Your ideas/input requested for planning a garage

[240260280z]

I'm starting to plan a garage that I will build this summer. It will be a separate building on my lot. I am thinking interior of 36'w X 24'd X 10'h.

I plan to use it for work and restorations and maybe some "on-the-side" minor repairs and maintenance for supplemental income down the road.

I'd appreciate any suggestions and input to help me to "do it right the first time"

Everything from number of doors, height of ceiling, i beams over head, floor tie-dons for straightening, ventilation, insulation, lighting, layout, storage, etc. would be helpful.

[zKars]

First rule. You cannot build it too big. You can build it too high however (waste of heat and space) so consider a second story, at least internally have an enclosed "upstairs". Oh, and a bathroom.... And a fridge.. And microwave. And a couch.

Oh hell, just move out there. As soon as the last kid moves out, I'm moving into my garage and gutting the house to make it the "shop". Haven't shared that little idea with the boss yet....

[Patcon]

Blue,

My main shop is 27x 26 inside with 10' ceilings. It is basically a basement room with a concrete ceiling. It has large steel beams that run across the shop and I have a beam trolley I can move from beam to beam. Could be used to pull chassis and engines if needed. In your case a good engine hoist or an A frame on wheels would be much better. For your part of the world good insulation would be great. The 2 feet of snow on your Z suggest a good heater would also be a must. I just picked up a closed combustion heater from Northern tool like this but I only bought a 40,000 btu

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200316365_200316365

Closed combustion so no fumes and safer for solvents, etc. I would frame the walls of your shop out of 2x6 studs with r-19 insulation and put atleast r30 overhead. If your shop is pretty well insulated it will be easier to use and if you do any painting it has to stay in the high 60's to low 70's just cure the paints. This was a problem for me this past winter. Put lots of lights up. I have 2 tube t-8 flourescents in my shop. I believe I have 18 2 tube units. It is nice and bright and makes work much easier. I have outlets spaced every 3-4' all the way around the walls. So I can plug in tools or lights with as few cords as possible. Plan on a large air compressor eventually and pipe it into your shop. Mine is outside, but you may have to keep it inside because the oil may get too cold and freezing condesate might be a problem too, as seperate room or closet could help with damping the sound. I am piping my air in copper. The larger the better becuase it reduces water in the air because it has time to come out in the water traps. A cheaper alternative is PEX line. Don't used PVC or CPVC. When it does finally give out it makes scrapnel. The oil in the compressed air also makes it brittle. As for tie down points I thought about that, but I don't know exactly where I would want them and I wouldn't want to have them in the way all the time. One alternative would be to drill them in after the fact. Hammer drill an overly large hole and epoxy (Hilti or similar) a female threaded couplings into the slab to match the bolt holes on a say a D ring bracket. It could then be bolted to the floor when and where needed and removed when not in use (use fine thread bolts). Some of the concrete epoxies have very high tensile strength the concrete will fail before the anchor will pull out. Also cash and room to build always limits the size of your shop. I have a VW in the corner buried under parts and 2 cars fully disassembled. My shop at this point is not nearly big enough for that. So bigger is better if you can afford it. Shelves, cabinets and tool boxes also help alot. I have bought some and built some. Some place dry and relatively warm in which to do major projects make them much more enjoyable. As well as the neccessary things that need to be done when its cold outside and hitting your hands hurts. :tapemouth:cry:

Hope that helps,

Charles

[5thhorsemann]

Watch the commercial auction sights and local scrap yards if you are looking for steel beams. I got the steel for my last shop at maryland recyclers, paid scrap price at the time + 10 %. Got a 30 foot 8 inch I beam and two 12 foot 8 inch beams for under $500 delivered to my house. Made it posable to create a clear span interrior, nothing in the way. Also, run the biggest electrical service you can, that way you won't be limited to smaller compressors and welders.

Also, don't skimp on the lighting, go HID! I put flourecent fixtures in only to replace them with HID a year later, had to rewire everything. The HID's light the place up ten times brighter. And BTW, paint the walls ceilings and floor as close to white as you can, better for lighting.

Another thought, put pull pots in the floor when you do the original pour. use 36" X 8" sonotubes with 1/2" rebar and 1' shanks. This was another after thought that was a pain in the butt, and a real mess to install after I monved in. But they make body and frame repairs a whole lot easier.

Edited March 28, 2011 by 5thhorsemann

[Gary in NJ]

My garage is 36x24 with 11 foot high ceiling. I have three garage doors and a 3' wide entry door. It's fully insulated. My suggestions:

- Have several outlets in the garage for compressed air and at least one hose on a real. If the garage is attached to the house, put the compressor in that basement (or the second story of the structure) so you don't have to listen to it cycle.

- Put 115VAC and 220VAC in the garage. Have an outlet 8' in the ceiling from each garage door. This will allow you to 1) install electric garage door openers and 2) have electric cord reals hanging from the ceiling.

- Have enough windows to get good natural light and free heating. Install "great" lighting in the ceiling and above the work bench(es).

- Have more then one work bench. I have two 8' work benches & sometimes I still need more.

- I know this sounds strange, and it's just part of my OCD, but keep the garage spotless; always. I've never lost/misplaced/forgotten anything in my garage. I have an awesome shopvac permanently installed with every cleaning attachment possible (helps keeps interior carpets clean too )

My garage is my hang-out. When my friends come over we hang in the garage. Of course, I have a stocked fridge in the garage too.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Gary in NJ

[Diseazd]

Plan to have one section with 12 foot ceilings for your new BendPack Lift. The best $4,000.00 investment (installed) you'll ever make! It'll also let you park another car underneath.

[ChrisZ]

And get you self one of these good DIY project

Guys stop braggig and do as Gary, post photos

And may i suggest you look at this as an option for your walls, i'm currently planning a project where i will use it for a 1500 sqft basement.

Chris

Edited March 28, 2011 by ChrisZ

[tlorber]

I say build as high as you reasonably can without breaking the bank-10' below truss height is NOT high enough. As stated, you may want to have an above ground lift at some point. You can always drop a ceiling grid if you need to climate control the space. Clear span is always better, and drive through access is awesome.

Also plan on all potential sewer provisions before you pour a slab. Installing later is a huge PITA. Finally, I am a huge fan of skylights. Everything else (electrical/compressed air distribution, etc.) can be done later. Make sure there is enough space around the pool table so that the cues don't hit the walls.

[JeffMopar]

Blue,

I just built mine about 5 years ago. 25' x 40' x10' ceiling. The 25' side is the front with a double garage door (16') and a 36" walk in door. I had all the walls raised 8" when the slab was poured so that I could hose down the floor and scrub it clean without worrying about the wood rotting. I put on a barn style roof to give more head clearance on the second floor with the stairs wrapping around the back corner. I used a product called "Open Joists" for the ceiling they are preconstructed floor joists for the second floor that allow the entire downstairs to be one big open area without posts in the way.

You cant have enough outlets and they only cost a few dollars each to add while you are wiring. Ditto for the lights, I have 5 rows of 8' double bulb fluorescent lights and sometimes its still not bright enough. Each row is on its own switch so I if I don't need them all I don't turn them on. Definitely put in a fridge and microwave. I have a stove but only use it for powdercoating. I didn't put in running water or a TV (nothing would get done!!!)

As far as a lift they are nice but it took up too much space so I've got a gantry crane that I can use inside or roll outside if needs be. With all my tools and benches I can still fit 4 cars if necessary before it snows.

Compressor is on the second floor and makes a big difference noise wise. All air lines are run inside the walls with steel pipe to water separators by the doors, workbench, 2 on every wall and reels in the ceiling for air, drop light and extension cord. Its about where the front of a vehicle reaches from the door when pulled in to work on.

Jeff

[manny1973]

Don't forget to put some floor drains in so you can wash the car indoors.

[jmortensen]

I agree on tlorber, make the ceilings high enough for a lift, and with Jim that you can't make it too big. While you're at it, look at the floor requirements for a lift, because if you just pour a 4" slab with no rebar, you won't be able to install a lift and retrofitting is expensive.

220 and 110 and air plumbed around the shop are great ideas. My shop has a NG industrial heater and it has a thermostat which stays at 50 year round. The heater will bring the shop up to 65 or 70 in about 45 minutes. Very handy, and really beats the last house I was in where I used a Mr Buddy propane heater in an otherwise unheated shop (although the Mr Buddy was much better than nothing). If I were building again from scratch I'd put some wide overhangs on the roof and a cheap table and vise out there. Sometimes you're working on something that is very messy and you just don't want to do it in the shop, so you end up in the driveway working on the ground. Not optimal.

[black gold man]

If you want to save money and help Habitat for Humanity.

See what is available at the re store. New doors and windows,building supply's

can be had cheap.Over the years i got some great deals. No telling what

you might come across.

http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore_detail.aspx?place=34