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Any Tips on Building a Garage??

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I have decided to add a single story 2 car garage to my house, hopefully to be completed within 3-4 months. I'm on a somewhat limited budget for this project, so I can't include lots of "extra's". I do know that it will be 24'x24', I want one large garage door so there are no columns. I want the door offset so I have space on the side to store the motorcycle. I want it insulated and will have a ceiling mounted natual gas heater for warmth during winter projects. Some type of workbench and shelves, with storage available in the "attic" for parts, etc. No bathroom, no a/c, no real "frills". If $$ allows, I may opt for a laundry type sink with hot and cold water. For those of you who have garages or have recently added one, what do you wish you had that you don't? (as far as layout and low cost items) Just looking for low cost suggestions and ideas.
 
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#3 ·
Get that ceiling as high as your code allows, the truss makers can design that for a combination of storage and height.
Also, consider heat in the slab instead of the wall mount heater. Id highly recommend Wirsbo in slab hot water tubes that run off a water heater with circulation pump. Then in winter your floors are warm to work on the cars. With the wall/ceiling mount gas heater, your floors will be much cooler than your ceilings. Once the slab is poured, you cant add the floor heat later, so consider it now. If its out of your budget, then at least put 2" of pink rigid styrofoam insulation undrer the slab to retain your heat.
Lots of 110v plug ins, some 220v outlets should be wired in before sheetrocked. Dont forget the speaker wires, tv cable/internet wires, phone etc. Allow space for your microwave and fridge.
And a lock on the door going to the house to keep distractions from bugging you :) just kidding. Take pics and give us progress reports, we love seeing garages built.
 
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#4 ·
I have a 30 x 35 with 12 ft ceiling. It was built the year before I bought the house. I finished the inside myself and added a forced air propane furnace. I wish the guy would have put in running water and a floor drain. Radiant floor heat would have been nice but I don't know the cost. My advice is to build the biggest you can afford.
 
#5 ·
Just try to keep in mind that in this case bigger is almost always better. It is cheaper/easier now to make the garage a few more square feet larger than it would be to add-on in the future. Keep in mind the amount of floor space a workbench and tool box etc. will eat up.

Also, even if you currently have no plans for anything that will use 220, it is cheaper to run it during initial construction as it becomes more expensive once the walls are closed up.

I hope to build a new garage in the next few years myself, and much like yourself, I don't want to break the bank doing it either. But certain things "just make sense." For example, I can see myself living without drywall finished walls and ceiling for a while in order to offset the cost of some more square footage. Just a couple things to think about.
 
#8 ·
Build it the absolute biggest you possibly can. I gurantee no matter how big you go you will at some point say i wish i built it bigger. Built mine 30 x 42 with 2 stories and i now wish i would have gone a little bigger. Good suggestion on the heat. Those ceiling mounted deals are pretty bad for trying to get an even heat. The floor is always cold. Especially if you have higher ceilings. Definitely try to put in a 10 or 12 foot ceiling to leave your options open. Floor drain is also a good idea.
 
#9 ·
You may want to check into attic trusses. They will be a little more expensive, but well worth it for storage. They can span 24' easily. You do have to go with a little taller roof, like 8/12 or 10/12. Just have your truss place give you some ideas about size and hight.
Good luck.
 
#10 ·
I too am looking into building a shop. If you have not looked at web style steel truss, i highly recomend them. They really open up your building and give you a lot of height for things like lifts. They are light weight and you can build them yourself you want to go that route. There are a lot companies that make these. I'm not going to list any particular ones but you can search for them on the intranet. Try to find a place that is local. This will save you a bunch on shipping and if you have problems. What ever you do, I would shy away from wood construcyion. My 2 cents.
 
#11 ·
I just have a 2+ car garage...but i have helped build some rather large shops before. The things that stick out in my mind are:
size of the building, absolutely NO load-bearing columns/posts in the middle (you'll thank yourself later), more outlets than you think you need (they're cheap and you WILL use them), a good heat source!, hanging flourescent fixtures everywhere (gotta see what you're doing), plento of space for benches and places to stash parts (racks). These are some of the basics. If I were building a shop for myself, I would write out a list of what's important "to me". What features do you want to incorporate into it. The best way to find this out is to look at other peoples shops -either online or get a book on it and then prioritize your needs and wants...
Have fun! Dano
 
#13 ·
Hello bussworth, Very nice looking building! Iam also getting ready to build a 30x50 10ft, Do I need to go 12ft? Can you tell me more about your lift? and cost of it? That really looks super duty! Let me know if you don't mind? Thanks Jimi302z28s
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
If you have a deep sink, then you're gonna have to have heat in the building to prevent freezing, say at least to 40*F.

Good suggestions given,
A window/door in every wall for crossflow ventilation.
Sky lights for natural light, glass ones cause plastic lens cloud over with age.
As said, height for the future lift.
Epoxy floor coating for clean-up.
A deep-water well or extension of city water.
A billards table, frig, gas grille, stereo system, cable/satelite TV, Army cot, LazyBoy chair, restroom.

Hostess(es), see Haulnn for examples........
 
#16 ·
Keep in mind building codes for the city you live in. For example, the city I live in will not let me put a building within a certain distance from my house and from the property line, it also limits the size of the building in relation to my main house, and how tall the building can be (not taller than the house). You "should" be able to verify all the city building codes for the one you live in from their web site, unless it's a really small city.
 
#17 ·
One mo thing.......I have 4 clear/white panels in the roof of the hanger as skylights. The entire building is insulated except for these panels so when it is freezing out (and in), they will frost up on the inside and sweat like a fat man in a marathon when the sun heats the panels. amazing how much water comes off them.
We've had to take clear plastic and drape it over the ceiling area, below the skylights to contain the drippage and channel it to strategically placed pails.
We also hung plastic tarps on a steel cable so that when we want to heat an area, we can isolate different sections. (see pic in above post)
 
#18 ·
I've been a builder/remodeler for 30 years. Build it as big as you possibly can! It's never as cheap as it is now. Look into storage trusses if they can work with you're design. Don't get three prices and take the lowest, much of my work is fixing low bidder's sloppy work. Find a good builder and check his previous jobs. Don't let some smooth talking salesman sell you a product if they don't have good work ethics. Hope this helps.
 
#19 ·
As the others have said, bigger is better and up here in the northest you need heat if you plan to work in the winter. I have a 25x24 now and am planning to build something around 40x40. I'm definately thinking about radiant heat, better lighting, plenty of power... Also, enough height for a lift is mandatory. Who knows what your next two (three, four) cars will be. To be able to store two cars in one space is key.

FYI - the 25' depth that I have is pretty good for a car the size of a camaro. I have full 36" deep benches on the back wall and enough room to work. Working on anything bigger like a pickup is a bit tougher.

http://chuckbro.smugmug.com/photos/25938392-S.jpg
http://chuckbro.smugmug.com/photos/50878746-S.jpg
 
#20 ·
I have a 40x40 3door with a rear garage door, (great for ventilation). I have a 12' ceiling for my lift. I still need to finish putting in insulation and plan to have the garage heated.
 
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HaulnSS
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