My car port is about to be transformed and my wife has finally given me the financial go ahead to get my garage built (mainly cuz she wants a laundry room )

i have a pretty big space to work with since its about 23.5 X 16 with about a 10ft ceiling but the 3-4 feet of the back will be the laundry area so i cant count that.

my budget is somewhere between 1200 and 2k and about 95% of the work will be done by me, my dad and my father in law so i have a lot more leeway with with what i can do so if youve ever built a garage or have a garage and have some good ideas please share.

is a lift possible in the space i have?

pics of the current state are below. please dont laugh at my mess... anything is greatly appreciated!

 

you can probably get a 4 post lift in there, but it will eat most of your budget up.

If it were me, I'd frame/wall it first, and see what my budget let me do. I'd then go for an opener, then an air setup (decent compressor, hose reels, etc.)

You might be able to find a good deal on a used lift, my company sold a nice 4 post on ebay dirt cheap, just looking to get rid of it.

 

already got the opener and it didnt even come out of my budget!!! got a great deal on it when we first bought the house cuz we knew we were going to enclose the garage.

thanks for the advice... definitely going to look into the air set up... i bet i could get more added to the budget for that too!

 

Yes. Check out Greg Smith Equipment, tax free in Delaware and you can pick it up at their facility with a simple car trailer and have a few guys over for pizza and beer to help install it. That's what I did. Works well in my garage! Here's the link, check back for when they have specials, sign up for the e-mail thingie for notices.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Di...pro-park8s.htm


There are a lot of people in Central that can attest to how well this lift works and how safe it is to work under it. People have changed suspensions, clutches, exhaust, and oil.

If you go there in person (it's just a short hop from MIR), they will usually help you out with the prices and knock some loot off their specials or at least discount accessories like jacks.

 

When you put walls up, put in 20-amp outlets and breakers instead of the standard 15 and maybe a welder 50-amp connection if you can (make this one outside with a weatherproof housing, you're not gonna weld inside). I put my welding 50-amp connection near the front of the door.

 

welding???? not sure i can weld! lol...

 

for a lift you are going to raise the ceiling right???

cause right now, you can fit a lift but you would probably only be able to lift the car to where the tire was even with your chest...idk how tall you are , but seriously, whats the use of a lift if you can stand underneath it

 

i plan to remove the panels altogether. not sure what is above them but i guess i'll find out eventually!

 

Ya i would remove the sheetrock,or panels whatever you have up there,and raise the rafters. It wont do much but you may gain a sloped height of say 3 feet?

 

i wouldnt worry with a lift

i would get a nice compressor (belt driven, nice and quiet), maybe a 20 ton press, shop lights, maybe a new tool chest.

i would still remove the ceiling tiles to give it a bigger feeling.... but i dont think you will get full use of the lift for how low the ceiling is