bmwpower's garage build

[bmwpower]

It's been a long time coming. I've wanted to start one of these threads ever since I joined up on garagejunkies some time ago, but unfortunately most of my garage was done by the time I signed up here. I wish it was the other way around because I could have changed a couple of things along the way with some of the advice I've gathered from garagejunkies.

I'm going to finally get off my **** and post some pictures. So here we go...I'm going to try and touch on the build process from start to finish. For reference, it took 4-1/2 years to get to where I am now (just got my CO in April '06). We (my father, myself and some friends/family from time to time) started to build the garage at the same time we started to build the house. We subbed out some of the work (masonry, roofing), but most of it we completed ourselves. As with most new builds, things didn't go as planned, so we ended up having to finish the house first (more on this later).... enjoy.


November 11, 2001 - we break ground on the house/garage foundation

November 30, 2001 - foundation for the garage is complete, 30x30

December 22, 2001 - foundation is finished and backfilled

...sadly this is where the garage remained until almost 3 years later. There was a miscommunication between us and the building construction office. Long story short, apparently the garage was too large when compared to the square footage of my house even though the office had given me an "ok" to start construction. They had me stop construction until I obtained a variance for the garage. After a lawyer, $550 and a couple of months later, I had my variance. Unfortunately, we were in the thick of building the house, thus we decided to leave the garage until last. Well you guessed it... house is done, no more money, bills, taxes, etc., so the garage foundation sat as is for some time. No problem. That gives me time to get a rock solid plan for what was to go inside...

 

[bmwpower]

August 7, 2004 - restart of garage build!...material delivery

Finally, I got the chance to start building the garage again. Here's what became of the garage foundation over the last several years...basically, a storage area for my yard junk.

August 9, 2004 - First wall starts to go up. Ceiling will be 14'3" high.

August 10, 2004 - Almost all the walls are up.

August 24, 2004 - Trusses arrive.

August 29, 2004 - Trusses are up. Notice nice big oil stain from crane guy's leaky crane...wasn't happy about that but oh well.

August 29, 2004 - Another shot of the garage.

August 29, 2004 - Opposite corner of garage.

 

[snorvet]

bmw - great garage!

 

[BoostAddiction]

Don't stop now- show us the rest!

-Will

 

[bmwpower]

Don't stop now- show us the rest!

-Will

Thanks guys. I'm trying to add things when I have time. I've had 3 kids since this project kicked off and, boy, does that affect my availability. I still have to go through a bunch of picts. Don't worry, we'll get to the finished product pretty soon!

 

[shopking68]

wow thats looking sweet, and very tall

 

[hotrod66paul]

WOW you had three kids. I thought about it but decided to let the wife have them instead. Worked out for the better that way.
Enough of my sick humor, its time for some more current pictures.

 

[mleichtle]

Finally, I've been reading about this project since you started over at the self help forum. Keep 'em coming.

 

[cdrewferd]

Looks good, now where are the rest?

 

[joecaver]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you did with all that ceiling height. Looking good so far.

 

[LOWCAD]

I cant explain how jealous i am, wish i had the land to build a big garage like that. Looking awesome man!

 

[bmwpower]

Interior Layout

When we were done building the house, I started working on the interior layout. I knew I wanted Lista cabinets. In several of my previous jobs, I had used Lista cabinets, but never really knew anything about them until I started designing/researching my garage. After doing a lot of reseach on cabinets, I decided to buy a used Lista cabinet off of eBay to house my current tool setup. I was really amazed at how well they were constructed and how (relatively) affordable they were when compared to other higher end cabinets

While doing cabinet research online, I came across a gentleman who happened to be a dealer for Lista. I inquired about wanting to purchase several cabinets from him. He was really friendly and offered to help in the design of the cabinet layout. I already had a general idea of what I wanted, but he helped me fine tune the design using his knowledge of Lista stuff. This helped out greatly as I quickly found out that not everything Lista is in the catalog...you can customize just about anything they offer.

Eight months later and a LOT of emails back and forth, the final design was developed. See the final layout below. What you don't see are the Lista upper cabinets in this design (more on this later).

Final garage layout - Lista cabinets, 2 post lift, etc.

Final garage layout with electrical - Drawing this out help me a TON when wiring the garage. Without this drawing I think I would have gone crazy. Keep in mind this was my first real wiring job so I needed a lot of reference.

The big reason for the 14'3" ceiling height was that fact that I knew I wanted 3 things: (1) metal halide low bay lights, (2) a 2 post lift and (3) a garage that complimented the height of my house. Luckily I came across 12 used low bay GE metal halide lights at an auction for around $120 total. Granted they were used, but I tested them out and all but one worked. These lights usually go for a couple hundred dollars each, so I think I got a good deal. When you add the height of a 2 post lift (~12 feet) and metal halide lights (~2 feet), you get 14 feet, hence the reason for my ceiling height. I wanted no restrictions on height anywhere within the garage. I also wanted no restrictions as to where I could place the lights. With this ceiling height, I could place everything where I wanted it and not have problems.

I used Visual lighting software (free demo) to design the layout and to maximize coverage throughout the garage. Check it out at www.visuallightingsoftware.com. This is the same software that Griot's Garage uses to figure out how many of their fixtures you would need to purchase. I know this because I priced out their metal halide fixtures and the design they gave me was a direct print out from the Visual software. Unfortunately, their design and lights came to over $2000+.

GE low bay metal halide lights - 9 total, 175 watts each running @ 240v, average of 55 footcandles at 30" working height.

 

[bmwpower]

Time to pick up the cabinets...

If you've ordered from Lista within the past couple of years, you've probably had to deal with their (quite frequent, in my opinion) price increases. When I designed my plan, I knew of several big price increases coming up. I decided to order my cabinets as soon as possible to avoid these increases (at the time , the price increase would have amounted to about $1000). The big task was trying to convince the wife that ordering a significant amount of expensive cabinets PRIOR to finishing the garage was a good idea. She agreed it was the best thing to do, so I placed the order with a pickup date of September 1, 2004.

Yes, that's right a pickup date, not a ship date. Having the cabinets shipped would have cost me well over $1200. Being relatively close to Lista, I decided it would more economical to pickup the cabinets at the factory. Indeed it was. One day rental of a 24 foot Ryder truck was several hundred dollars, plus gas, etc. came to less than $500 total. I ended up saving ~$700 by picking them up myself with the help of a friend.


September 1, 2004 - Pickup the cabinets at Lista using a 24 foot Ryder truck. Left at 7AM, returned to NJ at 10PM that night.

 

[joecaver]

I am very impressed with the amount of planning you have done and the attention to detail. You should end up with a garage that will be the envy of us all. Kudos to you.

 

[bmwpower]

Finally, I've been reading about this project since you started over at the self help forum. Keep 'em coming.

Wow, I didn't know you were a member. That place helped me get through building the garage, mainly electrical. More on the way...

 

[DStewart]

Looking good, can't wait to see more. Really want to see the cabinets.............

 

[bmwpower]

More picts

September 25, 2004 - Roof goes on. These were some quick workers. Finished the entire roof in about 4 hours.

October 11, 2004 - Siding starts to go up.

November, 6, 2004 - Plumbing is roughed in - water supply, sink drain. Conduit for 100A feed, Cat6 ethernet, phone, CATV, security get roughed in. I feel energetic so I decide to dig the trench for the power...by hand...took me all day.

November 27, 2004 - Stone is done being compacted, in layers, to total height of 6 inches

 

[bmwpower]

More picts again

November 28, 2004 - 6mil vapor barrier is installed (Vapor Block 6). Rebar stakes set for final floor height of 8 inches. Mix is 4000psi with fiber. Mason thought I was crazy pouring so thick.

February 6, 2005 - Rough electrical is just about done. 100A SquareD QO subpanel.

February 6, 2005 - Siding has since been completed.

June 9, 2005 - HVAC installed. Gas forced heat/air system in attic. 100Btu/2.5 ton system.

July 2, 2005 - Insulation is complete. Scaffold came in real handy.

July 3, 2005 - Sheetrock starts to go up with the help of a Genie lift. Rock is 5/8" firecode on ceiling and walls.

 

[bmwpower]

more picts again, again

October 7, 2005 - Spackling is just about done. Ledge on block wall was rocked out to give it a cleaner look.

October 15, 2005 - Everything is masked off and sprayed using Sherwin Williams products (primer and semigloss topcoat). Sprayer was a lower end Graco model.

November 25, 2005 - Walls have been protected with plastic...preparing for an epoxy floor. I rented an Edco conrete grinder to grind down the trowel marks/imperfections on the floor. I also rented a laser level to make sure critical areas of the floor were level.

November 26, 2005 - Grinder takes off a good amount of the top layer to make things smoother - I get a pile of dust per pass in return (tape measure for scale). I made 8 passes total. Floor is subsequently rinsed and broomed to get the remainder of the dust off. Then I rented a floor scrubber/polisher (not shown) and used black abrasive pads to get some overspray off the floor. The scrubber also did a great job of getting the remainder of the dust off the floor. I scrubbed until no more "cream" came off the floor. All of this was followed up by 2 passes of acid etching, including the block wall. I rinsed everything probably a half dozen times after the acid....then let it dry for a couple weeks.

December 11, 2005 - PrepRite Block Filler from Sherwin Williams is used to prime the cinderblock and help fill any voids. Cinderblock will get coated with epoxy.

December 16, 2005 - Small cracks in floor get coated with Rustoleum EpoxyShield Concrete Patch and Repair.

 

[bmwpower]

December 17, 2005 - Floor is ready for epoxy. First coat of Sherwin Williams ArmorSeal 1000 HS is put down. Small section of cinderblock is tested for compatibility. Window fan used for fume exhaust...note towel over exterior of window. This is done in an effort to keep cold air from entering the window once the fan shuts down. Keep in mind, this whole process was being done in the coldest month of the year. Not my ideal situation, but I needed to get things done before spring.

December 23, 2005 - 3rd coat of ArmorSeal is put down, another to follow after this. - 4 coats total.

January 13, 2006 - My poor Lista cabinets have sat, lonely and unused in my attached garage since I purchased them...Time to move them out!!

 

[bmwpower]

Day I've been waiting for for some time...

January 13, 2006 - I finally get to move my Lista cabinets into the new garage... the only problem is how do I move them? Answer: Ryder truck and a pallet jack. I rented a truck for a day, loaded it up and moved the cabinets into place with a pallet jack. This turned out to work really well.

January 14, 2006 - Cabinets are placed into position. Things are starting to take shape. My years of planning appears to be paying off.

January 20, 2006 - Upper cabinets are installed. I'm finally starting to see my theoretical plan take shape.

February 19, 2006 - BoostAddiction (Will) convinces me it can be done, so I install a stainless commercial sink in my Lista sink base. Temporary wood top is fabricated to enable final plumbing installation underneath (hot water heater, sink drain, etc.). I finally get a chance to use my garage for some needed maintenace... and who's car gets in first? My friend's Cobra, of course....geez.

 

[bmwpower]

last for now...

April 19, 2006 - Still trying to juggle getting the garage entirely finished. One of the items on my to do list is door/window trim. I had my friend make up some rosettes for the corners of my windows/door...still awaiting installation.

 

[supercharged]

dang,, looking quite nice..

 

[joecaver]

As I was scrolling through your pictures and reading the story I found myself cheering you on. What a great garage. I know you have got to be loving it.

 

[bmwpower]

As I was scrolling through your pictures and reading the story I found myself cheering you on. What a great garage. I know you have got to be loving it.

Hey, thanks for the kind words, Joe. I am loving it. I don't know how I lived without it.

 

[krooser]

Now don't let your wife talk you into moving.....

 

[bmwpower]

Now don't let your wife talk you into moving.....

Never. She's convinced we're gonna die in this place.

 

[mangomadness]

WOW! great Job! You really pay attention to detail that is excellent!! Enjoy!

 

[Wardrum]

Awesome garage BMW!!!!

......but you just gotta do something about those cardboard countertops

 

[BoostAddiction]

The garage is great!

I assume that the center upper piece is for a computer monitor? Or is it- it looks kind of high for that. Can you elaborate?

The cars are parked on what looks like masonite- is that to catch drips? Or just protect the floor more early on?

Did you do anything about organizing the drawers? Pics are always welcome!

Finally, did you find that the number of smaller drawers you spec'd was adequate for your needs? In my own garage, I find that, even though I changed the drawer mix to include more smaller drawers, I still would trade one or two of the deeper ones for a few more smaller ones. Nearly everything I have can be fit in a 2 or 3 inch drawer.

-Will

 

[bmwpower]

Awesome garage BMW!!!!

......but you just gotta do something about those cardboard countertops

Yea, I know...don't remind me. The countertops I want cost some $$ and I'm not sure if I want them or a lift next.

 

[bmwpower]

The garage is great!

I assume that the center upper piece is for a computer monitor? Or is it- it looks kind of high for that. Can you elaborate?

Sure. The upper cabinet is a short SC cabinet with a hinged plexi door. The cabinet will hold the stereo and the TV. I'm looking to getting an LCD TV on a articulated arm so I can pull it out and direct the TV depending on where I'm working. I'm also considering a Media Center PC instead of the LCD TV, since TVs can be pricey and I could probably use one of my existing PCs and LCD monitors for the setup (I'd have to buy a new video card, but still).

The reason for the plexi door is (1) to keep dirt/dust out of the components yet (2) still control the components via remote and (3) to lock it up when I'm not around. I wasn't sure if I wanted to set it up for use with the door closed since I will need to install a fan in the rear of the cabinet to keep the stuff from overheating.

The cars are parked on what looks like masonite- is that to catch drips? Or just protect the floor more early on?

That's masonite/hardboard. I bought it mainly because after 1-1/2 months of work on the floor, I was afraid I was going to mess it up when I brought in the cabinets on pallets with the palletjack. I'm using it now just to catch **** from falling on the floor, etc. I'm going to save it for when they install the lift, too, since I'm not totally convinced the installers will be as careful with the floor as I have been. After the lift is in, I will probably get rid of it since, if stuff gets underneath it, it tends to stain the floor.

Did you do anything about organizing the drawers? Pics are always welcome!

Nothing major yet, but I have a good idea what is going where. I bought all of my cabinets without dividers, which not only saved me money, but left me time to decide how I want things organized. Not sure what's going in the upper cabinets...probably cleaners, filters, etc. What's not obviously pictured is my mobile cabinet (however it's in the pict with the cars). It currently houses all of my main tools and will be used to move around for area specific jobs.

Finally, did you find that the number of smaller drawers you spec'd was adequate for your needs? In my own garage, I find that, even though I changed the drawer mix to include more smaller drawers, I still would trade one or two of the deeper ones for a few more smaller ones. Nearly everything I have can be fit in a 2 or 3 inch drawer.

-Will

I definitely overbought for what I currently have. I plan on getting heavily into tool collecting so I planned for the future. I figured most of my stuff will not need to be in a deep drawer - ie, wrenches, sockets, ratchets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. I supplimented the smaller drawers with bigger drawers in each cabinet at the bottom just in case I had a few bigger things.

The whole design stems from the fact that I can't stand clutter. I come from a family that constantly lived around clutter. I vowed I would no longer live like the rest of my family. If everything works out well, you won't see anything in plain sight in my garage. I plan on putting everything either in a cabinet or drawer.

 

[bmwpower]

After much debate, I ordered a Rotary SP010 symmetrical lift for the garage today from SAR Automotive Equipment. 10K lb. capacity, flip up adapters plus auxillary rubber adapters. Installation will occur on June 30th. I can't wait.

 

[Winmon]

Very cool! Make sure to post some pics! That is pretty quick delivery...

 

[bmwpower]

Very cool! Make sure to post some pics! That is pretty quick delivery...

That's the plan. Yea, this place is well stocked. I took a look in their warehouse some time ago and from floor to ceiling was nothing but prepackaged lifts. If it wasn't for the busy season, he said he could have done it even sooner.

 

[3/4tonYJ]

Very nice garage build...........

i like the attention to detail, i found myself just staring at the "insulation" picture, thats where my garage build is currently stalled.

can't wait to see the lift install......

 

[Wile1Coyote]

Really really came together while I was on my Garage Junkies vacation BMW. Looking forward to seeing more pics.

All of your hard work for the last year really really shows!

 

[Chevy Guy]

Looking good!! NJ construction officials can be really ball breakers huh - Just curious, I'm in NJ also - Somerset County, can I am just starting to look into getting a 2 1/2 or 3 car garage built, any reco's you can give on contractors or ways to research? What was the general cost of your build (structure only)? I'm not going to go as high as you but it would give me a general idea.


Thanks!!

 

[bmwpower]

If I had to guess, I'd say around 12-15K for structure only, but that's merely a guess. Someday I will pull all the numbers and see where the tally lies.

I know how much I started with and I know how much I have now...not pretty.

I can't help with contractors since we did most of the work. I can help with subs for plumbing, HVAC, gutters, roofing, insulation, but I don't know how far they travel. I can't recommend my mason.

 

[bmwpower]

The lift is in!

June 23, 2006 - Lift install

The installation got moved up today due to a cancellation on SAR's end. Took them 2 hours 15 minutes to install. These guys did a great job...and quickly.

To get the lift off the truck, one guy pulled it out of the truck enough to sit it one end on the truck, one end on a dolly. To avoid scratching the floor they moved everything around on the dolly.

To position each post, they sat the bottom end down on the ground near where it was going to be installed. Then, they both grabbed the top and walked it straight up. Pretty amazing. I would have shot some pictures of them walking it up, but I was too scared to not be on standby in case they needed help.