Autopian Garage

J

jw

New member
I'm buidling a new garage and I want to think of all the Autopian things I need.  I plan on having very bright lights, probably T8's, I plan to have them on the sides of the garage as well.  I will have a little sink in there as well as water resistant sheetrock.  I can't decide if I should  go with a pressure washer type set up or just have a hose in there so i can wash the cars.  I plan on buying an electric leaf blower to help dry the cars.  As far as flooring, i'm having a tough time deciding between a race deck type of system or an epoxy.  The race deck looks really cool but i'm a little worried about what happens with the water when you wash or snow and dirt that gets on it.  I also don't know how those would work with a drain?


 


What else do I need to add? The garage will have a heater unit if needed.  Thanks
 
It all depends on your budget.


 


If I were building a new garage, there is no way I would have anything smaller than a 18' x 8' garage door.  The difference is only about $250 over a standard 16' x 7' but believe me, it is well worth it.  An insulated door goes without saying, especially if you are considering a heater.


 


Have your garage door installed with the track running all the way to the ceiling.  That way if you ever decide to add a lift, it will make it easier.  Google "garage doors with garage lift" and look at the images if this doesn't make sense.


 


When it comes to painting your garage walls I would recommend using a marine grade polyurethane enamel. It is very durable and are easily to clean.
 
I would *ABSOLUTELY* add a trench-style drain.  You'll probably need an oil separator in order to plumb it into your sewer line (I needed one).


 


For doors, I got roll-up ones.


 


For the floor, I got the epoxy-and-stone, but with the "gaps" filled in with epoxy.  The regular epoxy-and-stone one trapped way too much moisture despite what they had told me to expect (had to have it redone with the filling).


 


Make sure you can see marring unter those T8 lights.  I added incandescents for things like that and for a quick-on/off type of lighting.  Have your lights set up in "banks" with multiple switches so you don't have to turn them all on every time you need some light.


 


Get your electrical panel set up with more capacity than you think you need and have multiple circuits, not just lots of outlets, so you don't overload when running lots of stuff (including units you don't currently have like an extractor or steamer).


 


I'd get a good air compressor, give thought to its power needs and how to run air lines.
 
Accumulator said:
I would *ABSOLUTELY* add a trench-style drain.  You'll probably need an oil separator in order to plumb it into your sewer line (I needed one).


 


Get your electrical panel set up with more capacity than you think you need and have multiple circuits, not just lots of outlets, so you don't overload when running lots of stuff (including units you don't currently have like an extractor or steamer).


 


I'd get a good air compressor, give thought to its power needs and how to run air lines.
Click to expand...


 


<span style="color:#008000;">I 100% agree with Accumulator on a few of these things.  


 


<span style="color:#008000;">I am not sure how all drains are set up but my father put in a drain that had the "water outlet" approx 1-2" above the bottom the drain basin.  This can in real helpful when a screw dropped down into the from what we were working on and fell perfectly in the the lid opening holes.  We simply removed the cover and recovered the screw.  


 


<span style="color:#008000;">Added electrical capacity is a great idea especially if you use a MasterBlaster or something that takes more power than your standard tools.  I also lean towards putting more outlets on a wall than the standard "1 in the middle" that some do for garages.


 


<span style="color:#008000;">Having a planned space and plumbing for an air compressor is handier that most will think.  I have a small one on wheels that I can roll around but now wish I had a much bigger unit for air tools and more air intensive jobs.  (Torador, Rupes sanders, paint gun for touch-ups)


 


<span style="color:#008000;">For flooring; while the race deck stuff looks cool I think I would lean towards a professionally install Epoxy system.  This will ultimately work better with drains if you need to access them.


 


 


<span style="color:#008000;">I would consider and wish I had Hot & cold water sources in my garage.  


 


<span style="color:#008000;">If you are planning on using your pressure washer indoors something I have considered doing is covering the lower walls in something like Panolam  White Frp Fiberglass Reinforced Wall Panel. It resists extreme changes in temperature and humidity as well as water.  And you can just wash it off.  Its the same as some of the plastic wall panels you see in bathrooms.  


<span style="color:#008000;">http://www.lowes.com/pd_8566-21553-8566_4294715686__?productId=3462790&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=


 


 


<span style="color:#008000;">Depending on how nice you are planning on doing things you may want to think about a stereo setup or even a TV wall mount with the wiring and boxes already installed.  
 
TroyScherer- You brought up a good point about the hot/cold water...I'm so used to having hot water that it completely slipped my mind!  IMO a separate water heater for the garage is a good idea, I even have a separate softener.


 


And yeah, I also have the lower few feet of my walls done with FRP.  VERY low-maintenance, easy to keep clean.  Some people here had predicted that I've have trouble with it, but after 14 years everything's still fine.


 


I've had to get a few things out of the trench drains over the years..can't remember anything actually getting away from me; stuff seems to just lie in there so I can pick it up.
 
jw:


You will probably need a local government (municipality/city/township, etc) building permit to build your garage. Ask the permitting agency/department or building inspector what needs to be done if you want to drain your water source from the garage. My city (Green Bay, WI) does not permit drains to be hooked up to waste water discharge without proper catches and separators/filters that need to be approved (IE; homemade units are not approved) which can be very expensive. I would so this BEFORE you even start your garage building project. Also, depending were you live, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or other state resource management agency may not you let discharge water at all, unless it's in a holding tank, if you are near a lake or stream, or protected watershed area. You do NOT want to mess with the state resource agency.


 


In my state of Wisconsin, there have been many seemingly inocuous building projects that have been stopped and removed at the owner's expense because proper DNR permits were not applied for and approved. One person was terracing his steeply sloped lake-front lawn down to a local lake with railroad ties to prevent erosion (good ecological idea!). The DNR made him take it out  because these railroad ties prevented some "endangered and protected" turtle specie from migrating up his lawn to lay their eggs each spring from the lake in a nearby woods.
 
Thanks for the responses.  I plan on doing a sump style drain that drains into the landscape as our city won't allow us to tie into the sewer for fear that someone will change their oil.  
 
jw- That's why I had to get the oil separator (both at my current home shop and the commercial building I used to have).
 
I have  an exhaust fan/duct setup in my ceiling but I never end up using it.  I never seem to have the dust issues I'd expected, but I guess that's gonna be situational.
 
At least put a separate filter for air flow to the garage. I would definitely have it be able to set to a certain temp.

I always dreamed of having a receded floor that lead to a few drains right under the car, maybe even a drop down plastic wall to wash in the garage. Dexter style, to prevent splatter.
 
Accumulator said:
jw- That's why I had to get the oil separator (both at my current home shop and the commercial building I used to have).
Click to expand...


 


Mind if I ask what unit you went with and how much it was? I'll be building an addition in the spring and having a drain is a MUST! :)
 
RaskyR1- Oh, man I can't really say!  I built the shop back in the late '90s when we did the "big house project".  If I can figure it out (the invoice book for the whole deal is many inches thick, this was a two-year project) I'll post back or PM you.


 


But, especially as it was so long ago, the answer might end up being "it costs whatever your contractor charges you when he does it".  It's not all *THAT* awful though, it's actually a pretty simple thing for them do do when doing the foundation/plumbing work.  A moderate hole dug where it'll go, few extra pipes and an access point (not that you'll really ever need to access it or have it pumped out in your lifetime), and the separator tank.  The permit was a non-issue, shouldn't be any worries there unless you run into a [jerk].  My builder just nodded and said "OK" when I said I wanted the floor  trench drain plumbed that way and it went OK.
 
Accumulator said:
RaskyR1- Oh, man I can't really say!  I built the shop back in the late '90s when we did the "big house project".  If I can figure it out (the invoice book for the whole deal is many inches thick, this was a two-year project) I'll post back or PM you.


 


But, especially as it was so long ago, the answer might end up being "it costs whatever your contractor charges you when he does it".  It's not all *THAT* awful though, it's actually a pretty simple thing for them do do when doing the foundation/plumbing work.  A moderate hole dug where it'll go, few extra pipes and an access point (not that you'll really ever need to access it or have it pumped out in your lifetime), and the separator tank.  The permit was a non-issue, shouldn't be any worries there unless you run into a [jerk].  My builder just nodded and said "OK" when I said I wanted the floor  trench drain plumbed that way and it went OK.
Click to expand...


 


Right on. I'm more concerned that the city won't allow a drain regardless of whether or not I have the separator. I noticed David Fermani recenlty installed one in his new shop so I'll hit him up as well. ;)


 


Thanks!
 
As someone mentioned, the larger 18' wide garage door is VERY nice...allows two cars to be pulled in without "fanning" out from the entry.  Some people prefer a pair of 10' wide doors so when you open one of them in the winter, all the heat doesn't rush out as quickly.  That's personal preference.  A good quality, insulated garage door is a must for heat.  Check out the Raynor Affina door:


http://raynor.com/products/affina.cfm


Is the best-built door available and has an incredible insulation value and thermally broken door sections.  These doors have powder-coated track and nylon rollers...so no metal on metal contact that can drop metal dust.  Also has a full-lifetime warranty; so it may be pricey to begin with, it will last as long as you do.


Also mentioned is hugging the garage door to the ceiling if you have any space up there.  It's call "hi-lift" track.  It can be gotten in increments that will allow it to go up against the ceiling and out of the way.  This is VERY good for lighting because sometimes you want your door up on a nice day, and it will keep the door from covering up your ceiling lights as much.  You will need a wall-mount garage door opener for this:


http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/productdetail/19724/elite-series-wall-mount-garage-door-opener/


But again, then there's no opener overhead to get in the way of you or the lights.


 


T8 is old-news...check out T5HO lights.  I installed these in my garage and they are the best.  You can get them in moisture-tight housings if it's needed (maybe on the ones for the walls).  Eventually LED will be the thing, but today is not that day.  T5 is the best choice.  You're still going to end up using a halogen set to walk around the vehicle regardless...as they show your defects best.


 


Flooring...NO Racedeck.  You want a poly-aspartic coating.  This is similar to epoxy in looks and appearance options, but it's abilities are well beyond.  It's not really much more than epoxy either.  There are various brands out there, but I think HP Spartacote the one of the best:


http://www.hpspartacote.com/


Depending on how they finish your concrete, and your abilities beyond detailing, you MIGHT be able to do this yourself and save some $$$.  Flooring places that sell the products are generally pretty good about educating a person on using it.  And there's plenty of videos online showing it too.  This stuff is nearly indestructible...specially for this type of use.


 


Drains, plumbing, and wiring aren't my thing...so that's about all I have to offer.  Good luck.
 
Roll-up doors (called rolling-steel or rolling-shutter) are an expensive way to go and typically used on warehouses or industrial facilities that leave them UP most of the time.  They are more used for security and/or weather resistance versus a constant up/down.  Put it up when the day begins and put it down at night.  They are nice in the fact that there is NO garage door tracks in the way, BUT the "barrel" that it rolls up into takes up space as well.  If you have a high enough ceiling to accommodate the barrel, you'd be able to hi-lift a more-traditional door too.  For a cold climate they stink.  Even though you can get insulated-slat versions, the insulation value is little to none.  For a detailing garage, temperature control and efficiency is pretty important I'd think.  Also...the steel versions will be susceptible to rust in the cold-rolled track (called guides) they use.  You can get these powdercoated, but they become even more expensive yet.  There are aluminum versions available and the cost becomes nearly un-affordable for most.  Furthermore, you have to use commercial "jackshaft" openers that more than twice the price also.  Rolling doors have their uses, but I wouldn't think a detailing garage would be it.


Some of the best product for the price rollings door are from CHI:  http://www.chiohd.com/garage-doors/rolling-steel


No the cheapest and not the most expensive...a great value.
 
cobrar97- You make some good points.  I pretty much had to get them for my home shop due to the cathedral ceiling (a "feature" !scare-quotes intentional! that's debatable to say the least) and aesthetic considerations (no debate there, they look swell even after 15 years).  Their insulation *does* leave a lot to be desired all right!  And, heh heh...rolling them up/down manually during power outages takes a while  :o
 
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