Thanks for the links - I'm looking to build a garage soon and this is helpful..

 

depending on where you live, I would consider heated floors a must

 

Even if you don't do the lift, get the jackshaft opener and run the door to the ceiling. You be glad you did when you do get the lift. (It will happen.)

A quick lift pic to convince you that you need one:

 

Rec's: Make sure slab thickness can accommodate a lift - think you need at least 6". I did 7" plus.

Height, at least 14foot so if you decide to do a lift you arent limited to the type I got. Lifts are also rather wide. Like 144" wide. I dropped 220v in to run the lift. I wasnt smart like CBnAT and had to add a jackshaft style opener and rerun my garage door track closer to the ceiling. I also had to move my ceiling up a bit more and put tray style lighting in it, would have been cheaper if I would have done it when we built 4 years ago rather than when I installed the lift last year.

If you are where it gets cold, as others said, insulate and put some electric 220v heaters w/ a Tstat. I also ran cables for a HDTV 5.1 surround w/ speakers around the garage, PS3, sink, wifi & tele. - Chuck

 

What about lights?

 

I used to belong to a Dream Garage website that had some of the trickest garages I ever saw......
Do some surfing and see if you can come up with the site... I'll try from this end..

 

Don't forget to add a bathroom with shower so you don't have to traipse through the house with greasy hands, shoes, etc. Plus, it's a great place to store your car magazines and catalogs, like the Griot's Garage catalog.

 

Yeah, and be sure to put a kitchen in there too. You might get hungry doing all that work.

 

Sounds like you may have been planning! LOL

 

High ceilings including underneath the overhead garage door (10' if you can swing it), HVAC, do an epoxy floor before you get your cars and stuff in there, good lighting, and plenty of wall outlets (in home, these days, there are plenty of wall outlets, but that strategy hasn't filtered to garage builds on new homes).

 

Heat,light,alot of outlets,one reel extension cord center of ceiling,cable from house,window that opens,windows in garage door,one heat vent from house...

 

Figure out what space you think you need. Be honest and conservative.

Then multiply that by 2.

And build that garage.

 

One thing is certain you will need or want air. A good air compressor is worth it's weight in gold. I use a Kaeser SX6 from Germany. It is one of the quietest compressors I have ever owned since it's a screw compressor ( think supercharger) and not a loud piston compressor. I have had my Kaeser for well over 8 years now and it has never let me down. I have 6 air stations around my shop, plus I use it for air tools, motorcycle lift and Miller Plasma cutter.

 

Lighting is an issue I see many are talking about. I can't agree more. This summer I replaced all my old HID MH( metal halide) lamps with T5 florescent lights in my building. One benefit was T5's use way less energy than HID's and the re-strike is instant as appose to waiting the 4 to 5 min. on the HID's. At the same time I replaced all my lights I installed a brand new black floor ( rubber tiles ). I was concerned about how much this new black floor would absorb the light. When I turned the new T5's on for the first time my worries were put to rest as they throw more than enough light around my shop even with this new black floor. I think it turned out pretty good in the end.

 

Stripper pole!