>So: ideas / tips for general design?  Layout?  Minimum floor space and
>dimensions?  Garage door type?  Neat space-saving ideas?  Lighting?  Source
>for plans, books on garage design, etc, etc?  Digital plans taking up space
>on your hard drive?  ;-)

Do a search for archway, garage, plans, lots of good ideas, many other
garage plans on the net as well, actually there was a real slick 1 car one
out there somewhere I'd looked at, plans from guy in the North East.  IMHO,
at least 14' x 24' per bay, but I'd never build a single car save for if I
only had that room, and at average van length of 16', the longer the better,
double long if you could.  A real neat lighting idea, white walls, and use
R-MAX (foiled foam insulation) on the ceiling with a set of double 8' lights
on each side of bay, you will be amazed at the light, and at the
spaciousness proper lighting creates (in your mind)  Of course I'd build it
12' for the lift (oh yeah honey, the lift is only $2500 and I'll do your oil
changes all the time, and, uh)  About all the ideas that come to my mind,
I'd been investigating this heavily, I was going to build the ideal dream 3
car garage with a tiny apartment overhead, but life plans change.  The R-MAX
tip is simply great BTW, I can't say this enough, but not for eveyone else,
it probably won't fly code wise for a garage under a house unless you backed
her with type X? fireshield drywall.  A good thing to look into manufactured
housing sort of places, here a nice 20' x 26' dropped on you pad would go
about $5000 (you provide pad), course you could stick frame it for less if
you do the work.  The wood stove is prime idea as well, a friend heats his
new 32' x 40' 3 bay in 3000+ foot elevation MD with a single wood/coal
burner one of the style with the surrounding ducting box that moves the warm
air, garage reaches useable temp on a 20F day in 2 hours or so (R13 walls,
very efficient insulated doors, only the 1" R-MAX above at the moment)

Have fun.

John
vwbus@mindspring.com