Beginning garage finish, things you regret NOT doing initially?

[inlinesix]

36x22 attached to house, 10' ceiling. Had hot dawg installed yesterday... ran 3 more 15a circuits for a total of 60a. CATV & CAT5 also, 220 is on standby if needed. Hot/cold water and drains pre-existing.

Ceiling and common wall are already drywalled/insulated won't do much with those, going to airseal the ceiling penetrations and have that blown in, going to do unfaced R15 and poly on the sidewalls then drywall.

Using the space for 3 cars and small repairs and hang out spot in the winter, what would you have done differently or added initially if you could start over?

 

[kd3pc]

outside electrical outlet on each side, same with water and air. I definitely would find the time/money to do epoxy, correctly, the first time and not look back.

enjoy!

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

outside electrical outlet on each side, same with water and air. I definitely would find the time/money to do epoxy, correctly, the first time and not look back.

enjoy!

I agree and would also add to make sure that the water spigots are high enough off the floor to place a 5 gallon bucket under them

There is nothing more frustrating than having to tilt a bucket to get it under the spigot


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jazz1]

Only thing I missed was I went with a garage package that used 2x4 construction. Should have gone 2x6 for added insulation but the build was a huge rush. Wife said build now and she got permit and contracted the foundation. I did the rest, 4 weeks from permit the garage was complete.

 

[ddawg16]

No regrets on mine.....I got it perfect.

(that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Actually, about the only thing I would do different is not use vinyl on part of the garage. I should have used all stucco or used LP Smartside instead of the vinyl. Vinyl...well, looks like vinyl.

 

[larry_g]

If you hang stuff from the walls then consider putting in blocking to hang stuff, slat wall maybe, structure behind where your workbench is going to be so you can attach it to the wall. If you like neon or other powered memorabilia then a few outlets high to power them. Are you going to want a cord reel hanging from the ceiling? Need an outlet up there.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[BruceMc]

I let my contractor talk me into getting ahead of me. The plan was for me to paint the inside once the basic shell was insulated and complete and before hanging the garage doors, etc. Instead I spent a lot of time climbing up and down a ladder masking off the opener, tracks, door, etc. 12' up in the air.

 

[srr]

Not insulating and dry walling it. Get brutal hot here in the summer. Skylights.

 

[homebuilt burner]

I would suggest install a high outlet and wire speakers inside the walls for a stereo system. Also, cable TV runs?

 

[Jeff May]

Higher ceilings, radiant heat in the floor, floor drain, and much much much larger....

 

[NUTTSGT]

What are you planning for the lights ? Get the wire run before you blow in cellulose into the ceiling.

 

[Norcal]

No regrets on mine.....I got it perfect.

(that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Actually, about the only thing I would do different is not use vinyl on part of the garage. I should have used all stucco or used LP Smartside instead of the vinyl. Vinyl...well, looks like vinyl.

Best thing for a building with vinyl siding is call the fire dept. to do a practice burn, they get some practice, & some blight is removed.


All jokes aside when Costco tore down their old local store (1991 vintage) they let area FD's practice on the CMU building & they ran their saws on the roll up doors too, but that would have made a lot of people here cry to see perfectly good doors destroyed.

 

[gtae07]

I wish I'd planned the mini-split install better; I misjudged the line lengths (Mr. Cool DIY) and have a big S loop outside on the back wall of excess line. Fortunately that side is on the back by the treeline and nobody really goes back there.

I wish I'd plumbed shop air inside the walls with PEX before drywalling.

I wish I'd have waited to start moving things in and gotten the floor epoxied or something. I could go in now and do it one quadrant at a time I guess, but that would mean moving a lot of stuff...

I wish I'd sealed a little better around the bottoms of the doors; I get a bit of rain coming in and have some repairs to do this year. Also need to put a storm door in.

I wish I'd put something in to at least feed a garden tub from the outside using a hose.

I wish I'd built a lean-to/shed off the back wall for storing yardwork stuff instead of it taking up a chunk of my workshop.

I wish I'd used four-tube lights instead of two-tube, and gone LED from the beginning.

I wish I'd poured a pad out in front of the shop when I was building. Trying to do that now is going to be a pain.

 

[glider]

I’m finishing a old barn now. Suggest electrical outlets in the right place. Things for drop cords, indirect lighting. Also a outlet on a switch for that light up wow piece.

 

[xyster101]

Take your time and do it right. A few things I rushed because I wanted to be done. You only build it once and it will last years. What is another few hours to make something right?

I don't have regrets about my shop because I planned and took a few years to make it. Advice from this forum that I did:

Read this forum and plan, plan, think, plan
Lots of outlets on multiple circuits (I have 32 outlets on 4 circuits)
Ceiling outlets (only did 2 wish I did 4)
Insulated garage door
Huge electric panel (only a few $$ then a small)
LED lighting and more then you think you need
Extra insulation
Exterior spigots and outlets
Make a floor plan and set up where things will go on paper

 

[gunguy]

Upgrade to 20 amp and add a few 240 amp circuits.

Document with photos and measurements everything in the walls and ceiling; stud/joist locations, wiring, plumbing, blocking, etc., etc. before hanging any wallboard.

Jim

 

[BruceMc]

Document with photos and measurements everything in the walls and ceiling; stud/joist locations, wiring, plumbing, blocking, etc., etc. before hanging any wallboard.

Jim

/\ This is excellent advice for any building project, not just a garage.

 

[thammel]

I wish I'd:

Put a shower in in addition to just a powder room
Made the "dormer windows" in my attic space wider than just the spacing between 16" trusses
Put in a larger mini-split for the attic room (only 9kbtu now)
Done all the finishing before using the garage...
Gotten a better drywall job done...(fixing too many mistakes myself)
and, of course...built it bigger than 32x28!!!!

Tom

 

[matt_i]

Couple

wish I would have done the sub-slab insulation. 2" thick 25psi rigid foam.
wish I would have planned the garage door better and troweled a 1/8" step into the slab for the garage door lower seal to fit into. At the time I was faraway from thinking about this detail, but if the wind drives the rain just right I will get a little puddle under the door. I may still attempt to hand-grind this but I have a bad feeling its going to look sketchy.

 

[ToolPolisher]

I would suggest install a high outlet and wire speakers inside the walls for a stereo system. Also, cable TV runs?

Look into in-ceiling speakers; this saves wall space. Enough in-ceiling speakers means the space is filled at a lower volume which is better for a hang-out space.

 

[Bottlecapdigger]

For me it was the placement of the electrical panel and the underground service feeding it. I put it on the end wall, it should have been put on the side wall. If I ever want to extend the shop and make it longer. I'm going to run into more work rerouting the service and moving the panel. oh well. BCD

 

[kbs2244]

I am glad I painted everything white before I moved anything in.

It is a trick I learned in a previous build with custom 2x4 and plywood shelves.
Paint all raw material white.before fabrication.
Then the only after build painting is the raw ends and edges.
Much easier.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Biggest change I would make if I did again would be to air seal, insulate, and finish the walls first. Then I would surface mount the panel and all the electrical. Also at least one welder receptacle outside next to the driveway.

 

[atk406]

I should have put in a ceiling fan, maybe two. I had it in the original plan but pulled it as part of trying to get back on budget. It's a vaulted ceiling with no regular attic, so not easy to fix now. Dumb.
And I should have sealed the floor before moving in, like others have mentioned. Gonna be a big PITA now.

 

[BikerDad]

Not talking about a build here, but simply the deficiencies of my current setup that I would absolutely eliminate if I were to build:

Subpanel in the garage, for garagy things. Have two "house" circuits, one for lights and the garage door opener(s), a second for refrigerator/freezer/etc. Everything else, including most of the lights, runs off the subpanel. Multiple circuits, including a ceiling drop.

Natural light. Skylights/skylight tubes, high windows, windows in the garage door, etc.

Flow through ventilation, i.e. open the back man-door, open the garage door, breeze flows through.

In-floor M/C lift.

Enclosed & muffled closet/room for compressor and dust collector.

Flat/nearly flat apron/driveway/patio.

utility sink.

 

[GrayFlattop]

I wish I had installed PEX tubing in the garage slab for radiant heat even though I was intending on using a ceiling-hung gas unit heater. I crossed it off the list when I reasoned a small boiler would be too expensive - never anticipating the options that arose later on.

I can comfortably work in the garage in the dead of winter, but the slab gets cold and your feet get cold. Forget about laying on the floor when it's -10.

$200 of PEX tubing at the time of the garage build 30 years ago would be money happily spent.