That's a very good point. My buddy said his was placed up there, all bolted, and the hoses just come down from there. He's pretty happy with it - never mentioned anything about vibration issues, etc. Not sure HOW he got it up there. LOL.

Thanks Bert - you know what? I was surprised, it wasn't THAT expensive. Depending on where you are in the US, a 3 car (standard - attached to house like mine) garage is 10-20k for the structure itself. Then you've got the garage itself and innards (concrete, insulation, etc...) where that can vary from 15k to you name it, 50k, etc... whatever you want.

So - customizing the garage during/before the build is cheaper than doing things after it's all built. That's why I'm looking into doing this NOW. Now's my chance :metal:

Thanks Thomas! Yeah, every man needs at least a standard 3 car garage - imo. Every family now has a car for mom and dad, then maybe the kids, then you've got kids bikes and toys, then you've got lawn equipment, tools, etc...... A 3 car garage or maybe even a 4 car garage is almost a must.

UPDATE: We got some updated plans that I marked up. I had a few questions/concerns around the lift area. I need 12' to 13' to make the lift work, so for the ceiling I can either

a) make a "pocket" 11 x 25' area to allow for the lift/car to work - this might be the most cost effective.
b) make the entire 48' 3rd stall 12 or 13'
c) make the entire garage 12 or 13' - this is ideal but might be the most costly.

Leaning toward a), for cost reasons... we'll see. See markup.

Other questions I had around the lift:

1) Are there concrete specifications or load concerns to allow me to support the weight of the lift itself, plus the car? I would hope/think not.

2) How will the slope of the floor towards the drain affect my lift placement? I would imagine I want it FLAT. Which means, perhaps the front of the 3rd stall will slope towards the front, the back will slope towards the back, then the center lift area will stay flat.

3) Epoxy - should I do it before or after the lift install? If before, I'd have to cut through the epoxy to bolt/attach the lift. If after, I'd have to epoxy around the lift post/ramps which could be a pain :(

aggggggghhhhhhhh all the questions :banghead:

Congrats Burton. Hope it all turns out the way you like it. Man Cave Extreme. :nice:

^^What Mark says. That sounds awesome sir.

It depends on the style of lift. A typical 4 post won’t require any special flooring and the floor does not need to be flat or level since a lot of those lifts have leveling feet on them…many even offer wheel kits. A two post (Which would be the preferred style) will need footers poured with floor anchors set in them. You would definitely want to have this done prior to finishing the floor. In fact, you would have this done when the floor is being poured so pick your lift and get the measurements!


As far as the cost goes, the figures you quoted have to be additional to the cost of the house…at the time when they are building the house. For an addition to an existing structure, you can about double the numbers you quoted above. Typical cost per square foot of unimproved structure here in the norther tier is about $50 per square foot. Finished structure such as a house starts at about $125 per square foot for a very humble abode.


John


Additional: Another thought Burton, before you get too giddy about all the cool things you want, check with city code and restrictions regarding structure size and height. Many will not allow garages to exceed 10 foot high ceilings. I ran into that when I was adding on to my garage. Had issues with floor drains too.

It sounds like things are cheaper where you live; here in central Massachusetts where I live, there is a local modular home company, that sells turn-key garrison style two-car garages starting at $37K complete with foundation and site work, but very basic. Actually I have them coming over tomorrow to give me a real-world estimate.

Have you thought about a pit, instead of a lift? If you are pouring a floor and foundation anyway, it seems like a small modification to put in a pit. No moving parts; you just have to cover it so nobody falls in when your not using it. I am going to look into that . . . .

Pits are for serial killers :jester:

Oh yeah, life is downright cheap here in in the upper midwest compared to either coast!


The problem with pits are they're limited in their use. Still have to lift the car to do suspention work, change engines, trannies, etc. I guess this is Burtons thread and what I just stated is my opinion so I'll shut up!


John

And here I thought you were going to say pits were for olives! :jester: Guess it's time for a Martini!

:gary:


I have my own smilie

:sarcasm: :blah: :drunk: :jester:

Thanks Mark! We're still finalizing the plans/pricing, so right now, it's still just a pipe dream lol.

Yes, I have my lift picked out already - but I'm teetering between a scissor and a 4 post. Definitely don't have room for a 2 post.

4 post pro/con - can store a car underneath it, but hard to work on the underneath of the car due to access, as well as inability to do tire/wheel/brake work since car rests on wheels.

scissor pro/con - compact, easy to work on car underneath, but can't store car underneath.

Yes, midwest is cheaper. Texas is cheaper too I think.

And no pits lol. That would be in violation of city code for sure. Besides, I don't want to be thought of as a serial killer. LOL. :rofl3:

UPDATE: Our next meeting is Thursday (God...... this process takes forever). They're still getting pricing and quote on the roof and concrete for the garage with my ceiling specs. Also, wife is tweaking a few things in the front of the house with the pillars in the entryway, the roof gables, roof lines, shakes on the siding, and stone facing on the siding. Ugh, building is so much work :( :banghead:

They make hydraulic jacks for four posts. Of course they cost more but I have two so I can get all four wheels up. This way I can store it, work on it and ramps, or up off the wheels. The draw back is the lift and jacks add up. And I wouldn't have the same access I would on a two post.

Attachment 181697

Burton I think you're giving the scissor lifts too much credit. My brother has one and I've used it extensively. While they're much less expensive than the other lift styles discussed here and are better than working on the floor, or using a floor jack and jack stands, they are not real stable and they do severely limit access to things like driveshafts, transmissions, exhaust system, etc. Since the 2 post is a non-starter, given the choice between a 4 post with the addition of hyd jacks on either end to lift the car off the plates or a scissor, I would go with the 4 post al day long.


John

Interesting... you're right though, I can't imagine that will be cheap. What are the costs of the 2 post versus 4 post hydraulic? I wish I had more room (and more money) lol.

Good point John... so another con would be instability which is not good when working under the car. Perhaps a 4 post would be the way to go. hmmmm

As you noted earlier, the 4 post also offers an additional storage slot...put one car up and park another under it. I really think in a residential garage setting their versitility is unmatched.

It must be really exciting though Burton!!! I can't even imagine being able to design and have that home built!! That is awesome. Good luck bro and keep us posted.

UPDATE 10/11/16

I tell you what... I've been looking at these 4 posts more and more. This really MIGHT be a better option than the scissor. It looks like there is more room to work underneath it too. I guess for tire/brake work, I'll just either have to get the accessory, or do it in another spot in the garage and just use floor jacks.

Check out the specs and video on this bendpak 4 post lift. The dimensions will still fit in my garage I think. I hope to have 12 - 13' ceilings in a 11 x 25' rectangle.

http://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/fou...ts/hd-9st.aspx

Lifting capacity*: 9,000 lbs. / 4,082 kg
*Max capacity / front axle: 4,500 lbs. / 2,041 kg
*Max capacity / rear axle: 4,500 lbs. / 2,041 kg
Overall width: 99-3/4" / 2,534 mm
Outside length: 174" / 4,420 mm
Overall length: 200" / 5,080 mm
Height of columns: 88" / 2,235 mm
Runway min height: 4-1/2" / 114 mm
Max rise: 70" / 1,778 mm
Max lifting height: 74-1/2" / 1,892 mm
Width between posts: 89-3/4" / 2,280 mm
Runway width: 19" / 483 mm
Width between runways: 37-1/2" / 952 mm
Runway center line: 56-1/2" / 1,435 mm
Outside edge of runways: 75-1/2" / 1,918 mm
Length of runways: 164" / 4166 mm
Min. wheelbase @ rated capacity: 115" / 2,921 mm
Min. wheelbase @ 75% capacity: 100" / 2,540
Min. wheelbase @ 50% capacity: 85" / 2,159 mm
Min. wheelbase @ 25% capacity: 70" / 1,778 mm
Locking positions: 12
Lock spacing: every 4" / 102 mm
Lifting time: 45 sec
Motor: 220 VAC / 60 Hz / 1 Ph
Shipping weight: 1,872 lbs. / 851 kg
Shipping dimensions: 180" x 22" x 40" / 4,572 mm x 559 mm x 1,016 mm
Note: An air supply (minimum: 30 psi / 3 CFM) is required for the safety-lock mechanisms to disengage. It is solely the responsibility of the end-user to provide, install and maintain the air supply.

Those dimensions in red bold above, will EASILY fit my proposed 11 x 25 x 12' rectangle.

I know man! Thanks Tony - we meet again with the folks on Thursday with more updated plans and more pricing. This is apparently a looooong process of updates and changes and back and forth. I'm getting excited, but not too excited, because I know plans can change and who knows, the whole thing might fall through.

Hey Burton, I'm looking into a lift as well, but I don't have the ceiling height. So I'm thinking about getting one of these:
http://www.kwik-lift.com/index.html

or the quick jack, https://www.quickjack.com

what do you think? You can work under the car and do suspension work etc. It's not possible to store a Viper under though...

You guys are making me jealous. My oversize two car garage is so full, I usually end up working on my car in the driveway. I have plans for a second detached garage with a lift, but haven't been able to work it into the budget yet. Good luck with the build, it sounds like you have the garage well thought out.