Rally Guy

All great ideas, thanks!

wc11, what are the dimensions of your garage?

RK

Joe02911TT

Your going to need a nice insulated garage door. Let me know when your ready

100% Canadian made

Upwardor.com

wc11

28' x 20' approx
I'm putting in a 4 post lift on the single side after I remove the deck above it. (No posts in the middle of the floor then and you don't have to pour footings)
3 years ago I replaced my doors from Costco (double steel foam insulated). They use a local sub contractor.
The canoe is going a light duty electric hoist later



....wait......which Rally Guy is this....

The Stig

RK,

You've seen my garage. It's 20 x 25 and has a ceiling height of about 9'. Install a laundry tub for clean ups. Install a hot/cold mixer tap on the hose bib. I have a Hormann insulated garage door. It is amazing. The best door you can get IMHO. I also have a jackshaft garage door opener by LiftMaster.

Lastly, is the 47,000 BTU heater. And wire it for speakers and a security camera.

jumper5836

I have in floor heat as well, but it is heated by a nat gas broiler. That is the best method. Though a nat gas heater feels nice if you also carpet the garage otherwise the floor is always cold and as soon as you open the garage door the whole thing gets frozen over in less then 30 sec

+1 hot/cold mixter tap that has a garden hose bib


Lighting. Lot of LED out there to go with. 100w floods that fit in regular el cheapo fixtures that burn on 18w.

ZR8ED

My 24x24 garage is 40+years old, so unless I want to repour the floor, no 2 poster is in my future, so I went with an epoxy floor, Fully insulated walls, doors, attic. The floors are light grey, and the walls and ceiling are white for light reflection. LED lights are the way to go now, but I had installed several banks of flurescent tube lighting at that time. I built an insulated cubby for my air compressor, and lots of overhead storage and tire racks. The TWO things that I should have done were to install cable/ethernet for my surround sound system. (i'm stuck with cds and dvd's only) The other thing I would have done was to install natural gas. I'm using portable heaters, and although I can work in the garage in a sweater in the middle of winter, Having a ceiling mounted heater would take up less floor space, and be easier to operate.
I really love having the flatscreen in the garage. I can work on the cars until I run out of Pizza or my wife yells at me "are you ever going to come in the house today?"

911 Rod

Insulate to the max and don't forget the floor.
Although a heated floor is neat, I think it only works if you are happy with the constant temperature it is set at.
I keep my garage at 7 degrees and my 60,000 btu gas heater heats it up real fast to 20 degrees so it is comfortable.
I would build a scissor lift in the floor.
Lots of outlets!
I think putting air outlets everywhere is a waste of wall space.
My hose reel hangs from the ceiling and can get to anywhere in the garage.