Your favorite / dream Garage

[amsiegel]

Ok after seeing GA.Spiders photo of his car and garage I started think of what would be my dream garage. I guess the one I have seen that I like the best so far is my Ferrari mechanic friend's garage. Its 5 bays wide 2 car deep with 2 lifts. There is a little office in front and the exterior looks like an old time gas station with pumps and a 1950's pick up in front. The garage walls are covered in old gas station sign and classic disney moive posters. He is a Disney nut part of his property is a replica of the Jungle Queen ride entrance. Sorry not photos.

That would be my second choice of dream garage. I will find photos of the first choice.

What would be your favorite / dreram garage of all time. It could be real or from a movie, tv, etc.

[baltobernie]

The one attached to Pope's mom's house?

Here's my second choice. DC Fiats club member John with a lift, blast cabinet, powder oven and wood-burning stove. And a refrigerator. And two floors of every Fiat Spider part imaginable.



Tech day March 6 or 7 at this shop, guys. See http://dcfiats.org/events/index.html

[wachuko]

Since dreaming does not cost a thing… here it goes:

I would like the workshop to look like an old Spanish villa (tile roof, dark brown wood window frames, dark brown wood garage doors… not sure if you guys have seen the architecture in San Agustin, FL or in Old San Juan, PR… but something along those lines. Inside I would like to have the garage area with a separate A/C unit. Glass walls dividing the living quarters (at least the kitchen and family area) from the garage so I can see the cars while sitting in the family or having something to eat, and two bedrooms (each one with a full bathroom). An additional bathroom in the garage (as the photo shows) that connects to the family so it can be shared with the house (so a total of three bathrooms).

A place that you could live in… tiled, enough receptacles, air points, light, etc. to make it easy to work the cars.

I even built a few (to scale, 1:43 so I could use my 1:43 cars to see how it would look) mock ups of several designs, bought a plan drawing software to play with layouts, etc. Here are two photos of the first rough design... before I got the software and did better layouts... again, dreaming does not cost a cent...





Again… time goes on, and we have not done a thing towards getting the shop built. So for now it is just a dream…

Got the dust off a CD with some design software... It will have to be 50x60 to accommodate everything we want. The idea is that at some point it will be our place to retire.

This is what we have so far:



Garage ideas or must have list (the list is a compilation of different threads I have seen over the years, my ideas, ideas from magazine or various websites). Here is the updated list:

I am thinking about a 50’x60’ structure that would serve as a workshop and a weekend house. Using 32'-44’x50’ (L-Shaped) for the workshop and 16’x50’ for the Kitchen/Family quarters downstairs and 20'x50' upstairs for the bedrooms... Since I had put this off for so long I have to go back to the drawings I had and see if I need to modify those dimensions.

Structural
1. Raised structure (at least 24” stem wall). Even if it is not in a flood zone but since it is close to the river. To have some peace of mind
2. 4 or 5” 4000 psi concrete slab floor with thickened (6”) pads for car lift
3. Steel beam on the ceiling to be used as an engine hoist, allowing me to remove an engine and then slide it from the two-post lift area along the metal rail to the work surface (bench).
4. Drains in garage floor in each bay
5. Garage door notch for weather-proofing
6. Plumbing and drain (3/4” water supply) for sink in garage (using a restaurant type stainless steel sink to serve as dual sink and parts cleaner).
7. Outside taps
a. By garage door next to main entrance
b. By deck area
c. By side and back of structure
8. 14' ceiling in first floor
9. 10’ ceiling in second floor
10. Three 12' x 10' insulated door. High lift track doors. Door should be pneumatic for quiet operation or using LiftMaster 3800.
11. In-ceiling pipes for air hose and electrical extension reels (or maybe do those outside for easy troubleshooting later if something goes wrong with them). Which ever is more cost effective.
12. Air compressor room in garage area with insulated walls to keep noise down
13. Full bathroom with closet area for working clothes. To be shared with first floor (two access doors, one from the garage and one from the living area). Toilet should have area for magazines to maximize the time reading the latest from CAR, Excellence, Panorama, etc.
14. A large floor level sink in the garage. Provides an excellent area to clean mops or parts.
15. Propane tank for generator.
16. Hidden area for generator.
17. Deck area kitchen provision (would like to later build an area with a sink, cooktop area, and built-in BBQ so I will need water, electrical, and drainage for this to be available).
18. Two-car driveway from entrance to house.


Electrical (not a complete list)
1. 200 amp 220 volt service panel
2. 30 amp 220 volt circuit for lift in ceiling
3. 30 amp 220 volt circuit for two-post lift
4. 30 amp 220 volt circuit for welder
5. 30 amp 220 volt circuit for powder coating oven
6. 30 amp 220 volt switched outlet for compressor
7. 30 amp 110/220 volt outlet for washer
8. 30 amp 110/220 volt outlet for dryer
9. 30 amp 220 volt outlet as spare
10. 30 amp 110/220 volt circuits for A/C
a. One for the garage
b. Two for living area
11. Three Train A/C units
a. One for the garage
b. One for the living area First Floor
c. One for the living area Second Floor
12. 20 amp 110 volt outlets in ceiling for lift, drop lines, ceiling fans, and air filter
13. 15 amp 110-volt GFI outlets outside on each side of garage door, deck, back walls.
14. 15 amp 110 volt outlet for exhaust fan
15. 110 volt GFI outlets at 48-52” height using double gang boxes located every 4’ around garage (approx 60 total)
16. Overhead high-output fluorescent lights (T8 bulbs, 4 per light)
a. 6 rows of lights with 5 lights in each, each row on switched circuit
b. 2 above work bench
c. 2 above cleaning area
d. For the bays, these need to be off-center with the bay to have the light come from the side when working on the cars
17. Florescent lights in garage door columns in bay area where lift is. I want to make sure there is enough light when working under the car. One light on each column next to this door will be perfect. See photo.
18. Switched (with motion sensor) outside 500w halogen floodlight. One on each corner.
19. Recess lights outside, over garage doors entrance
20. Individually switched ceiling fans
a. Over computer desk
b. Over car bays (off centered)
21. Propane/Natural Gas, backup generator capable of running the living areas in the first and second floor
22. Decorative lamps on each outside column
23. Electrical entrance gate with video intercom

Other wiring
1. Wired alarm system
2. Telephone service
3. Cable/satellite wired (lines for each room and garage)
4. Cat-5e network cables (lines for each room and garage)
5. Wire speakers for in-ceiling speakers in all rooms and garage
6. Wire video surveillance (power/video lines for 4 cameras)
7. Spare conduit to pull other future cables
8. Video/Intercom to entrance

Equipment
1. Asymmetrical two-post rotary auto Lift.
2. Air compressor.
3. Refrigerator in the garage for cold refreshments
4. In-floor lighting. Excellent way to illuminate the underside of the vehicle when it's up on a lift. These lights are flush with the floor and have break resistant lenses.
5. Wash-up area with deep stainless steel sink. An NSF-rated stainless sink with two sinks and a drain board. There are two sinks so one can be converted to be a parts washer, using an aqueous solution that is EPA-rated to just be flushed down the drain. No solvents, no headaches, and no permanent parts washer to use up space
6. Computer desk area with deep bookshelves (books, magazines, workshop manuals), cabinets with glass door to place the 1:43 and 1:18 model cars, two separate phone jacks, two separate cable TV drops/jacks (one for network and one for Cable TV). All receptacles should be at desk height to avoid having to bend down under the desk to connect/disconnect computer, phone, etc.
7. Air line reels hanging from the ceiling and in the side walls
8. Electrical line reels hanging from the ceiling and in the side walls
9. Provision in the wall to connect a hose to use to expel exhaust gases from garage when doors are closed
10. Provision for Laundry area with Washer, Dryer, and sink to clean oily rags and dirty towels so they don't mix with the regular clothes.
11. Fire-suppression system (unsure if this is required by code or not, if not, a few fire extinguishers will do)
12. Central vacuum system (unsure if this needs to be installed as part of the build or afterwards).
13. Non-skid tiled (porcelain tiles) floor.

Tools in Garage
1. Pneumatic sit-on creeper
2. Keys cabinet
3. Stools for the workbench
4. 2’x3’ white board (sometimes you just want to make sketches and the floor or walls are not the place to do this…)
5. Tools cabinets with stainless top
6. Powder coating equipment
7. Engine lift/hoist
8. Engine stand
9. Drill press, grinder, cutter, polisher/buffer, drills, electric saws
10. Hose to use to expel exhaust gases from garage when doors are closed
11. HUGE fan (to cool down engine, exhaust, etc and to get fumes out of garage
12. Fireproof cabinet for cleaning chemicals
13. Portable low-temp work lights (fluorescent or LEDs)
14. Mig/Tig welder and cutting torch
15. Oscilloscope, digital multimeter, digital micrometer, digital calipers, diagnostic computer, and temperature probe/sensor
16. Computer with digital camera, manuals on CD-ROM, and Internet connection.
17. Flat screen TV with DVD/VCR so that I can watch instructional videos on tuning engines, and play PS3 Gran Turismo to hone my driving skills, etc.
18. Cordless phone and speakerphone for conferences.
19. Two nice big tool case with wheels on it (in addition to the ones that are fixed) for moving the tools, under use, around easily
20. Oil drain unit (on wheels to move under the car when on the lift)


Miscellaneous
1. Carpets/rugs to check for leaks and keep mess off of tiled floor
2. Soap and towel dispenser
a. In bathroom
b. In each wall
c. Next to computer desk to avoid greasy keyboards
3. A TON of sport cars/bikes posters, flags, toys, etc
4. EVERY garage MUST contain at least ONE "pinup" calendar that the wife/girlfriend/significant other does not approve of! This is a MUST! No respectable garage is without one! These are the rules and we as car enthusiasts must adhere to them! It does not have to be Playboy or something like that, but bikini-clad women in/around/near sports cars or on beaches is a requisite. This is age-old tradition so don't question it! Ok, ok. I will be the first one to admit that my garage does not have this because the last thing I want is my daughter to ask me why I have that in the garage... thus I will have it inside one of the tool box

[wachuko]

If you are looking for great ideas for your garage here is an excellent site:

http://garagejournal.com/

[baltobernie]

Friends of ours bought a home in Florida that was formerly a model/office, so the garage was finished and had its own AC. Sweet!

Did I miss "fire sprinkler system" on your list?

[wachuko]

This is what mine looks like on a day that is clean... Here helping a friend work on his Firebird.

[Fiat88]

This is what mine looks like on a day that is clean... Here helping a friend work on his Firebird.

Not bad! You have a cool lift and 2 refrigerators for beer.

[amsiegel]

Wachco

I guess you have been think about his for a long time.

[Foster48x]

Here's a site that Mark posted a while back. I think the topic was Ultimate Garage.
http://www.designdriven.us/Entries.aspx?c=1

I personally like this one. Not very practical but check out the grass growing through the sqaures in the driveway

[Foster48x]

Wachco

I guess you have been think about his for a long time.

Kind of remind me of my wife's wedding plans she worked on from the age of 12
j/k Jaime. I'm just jealous because I don't have a lift in my garage.

[wachuko]

Friends of ours bought a home in Florida that was formerly a model/office, so the garage was finished and had its own AC. Sweet!

Did I miss "fire sprinkler system" on your list?

11. under Equipment

[mdrburchette]

I only request one thing in my garage....a Fiat mechanic.

[wachuko]

Here's a site that Mark posted a while back. I think the topic was Ultimate Garage.
http://www.designdriven.us/Entries.aspx?c=1

I personally like this one. Not very practical but check out the grass growing through the sqaures in the driveway

That design, or a very similar one, won a design award not too long ago:

http://www.home-designing.com/2009/07/g ... y-maserati

[wachuko]

There was an email floating around with some amazing garages... let me see if I can find those photos.

[kmac33]

Wachuko,
That emaill did have some amazing garages in it. I especially liked the Fiat sign hanging up in one with the Ferrari parked in front of it.

A few years back I was doing a Datsun 280 Z to Ferrari 250 GTO Replicar conversion, got to the point I had no time or motivation to finish it. Sold the kit to a gentleman that had always wanted the 250 GTO, but "couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a car he'd be afraid to drive" so he was going to go the replicar route. Go to his house to complete the deal - twin 3 car garages flanking both sides of his circular driveway. He tells me to go back out of the driveway and go to the next drive down. That driveway goes down to what looks like a regular double car garage - the door opens and it's just the "gate" to get into the garage complex behind the rear of his house. One of the most amazing things I have ever seen in person. 3 buildings in a semi-circle, 5 bays across each, with one 2 car bays deep. Each building had a lift, air lines, and complete tool set ups. Every building fully climate controlled. Obviously had some amazing cars: 3 Ferrari's, Viper ACR, 911 GT2, 911 Turbo Cab, 2 original Mini John Cooper Works ex-racers, Austin Healey 100-4, Datsun 240 Z, Skyline GTR (right hand drive) and 3 Custom built street rods. Every single car looked brand spanking new.