What would you do differently if you had the chance?

[lksdrinker]

What would you include in your garage if you had a blank slate to work with?

Heres the long version/back-story:
New guy to the forum, and I just bought my first house! While my initial proposition to my wife was that we would look at no houses unless they had at least a 2 car garage, costs here on Long Island became a bit prohibitive. So, the house we chose has a detached 1.5 car garage. (Actually it appears that this was at one point in time a single car garage with a bit of an addition as seen below)
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I have always had (and still do I suppose) access to a 2 car garage at my parent's house. That is basically where I learned everything I know when it comes to anything anyone on this site might care about! I consider myself pretty handy overall and thoroughly enjoy working on/repairing cars above all else. I've done engine builds, motor swaps, trans swaps, suspension work, light body work/painting etc. I own a welder and while I'm far from a professional and cant even call myself a fabricator, I will tinker with it. My father was a carpenter so we have also involved ourselves in many a project involving wood (deck builds/repairs, and lots of other similar tasks to include a current build of a nice wooden canopy for a fishtank). I also have no problems with repairing/tinkering with electronics.

So with those sorts of hobbies/interests in mind, I want to avoid the mistakes my father and I have made in his garage. Those mistakes really are just a lack of planning when it comes to storage and setting up work areas.

I have a blank slate of a garage here (or at least I will in the near future) and I want some input on what everyone else has done and/or wishes they had done in their garage.

As of right now, there is no electric hookup in this garage. I plan on running power to it and presumably should have a sub-panel in the garage. I'm not sure exactly what space is available from the main panel but know there is at least one dedicated circuit going to the backyard that used to power a pool filter (that is no longer in place). So for the time being I'm going to presume the worst and say I can only have one 15A breaker for the garage. (With any luck I'll be wrong and can get 2 circuits out there at 20A each).

The space is not insulated, heated or finished and the concrete floor is far from perfect. Any advice as far as repairing the concrete?

I appreciate any input everyone has and look forward to hearing some suggestions! I'll likely have a lot of info to add and questions to ask as I go forward!

 

[Morrison]

Made it bigger.

 

[ffjosh]

Im still starting with a clean slate but I would have had someone else build it haha

 

[k1rodeoboater]

I'm a renter and I have had a total of 2 garages and a carport in the last 5 places I have lived. Something's I have noticed and noted for my eventual future home purchase.

Power plugs, the more the better and at about 45" high if possible
Lighting, more than 1 light fixture in the garage
Covered/frosted windows on garage door windows (for now I tape up wax paper, works well actually
Cement/block wall for the bottom 8-12" so I can hose down the floor.
Tall ceilings so I can go upwards with storage, or possibly build a small loft.

Most importantly a tool closet, or better yet a shed, for yard/garden tools and some storage overflow

 

[T-Mac]

A place for everything and everything in its place!

 

[lksdrinker]

Most importantly a tool closet, or better yet a shed, for yard/garden tools and some storage overflow

A shed is high on my list of to-dos. Ideally I can get any outdoor/landscaping/non essential tools and/or equipment out of the garage and into a shed. I'm thinking things like the lawn mower, string trimmer, hedge trimmers, rakes, shovels etc will go out there.

I'm liking the other suggestions here as well! Lots of lighting is something I hope to achieve.

I'm also a bit concerned about the floor. The concrete in there basically looks like the surface of the moon. Short of demolishing and re-pouring the concrete what other options might I have? Can race deck or similar tiles be laid out on an uneven surface?

 

[kazlx]

I'm currently buying my second house and addressing the things I wanted in my first house. First is, I'm gutting the garage from half-*** work and starting from studs. My buddy is running a new 200A panel in the house and pulling a 100A sub to the garage (2 car). Everything I do in my garage requires electricity, so that is one of my main priorities.

Paint the inside white. Clean and bright is so much nicer to work in. Either drywall, or just paint the bare insides. Paint is cheap. Install good lighting, lighting is relatively cheap and you will enjoy being out there that much more.

I also third the shed idea, especially if you and the old man are competent with wood. Free up storage space in the garage and make it useful.

1. Clean and Bright
2. Storage/organization
3. Electricity

For the garage floor, they have resurfacer you could probably pour out. Lucky me, the garage in my new place is destroyed, so I get to spend 5K having it re-poured.

 

[lksdrinker]

I'm currently buying my second house and addressing the things I wanted in my first house. First is, I'm gutting the garage from half-*** work and starting from studs. My buddy is running a new 200A panel in the house and pulling a 100A sub to the garage (2 car). Everything I do in my garage requires electricity, so that is one of my main priorities.

Paint the inside white. Clean and bright is so much nicer to work in. Either drywall, or just paint the bare insides. Paint is cheap. Install good lighting, lighting is relatively cheap and you will enjoy being out there that much more.

I also third the shed idea, especially if you and the old man are competent with wood. Free up storage space in the garage and make it useful.

1. Clean and Bright
2. Storage/organization
3. Electricity

For the garage floor, they have resurfacer you could probably pour out. Lucky me, the garage in my new place is destroyed, so I get to spend 5K having it re-poured.

Seems like we are on the same page as far as the thought process goes. Painting everything white is a good idea that I honestly had not considered yet.

The resurfacer sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that a bit more.

 

[MoparTrucks]

Lots of good ideas posted but I just wanted to say that is a very cool looking garage and my best advice is to go with the retro aspects of it. While it might be nice to have a three bay shop with a lift and lots of room some of those smaller garage/shops like yours can be just as useful and to me way more aesthetically pleasing. I guess what I am trying to say is dont try to make it into something its not, work with what you have and make it a place you want to spend a lot of time in.

 

[MillerMav]

I would agree on the white paint thing. Its a great base for future improvements. I have a two car and before we moved in I had a couple weeks to get things sorted out around the house. One of those things was painting the garage. It was great to have a blank slate so I could do an airless sprayer which made things fast and easy.

I went with a light grey which at the time I thought looked awesome. Now that I have been in the house for 5 years I hate the color of the walls. If I would have went white then I could do whatever I wanted for "decor" or whatever. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal to just paint it white but I have 14' ceilings so its a pretty decent undertaking to paint walls especially now that the garage is full of 5 years worth of stuff.

 

[lksdrinker]

Lots of good ideas posted but I just wanted to say that is a very cool looking garage and my best advice is to go with the retro aspects of it. While it might be nice to have a three bay shop with a lift and lots of room some of those smaller garage/shops like yours can be just as useful and to me way more aesthetically pleasing. I guess what I am trying to say is dont try to make it into something its not, work with what you have and make it a place you want to spend a lot of time in.

Good advice!

I think "useful" is the key term here. I know I'm never going to have some award winning design nor will I ever decorate the space and get myself on the cover of a magazine. I know I'm not getting a lift in there and wouldn't even want to try in this space. But so long as there is always enough room to work on a car, store the majority of my tools and have a work bench to use at the same time, then I'll be happy! In that regard I do like the way this is set up. There is essentially a small shop area attached to a one bay garage. Now I just need to avoid doing what seems to always happen and make sure I dont try to store all of life's "extra stuff" in the garage!

 

[mcgyverit]

better lights, run gas for heat, epoxy the floor, and plumbing

 

[cdestuck]

As to your currant panel box in your house. You can always throw in a couple duplex breakers to free up some space in order to put in a 220v double throw breaker for service to your garage. And as others mentioned, plenty of outlets, quad boxes are a good idea while your at it. Even think about putting a few outlets on the outside of the garage for things outside the garage. Insulate and I used OSB for my interior walls. Take your time and they turn out real well and quite durable.

 

[Mr onetwo]

4 ft wider; 16 ft longer and 2 ft taller. Also an epoxy floor when it was new.

 

[DG 73]

Insulate, sheet and paint before you move anything in. My shop is 16 years old and still not painted. Everything you move in will have to be removed out or painted. If you want your floor fixed do it now also.

 

[Skeetobite]

Floor drains. The trench type.

 

[Frost0824]

Bigger for sure.. but really mine is 24 X 36 and with the bench, furnace, then the project, currently 99 cub cadet and it's huge snow blower attachment. My truck has to go in on an angle. I am lucky to have the size I have but still, bigger is definitely better.

Also put steel mesh in your concrete floor, I just went with the fibre in the mix and it has cracked.

and a Drain in the floor, with a slope..

maybe a two story... lol

I wish

 

[Mr onetwo]

Floor drains. The trench type.

Plus 1 on this

 

[GYPSY400]

As to your currant panel box in your house. You can always throw in a couple duplex breakers to free up some space in order to put in a 220v double throw breaker for service to your garage. And as others mentioned, plenty of outlets, quad boxes are a good idea while your at it. Even think about putting a few outlets on the outside of the garage for things outside the garage. Insulate and I used OSB for my interior walls. Take your time and they turn out real well and quite durable.

I agree.. I only have a 100A service at my house, but as of now I have 240V 60A breaker running to the garage.. I then have a 100A sub panel inside the garage.. I went this route rather than upgrade the house service to 200A right away.. If I do happen to blow the main, then I'll upgrade.

So if you have 2 Available spots in your main panel, ( or 1+ what is already fed to the garage) then I'd recommend running a new power feed out there.. Having only 15 or 20 amps is not enough.. 60 should do you fine.


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[waterss]

Forget mechanic stuff for now.
The shed needs to become your new hobby.
Learn of, and learn to love, insulation and wiring and drywall and such.
Spend as many years as needed absolutely dedicated to the shed and not dedicated to dreaming of the 67 Chevrolet (insert money pit of your choice).

The shed itself is the new hobby.
once finished, you'll adapt to what you did.

Many here spend their time building( in their mind)around a hoist they may never use and neglecting the actual bud.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This right here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We made the mistake of moving stuff in as soon as it was dryed in.
BIG MISTAKE.
Trying to finish the electrical and walls was a excercise in cr eativity in getting scaffolding in position. You already have a space for your things now so waiting a little while longer before you move it in should not be hard. Put all other projects on back burner for now. You don't want to half *** something now due to money being tight from to many irons in the fire as you will regret it later.
With your electrical put plugs everywhere. It is easier to install them now then to have drywall and paint complete and find out damn the plug is too far away to put (________ insert power tool of choice here)in this spot. I went with a quad plug every 10' so so far I love it.
All in all you build it to suit your needs and your hobbies. The needs of a wood worker would not quite be the same as a car guy. This board has some amazing shops and garages and a lot of knowledgeable people that are always willing to give a pointer or two.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[2CRUZ]

I would have stood my ground and not let the contractor talk me out of some of the things I wanted like heavier roof truses (2x6 vs 2x4) and higher ceiling.

 

[Richard D]

Forget drywall, thats for in your living room. Put plugs everywhere, as many as possible, insulate, and put up OSB, painted white. You can hang stuff anywhere, without looking for a stud or using those ****** anchors that pull out anyway. And lots of light! Fans, or even better A/C, or heat if it's cold there.

 

[madmanmerc]

I wouldn't have listened to my wife when we built the house. she convinced me that the best place for the vacuum is in the garage. so now I have that eye sore next to my tool box.

 

[ZRX1040]

Storage trusses, insulated slab with in floor heat, and 2 drains. 1 under each vehicle sloped inward, instead of 1 in the middle. I have to step out in the winter crud that melts off the truck.

 

[zkling]

Agree with duckface, get the space sorted out first, particularly the electrical. Plan for the future, not just now. At least 2 220v outlets. One say ~30amp and one ~50amp.

Insulate and cover with your choice of material.

Do something with the floor. Get the concrete straightened out first (pics would help) then paint, spread or use a flooring system. I used Bear floor paint from HD IIRC. It was the cheapest option, but has worked out well, easy to touch up and even the faded spots look 1000x better than the previous stained concrete.

Put as much as you reasonably can on wheels. The smaller the space, the better to have things portable.

Finally, I guarantee you will rearrange at least 3 times before it is all said and done. After you look at the space and what you have for a while, ideas to maximize the space by rearranging will come to you. Like a very heavy game of tetris.

O and lighting, lots of lighting, the more in the natural daylight temperature the better.

 

[Cruzomatic]

Build it as big as you can possibly afford. If you have to eat rice and beans for a month, no big deal. At least you'll have a nice build.

 

[lksdrinker]

Lots of great advice here! Thanks for everyone's input; and keep the ideas coming.

Lots of lighting is high on the list as is sorting out the electric service and installing as many outlets as humanly possible (or at least as many as the wallet will allow). I'd love to get some images of the concrete posted up; but dont even have access to the house to do that yet.

Insulating and wiring is probably where I'll focus my energy first. (I agree with everyone's comments that this should be done before moving anything into the space; along with a lot of other work). I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should bother with sheetrock. leaving it bare wouldnt' be the worst thing in the world for the garage; but the idea of having a coat of white paint to brighten the space up is also pretty intriguing. Someone mentioned OSB?....can anyone estimate the cost and weight vs. sheetrock?

This is New York; so the winters get cold and the summers get wet (and humid as hell). I think I'll skip air conditioning out there; but heating might be an eventual necessity. Any thoughts on that? I do have natural gas at the house; so running a line out to the garage is a possibility. However, any form of flame or electric element concerns me a bit in a garage where I will likely have lots of flammables. What are some safe options for heating this kind of space? I've heard a bit about sealed gas units that vent and pull fresh air from outside? Is that the most logical choice for this?

 

[grifter679]

mine started as a 24x22 foot print, it was a blank slate already but if i went back two years ago when i did the work I would have torn the whole garage down, poured a foundation the same height as the house, and then built up two stories for a loft or master suite above the garage. I guess Im in the same position now except I spent about 3k remodelling the garage.

 

[WVBrady]

...
This is New York; so the winters get cold and the summers get wet (and humid as hell). I think I'll skip air conditioning out there; but heating might be an eventual necessity. Any thoughts on that? I do have natural gas at the house; so running a line out to the garage is a possibility. However, any form of flame or electric element concerns me a bit in a garage where I will likely have lots of flammables. What are some safe options for heating this kind of space? I've heard a bit about sealed gas units that vent and pull fresh air from outside? Is that the most logical choice for this?

If I were going to keep it warm all of the time in the winter, I would go with heated floor. It sounds like you are not, but I would still insulate under the floor and around the perimeter of the foundation. For a safe heat, I would go with a mini-split; it would be much more efficient than electric resistant heat. That's what I am planning on doing. There are a lot of threads on that subject under the heating and cooling section.

I have seen the sealed gas units advertised for sale several years ago, but not recently, so I suspect that they did not work out so well.