spent21
Well-known member
I've been absent lately dealing with the sale of my last house with a 2+ garage, a new house purchase, the move, the wreck & part-out of my truck, the purchase of another daily driver, and a divorce thrown in for some color.
The new place lacks a garage of any sort which grants me the luxury & anxiousness of designing my own, so I'm here for input which I anticipate includes 'go bigger'
With that being said, I've already stepped this build up from a 24x30 to a 24x40 & was impressed with the 30x40 I just visited although the price tag for the latter is a bit steep considering the circumstances & I'm not planning on going to a crew cab truck.
I used Mueller's design tool (which has it's limitations) to get an idea of the building & smart draw for the floorplan
Since Mueller is a metal building manufacturer, the rendering looks like a metal building.
I'm planning on a detached stick build (for home mechanic/ hobby use) with 10' wide doors, 60 or 100 amp service, water, 2-post lift, & taking in half of the rear lean-to for the mower & quads & such. I'll probably build storage shelves in that area as well. Most likely, it will be hardy plank with a shingled roof. I'm planning on insulating it so I have the option to condition it later. This is in my back yard of a residential neighborhood. Although there's no HOA, it will be visible from the street, so I'd like to keep it from looking too industrial & resale value is a concern.
I've had 3 separate GC's look at it & I've decided on one, but still need to discuss specifics with him. I'm planning on him completing the concrete & shell. I'll run the electrical, plumbing, & wall insulation before he returns to finish the drywall & concrete coating.
I'm undecided on the height... I *may* be able to get away with 10' wall heights, but it's going to be close & I doubt I'll ever get full height out of the lift. Will 11' work or is 12' necessary? The shorter the wall height, the more 'residential' it will appear.
Doors - what's better regarding insulated doors? If it were no issue, I'd choose roll-up's for the clearance. I'm not sure how well they would perform from a conditioned space standpoint. As far as panel doors, is it better to purchase the insulated ones or insulate them myself? I had great luck with my last one, but don't know how well the factory insulated ones perform:
should I ditch the 3 separate doors, & go 1 double 1 single?
Floor - anyone had any luck with stained concrete? Is it slick & how does it hold up to oil/gas/spills?
Orientation - I figured the lift would be better on the open end close to tools & counter space. I just rolled my box into the work area at my last place
I thought it may be more convenient this way
I think I've ruled out a floor drain.
Floor pitch - the last place was pitched towards the door which was great for washing the place out. I'm undecided to do the same if I'm planning on the lift. Should I pitch this floor & build up the footer for the lift to be even or just make the entire floor even?
The outside grade pitches ever so slightly towards the front door, so should I do a grate/french drain there or will a small 1/2" - 3/4" step suffice?
I'm used to dealing with what I get & cussing the guy that built it one way or another.... now that I'm that guy, well, paralysis by analysis is setting in.
The new place lacks a garage of any sort which grants me the luxury & anxiousness of designing my own, so I'm here for input which I anticipate includes 'go bigger'
With that being said, I've already stepped this build up from a 24x30 to a 24x40 & was impressed with the 30x40 I just visited although the price tag for the latter is a bit steep considering the circumstances & I'm not planning on going to a crew cab truck.
I used Mueller's design tool (which has it's limitations) to get an idea of the building & smart draw for the floorplan
Since Mueller is a metal building manufacturer, the rendering looks like a metal building.
I'm planning on a detached stick build (for home mechanic/ hobby use) with 10' wide doors, 60 or 100 amp service, water, 2-post lift, & taking in half of the rear lean-to for the mower & quads & such. I'll probably build storage shelves in that area as well. Most likely, it will be hardy plank with a shingled roof. I'm planning on insulating it so I have the option to condition it later. This is in my back yard of a residential neighborhood. Although there's no HOA, it will be visible from the street, so I'd like to keep it from looking too industrial & resale value is a concern.
I've had 3 separate GC's look at it & I've decided on one, but still need to discuss specifics with him. I'm planning on him completing the concrete & shell. I'll run the electrical, plumbing, & wall insulation before he returns to finish the drywall & concrete coating.
I'm undecided on the height... I *may* be able to get away with 10' wall heights, but it's going to be close & I doubt I'll ever get full height out of the lift. Will 11' work or is 12' necessary? The shorter the wall height, the more 'residential' it will appear.
Doors - what's better regarding insulated doors? If it were no issue, I'd choose roll-up's for the clearance. I'm not sure how well they would perform from a conditioned space standpoint. As far as panel doors, is it better to purchase the insulated ones or insulate them myself? I had great luck with my last one, but don't know how well the factory insulated ones perform:
should I ditch the 3 separate doors, & go 1 double 1 single?
Floor - anyone had any luck with stained concrete? Is it slick & how does it hold up to oil/gas/spills?
Orientation - I figured the lift would be better on the open end close to tools & counter space. I just rolled my box into the work area at my last place
I thought it may be more convenient this way

I think I've ruled out a floor drain.
Floor pitch - the last place was pitched towards the door which was great for washing the place out. I'm undecided to do the same if I'm planning on the lift. Should I pitch this floor & build up the footer for the lift to be even or just make the entire floor even?
The outside grade pitches ever so slightly towards the front door, so should I do a grate/french drain there or will a small 1/2" - 3/4" step suffice?
I'm used to dealing with what I get & cussing the guy that built it one way or another.... now that I'm that guy, well, paralysis by analysis is setting in.

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