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36 x 46 garage "rebuild"

eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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81
I have just started a project to build a garage/workshop in my backyard. The house was built with a separate 20x36 2 car garage/shop in the backyard in addition to a 2 car garage attached to the house. The "back" garage has an 8' ceiling height and bathroom already which has been nice, but I need more space to put in a 2 post lift or two.

The plan is to extend the 20x36 garage into a 36x45 garage. the 36' is the width and the 45' is the depth. This should allow for 3 extended "bays" for 2 cars nose to tail in each bay. The garage will be constructed so the entire interior space is free of any support columns - this allows maximum flexibility and maneuvering inside the structure.

My goal is to be able to pull thru the entire structure with my pickup and car trailer to haul my track cars. The ends of the garage will have both a 16' and 10' garage door to allow for easy clearance of vehicles.

Because I want to put in some car lifts, it was important to find out what concrete characteristics were specified by the manufacturer. I have decided to use a rotary 2-post lift and they recommend a minimum of 4-5" of 3000 psi concrete. My contractor has overbuilt the foundation to exceed the requirements, and we are using 6-7" of 5-sack (~3500 psi) concrete poured over #5 rebar lattice and 36" deep beams. This thing should help prevent any problems with any lift fixation.

existing structure:




foundation preparation:




note the depth of the beams and slab:




concrete poured:




rotary lift SPOA7LC (from Viperforums)
DSC04088.jpg




update #1:

original slab was poured 2' too short due to error by the architect! So another 3' was poured along with 4 new piers and a double beam on the end. Now the garage will be 36x46 instead of 36x45.

Also my contractor discussed with me that it will be cheaper to demo the entire existing garage and rebuild rather than tie into only 2 of the walls so tomorrow the old garage gets smashed.

This has given me extra time to plan and source out a lift - I will actually be using the Rotary SPOA10-RA lift which can be lowered to 11' and save me about $2k from having to buy their special low height SPOA7LC (and this LC lift has been discontinued). I also am planning on plumbing an 80 gallon air compressor with retractable air hose reels on the ceiling, and T8HO fluorescent light fixtures.

update #2

old garage is no more:



framing started & completed in 2 days:





16" I-beam joists:




versalam garage door headers:



36' steel dropped I-beam runner:




framing completed:






my precious has arrived:


131222__gollum_l-sms-1208.jpg




I'll try to update this as it goes along.
 
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JC23

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Dec 31, 2009
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Man, talk about doing it RIGHT! Congrats on the build, the size and really taking that baby home! Looking forward to seeing more.
 

Nighttrain

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Aug 6, 2009
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Dripping Springs, Tx
I would not think that it would be cheaper to tear down the old and start over, but it sure is the right way to go. Very nice build. Looks like a lot of detail and thought has gone into it/ Do you have an alley entrance in back? If so then I can see why you want the drive through options.


Congrats on the build.

By the way there is another thread on here for posting your mug shot! You don’t need to include it with your build thread J
 
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eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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Very nice, I love the steel beam.

the steel beam was necessary to make the interior clear of any posts. Originally it was to be at the height of the joists but I decided why not make it a dropped beam so I can put a trolley and chain fall on it?
 
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eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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some updates. Long time but much has been accomplished:

all electrical, plumbing (air and water lines) so the insulation and drywall was done


taping and floating the drywall. I'm leaving the surfaces without texture so a longer process for floating is being done. Also, I put up 3 50' air hose reels in the ceiling for easy access


installed #13 8' strips of T8 high output 4 bulb fixtures (Lithonia from Home Depot). This keeps it plenty bright in the garage at any hour. I had the lights wired so I can turn on and off the lights in banks of 3 to allow the option of running only what I need



the exterior 3-part stucco was completed and the metal roof tiles (hail and hurricane proof) are almost done. The metal shingles weigh <20% of what a traditional clay tile weighs, which allows for less stress on the roof
 
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eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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almost done now and I am at $62/sq ft. The garage is ~1600 sq ft
 
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eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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some inaugural projects done:

truck motor transplant

537120506_truck.jpg


997 turbo O2 sensor work and general undercarriage inspection

537120507_997.jpg
 

AustinMiniMan

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Jul 29, 2009
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I've lurked for a while and will be posting my garage "complex" pretty soon. My main shop is a 5-car set-up built in 1890. I'm currently working on an "auxiliary" 3-car built in the 30's. Builds like "1930's Auto Shop" bring a smile to my face. I, admittedly, spent a lot of my time replacing rotted wood and truing up walls. But it's worth it, because I'm always able to save more than I replace.

This post just hit a visceral chord with me- It frankly upsets me a fair amount. I'm not against new construction, but I looked at the first photo and thought "Oh, what a nice starting point." I just assumed you were going to add a taller section then get rid of the connecting wall. But you tore down what looked like a completely serviceable, solid, and nice shop. It's just waste for the sake of waste. I'm not an environmentalist, far from it, but I hate people just wasting things because they can. You didn't take it apart to reuse the lumber, you didn't save what was there, you just tore it down, destroyed it, for the hell of it. To each his own, but I find the whole thing pretty disgusting. It shows a complete disregard to efficiency, history, or anything else. It's just like saying you don't give a ****. Sorry for the venting- but this just really tweaked a nerve.

I don't mean to offend, but why'd you take that path? It also wasted money and meant, in the end, you got less garage for your money. -Ted
 
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eclou

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Ted,

you bring up a good point. The original plan was to add-on to the existing structure and raise the plate height to 11' to get enough clearance for automotive lifts. In order to do so 3 of the existing walls would have to be stripped down to the studs, then build a 3' extension on top of them. This would create a structural deficiency called a "hinge-effect" which meant the walls then should be sandwiched with plywood to add strength.

To convert from 2 8'x7' garage doors into a 10'x7' and 16'x7' would also mean that the end wall would have to be almost completely replaced to install the correct headers to prevent sag. In the end only two 20' x8' side walls would have been kept and the labor involved to save them was beyond justification.

The roof rafters would not have been able to be re-used because the hip of the roof was changing from horizontal to longitudinal, and the spans were much longer since the roof rise was higher as well.

It was actually much cheaper to start from scratch and build it correctly. The whole garage was framed in just 1.5 days. The existing foundation was in fact completely incorporated, so all was not wasted. In the end, the construction has been less than $70 per sf
 

AustinMiniMan

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Eclou,

Sorry for having such a strongly worded post. My frustration was focused more generally at the building scene, not your garage necessarily, and as such my ire was probably misplaced.

I probably would have gone the route of having built a taller but structurally independent building tied into the back, but I understand your wanting to have full height throughout the whole building. Either way, the new garage looks great. I love the railing on the staircase- nice touch!

Did you just not have room on your land to build the new garage in addition to the old one? That old shop looked to at least have been a nice place to store, if not work on, cars...
 
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eclou

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81
Ted my intention was to minimize the footprint on the yard. I did not want to remove any more grass and trees than necessary, and I actually using Belgard permeable grass pavers to form the drive-around driveway

turfstone_side.jpg
 

Kevin54

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Jan 12, 2005
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Location
Urbana, Ohio
some updates. Long time but much has been accomplished:

all electrical, plumbing (air and water lines) so the insulation and drywall was done
537118953_drywall.jpg




taping and floating the drywall. I'm leaving the surfaces without texture so a longer process for floating is being done. Also, I put up 3 50' air hose reels in the ceiling for easy access
537118954_float.jpg




installed #13 8' strips of T8 high output 4 bulb fixtures (Lithonia from Home Depot). This keeps it plenty bright in the garage at any hour. I had the lights wired so I can turn on and off the lights in banks of 3 to allow the option of running only what I need
537118955_lights.jpg




the exterior 3-part stucco was completed and the metal roof tiles (hail and hurricane proof) are almost done. The metal shingles weigh <20% of what a traditional clay tile weighs, which allows for less stress on the roof
537118956_stucco.jpg

Out of curiosity, what makes the roof tiles hurricane proof? I know that most buildings have hurricane ties to tie the roof to the walls which can still rip off, but what makes the tiles hurricane proof? Does the design or the way they fasten have something to do with it? Don't get me wrong, not being smartass about it, but I have seen 70mph gust around here do some real damage to a roof, just wondering what makes those different. I also see that you mention they are metal, so do they work with a standard style roof and truss? I know the clay tiles take a real beefed up system to carry the weight of the clay tile. Do they lay and fasten basically the same as a clay tile?

Non-the-less, I really like the architectural look of the building. It really adds a lot compared to a square box garage. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
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eclou

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Out of curiosity, what makes the roof tiles hurricane proof? I know that most buildings have hurricane ties to tie the roof to the walls which can still rip off, but what makes the tiles hurricane proof? Does the design or the way they fasten have something to do with it? Don't get me wrong, not being smartass about it, but I have seen 70mph gust around here do some real damage to a roof, just wondering what makes those different. I also see that you mention they are metal, so do they work with a standard style roof and truss? I know the clay tiles take a real beefed up system to carry the weight of the clay tile. Do they lay and fasten basically the same as a clay tile?

Non-the-less, I really like the architectural look of the building. It really adds a lot compared to a square box garage. :thumbup::thumbup:

The tiles are made by DuraLoc http://www.roofshingleshelp.com/dura-loc-shingles.php and weigh about 20% of what a traditional clay tile system weighs. This allows significant savings in engineering the trusses. They are rated to 120mph winds, which I can assure you is realistic. My homeowners insurance was surprised to find they are one of the only two roofing systems that will give you a discount for hail damage coverage. I have the same roof on my house which withstood Hurricane Rita which pulled down 4 80' oaks in my yard and turned my corrugated shed into shrapnel. They are fastened with sheet metal screws to 2" x2" supports which you mount across the roof
 

On Edge

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Jan 25, 2005
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Cincinnati, OH
Looks like you are going to have plenty of room there. Garage is Beautiful. So are you going to reuse your garage flooring or are you going a different route. Can't wait to see it completed!
 
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eclou

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Nov 6, 2010
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I'm going back with more Racedeck. I don't have the patience to do epoxy now
 
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eclou

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minor update:

permeable glass paver driveway was laid. Some exterior paint completed as well. Next week the Racedeck tiles arrive and I can finish the flooring

 
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Rye425

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^ Photo makes it look like a church. A place to worship cars.
 

slimpickins

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Nice architectural building. Hardly looks like a garage on the outside!
Looks like you made the ceiling height exactly right for the rotary lift. Is it touching the ceiling?

Got any plans for decorating the interior?
 
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eclou

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garage is in Houston, TX. My order for RaceDeck tiles arrive next week and I'll have some finished floor pics up hopefully by next weekend
 

Gareth

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May 23, 2007
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Lancashire, England, UK
I love it. I'm looking forward to the next update, and once the permeable grass paver system has bedded in, I would really appreciate a picture or two as I've been considering a similar system for an area of my garden that I would like to be able to use as temporary parking every now and again.

Love the choice of cars too. I'd love a 944 track car, but I quite fancy a 968 as a cheap weekend car. I'd love a 993 Turbo or Carrera at some point in the future, funds allowing!

:)
 

rickairmedic

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louisville ,Ky
Very nice redo . Looks like you can park 3 deep and 3 wide . I am guessing the 36' side is the side with the overhead doors and the 46' is the side walls. I am hopeing to do a 35X45 addition myself in the near future.

Rick
 
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eclou

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Very nice redo . Looks like you can park 3 deep and 3 wide . I am guessing the 36' side is the side with the overhead doors and the 46' is the side walls. I am hopeing to do a 35X45 addition myself in the near future.

Rick

yes you can do 3x3 parking with smaller cars. My pickup and trailer will just fit end to end - 18' trailer (22' total length) and extended cab 6.5' bed pickup
 

Mikey72Nova

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Sep 6, 2010
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Northern CA
Great job! I love everything about the space..but why the green doors?

And what do you have up the stairs..storage I assume..any pics?
 
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eclou

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the main house has casement windows and doors all painted green - mediterranean/Tuscan styling. I don't have any upstairs storage pics. There is perhaps 1000 sf of storage space in the "attic"
 

dkGoodrich dot com

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Sep 24, 2010
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Wow, props to you. I really enjoy seeing performance shops on here. Do you make your living in this industry?

100k constuction cost isn't bad for that shop. It looks amazing! How are you heating and/or cooling it?

I'm building a dyno cell and waiting room in my shop with the race deck flooring. I really look forward to it changing the looks.

Thanks for your time!
Dk
 
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eclou

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Dk the shop is just for hobby. I have been wrenching on cars since I was 15 and have built and maintained some cars for road racing, along with servicing the daily drivers.

I am going to add a commercial package 4 ton HVAC unit before the summertime hits. Right now the shade, overhead fans, and straight-thru breeze are enough to keep things very comfortable and minimize fatigue
 

Riverfarm

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Jan 23, 2010
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Very nice...cars as well.

I would be interested on your HVAC install details when you finish. I am in the beginning stages of designing a shop that will replace a rental house I owned. Since the HVAC was relatively new, I saved everything except the ducting to be reused.

Again, terrific place...save room for my 1962 356 Notchback:)
 
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