If you were moving into a new garage...

How would you lay everything out/what would you want in it? Rearranging when it's already full of crap is tough, but none of my crap is in it yet so it's a fresh slate.

No pics yet, but build thread is incoming. This is just for ideas. Here are the specifics:

It's a 2 car, a little larger in width.
Not full 2.5 car width. According to my math I could get my GTX, rx8, and wife's focus side by side and maybe open the door on a couple.
maybe 22' deep. I don't remember exactly.
Attaches to house on the left side.
Built in work bench along back right corner, 10' along back, another 10' along right wall, about 2' deep. Built in but I'm sure it's removable if needed.
Has an old fridge, full size with freezer.
Has a 7' door, normal 2 car width.
Somewhat tall ceiling, probably not 'lift' height, at least not a tall one.
Ceiling is sort of vaulted, so no storage attic inside, but also fairy high in the middle. The door opener is kinda low in the middle, though.
I have a big air compressor and lots of air tools. A few 110 outlets, have plans for additional plus maybe 220.
Kinda sucky lighting, 2 screw in light sockets with no bulbs in them.
No sink, I don't think the hose is too far away though.
Door in the back to the back (side) yard.
Pegboard above the bench, also along right wall by garage door.
Some cabinets in the wall.
No shelves except under the work bench.
Dry walled and painted walls and ceiling, but a couple big holes means I wouldn't mind ripping the drywall out to do stuff.
No cable/internet hookup as far as I know.
No windows.
Concrete slab appears crack free.

So, what is a must for you? Tunes? Lighting all over? Padded floor covering?

I'm thinking the right side (away from door to house) for project car space, other slot for some other car. There is a small shed for stuff like the mower and that in the back yard, plus a big storage unit for other stuff, so the garage doesn't need to be storage. I have in mind some kind of heat, maybe one of those that hangs on the ceiling and blows, maybe a wall air conditioner too.

If Tuna could chime in that would be great, I have a tunatruck-esk type long term project in mind for the future, so anything specific to that type of a project would be nice. I also do wood working, but mainly hand tools so I don't need huge saw tables and stuff.

My must-have for my shop was heat, good insulation, and lighting. I used the RapidAir system for air distribution.

Here is a panoramic pic of the shop (24x24) taken with my back up against the roll up door. The main air compressor is in the corner to the right of the workbench. The big MIG welder is next to my tool box with the arc welder on the other side of the tool box. The small MIG welder is to the left of the workbench in the corner.

Much more lighting, paint walls and ceiling white if they aren't already.

the walls and ceiling are white, but the ground is bare concrete. Would white floor also help, or would it just make the ground look horrible all the time?

I have the exact same setup you have. Keep the walls white, you need the white reflecting light down low, if you want color do a stripe or two around the middle like I did.

Get a mr heater propane add on for a propane tank (same tank I use in the summer for bbqing.

Buy two LED shop lights, they ran me 60$ for two. Plenty of light now. I took out my one tiny light bulb that was ten feet off the ground, removed the light socket, and placed a two plug outlet so now my shop lights are switched at the wall.

Pretty good.

Lighting would be my #1. Both good area lighting and task lighting.

After that, I'd work on some high storage. Above garage doors? That would give me the ability to get some big stuff off the floor as I moved in, rather than it taking up space from the start.

A lift would not be a priority for me in a garage that size.

Enjoy!

We did a whole series of articles on this a few years back. Get with Gary in our office (386 239-0523) and he can get you those magazines.

If you look at Cousin_Eddie's pictures, you'll notice there is very little sitting on the ground. I see a rubber bin and what looks like a stack of wood about to be turned into something useful. I've just adapted this and have since got some of those overprice Rubbermaid Fast Track 'hook/rack' system. I've got the bikes up on pulley systems ($10 from Menards).

We also painted the garage in an off white and have a ton of lighting. We also added a plastic laundry sink into the corner of the garage and built it into a countertop.

We've since put a small cupboard above it.

In reply to Trackmouse:

LED lights seem like a great idea, as does that splitter. I was looking online and it seems like i can get substantially more lumens per dollar using CFLs, though i haven't found a CFL i didn't hate... Comparing this CFL: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8254/FC85-S50OD.html to this LED: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/137537/PLT-6104.html both put out similar lumens, but the LED is 6 times more expensive up front. The LED uses half the wattage, however, and has a 5 year warranty, while the CFL is only rated for 10k hours, so likely long run the LED would be cheaper. That buy in price though, that's a bit steep... The garage has 2 light sockets, one above each car stall, maybe i'll go with 2 of the CFL's and start saving for the LED? I think 2 of either of those lights would be enough for a garage, but 2 splitters to make 4 bulbs... that would be pretty sweet. I don't know. I don't actually move in until this weekend, and i haven't moved all my junk to this state yet, either, so i have a little time.

That propane heater idea sounds nice, I do have a propane grill, so the same tank idea would be handy. Do you find it more convenient/efficient then just an electric heater?

In reply to SVreX:

For task lighting, i think the PO (my brother) is leaving some florescent fixtures and bulbs, i might be able to put them above the bench or along walls to light the sides of cars or something. I used a single tube florescent light at my last garage to light the sides of my car before, seemed to work, except i kept bumping into it, moving it, tripping over the cord, etc...

Lift isn't in the budget either, but it IS on my 'one day' list. I mentioned that to my dad and he immediately said "You can definitely fit a lift or two in that storage unit. What you might want instead is one of those rotisseries." I love my dad. A lot. He has the budget for all of that, but i don't.

In reply to Tim Suddard:

Thanks! i'll try to give him a call this week during business hours. 9-5-ish?

In reply to RossD:

One thing i hate is junk sitting on the ground, i may have to check into that rack stuff. I also need a bike-ceiling-type solution. I have a Menards here (janesville), i'll have to check that out when i make my bi-weekly trip over there.

Does that sink have plumbing going to it? That's one thing i don't have in my garage. The whole thing is drywalled, but full of holes. I wouldn't be against ripping out the drywall (the holes are WAY too big to patch, like boat sized. I think someone backed a boat trailer into the wall more than once) and running the 220 and plumbing, along with some insulation if there isn't any.

Does scope creep usually apply to garages? why not, right? Yeah, scope creep is my friend. This is my first house that i'm fairly sure we will settle down in for more than a few years. Like, i wouldn't be surprised if we lived here until eventual family growth pushes us out. That's why my brother is moving, his next child is due next Thursday . I can let the scope creep all i want. Until the budget hits a wall, i guess...

In reply to RossD:

I would LOVE to have a sink in my garage. Getting a water line out there (that won't freeze) and a drain back into the house pose sizable challenges though.

Flooring! It's something that pretty much requires an empty garage. Tiles, paint, sealer or polishing and even cleaning is going to be much easier without a garage full of stuff to work around.

Having worked on floors with decades of accumulated filth, floors that are fastidiously clean and a whole bunch in between, the cleaner and lighter in colour the better. It makes the space seem brighter/less dingy, it makes dropped items easier to find and spills etc so much easier to clean up.

Other than that, storage. Storage is king. Its much easier to put stuff away and organise your garage and keep it that way if you get your storage sorted before you start putting stuff in there. (Ask me how I know haha)

Insulation and climate control. You are in WI so cold winters and hot muggy summers can make a shop hell to spend time in. I love the infrared tube down the center of my shop since I can keep the place just above freezing and 15 minutes later the place is cozy warm. Spray foam insulation means you wont annoy the neighbors every time you fire up a power tool.

Cant have too many electrical outlets. I love the self coiling extension cords up to the point where they fail. Same with air but to a lesser degree since I don't use a ton of air tools.

Light.

In your situation, since the garage is attached to the shop, you should consider everything possible to seal keep garage smell out of house. Better door and aforementioned spray insulation. Going one step further I might suggest negative pressure ventilation so the house is higher pressure than the shop.

The closer you can make it to feeling like a living space the more pleasant it is to spend time in. If you have to lay on the floor to do work, make it a pleasant floor to lay on. The section of my garage with painted walls and VCT flooring is immeasurably nicer to be in than the part next to it with unfinished drywall and bare concrete, and both parts have the same lighting.

If you are considering taking down the drywall, consider going back with some sort of plywood for the interior walls. My shop has cheap OSB like you'd decka roof with instead of drywall. It's strong enough that I can screw mount hooks, cabinets, and crap anywhere I want. Also, it's put up with screws so it's easily removable/reinstallable for repairs and mods. I would have painted it white before moving in if I'd known what I do now, though. The natural wood color gets dark.

Consider making up some overhead storage solutions. It's easier while the shop's empty.

There's plumbing that runs into the house. Luckily the house is two steps up from the garage floor so there's a portion of the basement's ceiling space lines up with the plumbing level. The hose bibb that's visible is just below the floor joist.

For my next house (within the next 3-4 years), I'd like my shop/garage to have tile. I'm not sure of the material type but I've seen high end shops and even the local quick lube place have tile.

I'll try and get some photos of the racks and the bike pulley systems.

I've been moving into my garage for the past 2+ years.

Here's the build thread: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/rcutclifs-garage-build/96035/page1/