[flipnkraut]

Currently getting started building my new house (great timing right?) and with this quarantine had some time to plan out my garage.

Here's what I'm planning on doing:

Swisstrax flooring
Twin Busch scissor lift
Hose bib inside the garage for wall mounted pressure washer
High lift garage door conversion
Jackshaft garage door openers
Sonic (or equivalent) cabinets
7 4-bulb led fixtures


What "essentials" would you want in your dream garage.

[Colodano]

Personally I would do a 2 post lift.
You covered almost everything else, and I don't know if it would matter in your climate, but I would have an internal floor drain.
Oh, and wiring for computer, and sound system.

[Turkish Pickle]

I'd want epoxy flooring like they have in high grade clean rooms with the wraparound corners, probably with yellow and purple/magenta flakes on a black drop, lots of storage space, and one of those tool chests because I've always wanted one of those. Proper drainage too

Also would love to have some sort of speaker system that I can connect to easily. I am a sucker for smart home stuff though

[tim99ws6]

4 post and 2 post(both have their benefits
Air at all corners
Middle hanging air and electrical reels
all plugs on their own separate dedicated 20 amp fuses(hey, you said dream, right?!)
Tig and Mig setup
60 gallon compressor outside
enclosed Wash bay with boom pole above
Enough lighting capability to see from the moon
Heat/AC system
High end filtration
Obviously large QLED TV and sound system
Fully smart(HVAC, lighting,security, even my filtration able to be controlled remotely from phone)
A full matching box/tools


I think thats about it. I think it's a fair ask.

[tim99ws6]

Originally Posted by tim99ws6

4 post and 2 post(both have their benefits
Air at all corners
Middle hanging air and electrical reels
all plugs on their own separate dedicated 20 amp fuses(hey, you said dream, right?!)
Tig and Mig setup
60 gallon compressor outside
enclosed Wash bay with boom pole above
Enough lighting capability to see from the moon
Heat/AC system
High end filtration
Obviously large QLED TV and sound system
Fully smart(HVAC, lighting,security, even my filtration able to be controlled remotely from phone)
A full matching box/tools


I think thats about it. I think it's a fair ask.

In reality:

NICE epoxy floor
Mini-split
GOOD lighting
Nice tv and sound
Internet access
SPACE

[iminhell1]

you'll want a wash sink, ceiling fan, in floor heat would be nice.
Swisstrax flooring does not sound floor jack friendly, which means you're left using the lift for simple tasks all the time.
A vacuum system added to the water/air may be useful. Central vac. But depending on garage size might not be a friendly price.

[dreamingat30fps]

Things I personally use most in my totally not dream garage

1. Wall mounted vacuum
2. Celling mounted air hose
3. Love my epoxy floors

Things I wish I had

1. More cabinets & counter top space, can't have enough so I don't have shit lying around
2. AC and or fans mounted all over the place
3. Wish I had a way to wash the cars inside the garage, probably not big enough though
4. Wish my truck fit in it

[Ngilbe36]

I do not understand swisstrax. If you get oil or dirt under it, what do you do? Seems like way more trouble than its worth and they are stupid expensive.

- Drain
- Wash bay
- Slotted walls for storage all the way around
- Mini-split
- 110V outlets everywhere
- 220V in one location
- Air all the way around
- Epoxy concrete floor
- 2 post lift
- In wall/ceiling speakers with bluetooth hookup
- Walled off section for woodwork
- Walled off section for metalwork

I think that basically covers it

[overcoil]

https://www.bigassfans.com/lights/the-garage-light/

[dmatre]

My list:

- Large Slop Sink
- Epoxied floor (blow off & mop to make it look like new)
- Finished interior painted white (makes it much brighter for working)
- Enough shelving/cabinets that NOTHING has to remain on the floor (Reduces locations for mice to run/hide, makes cleaning much easier)
- Shelving is nice for things commonly used (detailing supplies, etc)
- Cabinet are nice for chemicals, they can be latched/locked to keep small children at bay
- Ceiling mounted retractable extension cord
- LED replacement elements for standard fluorescent bulbs - about twice as bright, helpful with 'old eyes'
- Rolling tool box that can be rolled to either side of the vehicle being worked on (reduces the number of steps required for a typical project)
- A reasonably-sized work surface, preferably with a vice for holding your work.
- Fridge: don't want to have to track much inside the house when going for a water or a beer
- Stereo: having music tends to make the projects go quicker

[DETRoadster]

You forgot the most essential of all garage accessories: A tool holder...

[upstatedoc]

my truck needs some work can I bring it over when you are done

[iminhell1]

oh shit, she knows how the driveshaft nut comes off ...

[Ric in RVA]

I want a desk with a computer and stereo....

up on a perch....

high over the kingdom I survey.....

So I can look down upon my toys....

That's all....too much???

[flipnkraut]

Originally Posted by Ngilbe36

I do not understand swisstrax. If you get oil or dirt under it, what do you do? Seems like way more trouble than its worth and they are stupid expensive.

Ignore it or pick up the tiles and clean underneath if it's oil, if it's dirt you can vacuum.

I personally love that dirt just falls through and you're just left with a clean floor. I'd have having nice looking epoxy floors with dirt and having to sweep/vacuum frequently to keep it clean.

[flipnkraut]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

you'll want a wash sink, ceiling fan, in floor heat would be nice.
Swisstrax flooring does not sound floor jack friendly, which means you're left using the lift for simple tasks all the time.
A vacuum system added to the water/air may be useful. Central vac. But depending on garage size might not be a friendly price.

Swisstrax is surprisingly floorjack and jack stand friendly.

[bigrum]

Seems like a lot of this has already been said so I'll just repeat probably:

Ceiling mounted electrical and air hose reels.
A fuckton of LED shop lights, get them at costco and you can link them together
Wall mounted horizontal power strips
Saferacks storage from above or heavy duty wall hooks, never look at the ground for storage... look up.
Wall mounted wheel storage racks
A good easy to turn on music source like Sonos or similar
I run a PC and TV in my garage, all off of wifi that gets a good signal from the house via Orbi
I always wanted opaque glass garage door panels for more daylight in my garage.
Any shelving or heavy things you have sitting on your floor, put wheels under them. That way any time you want to move them you can.

[flipnkraut]

Originally Posted by Colodano

Personally I would do a 2 post lift.
You covered almost everything else, and I don't know if it would matter in your climate, but I would have an internal floor drain.
Oh, and wiring for computer, and sound system.

Any reason for the 2 post? I love that when not in use the scissor lift is unobtrusive.

Floor drain would be nice but would probably be cost prohibitive where I am.

[kscarrol]

I want a garage...

[Colodano]

Originally Posted by flipnkraut

Any reason for the 2 post? I love that when not in use the scissor lift is unobtrusive.

Floor drain would be nice but would probably be cost prohibitive where I am.

More accessibility around the vehicle, less to work around when pulling big drivetrain parts etc. I do things like engine swaps and big jobs a lot more than the average home hobbyist though.

[Clark_Kent]

Hard pass on the Swisstrax. Instead I would go with a high quality industrial grade floor coating. I would also invest in wiring and outlets to support 2-3 (depending on size and configuration of garage) Level 2 or Level 3 EVSEs. While you may have no use for them today, the proliferation of the EV is not too far off. I would also consider elevated electrical outlets for flat panel televisions, floor drain/grate running the width of the garage, W/D hookup, and smart garage door opener. That's all I've got for now. Let's see some photos when it's done!

[flipnkraut]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Hard pass on the Swisstrax. Instead I would go with a high quality industrial grade floor coating.

Reasoning? So far the cons for swisstrax from everyone that I've talked to has been from not understanding what the product does. People that actually have it love it more than epoxy.

The only legitimate con I've seen is that it's uncomfortable to walk on barefoot.