[vanwyk4257]

Well, I received the blessing from my wife last weekend to go ahead and build a garage out back (it might have helped that I have two F-bodies in the garage at the moment and she's parking outside (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) ) so I am trying to work out the details on design, size, layout et al.

I am thinking of doing a 24x30 with 12'foot walls to allow me enough height to install a 2 or 4-post lift down the road.

My thought is to put a 16x8 overhead door off to one side of the 30ft. wall which will face the house and then have a 3ft. steel service/entry door as well.

I want to have room to park two cars inside and still have a decent workshop space for working on engines, etc.

I do plan to insulate the entire building and will be running natural gas and electricity (110V only most likely) to it. Heat will be from a 90%+ efficiency furnace, i.e., forced air (my dad's in the business so I can get one cheap).
I also plan to finish the interior walls and ceiling with OSB as opposed to drywall just because it will be easier to live with, i.e., I can bang into it with tools, parts etc. without doing any real damage, and if I do manage to punch a hole in a sheet it will be easier to replace. Finally, I am anticipating putting a loft area in the trusses for storage with a pull-down ladder.

I am looking or any input with regard to the size (I know you can never build too large) based on the aforementioned parameters, will it be large enough?

Also, I would welcome any advice or input with regard to layout etc.

Thanks in advance for the input guys!

[DavidDymaxion]

Things I liked in my garage:

I left out one cabinet for the workbench to make a "desk" area. It is nice to be able to sit at the workbench. Also, at the "desk" I left a slot in the workbench top -- this makes it very handy to saw something, and a trash can underneath catches alot of the sawdust.

I have a central vac in the garage, very nice for cleanup. I just run it whenever I cut or machine, then there is little to cleanup afterwards. It is noisy, so I'm planning to enclose it in a soundproof closet eventually. I really like that it vents outside.

I have a big stationary air compressor -- alot of times I can fill it, and then turn it off, and it has enough air to do the job.

I have a HEPA air filter (thrift store purchase, no filter in it) with a long foil hose, vented to the outside. It is really handy for sucking away fumes or paint odors.

You really want several 220 plugs. You can get a more powerful central vac, and have a welder or plasma cutter.

It is tough to have too much lighting or too many plugs.

This works in the desert, I just use a little swamp cooler that blows right on me to stay cool.

I have a plastic laundry sink -- it is really nice and big, and won't break or dent if I drop a metal part in it.

Things I would like: A four poster lift, and a heated floor. I have also been thinking floor level lighting would be nice for working under the car. I also want to add overhead retracting hose for the air compressor, and a similar arrangement for the central vac hose.