Building New Garage for Ferraris

I've reviewed all of the garage threads in "search" and didn't really find anything on "must haves" for the garage.

Framing was just completed. It is a 565 sq ft oversized 2 car garage with 12'6" ceilings so that lifts can be installed with 220V--already with conduit for electric to 3 of 4 post locations.

The garage will have hot water, central vacuum, and compressed air. There is an attached workshop that is about 6x9ft.

What else should I plan for?
For example, I just noted the need for a tire rack for a second set of wheels. Would you do 4 post or 2 post lifts?

Also, does anyone have any as of yet unposted photos of their garages with a Ferrari color scheme?

Thanks in advance.

 

Don't forget the frige. Ya gotta keep those Guinness cold while you and your buddies tinker.
Best regards. Darrell.

 

black and white tile for the floor!

How is your lighting situation? That is pretty much the first thing I think about when planning a space where I might be working, but that's probably because I've had such crappy lighting in the past...

 

Room for two chairs/couches for you and your friend(s) to sit, have that Guinness (or a margarita), while looking at your cars. You can not forget to wire the garage for cable TV, so you have a choice of SpeedTV or a DVD. Also wire for surround sound, so when the cars are not running, you can crank up one of those CD's of 12 cylinder Ferrari red lining at Le Mans.

 

Check out the link in my signature, I think its a nice example of a working garage that also has the functionality and ambience of a living room.

 

How about these?

All resin floors were done by 360CS on here.
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im currently building my garage, but i am using earthtones in the walls and floors, i felt it was more elegant , and if i paint red or yellow all over the room , my car would would look not so special... imo
i will accent it with ferrari flags and signs .

 

sorry, totally disagree
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Now that it is winter, it would be nice to be able to run the cars without opening all the doors and losing any available heat. I suggest you consider running power to roof or wall vents, where you can set up a fan with tubing that connects to your exhaust system.

 

I would say. Extra outlets! Put in as many as you can now. <all this being said after Pat moved into a finished garage with not enough outlets> On you question about a 4-post or a 2-post lift. It all depends what type of work you like to do with your car. A 4-post lift doesn't lend itself to well to working on the suspension or taking off the tires unless you have a jack plate on the lift or some other way of jacking it up on the lift.

 

Sounds like you've got the essentials covered so far...I used to be an architect and designed several garages for hands-on classic owners during my career.

My 330 shares garage space with our driver 4Runner. I'm getting the Ferrari side pretty well put together and am adding some decorative touches...my wife bought me a nice retro-style Ferrari garage clock which really sets up the mood. The side with the 4Runner is set up for general garage stuff and minor woodwork.

The last round of home-shop work convinced me of the necessity of a basic car lift and I'm going to get back on that this year. I was looking at a lift that didn't use posts but wasn't a scissors type either...info is filed away. Also, I'm going to set up an old computer out there and put my reference CD's on it. No need for the refrig or CD player...I don't drink and music is a distraction.

As far as finishes are concerned, I'm going to seal the concrete floors and paint the walls with a neutral high-wear paint...it's easy to overdo the horse shields and color schemes...I prefer understatement.

 

How do you do the logo in a resin floor? That looks sharp.

 

I used U-CoatIt on the floor and sprayed the walls and ceiling with ordinary semi-gloss exterior paint. I don't need the loud colors or fancy floors. My cars speak for themselves. To each his own.

Now I'm looking around at cabinets and the top choices so far are Bald Head, Lista, and Griot's. What are you using?

Enjoy!

 

I just had a bad experience with a concrete stain. Brand new concrete floor, had the floor acid etched, two coats of stain, but it started peeling up within weeks. My guy used some purportedly high-end Sherwin Williams stain. High-end crap is more like it.
In any event, the existing stain will have to be stripped and the concrete re-etched. QUESTION: What concrete stain/paint is the BEST for coating and durability? Thanks.

 

Was it fully cured?

 

Yes, it had been 5 or 6 months at that point.

 

Thanks for the info--great ideas

What specifically would I tell the electrician or HVAC guy regarding the fan and venting to the outside? Are there special components or connectors or vent specifications for the exhaust?

Does anyone know someone in the San Francisco Bay Area who can recreate those amazing floors with the emblem and shiny finish?

Can 2 post lifts be used for car storage or are they only for short-term car service? Who makes the best 2 post lifts?

 

The super-fancy floors I see in other threads look like the kind/type of floor that you wouldn't want to spill any fluids on. If you're the kind of guy that doesn't like to work on your car, and just flat-beds it to the dealership for your service work, then by all means put down a mural on your floor.

If you work on your car yourself, be prepared to spill oil, gasoline, coolant, paint, epoxy, glue, and other stuff on your floor. Oh, and you might drop the occasional wrench/socket/pliers/screwdriver/etc. onto the floor, sometimes from a height of a few feet. You'll need a concrete barrier that prevents any liquid from soaking into the concrete and staining it - you'll want spills and liquids to suspend above the coating, making it easier to wipe up. It can NOT peel or pull up from hot automobile tires, chip or crack from temperature extremes, and take a beating from dropped tools. I'd recommend an Industrial Epoxy floor sealant.

 

A few months ago, I finished a stand alone garage for my Ferrari cars...the architecture matches my house, a one of a kind architectural design by a famous Florida architect. The high exposed ceilings were a must, and the dark black/greyish paint on the ceiling really hides the fact that the ceilings were that high. I have power for my 4 post lift (220 V) and electrical outlets all over the 45 ft by 45 ft garange. Floors were epoxy floors similar to the ones at FOA...silver greyish in color, with oil absorbing mats for my older cars that insist or shedding a few drops every day. I have a small bathroom, with shower stall, hot water etc... I am installing an alarm system at the present time and just moved my Altec Lansing Voice of the Theaters in there with a decent stereo and CD player and will soon move an older 60 inch TV with DVD/VCR to watch those older car tapes and DVD's. A couch and chairs are in the offing as well...biggest mistake was not to design a wet bar there, but a small refrigerator and unattached bar might be an alternative.
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Well done Coach!

 

Quite a few people are re-doing garages this winter. A number of them have ordered quite a few of my steel logos to go on the walls, especially if they own more than one exotic. Not that I need any more work, but I don't know any where else you can get anything like them. Just a thought.
Thor
www.JavelinArt.com

This is a mid-sized 22" one.
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If you're going the distance for a first-class garage, treat yourself to a commercial compressor. I had a Curtis 5hp previously, and it was great! Cost about $5k installed. Like brakes, cooling, and ammunition, you can't have too much! If you haven't yet put on the drywall, I would plumb the copper airlines in the wall, with at least two surface-mounted airjacks in strategic locations (make sure the installer checks for air leaks before closing up the walls). Also, if you have room for only one lift, I would go with a four-post. If you have the room and the $, I would do a four-post AND a two post. I previously had an Eagle brand 4-post; it was ok, but fairly low-end consumer type material; next time I would get a higher end commercial lift. Finally I would ditto other's comments about elec outlets- put in lots of them, including 220 (note that big commercial compressors as above use 220, so plan for that location in advace; get a vertical tank compressor to conserve floor space). Hope this helps. Bob

 

My advice would be to get a good contractor and architect. My GC ripped me off, took my money, and walked off the incompleted job. I went to a lawyer, but the contract I had was pretty poor and I was told there's not much I can do. Make sure you're a$$ is covered.

That said: also make sure you've got good lighting, that lights your engine bay; and, as someone else said, lots of outlets. I am going to do the Stradale stripe down the floor; looks amazing.

 

Absolutely..i can relate from expoerience. I hired an architect and a commercial contractor that had done several other jobs for me before...but in the meantime, the old man was in semi retirement and one of his sons was on the job now. He grossly underestimated the job (cost + basis). So I started to fire them and find someone else to finish the job..uinless they gave me a contract with a guaranteed price on it to finish the job...they did; then exceeded the top dollar by a huge amount. Luckily I didnt have to pay them what they billed me for...because I had asked for and gotten a not to exceed contract that outlined the entire job. Lesson learned...contractor will never do any more jobs for me and I am grateful for that.

 

very nice garage, very pleasant to see that, for how many cars?