[s-cars] Marc's garage tips

[Charlie Smith]

Build a block garage, or block & brick - not wood.  It's much easier
to make it secure.


> OK, you asked, so here goes:
>
> 1. Don't think so small. Go for a 2.5 car garage instead (or 3.5, if
> the other half would even consider it). Easier to build it out once
> than twice, not to mention that the differences in cost is not very
> high (about 20%  - 30% more) :)  If that isn't feasible, make the
> garage 30% deeper than you expect to need, as well as 40% taller. Some
> day you will be thankful.

This is a definite must.


> 2. Pit and pit access.
>
> 3. Structural steel I-beam directly over the engine compartment if the
> car were to be parked backwards (this permits you to to lift the engine
> out and then not have to still move it to the other end of the garage
> when trying to load it onto a pick-up truck or such). Attach hoist or
> winch system later, if money doesn't permit now. While you are at it,
> also have them obviously tag where the studs are and make sure the
> joists are doubled-up in a few places, so you can hang things out of
> the way on the ceiling.

Use a 10" deep I beam, with about a 4" lip on the edges.  Then you
can (maybe later) use a trolly for the chain hoist.  This will let you
move that engine on the chain from side to side easily.  Beams are
cheap.  Consider putting two in, maybe 4' apart.  If it's a block
garage they should have a pilaster on the walls under each end of
each beam.


> 5. Integrated exhaust fans... so you can evacuate the air out of the
> garage quickly when you have a build-up of fumes (such as gasoline).

Put those way high in the ends of the garage for hot/cold ventilation.
An old furnace fan works well and you duct the output outside.

Remember gasoline fumes stay low.  If you are ventilating fumes, put the
old furnace fan low and run a duct up through the upper wall area.


> 6. Roll-up electric door -- the type that coils into a roll when
> raised, rather than one that consumes ceiling space above your work
> space. Alternatively, if your architecture permits it, you can consider
> doors that open outwards, carriage-house style instead.

Make sure you use doors that have contained springs.  Don't use doors
that have springs & pulleys that run back along the door rails.  When
one of those suckers lets loose they are dangerous.  Don't ask me how
I figured this.  You can get torsion springs that are around the rod
holding the cable pulleys at the top of the door.


> 14. Shop on eBay for proper birch workbenches from someone's estate. I
> just saw a very tempting 29 foot long, 30 inch wide solid-surface birch
> work bench go for under $350, with legs and integrated vice and about
> fell over: wish I had a 29 foot stretch of garage to put it in. Also
> take a look at the whole Gladiator garage concept (which I think is
> over-priced by neat as hell -- integrated wall & cabinet systems that
> permit you to rearrange your garage in minutes rather than days, as
> needed for work space): http://www.gladiatorgarageworks.com/

Don't build huge workbenchs.  Murphy has a law that says the only
workbench surface that will stay clear is a 2' diameter around
the vise.  So build several smaller workbenchs, each can have a vise.
A 18" by 3' or 4' workbench in about 3 places around the garage is ideal.
One will be the dirty bench, with the bench grinder, heavy vise, and
near the welder.  You want that far away from the clean bench(s).

On one of the benchs, make a metal top.  This permits cleaning REAL
clean for engine and transmission work.  Put a couple drawers under the
bench top.  Craftsman sells slider drawers that work well.

> 18. A dehumidifier unless you already live in a desert environment.
> Cheaper to run during humid times to keep your tools from rusting than
> running a separate wall/window A/C unit continuously (but I prefer the
> idea of a heated/cooled garage).

Where's the paragraph about the overhead gas heater?  In most parts
of the country that's a real benefit.

Even if you are not going to do that now, run a gas pipe from the
house out into the garage.


> 20. Short windows placed high up about the exterior walls of the garage
> rather than at traditional level -- permitting light and conception of
> time of day (a real problem if you're married or trying to maintain a
> job without looking bleary-eyed), but still maintaining privacy and
> some degree of security.

Put one window in the opposite side of the garage from the door.
And probably put it toward the back wall that won't have shelves
covering it.  If you were so unlucky to have a gasoline fire, this
could give you a way out.

Before you pour the concrete floor, put in about a dozen tie down points.
Take a 1' piece of 1.5" pipe, and a 16" piece of chain.  Cut a notch in
one end of the pipe so you can slip a link of the chain into the notch.
Weld it there.  Mount these vertically around one car bay area, with
the tops just even with where the floor will be.  This will give you a
chain you can pull out of the floor to hook things onto.

Speaking of pits in the floor.  If you have the ceiling heigth, consider
getting a used floor lift removed from a gas station.  Call gasoline
companies to see what you can find.

If it's a detached garage, put a 4" PVC pipe down through the garage
floor that then goes into the crawl space of the house.  So you've got
a way to run that extra wire or cable 5 years later.  Fix a cover
on the garage end above the floor to keep mice, etc, out of the house.

Use roof trusses that leave the center open.  Put in a pull down
stairway.  Especially if you used 2 I-beams, you can store all that
"good stuff" up there.  If they use W trusses, you won't be able to
move around in the attic.

Even if you aren't insulating or heating the garage, put in a ceiling.
Assuming it's white this will make the whole place brighter.

Consider one of those 5 button push button locks on a people door.
That way you can give the combination to somebody that needs to
get in, and change the combination later.

Have fun  :-)

   - Charlie