may have a new garage, 2 of them actually

[nocfn]

I may be moving to a larger property, still not determined as of this posting. Same general neighborhood, just a lot more space and as the title indicates, 2, 2.5 car garages. Both of them are finished out with sheet rock and painted and all of the walls are virgin, no shop setup in either one of them. One will be dedicated to my cars (with room now to add another).

I plan to install storage cabinetry/shelving and utilize the space well if I get it, including installing at least a window unit for cooling. I I may include attic stairs if they do not exist (such a waste of space if it isnt there) I will not be doing all of this all at once - but my bride is supportive of having a nice comfortable place to do things safely. (she is a keeper!)

Anyway my thrust here is to solicit some opinions on having an epoxy coating applied (most likely will stay away from speckled add-ons to the coating). Any thoughts on this is welcomed by those who have been there and done this. What I am not looking to do is spend tens of thousands for a shop without donations from each of you so remember that. Also, I am not sponsored by the gear head channel so there are sensible limits to adhere to.

Fire away with your wish lists or pictures of your dream garage/shop. Thanks in advance, looking forward to constructive submissions.

 

[AMG5PT4]

Have the epoxy floor done professionally and I agree skip the speckled look - hard to find a dropped fastener! May want to add a light sand added to the epoxy for slip resistance.

Can you install a lift? If you open up the ceiling?

 

[gsxr]

Absolutely have at least one lift. If there are ceiling limits, either open a ceiling section if necessary, and/or get a low-rise lift. Your aching back will thank you.

Edit: I would prioritize the lift as #1, top of the list, above epoxy floors, fancy cabinets, cooling systems, or attic stairs...

 

[nocfn]

Thanks for the sand idea. I have the 38” lift now, but the garage has been finished out. I will measure the ceiling height, and will put in stairs to rafter space. It is a tiled florida style roof so there is alot of structure to it.

 

[RicardoD]

Very nice. Yes, a lift, even the lowly Max Jax like I have is amazing.

 

[nocfn]

GSXR SAID:

"I would prioritize the lift as #1, top of the list, above epoxy floors, fancy cabinets, cooling systems, or attic stairs..."

You must understand that I can lay on my back for hours in the A/C in Houston. Standing in 120F or more is a nightmare - BTDT my whole ownership life.

 

[gerryvz]

Yep, over the years I lived in Houston I went from not being able to stay in the summer heat for more than 15-20 minutes at a time (before either having to go into the house or jump in the swimming pool to cool off), to being able to work 10-12 hours at a time in my garage. It took a few seasons of acclimitization to do this. The downside is that any temperature below about 45F, I considered freezingly cold.

We have similar hot/humid weather here in Maryland as we did in Houston, but fortunately only for about 3 months out of the year. With some breaks in the middle as weather patterns change.