Is there a drain near the water tank? You'll have a flood if and when the tank fails. Very few apartment/condo hwt are installed with adequate provisions. I'd hate to be the unlucky recipient of 30/40/50 gallons of water leaking from above.

But he did give input -- add a few workbenches, grease, oil stains, and lots of old parts. It will give the garage an air of authenticity.

Home Depot had a drain pan that could be placed under the WH. I havn't gotten that far yet. With the WH up high, a drain off the pan would be an easy fix.

Steve

"A Porsche does more then just go fast in a straight line"

Get rid of the tank water heater and install an on demand one in its place, I got rid of my tank two years ago and replaced it with a Bosh Aqua-star, I would never consider a tank heater ever again, endless supply of 165 degrees of hot water and takes up about the same space as a case of beer its worth every extra dollar spent and I saw huge savings on the gas bill and with five kids I have no more complaints about running out of hot water. Race deck flooring is nice and looks great makes a quick fix to a poor condition floor and is easy to install. I have it in my garage, it is not heat resistant but has good impact durability.

I was also about to suggest Chappy's idea also... Hot water on demand is excellent, unlimited, and cheap ;)

In Australia we tend to install water heaters outside against an exterior wall - is that not possible over there? Cold weather perhaps?