</font><font color="blue" class="small">( . . .As for the lighting...I just got done installing 15 4' T8 fluorescent fixtures in my 24'x30' garage. I really like the T8 lights because of the electronic ballast, they're quiet, start fast and work in cold weather.)</font>
Right on. I just loaded up my shop with similar lighting. No flicker when they're cold and instant on. A little more than the cheapest ones available, But, what a difference.
I might suggest putting the over head lights on several switches. Make one string of lights "aisle/walk way" lighting. That way you can get across the shop without killing yourself and not have to have all the lights on.
Then put the rest of the lights on a three way (operates from two places) circuit. When you get to the work bench, and finish the project or collect tools, you can turn on the rest of the shop lights without having to walk back to the front door.
I've put both the aisle and remaining lighting both on 3-ways. That way I can kill all the shop lighting when I am at the workbench area. The workbench area has its own light switch. No sense in having 1,000+ watts of shop lights on when you are working in the workbench area.
Put a plug on each side of the roll up door so you can run extension cords outside to work on machinery. Put your wall plugs ot least 3' above the floor, if you put 'em at 4' you can put your bench anywhere without covering the plugs. You don't have to bend over as far to plug in tools--this isn't the house and you don't need to hide the cords. Place a plug under each window. That way the plugs will still be accessable when you've stacked things against the wall--when you stack things against the wall you don't cover the windows.
Make sure to have drop cords from the ceiling as Pete suggests. Just run them off a different circuit than the overhead lights. Yeah it's more work, but, that way when you pop a circuit breaker you'll still have lights to see by.
