building a garage for a 2 x 911s - considerations

[red67]

I am currently going over rough plans for building a house with a double garage.
i want to keep 2 narrow-body long-hood 911s in the double garage safely away from the weather and do minor amateur work on them, and hopefully build up my non-exisitent mechanical skills along the way.

what things do i need to think about with the garage for the future?
my first thoughts were plenty of space around the cars (i dont know how much?!), is it best to get that 'oil proof' wipeable-paint on the floors (whats that stuff called?), remote operated door opening, and a fridge for beers! so obviously i havent considered a lot. lighting? windows? spare parts storage? tool storage etc? electrical sockets?

any of you out there with garages - are there things you miss or things you're happy you have?

i think building an under-car pit or ramp or anything in that league is going too far but any thoughts/fotos/advice/shared experiences would be gladly recieved on the whole project.

thanks in advance.

[livi]

Hi Paul,

I am in a similar situation across the pond. Recently bought a fairly large villa with a two car garage approximately 8x7 meters. It has all the electricity and light I need. I am in the process of painting the ceiling and walls. Have not decided on the floor as yet.

And yes, I have already the refrigerator installed for cool beverage.

I believe, like with most building projects, that one basic rule is to always plan to build it larger than you think you need. Empty mine feels very big. My little Carrera almost seems to disappear in a corner. I know how it goes however. Once another car (hopefully a 964 RS or GT3) occupies the other space and all the tools and benches you need are in place, it will be pretty cramped up. Do not build too small!

BTW, pretty ingenious avatar pic!

[MattKellett]

Paul - if you have 2 cars, build for 3!!! or at least make 1/2 bay for workshop area.

Keep us posted on your construction as you build.

Matt

[jbripps]

Hi Paul,

If you have a choice on ceiilng height....I would suggest making the ceiling at least 11 feet so you can easliy install a four post lift.....can easily get under the car as well as put it all the way and store another car underneath it. Plus....it really looks cool when the car is up! LOL.

J

[Condor_Man]

Wow,

I just came across this thread and I have just finished drawing my new double garage to show my builder tomorrow morning.

It too is going to be 8 x 7 Metres which is in addition to the double tandem that I already have.

I have been researching this for a while and attached are some photos that might help you with planning.

Good luck with the build!!

[Condor_Man]

And here are some more!!

[Condor_Man]

By the way,

High ceilings are great is you want to have a car stacker.

[Mo_Gearhead]

Random thoughts;
Wire for a 220 welder. Bare concrete stains, but painted or tiled floor are very SLICK when any liquid is present. Put in lots of good, overhead lighting (fluorescent). Floor drain. Lots of electrical outlets. May want to plumb for air lines if you have a large compressor.

[Condor_Man]

I hope that these horse stables have given you some fresh ideas??

[MBAtarga]

Check out the forums over at garagejournal.com for ideas.

[sballard]

DEFINITELY paint the floor or cover it. I used Griots and it has exceed expectations. Acid etching the floor, however, was a major pain in the ass but essential.

I just built a 2-car garage and added a little extra space for workshop stuff. My garage is 30' x 24' and would not have been happy with anything smaller. 24' depth is necessary for jacks to be used at both ends. If I had the space, I would have gone for a 3 car.

I have 4 220V outlets. I couldn't have done with less.

My garage is free standing and I have a window air conditioning/heater (220 V). In Mobile AL, it's essential!

Windows are nice to get extrac light. I have 4.

9 Ft wide doors minimal.

I wanted a high ceiling for installation of a 2-post lift. Some on the forum have said that they have garage doors that hugged the ceiling to add additional height for the lift. My contractor promissed he could deliver this, but he eventually abandoned project (please don't ask!) and the the garage door vendors (and I went to several) all said that this would be difficult and expensive to do and none of them were willing.

[dad911]

Originally posted by sballard
..........and the the garage door vendors (and I went to several) all said that this would be difficult and expensive to do and none of them were willing. [/B]

I've done it myself. Heavier duty springs and a few extra feet of track. It should have been minimal extra at the time of installation.

You also want to spec torsion springs, and an opener like this that doesn't interfere with ceiling height: http://www.wayne-dalton.com/idrive_Torsion.asp

[red67]

wow
thanks guys, some amazing inspiration and great thoughts there,
the 7 sepearte-door ferrari montage is possibly slightly out of my budget though, and maybe the lear jet one too! but its amazing to see and get ideas from :-)

windows is something i wasnt completely sure about but after seeing those at the top of this string i think it is a good idea for light, also for ventilation. maybe some blinds for security at night.

chequered flag floors seem to be popular but i think its a bad idea for my old oil burners. i need to go dark washable but i'll come to that after the build. floor drainage - might do without and spend that money somehwhere else. there aint gonna be too much liquid flying around.

the lighting used in the pics above is interesting for inspiration. rails of directable turnable lights on the ceiling between where the garge doors slide back that seems like a great idea, the workbench area behind the cars at the back having lights above that too could be great.

size is the biggest consideration, our plans are for an 8mx7m at the moment for cars and work is a good size but i could do with having more as everyone says above - i have a couple of kajaks and small boats and bikes and other crap, also need to shove all that junk somewhere, without it getting around my ears, so might build the garage longer and seperate it with a wall and have an external door on that section and internal door through to 'car' garage.

i'm looking at the rules on the land and how much land area i'm allowed to cover and i maybe be restricted but i have to plough through the nitty gritty.

my girlfriend wants the garage to join to the house and then we walk out of the upper floor and use a flat garage roof as a big terrace. that means she's limiting my erection (of a ramp) but thats ok.

sockets yeah - must put a LOT of electrical sockets in. i hate extension cables and the like.

i'm thinking more about the garage than the rest of the house (already planning a couple of steve mcqueen posters and things) maybe thats a sign i should make it as good as i can, i'll be spending a lot of time in there.

i'll let you know on stage 2 (tuesday) discussing the options and plans in more details with architect/builder.

thanks again for now...

[ljowdy]

On my property, I have a 2,500 sq. ft home with an attached 2 car garage. Lincoln LS and GMC Envoy live there.

I also have a 56' Motorhome garage which houses my 40' motorhome and 1973 911.

In addition, I have a 20' x 24' detached garage that's my combination workshop, repair center and in the evening houses my crew cab F250.

I have a great deal of room behind the fence where my garages are located but I didn't want to install a lift outdoor as my 20' x 24' garage isn't tall enough to accomodate a Benwill or 4 poster lift so, I settled for
a set of of the Heavy Duty kwiklift ramps see: www.kwiklift.com

I ran #2 wire from my meter to the garage to allow for 100 amps of 220v power to run my Plasma Cutter, compressor, wire MIG and TIG heliarc welders. Also, don't forget to allow for plenty of work bench space along with more electrical outlets than you think you need.

I do a lot of repairs for the 550 Porsche Replica and Speedster guys and therefore didn't choose the painted floor. Those floors look great but if you're rolling around floor jacks, transmissions jacks, jack stands, they eventually become damaged. (I have a friend that had a professionally painted floor installed and in 2 years, it needed refinishing.

If you're plans are to turn it into a show room of sorts, then go ahead with the fancy floor but , if it's a "working" garage, I'd suggest that you just seal the concrete.

Allow for a floor drain so you can wash the floor as it sure beats using a squeege to remove excess water.

If you're planning on finishing the walls inside the garage, I'd plan on air outlets from your compressor at various and strategic locations around the garage. Also plan on retractable over head lighting and a retractable power cord from the ceiling. And,,,,, although I said it above, install more electrical outlets and work benchs than you think you'll need.

[75'930cab]

By the looks of these pictures every other garage in the US has a F40 in it!!!

[brendon]

Originally posted by Mo_Gearhead
Random thoughts;
Wire for a 220 welder. Bare concrete stains, but painted or tiled floor are very SLICK when any liquid is present. Put in lots of good, overhead lighting (fluorescent). Floor drain. Lots of electrical outlets. May want to plumb for air lines if you have a large compressor.

My exact thoughts!!

Also heat and ac, maybe a ceiling fan to move the air around.

[Wickd89]

Great stuff.
I guess I should share pics of my 14 car sub-terrainian garage but I do not want to brag....... ;-)

[Mitch Leland]

All great ideas... I would install a slop sink (it's deeper than the regular wash sinks) if you have water available. You can always run the waste water out to the nearest flower bed. In some areas that is preferred and called "gray water".

I would also plan room for storage cabinets, and I'm sure you'll put plenty of insulation in the walls and ceiling so you can be cozy on those cold evenings.

[RWebb]

use sunlights w/ movable covers or put in N. facing clerestory(sp?) for light -- much much better than just windows

your gf is thinking well re a deck - put some stairs on the side that go to the garage

put in a big exhaust fan to pull air out of the garage - good for cooling it off near sunset AND for ventilation when using chemicals or raising dust

you'll want air & vaccuum too - plan it all out & run thru the studs.

studs should be thick to give room for insulation so the garage stays warm in winter

have elec. outlets scattered all over so you don't have to walk or lean far for a plug in -- also put some above the bench (for bench mounted equipment & chargers) & on the outer rim of the bench for trouble lights & floor use equip.

park the 2 cars next to each other and open all the doors - hah - they were too close together weren't they? move them apart & repeat ---> NOW you know the min. width you want AFTER all the shelveing and cabinetry is up.

The guy who said make it a LOT bigger than than yo think you'll need was _underestimating_!

Do you have other storage for bikes, snowblower (Denmark, right?), etc. etc.?? If not then make it even bigger than above...

Have the concrete floor poured with a tan colored concrete - even after you chip by dropping a jack or something it will still be the same color. Don't get a dark color - light colors will help reflect light.

[red67]

thanks again some good stuff above - like the outside stairs idea!
(and yeah bikes and snowblowers are a must here! a.c. not so much)
must think about paving also. I thought about dark grey cobbled paving with dark grouting inbetween - i like the look of it and i need something thats gonna disguise oil spots from my GF and i dont like tarmac.
(cant believe i'm writing this stuff on a porsche forum!? but it is to house my german babies and thats what inspired the move in the first place!)
but anyway theres a lot of stuff to digest above and i'm not rich so i have to choose carefully what options i pick that my pocket and GF will allow.
but anyway the below is a arkitect render (the good bits) with my dodgy manipulation afterwards (the wonky bits). i have to talk to them regarding its size and stuff (its probably not wide enough in this sketch) but i think this is how we foresee the house+garage looking kind of (plus stairs - cant draw those). so the windows are in the 'car end' (90%) and the door is in a 'sectioned off by a wall and full of crap end' (10%) for stuff not car related. my scale is probably off but thats their job to figure out. think it'll work out. i'll go for as big as i'm allowed on the land.

will be a lot of fun when we start getting to interior garage renders! might start a poll then 'what should i put on my walls?'...
also thought about having a couple of old trashed recaros in there for seating and putting some wheels on the bottom. my buddy just got some new basket weaves for his rs clone so i could pick the recaros up gratis as he doesnt want them, well anyway...my mind is running away with me...
very excited! its late...but must sleep....
cheers and thanks again