7 Car Home Garage Build

[Madhatter10-6]

I have been lurking on this site for a long time and trying to learn what I can. What a great resource!

For the last decade plus building cars has consumed a good portion of my time. It started out as a hobby / necessity and then grew from there. My old house was a standard two car garage and wasn't cutting it anymore from a space standpoint. This spring I found my dream home (within reason). It has a two car garage upstairs and a 4 car garage down stairs. Next to the 4 car garage was an unfinished basement. I knocked out the wall between them and started renovation.

The house was in foreclosure and had been neglected to say the least. Here are some pics from day 1

And here are some shots of the unfinished basement

During this time I had to fire two seperate construction crews for just not showing up and or doing terrible work.

Next step was to add a door between the downstairs garage and the basement

Time for a test fit

After a lot of research I decided to go with Sherwin Williams Tile Clad for the floor

Some of the tools test fit

When Sherwin Williams mixed this epoxy they got the color wrong...in an attempt to fix it they added more colorant which ended up messing up the chemical reactions and the floor never cured correctly. They attempted to fix it and this process drug out over 7 weeks. In the end they just refunded my money and we parted ways. They handled a bad situation very well.

So at this point I am behind schedule and no longer trust / want an epoxy.


I was always a big fan of Jack Olsen's garage so for round #2 decided on tile. I ended up finding a great deal on some LEA tile but I had to buy more than I needed to get the price I wanted. Once I am done using what I need I will just sell the rest.

Next step....car lift. Due to the low ceiling height I went with a Maxjax. At this point I couldn't be happier with it! Here are some pics of the mockup / install.

Maiden Voyage

Knocked out a quick oil change last weekend....love having a lift.

So now the game plan is start laying tile late this week / early next.

 

[Sunbimmer]

Great cars and garage, thanks for sharing

 

[CT2012]

7 cars oh that's nirvana.

 

[mfatuation]

You win!

 

[pitterpat]

Nice place, great find!

Are you going to lay tile over the epoxy?

Not assuming you don't know it but if the epoxy hasn't cured then you need to grind off the epoxy and then lay the tile. You can use the stand up type grinder that looks like a floor buffer; it will grind off the epoxy and give the floor some grip to grip the thinset.

 

[Madhatter10-6]

Nice place, great find!

Are you going to lay tile over the epoxy?

Not assuming you don't know it but if the epoxy hasn't cured then you need to grind off the epoxy and then lay the tile. You can use the stand up type grinder that looks like a floor buffer; it will grind off the epoxy and give the floor some grip to grip the thinset.

Thanks for bringing that up!

The first layer has been down for 2 months...and the 2nd over 1 month.

I was going to grind it off but after renting a grinder and trying two different heads had ZERO luck.

This thing just barely scuffed the floor.

I was planning on just using a thinset like megalite crack prevention mortar and "double buttering".

Do you recommend that or have other suggestions?

 

[Jolly Roger]

7 car garage!

 

[CodeRedZ]

I must admit I'm jealous of the space you have.

 

[95riosnake]

Definitely love where this is going! I love the space downstairs, looks like heaven to me. I can't wait to see the tile in place, I too have drooled over Jack Olsen's garage countless times for multiple reasons, floor included.

Really dig the Z and the wheel setup! Supra isn't bad either

 

[buffaloguy89]

make sure to keep a bunch of tile when your done in case you drop something and break a tile. very cool project

 

[GDPossehl]

Wow, I love the basement garage. My mom's house had one growing up and I pretty much had full reign as she parked in the carport upstairs. I'll bet from the front of the house it's completely inconspicuous. Also easy to heat and cool, and when you're done for the night, just walk upstairs.

Nice fleet of cars too!

 

[UN4GTBL]

That. Is. Amazing.

 

[budmanm3]

Nice garage space in that house.. congrats on the find

 

[Farhan]

Nice cars! Sweet garage setup too. Looking forward to where it goes from here.

 

[Speedy2222]

Love this garage, couldn't ask for a sweeter layout. Can't wait for more progress

 

[MacTexas]

What a nice setup, 7 cars, WOW.

Excuse my ignorance but how does LEA tile differ from other tile?

 

[Ad13]

I must say, your choice of cars is impeccable.

 

[jim1987]

So, if showing us the supra, 300zx and an Audi, wtf are four bays for? Lol. What kinda time does that supra lay down?

 

[ajohno]

Top job can't wait to see it finished.

 

[95riosnake]

So, if showing us the supra, 300zx and an Audi, wtf are four bays for? Lol.

Room to grow? lol

I'd kill to just have an empty garage spot so I didn't have to pull a car out of the garage to work on things. Currently have 3 cars and a 2 car garage... if I had a 7 car garage I would be on cloud 9.

 

[C2 Turbo]

Wish you had taller ceilings but space is nice though. So those your cars or you work on them?

 

[Boosted1]

Nice place Saxon.
That tile looks really interesting.
My epoxy has held up so-so I would say.
Tile does seem like a good option.
Any plans for the Z in the future.
I plan on installing some GTX turbos on my friends this winter.
We have also been discussing ECU options.
You guys using Haltech?
If so, how are you liking it?

 

[dubber]

Awesome space your working with. I've been a fan of THAT supra and THAT 300 since high school, well played!

 

[Madhatter10-6]

Nice place Saxon.
That tile looks really interesting.
My epoxy has held up so-so I would say.
Tile does seem like a good option.
Any plans for the Z in the future.
I plan on installing some GTX turbos on my friends this winter.
We have also been discussing ECU options.
You guys using Haltech?
If so, how are you liking it?

Eric...whats up man! Good to see a fellow tt.net'er over here.


Yeah, I have had epoxy twice now and have never been pleased with it. After doing a TON of research tile seems to be the only thing that will preform like I want. I am going to have a decent amount extra let me know if you want some.

The Z is getting Haltech + E85 + 98 trans this winter. I have all the parts just waiting on the new garage to get done. I have thought about the GTX route and will probably end up there.

Yes, still Haltech on everything. I love them....one of the best mods I have ever done on a car. Just really simplifies everything and puts everything in one eco system.

Hope all is well your way....your garage rocks!

 

[Madhatter10-6]

Wish you had taller ceilings but space is nice though. So those your cars or you work on them?

The BMW, Supra and 300ZX are mine and the Audi is my buddies.

 

[Madhatter10-6]

So, if showing us the supra, 300zx and an Audi, wtf are four bays for? Lol. What kinda time does that supra lay down?

The other bays are for growth in my own collection and still having room to do work on other peoples stuff. I hated being cramped.

The Supra is ~700hp at the crank.....probably high 10's low 11's with a good driver / tire setup./

 

[s2kattracks]

Thats a sweet setup! looking forward to updates!

 

[jimmie jam]

This is a dream build - congrats on a killer find. Mad, you should check out a commercial floor restoration company. The grinders that they have will cut right through that epoxy. I had the floors of a cottage that is in my rental fleet (converted three car garage to 1/1 SFR) ground polished and sealed last year. 900 sf that took 4 guys 4 days to finish with beautiful results. Cost: $1,800. You are only looking for the concrete to be ground which is a lot less involved and should cost a lot less that what I paid ($2 sf). Good luck!

 

[OJ Bartley]

Awesome space, that's going to be a dream to work in when you're all finished. I have to admit, when I saw you chose to go with epoxy I was thinking to myself "that space would look AMAZING tiled. Are you going to build a ramp in between the spaces where you put the door?

I'm subscribing to this just for more Supra pics.

 

[Madhatter10-6]

Awesome space, that's going to be a dream to work in when you're all finished. I have to admit, when I saw you chose to go with epoxy I was thinking to myself "that space would look AMAZING tiled. Are you going to build a ramp in between the spaces where you put the door?

I'm subscribing to this just for more Supra pics.

Thanks man. I already have a wooden ramp built that fits there. Ill make sure to get some extra Supra pics worked in later for ya

 

[andrewthesith]

those cars are awesome! looooooooooove the Supra

 

[bartz32tt]

I wondered when you would post your garage here. Looking great, following with interest! How is Justin's 2JZ32 vert running?

Question about the tile - is it durable enough to support the weight of a car on the lift?

 

[GDPossehl]

Nice place Saxon.
That tile looks really interesting.
My epoxy has held up so-so I would say.
Tile does seem like a good option.
Any plans for the Z in the future.
I plan on installing some GTX turbos on my friends this winter.
We have also been discussing ECU options.
You guys using Haltech?
If so, how are you liking it?

That was a beautiful poem.

 

[cdd1]

Garage looks great--very nice space. It looks like the one of the posts of the lift is under the soffit. What is the height under the soffit?

Thanks!

 

[Madhatter10-6]

I wondered when you would post your garage here. Looking great, following with interest! How is Justin's 2JZ32 vert running?

Question about the tile - is it durable enough to support the weight of a car on the lift?

Thanks!

The 2JZ32 is running great! (other than blowing a front main seal). Its more car than we have skill to drive We just got some new tires for it and will be installing traction control over the winter. Ill get some vids up soon.


This tile is incredibly durable stuff. I called LEA and spoke with their tech about its use and what it would hold up to. Summary is if its properly attached to the concrete there isn't anything during normal use that will hurt it. Obviously if I drop a transmission on it from 8ft up it will crack but other than something that drastic it should be fine. It was originally designed to be used inside of a mall and they accidentally ordered 24x24 instead of 24x18. So I was able to pick it up for a great price...as I would never typically choose to afford $8+ per sqft industrial tile. The only downside was that I had to buy more than I needed....which isn't a big deal because I will just sell whatever is left.

I spoke with Maxjax about the lift and a local guru both agreed that it was better practice to install it directly to the floor and then tile around it. So thats where I installed it.

 

[Madhatter10-6]

Garage looks great--very nice space. It looks like the one of the posts of the lift is under the soffit. What is the height under the soffit?

Thanks!

Thanks man. I think that was one of the mock up pics. Where we ended up mounting allows for full extension of the lift. When its maxed out the Supra was 12-14 inches from the ceiling.

 

[bonecrrusher]

Nice setup man.

I have a Maxjax as well - and I will be tiling my next shop.

Looking forward to your updates.

 

[jim1987]

The other bays are for growth in my own collection and still having room to do work on other peoples stuff. I hated being cramped.

The Supra is ~700hp at the crank.....probably high 10's low 11's with a good driver / tire setup./

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice

 

[taumac]

Love the idea of taking the basement for more garage space. Great layout and place.

Gerard

 

[Dakota00]

Love the space man and awesome car collection!! I'm looking forward to see the tiles installed, you wont regret it!!