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?

[X66 714]

I did my garage 32 x 60 with 3 bay doors. Can't remember if they're 16' or 18'. I got the highest "R" value I could for them. We went 8-8-16 split face block. 2x4 interior walls w/exterior siding instead of sheetrock. If you're also a sign collector, you'll know why. Used a peeked roof with green standing seem metal roofing, Floor was done in light grey epoxy. Walls & ceiling is done in bright white semi gloss for easy cleaning & high visibility. I use 2/3 of the garage for storage & the other 1/3 for working. The working bay has 8 4' double tube lights staggered. the other bays have 4 4' double tube lights staggered per bay. Also put in 3 light switches so I could turn on only the lights I needed. I could only go 9'8" without an engineering stamp. Build as tall & as large as you can. Except for the rise in my property taxes, I don't regret it....Joe

[black69]

I had this built with the cheapest siding and cheapest roof material for 35K. Included 11 loads of gravel and full foundation, 8" floor. Custom engineered trusses (I pre priced everything with the builder, getting the 30ft ones done was not easy for the high lift door). I shopped around alot. Forget thinking Amish builders are cheap, they are not. Went with a Polish outfit out of Chicago. Quality is outstanding.

I think its almost 1500 sq ft. first bay you see from the road is 21 x 24 deep. the next bay is 20 x 30 deep (did not want 30 ft depth visible from road, that worked out well). Last bay (9 ft ceiling, loft overhead) without overhead door is 11 x 24. Again, did not want to see a 30ft deep structure from the house.

why the 24ft depth? My 1959 house I have now and the house I grew up in the city, had that depth. I like it. My moms new house I used to store cars at was I think 20 or 21 deep and I hated it. I would never never never recommend anything less that 24 or 25ft deep. Now if you get too deep, the garage could look out of character with your house (mine sits in the front side yard, wife still married to me). If I made the whole thing 30ft deep, she would have divorced me.