Help me set-up my garage!

[stran0020]

Okay so I have a 2 car garage, I like to DIY on my car because I like to believe it saves me money been here for over a year now and have acquired a lot of different stuff too assemble my dream garage.

details
2 car attached garage
im not very skilled but can follow tutorials pretty well.

what I need help
how to run 220 to the garage. (exact details) ex. do i run the wire up the attic?
Lighting (i bought trouffers, most likely just get fluorescence lights though)
Organization set-up

Anyways here are pics to better describe/explain my situation. I don't see a lot of 2 car attached garages in here. More custom built garages and such.

2 car attached garage

Air Compressor that needs 220v, that I don't have

Trouffer lights (4) that I bout for cheap, might just go to surface mount fluorescent lights, would be great to use these though

Picture of attic, alot of vents in the way so don't know what that means for installation of stuff.

Breaker box

Other pics

Don't know why I bout this small tool cart, need to upgrade to an actual tool box

 

[over40pirate]

First thing I would do is put some insulation above the ceiling.
High shelves all around for storage.

 

[ZRX61]

Where is the breaker box located in relation to the garage?

 

[Kevin54]

stran....first off....Welcome to Garage Journal.

Second off, if you would put the State, Country, Continent, or planet you live in on your profile, it helps to answer questions. Different areas of location, may very well lead to different answers when it comes to codes, insulation, frost lines, blah, blah, and blah.

Aside from that....it looks like you have a pretty good blank slate to work with. And as already asked, depending on where your panel/breaker box is located, may make a difference as to how you run your wiring. It looks that your panel box is outside of the house. If that's the case, you may have to come in behind it on the garage side, or you can possibly go up through the wall, into the attic, then back down to where you want a 220 outlet, if you want your wire hidden. If not, you might be able to come in from behind the panel box on the garage side, then surface mount your electrical.

For your fluorescent light needs, I would put in a new breaker and run the new lights off of their own breaker so as not to overload the current garage breaker that you already have.

But code will dictate what you can and can't do. And ones in your area will be more familiar as to what you can and can't do in regards to that.

 

[nicksnothereman]

You start with the tools not the compressor. Hahahahaha. Since you got a jaguar I assume you own more tools than you're showing. Put some shelves in there to store incidental ****, doesn't need to be nice/built by yourself though some guys on here have some awesome setups. Plastic tiered shelving is fine for most purposes until you get a lot of stuff and/or heavy stuff then you need something a bit more stout.

I don't know the electrical question, honestly if you don't know you should hire someone (a reputable electrician) to do it. I sure as **** wouldn't do it myself.

 

[stran0020]

sorry guys didn't mean to leave out important info.
I'm in Surprise, Arizona. Super hot desert climate
1,700 sqft home built by Richmond American.
The breaker box is outside on the opposite side of the house, most houses in this area that I've seen is styled this way. It would be nice to have the wires hidden but since the garaged is finished i'm assuming conduit would be best?

and for the jaguar, its a money pit thats why i have tools in the first place i have handful of body tools because it has hail damage that i will eventually get to, but since its so hot in the summer and i have pretty much no light in the garage its hard to find time for it!

 

[theultimatehic]

In my house(Also in az) I have the electrical on the opposite side of house to. I would run conduit into the attic and route it to the garage. You can run a separate breaker into another breaker box that you install in the garage,and then run all your new outlets etc from that box so your garage electrical is right in your work area. You can rip some dry wall out and put everything in the walls and then redo the drywall or have there lines showing. Depends on how you feel about electrical showing. Personally I would run it all in the walls but I like to have a "clean" look. As for the lights. If you have em why not use em. Time can flush mount those in if you wanna do the work out just hang them. I'd cut the ceiling up and mount them flush so they don't hang down and take up space. Minus will use what you already have. Hope this helps with your decisions a lil bit at least.

 

[ZRX61]

The breaker box is outside on the opposite side of the house, most houses in this area that I've seen is styled this way.

ok, so where is the drier outlet in relation to the garage? They are usually 30a/220v & will run that compressor.

 

[stran0020]

The drier outlet is, if you can see the door in the first picture right in there. So from the garage there's a door entering the laundry room.

 

[IlliniJeeper]

ok, so where is the drier outlet in relation to the garage? They are usually 30a/220v & will run that compressor.

It'll run the compressor, but it probably won't run the compressor *and* the dryer at the same time. It would **** to blow the breaker every time the compressor kicks on while the dryer's running.

 

[stran0020]

From the youtube videos I've watched i'm assuming you would run the wire from the breaker box up to attic, then climb up the attic and find the wires then run those wires to the garage?

The only wiring i've done was when I mounted my tv on the wall and rerouted(?) the outlet to go behind the tv so there was no wires showing. just moved the outlet straight up a couple feet

 

[gearhead1]

Electrical:
Look at the range, a/c, and dryer breakers. Notice how they are 'doubles' meaning the breaker takes two slots. You will need a 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire for the compressor. Run the wire however you need to, then put the 220 outlet like your dryer outlet on the wall (make sure it is rated for 30A), and put the corresponding plug on the compressor. Green is ground the world around, so put the ground wire on the green screw which is the 'L' shaped prong usually. The other two are the two hots and go to the two prongs on the plug/outlet. On the panel end, the two hots go directly to the breaker. The ground goes on the ground bar.

How do you know you need a 30A breaker? Because the compressor picture shows 22A and you always go to the next size larger breaker. How do you know you need 10 gauge wire? Look at a chart and it will show you 10 gauge wire is good for 30A. If you undersized the wire, it will get warm and possibly so hot it catches something on fire. So size the breaker for the load, then use the wire for that amperage of breaker.

Where I live, a homeowner can do his own wiring. You have to be licensed to do it for someone else. I've always done my own and it meets code. The wire and breaker have to be sized correctly. Then the wire has to be run correctly and hooked up correctly.

Go slow, wire it up, but don't turn on the breaker. Have someone who knows what they're doing double check you before you turn it on or plug in the compressor.

 

[BEAVO]

i just moved and unfortunately i went from a 30x24 to a two car attached garage....oh forgot to mention the wife wants to park in it at least during winter... so im curious as to peoples storage ideas.....

 

[stran0020]

The hooking up part I can understand but the actual routing of the wires is where I'm stumped. Because once the wires are there I can hook it up just try not to electrocute myself!
I haven't gone up the attic but there seems to be little space to work and I'm only 5'2! But I'm assuming once you remove the cover of the breaker box you run the wires up into the attic where it comes out?? And then from there run the wires across the attic and down to the garage?

 

[gearhead1]

The hooking up part I can understand but the actual routing of the wires is where I'm stumped. Because once the wires are there I can hook it up just try not to electrocute myself!
I haven't gone up the attic but there seems to be little space to work and I'm only 5'2! But I'm assuming once you remove the cover of the breaker box you run the wires up into the attic where it comes out?? And then from there run the wires across the attic and down to the garage?

Correct, if that's how your house was built. I've seen some where they went down to the basement or crawl space, then back up.

You'll have to drill a hole in the top plate for the wire to go through. What I do is find the stud where I want it then take a razor knife and cut a chunk of drywall that covers the stud and a 4" section beside the stud up near the ceiling. This allows me to have a 'window' to drill the hole in the exact correct spot in the top plate. (The top plate is the horizontal 2x4 on top of the wall studs). Then I do the same thing where the outlet goes. Run the wire down along the stud, then put that top chunk of dry wall back with two drywall screws on the stud.

 

[Carl B]

Stran0020:
Since you don't have an excess of garage space - the first things I would do - are{

1. Plan to put that Compressor outside. Buy or pour a concrete pad large enough for it to sit on. Then frame around it, allowing for good air flow - and sound insulation.

2, Do the same thing with what looks like a water softener already in the garage. Either put it in the utility room or put it outside in the same housing as the compressor.

Both of the above would be major obstacles to both efficient layout - and cosmetic appearance. Yes, it will take some effort/expense to get them out of the way - but in the end you'll be very happy you did it in the beginning.

3. If that is a brand new house - and the garage floor is still CLEAN.. very clean. The first thing I would do, before it gets oil/grim etc. on it - is SEAL the concrete in some manor.

Then - give us a diagram - with the exact dimensions of your garage. It is very important to know exactly how much room you have on each side of that garage door.. as well as how much room you have in front of your cars..

You show a picture of the outside of the house - with pink toys…Where is that wall in relation to the garage? Is that on the side of the garage - or is that behind a utility room? Again a drawing even rough would help.

FWIW,
Carl B.

 

[coljar]

Stran0020:
Since you don't have an excess of garage space - the first things I would do - are{

1. Plan to put that Compressor outside. Buy or pour a concrete pad large enough for it to sit on. Then frame around it, allowing for good air flow - and sound insulation.

Carl B.

This would be number 1 on my list. My compressors are in back rooms in both my garages, but Carl's suggestion is good. I hate to listen to that noise.

 

[John McA]

This would be number 1 on my list. My compressors are in back rooms in both my garages, but Carl's suggestion is good. I hate to listen to that noise.

^This.
Please be aware of required side yard minimum clearance.
Compressor noise may generate a problem with the occupants of the neighboring residence.
Is there a home owners association present?

 

[KariFS]

Question: do you really need that big of a compressor? OK, that might be a dumb question to ask on this forum

I am just wondering what you are planning to use it for. If you do basic car maintenance only, you won't be needing grinders, air hammers, paint guns, sand blasting equipment etc. For rotating your tires you can get a battery powered nut driver. For filling up tires, or blowing stuff clean sometimes, a small 2hp compressor is enough, doesn't take up much space and will run on 110V.

Just a thought. Don't know if money is an issue for you. If you want the big one, then go for it, at least you won't run out of compressed air anytime soon

 

[stran0020]

Thanks for all the help everyone, I'll try to draw up a picture of the house. There is a HOA but I have RV gates and the current direct drive compressor I have is much louder I'm thinking! I will be using sanders for the car to correct some hail damage and I got the compressor for 400 which is a killer deal?

The outside pic, where the pink car is is where the garage ends that's the side of the garage, if you see that vent before the car that is a vent into the garage. Then walking forward would be walk-in closet master bath master bed patio

 

[KariFS]

400 is a very good deal for a compressor that size. I would have bought it too, even though I don't need one that big You're right, if you use a sander, you'll need it. I only have a small portable one, but I just fill tires and occasionally use nailgun with it.

 

[Carl B]

^This.
Please be aware of required side yard minimum clearance.
Compressor noise may generate a problem with the occupants of the neighboring residence.
Is there a home owners association present?

Good points. Framed in under the roof overhang, even with good air ventilation - and with proper sound insulation, mounted on good isolation blocks - the noise from that compressor would be less than most outside A/C compressors.

I don't need another one - but at $400.00 I'd have bought that compressor. If for no other reason than to hold it until a friend needed one. That is a $2K compressor new - and even used usually sell for $1K or more.

FWIW,
Carl B.