Your ideas/input requested for planning a garage

[Darrel]

kenz240z probably has some suggestions. He has a very nice shop, although he should have built it bigger. ;-)

Definitely check on height restrictions. A second level for parts storage is really nice, along with bathroom, break room, r&d room.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Darrel

[John Coffey]

13' ceilings are a minimum if you're installing any asymmetric lift and you'll need 13' of width for each bay/lift. You'll also need at least a 6" thick concrete floor with 5,000 psi concrete for a lift like that. A 12' high door is also a big plus.

Plan a dirty area in the garage for machines that cut metal and as a place to clean cars in general. Try to position that dirty area so you won't track crap into the clean area of the garage.

If possible put the air compressor outside in a covered shed. Plan space for a 4' x 8' free standing workbench that you can walk all the way around. More workbenches and shelving can go on the sides and figure a depth of 4' (shelving at 24" and free space at 24") to walk in front of and get to stuff stack on the shelves with a ladder.

A commercial sink is handy along with space for a free standing parts washer.

Don't paint the concrete floors. Use a concrete stain and lots of sealer. Insulate the roof and doors. Paint the walls white and add lights on the ceiling and on the walls about 8' off the ground.

Edited March 29, 2011 by John Coffey

[rxsleeper]

Thought I would add a little. You can never build too large. Mine is 24' deep and 32' wide. I used a "lifted" scissor truss and created a High Bay side and a low bay side. Upstairs I have a ~16'x12' space with 6' riser walls. I could have added some more space using shorter risers but hate having to bend over to store something.

I went ahead and wired for everything. Cable, phone, ethernet, alarm and put in a 100 amp service to handle welder and compressor. Hope to add HVAC this year since it is fully insulated. I picked up a used lift and it has been the best "tool" that I own.

I used roll up doors so I didn't have to deal with tracks. I will disagree slightly with JohnC. I used a high grade epoxy on the floor and it reflects enough light that I rarely need light under the car when on the lift.

I built a compressor shed and plumbed with black pipe for air. I no longer have to listen to the compressor cycle and it has been GREAT.

I had to deal with a homeowner association so make sure you don't have any issues there. Good luck. I spent the evening in the shop swapping the diff over for the track I am headed to this weekend. I really do enjoy the shop and currently have a '70 roadster, an old Honda V-4 bike I am restoring along with the race car.

Only drawback has been I didn't leave enough space around the lift to walk where it is close to the wall. In hindsight, I would have given up some upstairs space for a little better config downstairs.

Excuse the mess in the photo's.

Paul

from the outside before I finished the inside

Edited March 29, 2011 by rxsleeper

[ajmcforester]

Go 30' deep you will not regret it. My apartment garage is 17'X35' I haft to leave wall in back open because the side door is on the opposite side of the apartment entry. It's great you can have work bench and tools along the back with room to work. I'd also leave 5' between the wall and and last bay. I'm looking at a house that does not have a garage and needs work, the nice thing is I might pickup the property for a song and dance and would be able to take the loan out enough to build the garage, put in a kitchen and plumbing upstairs, and make the needed repairs. The house would need work, but it would fall on the historic registry with the state giving me property tax abatements.

I think I'd put in a 40'wx30'd garage with vaulted ceiling and tall door with lift in the center bay. I'd install drains and curtains for each bay, that way I would be able to clean a car, weld do some wood work without moving all the cars. I would need to screen the garage from the street side to keep the tax abatements, but with taxes in NJ that is well worth it.

[Patcon]

Make sure you will be able to build the garage. I know the registry can be very restrictive

Charles

[gregs240z]

Pretty good suggestions here. I'd consider radiant floors for heat, especially in NJ. There are quite a few DIY websites that help design your system and sell everything you need. Its much, much safer than any open flame and you can zone it to where you need it. I also agree with designing the ceiling height with the type of lift you want to use.

[mgmoreau]

If you plan to use standard overhead doors and want to put a lift in, I strongly suggest having the tracks for the doors go straight up towards the ceiling. Then you will not have to worry about the door hitting the car when the lift is all the way up. I does not cost much more if you order the doors with the high clearance tracks.

I have a lift and it is the best $2000.00 I spent. It saves your back when ever you need to work on the car, even if it is to wax or clean it. I raise the car several feet and work on the side of the car standing straight up. It makes a huge difference.

I have a 30,000 btu Hot Dawg natural gas heater and love it. It is vented to the outside. It is cheap to run also.

Like everyone else is saying, if you have the land, build the biggest garage you can afford. You will never regret it.

Keep us updated and post lots of pictures. :classic:

[kenz240z]

I have a 40' X 50' shop. One side is divided into 3 rooms with 10' ceilings, and the main shop is 40' X 40' with 14' ceiling. The front room has a 4' X 8' maple top work bench, Trinco blast cabinet, hydraulic press, drill press and a bench grinder. The middle room has shelving and a 60 gallon compressor. I ran black pipe through most of the shop for air. The back room has a bathroom and a beer fridge.

I found a stainless steel restaurant sink and have that in one corner of the main shop. Great for cleaning stuff. There is a 2 post lift with room to get around it. Extra concrete was poured where the columns bolt to the floor. Outlets are every 4 feet and are just over 4 feet off the ground so I can lean a 4' X 8' sheet of material against the wall (plywood, sheetmetal). There are a couple of 220 outlets for a welder. The main shop has 2 garage doors, a 16' door and a 8' door.

There is a catwalk above the doors to the 3 rooms with stair access so I can get into the attic, where more parts are stored. Lighting is a combination of flourescent and high bays on separate circuits. Also have 4 ceiling fans to move air around. Walls & ceilings are painted white. There is a radiant tube heater mounted on the ceiling that keeps it warm in the winter.

Here are a few photos, but they were taken shortly after the shop was first built. A lot of the stuff like the sink & tube heat were added afterwards.

[ajmcforester]

Pretty good suggestions here. I'd consider radiant floors for heat, especially in NJ. There are quite a few DIY websites that help design your system and sell everything you need. Its much, much safer than any open flame and you can zone it to where you need it. I also agree with designing the ceiling height with the type of lift you want to use.

I was thinking that using radiant heat would be good, since the heater in the house needs replacement putting a larger furnace and running a line out to the garage would not be hard. The cost would be the deciding factor South Jersey is a lot warmer than north, and heating would only be needed about 4 months of the year. Now cooling might be something to look at that is needed about 6 months, and a radiant system can be turned into a cooling system.

[240260280z]

Update: Finally getting closer. Finished clearing the trees and have the basic dimensions 36' wide X 40' deep. I'll start refining the plans then post here for review/input. The "hole" beside my house where it will go will be grubbed and back filled in the next few weeks. I'll complete the plans and get building permits over the winter.

I also decided to first put down a large concrete pad with 10' X 20' shed in the back yard/forest that will hopefully be finished in the next 4 weeks.This is step 1. It will eventually expand to become the paint boot and body shop.

[ChrisZ]

Phil, you need to post some pics, without photos it doesen't excist

[240260280z]

OK I will. Where are you in Denmark?