Garage/Shop Design - Any Input?

[Spudland_Dave]

Mods...feel free to move this to a better category if needed...Figured I'd put it here as most of us probably do our Repairs & Servicing in a shop/garage...

Getting my stuff together to build a 30x40 (size not 100% set yet) shop... Plan is to do the sitework myself this fall and let it settle naturally over the winter and then pour the slab & build next spring...
I'm thinking of 2 8.5' doors offset to one side to leave me room off to one end of the building as a workspace, similar to the attached pic

Anybody have any ideas/inputs/things you wish you would have added or done differently? I figured "tractor people" would be the people to ask as we probably use our buildings for similar functions...Storage/Fabrication/Servicing/etc...

 

[firefighter9208]

What are you going to use it for? Place to work on cars or place to park cars?

I have a 30' (deep) x 40" (wide) garage kinda like the one you pictured. I put 10' wide x 8' tall doors. Just wide enough for my F250 with the mirrors out, but not tall enough for the tractor with the ROPS up. I have a 10' ceiling and wouldn't go with any less.

At 30' deep I can barely pull my Extended Cab LWB F250 in the door and have room for a tool box and me in front of it. When I work on my buddies Crew Cab Dually LWB we can't let the doors down, because the back end sticks out of the door to give room to walk in front of the truck.

The next building that I build will be a 40' (deep) x 60' (wide) with 12 foot ceilings. That way I can install 12' (wide) x 10' (tall) doors so I can drive the tractor in with the ROPs up and canopy on.

Now if your just going to park cars in it, or have a small tractor you can forget all I said above.

Chris

 

[Tig]

I just built a 26 x 36 garage/shop/winter storage building. A 10' high door was not practical for me. I may regret that at some point in the future. Rather that two doors I decided on one 12' wide door. That gives me room to put a vehicle and my 4' wide tractor in while leaving the other side of the building for storage or shop.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

What are you going to use it for? Place to work on cars or place to park cars?

I have a 30' (deep) x 40" (wide) garage kinda like the one you pictured. I put 10' wide x 8' tall doors. Just wide enough for my F250 with the mirrors out, but not tall enough for the tractor with the ROPS up. I have a 10' ceiling and wouldn't go with any less.

The next building that I build will be a 40' (deep) x 60' (wide) with 12 foot ceilings. That way I can install 12' (wide) x 10' (tall) doors so I can drive the tractor in with the ROPs up and canopy on.

Its gonna mostly be a workshop/home for my 3520 Cabbed and most likely just park my pickup in there (01 Sierra Ex Cab SWB).. More then anything though I'm thinking workshop....Welding, Painting, Etc...
Got an 8' Door on our attached garage now (hers ) and my tractor has a few inches spare for when I bring it in for service. which is why I was gonna do the 8.5'H x 9'W Doors, gives me a little leeway and the option to go with a 4x20 if I ever decide to......was thinking along the lines of a 12' Ceiling too...

 

[firefighter9208]

Yes, 12' ceiling. Going up is less expensive than going out. If I was going with a 12' ceiling I would go ahead and spend the extra $$ to put in 10' tall doors. Not that much more expensive and gives you options in the future. What's the use of having all that extra headroom inside and not being able to get something tall through the door.

Chris

 

[mwb]

I would definitely go for 12' ceiling and 10x10 doors (at least one of the two doors anyway).

If you are pouring a foundation (rather than slab on grade) you can have the foundation wall formed a little higher and then you can frame standard 8' walls to get 12'. Keeps the drywall away from the floor. Frame it with 2x6 on 24 centers, R20.

Install a header for another door in the back that lines up with your 10' on the front. Gives you the ability to drive through or to put an addition on when you realize you made the shop to small (probably about two weeks after you finish building it ).

Cheers,
Mike

 

[firedog]

Figure what size shop you need and then double that. I built mine back in 91' and now it's way too small (have to go outside to turn around). 12' ceilings with 2 10x10 doors. I currently have plans to add on more than doubling the size, but it will have to wait. ($$$)

The higher ceiling will give you room to:
perform overhead work; engine pulling, etc.
easily stack plywood or 10' boards on end
buy more neat stuff to stack on the extra shelves you built along the taller walls

 

[Spudland_Dave]

If you are pouring a foundation (rather than slab on grade) you can have the foundation wall formed a little higher and then you can frame standard 8' walls to get 12'. Keeps the drywall away from the floor. Frame it with 2x6 on 24 centers, R20.

I had thought of exactly that, but a friend talked me out of it...He has an 18" foundation wall on his garage and he doesnt like it one bit, its on his list of "never do again"...he refer's to it as he's got a 2" "dust & junk shelf/space waster" all around the garage...not to mention, installing something as simple as some old kitchen cabinets for a work center was a Major PITA... So between that and the cost associated with forming up a wall, I've pretty much eliminated that. I'm expecting this will be a 96% DIY project...

 

[budlite]

I agree 100% with some of the posters, maybe because I have a new 30x40 building myself. Go with the 12 ft ceiling and 10x10 doors. Won't make that significant a difference in price and spending a little more money now is a much smaller regret than wishing you had done it later. I would recommend 2x6 trusses also. I'll be the first to admit I tend to overdo things sometimes, but having more than you need is much better than having less.

 

[wushaw]

I like a 12X12 door myself but that is just me and I wouldn't be able to get my truck in a 10' door, the shop is 40X50 with 12' eve 15' awning off the 50' side for equipment and next month there will be 10' added to that.

Everybody likes to do their shop their own way and every shop is too small.

Right now your thinking you will use your shop for this and that, I guarantee it something will happen after it's built that you will be using it for something you never intended it for.
I never intended to have a big truck or to use my shop as a parking garage for one but I do and it is.
So just plan for the unexpected and built it with flexability in mind.

 

[number two]

If you're ever going to heat it,insulate down to the frost line(42")?. Also,think about snow/ice coming off the roof in front of your garage doors.A shed roof or modified shed roof slanted to the back of the building will greatly help.

 

[number two]

An additional thought,Above ground two post vehicle hoists are very popular and have become affordable,if you ever want one the 12 foot height would accomodate this. I have one and it's well worth it!

 

[alchemysa]

Put in a pit so you can work under your car. If you plan it into the construction it will cost almost nothing to build. Mine's about 7 ft long (with a couple of steps at one end) and 3 ft wide. The floor is concrete, the walls are hollow concrete blocks. (I think you guys call them cinderblocks.)
It needs to be deep enough so you can stand up without hitting your head on the car, but don't make it too deep or you'll have trouble reaching some things up in the engine area. The depth of mine is about level with my mouth as i recall.

Due to some existing plumbing running through the area I had to limit mine to just 7' long. But its too short. About 10 ft long would have been a much better minimum. Put a rebate around the top to take the planks or sheets of wood that will cover it when its not used. Its absolutely essential you cover it when its not in use or someone WILL fall in. I have mine covered with a couple of pieces of 1'' construction plywood that fit flush with the floor of the garage.

A hoist would be nice but a pit is much cheaper and can't fail. One problem you may have to watch is water in the pit if you have a high water table or heavily saturated ground in winter. I've had a couple of inches in mine on a couple of rare occasions.

Pits are a great 'resale' bonus too. Women look at kitchens but men drool when they see a garage with a pit.

 

[mjncad]

I'm planning on a 40' x 60' outbuilding with the steel (preferred) framing on 20' centers. The two garage doors will be on the side wall in the end bays to allow drive through loading/unloading of any trailer I might have someday. Another bay at the opposite end of the building will have a shop office, bathroom and mechanical/electrical room. If you put a shop office in, frame it sturdy enough so the office roof can be used as a storage mezzanine.

 

[jimgerken]

I don't know what your climate is, but if planning to work in this new shop in cold weather, plan in hydronic radiant floor heat. I installed this in my 30X40 in 1996, and still love it. If installed and run properly, it is very economical and comfortable. Also, think ahead and install a large plate of steel in the middle of the shop, that you have prepared by drilling and tapping holes. Weld on re-rod, set it into the concrete so its top ends up flush with the floor top surface. Later, when you want to mount a metal bender, or tire machine, or something else that you would want in the middle of the room and only use occasionally, its easy to mount and remove. Wire with conduit on the interior surface of the room, both ceiling and walls, its easier and more changeable later. When ready, plumb your compressed air around the room with hard copper line. Don't forget phone line access, and please consider adding running water. A simple way to do it if you are not heating the space continuously, is to stand a drain-back hydrant along the wall or in a corner somewhere. You will want a floor drain too of course. Slope the vehicle area to the drain, but also be sure to leave some level concrete aera in about half the shop, for construction projects. Figure out how big it needs to be, and multiply by 1.5 or 2. Put in high output flourescents, but have them on multiple seperate switches, mounted up high, so a person just poking in the shop for a tool would not reach them. Instead the person would find a couple switches controlling standard incandescents, enough to find your their way around the tooldrawer. This way, your high outputs last longer because they are not being fired five times a day for a minute each trime. Put all benches and cabinets on casters. As far as height, a nine foot sidewall is really too tight to put a garage door opener above an eight foot door. It can be done, but it really tight. Better to have 1.5 feet more sidewall than door opening, at least.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Just replying to some of the comments (all of which I love BTW...making my list of ideas as I read)

-In Floor Pits: NO Go....I've heard that even commercial shops are having hard times getting insurance unless they have been grandfathered in...even when they do, its WAYY cheaper to just have gotten a lift.

-Radiant Heat...I love the idea and had been thinking about it, but I dont plan on heating it 24x7. Everyone is telling me for radiant to work property you really got to just set it and forget it... I was planning on using a Hot Air furnace...keep it just above freezing when not in use (35-40) and crank it up to 60-65 or so when I want to work...I figure for the few hours a night...probably not even every night at that, and the few weekend hours, radiant isnt for me.

One thing I'd really like is a Useable attic...Was thinking of making the roof "Cape like" with a Dormer or two so I can get some space up there...

My biggest constraint is that she's already warned me the garage cant be bigger or taller then the house (house is 40x48) cause she doesnt want to make the house "look small" and I can kind of see her point... Face it guys...we might WANT the big garage, but SWMBO ALWAYS gets the last say on buying a place...so bigger closests and pretty paint will add more "Value" to my house then a super shop...

 

[mwb]

Mods...feel free to move this to a better category if needed...Figured I'd put it here as most of us probably do our Repairs & Servicing in a shop/garage...

Getting my stuff together to build a 30x40 (size not 100% set yet) shop... Plan is to do the sitework myself this fall and let it settle naturally over the winter and then pour the slab & build next spring...
I'm thinking of 2 8.5' doors offset to one side to leave me room off to one end of the building as a workspace, similar to the attached pic

Anybody have any ideas/inputs/things you wish you would have added or done differently? I figured "tractor people" would be the people to ask as we probably use our buildings for similar functions...Storage/Fabrication/Servicing/etc...

So it sounds like we have worked your shop up into a 40 x 60 with full length lean to, 12x12 doors (probably 4 of them), insulated slab with radiant heat, 12' walls (probably should go 14' now), car hoists (probably one for car, one for trucks). You probably want 200 amp service - possibly even 3ph.
All you need is a kitchenette, small bathroom, satellite tv. You will problably need it once your wife finds out.

Sounds sweet though!

Mike

 

[mwb]

Appears we posted at about the same time!

 

[EddieWalker]

Like the others have said, put in a bigger door. I like roll up doors better then any other type for a variety of reasons. They don't take up any ceiling room, so lighting and storage are not affected, they give you a weather tight, or almost weather tight seal, they open and close real easy and they just look real nice. The biggest downside to a roll up door after the price is insulating them.

My first shop had a 12ft wide door and that was nice, but not really needed. My current shop has a 10ft wide door, and that's just right. I like the wall space for things, so saving that extra two feet gave me a perfect place for my welder so that I can easily weld both indoors and outside.

My ceilings are 12 feet tall and I really like that. I do allot of woodworking and being able to handle 8ft sheets of plywood or other sheet wood is really nice with the tall ceiling. If you ever had a garage with 8ft ceilings and tried to work with sheets, you know all about hitting the ceiling all the time. Another big advantage to the tall ceilings is how much storage you can get out of your walls. I have open shelves all the way up one of my walls and after three years, there are still empty spaces on those shelves. It's ALLOT of shelving!!! I didn't put doors on because I like being able to just glance up there and know what I have and where it is.

For lighting, I went with four 8ft flourencent lights. I bought them from Lowes and the ballasts only lasted about a year. I replaced those ballasts with GE ones from Home Depot, and they lasted two years. Now I have another brand of ballasts in there from my electric supply shop, but I forget the name of them. They haven't been through a winter yet, so it doesn't matter since I don't know if I can recomend them or not.

One thing that is a must to have in a shop is a sink. It gets used just about every day and really is something that you will appreciate.

Wire it for a welder and air compressor, wether you have one or not. Put in 20 amp plugs for your tools. Include some outside outlets too. Put at least one water spicket on the outside of the shop. Mine is just off to the side of my roll up door, and that works out realy good. I also have an outside air hose next to my water hose. I don't have to open a door or drag a hose through the shop with a dedicated line like this. I just turn on the compressor and I'm ready to go.

Eddie

 

[Timber]

Great points hear but I saw you said Painting. As stated put a door on the back to drive through and set up a shelter logic building to paint in as well as stick the back of those extended pickups in. When the building gets too much over spray in it you can just replace it
Timber