Garage Advice new Build

turbobuick

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Well after 16 years in my house in a suburban subdivision and tiny 594sqft garage I have finally decided to pull the trigger and add an addition on the house so I can have my own workshop/toy box! We dug and poured the footers yesterday and I am super excited!

My current garage with a pic of when I did the frame off resto of my T-type
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New Addition is going out the back of my current garage and will be 30x40 giving me close to 1800 sqft total with the current garage and my wife will never have to park outside again lol!
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I need to make a decision on the lift so we know where to pour the 6" think pads. My current garage has a 11' ceiling so I was going to keep it the same for the new garage. In shopping for lifts it seems most standard lifts need a 12-13 foot ceiling but several can be had for lower ceilings and still provide over 6 feet for lift height which is plenty for me. I could probably put a 13' ceiling in the new garage but is it worth it or will it matter as far as the lift goes? I still have enough room to pull my car in the garage on the trailer or my Audi with the bicycle roof rack without having to take the bikes off. Will it be worth changing and the extra expense to add another foot of ceiling height just for the lift?

Also, what brand lift?
I have been looking at the Dannmar D-9x two post 9000# lift for limited ceiling height. https://dannmar.com/car-lifts/two-post-lifts/d-9-x.html

I have read a bunch on Dannmar and many people are saying it is the same build as Bendpak they are ALI certified and have a 3 yr warranty, I am finding it online shipped for $2699 while the comparable Bendpak XRP is $3499, is the bendpak worth the extra? Should I be looking at Forward or Rotary or other brands?

Next is flooring, any suggestions on what I should do for a shop floor? I tried epoxy before and it was a mess and I ended up grinding it all off. Slicks and a spool are absolute hell on an epoxy floor! I have searched a few sites, Armorpoxy and Legacy which have some good reviews and are supposedly better products than chain store stuff but they are expensive and IDK if they will hold up to the abuse I can dish out on it.

Any special type of concrete or sealers I should consider? I have seen garage floors the look almost polished with a heavy concrete sealer does this seem to hold up better and is there anything to consider before pouring the floor?

I am installing a bunch of window for natural lighting but looking to put LED strip lights in the ceiling any suggestions on where to look for those?

Any other suggestion or idea are welcome and pics of current setups would be nice to get some ideas.
Thanks
 
I'm trying to get everything straight to have one built too. Mine won't be attached though and since it isn't, I will be going with one of the all metal ones. It's hard to beat the amount of building you can get for the money in those. Anyway, the common theme I've found is to take the size building you think you need and build it bigger. I assume that goes for height too. I think you won't go wrong with the extra clearance. I can't give any advice on the other stuff yet but I will be keeping up with this thread to see what answers you get. ;)

Good luck with the build. Pics when you finish, please.
 
Not sure if the budget allows or what part of the country you are in but man heated floors would be nice here in Michigan, I have had heat in both my home garages but the floor is what keeps the cold in.
 
No matter what you use for flooring make sure you put some kind of traction additive on the floor. Silica is the easiest but I can tell you that a slick floor sucks when you have to have decent footing and can't get it. The first drip of oil, anti-freeze or trans fluid and you are skating all over the place.

Shop looks great, I am sure you will enjoy it.
 
I'm trying to get everything straight to have one built too. Mine won't be attached though and since it isn't, I will be going with one of the all metal ones. It's hard to beat the amount of building you can get for the money in those. Anyway, the common theme I've found is to take the size building you think you need and build it bigger. I assume that goes for height too. I think you won't go wrong with the extra clearance. I can't give any advice on the other stuff yet but I will be keeping up with this thread to see what answers you get. ;)

Good luck with the build. Pics when you finish, please.
Since I live in a subdivision I am not allowed to have a detached garage otherwise I would have done the same thing. If is considerably more $$ to attach the garage to the house. I have to have a brick foundation along with removing a load bearing wall and installing a steel beam!

I agree 1200sqft looks to small lol!!
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Built my garage at 12 foot tall and it works well with any lift. I would do it the same again
I'll have some expense to make the additions ceiling an extra foot, my question is does it matter is there any real difference in the lifts which is what I would need the extra foot for. Right now with 11' I clear everything I need to
 
Not sure if the budget allows or what part of the country you are in but man heated floors would be nice here in Michigan, I have had heat in both my home garages but the floor is what keeps the cold in.

I am wrestling with this now I am in Ohio. I have a 45BTU Modine HotDawg gas heater in my current garage you can see in the pic I posted. All I have to do is run a gas line and electric from that heater over to the new space and add another $700 heater and its done. Those little heaters kick ass too. It seems like a lot less hassle and money than another hot water tank, water lines (which are in the garage already) and running the pex pipe.

I am however considering an insulating vapor barrier underneath the concrete, do you have any experience with this? Since the garage is attached and stays heated most of the winter the floor never gets all that cold. At least not less than the 55* I keep the thermostat set at.
 
Never heard of the insulating vapor barrier , I have never had a home or garage built but I would guess it could only help and is better than nothing.
 
Since you asked about lighting...

I'm about to start a project to insulate and finish off my garage.

Although not cheap, I'm thinking about one of these bad boys mounted high on the wall angled to face my motor when the hood is up. My centered overhead lights in the garage do me limited good when the hood is open blocking the light.

https://store.bigassfans.com/the-garage-light


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I’m building mine now.

I found a year old Challenger 10000lb for $2700 I just had to go pull it down.

I would at least go to ‘12 for the ceilings. You won’t regret this.

I am using macropoxy on my floors with silica for grip. It’s not the cheapest out there but will stand up to all the traffic and oils.

Make sure they use mesh wire in the slab. It’s the spec for the lift. I had my whole slab done with it.


Congrats on the new addition! I haven’t been this happy about building anything ever.


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https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/construction/better-garage-floors_o
https://ravenefd.com/applications/construction-films/vapor-retarders-barriers
This looked interesting too as a simple but effective replacement for the two centered 100w bulbs I have up there now.

LED Garage Lights, Deformable LED Garage Ceiling Lights 6000 Lumens, 60W CRI 80 Led Shop Lights for Garage, Garage Lights with 3 Adjustable Panels, Utility Led Garage Lighting (No Motion Activated) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTLGHVL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ojh7BbH3PVBER



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For lighting I am planning to go with 8' double strip lights with LED bulbs. I will put two every 10 feet for 8 total which out to light the place up. Lowes has them for $89 a piece but I am still researching which ones to get.
 
I'll have some expense to make the additions ceiling an extra foot, my question is does it matter is there any real difference in the lifts which is what I would need the extra foot for. Right now with 11' I clear everything I need to

You may clear everything you need to now, but what about in the future? Say a friend gets a truck with a light bar or something happens and you can't use the lift you want. Plus, I'm sure you have probably considered it but dependent on lift placement it may affect what kind of garage door you can use. A traditional garage door eats up a lot of ceiling room. With a roll up it is not too much of an issue but with a normal track system it could be something to consider.
 
I’m building mine now.

I found a year old Challenger 10000lb for $2700 I just had to go pull it down.

I would at least go to ‘12 for the ceilings. You won’t regret this.

I am using macropoxy on my floors with silica for grip. It’s not the cheapest out there but will stand up to all the traffic and oils.

Make sure they use mesh wire in the slab. It’s the spec for the lift. I had my whole slab done with it.


Congrats on the new addition! I haven’t been this happy about building anything ever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am going to check with the builder tomorrow on what it would cost to make the ceiling 12'. Not sure it will matter that much to me though unless it matters with the lift? If the cost isn't significant I will do it.

I will check out the macropoxy floor.

I am looking into what I need for concrete found some good stuff on Google. Looks like the grade of concrete is pretty critical and a 4500psi in strength is ideal for a shop floor. With that and mesh I dont think you need more than 4" of thickness. I believe I am going to do the foam base and poly vapor barrier. With this if I keep the heat on in the garage the slab should stay warm.

Post up some PICS of the new garage!
 
I'm sure you builder will do so but I would think about 3000 to 3500 psi concrete with either the wire mess mats or getting them to tie steel ( rebar ) and build you a mat . ALL concrete cracks , the key is what to do when it cracks . A good wire mesh and or rebar in your slab and you will be set . Also make sure they suspend your wire / steel somehow . It does absolutely no good for your mat to lay on the ground and the concrete poured on top . The contractor can do this , its more work but its a must . Good luck on your build . I wish I had one
 
Try to keep your dimensions in increments of 12', 8', 4', 2'.

Standard 2"x 4-6-8-10" lumber is 8' long. Over-length is 10', 12', etc. An 11' wall will require 12' lumber, plus a cut.

Standard size for sheathing is 4'x8'.

Built a 10' x 20' small shop once. Lot of cut off waste wood.
 
Go as high with the ceiling as you can. I don't know how tall you are, but I'm only 5'6". The shop I use has a two-post lift under a 12' ceiling, and I can just barely get the car high enough to walk under it fully upright. My Dad's a few inches taller and he's constantly busting his head. Even another 6" would have made all the difference in the world.
 
https://www.concreteconstruction.net/how-to/construction/better-garage-floors_o
https://ravenefd.com/applications/construction-films/vapor-retarders-barriers
Try to keep your dimensions in increments of 12', 8', 4', 2'.

Standard 2"x 4-6-8-10" lumber is 8' long. Over-length is 10', 12', etc. An 11' wall will require 12' lumber, plus a cut.

Standard size for sheathing is 4'x8'.

Built a 10' x 20' small shop once. Lot of cut off waste wood.
Very good point I am checking on it. As far as lifts and hieghts go, all the Dannmar std size lifts are 145" tall so I would need a 13" ceiling. Which ironically the D-9X low profile lift actually lifts the 3" vehicle higher than the std size DX-10! With 11 feet and 76" of lift I can lift a 60" car 6 foot and I am 5'7" so plenty of room under the Buick for my short self. My truck on the other hand would be tight fit as it sits a little over 6' so that would be less than 5' lift so yeah that extra foot would be nice for the truck.
 
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