1.5 car detached garage build - ideas/advice needed

[LouKYguy]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to build a 1.5 car detached garage. I'm in southern Indiana, adjacent to Louisville KY, and I'm looking for advice on both future-proofing the build, and keeping costs down where I can, whether it's in the dimensions of the build, or avoiding a future cost. Let me know if y'all have had some ideas on where to save some bucks. I'm reasonably handy, but inexperienced working on things around the house, so I'll be hiring out most of this.

The garage will be used for parking 1 car, detailing and some casual car maintenance, and for a small gym with a squat rack. I'm planning on insulating the garage and having some sort of HVAC solution to keep the spouse happy. For the auto part, I'm planning on starting with a QuickJack, but want to be able to have the option for a 2 post MaxJax or scissor lift if I choose in the future, so am planning on having the concrete pad poured thick enough to accommodate this.

So far the space is likely going to be 18 feet wide by 28 feet long (skinny due to lot size and setback requirements), and I'm hoping for 9 foot ceilings. I'd like to do 10 but it seems that will add some cost and further increase the cost to build and finish the space. Is there anywhere to save some money with choosing dimensions?

Also, for insulating and finishing the space - anything is fine for materials as long as I can paint it white and keep things relatively bright. This might be an area where I could DIY some things. Does anyone recommend the spray foam insulation DIY kits?

 

[CraigStu]

Curious how 10ft will cost more than 9ft. Lumber comes in 8, 10 ,12ft lengths and 10s are not that much more than 8s. Most sheet wood is also available in 4x10 if you go to a lumber yard vs HD or L. I'd check around to see what is available in your area before discarding 10ft ceilings. I think you may find that 10ft is just slightly more expensive than 9ft.

 

[CombatNinja]

There is no way to go wider than 18'? That is frustratingly close to a 2-car size. It would be a bummer to sink all of that money into the shop and then wish in 5 years that two cars could fit if it were just two feet wider.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I agree with everyone else^^ If you can swing it financially ADD WIDTH. You'll never regret it. Well, you might regret that it's not even bigger!

 

[Wrench97]

Mine is 25' x 28' and not big enough, they fill up fast.

 

[LouKYguy]

There is no way to go wider than 18'? That is frustratingly close to a 2-car size. It would be a bummer to sink all of that money into the shop and then wish in 5 years that two cars could fit if it were just two feet wider.

It's an unfortunate result of the setbacks and the lot size. Barring a change in the zoning regulations I'm stuck with this width. Spouse is okay with it being mostly a 1 car garage and workshop space thankfully.

 

[LouKYguy]

Curious how 10ft will cost more than 9ft. Lumber comes in 8, 10 ,12ft lengths and 10s are not that much more than 8s. Most sheet wood is also available in 4x10 if you go to a lumber yard vs HD or L. I'd check around to see what is available in your area before discarding 10ft ceilings. I think you may find that 10ft is just slightly more expensive than 9ft.

Thanks for this. The contractor I talked to made it sound like it wouldn't be possible for lumber reasons, but I'll call around and check on what's available myself. Maybe I just need to talk to a different contractor to get the 10 ft ceilings. Every foot counts since the garage width will be constrained.

 

[CraigStu]

Also, if you were to build w/ poured footers and then X rows of block, it is very easy to get a 10ft ceiling made up of 2ft of block and 8ft of wood. A contractor told me that, as long as you are already doing a poured footer/block foundation, it is actually less expensive to gain height w/ a few extra rows of block vs wood. As I watched my garage addition being built I saw why. Once the block person got started doing all the locating strings etc for the foundation block, adding 3-4 extra rows was very quick. Another advantage of this type of construction is you only need to build forms for the garage door opening. The block is your form for your slab. I have had two additions at two houses built this way and really like it. A third advantage is your wood is way, way above the dirt so almost zero chance of moisture rotting out the bottom of a wall. No matter the construction details, since you garage is small, on walls away from the lift it is pretty easy to build an open shelf 2ft down from the ceiling and 2ft wide all around the perimeter. One of our garages had that and it created a ton of storage room. Of course I needed a step ladder to access it so less used item went up there.

 

[Badhabit]

Also, if you were to build w/ poured footers and then X rows of block, it is very easy to get a 10ft ceiling made up of 2ft of block and 8ft of wood. A contractor told me that, as long as you are already doing a poured footer/block foundation, it is actually less expensive to gain height w/ a few extra rows of block vs wood. As I watched my garage addition being built I saw why. Once the block person got started doing all the locating strings etc for the foundation block, adding 3-4 extra rows was very quick. Another advantage of this type of construction is you only need to build forms for the garage door opening. The block is your form for your slab. I have had two additions at two houses built this way and really like it. A third advantage is your wood is way, way above the dirt so almost zero chance of moisture rotting out the bottom of a wall. No matter the construction details, since you garage is small, on walls away from the lift it is pretty easy to build an open shelf 2ft down from the ceiling and 2ft wide all around the perimeter. One of our garages had that and it created a ton of storage room. Of course I needed a step ladder to access it so less used item went up there.

Much easier to wash the floor as well

H

 

[bdbecker]

Also, if you were to build w/ poured footers and then X rows of block, it is very easy to get a 10ft ceiling made up of 2ft of block and 8ft of wood...

That is exactly how my old shop was built. I didn't fully appreciate the extra headroom until I didn't have it in my current shop.

OP - definitely stick to your guns on this part of the build. 9' is better than 8', 10' would be better than 9' if you can swing it.

I'm reasonably handy, but inexperienced working on things around the house, so I'll be hiring out most of this... ...Also, for insulating and finishing the space - anything is fine for materials as long as I can paint it white and keep things relatively bright. This might be an area where I could DIY some things. Does anyone recommend the spray foam insulation DIY kits?

Finishing out the interior of your shop is a really good place to save some money, and also practice and learn some of these skills if you are up for it. This will also allow for incremental improvements as funds allow if the budget is tight. Just know that you will make some mistakes along the way and give yourself some grace when it does happen. Personally, I started off with just a shell and only little hands on knowledge/skill. With a lot of research and help from this forum, I've done all kinds of projects that I never thought I'd be able to do.

Regarding insulation, is there are particular reason for wanting to go with spray foam? For a conventional build like yours, fiberglass or rockwool batts would be a lot more DIY friendly. Given your relatively moderate climate, I'd be really curious as to what the ROI would be on the cost of a DIY spray foam job when compared to the cost of batt insulation.

EDIT: Adding a link that includes info on the cost of insulation options. Using the info on the chart (assumes professional installation), it would cost around $756 to achieve R-50 in your ceiling (504 square feet) using blown in insulation. Open cell spray foam is 5.7x the price, closed cell is 8.3x more. Granted, spray foam does seal everything up well, but properly installed insulation with a vapor barrier should perform nearly as well. How long would it take to make up that additional $3500-5500 difference in cost on your utility bill? Even cutting the costs in half from DIYing it, you'd still be looking at $2-3k difference.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/guide_to_home_insulation.pdf

I'm not saying you shouldn't do spray foam if that is what you want, but just pointing out that the added expense may not be worth it.

 

[Stuart in MN]

A third advantage is your wood is way, way above the dirt so almost zero chance of moisture rotting out the bottom of a wall.

I think this is the most important reason to have a course or two of concrete above grade. Over time dirt just tends to build up around the perimeter, so keeping the wood portion of the structure above ground becomes even more important. It probably makes it more difficult for critters to get in as well.

When I built my garage I used one course of concrete block, plus instead of standard stud grade 2x4s which are 92 5/8" long I used full 8 foot (96") studs, and the total ceiling height is about 9 1/2 feet.

 

[CombatNinja]

It's an unfortunate result of the setbacks and the lot size. Barring a change in the zoning regulations I'm stuck with this width. Spouse is okay with it being mostly a 1 car garage and workshop space thankfully.

No chance for a variance? It's only about 2' that you need. You might even be able to get away with 19'. 18' can physically fit 2 cars but causes issues day-to-day or if, ahem, one of the drivers is not so attentive. Even at 20', you're probably looking at parking 2 wide in the back one in/pull one in configuration. Heck, my daily driver garage is 22' wide and that's how I do it.

 

[LouKYguy]

Also, if you were to build w/ poured footers and then X rows of block, it is very easy to get a 10ft ceiling made up of 2ft of block and 8ft of wood. A contractor told me that, as long as you are already doing a poured footer/block foundation, it is actually less expensive to gain height w/ a few extra rows of block vs wood. As I watched my garage addition being built I saw why. Once the block person got started doing all the locating strings etc for the foundation block, adding 3-4 extra rows was very quick. Another advantage of this type of construction is you only need to build forms for the garage door opening. The block is your form for your slab. I have had two additions at two houses built this way and really like it. A third advantage is your wood is way, way above the dirt so almost zero chance of moisture rotting out the bottom of a wall. No matter the construction details, since you garage is small, on walls away from the lift it is pretty easy to build an open shelf 2ft down from the ceiling and 2ft wide all around the perimeter. One of our garages had that and it created a ton of storage room. Of course I needed a step ladder to access it so less used item went up there.

I like the idea of the hybrid block wall/stick frame construction. There's lots of rain and I'd hate to have moisture issues at the bottom of the wall. I think most contractors I've spoken to do a floating slab around here. Not sure if this is still possible with that style of foundation.

When doing the bottom row or rows of block and stick frame top, how do you insulate the block portion?

 

[LouKYguy]

That is exactly how my old shop was built. I didn't fully appreciate the extra headroom until I didn't have it in my current shop.

OP - definitely stick to your guns on this part of the build. 9' is better than 8', 10' would be better than 9' if you can swing it.



Finishing out the interior of your shop is a really good place to save some money, and also practice and learn some of these skills if you are up for it. This will also allow for incremental improvements as funds allow if the budget is tight. Just know that you will make some mistakes along the way and give yourself some grace when it does happen. Personally, I started off with just a shell and only little hands on knowledge/skill. With a lot of research and help from this forum, I've done all kinds of projects that I never thought I'd be able to do.

Regarding insulation, is there are particular reason for wanting to go with spray foam? For a conventional build like yours, fiberglass or rockwool batts would be a lot more DIY friendly. Given your relatively moderate climate, I'd be really curious as to what the ROI would be on the cost of a DIY spray foam job when compared to the cost of batt insulation.

EDIT: Adding a link that includes info on the cost of insulation options. Using the info on the chart (assumes professional installation), it would cost around $756 to achieve R-50 in your ceiling (504 square feet) using blown in insulation. Open cell spray foam is 5.7x the price, closed cell is 8.3x more. Granted, spray foam does seal everything up well, but properly installed insulation with a vapor barrier should perform nearly as well. How long would it take to make up that additional $3500-5500 difference in cost on your utility bill? Even cutting the costs in half from DIYing it, you'd still be looking at $2-3k difference.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/guide_to_home_insulation.pdf

I'm not saying you shouldn't do spray foam if that is what you want, but just pointing out that the added expense may not be worth it.

Cost on the insulation is a fair point. I suppose my worry was again the moisture issues causing potential for mold. At the end of the day if I can save a few bucks doing fiberglass/wool batt insulation and still expect durability, that's extra $ that can go to a future project, which is definitely a plus. Thanks for your perspective.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I like the idea of the hybrid block wall/stick frame construction. There's lots of rain and I'd hate to have moisture issues at the bottom of the wall. I think most contractors I've spoken to do a floating slab around here. Not sure if this is still possible with that style of foundation.

Yes, it can be done and I think it's relatively common to do so. My garage is on a floating slab, with one course of concrete block on top of that.

 

[WisJim]

My garage/shop is slab on grade, with a poured curb 8" high rather than a course of block. I had height limitations due to zoning and used up my options and good will getting a variance for setback so I could build something with enough floor space and a second story room. I also had it completely spray foamed with closed cell foam, 3 to 4" in the walls, 4''+ roof, for about $6k. It also has insulation under the slab and around the perimeter, and is easy to heat and stays cool in the summer, so far without A/C.

 

[CraigStu]

To be honest I never even thought about insulating the block. I expect someone will soon chime in w/ techniques though.

 

[driftpin]

You can ask at the P&Z dept. about the variance process. You can also look at the past variance requests for width to see who got them approved, and what was the basis for refusal if they didn't. Try to find other variance requests for building width in zoning districts which match your zoning district. That gives you ideas about how to proceed. The process of applying for a variance probably is available online, for the paperwork, and what city, village, or township board(s) you need to appear in front-of. Notes from that board or governmental department's meetings for requests for zoning or building variances are probably available online too. It's worth a look. It's all a matter of public record.

 

[CraigStu]

I recently used rockwool to replace some terribly loose fitting f-glass in the end wall of our basement. Wow, I really like that stuff. It is very solid so install goes very well ending up w/ a nice flat surface between the studs. And I didn't itch when I was done.