Thanks for the feedback, I am in North Carolina on the water, I have worked hard to raise the elevation of the property 8' so now the foundation (pier and beam) will be 11.5' above SL. From there the stem wall will be 24" more so the garage floor and main house floor will be 13.5' above SL, if the water get's that high there will be serious devastation all up and down the coast, not just my house. I did however struggle if I should lower the garage, but this eliminates stairs up and down and simplifies the foundation / elevated slab. I will also be using closed cell spray foam insulation on the whole house and garage to help eliminate critters and odors from the garage. Lastly, I will install commercial vapor barrier insulated garage doors for the best possible fit. I learned a lot about garage doors living in MN in sub zero winters, I can write a whole paper on just proper garage door and proper garage door installations. Thank you for your comments, I really like the stub wall idea for the stairs.