Mrs. Patches and I recently migrated from Indiana to SoCal and, in the process, had to leave the wonderful garage we had spent so much time on. Well, after 6 months of buying and building, we finally have our new Garage Mahal at the level the previous one was at - even better. We have more room, more cabinets and more cars - including a new 2011 MCS. :D

Yesterday, we installed our new Racedeck floor and, yes, Mrs. Patches pitched in and helped on this one just like last time. We thought it would take us two days instead of one like last time because it's 1/3 third bigger but it took us about the same time as the last one so we completed the entire job yesterday. And that was with a two hour interrruption from a contractor who was quoting a deck/patio for the back.

Our Indiana garage


We liked the previous color scheme and pattern of our last installation so much that we decided to reproduce it in a 3-car configuration this time since it again matched our garage colors. Last weekend I bolted the lift down in preparation for this floor. I ordered the tiles and painted the stem wall to match. Then we went at it. This is a fun project and not difficult to do. The finished floor completes the look and adds a touch of class to the garage and the house and our last setup helped sell the house in a depressed So. Indiana market. I have a couple of details to finish up like protective foam I'm adding to the beam support post but, it's essentially done. :cheers:

The canvas . . .




Started!


Halfway there . . .




Mrs. Patches is a pro at this! She installs the bulk of the tiles while I do the trim work around the lift posts and edges. A table saw is handy for cutting the tiles to size/shape.


Almost done - just the edge under the cabinets left.


Done!

 

Gorgeous garage. Congrats!

 

All I can say is "WOW!!!"

 

Looks great! Please add your pics and info to the Garage thread, I'm sure your project will be appreciated!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ur-garage.html

Annette

 

Absolutely awesome!!

 

are you serious! that is insane!

 

That is one awesome garage!!! thank you for sharing!!

 

Wow, that's just amazing! Nicest garage I've ever seen.

 

And I thought my garage was nice! As a man who really appreciates the home of his car, I must say that's flawless. Kudos to you and your wife. That must have been fun to do. I can imagine how much fun building a garage would be. I mean, the home of my cars is the home of my heart, after all.

One thing I would change? The 'Vettes into Porsches.

 

Patches...a few questions. I was considereding adding on to my house to expand the garage and have also considered a lift. Can you comment on the cost of the lift? Maybe this is a dumb question, but did you move that lift from Indiana, or is that a different one? Also, what about rerouting the garage track for clearance? How much does that cost? I have high ceilings and from what I've read can accomodate a lift with the door modifications. Can you please comment? Looks great, by the way. I really need to get out of my rented car overflow space. Thanks, Matt

 

wow, what a garage and nice vehicles in it. nice job

 

Why would I want slower cars?

 

Outstanding, thanks for sharing! I'd like a little more info on the floor tiles please...

 

Depending on who you buy from and what you buy (American vs. Chinese vs. etc.) a 4-poster can cost anywhere from $1200-$5000. My BendPak was $2500 5 years ago but the price has been adjusted since.

http://equiptool.com/i-365902-bendpa...-capacity.html

The key is to get the proper safety/testing certifications with the lift to ensure it's safe and capable. I went with BendPak because it was built and certified stateside and has some of the best safety features of all the 4-posters I researched like pneumatic locks and redundant, spring loaded safety locks that engage if a cable breaks.

I did move this lift from Indiana so I've assembled it myself twice - the first with a little help from a buddy but I had to do it solo here in SoCal.

I didn't have to have the garage door rails lengthened in Indiana as it was an eight-foot door and the door luckily extended high up towards the ceiling. I had to have this 7seven-foot door in our cuurent house raised by having the tracks replaced, raising the door another two feet to clear the lift posts. I also had the center-mounted opener moved to the single manually-opened garage door and a side-mounted opener installed to eliminate the obstruction of that opener to the lift as well.

You can see in the pic how the door and opener were going to hit the post.




Here's the door after replacing the tracks with longer ones.


The side-mount opener


The cost of raising the door can range from $400-$800 from what I've seen. Mine was at the high end because of moving the opener, adding a new opener and raising the door so high.

It's always worth it to me to get the extra parking space as well as the versitility for modding and maintaining vehicles on the lift.

 

Congrats on your impressive garage and, might I add, stunning array of automobiles... Especially the PW/B MCS!

So Patches, I have a question for you. Coming from the midwest (Indiana) you have experienced the awful winters that Mother Nature can dish out.

My question(s) to you is; How did those floor tiles work out for you, what with your vehicle (SUV) going in and out of the garage tracking in snow, salt, etc.? Any trouble with water seeping under those tiles and getting trapped between the tile and the concrete flooring?

Your thoughts on this?

I'm considering doing something similar with that type of floor tile but am reluctant due the inclement weather conditions that we go through during the winter.

Thanks for sharing with us! We just love pics, yes we do...

 

Holy god, Patches. Do you smell that? Yeah, that's the smell of envy.

That garage is amazing.

 

Winters are never fun for folks who like to keep a clean garage.



Although the Racedeck floor can totally withstand anything the Indiana winters could throw at it, I learned that clean up was easier if I laid down a large plastic sheet when the Hummer was completely covered in dirty snow and ice which would melt in the garage onto the tiles. The tiles are designed such that with the pitch built into your garage floor, the water can drain through the network of channels on the underside of the tiles. In all the years I've had the Racedeck flooring, I've never had a water-retention or mold/mildew issue and a lot of rain, snow and ice was delivered onto it. I know others in Michigan, Illinois, etc. with this same floor system and no problems. They also sell an open version of this tile you can see on their website but it's not necessary.

 

Racedeck tiles can be ordered in a number of different styles and colors. Mine are the standard 1'x1' version that can be had in several differnt colors. You can input your garage dimensions on their website and build the pattern of tiles you want and save it. It will calculate the number of each color you need so you can order directly from the website. I always buy from a distributor who matches or beats the website's pricing although they were having a special on pricing and free shipping when I ordered this time and my source had to bite the bullet and match it.

They also have 18"x18" tiles, open pattern tiles, gloss-finish tiles, finished edging and corners and I believe you can even order custom logos printed on them for shows, etc. They are a bit pricey but they are the best quality I've seen and no one else comes close to offering the vast array of styles and colors they do.

Go to racedeck.com to check out their gallery and pricing.

 

I want, I want! What a gorgeous garage...

 

Patches,

I really appreciate the link to the racedeck.com web-site, as I am building a new garage this summer. NAM comes through again with some great knowledge-sharing!

Thanks so much!

 

If you decide to order Racedeck, contact me and I'll connect you to my source. He always meets or beats the website pricing and gives great personal service. Use the website to configure the floor and calculate the number of tiles though.

 

Go to reacedeck.com to check out their gallery and pricing. [/QUOTE]

Patches,
My husband likes to say, he'd never find anything if things were to tidy. On the other hand, I need some kind of organization. As a result, since I've had my little car, it's become more than obvious that we don't share many of the same thoughts, after 42 years of marriage.
Since seeing yours as well as some of the other garage spaces, here on NAM, I've seriously carved out a little area in our shared garage.
Since 1/3rd of the garage is all that I require and use, that means I've saved so much all the way around. The tiles sound wonderful and affordable now that I just need 1/3 of the area, tiled.

 

Funny - I've discovered the subject of "neatness" is a touchy one in our partnership. My wife agrees, in principle, with the need to organize and keep things tidy - it doesn't always seem to translate into reality or our ideas of tidy don't align. Luckily , the garage is considered my domain primarily so it looks like the above photos all the time.

 

Great looking garage. Very cool that you can use the lift for some maintenance tasks.

Would be cool if condo/apartment buildings offered a lift like that in the underground garage parking spots