What Features Would You Value Most in a Custom Built Detached Garage / Workshop?

Mr. Bills said:
Anyone who is or ever intends to be married should probably call it a fireman's pole.
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well a good woman will say....

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I have plywood walls. I can mount hangers on the plywood just about anywhere. I say ditch the drywall.
Code for my location requires flood vents. Maybe something like that could function like a drain for you.
 
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Make it as tall as you can within the aesthetic limits of the area. More room for that future lift, lets you put shelves up high where they do not interfere with floor space. You can never have too much storage area.
Enjoy your project.

B
 
I have some good ceiling fans in my garage, really makes a difference in the summer months. As for heat, I am still debating on a running a natural gas line out to the garage or using an electric heater like this. I have tried the kerosene heaters in the past but the fumes are terrible.
 
One mistake I made with my garage was too many windows, it really limits wall space/storage as in shelving and cabinets. Also I second the use of plywood or OSB for the walls and putting the compressor outside.
 
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Go as tall as you can. Wall space is a premium....its amazing how fast it disappears. I know you said vaulted ceiling, but one thing I did that I wouldn't change for anything is putting attic trusses in. I did 10' sidewalls, and a 21' tall building. That attic in the middle is an Isosceles triagle with a 12' wide base and about an 11 foot tall "peak" It holds a TON of stuff. You lose a little floorspace on the main level for stairs, but what you gain in the attic is so worth it. Here is a pic of my attic. I have 6 foot tall shelves lining one side now, with room for coolers and stuff behind them.

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The other thing I would say is figure out how much light you need BEFORE the contractors come to run your electrical. Its a lot cheaper and easier to let them know how many fixtures you plan to install than to let them "figure it out" I did 100 footcandles. I used T5 Flourescents. 8, four bulb fixtures. At the time I did my barn, LED was just getting popular and didn't have the output I was looking for. I would have needed about 3x the number of fixtures. Now, you can probably get there with LED.
 
Mr. Bills said:
Good point.

I have an area behind the new workshop/garage for the compressor. The neighbor behind me may not like that, but he's a dick so I'll insulate the noise as best I can and call it a day. I'm not a heavy compressor user and will probably never use it after the dinner hour so it shouldn't be an issue for a normal neighbor.
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A god compressor is quiet and outdoor compressor will have moisture problems
 
I'd consider the locations of doors and windows as it pertains to what you will spend most of your time working on. You don't want to constantly be tripping over an open door when you're trying to rotate tires or roll around on a stool. Or when you're working on something at a work bench and have the devil sun blazing in on you.
 
Good suggestions. I wish I could incorporate all of them.

One of the challenges of this project is allowing for potential future use other than as a workshop/garage. For example, one of the common fairy tales for people my age is the dream of being able to age in place. One of the design goals for this particular detached 18x28 structure is the capability in future to quietly convert to living quarters for a caregiver/nurse without drawing the attention of the building department, retaining the front 8-10' of the building as storage with 12' x 8' garage door access. The small lavatory, patio slider, window configurations, and flat floor fit in with this potential future use.

A preliminary floor plan, showing a sectional garage door rather than roll up and standard toilet rather than urinal. Also, the first 4x1 window on right side will most likely be deleted to make it easier to wall off front of building in future:

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Keep those suggestions coming. I appreciate all of them.
 
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Knowing now of the potential use, you should think about how it would be laid out for any appliances you would eventually install...big power draws such as an electric dryer or stove would need to be wired up before you close up the walls. Bedrooms are required to have a window (at least in MS they are). It's already been mentioned that an appropriately sized split type heat/ac unit would be ideal in this instance.
 
Mr. Bills said:
We've talked about floor drains. That opened a can of worms when someone asked what happens if oil goes down the drain.
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You could install a floor drain with a removable screen and put a flush fitting plug in it to stop any unwanted fluids from draining.
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