Sunbimmer
Well-known member
****
Last edited:
Absolute must have in any dream garage...
- Thread starter Sunbimmer
- Start date
wrench409
Well-known member
For the most part, many cannot build from scratch and don't have:
Usually, many of us take what we get when we buy the home and start using this pile:
And then all those absolute must have items become a 'someday' project. A little bit at a time. If you get my drift.
Usually, many of us take what we get when we buy the home and start using this pile:
And then all those absolute must have items become a 'someday' project. A little bit at a time. If you get my drift.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
First and foremost, the most important part of any garage is a study workbench with decent vise mounted to. Without a good workbench, nothing else matters.
blackz26
Banned
Well, there's the obvious. Property.
LutzTD
Well-known member
a good plan, many garages suffer from poor planning and failure to recognize the end use
mdkingsley
Well-known member
Agree on the sturdy work bench, Lots of cabinets and bolt bin type storage for little stuff. A crane would definently be great. I wish I would have preplaned mine with one steel post, there is a nice jib on chattanooga c-list I would love to have.
Radio or some other type of sound producing equipment.
brummy
Active member
a fire extinguisher
blackz26
Banned
That's what work is for..
justsam
Well-known member
Must have PATIENCE!
This is to be fun, enjoyable. It is not about production, or unreachable perfection!
If things aren't going right and you are about ready to toss that wrench across the room that just caused you skinned knuckles, take a break! Enjoy the family!
Spend some time thinking about what you don't need but for some reason already have. Get rid of it, Craigs List, Goodwill, etc. Don't clutter your DREAM GARAGE!
This is to be fun, enjoyable. It is not about production, or unreachable perfection!
If things aren't going right and you are about ready to toss that wrench across the room that just caused you skinned knuckles, take a break! Enjoy the family!
Spend some time thinking about what you don't need but for some reason already have. Get rid of it, Craigs List, Goodwill, etc. Don't clutter your DREAM GARAGE!
StriderTB
Well-known member
Just picked one up tonight.
cyamaha2007
Well-known member
A crane. Not a gantry not a jib not a engine hoist. A true overhead bridge cane. Im kicking myself for not building with it in mind. My employers shop has two 10ton cranes they are the single best machine in a shop. My previous rented shop had a 20 ton crane. Now that i built my own shop i hate it. The amount of time a crane saved me was huge. Just for example i needed to remove a dump bed from one truck and put it on another. I spent half a day cribbing up the bed and then had to pull the junk truck out from under the bed then back the new truck under the bed. What a nightmare. Lining it up took hours and alot of ridding the clutch. Ive done this exact task 3 times in my old shop. The bed was off the truck in 2 hours and set in place in 15 minutes. And then i had to load the junk truck onto a trailer to scrap it. Instead of just lifting the truck with the crane and setting it on the trailer i had to push the truck with my tractor up steep ramps alone onto the trailer. That was a nightmare all in its self.
Authentic Texaco signs from the 1950's and before. NO FANTASY SIGNS! Fantasy signs completely kill the look. It makes the garage look like a cheesy tourist store.
I spend a lot of my free time researching on which signs are authentic and which are "reproduction or fantasy" here: www.oldgas.com
As for tools and such, it depends on what you plan on using the space for.
I spend a lot of my free time researching on which signs are authentic and which are "reproduction or fantasy" here: www.oldgas.com
As for tools and such, it depends on what you plan on using the space for.
M3Pilot
Well-known member
100 more square feet, whatever it's size.
Jim Johnstone
Well-known member
Built in overhead crane. If I ever find myself building a shop from scratch it will have one in the plans.
If you plan to weld or paint in the garage I would install a professional ventilation system in there, so you could paint a car or weld with ease.
Plenty of 120 and 240 outlets. Plan ahead on any welders or compressors you will need.
Plan on having some outlets close to the door so you can work on some things outside.
Measure your vehicles and plan door widths accordingly. I would not go any narrower than 9 feet.
Plan to have thick enough concrete and a high enough ceiling if you plan to have a lift. Contact the manufacturer to see what they require.
Plan on what type of lighting and where you are going to install it so you can run the wire correctly.
Plan on a TV and stereo system. I ran a dedicated 120 circuit for this so I would not have any interference from any thing else.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Plenty of 120 and 240 outlets. Plan ahead on any welders or compressors you will need.
Plan on having some outlets close to the door so you can work on some things outside.
Measure your vehicles and plan door widths accordingly. I would not go any narrower than 9 feet.
Plan to have thick enough concrete and a high enough ceiling if you plan to have a lift. Contact the manufacturer to see what they require.
Plan on what type of lighting and where you are going to install it so you can run the wire correctly.
Plan on a TV and stereo system. I ran a dedicated 120 circuit for this so I would not have any interference from any thing else.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Lippyp
Well-known member
My dream garage it would be space, to me that would be the biggest luxury living in the UK where most garages have enough space to park a Morris Minor and just about open the door enough to get out.
Chevy72pu
Well-known member
Yep. More space than you think you will need. Then add some storage space. Then extend the length and width by another 10%. And finally, build it bigger! Like the song said, "there is no such thing as too much money or a car too fast". IMO there is no such thing as "too much shop space".
Perrorojo
Well-known member
Heating and Air Conditioning. Nothing worse than sweat in your eyes or hands dripping with sweat trying to turn a chrome wrench. And nobody likes to freeze. It may sound petty but I put in a small A/C in last spring and it made the summer so much more productive.
Cryptic1911
Well-known member
A lift. We built the garage with a lift in mind.. can't imagine not having one now
hh76
Well-known member
Crane. I use mine for so many different things, I couldn't imagine not having it.
Seperate, insulated room for the compressor. I hate hearing it.
Good seperation between the nice clean area, and the dirty area. I don't like to have to cover up all my nice projects when I need to get out the grinder.
Paint booth, or at least a corner where you can put up a good curtain. I had to wait two months for the weather to get warm enough outside so I could spray paint a couple parts.
Floor drain, and a hose bib.
Flooring that continues up the wall a foot or so, so that you can hose it down and not worry about ruining the bottom couple inches of drywall.
Attic space with a lift to get heavy stuff up there.
Either a roll up door, or a double door to the yard, so you can roll the mower in and out easily. Also nice to open up on a nice day when the kids are playing in the yard.
Ventilation
Seperate, insulated room for the compressor. I hate hearing it.
Good seperation between the nice clean area, and the dirty area. I don't like to have to cover up all my nice projects when I need to get out the grinder.
Paint booth, or at least a corner where you can put up a good curtain. I had to wait two months for the weather to get warm enough outside so I could spray paint a couple parts.
Floor drain, and a hose bib.
Flooring that continues up the wall a foot or so, so that you can hose it down and not worry about ruining the bottom couple inches of drywall.
Attic space with a lift to get heavy stuff up there.
Either a roll up door, or a double door to the yard, so you can roll the mower in and out easily. Also nice to open up on a nice day when the kids are playing in the yard.
Ventilation
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Dammit Herb......I lost my train of thought again!!!!
Oh yea, garage must haves.
Good depth to the garage. No less than 28' deep.
A telephone.
Run some CAT Cable so you can have computer hookup.
Rig up some kind of two way call system to the house.
Set it up for a stereo and a TV. Saturday mornings in the garage while watching PowerBlock is great
A sturdy deep bench and a good vise as stated above. Make the bench no less than 30" deep. Make it strong enough that if you want to throw a transmission on top you can. And if you are going to be doing that, have a metal surface covering that area.
Heat. Whether in the floor or overhead.
Overhead cabinets. Preferably with a soffit above if you have tall ceilings. Any horizontal surface in a garage is a major dust collector no matter how clean you try to keep it.
Tall ceilings. At least 12' to plan for a hoist later on.
If possible, a bathroom, and running water. Waterproof sidewalls at least 3' if not 4'. If you want to wash out your garage, or wash your car, you don't want water splashing up on any surfaces like OSB or Drywall.
A drain in the floor if possible.
Water spigot in the garage where it is convenient. And if possible, have a small water heater or an instant water heater.
Back to your bench. Make it so that you don't have legs, or if you have toolboxes built into the bench or the bench made out of toolboxes as in Steevo's great setup, have them up on a concrete base, or have them closed off underneath so dirt, spiders, and parts don't roll underneath.
Lights and a lot of them.
Windows. Not only for fresh air, but also for light. If you are worried about thieves, then put sliders up towards the ceiling. Windows are also great for taking out fumes if working with the doors closed.
A storage closet with shelves. Like I said above, any horizontal surface catches dirt and dust. Have a closet with shelves so you can put the larger objects so they aren't setting around taking up floor space. Plus things will stay cleaner if not setting around inside the garage.
Plan out your saw cut lines in the floor. When your floor is poured it will settle some over the years. It may not settle much, but it will settle. Plan your control joints so that if or when it does settle, that the control joints come out to where your large door(s) edges are. This way, if you have any water dripping off of a vehicle, the control joint will be a barrier from water running where you don't want it to. If you have welding tanks, tool boxes, bench, or whatever, you don't want water running under them and creating rust. You get rust on your concrete, it doesn't come out.
Adequate outlets. Not only 110, but you also want your 220 for any potential machinery that you may get in the future, plus for a welder.
Outlets in the ceiling and outlets high up on the walls. You never know when you are going to get that one special neon light, and no where to plug it in without using an extension cord. I have outlets up in the ceiling in the corners and also up high on the walls in a few areas. It makes it handy for the lights. Neon lighting and a traffic light also makes a nice security light. Cockroaches hate lights and that all thieves are is cockroaches. That's why they only come out in the dark.
If your garage is going to be detached, and if you have windows, no windows to the neighbors side, but make sure you have windows on the side that faces your house. Not only will a light deter a thief, but a window also lets you see in if something is going on. From the house to the garage, you can shoot through a window.
If you are going to build a pole barn, and this is something to consider, not only for you, but for others as well, but if there is a hidden area of the pole building that a thief would be hidden from site, use safety screws to mount the metal. The reason I say this is that a friend of mine built a new building at his scrapyard. It was a large 75' x 150' building, partly behind solid fencing, and partly behind chain link fencing. He kept all of his premium scrap inside. The copper, aluminum, brass. One evening thieves unscrewed the metal siding, gained access, then used his towmotor to load up a large truck. The cops told him at the time that a few places had been hit by them unscrewing the metal siding.
If at all possible, do not build in a secluded area, but build where someone would not like the light, traffic, or neighbors if they would decide to try and break in.
That's just a few things off the top of my head that I can think of. I know that there is a ton of things that the other members will have too.
Looking forward to your build pics. Take a lot!!!
Oh yea, garage must haves.
Good depth to the garage. No less than 28' deep.
A telephone.
Run some CAT Cable so you can have computer hookup.
Rig up some kind of two way call system to the house.
Set it up for a stereo and a TV. Saturday mornings in the garage while watching PowerBlock is great
A sturdy deep bench and a good vise as stated above. Make the bench no less than 30" deep. Make it strong enough that if you want to throw a transmission on top you can. And if you are going to be doing that, have a metal surface covering that area.
Heat. Whether in the floor or overhead.
Overhead cabinets. Preferably with a soffit above if you have tall ceilings. Any horizontal surface in a garage is a major dust collector no matter how clean you try to keep it.
Tall ceilings. At least 12' to plan for a hoist later on.
If possible, a bathroom, and running water. Waterproof sidewalls at least 3' if not 4'. If you want to wash out your garage, or wash your car, you don't want water splashing up on any surfaces like OSB or Drywall.
A drain in the floor if possible.
Water spigot in the garage where it is convenient. And if possible, have a small water heater or an instant water heater.
Back to your bench. Make it so that you don't have legs, or if you have toolboxes built into the bench or the bench made out of toolboxes as in Steevo's great setup, have them up on a concrete base, or have them closed off underneath so dirt, spiders, and parts don't roll underneath.
Lights and a lot of them.
Windows. Not only for fresh air, but also for light. If you are worried about thieves, then put sliders up towards the ceiling. Windows are also great for taking out fumes if working with the doors closed.
A storage closet with shelves. Like I said above, any horizontal surface catches dirt and dust. Have a closet with shelves so you can put the larger objects so they aren't setting around taking up floor space. Plus things will stay cleaner if not setting around inside the garage.
Plan out your saw cut lines in the floor. When your floor is poured it will settle some over the years. It may not settle much, but it will settle. Plan your control joints so that if or when it does settle, that the control joints come out to where your large door(s) edges are. This way, if you have any water dripping off of a vehicle, the control joint will be a barrier from water running where you don't want it to. If you have welding tanks, tool boxes, bench, or whatever, you don't want water running under them and creating rust. You get rust on your concrete, it doesn't come out.
Adequate outlets. Not only 110, but you also want your 220 for any potential machinery that you may get in the future, plus for a welder.
Outlets in the ceiling and outlets high up on the walls. You never know when you are going to get that one special neon light, and no where to plug it in without using an extension cord. I have outlets up in the ceiling in the corners and also up high on the walls in a few areas. It makes it handy for the lights. Neon lighting and a traffic light also makes a nice security light. Cockroaches hate lights and that all thieves are is cockroaches. That's why they only come out in the dark.
If your garage is going to be detached, and if you have windows, no windows to the neighbors side, but make sure you have windows on the side that faces your house. Not only will a light deter a thief, but a window also lets you see in if something is going on. From the house to the garage, you can shoot through a window.
If you are going to build a pole barn, and this is something to consider, not only for you, but for others as well, but if there is a hidden area of the pole building that a thief would be hidden from site, use safety screws to mount the metal. The reason I say this is that a friend of mine built a new building at his scrapyard. It was a large 75' x 150' building, partly behind solid fencing, and partly behind chain link fencing. He kept all of his premium scrap inside. The copper, aluminum, brass. One evening thieves unscrewed the metal siding, gained access, then used his towmotor to load up a large truck. The cops told him at the time that a few places had been hit by them unscrewing the metal siding.
If at all possible, do not build in a secluded area, but build where someone would not like the light, traffic, or neighbors if they would decide to try and break in.
That's just a few things off the top of my head that I can think of. I know that there is a ton of things that the other members will have too.
Looking forward to your build pics. Take a lot!!!
04fivefour
Well-known member
^^^^ Everything he said plus,
A refrigerator, always need a cold beverage or to put a part in to shrink it to fit.
stools or chairs to go with the work bench, everyone needs to take breaks.
as far as security goes I would definitely put up security cameras, they can be had relatively cheap from ebay and work quite well. I don't trust anyone so i always want to know what is going on in and outside of my garage/house.
A refrigerator, always need a cold beverage or to put a part in to shrink it to fit.
stools or chairs to go with the work bench, everyone needs to take breaks.
as far as security goes I would definitely put up security cameras, they can be had relatively cheap from ebay and work quite well. I don't trust anyone so i always want to know what is going on in and outside of my garage/house.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Good God I can't believe I forgot to list the almighty Refrigerator. That should have been at the top of the list. I am not worthy
mrpowderkeg
Well-known member
I need a loft area for a desk and computer, that will probably double as my office. But my one and only want is an authentic Accel catalog rack, to hold my parts catalogs and indexes. I know of a place where they have two, probably circa 1979, I may just walk in with cash and see if I can buy them.
the floor up the wall is one thing I am looking to have once / if I get to build a new place.
I have attic space just now really, really handy
VWPORSCHEGT3
Banned
a vehicle that your somewhat afraid of... forget the mistress.. get yourself a VERY fast car or motorcycle and call it good
ZRX61
Well-known member
Go buy 5 more.
venturesomerite
Well-known member
Something to work on, fill a shop up with anything you want, but if you've got nothing to do, what are you gonna do? There's always atleast one long term project in my shop for that reason... also I have a.d.d...
coljar
Well-known member
All the above that I don't already have, but seriously, more life left to enjoy spending time in it.
Jvvmusme
Well-known member
A 2 post lift
FunkyfullWidth
Well-known member
a fridge and a bathroom and you never have to leave...
pepi
Well-known member
A ******...