Quote:
Originally Posted by wdb
I'd love to hear others' experiences with this process. This is a first for me! All of my other structure purchases were existing buildings, this is our first time starting from scratch.
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It was the same for me wdb...I had never gone through the process and because of initially getting turned off by the first builder I contacted, I thought I had made a mistake thinking I could pull it off. I found the look I wanted on the internet (to be a match to the house) and knew how many cars I had to house, and, like you, knew that one bay would be for the lift. Other than that, I was pretty much clueless. So I started hanging out on garagejournal.com where I got lots of ideas that coincided with what I envisioned. Then I found the builder that actually listened and understood what I wanted and I was off and running.
Things to consider:
As for lifts, many require 220v. The concrete floor must be of a certain thickness, the concrete used must be of a certain psi, and you're gonna want it level.
You'll want water (which also means sewage)...I've got a laundry tub sink and a toilet.
You'll want cable/internet.
The bays for the daily drivers probably would do well with drains.
Consider what you'll do with the floor...I went with a two part epoxy coating.
If you want to be able to hang out there in winter and summer, insulating, heating, and air conditioning should be planned as part deal...rather than thinking you'll add it at a later time.
Grading and paving the driveway got me surprised with the cost.
Make the garage deep enough (a 26'-28' depth) so there's room for the workbench...leaving a good deal of space between it and the cars.
You'll want plenty of lighting, and plenty of electrical outlets...I wish I had more.
That's all that comes to mind at the moment...if I think of anything else I'll be back, but I want to warn it's a long process with lots of visits from the township's building inspector, lots of dust and dirt, and lots of check writing LOL.
As I said, you'll love it!