Garage Design

[halz]

We're planning and extensive renovation to our home which will include a new garage. I am interested in hearing what sort of layout other people have at their homes and what the good/bad features are.

For reference, I plan to have a double garage 7m wide by 6.5m deep. The garage will have access from a wide laneway at the back of our property and will not be connected to the house. I plan to have a double-width auto tilting door to get the cars in/out as well as a pair of double doors in the side to allow access onto the yard via the garage, and another single (human-sized!) door for easy access to the house. The floor will be concrete (painted), the roof pitched to allow for potential storage (and be in keeping with the neighborhood). I plan to have a workbench at the end with light overhead shelving and heavier steel rack shelving along one side wall (side without double doors).

Most new garages I've seen are around 6 paces (approx 6m) wide and long. I'm hoping that by going to 7x6.5 I'll have enough space for easy access around our two cars plus room for the shelving and benches mentioned.

Coments?

[Mike]

Go with at least a 9 foot high plate-height (ceiling). Insulate all the walls (& ceiling), put in plasterboard, and install a good heater. Maybe consider a furnace of some kind. Of course, the heater might not be needed in Perth.

[Z Kid]

Our current setup is a simple 30X20' shed, with a workbench up one end. We opted for no windows etc as they tend to attract people with fairly light fingers. It has instead those clear roof sheets every so often which provide great natural light. So what would be done differently.

Your standard over the counter shed will not be strong enough to hang anything up in the roof (I wanted to put 150kgs of stuff in the roof), any attempt to do so brings massive flexing of the frame.

You need a pit, I cant stress this enough, I am forever at friends houses with pits doing various little jobs, as long as no-one drives into it, its far safer than stands ramps etc. A car lift would be an ok alternative.

Make sure you have power points everywhere in the shed, and if you have a compressor, run lines around the perimeter to plug into as well.

A big shadow board for all the tools.

Self control, dad built the 30x20 shed for all his toys, me and my brother cut loose, his car still lives outside.

Cheers Chris

[halz]

You are correct on the heating (it was 41C last sunday...hotter in my current garage:cry: ) Insulation may be a good idea though.

What is "plate-height"?

[halz]

Chris, is your garage 30' wide or 30' long? ie do you have more space at the sides of the cars or at the end?

Agree about power points, can't have too many. The garage will be brick and I'm thinking I-beams for the ceiling support. Also like the idea of natural light through the roof.

[speedyblue]

If you can work it in, it is also handy to have a good solid beam running accross the ceiling to hang a block and tackle from for lifting out engines and the like.

Also a toilet goes well too. You don't get in trouble from putting grease all through the bathroom in the house. But that may be a bit much in this case.

I only know one thing for sure, you can never make the garage big enough!!

[Z Kid]

Its 30'long, and 20' wide, the idea being that the project and fun cars would live up the front of the shed, with heaps of room to work around them, and then the lawnmower and other cars would be at the back where they are readily accessable. This was also dictated by the fact that the shed is recessed into the hill. It comfortably (very comfortably) holds four cars and heaps of rubbish.

If you can, go for the biggest size garage as possible, me and dad were aiming for a 60x50 but sadly these plans were shot down by a mother who liked the view into the back yard a bit much. But as a result there is going to be another smaller shed built further down the back yard for some other assorted bits and pieces.

Try to have one beam that is strong enough to support a block and tackle with a motor or Z shell hanging off it if you can, I have to use a tree out the back of the shed, and its a bit worrying on a windy day when everything moves around a bit much.

Cheers Chris

[Mr Camouflage]

Originally posted by Mike

Go with at least a 9 foot high plate-height (ceiling). Insulate all the walls (& ceiling), put in plasterboard, and install a good heater. Maybe consider a furnace of some kind. Of course, the heater might not be needed in Perth.

Na an Air conditioner would be usefull though.

[seerex]

If you don't use an a/c unit atleast put in a large attic fan Also might look into a wall mounted fan like in corner, I would put in cat 5 cable for internet access out there if you dont use wireless as well as a phone line. Skylights as mentioned before are wonderful natural light sources. If possible run outlets to all corners and to central ceiling points easier than using cords. If the bathroom isn't possible , if there is water source and a sewage hookup like via washer/dryer I would put in a wash sink <wish I had one in my garage> . Two minor other things , get a wall mount tv holder , gotta have tv in the shop as well as running lines for a stereo if you like. I would take a piece of graph paper and draw out the garage and make a templet of where things might go and what all you would use. Good luck love to see the end result

[Bambikiller240]

Garage design has been discussed previously. Might want to read THIS THREAD

[Rusty1]

Hi guys.

I seem to have a knack of regularly changing houses so I have owned a few sheds. 6 metres (20 feet) is wide enough for access around two cars, provided we are talking internal not external measurements. I once had a really good shed that was 7.5 metres deep allowing for a workshop in the end, I used an old kitchen to build cupboards and I retained the kitchen sink and hooked up HOT WATER, one you have had water connected to your shed you will never be satisfied without it.

Another thing I have seen but not done yet is to build in wardrobe style storage with sliding doors and shelving, you can never have enough storage.

[Mike]

Originally posted by halz What is "plate-height"?

Plate height is the distance from the floor to the top of the wall framing. I'm not sure how you build in Aus, but, we usually use a single bottom horizontal wood piece and two top "plates" (or top horizontal wood pieces). The roof framing (or 2nd floor framing) sits on top of these plates.

Simply put, it's the distance from your floor to your ceiling on the INSIDE of the structure.

I design houses on the side.

-- Mike