New Garage Build. Need Suggestions! (PICS)

[Gweesh]

Hey all, new here. I have Been looking through some of the builds on here and gathering inspiration for my own garage.

- I want to have at least space for one full-size truck on a two-post lift
- Be able to store a garden tractor and mower around the sides, and or, In front

Currently it is 24x30x14 on a Concrete pad. 10x12 Roll-up door. 16x8 Garage door on side.

I would like to put a two post lift in the future and am curious on the best placement for it.
- I have the rear roll-up door centered then plan to put the lift about 10ft. in, centered as well.
- Should I offset the rear door or keep It in the middle?
- Where would be the best place to put the thicker concrete strip for the posts?

I am thinking about making It 24x35 for a little extra space....or would that really matter for what I'm looking to do?

 

[Cairo94507]

For a garage, bigger is always better; once you are grading, pouring a foundation and framing walls, the cost to go bigger is not much more. For a lift I would position it so you can drive straight in the door, onto the lift. Make sure you leave enough room on all sides to be able to walk with the garage door shut. If your ceiling is 14' that will not be an issue.
We are presently grading for a large garage. We will have 2 18'x8' roll-up doors and significant LED lighting to eliminate shadows. Plumbed for air lines, plenty of electrical outlets, 220 for a car charger, custom cabinets to house the hydraulics for the BendPak 2-post lift, etc.
Good luck on your build; it is great to have a nice clean work space that is not cramped.

 

[Fixr]

Hey all, new here. I have Been looking through some of the builds on here and gathering inspiration for my own garage.

- I want to have at least space for one full-size truck on a two-post lift
- Be able to store a garden tractor and mower around the sides, and or, In front

Currently it is 24x30x14 on a Concrete pad. 10x12 Roll-up door. 16x8 Garage door on side.

I would like to put a two post lift in the future and am curious on the best placement for it.
- I have the rear roll-up door centered then plan to put the lift about 10ft. in, centered as well.
- Should I offset the rear door or keep It in the middle?
- Where would be the best place to put the thicker concrete strip for the posts?

I am thinking about making It 24x35 for a little extra space....or would that really matter for what I'm looking to do?

One rule of thumb is to dimension it in 4 foot increments to make most efficient use of 4x8 sheet goods and to work neatly with 16" and 24" framing centers. Another is the Golden Rule of Garage Journal: Make it bigger!

 

[CombatNinja]

I don't know all the particulars of your situation obviously, but the first thing that jumps out at me with that plan is that I would want two smaller doors in lieu of that 16' door. Reason being, if I had a project on the lift or parts laying all about, I'd like the option of deactivating the door to the bay partially occupied by the project, leaving the farthest bay still useful for parking and coming and going. Knowing my wife, she'd run into the car on the lift if given the chance. Maybe you have another garage for daily cars and this is just your shop so that is not a concern. Just a thought...

 

[Gweesh]

Thanks for the Replies!
I forgot to mention this is a metal building. It is a detached garage/workshop for me and all my junk(per my wife). The side garage door Is mostly so my wife can see if I'm outside in the garage.
As much as I would like for it to stay clean and tidy, I always have multiple projects going on, and do all the work myself. Hence the need for my own area, I'm getting kicked out of my main garage haha.

I'm not sure I'll put In electrical immediately, But I have a 50-amp sub-panel on the main house for the shop and will at the very least prep everything to wrap the inside at a later date.

 

[dcg9381]

Thanks for the Replies!
I forgot to mention this is a metal building. It is a detached garage/workshop for me and all my junk(per my wife). The side garage door Is mostly so my wife can see if I'm outside in the garage.

It's cheaper to go up (there's some limit on that) but it's likely over 16' on the eves before you start to lose the cost advantage.

Get your wife a 4' wide man door, it's way cheaper than a garage door, less in the way, better insulated, more secure, blah blah blah. Put a window in it if you want or put windows in the building. A few windows are still cheaper and leak a lot less than an 18' garage door. You sure you want your wife to know if you're out there? Mine assumes I'm at the shop if the car is the garage. Put a camera in there and she can watch you from her phone from anywhere.

You're in TX, you will need to consider insulation and HVAC. At least if you're in TX at my age. It's not that big of a deal and makes a huge difference. You want to minimize garage doors if you are going to HVAC

Do not do roll up doors, trust me on that. Not for that big door.

As much as I would like for it to stay clean and tidy, I always have multiple projects going on, and do all the work myself. Hence the need for my own area, I'm getting kicked out of my main garage haha.

I'm not sure I'll put In electrical immediately, But I have a 50-amp sub-panel on the main house for the shop and will at the very least prep everything to wrap the inside at a later date.

50-60A is spot on for this building all day long. I finished the concrete in the shop and run a robot when I go down there. I regularly walk on the shop floor barefoot.

Like others say, none of us ever built a garage that's too big. If you have space a "lean to" on the side will give you a lot more options at very marginal cost increases.

 

[Gweesh]

It's cheaper to go up (there's some limit on that) but it's likely over 16' on the eves before you start to lose the cost advantage.

Get your wife a 4' wide man door, it's way cheaper than a garage door, less in the way, better insulated, more secure, blah blah blah. Put a window in it if you want or put windows in the building. A few windows are still cheaper and leak a lot less than an 18' garage door. You sure you want your wife to know if you're out there? Mine assumes I'm at the shop if the car is the garage. Put a camera in there and she can watch you from her phone from anywhere.

You're in TX, you will need to consider insulation and HVAC. At least if you're in TX at my age. It's not that big of a deal and makes a huge difference. You want to minimize garage doors if you are going to HVAC

Do not do roll up doors, trust me on that. Not for that big door.


50-60A is spot on for this building all day long. I finished the concrete in the shop and run a robot when I go down there. I regularly walk on the shop floor barefoot.

Like others say, none of us ever built a garage that's too big. If you have space a "lean to" on the side will give you a lot more options at very marginal cost increases.

I'm In Leander and yes I've been thinking about Spray foam insulation. My neighbor did his whole house and its amazing how efficient it is. I'm used to sweating and being freezing cold while I'm working on projects, but as get older I do appreciate all the amenities, I'm just trying to be strategic and stay within budget. I'm trying to do all the imperative stuff now, that cannot be added on to later.

The only thing I've been worried about for the garage door is the track impeding on the space around the lift, especially If a car is on it.

 

[Red 17]

JMO but I'd go with a 100 amp sub panel in the garage. AC, welders, air compressors, and what if you end up with an electric car? Even a small "local only" job will be easier to live with if you can charge it quickly.

Swerving suggestion.

Mine is 60 and I'd certainly do it at least 100 if I could do it over again without extensive digging and unsightly exterior conduit and in general, a mess.......

 

[dcg9381]

I'm In Leander

I'm near you and can probably give you some names for bids.

The only thing I've been worried about for the garage door is the track impeding on the space around the lift, especially If a car is on it.

That's good pre-engineering / pre-thinking. Dunno how tall that door is, but if it's "normal" you can actually track the door straight up. If it's 12' or 14', yea, definitely look at how it works with a lift.

Mueller has a "building configuration" that's easy to use if you want to play with it.

Make sure your foundation has a "rat lip" if you're not going to spray foam, but you cannot beat spray foam for insulation effectiveness...

Other poster is right about the EV option, the sweet spot on bringing power in per cost is 90A. But I can tell you from experience that most EVs can be "turned down" to 6000 watts or so (30A @ 240v) and they'll recover full range overnight (off the top of my head).

 

[65ranchero]

Depending on your roof design it may benifit from a high lift track for the door

 

[jcarapet]

I'm In Leander

You are within 20 minutes of me. Hopefully you are not in Crystal Falls and in one of the neighborhoods that HOA will allow a good building. Have a concrete guy I would recommend and another I will smash his taillights the next time I see him.

I had a planned spot on one of the "beams" for my shop that i'm planning on putting the lift in. I have heard people who were unsure of placement that knew the spacing and did a full length pour.

Go as big as you can, and then some. Easements are 10', but I think if you plead your case you can get an exception down to 5 if you are building on a property corner.

Which metal building company are you using?

 

[Gweesh]

I do have an HOA which is fairly strict. We are a smaller subdivision of 60 homes, and I'd be the first one in the neighborhood to have a detached metal building put up. We have 15' side easements here for structures.
We do have larger lots, the downside is that no garage door can be facing the road(can only be side or rear facing garage doors...

I'm using "Moore Liberty Buildings" they seem to know their way around HOA's and city requirements. I've got quotes from 4 other company's in the area and they all seem to be within a couple grand.

I was thinking at least a couple FT. Wide strip of thicker concrete for the lift.

At this point I really wish I lived outside the city limits lol...

 

[NUTTSGT]

Are you talking about a metal tube frame building ?

Currently there's at least 2 different threads with people who had them put up and now having issues with them.

I'd skip the extra door for the wife. You will lose valuable wall space with the door. The oti issue you may have, you already know about, the tracks interfering with the lift.

If she needs to know that you are out they working, put an intercom in between the two. However, you might start calling it a nagcom like my buddy did.

Another option, is simply a porch light that turns on with the interior lights. Porch light on, you're out there working and you have gained 10' of wall space.

 

[jcarapet]

I'd skip the extra door for the wife. You will lose valuable wall space with the door.

Counter to that is is cross breeze, which is nice on a summer day.

You are still in the discovery phase so listening to advice is a good idea for now. At a certain point though you are going to have to tell all us to pound sand and go with what works for you. Trying to accommodate every idea gets too difficult or too expensive.

At this point I really wish I lived outside the city limits lol...

I love it, but some people in this house disagree. Ask my wife who has to drive into the domain for work, and turned down a great job because it was east of 35. Being closer in has benefits, especially in resale.

 

[Gweesh]

Are you talking about a metal tube frame building ?

Currently there's at least 2 different threads with people who had them put up and now having issues with them.

I'd skip the extra door for the wife. You will lose valuable wall space with the door. The oti issue you may have, you already know about, the tracks interfering with the lift.

If she needs to know that you are out they working, put an intercom in between the two. However, you might start calling it a nagcom like my buddy did.

Another option, is simply a porch light that turns on with the interior lights. Porch light on, you're out there working and you have gained 10' of wall space.

Yes, its a 14ga tube frame build. As far as I know, that's the type of metal building I have to use within my city because it has exact measurements and has engineered plans.
I feel bad for the engineer who has had to change the plans multiple times, it's hard trying to juggle what the HOA wants, what the city needs, and what the wife needs to see.

Thank you all for the insight!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Yes, its a 14ga tube frame build. As far as I know, that's the type of metal building I have to use within my city because it has exact measurements and has engineered plans.
I feel bad for the engineer who has had to change the plans multiple times, it's hard trying to juggle what the HOA wants, what the city needs, and what the wife needs to see.

Thank you all for the insight!

I'm curious as to that source of information. . .. the tube bldg company ?

 

[CraigStu]

I am not clear on where you are thinking of the lift going. If it is going inside the 10x12 door it is going to overlap the left side of the 16 door. Cars start at about 13ft long for a Miata and work up to 20-22ft for a 4door pickup. So a 20ft truck inside the 12 door leaves just 10ft open inside the 16ft door. I am w/ NUTTSGT, skip the 10x12 door. Put the lift in line w/ the right side of the 16ft door. If finances allow go to 28x32 and possibly an 18ft door. I say that because the outside width of the posts for a 2 post lift is usually 11-12ft so you don't want to block the left side of your door access to drive another car in. See a bunch of lift specs here.

2-Post Lifts | Vehicle Lifts for Auto Shop

Maximize your shop

www.bestbuyautoequipment.com

Also can you post a lot layout so we can see how the garage fits your property?

 

[Youngandfree]

I'm curious as to that source of information. . .. the tube bldg company ?

Yeah sounds fishy

 

[rockcrawler]

I was thinking at least a couple FT. Wide strip of thicker concrete for the lift.

Just do 5” 4K psi with rebar for the entire pad. This will be plenty, and allow you to move the lift to another location without any concerns if you ever need to. Bendpak recommends 4.25” 3K psi with rebar minimum for lifts up to 10K lbs. 5” 4K will ensure you don’t have any issues and give you a little extra peace of mind.

 

[rockcrawler]

Always set up your lift placement for the largest vehicle you think you will ever put on it. I have my 2-post lift set at about 13.5’ from the door which leaves me a couple of feet left between the rear bumper and the door, when the door is closed (Ram 1500 Crew Cab). This gives me a little room to walk around the back of the truck while it’s on the lift. If you plan of putting the lift closer to the back wall, make sure you will have plenty room between the front bumper and the wall. You can go as close as 16” from the wall on one side, if need be. That is where I have mine set and with my truck centered in the lift, the space between the wall and the truck comes out to be about 4‘, which is plenty of working space. I also highly recommend a jack shaft door opener so that there is nothing on the ceiling between the door rails.

 

[rockcrawler]

I don't know all the particulars of your situation obviously, but the first thing that jumps out at me with that plan is that I would want two smaller doors in lieu of that 16' door. Reason being, if I had a project on the lift or parts laying all about, I'd like the option of deactivating the door to the bay partially occupied by the project, leaving the farthest bay still useful for parking and coming and going. Knowing my wife, she'd run into the car on the lift if given the chance. Maybe you have another garage for daily cars and this is just your shop so that is not a concern. Just a thought...

x2. My doors are on the 35’ side of my shop and I’m so glad I did two doors. One side for lift, and the other side for parking, project work space, etc. Use the tallest and widest doors you can do. Not saying they have to be huge, but I’d do two 10x10 or 10x12 insulated, if you can.

 

[rockcrawler]

I’m in Texas as well and I’ll tell you that no insulation and AC is torture in a metal building. When mine was built three years ago, I did spray foam insulation, two insulated 10x12 garage doors and one insulated man door, but no AC. I figured that I’d set it up for AC, and add it later if I thought I needed it. Well, I NEED it. My shop has been so miserable to work in during the summer that I hardly use it during the day. It’s like working in an oven. Even with all three doors open and a large floor fan blowing, it’s still crazy hot. I’m now in the process of installing two 24K mini-splits so I can finally have AC and heat. Also, having to leave the doors open all of the time allows a ton of dirt, leaves and other debris to blow into the shop, which makes a mess and means a lot of sweeping. Now, you could possibly add some windows to allow for some air flow, and that may help a little. But, I see windows as easy access for thieves and we Texans know that when it’s 100 plus degrees outside, the wind doesn’t blow.

I’d also recommend, as others already have, to install 100 amp service. The price difference now (50 amp to 100amp), while the initial work is being completed, is very minimal. Down the road it will be much more. This way you will never be limited in what you want to do in your shop.

Another thing to consider is the interior walls. Metal/steel buildings do not have interior walls. This is something that can really limit your ability to efficiently organize your shop. Mine does not have walls and I really wish I had them. I have no place to hang items and no place to mount wall cabinets for storage. This is something I plan on adding soon.

 

[rockcrawler]

You are still in the discovery phase so listening to advice is a good idea for now. At a certain point though you are going to have to tell all us to pound sand and go with what works for you. Trying to accommodate every idea gets too difficult or too expensive.

Haha! This is so true! If it were up to the forum (us), your shop would the size of a city block and cost millions. But, in all seriousness, we are all trying to give you advice based on our personal experiences and what we have learned throughout our build processes. I’m sure we all wish we had done certain things differently, but as stated above, you can only do what you can afford at the time. Most upgrades can be done later. I was so thankful that this forum was here to help me through my build process. Hell, your getting a shop (guy space), which is the greatest news of all.

 

[Mike65]

When we built our 24'x25' metal garage/shop we put 1 window on each side wall, 2 roll up doors on the front wall, & a walkthrough door on the back wall. With the 2 roll up doors & the walkthrough door open on days with any kind of breeze I need to prop open the walkthrough door or the cross breeze will close the walkthrough door. in the picture below I am standing with my back to the r/s roll up door.

 

[Gweesh]

I am not clear on where you are thinking of the lift going. If it is going inside the 10x12 door it is going to overlap the left side of the 16 door. Cars start at about 13ft long for a Miata and work up to 20-22ft for a 4door pickup. So a 20ft truck inside the 12 door leaves just 10ft open inside the 16ft door. I am w/ NUTTSGT, skip the 10x12 door. Put the lift in line w/ the right side of the 16ft door. If finances allow go to 28x32 and possibly an 18ft door. I say that because the outside width of the posts for a 2 post lift is usually 11-12ft so you don't want to block the left side of your door access to drive another car in. See a bunch of lift specs here.

2-Post Lifts | Vehicle Lifts for Auto Shop

Maximize your shop

www.bestbuyautoequipment.com

Also can you post a lot layout so we can see how the garage fits your property?

Here is a crude drawing. I sat down with the wife and talked it over and we are reverting to a previous layout that makes more sense for our yard. I actually had plans engineered for a different shop when we built the house, we had to scrap them at the time because of Covid.
The garage doors will be facing West side of property.

 

[Gweesh]

Always set up your lift placement for the largest vehicle you think you will ever put on it. I have my 2-post lift set at about 13.5’ from the door which leaves me a couple of feet left between the rear bumper and the door, when the door is closed (Ram 1500 Crew Cab). This gives me a little room to walk around the back of the truck while it’s on the lift. If you plan of putting the lift closer to the back wall, make sure you will have plenty room between the front bumper and the wall. You can go as close as 16” from the wall on one side, if need be. That is where I have mine set and with my truck centered in the lift, the space between the wall and the truck comes out to be about 4‘, which is plenty of working space. I also highly recommend a jack shaft door opener so that there is nothing on the ceiling between the door rails.

Thank you! Yes, my truck is about the same size. I'll look into that Opener.

Haha! This is so true! If it were up to the forum (us), your shop would the size of a city block and cost millions. But, in all seriousness, we are all trying to give you advice based on our personal experiences and what we have learned throughout our build processes. I’m sure we all wish we had done certain things differently, but as stated above, you can only do what you can afford at the time. Most upgrades can be done later. I was so thankful that this forum was here to help me through my build process. Hell, your getting a shop (guy space), which is the greatest news of all.

Oh I most definitely appreciate all the insight and criticism. I've been having trouble really nailing down the perfect layout with the shop size. Hopefully, I have the last two dimensions 24x35'L or 26x35'L with my Engineer to see where I'm at on price. I am staying under a certain budget because, yes, I'll go overboard for sure.
Yes! I feel blessed to even think about putting in a shop, I've needed one for a long time, and I've done some side work to help fund the endeavor.

 

[dcg9381]

I do have an HOA which is fairly strict. We are a smaller subdivision of 60 homes, and I'd be the first one in the neighborhood to have a detached metal building put up. We have 15' side easements here for structures.

Developer still running it or do you have a board? These smaller associations it's easier to cut through the BS if you have decent people on the board.

We do have larger lots, the downside is that no garage door can be facing the road(can only be side or rear facing garage doors...

And that's why we have barn doors and "hanger doors". I'm good at HOA games, because I used to run one. That's how pissed off I got at them. You just get it approved first... The "barn door" idea should fly... Hanger door, probably not.

I'm using "Moore Liberty Buildings".Yes, its a 14ga tube frame build. As far as I know, that's the type of metal building I have to use within my city because it has exact measurements and has engineered plans.

Likely the requirement is "engineered plans". Bolt up buildings (which are more expensive that weld up) will typically have stamped drawings. Mueller does them in red iron and bolt up with a stamp. Nothing wrong with the way you're doing it though, especially at that scale it'll be less expensive.

 

[Gweesh]

Developer still running it or do you have a board? These smaller associations it's easier to cut through the BS if you have decent people on the board.


And that's why we have barn doors and "hanger doors". I'm good at HOA games, because I used to run one. That's how pissed off I got at them. You just get it approved first... The "barn door" idea should fly... Hanger door, probably not.

Likely the requirement is "engineered plans". Bolt up buildings (which are more expensive that weld up) will typically have stamped drawings. Mueller does them in red iron and bolt up with a stamp. Nothing wrong with the way you're doing it though, especially at that scale it'll be less expensive.

We have a board now, which seems to be a bit more lenient than in the past. Yes, I really liked Mueller but they seemed to be a bit more costly overall. I've helped build a couple red iron buildings and liked how stout they were, tube frame seems a bit more economical but limited on what you can do within the building?

 

[AC-WC]

You're very close width wise to have enough room to fit a 2 post lift. My garage is 24X27 so 1 post eats into the 2nd bay by a couple feet. Your height is good. I've done 60 amp in my garage and have done very well. Electric really depends on what all your running. I have a 50 amp 220 welder, 30 amp 220 compressor, a 15amp circuit for lights, a 20 amp circuit for the walls, a 15 amp circuit for the door openers (didn't really need but it was easier than jumping off the lights or wall circuit), and another 20 amp for light in my other barns. Since you're doing a metal tube you MUST run conduit. To pay a licensed electrician for that is going to cost you at least $5k. I know I don't have the talent for conduit.

 

[CraigStu]

I can see why your wife wants to be able to know when you are working in there. I think the outside light that comes on w/ the interior lights is a great idea to solve that problem. My attached garage is 28d x 32w. I don't have a lift but I wish I had gone w/ an 18 door. In your case I'd do an 18 door on the left side, w/ the lift there also. That should allow you to get another car in to the right of the lift. I'd put a nice window in the house side wall, and put my workbench right there. I find it nice to be able to look out my window to see what is going on out front. 60A electric will work. Usually the heavy current users are not running at the same time. For quite a few years I had a 240V compressor and a 240V welder that had the same style plug so I could plug them into the outlet one at a time as needed. You are getting into the fun part of your project. I'd get a computer floor plan program or graph paper and play w/ different layouts. Especially figure where the heavy electrical consumers will be so you can decide where to place the breaker box and all the outlets.

 

[dcg9381]

We have a board now, which seems to be a bit more lenient than in the past. Yes, I really liked Mueller but they seemed to be a bit more costly overall. I've helped build a couple red iron buildings and liked how stout they were, tube frame seems a bit more economical but limited on what you can do within the building?

I agree with everything you've said.

 

[Zeke]

I wouldn't center the lift, but that's just me. I'd leave room between it and the wall to roll carts by but if the lift is 8' wide and in the center of 24' that's 8' on either side of the lift. To me that's a waste of space on one side that could be half that leaving 12' of room for other projects, large assembly tables, lumber on sawhorses and all that jazz.

Give me some room!

I'm sure you've heard of making a layout with moveable pieces that represent your larger items.

 

[Gweesh]

I wouldn't center the lift, but that's just me. I'd leave room between it and the wall to roll carts by but if the lift is 8' wide and in the center of 24' that's 8' on either side of the lift. To me that's a waste of space on one side that could be half that leaving 12' of room for other projects, large assembly tables, lumber on sawhorses and all that jazz.

Give me some room!

I'm sure you've heard of making a layout with moveable pieces that represent your larger items.

Yes, I've been going through some layouts and moving around everything to see how it will look. I agree with leaving enough space from wall-to-lift to roll carts or something of the like by.

 

[Spindifferent]

Just had a 30x36 red-iron Mueller building built north of where you are located. Some suggestions:

Consider adding a 12 foot lean-to on the west side as a means to add shade/rain/vehicle hail protection/extra work space. Concrete or gravel under it. A lean-to really opens up the enclosed space and gives you lots of extra room. You can even park vehicles under it to keep them out of the sun (at least out of the morning sun).

Consider going 6 feet deeper to make a 30x36 so that you can comfortably park and work on a full-sized pickup and/or tractor with implements attached to it. This extra space also allows plenty of room for workbenches and roll-around carts, shelves, etc.

Consider two 10x10 rollup doors on the west side. Do you really need anything larger given the actual dimensions of the vehicles that will be driven through the doors? Smaller doors will give you more interior wall space for shelving, etc.

Consider large windows on the north and south sides to allow airflow through the building. As you probably know, prevailing wind is out of the south. The airflow will help, but our summer heat is certainly tough without AC.

Consider just a 3 foot man-door. Do you really need the extra foot of a 4 foot door given the additional cost? What will you be moving through the door most of the time? Probably just you walking through it...

Consider 100 amp service including a 30-50 amp 240 circuit for equipment and/or electric vehicle charging in the future.

All the best on your new workshop! I really appreciate mine.

 

[Gweesh]

Just had a 30x36 red-iron Mueller building built north of where you are located. Some suggestions:

Consider adding a 12 foot lean-to on the west side as a means to add shade/rain/vehicle hail protection/extra work space. Concrete or gravel under it. A lean-to really opens up the enclosed space and gives you lots of extra room. You can even park vehicles under it to keep them out of the sun (at least out of the morning sun).

Consider going 6 feet deeper to make a 30x36 so that you can comfortably park and work on a full-sized pickup and/or tractor with implements attached to it. This extra space also allows plenty of room for workbenches and roll-around carts, shelves, etc.

Consider two 10x10 rollup doors on the west side. Do you really need anything larger given the actual dimensions of the vehicles that will be driven through the doors? Smaller doors will give you more interior wall space for shelving, etc.

Consider large windows on the north and south sides to allow airflow through the building. As you probably know, prevailing wind is out of the south. The airflow will help, but our summer heat is certainly tough without AC.

Consider just a 3 foot man-door. Do you really need the extra foot of a 4 foot door given the additional cost? What will you be moving through the door most of the time? Probably just you walking through it...

Consider 100 amp service including a 30-50 amp 240 circuit for equipment and/or electric vehicle charging in the future.

All the best on your new workshop! I really appreciate mine.

Yes, I am going to do two 10x12' Roll-up doors on the west side. I will be working on larger tractors and Commercial/Mowers. Most of the equipment will Have ROPS so that 12' door will be nice. Yes, I'll definitely need room around the perimeter for cabinets and tool boxes.

I believe I can change my 50-amp panel to a 60-amp possibly? I just don't to trench a whole new line in at the moment.

If you don't mind me asking how much was It to erect your building?