New garage to be built need your input

[Crush]

Ok the time has come to build a new garage. This garage will replace a 2 car garage that was built 60 years ago and isn't large enough to hold all my STUFF. I would like the new garage to be a minimum of 4 car, maybe even larger. So my questions are:
1) if you were building a garage from scratch to be used to store cars and motorcycles what would are some of the watch outs? meaning what do I absolutely want to include or exclude
2) Thinking of ceiling height and depth of garage, am I better to go 2 cars deep as well, have the option to stack cars? or both?
3) Heating, radiant or forced air?
4) Flooring-epoxy, stain, plastic, or?
5)lighting- LED, Fluorescent?

Open to any other suggestions. I am in the plan stage so your inputs would be helpful

[Charley Lillard]

Big as can be
Smooth finish concrete with a stain
LED lighting
tall ceiling so you can have a lift

[Crush]

Im in Michigan so is that smooth finish slippery? Thinking with all the wonderful ice, snow etc we get.

[luzl78]

Radiant! It's nice when it's 10 degrees outside and you stand or lay on a warm floor

[black69]

do truss ceiling to get car lifts to work well. Go atleast 24' deep. I went for 16' peaks.
build it as big as you can.
do 2 x 6, don't cheap out and do 2 x 4. this way you can do decent insulation without spray foam.
I like a tan epoxy floor. no sand additive. Its slick but looks nice, cleans up nice.
went with recessed lighting like in a home.
I am a fan of forced air, as when I go in to the garage, it can heat up fast.
a radiant heat floor means you have to keep it hot all the time ($$$) to work.
then what do you do for air conditioning? Air conditioning is easy to have on a forced air system.
do not seal your concrete, keep it clean so you can expoxy it without having to strip it.
pour floor thick as you can, I went 8 inch thick, made sure rebar was pulled up, etc. Did not want any cracks.

[bergy]

Radiant heat - best in the winter because the underside of the cars stay really warm & condensate doesn't form. You never want the cars to be colder than the surrounding air.

pre-install condensate drain lines (and electrical outlets) where you think you may want future dehumidifiers to be located. you may not think that you want dehumidifiers, but now is the time to build drain lines into your project - just in case.

make sure that garage doors roll up all the way to the ceiling level - so that they never get in the way of future lifts, etc.

I put in a 12' door so that I can store the Sprinter RV in the winter. Also, put in another garage door header in the same door at 14'in case anyone in the future wanted to put a class A motorhome in there. If ever needed, the opening would have to be cut from 12' to 14' height, but it will be a much easier job with the 14' header already in place.

I used tan epoxy floor. Pick a color that is also available in a 1 part for quick touch-ups when it gets chipped.

definitely LED lights.

[iluv69s]

I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !!

[Crush]

Guys, thanks for all the great feedback. I started the design and many of your ideas will/ are being incorporated. What seems like a reasonable price per square foot? I know it varies but curious what you experienced?

[iluv69s]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: iluv69s</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !! </div></div>

....something that I forgot. I used 1/4&quot; plywood for all the cielings and walls...no drywall...So, in my garage, I can literally screw anywhere I like!!

[Crush]

I put in 4 car garage a few years ago. I put 11 foot ceilings so I can stack cars... the garage is 24' x 40'...(barn style w apartment above. I put 10' door in rear so I can put my car trailer inside if needed. I put all air and most electric in the cieling on reels. I built in air and water supplies periodically in the walls also. I wired for a big screen and cable TV and have surround sound speakers in the cieling. I have a propane forced air system hanging for heat. My propane tanks and compressor are outside in separate sheds along side garage. (helps with space and noise)
My main regret is that I did not make it 4 foot wider to help fit equipment/work benches, etc. along side the cars.

Good luck !! [/quote]

....something that I forgot. I used 1/4&quot; plywood for all the cielings and walls...no drywall...So, in my garage, I can literally screw anywhere I like!![/quote]

Did you paint the plywood? If you have a pic plz post
Thx