New Garage

[John H.]

Re: John Hinkley's Garage Mahal

Pat -

I had mine done by Home Pro Floors in Southfield, Michigan (www.homeprofloors.com); they steel shot-blast the floor to open pores in the concrete "skin", apply the first layer of 2-part industrial epoxy resin, then come back the next day and apply the finish layer, tinted the color you want, and sprinkle some light silica sand (NOT play sand) in the finish coat before it cures for anti-slip when it gets wet. Drive on it 24 hours later. Absolutely indestructible, super-easy to clean, hot tires won't mark or lift it, and no automotive chemical fazes it (including brake fluid). Turnkey job (all I did was watch and write the check) four years ago was $1.92/sq.ft. There are franchise operations all over the country now that do this - the most important element is shot-blasting the concrete surface; the old "wash with muriatic acid" prep will eventually lead to bond failure. Mine is four years old, and still looks like it was poured yesterday.

[Mike Cobine]

Lessons learned

My current garage (bought, not built) is attached and is 31 deep by 24 / 21 wide. Had the builder made it 32 ft deep, two Corvettes would fit end to end. Right now the '63 and '79 are on the verge of making contact so one always has to move to get to the other side of the garage.

If you begin to make it deep (greater than usual 24 or 26 ft), then don't stop at 32. Go up to at least 34 and probably 36 or 40. You'll be glad for the extra if you want to park two Corvettes in, which you may discover you do.

Garage doors, make them wide. A 10 ft wide door will let you slide that trailer in when you need to pick up something or drop off something. A pair of 1o ft doors allow you straighter and more room in the two side-by-side than a normal 16 ft wide door.

A neat trick is a garage door on both ends, if you can. This allows cross ventilation in summer, allows getting in from either side, helps with parkign two cars end-to-end, and allows getting items stuck in forward or reverse out. If you are like many, you may have sealed off your back yard from the front by the house and garage and this provides access to the back.

Never have the garge near the street. Funny story from Friday is a house a block over had lots of stuff in the drive. I stopped, as did many, many others, for the yard sale (Craftsman boxes were obvious.) It turns out they were only repainting the garage, not a yard sale.

Have the garage door face away from the street and neighbors. Rear entrance is nicest. Too many times I have found it nice to work with the door open or even just outside the door. Doing this can violate some hosuing association and some community rules. Being in back, you probably still violate the rules, but no one sees you.

Height - you have a hard time getting too much. One advantage is it is cooler in summer. then you need it for hoists, lifts, and so on. On the sides, you can build lofts to store lots of stuff and keep the floors open.

Pits - many areas won't allow, but I found them very handy. You can work on top and bottom at the same time. This is really helpful pulling an engine you are unfamiliar with. Yes, you can get to both on a lift, but you either are lifting or lowering all the time or you are doing things you really shouldn't like laying underneath and having someone walk around on the lift.

Electric outlets - already mentioned, get a lot of them. Some in the ceiling for the reel type drop lights. Put a couple near each door. You will be surprised at the number of times you need power OUTSIDE the garage.

220 V - Don't just wire in one, wire a few. You may end up with a compressor and a welder or a couple of welders. Put a 220 outlet near the garage door so you can move the welder out in the driveway.

Attached garages - good for one thing - getting in the house on a rainy or snowy day. Otherwise, every paint fume or cleaner fume you create will get in the house. Hope your family have no noses.

Windows - great for natural light, but tear up your wall space. If possible, design to have them up high, like 10 ft or so. The leaves the wall for cabinets, tools, workbenches, etc. and it lowers the likelihood of someone using a window as an entrance.

Ventilation - have a fan to the outside installed. This can draw fumes and exhaust out when you are working and also keep it cooler. Ensure this is an industrial exhaust fan with a motor rated for hazardous fumes. Years ago, I saw in the paper the results of not having one. The guy came back home to find gasoline leaking. He opened the door and set up a regular fan to blow the fumes out. Not pretty.