Shop/garage info needed....hoist as well.

[Dobalovr]

Brian, besides many of the good tips already posted, a couple things I've discovered over the years.
- mount everything on wheels, it sure makes temporary garage reconfiguration much easier. My garage get re-purposed when I do car stuff, wood working projects, furniture restoration and electrical/electronic repairs. I made dollies similar to these for my 12" radial arm, sand blasting cabinet and misc work surfaces.
- epoxy seal and coat the concrete floor, makes clean-up very easy.
- use a sound proofed room for your air compressor and mount the compressor on sound deadening pads.
- think about drapes on rollers that can be pulled down from the ceiling like a wind blind. Use these curtains to isolate areas of the garage from an open bay door during winter weather. Also nice to have around your sandblaster.
- You can't have too many 110v outlets. In my case I also need 220v for some of my tools.
- You can't have too many lights, but you can waste money lighting areas you aren't currently working in. So create work zones, each with it's own light switch.
- In my current garage I ran a Cat6 cable for high speed internet and an RJ6 coax cable for my cable TV access. The internet cable can plug into wifi router/switch for wired computers and for wifi access to other toys.
- running water is super handy for cleanup and car washing. If you can get access to sewer/septic, a porcelain throne and a shower are a nice addition.
- In your location I expect firewood is plentiful so consider an airtight furnace to save on gas/propane expenses. Paul, down in Idaho uses wood stoves to heat all his shops. In your location you might need an auxiliary pellet feeder to keep the fires going when you're not around to add wood.
- if you use scissor trusses to get ceiling clearance for a lift, consider also extended door tracks to run up the roof slope and get the door and its hardware out of the way. Do a google search for "roof pitch track".
- join the garage journal group, very good source of ideas.
That about covers my 2 cents worth!

You are so going to project manage my dream shop....right after next weeks lotto win!

 

[HWYCRZR]

Great Summary Fury440.
Yes every thing on wheels, makes a garage more versatile. Makes it easier to clean as well. For heat distribution with a tall ceiling (if it is too late for floor heat)A ceiling fan or two does wonders for more even heat throughout the shop. And keep the doors closed if you can.

 

[HWYCRZR]

Has anyone built or installed an air to air exchanger? It uses the warm exhaust air to warm up the incoming cold fresh air. I have one in my house that runs year around.
Currently in the garage I have a 16" vent fan to clear the air, but has so much air flow that I have to open my walk in door so it doesn't bow my overhead door. Of course that cools off the garage rather rapidly on a cold winter day.

 

[HWYCRZR]

One more then I will stop.
Internet...
Internet in the garage is helpful, but with my detached shop/garage I really couldn't run cat5 from the house and it was a little too far away for good wireless.
I found a couple of NanoStation Loco's from Ubiquiti on Amazon for around $100. It acts as a wireless ethernet cable. You hook one end to the cat 5 from your house (can mount in a window, or they are outdoor rated for a better line of site) and then into another wireless router set up as a switch. I now have strong wifi in my shop and better wifi on my patio. It is even strong enough to stream HD content on my TV. Some of the models can go up to a 1/4 mile.

 

[polara71]

Great advice.... this past summer I got the 70" TV and blue ray player out there all wired to the stereo/receiver . The garage is roughed for phone and cable but I plan on going with the router for the smart TV.

 

[thrashingcows]

Once again thank you all for your suggestions and advice.

Here is kind of where I'm at as of now....I am leaning away from the heated floors as of now. I have a feeling the over all cost of this will not be within my budget. high ceilings...16' probably, with 2'-4' concrete walls, with either 2x6 or 2x8 framed walls for super insulation. Then one big door, at least 12' high, and two smaller 8' doors to either side. gas heating to get things comfortable, with a wood burner to bump it up when I'm out there. A couple ceiling fans to move the warm air down and keep the air moving. A HD 2 post lift in one of the back corners? Lots of electrical plugs, air line connections, and lighting, and a separate insulated room for the compressor.

Sure there will be more changes as I go.

 

[Big_John]

Look at LED lighting rather than fluorescents. I've been slowly converting mine as the ballasts and/or bulbs burn out.

 

[commando1]

with 2'-4' concrete walls

You building a garage or a nuclear bunker?

 

[cm23uoc]

I'm settled already with the low Budget grease pit variant mostly due to size of the building compared to the number of cars. I will update my thread after the window Frames hopefully will come in this week.

I'm taking over Stan's shed after retirement.

 

[Fury440]

Don't forget to run extra power to the ceiling for drop lights. I agree with the led 4' long tubes, they look like florescent but give better light and last longer. With a 16' ceiling, maybe the overhead lights should be on drop chains to get them about 8' off the floor. Better light where you are working and you don't need to be a monkey to change bulbs.
Also with a 16' ceiling the upper 8' is waste space, except where the tall door is. I would think about a mezzanine on either end of the garage. Gives you a ton of storage without restricting height requirements where tall is important. This is something that can be added later. Lots of stuff to ponder.

 

[commando1]

I'm taking over Stan's shed after retirement.

I have some Florida land to sell you...

 

[cm23uoc]

I have some Florida land to sell you...

Thanks, but commuting will suck without Air Force One.

 

[live4theking]

Nah, just a guy from Schenectady.

Now get off of my cape.

If I were to come visit you would have to use that cape to wipe the drool off of your cars!

Lots of great advice....Thank you!

I think I will look into heated floors for sure, and up north where I now live an outdoor fire fueled boiler system is quite common.....so might look into that as well.

I want to add a outdoor wood boiler in a couple of years. These guys are Canadian and have a great reputation from what I can tell, Portage and Main.

 

[thrashingcows]

You building a garage or a nuclear bunker?

No the higher foundation wall allows the run off from the roof to not splash up and wick into the building structure....and you can build the taller walls with shorter lumber. ;)

Don't forget to run extra power to the ceiling for drop lights. I agree with the led 4' long tubes, they look like florescent but give better light and last longer. With a 16' ceiling, maybe the overhead lights should be on drop chains to get them about 8' off the floor. Better light where you are working and you don't need to be a monkey to change bulbs.
Also with a 16' ceiling the upper 8' is waste space, except where the tall door is. I would think about a mezzanine on either end of the garage. Gives you a ton of storage without restricting height requirements where tall is important. This is something that can be added later. Lots of stuff to ponder.

If I do go with 16' walls a mezzanine will definitely be considered....if not right away, down the road for sure.

 

[65Fury440]

RE: Heating
I used to sell and install infrared tube heaters similar to this. They are vented, so you can use it in tight construction, and they heat objects below it.
If you could hang it over your work area, it would be perfect.
You would have to size it properly, and keep minimum clearances around and below it.
If you have to open the overhead door, you don't lose all your heat, as with a unit heater.

SunStar Propane Heater Infrared Tube 75000 BTU 20L | eBay

 

[65Fury440]

Re Lift
I looked and looked, read and read. This company seems to be good at a reasonable price.
I'm going with the 10k 2 post. If I ever stop blowing my lift fund money on things like a stroker motor.
2 Post Lift - 2 Post Car Lifts - Derek Weaver Company, Inc. Store

 

[cantflip]

Re Lift
I looked and looked, read and read. This company seems to be good at a reasonable price.
I'm going with the 10k 2 post. If I ever stop blowing my lift fund money on things like a stroker motor.
2 Post Lift - 2 Post Car Lifts - Derek Weaver Company, Inc. Store

Prices look pretty good... If you can check one out in person before committing, even better. I have only ever heard one 2 post horror story... and it was a very big brand name involved.

Everything else I've heard is operator error stuff.

 

[65Fury440]

Yea that would totally suck!

 

[sixpkrt]

IMO post #40 from Fury440 summed up a lot of good ideas and advice. Thanks for the garage journal link too.
If I had land where I live, I'd build nothing smaller than 40x40, but since I don't have land, the choice is rent or buy. I've been renting for years, and finally pulled the trigger and bought my own place. For me, it made sense to operate my business up front and my shop/hobby in the back.
My place is 30x60 with 12x30 as office space and 48x30 as shop space with gas forced air furnace, A/C and 110v & 220v power. I am using about 40x30 as shop space with and there is still plenty of room.
Lighting is one of the most important factors. The last thing you'd need in your shop is poor lighting, but since you're building, think about where you will be working on your cars and If I can suggest, plan for putting windows nearby when you are in the design stage. My shop has no windows.
Ceiling height is important. I'd say minimum 12', although with one car on my lift, I just needed 10'6" when fully hoisted. I went with the Direct Lift 8000 lb. unit. It lifts my Imperial easily and I likely will never have anything heavier on it. The 2 post lifts kind of scare me.
Most likely you'll have some car part that will be stored in your shop. Since you're building keep the things to be stored away from the work area. Industrial shelving at the big box stores are cheap. You'll be glad you have shelf space. I like the idea posted earlier about putting everything on wheels and having some creature comforts like a phone and big screen tv too.
Here's how my 30x40 shop space works for me. (I'm not counting the desk area in the 40' measurement)

 

[commando1]

No the higher foundation wall allows the run off from the roof to not splash up and wick into the building structure....and you can build the taller walls with shorter lumber. ;)

24"wide x 48" high foundation
Now it makes sense...
It sounded like, walls up to 4 ft thick.