New garage to be built need your input

[Crush]

Ok the time has come to build a new garage. This garage will replace a 2 car garage that was built 60 years ago and isn't large enough to hold all my STUFF. I would like the new garage to be a minimum of 4 car, maybe even larger. So my questions are:
1) if you were building a garage from scratch to be used to store cars and motorcycles what would are some of the watch outs? meaning what do I absolutely want to include or exclude
2) Thinking of ceiling height and depth of garage, am I better to go 2 cars deep as well, have the option to stack cars? or both?
3) Heating, radiant or forced air?
4) Flooring-epoxy, stain, plastic, or?
5)lighting- LED, Fluorescent?

Open to any other suggestions. I am in the plan stage so your inputs would be helpful

[Charley Lillard]

Big as can be
Smooth finish concrete with a stain
LED lighting
tall ceiling so you can have a lift

[Crush]

Im in Michigan so is that smooth finish slippery? Thinking with all the wonderful ice, snow etc we get.

[luzl78]

Radiant! It's nice when it's 10 degrees outside and you stand or lay on a warm floor

[black69]

do truss ceiling to get car lifts to work well. Go atleast 24' deep. I went for 16' peaks.
build it as big as you can.
do 2 x 6, don't cheap out and do 2 x 4. this way you can do decent insulation without spray foam.
I like a tan epoxy floor. no sand additive. Its slick but looks nice, cleans up nice.
went with recessed lighting like in a home.
I am a fan of forced air, as when I go in to the garage, it can heat up fast.
a radiant heat floor means you have to keep it hot all the time ($$$) to work.
then what do you do for air conditioning? Air conditioning is easy to have on a forced air system.
do not seal your concrete, keep it clean so you can expoxy it without having to strip it.
pour floor thick as you can, I went 8 inch thick, made sure rebar was pulled up, etc. Did not want any cracks.

[bergy]

Radiant heat - best in the winter because the underside of the cars stay really warm & condensate doesn't form. You never want the cars to be colder than the surrounding air.

pre-install condensate drain lines (and electrical outlets) where you think you may want future dehumidifiers to be located. you may not think that you want dehumidifiers, but now is the time to build drain lines into your project - just in case.

make sure that garage doors roll up all the way to the ceiling level - so that they never get in the way of future lifts, etc.

I put in a 12' door so that I can store the Sprinter RV in the winter. Also, put in another garage door header in the same door at 14'in case anyone in the future wanted to put a class A motorhome in there. If ever needed, the opening would have to be cut from 12' to 14' height, but it will be a much easier job with the 14' header already in place.

I used tan epoxy floor. Pick a color that is also available in a 1 part for quick touch-ups when it gets chipped.

definitely LED lights.

[iluv69s]

I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !!

[Crush]

Guys, thanks for all the great feedback. I started the design and many of your ideas will/ are being incorporated. What seems like a reasonable price per square foot? I know it varies but curious what you experienced?

[X66 714]

I did my garage 32 x 60 with 3 bay doors. Can't remember if they're 16' or 18'. I got the highest "R" value I could for them. We went 8-8-16 split face block. 2x4 interior walls w/exterior siding instead of sheetrock. If you're also a sign collector, you'll know why. Used a peeked roof with green standing seem metal roofing, Floor was done in light grey epoxy. Walls & ceiling is done in bright white semi gloss for easy cleaning & high visibility. I use 2/3 of the garage for storage & the other 1/3 for working. The working bay has 8 4' double tube lights staggered. the other bays have 4 4' double tube lights staggered per bay. Also put in 3 light switches so I could turn on only the lights I needed. I could only go 9'8" without an engineering stamp. Build as tall & as large as you can. Except for the rise in my property taxes, I don't regret it....Joe

[black69]

I had this built with the cheapest siding and cheapest roof material for 35K. Included 11 loads of gravel and full foundation, 8" floor. Custom engineered trusses (I pre priced everything with the builder, getting the 30ft ones done was not easy for the high lift door). I shopped around alot. Forget thinking Amish builders are cheap, they are not. Went with a Polish outfit out of Chicago. Quality is outstanding.

I think its almost 1500 sq ft. first bay you see from the road is 21 x 24 deep. the next bay is 20 x 30 deep (did not want 30 ft depth visible from road, that worked out well). Last bay (9 ft ceiling, loft overhead) without overhead door is 11 x 24. Again, did not want to see a 30ft deep structure from the house.

why the 24ft depth? My 1959 house I have now and the house I grew up in the city, had that depth. I like it. My moms new house I used to store cars at was I think 20 or 21 deep and I hated it. I would never never never recommend anything less that 24 or 25ft deep. Now if you get too deep, the garage could look out of character with your house (mine sits in the front side yard, wife still married to me). If I made the whole thing 30ft deep, she would have divorced me.

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo29/xxxblack69/DSC_1045.jpg (http://s358.photobucket.com/user/xxxblack69/media/DSC_1045.jpg.html)

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo29/xxxblack69/DSC_1041.jpg (http://s358.photobucket.com/user/xxxblack69/media/DSC_1041.jpg.html)

[Crush]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: black69</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had this built with the cheapest siding and cheapest roof material for 35K. Included 11 loads of gravel and full foundation, 8&quot; floor. Custom engineered trusses (I pre priced everything with the builder, getting the 30ft ones done was not easy for the high lift door). I shopped around alot. Forget thinking Amish builders are cheap, they are not. Went with a Polish outfit out of Chicago. Quality is outstanding.

I think its almost 1500 sq ft. first bay you see from the road is 21 x 24 deep. the next bay is 20 x 30 deep (did not want 30 ft depth visible from road, that worked out well). Last bay (9 ft ceiling, loft overhead) without overhead door is 11 x 24. Again, did not want to see a 30ft deep structure from the house.

why the 24ft depth? My 1959 house I have now and the house I grew up in the city, had that depth. I like it. My moms new house I used to store cars at was I think 20 or 21 deep and I hated it. I would never never never recommend anything less that 24 or 25ft deep. Now if you get too deep, the garage could look out of character with your house (mine sits in the front side yard, wife still married to me). If I made the whole thing 30ft deep, she would have divorced me.

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo29/xxxblack69/DSC_1045.jpg (http://s358.photobucket.com/user/xxxblack69/media/DSC_1045.jpg.html)

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo29/xxxblack69/DSC_1041.jpg (http://s358.photobucket.com/user/xxxblack69/media/DSC_1041.jpg.html)
Do u plan on heating it?

</div></div>

[black69]

I have a forced air furnance tucked in the corner. 90% plus. Many fireman do HVAC on the side, and I got one to do it pretty cheap.
Used a ducane (lennox copy). so far so good.

[napa68]

My next shop will have radiant heat. My Dad has it in his shop and it is REALLY nice.

You're not getting any younger Bary...................take care of those old bones <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/hmmm.gif

Tim

[Zman1969]

Dont forget to over design electrical outlets i mean I had to go back and add few more outlets for fans, drop lights and the like also had to add another 4 plug connectors by entrance door for tuner, projector, cable box, garage door opener wasnt hard to do just a pain since had to modify what we just built. they say hind sight is 20/20

[Lynn]

Anyone have anchor pots in the floor?

[mockingbird812]

Propane is cheap round here so that is what I used for heat - installed myself as it is fairly straight forward. Very toasty and warms up quickly. Ceiling fans are beneficial in maximizing heating and a/c (turns the air over). Window a/c (110V) takes care of cooling in my 2.5 car (500 sq ft x 9'4&quot; tall) garage. Concur on electrical outlets - you will never say that you installed too many. Allow for 220 outlet for best efficiencies for your compressor and other high draw equipment. Don't skimp on insulation, it is relatively cheap and pays you back in extreme temps (hi or low). Concur with 2x6 walls for additional insulation. Ensure you have plenty of lighting as once you start putting stuff in your shop you will find lots of shadows that need to be addressed. Would go with strong trusses with at least 2x6 or greater construction in order to store in your attic if you have one. Consider putting your windows up higher toward ceiling for natural light and minimize prying eyes and potential ingress points for the baddies. Research yr electrical power and compressed air requirements (type and positioning in your garage) when considering your lift(s). Consider lots of air drops inside and maybe an air drop outside for access to compressed air for outside projects. Consider isolating dirty machines (grinders, cutters, wire wheel, welding, etc. in a separate room to keep from messing up the rest of the shop. Isolate your compressor for noise. Go visit as many garages as you can and make note of things you like. Ask them what they would do differently. Have fun and make sure to post your build here!

[iluv69s]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iluv69s</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !! </div></div>

....something that I forgot. I used 1/4&quot; plywood for all the cielings and walls...no drywall...So, in my garage, I can literally screw anywhere I like!!

[Crush]

I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !! [/quote]

....something that I forgot. I used 1/4&quot; plywood for all the cielings and walls...no drywall...So, in my garage, I can literally screw anywhere I like!![/quote]

Did you paint the plywood? If you have a pic plz post
Thx

[black69]

iluv69s, you mean 1/2&quot; or 3/4&quot; plywood, right? 1/4&quot; seems pretty weak and flimsy, and I can see insulation (R23 for 2x6 walls, R49 ceilings) bowing that.
I regret not using roxul in my garage vs fiberglass. Better R value per inch. I just did my whole remodeled house in it. Added benefit is superior sound proofing.

[dykstra]

A lot of info here. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/