Help designing shop/car storage

[tgmarks]

Hi all,

I could use some help in designing my shop that I intend to build adjacent to my house...The main use of the shop is going to be car storage. I would like the ability to store up to 8 cars, plus an ATV, and possibly a boat. Open to lifts and what not for storing the cars, but I am fortunate in that space is not an issue. We live on 3 acres and have plenty of room for a large building. It is a residential neighborhood, so for aesthetics will likely have to go with shop that is framed from wood to blend in with current house.

I'd appreciate it if those that have "been there and done that" would be willing to chime in with any ideas.

1. My first question is size... landscape architect that i'm working with (we are revamping entire landscape of house) has it listed at 4100 square feet.. I know this is big, but have always been told that can never have one too big. curious as to your thoughts on that.

2. Garage door considerations. I certainly like the aesthetics of single doors , but assuming a double door would come in hand... I think the architect currently has 4 single bays

3. Natural light... i'd like the option for some natural light... windows etc, but probably would want them higher... as don't care for anyone to know what's in there.

4. Other features that I need to consider?

thanks in advance for any ideas!

 

[jarhead]

use taller wider single doors if that makes sense. separate the bays so when you pull a car in you can open car doors wide enough.

I have a 24' wide garage and a 8' x 16" door and I wish i's went with two doors and spread them farther apart in the center.

of course if I had it to do again it would be much bigger

 

[jarhead]

forgot to mention...

When you run electrical put in multiple buried conduit for future expansion.

I didn't and have no way to get ethernet to my shop...

 

[ConCretin]

You didn't ask specifically about the slab but it's the hardest working part of a garage. Getting the specs and execution right is crucial to a successful project.

 

[banjopete]

Any zoning/building requirements to worry about for building size?

Sent from my SM-T820 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Youngandfree]

forgot to mention...

When you run electrical put in multiple buried conduit for future expansion.

I didn't and have no way to get ethernet to my shop...

Is your shop on it's own power or tied to the house panel? If it happens to be on the main house panel, you can use a Poweline ethernet extender. Provided you have an outlet in the house and in the garage on the same panel with bonded neutrals, and not seperate panels. Transmitter side in house has ethernet plugged into it, and receiver side in shop in electrical outlet there. Hardwired ethernet.
Sorry for the sidebar.

 

[GForceJunky]

What are your plans for heating/cooling? Plan to leave it unheated/cooled? I would at very least insulate it. Since you're in MS, heating is likely not to be worried about (otherwise I would say get some radiant heating in the floor before the slab goes down) but if you have any intention of cooling/climate controlling the place make sure you sort that out in advance:

- Method of cooling (mini-splits, one main AC unit and a large pipe running down the peak of the ceiling with vents shooting off, etc)
- Location of AC unit, blower, vents, etc.
- Power draw/requirements

etc.

As others have said, plan for the future - buried conduit is fantastic for this, especially in such a large garage.

Lots of outlets, especially above workbench height so if you do build in workbenches/storage the plugs are easily accessible/usable.

WELL LIT! I cannot stress enough how important lighting is, especially if you plan to do any work in the garage. In a garage that size, you'll probably want lighting broken down into sections (per bay, maybe?)

Single doors are fine, but if you plan to possibly put a boat and/or other recreation vehicles inside I'd get at minimum a 9' wide door. A 10' wide door (and 10' high if you can make it look proportional to the rest of the building) would be the ideal single door. I have 8'x8' doors and the height has not generally been an issue (would have been nice to be 9' or 10' a few times) but man, 8' wide doors are NARROW, especially when you have a tiny garage and have to manoeuvre precisely.

Plan for garage door openers. Get jackshaft openers if you can to save on ceiling space. If you have high ceilings, make sure you get a high lift kit installed on all your doors.

Lifts are nice if you want to possibly do your own work or possibly expand the collection past what the bare floor space will accommodate. If floor space is available and you have no use for a lift, save the money and park on the ground. Also, if you do plan to get a lift (or more than one), make sure you account for the height of the vehicles that would be on top, on top of the max lift height to make sure you have adequate room above.

Whatever you think your power requirements will be, get more. In a garage that size I'd want nothing less than 200A and possibly more if you might be getting an electric car fast charger, plan to get some machinery/equipment, etc. 200A should be more than suffice for any 'one-man' shop as you won't ever be using so much all at once.

Windows are nice, but only if you feel comfortable having an easy way in for burglars. If you live in a pretty safe and secluded area then go for it.

I'm sure there's more but it's basically 3:30am and I need to sleep. Hopefully this is something to think about!

Oh yeah, figure out the plumbing situation (feed lines - hot and/or cold, drains, bathroom? kitchenette? etc.) well in advance.

 

[CraigStu]

I would have at least one 16 wide door. Try to figure out where a boat or other on a trailer might go and put it there. It is SO much easier backing a trailer through a wide door. It makes it easier to snug the thing over against a side wall by backing in at an angle and then moving the tongue over after disconnecting from the truck.

 

[tgmarks]

You didn't ask specifically about the slab but it's the hardest working part of a garage. Getting the specs and execution right is crucial to a successful project.

do you mind sharing any specifics of specs and execution that I need to make sure my contractor gets right.

Any zoning/building requirements to worry about for building size?

Sent from my SM-T820 using The Garage Journal mobile app

thankfully not

I would have at least one 16 wide door. Try to figure out where a boat or other on a trailer might go and put it there. It is SO much easier backing a trailer through a wide door. It makes it easier to snug the thing over against a side wall by backing in at an angle and then moving the tongue over after disconnecting from the truck.

great idea... thank you!

 

[tgmarks]

What are your plans for heating/cooling? Plan to leave it unheated/cooled? I would at very least insulate it. Since you're in MS, heating is likely not to be worried about (otherwise I would say get some radiant heating in the floor before the slab goes down) but if you have any intention of cooling/climate controlling the place make sure you sort that out in advance:

- Method of cooling (mini-splits, one main AC unit and a large pipe running down the peak of the ceiling with vents shooting off, etc)
- Location of AC unit, blower, vents, etc.
- Power draw/requirements

etc.

As others have said, plan for the future - buried conduit is fantastic for this, especially in such a large garage.

Lots of outlets, especially above workbench height so if you do build in workbenches/storage the plugs are easily accessible/usable.

WELL LIT! I cannot stress enough how important lighting is, especially if you plan to do any work in the garage. In a garage that size, you'll probably want lighting broken down into sections (per bay, maybe?)

Single doors are fine, but if you plan to possibly put a boat and/or other recreation vehicles inside I'd get at minimum a 9' wide door. A 10' wide door (and 10' high if you can make it look proportional to the rest of the building) would be the ideal single door. I have 8'x8' doors and the height has not generally been an issue (would have been nice to be 9' or 10' a few times) but man, 8' wide doors are NARROW, especially when you have a tiny garage and have to manoeuvre precisely.

Plan for garage door openers. Get jackshaft openers if you can to save on ceiling space. If you have high ceilings, make sure you get a high lift kit installed on all your doors.

Lifts are nice if you want to possibly do your own work or possibly expand the collection past what the bare floor space will accommodate. If floor space is available and you have no use for a lift, save the money and park on the ground. Also, if you do plan to get a lift (or more than one), make sure you account for the height of the vehicles that would be on top, on top of the max lift height to make sure you have adequate room above.

Whatever you think your power requirements will be, get more. In a garage that size I'd want nothing less than 200A and possibly more if you might be getting an electric car fast charger, plan to get some machinery/equipment, etc. 200A should be more than suffice for any 'one-man' shop as you won't ever be using so much all at once.

Windows are nice, but only if you feel comfortable having an easy way in for burglars. If you live in a pretty safe and secluded area then go for it.

I'm sure there's more but it's basically 3:30am and I need to sleep. Hopefully this is something to think about!

Oh yeah, figure out the plumbing situation (feed lines - hot and/or cold, drains, bathroom? kitchenette? etc.) well in advance.

wow... very helpful information, thank you... yes, I plan to insulate, and heat/cool as well... you're correct, don't really need much heating in MS but for a couple of months, but will most likely have the option..

if I did windows they'd be up high to allow natural light in, but would want some way to keep the light out as well, as there will be some nice cars in there.

I do plan on a lift or two in there, one for storage, and one to do some work on cars..

again, thank you for taking the time to give such a thorough response

 

[493mike]

You may want to thicken the slab to support any future lifts and don't forget power for them. Partitioning for a "dirty" work stall if you are storing cars, even a heavy curtain will help. Stop the slab at the outer door seal and drop the outer 1" lower, depending on area drainage. I have electrical outlets every 4' on my walls, cheap convenience. Wire for a motion detector lamp so main lighting doesn't have to be switched on just for a quick in/out trip.
Mike

 

[GForceJunky]

wow... very helpful information, thank you... yes, I plan to insulate, and heat/cool as well... you're correct, don't really need much heating in MS but for a couple of months, but will most likely have the option..

if I did windows they'd be up high to allow natural light in, but would want some way to keep the light out as well, as there will be some nice cars in there.

I do plan on a lift or two in there, one for storage, and one to do some work on cars..

again, thank you for taking the time to give such a thorough response

No problem. Although I didn't go through a ground-up build, it was close to it (kept the shell, new slab with radiant heating, insulated the garage, full rewire, etc.). Lots of things I've learned on here/through experience that I wouldn't necessarily have thought about before (like outlets at workbench height).

For heat, radiant in-floor heating would be the best way to go, but it's a lot more expensive upfront and for MS may not be worth the expenditure, especially since you're also planning to cool the garage. Given that, it may be most cost effective to go with a forced air system and a traditional AC/Furnace setup. You'll want to insulate under the slab and around the footings of the building if you're going this route, but anyone setting up one of these systems for you should know to do that.

Also, if you plan to have a larger air compressor, plan to build a sound-insulated room for it or a little lean-to or similar off the exterior to keep noise levels down inside the garage. Think about how and where you want to pipe the air - there are lots of options from classic black pipe to welded piping to fancy push-connect kits.

I would do a minimum of 6" 4k PSI concrete. If you're planning on reinforcing it, which I assume you will be to some extent, make sure to plan out where you want the lifts to be anchored down in advance so you're not trying to drill through rebar. I've seen floors with lots of filled holes from dealing with that! And look at the requirements of the lifts you want (2-post in particular) for how they want the floor around the posts to be laid out. They will all provide minimum specs for each lift.

If you plan to do epoxy coating or any other floor coating - do it as soon as you can (probably about 1 month after cement is poured). The cleaner the cement, the easier your life will be and the better the finish.

Windows high up sounds like a good plan. Lots of light, low risk! If they're too high up to easily access without a ladder, maybe get some power blinds/shades that you can open/close at the push of a button?

 

[ConCretin]

do you mind sharing any specifics of specs and execution that I need to make sure my contractor gets right.

Take a look at my Guide for Floor Slabs in the link below.