starting to build a garage

[labelkills]

I sold some toys to build a garage so I find myself lurking here more than the jockey journal or H.A.M.B combined now. The crowd seems better here anyway.

I think I found a company that is on the same page as me, so now it is time to see what happens

details so far:

Block construction
20x40 (plus a little, not a exact rectangle)
Attached to existing house
11 foot high walls
cathedral trusses? (any info on how those work)
new slab
sub panel off my 200 amp service
1 14' wide x 10' high door in front
2 10' x 10' on side and back
8 four bulb florescent fixtures in ceiling
2 double skylights
shingle roof
9 quad 110 outlets
1 220 for my compressor outside
1 220v inside in welding area


questions:
I plan on having a 2-post lift, do I need to do that now with the new slab?

Are lifts 220v?

Any cooling tricks that would need to be done during the build that I couldn't easily add later or not at all?

any tricks to keep contractors on the ball (is calling them often a good idea or a bad one?)

any ideas are appreciated, I have never done anything like this before.

 

[bmacz06]

Most lift requirments are 4 inches of concrete. I had pads 8 inches deep where the posts were going to be just to be sure.

I believe most lifts are 220

Be sure to use a ridge vent.

 

[rburke65]

Lifts can be 220V., or 110V., or can be either or. Depends on the Mfg. I just talked to a Rotary Lift Rep. or Sales guy at a swap meet in Canfield, Ohio and was told to have at least 4.5" of "reinforced" ( either wire or rebar ) concrete for their lift. And yes their lifts were made in both USA and China. USA's were more but of different components

 

[oldgoat]

For that big a building I would want more than 9 outlets. I have more than that in just a 22 x 26. A whole lot easier having them in the beginning that later. I'd double the amount myself. How many amps service are you planning for the shop? I have a 100 amps for the garage and another 100 for the house. Even then a 100 is marginal if you have many power tools running. My light fixtures I have 8 double bulb, but I put them to plug into outlets in the ceiling. That way after I got everything in I could adjust where I wanted them to be. Might consider double bulb fixtures instead so that you can spread the light out better. As for the lift I'd find out what I wanted and then find out where to put the box at for it especially if it is 220. Space the outlets and lights out on different breakers so that if you need to turn a breaker off you won't loose the power to all the lights or to all the outlets on one area.

 

[GMCAMARO]

Mine are actually 12" thick, in the location where the posts go a deeper hole was dug.

 

[boiler7904]

I'd thicken up the slab and add some rebar under each post. It's cheap insurance to do it now.

Lifts have a lot of power options. You need to choose your lift and then power it accordingly. You'll likely be a 240v single phase lift.

Pay contractors on time and do what you say your going to do. If you don't, they won't. Don't prepay for anything. Tie all payments to construction milestones i.e. foundation, framing, dried in, etc.

Confirm that your zoning and building department will let you build this as your invisioning it. One of the members here had to tear down part of his garage after losing a lengthly appeal. I wouldn't want to see that happen again.

 

[labelkills]

.

Confirm that your zoning and building department will let you build this as your invisioning it. One of the members here had to tear down part of his garage after losing a lengthly appeal. I wouldn't want to see that happen again.

This is actually my biggest concern so far
Before starting this whole thing, I spent a lot of time reading Phoenix residential code and I am pretty sure I am in all legal limits (pushed all the way) to build this.
The area right now is an existing 20x40 carport behind a huge r.v gate and I am not taking it down till the permits are completely done.

Thanks for the advice on concrete, I am supposed to be getting 3,000 psi with the fibers inside it, but after reading here I may want 4,000psi

 

[blkhonda1991]

I sold some toys to build a garage so I find myself lurking here more than the jockey journal or H.A.M.B combined now. The crowd seems better here anyway.

I think I found a company that is on the same page as me, so now it is time to see what happens

details so far:

Block construction
20x40 (plus a little, not a exact rectangle)
Attached to existing house
11 foot high walls
cathedral trusses? (any info on how those work)
new slab
sub panel off my 200 amp service
1 14' wide x 10' high door in front
2 10' x 10' on side and back
8 four bulb florescent fixtures in ceiling
2 double skylights
shingle roof
9 quad 110 outlets
1 220 for my compressor outside
1 220v inside in welding area


questions:
I plan on having a 2-post lift, do I need to do that now with the new slab?

Are lifts 220v?

Any cooling tricks that would need to be done during the build that I couldn't easily add later or not at all?

any tricks to keep contractors on the ball (is calling them often a good idea or a bad one?)

any ideas are appreciated, I have never done anything like this before.

this is a cathedral truss

any reason why you are using block construction?

 

[labelkills]

any reason why you are using block construction?

I am worried about my garage addition looking to much like a garage addition.

My house is block and I don't like stucco, also there are no stucco homes in my neighborhood.

I would like it to look like it was originally part of the house since it will be attached.

 

[FunfDreisig]

....questions:
I plan on having a 2-post lift, do I need to do that now with the new slab?

I strategically placed one of the interior beams to be directly under where my 2 post lift will be and used 4000 PSI concrete.

Any cooling tricks that would need to be done during the build that I couldn't easily add later or not at all?

Unlike most garages we see on this site. Staying cool will be a lot more difficult than staying warm Unless you plan on A/C this means moving large volumes of air from a cool place into and out of the structure. A gable roof design limits passive ventilation options that can easily be closed in the winter. But it lends itself to a large whole house size gable mounted fan with a louvered cover which automatically closes when the fan is off.

any tricks to keep contractors on the ball (is calling them often a good idea or a bad one?)...

BE THERE! The single best thing you can do is be on site as much as possible. Show you care about quality WITHOUT looking like the building inspector.

In my experience, the "contractor" is rarely on site all that much. The most important person to get along with is the crew chief of each sub-contractor. They are there the whole time and can fix stuff immediately. I usually build report by helping the crew do simple things like fetching a tool or lumber etc. Picking up trash. Sharing something like food/drink (e.g. a couple of apples, cokes, etc) when they are taking a break. Most crews are a little wary at first but then warm up pretty quickly once they realize that I really do help not just check their work.

Here's an example, the day before the slab placement. I noticed that the side wall of the 24" deep front beam had a bow in it, that allowed the steel to touch the wall. I called the contractor and asked him to fix it. The steel was already wired in place. The contractor was trying to tell me that it would be OK when the crew chief said he could take the bow out by hand. Of course this was the crew I had helped when they were originally digging the beams and wiring the steel

So the crew chief and another worker went to breaking out the bow in the wall with a bar and fishing out the spoils at arms length using coke cans as buckets through scorching hot steel by hand in the blazing sun (104 degrees in the shade). This still could have gotten ugly. But I pulled up the tractor, hung a tarp over the fork lift with the light wood extensions to give them some shade and set up a fan. The crew chief said "Thanks. Maybe we'll stay here the rest of the day" And BTW they did a great job.

Funf Dreisig