Building garage....any ideas?

[bbaker80]

My neighbor (he wheels a Samurai) has flourescent lights in the walls. I think they are suspended ceiling fixtures that are fitted between the studs. I'd consider the sloped floor, but 2 of the doors are going to go in one end, and one through the side at the other for the tractor, so either way the water is going to run past the work area. I'm not a big fan of sealer, we have it in the house garage, and it always seems to get gummy when I spill something on it. I do like the idea of radiant floor heating. I didn't know you could do that in a garage. Every time I need to work underneath something in the winter I can't move for the rest of the day.

We already have a pool room in the basement, but I was thinking about tossing the old couch out in the garage and getting something more comfortable for in the house. Of course I'll be running cable, phone, and cat-5 out to it. Monster Garage, the fire department, and are all important to access from a work area.

Unfortunately Mother Nature chose my first Jeep project for when the garage is finished. I came home from work today to find the sunroof scattered all through the interior and a tree branch across the front seats. I guess since the glass is so hard to come by I'll just have to chop off the roof and start towing my junk around .

 

[Matthew Currie]

Consider a pit, but only if it can be both drained and ventilated. Pits can be explosive otherwise. Nonetheless, if you can do it, it's very nice, and you'll find yourself maintaining things more frequently when you know you can just drive over the pit and do it. When I was a kid, my father had a garage built, and included a pit. Even though I probably lost a few IQ points every time I banged my head on the bumper coming out, I miss that convenience.

If you can't do a pit, make sure there's some room overhead in case a lift ever does become possible. Every once in a blue moon someone sells a used one. You might get lucky.

If you foresee the possibility of body work or restoration, how about a good ventilation system for painting, and "pots" (recessed floor anchors) for body work?

 

[seanR]

This is a great thread! I have been planning a shop in my head for a while. A couple things were missed.

A used oil heater. They are a little pricey new, but pay for them selves rather quickly (granted no one pours anti freeze in it :confused1 don't ask me how I know this).

Also, plenty of room for people to sit and shoot the bull. I had a nice 2 1/2 car garage once and it seemed to be the place everyone came to after work to...'unwind'.

One more thing, See what it costs to get seperate electical, sewer and water services installed to the garage. Might be handy if you ever decide to set up a business, lots of tax benifits.