I've been lurking for a while and have found the site a great resource. I'm interested in what this group considers the essential requirements for a 2 car detached garage. I want it to be able to support 2 car lifts (in time) and allow me to do some basic maintenance.

I live at 7000 ft, so I need a heat source and limited indoor washing capabilities due to the predominantly cold/snowy weather.

I'm meetings with a contractor in the next few days and here is what I have so far:

8 x 18ft door
10ft ceiling
22'W X 25' length
sealed concrete deck
110V (for power tools, battery tenders, garage door lift)
220V (for car lifts)

Questions:
1) needed amperage of the electrical system
3) drainage front to back vs a drain in the center?
4) Type of overhead Lighting?
5) Vacuum system (shop vac that can be located outside during use)
6) Thickness of concrete pad? (needs to support lifts)
7) Recommended Security system (will have a side door)
8) Type of heating system (just want to maintain 40-45 degrees in the winter)

What other options should I consider at this stage?

Thanks!

 

Have you checked out the garage journal forums? Might have great ideas.

If I was building from scratch:
I'd put radiant heat in the floor (leaving a few spots where you could sink anchors for a lift in without hitting anything). Kind of need to plan ahead in that case. The other option is installing a heating/AC unit in the wall. I just had a buddy quote me on for my garage, and honestly at a couple of grand, wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
12 foot ceilings so the lift can be at full height
Lots of t5 lighting fixtures on a bank of switches so you could pick and choose which lights to turn on if you don't want them all on.
As much extra width on the garage as I could get so there is room on the sides of the lifts to walk/work
220 in multiple locations (for air compressor/welder/etc). You might not have them now, but may in the future.
110 every 6-8 feet or so, with a couple extra in the ceiling in case you want to put in drop cord lights or anything else overhead that might require power.
I would also make sure to do a highlift garage door conversion and a 3800 liftmaster so there wouldn't be overhead openers and door rails to get in the way of a car in the air (will want a 110 outlet near the top corner of the garage door.

 

Lista Cabinets

Also;

Bed
Pool table
Microwave/Refrigerator/freezer
Big screen television
Surround sound stereo system
Phone/fax
Posters of naked chicks on walls ,, that was a given

Totally contained so that survival in this "garage" a man could live for weeks upon weeks without other human interaction if need be.

Ta Hell with the rest of `em.

 

everything Hayabus said plus a bathroom and couch ..would suck to have to walk to the house in the snow..have cable run to the place.one of those big plastic sinks to wash up..wife will kick your *** if you
do that in the house.
when the framing is going up have it pre wired then for alarm and video camera
you can get a nice security set up from costco..that you can watch over the internet

might want to think about a Pit so you could just walk under the car
for the racks 6 inch concrete would do.

 

For concrete thickness and density, the car lift manufacturer of your choice will have their minimum requirements listed on each lift, I think the average minimum is around 4" thick at 3000lbs, but I could be wrong.

Don't forget proper ventilation, insulation(including the ceiling), windows, as that is what is going to keep the heat in during the winter. Radiant heating is definitely cost-effective, especially if the energy companies run high rates in the winter like they do here.

A shop sink, no matter how basic, will prove invaluable.

Drainage, why not do both? All it takes is one pipe to go from the center to the front(garage door) drain.

 

2 car is not enough... obviously if the foot print is only so big, then cest la vie... but, if you can go 2.5 or 3 wide, that will make a huge difference...

so... either more width or more length (for work benches etc)...

sounds like you've got the height part covered w/ the 2 lifts.

i am jealous. I'd like to get a place a litter farther out w/ more land (planned development right now w/ kids etc) and put in a deep 4 car garage/shop.

 

Set your increments in 2' intervals. Ideally outside of stud to outside of stud you want a minimum of 24'-0" if you are using (2) 9' doors. You can go less with a single 18' door, but two doors is better. For depth I always recommend a minimum of 26 feet so you could fit a suburban.

On most of the custom homes I design a 2 car garage is usually set at 24-26' wide and 28-32' deep. You can go less, but it is always a compromise.

Questions:
1) needed amperage of the electrical system:
Verify what you have on your existing home. Likely you will only need a sub-panel dending on the draw of the lifts.
3) drainage front to back vs a drain in the center?
slope back to front and set a linear drain just inside the door.
4) Type of overhead Lighting?
Fluorescent is cheapest, LED is best
5) Vacuum system (shop vac that can be located outside during use)
I would just do a stand alone that plugs in.
6) Thickness of concrete pad? (needs to support lifts) -
Min. 6". If you know where the lift is going set 12" thick X 24" sq. thickened slab at the post locations w/ anchor bolts pre set.
7) Recommended Security system (will have a side door)
They are all pretty worthless unless monitored which really is the only feature that works well.
8) Type of heating system (just want to maintain 40-45 degrees in the winter)
Insulation goes a long way. I live in a very cold climate with no heat in the garage and I never get below 40. Electric radiant heaters are great for on command heat.

Make sure you have windows in several locations as well as glass in the door. This helps with heat gain and the retention provided by the slab, as well as providing natural light.

 

Thanks all for the input. Ideally I would go wider but have set backs to worry about so I at least want the ability to go up if necessary. I'll let you know if other questions surface.

 

use the new spray foam insulation stuff is great.

 

Park City probably has Wildland Urban Interface requirements for the exterior, so as stated above, the spray foam insulation is great for both the walls and roofs. You can avoid roof vents in the eaves and ridge with that type of insulation.