[Fot] The garage mahal

[Don Carter]

I can chime in some on this subject...I designed my garage about 8 years ago
and as my subdivision's chairman of the architectural control committee, I
only had to present a preliminary plan to get my 6 car garage approved by
saying it's a hobby shop and a three car garage.  It's 35 X 50 with a gabled
shaped mezzanine for parts storage.  I used double 8 foot tube fluorescents
end to end the entire length of the garage in about 4 rows.  This gives good
general light, but I still used two drop "trouble" lights on spring rewind
power cords using compact fluorescents bulbs that are located at each end of
the lift.  The 8 foot tubes give a good view (using the reflections) when
polishing or waxing any car, not to mention sanding prep for a new paint
job.  If I had it to do again I'd be sure to use 4' tubes with solid state
ballasts, because I had to install a good stereo to cover-up all the
ballasts' buzzing.

The 220 lift is wired from the ceiling like the re-coil trouble lights. I
used plug mold on all the work bench fronts that surround the car lift area
except for the rolling tool boxes.  Down in Houston, a shop is no good
unless it is air conditioned, so when my 5-ton home unit went out, I saved
it and had the bad coil replaced and put it on the top of my rest room and
fed the duct work around the perimeter of the garage up high using fresh air
intake from a roof mushroom.  Works great.  I can knock it down from a 100
degrees to 75 on a summer day in about 15 minutes.  With open shelving
around all sides except for the 18' door you can stand in just about one
spot and see everything.  I recommend that all large tools such as table
saws, drill presses, vacuums, small air compressors and the like, be on
wheels if at all possible.  One sure fact will always remain true...No
matter how big you make your garage, it will be too small after about
year....so just get used to it.

Don Carter, AIA



Carter Design Associates
6213 Skyline Dr., Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77057
(713) 529-2288 Telephone
(713) 789-2330 Fax
don at carterdesignassociates.com


-----Original Message-----
From: fot-bounces+don=carterdesignassociates.com at autox.team.net
[mailto:fot-bounces+don=carterdesignassociates.com at autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of Doug Mitchell
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 4:50 PM
To: Mark J Bradakis; Friends of Triumph
Subject: Re: [Fot] The garage mahal


I plan on having some track lighting in the garage when it is finished. The
spotlight type. I figure that I can slide the lights and aim them when I am
working on the engine compartment.

As others have said, heat and light are important. I also plan to ring the
walls with storage cabinets at 5-6 feet up to the ceiling. I have 10 foot
walls, so 4 feet of cabinets should be enough. With them mounted high, it
may be a pain to get things in and out, but they will allow me to keep the
floor space as open as possible. Because of building restrictions, I
couldn't enlarge the footprint, but I could add 3 feet to the height.

Doug


-----Original Message-----
From: fot-bounces+dmitchel=sbcglobal.net at autox.team.net
[mailto:fot-bounces+dmitchel=sbcglobal.net at autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Mark
J Bradakis
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:30 PM
To: Friends of Triumph
Subject: Re: [Fot] The garage mahal


My suggestions - you can't have too much light, just don't put them all on
one switch.  Sometimes you just need enough light to run in and grab a tool
or something, no sense in firing up a zillion candlepower just for 13.29
seconds of use.

And as others have said, you can't overdo it on outlets, both electrical and
air.  When I'm working on stuff in the shop, I never want to be more than a
few steps from power, air and paper towels.

mjb.
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