New home construction....Garage questions

[yasir]

Hello,

Archives didn't help so thought to ask you guys about your expertise.

Starting to build our house and have few questions regarding the Garage.

It's second play garage 28x26 and realizing it might not be enough, told the builder I wanted to extend it side ways by at least another 6' making it 34x26

Part of the garage I am planning to install a lift where I can work/learn how to work on the car.

Question is, how high does the ceiling needs to be and also how thick the concrete needs to be? I will be calling some garage lifts places tomorrow about their recommendations but it doesn't hurt to ask any ways.

Any good Garage forum or good threads where I can look at garages to get some ideas?

Thanks

[fireant911]

yasir,
Take a look at the garagejournal (The Garage Journal) as that site cover most, if not all, things garage-related. Use your good judgement as some advice there is good, some is not so good...

[onewhippedpuppy]

It's not so much the lift, it's what you want to put on the lift. Usually the posts aren't that tall. Add up how high you want it to go, plus the height of the car. I just added on a 3rd car garage that will eventually get a lift, I was able to go 11' on my ceiling which should be more than enough. Don't forget the high lift garage door tracks as well, and you'll likely need a commercial style wall mount opener that mounts near the torsion spring.

Taller ceilings are always better in my book. More room for a lift, more room for shelves on the walls, easier to hang things like ladders and bikes from the ceiling.

[Rusty914s]

I did some research on this many moons ago and minimum was 11 but 14 was was being tossed around as ideal.

You don't need to thicken the entire slab. Just around the area where most of the weight will be.

I am not an expert so my advice and 10 dollars will buy you coffee at Starbucks.

[SeanPizzle]

I am getting to the end point on my garage build. I chose the Bendpak SP7X which is a scissor lift that is flush mounted into the pad. I have 10.5' ceiling height which is fie for my needs. You can get the dimensions for the pad from the bendpak site.

BendPak SP-7X Scissor Lift, 7,000 Lb. Capacity, Frame Engaging

[FastCarFan]

I have heard many others say, "Regardless of how large the garage is, it is not big enough."

[froggert]

Originally Posted by FastCarFan

I have heard many others say, "Regardless of how large the garage is, it is not big enough."

+911.

check out garage journal. it's the pelican of garage stuff. seems like half the guys there have garages bigger than my house.

are you planning on going with a 2-post lift? the manufacturer will have requirements for the concrete and minimum height. you'll need at least enough to tilt the columns into place. i have a 4-post lift and 11' ceilings. it's enough to get the 911 to max height, leaving 5'8" under the runways. my wife's outback is almost 2' taller, so i usually just raise it part way and roll around underneath on a stool.

[Rusty Heap]

maybe re-think you dimensions, at right now yeah you're trying to go wider, but it's the depth of only 26' that is a big red flag to me.


if you have a work bench or shelving on the far wall, plus standing/walking room, for any small or mid sized car or SUV you're only going to have about 3' each end of vehicle to walk around which is pretty cramped in the real world. Our house garage at 20' deep simply isn't big enough to even park a small car in, unless you're talking a Mini-cooper or such. 30 foot deep minimum if you can.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

maybe re-think you dimensions, at right now yeah you're trying to go wider, but it's the depth of only 26' that is a big red flag to me.


if you have a work bench or shelving on the far wall, plus standing/walking room, for any small or mid sized car or SUV you're only going to have about 3' each end of vehicle to walk around which is pretty cramped in the real world. Our house garage at 20' deep simply isn't big enough to even park a small car in, unless you're talking a Mini-cooper or such. 30 foot deep minimum if you can.

Oooh, good point! We can barely squeeze our F150 on one side of the garage, the other side has my workbench so there is about 3' less depth. Fortunately my wife's Mazda5 isn't that big.

Also think about kid stuff or wife stuff, assuming you have either. My new 3rd car garage currently has two Powerwheels, a go kart, and 3 bikes crammed into the front of it. My shelves have a lot of our lawn/garden stuff on them, because that's where the wife thinks they should go.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by FastCarFan

I have heard many others say, "Regardless of how large the garage is, it is not big enough."

That is true..

[2porscheguy]

Originally Posted by FastCarFan

I have heard many others say, "Regardless of how large the garage is, it is not big enough."

Man, that is so true!

So basically whatever you think is "big enough", add 30%!

[Nickshu]

A couple thoughts:

1.) Roll-up garage doors. Will eliminate possible interference with your lift

2.) Floor drains - City codes may prevent this in a residential setting (mine city says no on them), but if you can consider them.

3.) Garage floor concrete thickness - Take this into account. Buy or at least spec-out your lift ahead of time so you know what footings you need for the lift.

4.) Hot/Cold water rough in - You may want at least a hot/cold stopcock or a deep sink in there

5.) Electrical - Run conduit in your concrete out to where the lift will be located. Also consider how many and where you want outlets

6.) Heat - Run gas or whatever fuel you need for a hanging forced air furnace or whatever, I'm no expert on this, infrared?? Insulate and drywall.

7.) Security system - If you think you need one, wire it in before drywall

8.) Windows - Natural light is really nice when working. Much better than a bunch of fluorescents.

The above is all the stuff I Didn't do when I built my garage and have had to spend $$$ to install after the fact. My house was a custom build but designed by someone else and we bought it when it was almost completed so most of the garages were done already.