After many years of having 2-1/2-car garages, I built my "dream garage" to these specs seven years ago:
Size: 44’ x 58’ x 12’ attached garage; 2552 sq. ft., less 256 sq.ft. for 16’ x 16’ corner office, net garage floorspace is 2296 sq. ft.
Construction: 2x6 framing for maximum insulation (R-26 walls, R-58 ceiling), custom-built 62’-long 12/12-pitch trusses for 58’ inside clear span (no columns or walls). Fully-finished walls and ceiling painted off-white, five 6’ x 6’ Andersen casement windows for plenty of daytime natural light.
Doors: Openings framed with laminated headers for custom-built oversize 18’ x 8’ Taylor sectional insulated overhead doors, 1-1/4”-thick steel/foam/steel sandwich construction with tubular seals between sections and vinyl perimeter seals for maximum insulation. Windows in top section of each door for additional natural light. Door in lift bay installed as a “high-lift” with horizontal tracks only 9” from the ceiling so that door can be opened fully with a car at maximum working height on the lift. The 8’-high opening allows rolling the lift outside on its caster kit when needed. Lift-Master electric door openers.
Floor: 10-mil poly moisture barrier on tamped soil and crushed gravel, covered with ½”-thick 4’ x 8’ sheets of high-density closed-cell foam with heavy foil on both sides for insulation and a secondary moisture barrier. Steel mesh on wire stands over that, with a 4”-thick concrete slab; provides a fully-insulated, dry, and moisture migration-proof floor. The “step” area at the front of the garage was poured 60” wide instead of the usual 30” to provide plenty of space for the main workbenches and stools.
Floor Coating: HomePro Floors (
www.homeprofloors.com) steel shot-blasted the floor to clean it and open up the pores in the “skin” to provide the “tooth” for bonding epoxy resin. Two coats, 24 hours apart, of 2-part industrial epoxy resin, with the second coat tinted light gray and lightly-sprinkled with fine silica sand for anti-slip when wet; their “Classic Floor System”. Absolutely indestructible, hot tires won’t mark it or lift it, impervious to all automotive chemicals including brake fluid, very easy to keep clean. The light color and reflectivity just about doubles lighting effectiveness.
Lighting: Seven 8-foot twin-tube fluorescent ceiling-mounted fixtures, bank-switched in groups so only the ones needed in a given area need to be on.
Lift: Cytech Double-Park (
www.doublepark.net) 4-post 7000# capacity lift with 110V offset power unit, caster kit, drip trays, jack bridge, aluminum ramps, and drive-thru capability.
Electrical: Separate 100-amp service and breaker box, including 220V for compressor and welder, ten 120V circuits for lighting and outlets. Wall outlets EVERYWHERE, extras in the ceiling in the work area for cord reels and drop lights to keep cords off the floor. Phone and cable in main workbench area, with wall-mounted TV/VCR.
Standby Power: 18,000-watt Generac fully-automatic natural gas-powered standby generator system (shared with the house).
Heating: Reznor 125,000-BTU power-vented forced-air gas ceiling-mounted unit heater with electronic ignition (no pilot flame); could have gone much smaller due to the effectiveness of the total garage insulation system.
Air Conditioning: Mitsubishi 42,000-BTU high-wall-mounted ductless split system – only requires one 3-inch hole in the wall for refrigerant and condensate drain lines from the inside evaporator/air-handler unit to the outdoor compressor/condensing unit. All functions operated by a hand-held remote.
Water: Hot/cold water with industrial spigot and 50-foot wall-mounted retracting hose reel in work area, also in wash-up sink in the office.
Floor Drain: None – prohibited by local codes; floor slab is pitched toward the doors.
Compressor: DeVilbiss 6.5-hp 220V belt-driven oiled compressor, vertical 60-gallon tank, 10.5 SCFM @ 90 psi; mounted on rubber body mount cushions for reduced noise/vibration. FRL unit feeds a wall-mounted 50-foot retracting hose reel.
Tool Storage: Craftsman ball-bearing rollaways, main bench area is ball-bearing service carts with casters removed, spanned by a custom-built Formica top. Additional Craftsman and wire-rack storage cabinets and shelves.
Wall Storage: White 3/16” pegboard on 1” x 2” framing.
Decoration: Restored Sunoco 260 gas pump, Eco TireFlator station, drive-in speakers, lots of framed photos and Corvette/Viper/Ferrari automobilia on the walls.
Office: 16’ x 16’ fully-enclosed office in the front corner of the garage, with casement windows overlooking the garage area and outdoors. Bank-switched recessed lighting, ceiling fan, built-in computer desk area, custom cabinets and Formica countertops, 16-foot workbench with Masonite top, washup sink, under-counter refrigerator, phone & TV/ethernet cable, wall-mounted TV/VCR, mirrored curio cabinets for die-cast collection.
