Feedback on new garage electrical/light layout

[dh128905]

Hello all. I have a new garage and we’re going to do the electrical and lights in June prior to putting BCX walls up, with open ceiling. Batt insulation in walls and closed cell foam insulation on underside of roof.

My goal is to future proof the garage for all of my potential needs. Current needs include working on cars, a couple spaces for parking, woodworking, and any other hobbies I may pick up! Also, there will be some entertaining done out here, such as football games.

I think the picture and key speaks for themselves. Tried to alternate circuits for outlets, cover all GFCI needs, 220 circuits in all 4 corners, and provide options down the road for 220 and different layouts.

The back wall is pretty set, but not sure about the right wall. May not put the work area over there at all depending on space.

Looking forward to other things I should consider!

 

[dh128905]

Perhaps 4x3 for the lights may be better? This would be 180,000 total lumens overhead. 24x32 garage, so about 235 lumens per sq foot.

This configuration would allow the lights that are placed 2’ from the wall to provide some light underneath the garage door when it is open. The garage door is 3’ from the wall on either side. About 32” of the 8’ LEDs won’t be covered by the garage door when it is in the up position.

 

[cybrdyke]

180,000 total lumens overhead. 24x32 garage, so about 235 lumens per sq foot.
These numbers are meaningless and will lead you down the wrong path. Forget about them.
You should get a photometric layout done. There are a few free ones online that are easy to use yourself, or your electrical supplier can get one. The steps you need to take to get a quality lighting plan are:
Determine the amount of light that you need, in foot-candles, not total lumens or lumens per square foot (those numbers dont mean anything). There are lots of references online to help you determine this. To help, a common warehouse is about 10 foot-candles, a school classroom is about 35fc, an auto garage is about 60. To get higher than that, use a task light.
Next, find a fixture style that you like or can afford.
Once you've determined the foot-candle level you need and a fixture style that you like, do a layout. Position the lights until you have even lighting across the space and the fc level you want. You'll likely find that linear fixtures will provide the best results in this case. Be aware of things that dont need to be lit, like the tops of cabinets along the wall or benches that have their own lighting.
Find a good supplier. Skip Amazon and the online sellers because they sell junk. Most of the big box stuff is garbage, too. Good lighting is expensive. (How much are those fancy cabinets gonna cost?). You might also consider 4' fixtures instead of 8'. You can space them better and they are much easier to work with. Handling 8' fixtures can be a pain.
Good luck,
CD

 

[dh128905]

Thanks for the tips! I’m playing around with some software now for foot candles. How would you account for these 2 variables:

1. Lights will be mounted at 10’ height front 10’ and back 10’ of garage, while the lights in the center 12’ will be mounted at 12’ high. My joists are higher in middle for car lift

2. Making sure I have adequate light at night with both the garage door up, and garage door down (18x9 garage door with 24’ wide garage).

 

[cybrdyke]

1. Not significant enough to worry about. Set the software to 10'.
2. A common issue that, if it were my space, I wouldn't worry about. Yes, it will block some light, but how much is debateable and how often will you need that small space fully lit at night? I've seen multitudes of solutions ranging from pretty clever to utterly ridiculous. A clever one is to align garage door windows with the lights when the door is up. Another is magnetic mount task lights that you can stick onto the garage door in those instances when you need them.
Good luck,
CD

 

[dh128905]

Appreciate the response! One thing I would like to press you on though is purchasing high quality lights. I do appreciate long lasting, high quality items, but I also can’t ignore how many people seem to be perfectly happy with those Barrina LEDs. They can always be replaced and then I’m just out a couple hundred bucks. really hard for me to pay $3,000 as opposed to $200 if the Barrinas do the job.

BUT, I’m no expert, am open to being educated!

 

[cybrdyke]

People rarely admit they messed up, so you'll rarely get a review like "I went with the cheap stuff and really regret it". Also, people most often do reviews about 3 days after they install the product, like "These are great! So easy to install!". So take those reviews with a grain of salt.
The biggest difference between pro lighting and DIY lighting is lumen drop-off. If folks only knew how much light they lose over a relatively short period of time. One slimey company got spanked by the feds for 80% lumen drop-off over just 1000 hours. Now, if you only burn your lights 3 hours a day, that's 3 years and you might never even notice.
A good lighting company doesn't NEED to sell their products on Amazon because the lighting market is valued at Billions of dollars. Amazon is the last desperate grasp for gutter rats to sell their stuff. But, I digress......
Also, those linking cords look fugly. Imagine that in your brand new (expensive) garage. It sounds like you are making a really nice space, and of course, it's yours to do as you please. But I wouldn't cheap out on the one thing that will allow you to use the space day or night. Just my 2c. You can get very decent 4' strip lights for around $75 each, or less, and you'll probably only need 20 or so, maybe less.

 

[dh128905]

I appreciate the insight! What 4’ and 8’ leds do you like? 8’ does make sense for my space given my rafter ties are higher in the middle. I wouldn’t be able to space them very well, unless I hung them parallel with the rafter ties.

 

[cybrdyke]

The best linear fixture out there right now, in my opinion, is the LBI Max, by Remphos/Light Efficient Desidgn. It's not the cheapest, but it has the best versatility and feature package at a good price.
LBI Max
Products by RAB, Satco, Eiko, Keystone, Westgate, Metalux, Cree, ETI and more, are "contractor-grade", which is more value priced over the larger manufacturers.
You'll find that there are much fewer choices in 8' fixtures. You'll also find that quite a few 4' fixtures are able to be joined together to make longer sections, which might work for you. LBI Max is one that offers this.
CD

 

[Keystone1001]

Thanks for the tips! I’m playing around with some software now for foot candles. How would you account for these 2 variables:

1. Lights will be mounted at 10’ height front 10’ and back 10’ of garage, while the lights in the center 12’ will be mounted at 12’ high. My joists are higher in middle for car lift

2. Making sure I have adequate light at night with both the garage door up, and garage door down (18x9 garage door with 24’ wide garage).

Hi..I am also working on lighting for my garage reno. What software did you find most effective (got you the answer you needed, easy to use)? Thanks

 

[dh128905]

I didn’t spend too much time on it, but it seems most of the higher end lighting suppliers have the software on their websites. But you’ll need to choose one of their lights to plug into the software

 

[Keystone1001]

Thanks. Agree based on the 15 min I spent looking at DIALux evo. Too much for my simple reno. Thanks!