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Designing New Garage

121K views 247 replies 52 participants last post by  macrobert68 
#1 · (Edited)
I planning on breaking ground on my new Garage/Shop in June 08.

I thought I would start a thread here and update it as the project progresses.

Right now I am in the design phase so comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

First, I am posting a picture of a gas station that is the inspiration of my design:



I am planning on a 24' X 48' building with a 19' X 14' drive through. It will have a 10ft. ceiling throughout and the garage doors will be 8' X 8' (Edited 1/6/08 to 9ft wide by 8 ft high)
Here is rough sketch of my plan:



Here is my floor plan so far:



The room on the east will be for my "Clean/Dirty" work area. Sanding, painting, etc. I will have no tools or furniture in that room so it can be cleaned out easily.
The 3 rooms in the back from left to right will be the bathroom, compressor & dust collector room and the beadblaster & parts washer room. The rest of the area will be the main work area.
 
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#3 ·
something i would do if i were building this garage would be,

instead of closing those two work rooms in completely, why not just have end walls and have them open to the floor, that would eliminate two doors and 14 feet of wall, and i wouldnt have your bathroom open to the shop along with a door to the outside,
 
#4 · (Edited)
Great looking plan. Just remember ,It won't be big enough. When I built my shop I poured the slab then had a brick layer build a cinder block wall 3 blocks high which = 2 feet,then build on top with standard studs and you have a 10 foot ceiling. This keeps the wood off the ground for washing out shop with pressure washer and doesn't soak bottom plate, also fights termites. :thumbup:
 
#5 ·
Those old stations are great. Try to put some time into studying old pics on the web to get all the exterior trim details correct, like soffits, roof overhangs, and mouldings. A little thought and a very small extra amount of money can make it a real knockout.


The only thing I am concerned about is your choice of 8' wide doors. I guess it depends on the width of your cars, but I prefer a 9' minimum....but I know that might throw off the proportions of your style. I like 30's-40's style stations, and I'd be at a loss as to picking a garage door style.

I think your project is great...I hope you keep posting..
:cool:
 
#6 ·
Great looking plan.

Things to think about:

1) I don't know if you are in a cold part of Texas or not. But if you are I would strongly consider putting in in-floor hydroponic heating. It's the biggest mistake I made in my shop - not having it. I'm on my feet a LOT in shop throughout the winter and it gets pretty brutal. The rest of the shop is at 60...but the floor is ice cold. But then, maybe you need A/C more than you need heat.

2) Just be aware, when you put running water and a bathroom in your shop it will most likely bump it into a different category for tax purposes AND for insurance purposes. Both will be more costly than just a plain old garage. At least that's the way it is here in WI.

3) Before you decide on a final ceiling/roof height, think long and hard about a lift and the design requirements for that particular lift...and the vehicles you will be lifting. Some require a 12' clearance to function properly.
 
#7 ·
Cboy's comment on the bathroom sparked another recollection for me.
According to local by-laws ... each building that has running water has to have it's OWN sewage line. In other words, I couldn't simply "tie it in" to the sewage line to the house.

A whole new line all the way from the back yard to the center of the street out front ... 100 feet or so ... was "guesstimated" to cost something ridiculous ... $10,000 +.

I thought "For that much I can just run into the house ..."

F&J's comment on the 8ft wide doors is bang-on too.
I put 12-footers on mine, and it still takes a little manuevering to swing in from the alley with my pickup truck (extended cab - short-box). Pickup trucks usually have some wide mirrors as well ... so unless you want to fold / un-fold mirrors ... you may want wider doors.

I am installing overhead infra-red heaters. Unless you are going to keep your garage heated all the time ... that in-floor heat would take a while to "ramp up". I see my garage / workshop as an "occasional" or "weekend" thing ... so I want to heat it only when I need it. I would expect that Texas would have a much shorter "heating season" than Alberta Canada, though.

SpeedyDeedy's "curb wall" idea is a good one, too. I had mine (only 6" high) cast and poured with the slab, and then built a 10-ft stud wall on top of that.

Pictures are in my jounal.

I am STILL waiting for my (9' x 12') garage doors.
The gas and electrical are roughed in, the infra-red heater is hung, siding and roofing are complete.

I still need to insulate and hang PLYWOOD interior walls ... I'm not using gyprock.

I'm also planning to mount my workbench on casters so that I can move it around as needed.

I had the contractor cast in some mounting holes in the concrete floor for 4 chain-pots ... for use in anchoring and pulling things with a cable or hydraulic "come-along".

I requested LOTS of electrical outlets ... one duplex receptacle about every 4 ft or so for a total of about 16. Two 220-volt as well. One for a compressor, and another for a mig welder.

2 ceiling fans to keep the air moving. Seeing as how infra-red heating is "line of sight" it might be a little chilly in the "shadows" and under the vehicles. The air movement will also help to keep the windows clear.
 
#9 · (Edited)
NEW INTERIORS said:
You sometime have to deal with the board of health,When you put running water,Don't know about where you are,But here you do. :confused:
Not here in Texas.
I am a Hydrologist, so I am an expert on this. I have three water wells on my 4 acre property. Two I use for the yard and one for the house. Don't have to deal with any kind health department at all for private wells in Texas.
 
#10 ·
66GMC said:
Cboy's comment on the bathroom sparked another recollection for me.
According to local by-laws ... each building that has running water has to have it's OWN sewage line. In other words, I couldn't simply "tie it in" to the sewage line to the house.

A whole new line all the way from the back yard to the center of the street out front ... 100 feet or so ... was "guesstimated" to cost something ridiculous ... $10,000 +.
.
I live in the City of San Angelo and they don't have any requirement like that. However, the city sewer line on the side street of my property is closer to my new shop site and slightly downhill from it. Already talked to a plumber and he said it will be easy to tie in to the closer line and the city will have no problem with that. My plumber was estimating $700 or so.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Good thoughts. Thanks.

#1. Not too concerned with heating here in San Angelo, TX.
The winters are pretty mild. Matter of fact it is 78 degrees right now. I will be putting in A/C for the summer. I think I will build in a couple of heat/cool units. One for the main area and one for the clean room.

#2 As far as getting a permit in San Angelo, I just have to make them believe it is not going to be for living space.

#3 I have given this a lot of thought and decided if I ever get a lift it would be one of those low units that can be disassembled and moved out of the way. Don't need a high ceiling for one of those. I have a house attached 2 car garage already so I have enough vehicle storage.

cboy said:
Great looking plan.

Things to think about:

1) I don't know if you are in a cold part of Texas or not. But if you are I would strongly consider putting in in-floor hydroponic heating. It's the biggest mistake I made in my shop - not having it. I'm on my feet a LOT in shop throughout the winter and it gets pretty brutal. The rest of the shop is at 60...but the floor is ice cold. But then, maybe you need A/C more than you need heat.

2) Just be aware, when you put running water and a bathroom in your shop it will most likely bump it into a different category for tax purposes AND for insurance purposes. Both will be more costly than just a plain old garage. At least that's the way it is here in WI.

3) Before you decide on a final ceiling/roof height, think long and hard about a lift and the design requirements for that particular lift...and the vehicles you will be lifting. Some require a 12' clearance to function properly.
 
#14 ·
NEW INTERIORS said:
Where did you see that old gas station ? that's cool!!!
I haven't seen that gas station. I found it on the net.
Here's the link:
Ambler's Texaco

Here's a drawing of another actual gas station in Gonzales, TX that I think is really cool. At first I thought about using this style, but I really didn't want to go with a flat roof.

 
#15 ·
66GMC said:
Nice ... :thumbup:

You must live on an acreage, or at least on a very large lot?

I had a heck of a time building a 24 x 34 in my back yard.
Check with your municipal government to find out their rules before going too far. :sweat:

Already have checked with the city.
My total out-building square footage can be 1/2 of the square footage of the main house including the attached garage.
So, I have no problem there. Yes, my lot is 4.1 acres.
 
#16 ·
Greengo 07 said:
something i would do if i were building this garage would be,

instead of closing those two work rooms in completely, why not just have end walls and have them open to the floor, that would eliminate two doors and 14 feet of wall, and i wouldnt have your bathroom open to the shop along with a door to the outside,
My intention of closed off rooms is to keep dust and noise out the main work area. I will be displaying some nostalgia things in the main area, so I want to keep that as clean as I can. The east work room will be where I can do the real dirty work (or clean, if I am painting).
 
#17 ·
speedydeedy said:
Great looking plan. Just remember ,It won't be big enough. When I built my shop I poured the slab then had a brick layer build a cinder block wall 3 blocks high which = 2 feet,then build on top with standard studs and you have a 10 foot ceiling. This keeps the wood off the ground for washing out shop with pressure washer and doesn't soak bottom plate, also fights termites. :thumbup:
I hope it is big enough. I had to cut it off somewhere. I do have an attached 2 car garage on the house already.
Good idea on the walls. I'll discuss this with my builder.
 
#19 ·
i have a dircect lift 7000lb pro park model comes with casters and everything to move it around very easily with a car on it but 10' is definately not enough if i remember correct the lowest part of my ceiling is 10'6" where the lift is and it you get a larger lift and pick up a truck it wouldn't make it. if your having trusses made the can make a taller section in the middle or somewhere so you can roll the lift into that area if you need more height
 
#20 · (Edited)
Have you considered a retractable wall for the main bays? It would never hurt to be able to open up the floor if you needed to. I hope you are not offended , but I re-worked your plan a little bit. The dotted line between the bays represents the retractable or partitian wall. The wall between the main bays has been moved to the west 1 bay to seperate the main floor from the other rooms. I also opened up the bay doors to about 10'wide.
I know you have your design well thought out , I was just throwin out ideers. When you have your trusses built , keep overhead storage in mind as an option.I see lots of good wasted space up there all the time.
Edit:
Just thought of this. Have you considered an in floor pit for easy oil changes , etc? It's not the solution to everything under the car , but may be an alternative to a lift in some situations. You could also use "cathedral" or vaulted trusses in the garage area to improve headroom for a lift.
 

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#21 ·
Great looking shop idea, man. I wish I had the space and means to build me one (my .49 acre ain't gonna cut it).

As far as your shop becoming too small- you could always come off the back side, or east side, with a closed in area for parts storage or something. With just a lean-to roof.

I like the plan. The only thing I might alter is the door to the east bay. I'd just make it bigger- in case you wanna move larger parts from the "clean" bay to the other side of the shop, without opening the big roll up door.

Anyways- good luck!

Nooj
 
#23 ·
Roger...you may want to reconsider the size of the garage doors. 8 foot wide is not really wide enough. I have 9 footers on mine and a few times I wish they were at least 10'. I would not go with less than 9' though. My nephew was going to pull his truck in which was a dually and it was close. And figure on a 9' door, the opening is less than that by the time you get the jamb and seal trim up. We We backed his truck in but had to stop when we got to the mirrors. It would not make it. Also on a few occasions I had to back my car trailer in. It was an extra wide. I had 2" on each side of the fenders. It made it in but takes quite a bit of time trying to line everything up just right. So before you finalize your plans you may want to measure a few things that you may be putting thru the doors or anything you may be building that would come back out thru the doors. Kind of like building a boat in the basement only to find you can't get it out. LOL!!!

BTW...that garage will look super :thumbup:

Kevin
 
#24 ·
79C10 said:
Have you considered a retractable wall for the main bays? It would never hurt to be able to open up the floor if you needed to. I hope you are not offended , but I re-worked your plan a little bit.

Just thought of this. Have you considered an in floor pit for easy oil changes , etc? It's not the solution to everything under the car , but may be an alternative to a lift in some situations. You could also use "cathedral" or vaulted trusses in the garage area to improve headroom for a lift.
No offense what-so-ever. I am really enjoying reading everyone's opinions and ideas and have already decided to do some of the things suggested.
Yes, I thought of a retractable wall but decided that the permanent wall was the way to go for me. I do want to keep the west bay open to the main area as this is where I will do general mechanical work (not the dust making kind) and the rest of the time storage for my '69 Corvette. I also figured that the wall between the bathroom door and blaster room door would be perfect for a flat screen TV.
Also, I planned on putting in good retractable attic stairs and utilize attic space for storage like you said.
And yes, I had thought about a pit and lift quite a bit. I am really used to putting a car up on 4 heavy duty jack stands as that is the way I have done it all my life. However, if I ever got a lift, I think I would get the Kwiklift portable. The 10 ft. ceilings would not be an issue for this lift. I really can't see me ever wanting a high lift.
Thanks for your input!
 
#25 ·
Kevin45 said:
Roger...you may want to reconsider the size of the garage doors. 8 foot wide is not really wide enough.
Kevin
Kevin, thanks to you and the others that have mentioned this.
I have changed my plans to 9ft wide doors. My original posting of the plans are now updated so you can see what it looks like.
You may have to hit refresh on you browser for the updated .jpgs to show.
 
#26 · (Edited)
pigjamelectric said:
If you're not putting in a lift and are going with lower ceilings, have you considered adding a second storey? I know it doesn't jive with the design, but it's something I regreted not doing when I built my garage at my old place.
Ah yes. But, I did it on my house attached garage that was just completed.

The following picture shows the back of my house. The garage and the apartment above are a new addition. The concrete patio, patio cover, hardie siding and metal roof are also all new. (Still needs paint and driveway)

And just an fyi, the house did have detached garage when I bought it, but it is not in very good shape. It will be knocked down in order for me to build the new shop.

 
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