Garage Design Input Wanted

We are building (I am a home builder) a garage that I want to get input on some ideas. Feel free to throw out whatever.

Colors (on what walls), Cool Décor, etc... (It will be Ferrari focused as we are hanging a back lit Cavallino horse) . Also random framed cool car/Ferrari memorabilia, like Enzo/Niki/Dino pieces. Also James Dean

Need thoughts on lighting plans.

AND if anyone has any additional ideas????


Also what do on walls. Pics/Designs/Colors/Etc...

The garage door will be clear glass, as will the access door. The storage areas will be for "hiding things" that don't need to be seen but accessed. "Pack Rat" junk from parts to collectibles to whatever.

There are 2 Garage lifts that can be placed at any location because they are already owned.

Opening overhead door is set to be 18x9.

Interior display: Several 70's Euro cars, REPLICA 550, Land Rover Defender NAS (hence the 9' door to clear the roof rack), AM DB7, Modern "Who knows what" (Ferrari 360 for example)

Thoughts?
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The best I ever did was adding a second Garage Door to the back so I can access the back yard true the garage to move lawn equipment from front to back or working on your car in private it is very easy to do at the building stage

 

My 2 cents...If possible, make it 25-50% bigger than you think you need

 

Thoughts:

- more windows (either higher or wide spacing so you have solid wall space for worktables, cabinets, etc
- if you are doing lifts, run the garage door against the ceiling to have lift position options (I assume it is a tall ceiling for lifts anyway)
- I have 2'X4' lights in my shop, I really like them
- two tone the paint, a 3' tall wainscoat or so and another color above. Match the cars if possible
- lots of plugs including ones higher on the wall for signs or TV's that need power
- if the lifts are 220V, account for that
- bathroom/wash sink if they plan on spending extended time in there, especially if dirty and don't want to go back into the house
- built in vacuum system if they clean their own vehicles, garage, etc.
- HVAC / big fan?

 

All good ideas above, a few more.

A couple of 220 plugs for a welder.

White walls for max light reflection, gloss paint for easy clean-up.

Compressor location.
Compressor lines, I ran copper pipe with copper stand-offs. Other options available including running the lines in the wall.
100' hose reel from the ceiling, center.

1 or 2 outlet reels from the ceiling, center

Outlets every 6' on the wall

Get the floors coated.

Large wash basin/sink.

Don't run 14 gauge wire.
20 amp breakers and outlets.

Any work benches?

Lighting takes a lot of research but this type of lighting looks nice.
https://hexglow.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopDaAnR6p1cAYzycJQYOIbBUYkiHx4jwSujkVucMGvCHKV3cOFk

 

THE MUSTS:

1. Sloped floor to a central drain
2. All air lines, electrical lines and water, in concrete floor
3. Infloor heat
4. Rid yourself of the 4 post lifts and get single post lifts only
5. 1 infloor lift
6. Built in gantry crane (full span)

 

I just installed a minisplit in my garage, it’s nice to have heat and A/C and the expensive cars not being subjected to the temperature extremes.

 

Include some indirect lighting. eg...if you have a chair height ledge on the wall (which is really handy by the way), put under cabinet lighting under it. Makes for a nice dramatic effect in the evening with all the other lights off.

 

If you have time, take a look at the website GarageJpurnal . com
They have a huge thread entitled Garage Gallery and many other threads that are very informative. Good luck!

 

HVAC is essential, but don't go too big of a unit. This is not just for comfort, but to remove the humidity from the air. Humidity is what deteriorates our cars not temps per se. Outlets low to groung to avoid seeing unsightly cords (I HATE SEEING CORDS AND WIRES). At least one 220 outlet. LED lighting in ceiling strategically placed. Fire suppression system? However many 110 outlets you think you need, double it. Air lines for compressor in each corner of garage. Some outlets up high on walls in case you hang a Neon sign/Light/etc (again, I hate seeing cords or wiring). Track-less garage door openers (I think they're made by LiftMaster?). They're super quiet and lock automatically when closed. Nice feature. In wall wiring for security cameras, CO2 sensors, smoke detectors, motion sensors, alarm and TV/Cable. Icylene foam insulation in ceiling offers excellent insulation. Just some thoughts.

 

First thing to do, is design the garage so that you do not have to shift cars around to get one of them out.

 

Most of this has already been covered, but I'm listing anyway!

• 12.5' minimum ceiling height, preferably 14'
• mini-split to cool/heat/dehumidify and perhaps a ceiling fan or two
• side-mount door openers to eliminate the extra track (also high-lifted)
• a few 14-50 outlets to future proof for any electric car or future owner's need
• Proper high-psi concrete footers under any lift points, especially if going to single-pole style lift
• good lighting
• slight slope from back/sides to garage doors so water drains out (unless you're adding floor drains - but then you have to clean them over time - pain.)
• Insulated walls/doors
• any lift platforms should be wired for lighting on their undersides
• ethernet ports and/or strong wifi extender near work bench
• impact/theft windows
• security sensors not just on the "human" doors, but the garage doors too
• +bigger than you think or want today

 

Side mount garage door openers. You’ll need to have receptacles near the openers.

 

In my new 40 x 40 shop I ran air to both sides midway. Put 50' reels and can use them anywhere in the shop. also put 2 50' wire reels below the air reels. again, use anywhere in shop but best part is.....you yank them and they spool back up. No wrapping up cords or lines...just zing and put away automatically. I really enjoy that. Maybe I'm gettin old. Plan your wifi options as well. I did epoxy Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login on the floor which is nice. Had to due the fire I had with the old foundation slab. Clean up is nice. Here's a few pics. Not finished yet but getting there.

 

Just a couple of thoughts on hose reels. I'm a do-it-your-selfer and use my air quite a bit. I feel it's better to use more reels with shorter footage hoses as as opposed to a fewer number which have longer hoses. Say you have a space that you can accommodate with two, 100 foot reels. Might be better to use one 100 foot (that can reach outside a ways, two 50 foots and a 75 foot hose, spaced to cover the same area.

The reason is two folded. With longer hoses, you'll tend to drap the hose over longer distances, often around obstructions which it can become snagged on and over other vehicles. Even covered, a rubber hose can mark up delicate finishes over repeated contact. Also, mfg's will often use the same diameter reel for both a 75 and 100 foot hose lengths. The 100 foot hose will naturally fill the reel up a lot more than the 75 foot length will. When automatically retracting, the hose rarely winds itself back up in a nice, uniform pattern like it was wound at the factory. Instead, it will want to ride up and overlap onto itself to where its diameter becomes larger that the reel itself. When this happens the reel can become jammed up before all the hose is completely wound back up. Usually just a couple feet shy. You then have to pull it back out a ways and help feed the hose back in so that you can get it all retracted. Minor inconvenience, but it becomes a pain after awhile. Still its nice to have a long hose for those occasions when you really need it. Note, you can also buy reels with electrical cords or water hose as well.

Might also be worth mentioning the modular supply line systems out there. They use aluminum tubing and reusable, O-ring sealed joints that anchor to the wall or could be built into the wall. Makes it easy to re configure at a later date if you want to add on or change your drop points or compressor location. A lot less obtrusive than the old types of plumbing and easier to install and work with. I've had it up in my garage since 2011 and have never had one problem with it.

 

Check your local codes. I think in some areas the outlets can’t be low to the ground.