New shop build, looking for advice!

[jgiles101982]

Good morning, I have in mind to build a 24'x60' shop and would like some thoughts & feedback on my plans. It will be stick built on a monolithic slab so here are some questions I have associated with this build. Also bear in mind I live in rural south alabama so codes/permits/rules are not something I have to worry about however I want this to be done the right way! My first question is about the walls, I want the wall height 10' so my question is can I achieve this with 2x4's 16 OC or will 2x6 be necessary? If 2x6's how about 24 OC? Next I am wanting to have enough attic storage for plastic totes and boxes so I am thinking of building some "storage" trusses and not sure what size boards to use. All boards will be #2 kiln dried SYP but my question is where to put the bottom chord splice? and what size boards to use for top chord/bottom chord/web? What is minimum pitch needed to get this small storage space?

 

[matt_i]

I would do the 2x6 and use the extra for insulation capability. Its an extra cost, yes but you can never redo this. I'd just do 16" oc. Build a strong frame, Mother Nature may challenge it someday.

I built a 6:12, 26 feet wide (outside) and I cannot walk upright in the shop. Having an 8:12 would have done it, but then roofing is more difficult and I would have faced other issues. I would have a truss company quote on your attic storage trusses, I got 40psf for 12' wide, roughly another 480sqft of storage space for around $2k more investment.

Price out the wood...my coworker went down the road of building his own trusses from the design in the quote supplied to him by the trussco. He said he couldn't even buy the pile of lumber it was going to take for less than the delivered package of trusses. Apparently they buy their material in large bulk discounts.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I have a 10/12 pitch roof on a 24' wide garage, with storage trusses. There's plenty of headroom down the middle, of course on the sides the headroom is reduced. I wouldn't mess with building my own trusses, that's a common enough size that buying them premade makes more sense.

 

[jgiles101982]

Thanks I will look into having them built. How much headroom do you have with the 10:12? I don't want it any steeper than it needs to be just enough room to store things that are in say 4' wide plastic totes.

 

[jgiles101982]

I would do the 2x6 and use the extra for insulation capability. Its an extra cost, yes but you can never redo this. I'd just do 16" oc. Build a strong frame, Mother Nature may challenge it someday.

I built a 6:12, 26 feet wide (outside) and I cannot walk upright in the shop. Having an 8:12 would have done it, but then roofing is more difficult and I would have faced other issues. I would have a truss company quote on your attic storage trusses, I got 40psf for 12' wide, roughly another 480sqft of storage space for around $2k more investment.

Price out the wood...my coworker went down the road of building his own trusses from the design in the quote supplied to him by the trussco. He said he couldn't even buy the pile of lumber it was going to take for less than the delivered package of trusses. Apparently they buy their material in large bulk discounts.

What would the 8:12 done to make the roofing more difficult? I am going to check on getting the trusses built instead of making them myself but I will price the materials just to see the difference.

 

[theoldwizard1]

There really is very little difference between 2x4 16" O.C and 2x6 24 O.C. in the cost of the lumber. Slight cost savings in labor. Both probably should have some blocking if they ar going to be 10' tall.

I would not make my own trusses, simply because it may devalue the structure when it comes time to sell. Attic trusses give you a lot of storage. If you are going with 24" truss spacing, you should have bracing where your plywood floor seams land. For light storage you can use 5/8" or even 1/2" plywood.

 

[nolimits76]

See attached. No allowances calculated for lumber thicknesses, etc.

Red = 10:12 pitch
Blue = 8:12 pitch
Green = 6:12 pitch
Pink = Base garage dimensions

All dimensions are in inches.

What is the roof pitch of your house? I'd try to match my house if it were me. That said, I don't really care for low pitch roofs and would prefer 8:12 at the minimum.

 

[nolimits76]

I would not make my own trusses, simply because it may devalue the structure when it comes time to sell. Attic trusses give you a lot of storage. If you are going with 24" truss spacing, you should have bracing where your plywood floor seams land. For light storage you can use 5/8" or even 1/2" plywood.

In OK, there are a lot of custom stick framed homes. Granted this is a garage and a little different. That said, I don't see homes devalued from custom built vs truss built; however, when purchasing I always get a structural opinion as custom built by one person is not necessarily equal to the "same" by another.

On plywood decking, I prefer 3/4" T&G myself. It costs a little more, but with human weight and storage weight it is more rigid. Plus I'm a bigger guy and feel more secure walking on it.

 

[spudley]

What would the 8:12 done to make the roofing more difficult?

A 6/12 roof can be comfortably walked on, an 8/12 starts getting steep.

 

[jgiles101982]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

 

[jgiles101982]

I would do the 2x6 and use the extra for insulation capability. Its an extra cost, yes but you can never redo this. I'd just do 16" oc. Build a strong frame, Mother Nature may challenge it someday.

I built a 6:12, 26 feet wide (outside) and I cannot walk upright in the shop. Having an 8:12 would have done it, but then roofing is more difficult and I would have faced other issues. I would have a truss company quote on your attic storage trusses, I got 40psf for 12' wide, roughly another 480sqft of storage space for around $2k more investment.

Price out the wood...my coworker went down the road of building his own trusses from the design in the quote supplied to him by the trussco. He said he couldn't even buy the pile of lumber it was going to take for less than the delivered package of trusses. Apparently they buy their material in large bulk discounts.

How much more room would you need to be comfortable? I got with a company that builds trusses & for a 24' wide building on 8:12 pitch my headroom was 5'10". I'm thinking about changing the width to 30' and see if I can get the same headroom with a 6:12.

 

[gnpenning]

2 things you didn't mention. What you plan on doing in the shop. Do you plan on putting in a lift some day.

If you plan on putting in full size trucks 24' isn't deep enough to work and walk around.

 

[jgiles101982]

2 things you didn't mention. What you plan on doing in the shop. Do you plan on putting in a lift some day.

If you plan on putting in full size trucks 24' isn't deep enough to work and walk around.

Mainly use for wood working and small projects like working on ATV's and other misc. items. But I will also use for routine vehicle maintenance like oil changes, brakes, etc. My plan was to have a large enough roll up door on the gable end to pull in the occasional vehicle and a smaller roll up door somewhere down the side for ATV, lawn mower and whatever else. I do not ever plan to have any kind of lift.

 

[gnpenning]

Mainly use for wood working and small projects like working on ATV's and other misc. items. But I will also use for routine vehicle maintenance like oil changes, brakes, etc. My plan was to have a large enough roll up door on the gable end to pull in the occasional vehicle and a smaller roll up door somewhere down the side for ATV, lawn mower and whatever else. I do not ever plan to have any kind of lift.

If you're just using the side door for atv or moving equipment and projects in and out. A couple double commercial man doors should help.

 

[jbwilkins]

There really is very little difference between 2x4 16" O.C and 2x6 24 O.C. in the cost of the lumber. Slight cost savings in labor. Both probably should have some blocking if they ar going to be 10' tall.

I would not make my own trusses, simply because it may devalue the structure when it comes time to sell. Attic trusses give you a lot of storage. If you are going with 24" truss spacing, you should have bracing where your plywood floor seams land. For light storage you can use 5/8" or even 1/2" plywood.

10' Precut 2x6's will cost you a pretty penny in South Alabama....They probably won't be stocked by any lumber yard because they are not the 'norm' in that market and if you can find someone willing to bring a unit in you'll probably have to buy the full unit (128 pcs usually)....

If you're willing to trim them to all the same length you could get 10', but that's a lot time and labor, in your market they may be Southern Yellow Pine....

Lumber is a commodity, but is very regional....Sourcing something that isn't the norm in a market can be difficult, if not impossible......I'd stick with the 2x4's......

 

[Smoker]

10' Precut 2x6's will cost you a pretty penny in South Alabama....They probably won't be stocked by any lumber yard because they are not the 'norm' in that market and if you can find someone willing to bring a unit in you'll probably have to buy the full unit (128 pcs usually)....

If you're willing to trim them to all the same length you could get 10', but that's a lot time and labor, in your market they may be Southern Yellow Pine....

Lumber is a commodity, but is very regional....Sourcing something that isn't the norm in a market can be difficult, if not impossible......I'd stick with the 2x4's......

Attic trusses will probably require 2x6 walls based on floor loading calcs. Mine did.

Stick to 12' walls if you can, less cutting studs and more room for a 2 post lift if you ever want to install one.

 

[jgiles101982]

Attic trusses will probably require 2x6 walls based on floor loading calcs. Mine did.

Stick to 12' walls if you can, less cutting studs and more room for a 2 post lift if you ever want to install one.

I don't remember them asking me about what my walls would be framed with but they may have. I have all the information from the quote they sent me but don't remember seeing anything about what they should be but I'll go back and check. Thanks

 

[kbs2244]

Most codes consider 2x4 at 16" and 2x6 at 24" the same for strength.
Do the math, but I would guess the 2x4's will come out cheaper.

Unless you plan on AC there is no advantage as far as insulation goes.

That is a lot of trusses and "storage" trusses are common enough that I doubt that it will be worth the time to DIY.
And you can talk to your supplier about the cost of "top of wall" delivery.
IMHO it is very much worth it.

 

[CraigStu]

If you were to lay 3 courses of block, you could get a 10ft ceiling w/ 2x4x8s. My contractor said block is less expensive than wood.

 

[jgiles101982]

If you were to lay 3 courses of block, you could get a 10ft ceiling w/ 2x4x8s. My contractor said block is less expensive than wood.

I'll look into it Wouldn't the blocks have to be filled with concrete? Thanks

 

[PNWguy]

10' Precut 2x6's will cost you a pretty penny in South Alabama....They probably won't be stocked by any lumber yard because they are not the 'norm' in that market and if you can find someone willing to bring a unit in you'll probably have to buy the full unit (128 pcs usually)....

If you're willing to trim them to all the same length you could get 10', but that's a lot time and labor, in your market they may be Southern Yellow Pine....

Lumber is a commodity, but is very regional....Sourcing something that isn't the norm in a market can be difficult, if not impossible......I'd stick with the 2x4's......

I had no idea that 2x6 walls weren't done everywhere. Do folks not use insulation in shop/garage buildings in the south?

 

[jgiles101982]

I had no idea that 2x6 walls weren't done everywhere. Do folks not use insulation in shop/garage buildings in the south?

Most shops that I have been in throughout MS & AL are not insulated.

 

[jgiles101982]

If you were to lay 3 courses of block, you could get a 10ft ceiling w/ 2x4x8s. My contractor said block is less expensive than wood.

Ok I decided to check on this because blocks were pretty cheap so I just used Lowe's to get the prices. Here is what I came up with for pricing. This is assuming all 4 walls had no windows or doors. (Made the math easier)

Using all 10' 2x4's $600.32

Using 8' 2x4's $385.92 plus blocks for 3 runs minus two 9' openings $563.62

 

[kentenn]

You may want to check load capacity for attic. I built a 24’x51’ garage with 10’ ceiling. My rafters, I believe, were 2”x10” @ 12”, spanning 24’ with no center supports. Roof was stick built, not trusses. Codes people said I could span 24’, but could not use attic for storage due to length of span.

 

[finn]

If you were to lay 3 courses of block, you could get a 10ft ceiling w/ 2x4x8s. My contractor said block is less expensive than wood.

That’s what I did, albeit with 2x6 studs. Worked out well.

 

[jgiles101982]

2 things you didn't mention. What you plan on doing in the shop. Do you plan on putting in a lift some day.

If you plan on putting in full size trucks 24' isn't deep enough to work and walk around.

Thanks to this comment I priced two pole lifts & could very well see me getting one! Also I have changed my plans to a 30' wide instead of 24'.

 

[gnpenning]

Always happy to spend someone else's money.

Planning for possible future upgrades is the smart thing to do and will actually save you money in the long run.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[cos]

Hello If you are planing on having a pro do stem wall CMU, in my neck of the woods (PNW) price is north of $10 sq. foot. If you can lay CMU it makes sense. If not, It will probably will show.