New winter home in FL where I can drive all year (getting tired of lousy RI roads and weather) So found a home where someone in FL did not turn the garage into a room. Need some advice. Wife gets 1 bay and I get the other 2 for my 993 and Boxster Spyder. Have a clean slate with good flooring. Want to keep it simple and not cluttered. Do some minor work so have a quick jack system. Just wanted some of our garage gurus to help out. Thanks

 

First go to Garage journal.com. Fantastic resource for all you could want to know.

Second decide on usage- Are you going to do actually messy work or just polish the garage queen. The answer will dictate a lot of your choices for flooring and cabinetry.

 

I'd recommend 2 things first:

1) Build a shed to hold all the stuff folks normally store in a garage. Set a non-negotiable rule that the garage is not used for storage, temporary or longterm.

2) Insulate the walls, ceiling, doors and air condition the garage.

 

Is the garage finished out or just studs?

 

Finished rough textured walls. Going to paint them white

 

Leave the 993 in RI and enjoy the hills and curves in New England from between April and November. The Boxster is a good FL car for the winter months.

 

THIIIIS.
A shed will really transform a garage.

+2 on the mini split. you can install them yourself or pay someone. I moved my unit between homes, first install i did myself with a family member and it wasnt too bad. the second time i paid someone. I run it 24/7 and hardly notice any difference in electric bill.

have the floor done.

add lighting.

If you want to use a lift, inspect the garage door height, consider a side opener, and high mounted insulated garage door that's close to the ceiling.

did someone mention you'll need a shed yet?

 

Lots of 4' 5-6000° LED lights
solid work bench w/ vise bolted down
lots of 120v AC outlets outlets
dedicated AC and position for often used things like grining wheels, drill press etc.
some tools need drawers, many often used ones deserve wall space
lots of shelves and small part storage
If using a lift sink it below floor level so that you can just drive in and out w/o issue.
bare concrete is bad, seal the floor and use a vapor barrier if possible

 

I live in central Florida so I will chime in.
While it is cool, check attic above garage, if possible. If none, get some insulation there. Do the garage doors face east or west? If so get the premade kit and insulate them.
Plan placement for fans, and a mini split ac if possible.

And then all the usual stuff i.e. Lights compressor extension cord reel with triple tap.

 

Along with the essential lighting, storage, flooring, make sure you have a beer stocked refrig. and a good sound system.

 

Sharing my experience, but it is right along the lines of what ppl stated.

~3 yrs ago I bought a vacation home that had an attached 2-car garage. Was insulated and sheet-rocked about 1/2 way as by code that's the min the developer had to do (i.e. the parts of the garage that are sharing walls with the house). So I ended up insulating the rest, sheetrocking it all, sanding and painting it. Then I upgraded the lighting. Then the flooring, which I designed myself and color matched with the walls [and dare I say cars] (highly recommend the McGuard/Weathertech tiles over Racedeck or others). Then storage and shelving (e.g. tire rack which is out of the way as I have high ceiling, and essentially the shelving/cabinetry was all for car related stuff). Finally added some wall decor and became a 'man cave' (sans TVs or arm chairs as there isn't that much space for it). Next may be a space heater with a thermostat, but since it is an attached garage it doesn't get overly cold/hot.

 

Thanks so far. Floor has good epoxy finish. Do have attic above and is insulated. As for the light some say LED some say T-8's. Cabinetry will be added and a spit Ac is in order as well. Want to get the lighting right, get rid of the over head door openers and go more in line with the openers attached to the opening rod/spring type. Should give room for more lighting as well.

 

Ya think there's enough grade on your garage? Might wanna use your parking brake :-0

 

guess water will run downhill

 

That's how mine is in Colorado. Garage is heated so when the snow and slush melts off the cars, it runs down to the door and out of the garage. Don't know the location of the other garage but I'm betting similar reasons.