TR4/4A Shop progress

I’m getting closer and closer to having a finished shop and I cant wait to start equipping it! I ran 3/4” RapidAir piping and outlets so I would have the volume I need for those air hungry sand blasters, shot peen cabinets, body sanders, etc. The 2 post lift will go on the left side with room for a car/tool box/mill between it and the wall. IF they stay on schedule it’s looking like the end of July, but we all know how that goes! Even tho it’s my shop, SWMBO will be picking out the paint colors and I’m trying to steer her toward a light grey, but I would like to hear your suggestions. I also let her talk me into using spray foam insulation and a small split system HVAC for comfort...how does that work with the doors open?
Rut

Shop looks fantastic. I like the way you allowed for ceiling height without raising the walls. That's what I really missed with mine so am now adding on a bay with no attic on the end of the garage for a lift. Not much on colors, mine is white primer.
Tom

Tom,
Thanks for your comments! I must admit that I have a good car guy friend who assisted me in the planning. I’m going to use the same lift he used (triumph asymmetrical) unless I can find a better deal that will fit 12’ ceilings. I also had the shop wired with 3 240 volt outlets for a mig welder and added a water heater for my parts washer/sink combo.
Rut

Garage Majal! What a fantastic space!

Looks great Rut !

Thanks guys, I’m pumped! I lost my former shop 2 days before Thanksgiving, 2016 and I’ve continued to work on LBCs, but out in the driveway was tough for me to do...not level and a pebble finish, dangerous and uncomfortable. I wanted to build a pole barn or a metal building, but my wife wanted me to be comfortable in my old age...maybe she plans on me moving out there?
Rut

A couple of questions, first, is the small room off toward the corner a half bath? What are your lighting plans? How do you plan on finishing the floor?

This is my personal preference as far as finishes and colors in a shop. I like white for ceiling and walls (at least the upper section) and light gray for the floors (optional on lower part of walls). This helps maximize the efficacy of your lighting whatever you select since those colors will have pretty good reflectivity. For the floor finish, I like a smooth epoxy finish with a polyurethane topcoat.

I have a mini-split AC/heat pump combo and while it works well, there is no way that you can expect it to cool or heat the shop area if you leave the bay door open. You open the door to move stuff in or out and then you close it. You might also consider some ceiling fans. I did that as a bit of a last minute afterthought and am now glad I have them. Just make sure they are mounted below your lighting to eliminate any "strobing" effect but above any of the garage door related stuff and out of the way of the lift and whatever you want to put on that lift.

For your garage door, You want the guides to be way up at the ceiling. Otherwise you will not be able to fully use the lift with the door open or even to open the door without lowering the car enough for the door to clear. If you elect to go with an electric garage door opener, I would suggest that you consider one of the direct drive, wall mount unit such as this to get the lift mechanism out of the way:

https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes/garage-door-openers/elite-series/model-8500

Lighting has changed significantly since I built my shop and while it still works well, I would take a different and newer equipment path these days.

Attached is a shot of my shop interior as it was being finished up. You can see in the foreground a more conventional garage door mechanism that is for the bay to the left of the two post lift. The lighting and color scheme can also be seen in the picture. The red, well, my TR6 is signal red.

That's not a workshop...it's a house...lol.
Plus one for good lighting, comfortable air conditioning and epoxy type floor finish before you start building benches etc.
Did you consider building a mezzanine floor for more storage space.

Nice! It's beautiful.

The 1/2 bath in the corner houses an 80 gal compressor and a 40 gallon water heater, both are on switches and both are 240 volt. The 3 stainless sinks are from a restaurant and are the very deep variety with the turn handle drains and a pre rinse faucet...they also have 3 foot long draining boards on each side for a total of 12’. The lights are LED cans and I think there are 12 along with task lighting over the work bench, also LEDs. The comment about cooling with the garage door open was kind of tongue and cheek since one of the city engineers said that the breezeway had to be conditioned...it goes from the deck to the shop and it’s open, so I asked him what R rating I should use...crickets! The ceiling will be ‘ceiling white’ and as of this evening the walls will be ‘Agreeable Gray’ according to SWMBO. I’ll be using ‘shop fans’, the big round ones since my previous ceiling fans collected and distributed dust on a regular basis. The concrete floor has been finished to a very smooth finish, just short of polished and they will be applying a densifier to seal it and help prevent stains. I’ll evaluate the finish before I move in to see if its adequate for my purpose. I’m so excited I can’t stand it...it’s a dream come true!
Rut

Rut said:

.... The comment about cooling with the garage door open was kind of tongue and cheek since one of the city engineers said that the breezeway had to be conditioned...it goes from the deck to the shop and it’s open, so I asked him what R rating I should use...crickets! ........Rut

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I guess I blinked and missed the intent on the mini-split. I had to get a variance to build mine due to a change in zoning after we bought the property. I could have gotten around the the variance bit and built any size I wanted had I made it attached to the main structure of the house by a breezeway no longer than 25' and that the breezeway would have to enclosed and climate controlled. Despite going for the variance, one of the worst parts of the entire process was dealing with the electrical inspector. The first indication that this would be an unpleasant experience was when he came out for the first inspection check off. I saw him pull up early one morning and went out there to see what was up. The first thing he said to me was to ask if I was the contractor. When I said no, he replied with something along the lines of "Well then, just who are you and why should I talk with you?" I gave my name and said that I was the guy paying for this build.

It went down hill from there with all manner of stuff that was not required that he insisted on. The electrical guy and I had discussed things and were essentially overbuilding everything so there should not have been any issues. Before the build and COO was all said and done the chief inspector and a county commissioner were involved in bringing that inspector back to reality. All the other inspectors were fine.

Where does the TV and mini bar go? Just kidding. Looks great, I'm jealous.
Marv

Looks great!

Light colors are good for a working garage, as they reflect light. My brother went with a dark beige, and it looks awesome, but he needs more lights.

Not sure what you plan to do with the floor, but if you plan to put a finish on it, I suggest not driving any cars on the raw concrete. Oil in the tires will leach out (or maybe it is rubber bits, I'm not a chemist) and paint won't stick there. You can clean the floor - I've done it - but it is a hassle that is easily avoided. (Pour and restore eliminates oil stains pretty well.)

In case the high rolling garage door does not work to clear the lift, an out-swing door may work (this was the only option for me, on a small 1.5 car garage). They are heavy and not the most practical (can't park a car directly in front), and more expensive than roll-up doors. But they leave the ceiling open.

Mike,
Thanks for the heads up on the raw concrete and I’ll definately keep that in mind. I made sure that the garage door will not interfere with a car on the lift or the lighting and my wife has settled on a lighter shade of ‘Agreeable Gray’ for the walls and ceiling white. Our first thought was to use barn doors, but we found that there is no way to seal them to any degree, so an insulated 3 layer garage door with a carriage house style is what we settled on.
Rut

If your shop looks that good...what does the house look like...any pics?

malbaby said:

If your shop looks that good...what does the house look like...any pics?

Click to expand...

The house is built along the same lines/style as the shop and it looks much bigger than it is because of the way it’s situated on the lot which has a lot of slope. It’s basically a 2 bedroom with a basement and a lot of outdoor living space. The basement is there because it’s cheaper than fill dirt if you can imagine that.
Rut

Thanks Rut...Very nice..I assume that the roofing shingles are fixed individually...we have mainly terracotta/concrete tiles or colourbond steel roofing here in Australia and roller doors for garage entrances.

Got a progress report?

I’ve been on the road picking up another TR6 basket case, so I don’t have any pictures from this week, but last week the driveway was poured and the shop deck finished. The paint is almost done, air piped and retested with QC installed. I’ll get over there today and see what’s been done and update later, but it should be cleaned out by now. I’m still on the fence regarding what finish to put on the floor...concrete guy recommends acrylic, but it’s not gas proof and I’m back to thinking 2 part epoxy. Any ideas based on experience?
Thanks, Rut

Jeez, my sympathy (for the fire) has turned t jealousy. Can't wait to see it finished.
Tom