Building a new garage!

[PeterW]

We recently moved house and the new place doesn't have a garage, so I'm going to build one. Fortunately there's plenty or space for one .... or we wouldn't have bought this house! The only thing that I've decided is that it's going to be a double, about 6m x 6m, with a roller shutter door.

What would be your must haves if you were building a new garage?

Peter

[wixer]

Definitely a decent car lift. I'd have single sided one, not a 4 post, so access to the under see of the car is accessible, if you're planning to do work on your car. The concrete slab needs to be deep enough to mount one & obviously roof height tall enough to raise the car.

[Heineken]

High power electricity outlets for a decent compressor/air heater and maybe a water connection.

[duncan]

Power, power, power: portable lift systems need single phase 16A, you will have more choice of 1,2 or 4 post hoists with 3 phase. The quickest electric car charging is with 3 phase, then 16A then domestic 13A. Even if you don’t want them now, running a suitable sized supply in will give you future proofing.
Water yes, future proofing for waste water drainage is easier before hard paving, landscaping goes in.

[PeterW]

Power, power, power: portable lift systems need single phase 16A, you will have more choice of 1,2 or 4 post hoists with 3 phase. The quickest electric car charging is with 3 phase, then 16A then domestic 13A. Even if you don’t want them now, running a suitable sized supply in will give you future proofing.

Getting a 3 phase supply installed is a conversation I need to have with the utility provider. We're doing major work on the house as well as building a garage and a heat pump is a possibility. Our last house had a 3 phase supply with 100A on each phase and I was sad to lose that. This house has just a single phase 60A supply, which isn't much in the context of the energy transition.

[214nsx]

6mx6m is a little tight for 2 cars. Ideally 8mx7m would be nice so cars door can be open comfortably. A scissor lift is much cleaner looks when not in use.

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Highly biased my personal view….

Floor space:
If at all possible, get as much floor dimension as possible, ideally for 4 cars space.
Extra space becomes really handy in the future.
This will affect the structure spec including the roof design so careful consideration required.


Network environment:
Depending on what you want inside/outside the garage, review the network requirement.
Becomes handy when installing smart security camera, display, digital phone, etc.
Voice command becomes handy when both of your hands are occupied.


Power:
Access to 3 phase port.
If old house, you may want reviewing the state of the distribution board first.


Insulate at least the ceiling.


Epoxy coat the floor and paint the wall in white:
Significantly reduces the dust inside the garage.
Combined with the appropriate lighting, the reflection of the light from the white wall increases the brightness.
If selected the ideal colour temperaturer, helps the image contrast.


Lift, compressor, storage:
Floor design/spec would be affected depending on the spec/type of the lift.

Cordless tools are widely in use these days but depending on the position of the air compressor,
you may want running at least a single air pipe along the ceiling with a few air coupler port.
Having air access near the garage door would be handy for multiple purposes.

When you start working on the car, you will know how much extra space you would need.
Also, you don't want leaving the removed big parts on the floor.


(Not a must) LED lighting at the side wall inside the garage.
With the car in the air, having light source from the side wall helps a lot.
You can always get mobile lighting bar but if building the garage from scratch, why not.


(Not a must) Review the positioning/angle of the lighting:
Can be modified afterwards.
When working on the car with the bonnet, eng cover, door, boot lid, etc opened,
it creates shadow depending on the position and angle of the lighting source.
Of course, you can cope with it fairly easily by moving the light bar but
you could design/position the lighting in a specific way if you know where/how you are going to work on the car.

Kaz

[NZNick]

I wouldn't choose as roller door again - instead i'd have an insulated sectional panel door.
Oh, and insulate the floor underneath the concrete with both a vapour barrier and rigid insulation to get a proper thermal break between the ground and the garage.

[Heineken]

Kaz summed it up pretty nicely - gave me some ideas to maybe improve my own garage :)
Regarding rolling shutter - these can be an advantage if the garage height is limited. Mine is quite low (~2.0 m) and without a shutter door I wouldn't be able put many cars on the lift when the door is open, except the NSX.

[PeterW]

I wouldn't choose as roller door again - instead i'd have an insulated sectional panel door.
I'm interested to understand why you recommend a sectional panel door over a roller shutter one.
Thanks
Peter

[NZNick]

When we had the automated roller door installed, sectional doors were a bit flimsy, but since then, I have seen more substantial, and now "stylish" insulated ones (made from thicker-gauge metal with interior insulation) , making the roller door look a bit dated.
Our roller door is draughty at the top (it has a good seal with the ground) - possibly they have been improved over the last 10 years, I don't know - the cold air seems to blow in over where the door rolls up.
Perhaps door technology, fit and finish is just better in these days.

[goldtop]

I can definitely agree with the sectional door. My workshop has one that is some sort of alu-insulation-alu sandwich, and it keeps the space well insulated, and with the guides and rubber seals, it's draft-free.

But... the track needed intrudes into the ceiling area quite a lot:

https://i.imgur.com/DO4hVoI.jpg