Looks like me too, sounds very similar to yours 24 x 44 std double door on front end and a single wide side door into the back area with cathedral ceiling for the elusive lift and work area, still working on finishing but holds 4 cars and a couple motorcycles nicely with room for work benches, still looking at "best" method & location for stairs to the 2nd floor. 20 cars, just had to open the thread.Originally Posted by TB73
Best Regards
My garage is same with 3 10X8 doors ... a steep 10/12 pitch roof makes the loft over the 2 bays pretty usable , but yes the trick is how to make access to the loft civilized yet not compromise the parking spot of the hobby bay ..... Northwest makes garage door hardware so when G-door goes up on the hobby bay it will follow the pitch of the ceiling and not compromise the airspace above hobby bay .. G-door motors will mount on header of G-door not hang in the room as motors we grew up with did.
Video surveillance (inside & out), fireproofing and a sprinkler system if I was building it.
Porsche Historian, contact for Kardex & CoA-type Reports
Addicted since 1975, ESR mbr# 2200 to 2024 03
Researching Paint codes and Engine Build numbers
Stick the stairs back in a corner.
One thing to double check is your collector car insurance policies. Some of the more rare cars may require their own separate walled off space removed from the other cars. Maybe even their own unique secured entry garage door, video, and alarm system. You want to be prepared for stuff like that.
That sounds magnificent! You have received great suggestions - so I will add a few that I learned while building my 6 bay garage -
1. Electrical - you never have enough outlets around the garage. Add as many as possible particularly if you are going to use battery tenders. Lighting - don't skimp - Lighting is critical!
2. HVAC - Im in the northeast - temperatures fluctuate depending on the season - you will want heat. I suggest radiant as it's the most efficient and clean. Didn't think I needed cooling until I realized I needed/wanted to minimize humidity. I don't know what construction you're considering but good insulation was also very valuable.
3. Flooring - critical decision especially when storing old cars. Even the best old cars leak. Expoxy flooring is very durable and is immune for the most part to fluids. I know folks that have used tiles - over time didn't fair well.
I spent more time designing than I did building and it was worth it. Aesthetics is as important as functionality Take your time, see and feel, and make the decisions that will fit your needs based on usage.
Good luck!
Epoxy flooring is great. I recommend the following:
1. Solid color. Avoid the multicolored chips as they make finding a small dropped nut or screw/bolt nearly impossible.
2. Make sure you employ a commercial grade solution where the concrete surface is bead blasted to remove the top layer and provide some porosity for appropriate adhesion.
I've built a few 2/3 car garage/workshops and just built a new 23k sf manufacturing facility for my company. in addition to the previous posts, here's a few things I've learned:
Foundation - the only thing you can't fix after the building is completed is the foundation/concrete. And it's the one thing a lot of builders don't pay enough attention to. I'd do a few things -
1) just before the concrete pour, hire an independent structural engineering firm to do a soil/base compaction test.
2) over spec the concrete vs what the architect recommends - the cost for example to go from 4000 psi to 5000 psi concrete is minimal against the overall cost of the project, but it gives you a hedge against the concrete plant screwing up and under spec-ing the mix. If the architect specs 4" I'd also go to 5" thickness since inevitably the surface won't be perfectly graded.
3) hire an independent concrete testing company to be on site during the pour to both perform slump tests for each load and take cylinders for strength testing. Slump testing is particularly important if you are having to pump the concrete in - those guys like to overwater the mix to make easier to flow. Just having a testing guy there will usually make the concrete guys straighten up and fly right. Again, the cost of the testing guy is minimal compared to the project cost, but can save you huge heartache/regret later.
Dehumidification - in MD you cannot get adequate dehumidification (for a car collection) via just running AC - you will need a separate dehumidification system. If you are going with ducted HVAC you can get standalone dehumidifiers that can be integrated into the HVAC duct system. Good website for learning more about this type of stuff is https://www.energyvanguard.com
Lighting - get an industrial lighting shop to do a lighting plan/simulation for you - don't rely on the architect or electrician to do it. I would aim for at least 100 foot candles and then use industrial dimmable LEDs split across a few different circuits, in case you want to knock down the brightness at times. For most dimmable LEDs you need to run a separate 2-wire low voltage cable to each fixture for the dimming circuit, so you need to make sure the electrician does that before the ceiling is closed up.
Flooring - agree epoxy is the way to go, but be advised there are a wide variety of products and installers out there. Look for the guys who do large airplane hangars and manufacturing facilities - not the guys who do garages. Go with 3-layer system and go thick (like 25 mils) and make sure they are checking depth during application. I also wouldn't discount anti-slip additives - a slick floor looks cool, but you can end up on your posterior (and in the hospital) fast with one drop of oil on a "slick" epoxy floor. For my garages I had only used glass beads, and wasn't super happy with the look (though I never slipped!). For my new building the guy used a light mix of glass beads plus aluminum oxide, and it looks great, and is highly slip resistant. Personally, I also like a solid color - no flakes.
Automated Shades - if you have a lot of windows, I would put in automated shades/blinds. In my last dream garage build (unfortunately at our prior house...) I put in 14 windows as I wanted tons of natural light when I was working in there. But, obviously, I didn't want sunlight streaming in when I wasn't in there. I quickly discovered it was a real pain to raise/lower 14 blinds - in my next dream garage, I plan to just push a button to simultaneously open/close all the window blinds.
'70 911T Coupe
'93 964 C2 Coupe
Gled49, I will be using a 90 degree turn / landing but my only non door corner is in the hobby bay for lift welding bench and workbench, I think it will be similar to that but most likely start by the hobby bay side door end and have the long stair run first then the landing & 90 up higher and hide compressor and some other storage there. is 10ft ceiling gambrel shaped building, getting the 2nd floor trusses was minimal extra expense the hobby bay has cathedral ceiling 14ft at center and the "side door follows the ceiling line.
Sorry for hijack
Best Regards
Post #14, That’s what I did, compressor under stairs, not outside, it’s not to noisy. 6” 5000 lb floors, polished concrete. Heat pump for HVAC. Lots of lighting, originally T5, converted to LED. Separate electrical service 200A, 4 220 around the space and everywhere I was going to put duplex outlets, I put quads. I thought about installing air behind the walls, but surface mounted it later, as I really didn’t know where I needed it. I looked at a shop that did behind the walls, and none of it worked where placed. Mine isn’t super large 2400 down and 1300 up for storage. I wanted clear span so steel was the cheapest way to go. 18” across and 12” wide flange back to support the upper floor.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote