25 x 25 garage / 2-post lift & garage door placement?

[7T1240]

I am in the process of designing a garage with about a 25' x 25' pad. The way it is currently configured, the garage door will be on one of the gabled ends. One of the items on my wish list is a lift, probably a 2-post symetrical, and the current ceiling height is drawn at 12', with the possible addition of scissor trusses to allow a bit more overhead clearance.

Question: For those of you who have built garages on the smaller side, how did you configure your garage door and lift placement to resolve the issue of avoiding interference between your garage door and a vehicle raised on the lift? Specifics on garage door manufacturer, type and placement of opener and track configuration are of particular interest.

Thanks, Gary S.

[240ZX]

Just use a roll-up door!

[7T1240]

Hey 240ZX. Is there such a thing as an insulated roll-up door? I see you are in Southern California, where an insulated door might not be necessary, but it's desirable where I live.

Gary S.

[sblake01]

I have a roll up door. I don't have a lift but if I did the door tracks would be in the way as well as the door when it's rolled up. Unless the lift is mounted behind the are where the door tracks end which in my case is about 10 feet into the garage. I could see it working with the door closed if your lift was centered between the track and the screw drive/motor.

[hls30.com]

Suggestions

1) modify the door track to follow the roof line-requires two custom angle tracks(can be fabbed from included tracks with a hacksaw), and modification to rafters,but it has been done before with an insulated door.

2) A beavertail trailer type door from a trailer manufacturer.

3) A barn door, or hangar door.

Will

[superfunk]

Are you against the idea of making a sliding door? I've seen a couple really nice setups like that.

[mlc240z]

what about just adding a few feet of vertical track on the sides thereby extending the upright tracks so that the curved track is closer to the roof?

if you're on the gable end, you should have the height to do this. the door would just go up higher 'flat' before the sections started to fold at the ceiling line.

you would probably have to use longer helper springs to make up for the increase in travel.

[Carl Beck]

Hi Gary:

1. Is there some reason you must use a 25'x25' layout?

2. Is this a secondary garage to work on your car only - or your only garage that must be shared with other vehicles?

3. What size garage door do you have in mind? A standard 8'x16' " or.........

4. What construction type are you planing on using? Wood Frame, Steel, Block???

In general I agree with 240ZX - just use a Roll-up door, instead of the more typical Sectional Garage Door. The Roll-up Garage Doors seal more completely to the garage door opening in the building - so insulated or not they would most likely provide beater heat retention/ cold rejection in the Winter..

A 12' ceiling height is plenty for the use of a lift for a Z - the typical lift only raises the bottom of the tires about 6' off the floor - and the Z is what? around 4 1/2' tall... so even with the hood partly open you shouldn't have any issues..... The only problem with scissor type trusses is they eliminate over-head storage space.

If I had it to over - I'd make a garage at least 30' deep - that way you can park two First Generation Z's in there end to end in ony bay - three if you put one on the lift.... But more importantly - you have room at each end of the car to get around the car easily and still have room for things like work benches, tool boxes, compressors etc. at the ends of the car. 25x25= 625 sq. ft and so a 21x30 would also provide about the same total in a more work friendly layout...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[7T1240]

Thanks to all who have replied...some good thoughts and suggestions.

Hi Gary:

1. Is there some reason you must use a 25'x25' layout?

I believe city code says something about an additional structure not being more than half the lot width, our lot being 50'. Thus the 25' width. The depth is at least in part restricted by my wife (who is a co-contributor to the garage fund). She wants a little bit of back yard between an existing deck and the proposed garage to do a patio/courtyard/garden.

2. Is this a secondary garage to work on your car only - or your only garage that must be shared with other vehicles?

3 vehicles - '71 Z-car, '91 Miata, '78 911SC, for winter storage and wrenching. My initial thought on the 2-post was for both work on the cars and an over/under storage situation. I also believe there is a possibility of putting a car on casters (say, the Miata) and pushing it into a corner for storage. This might allow for a different lift setup - say a scissor lift.

3. What size garage door do you have in mind? A standard 8'x16' " or..........

Actually I've been thinking about going 18' x 8'. The double wide door would make it easier to back out of the garage into the alley, where my neighbor's fence sits directly on their property line opposite the proposed garage door. And the 8' height is kind of at a salesman's suggestion, citing possible future resale value to SUV owners with bike or ski racks on top.

4. What construction type are you planing on using? Wood Frame, Steel, Block???

Right now my current interest lies in SIP's (structually insulated panel sandwich of OSB/expanded polystyrene/OSB). Plans are sent off to a regional factory, they cut the SIP's to size including all rough openings, and then ship you 4 walls. But, until final drawings can be sent out to the SIP's manufacturer and a couple of stick-frame builders for estimates, I won't know for sure if the SIP's method is cost effective. The SIP's manufacturer is quoting about $5.50 / sq. ft. for the pre-fab. walls. The company is R-Control

http://www.r-control.com/sips.asp

(snipped)If I had it to over - I'd make a garage at least 30' deep - that way you can park two First Generation Z's in there end to end in ony bay - three if you put one on the lift.... But more importantly - you have room at each end of the car to get around the car easily and still have room for things like work benches, tool boxes, compressors etc. at the ends of the car. 25x25= 625 sq. ft and so a 21x30 would also provide about the same total in a more work friendly layout...

FWIW,

Carl B.

This is a good point. I could look at building right to the back of the property line to get the additional 5', but we put a 5' apron there to make it a little easier to back into the already tight alley. I think I'll buy some stakes and play around with some of these configurations this weekend.

Thank you for all the good thoughts and information.

Gary S.

[nwcubsman]

...snip

I also believe there is a possibility of putting a car on casters (say, the Miata) and pushing it into a corner for storage.

QUOTE]

Hi Gary,

I see you are really serious. Good. Caster work very well, if the engine is out of the car. With the engine in, it is a 2 person job at least to move the car. If you are down, I'll volunteer my Silver 240z for you to try it out. I don't recommend it. I have a neighbor who has a great garage/shop. He is a muscle car guy. 3 cars deep, 2 cars wide, 2 lifts in the back. 8 cars total.

I may be wrong, but I think the 4 post lifts are recommended for parking under. The lift can be on castors as well. They have a bolt that can create a physical barrier to the lift dropping while something else is under it. I think they are less expensive as well. Although, they don't provide so much access to the under side of your cars. I look forward to hearing about your plans. Send me a pic when you've got something.

Best regards,

[Richard Oben]

I have a 4 post lift and a high lift door, it is within 2 inches of the ceiling. I only have 10.5 foot ceilings and I can still get most of the cars all the way up and get underneath the door, depending on which way the car is pulled on. For example the X5 has to go in reverse so the door can go all the way to the windscreen. With the 12 foot height you should not have a problem. The only disadvantage of the two post is the fact it can not move. My shop is 24X30 and if at all possible make the garage/shop as large as possible, there are many times I wish I had more room. For the rest I think you are fine. HTH, cheers Richard.

[conedodger]

This is coming up more and more as the price of these things have come down to the stratisphere some of us can afford...

Just a comment for the guys interested in the sissors lift type, a buddy of mine sold me his first sissors lift and bought a second that will lift his car high enough so he can walk under it. But he didn't want to deal with the ramps he had built so he could still park his car in the garage where the lift was located. He cut out his concrete and built a form in the shape and depth of the lift and cut a channel over to the lift motor. Then had the concrete poured. Now his sissors lift is recessed into the floor. It is a thing of beauty. Only problem is now I am going to have to do it!!!

Here are some pics of the process...

Edited December 15, 2008 by conedodger