Detached Garage in Major City [Build Thread]

garagedriven · Sep 20, 2018

“Any space out of the weather is a good space.” - Falcon67

Starting this thread to document building a new, detached garage in a major city (Toronto). I’ll also be documenting it on YouTube and on a blog I set up if you’re interested in following along there as well.

The space’s primary purpose will be to store my daily driver and it will have a bit of an auto detailing focus.

Performing research for this project over the last six months is what led me to this forum and I’ve learned a lot (and drooled a lot) over some the amazing spaces on here. It’s also sent me down a rabbit hole about everything garage related. What started as researching garage designs and materials has spawned into a growing passion for auto detailing and DIY home ownership projects.

In other words, for me, the impending garage build has been the driver for a whole new set of passions and interests.

And that’s why I’m calling this project and journey Garage Driven. What I’m realizing (and what all of you obviously know already) is that a garage is the anchor element and space that facilitates these passions and hobbies for the modern homeowner and enthusiast.

At minimum I want to document the project for fun, and it gives me an excuse to post stuff to YouTube.

THE BUILD

We bought our house almost four years ago and this is the beautiful garage that came with it :/

(VIDEO TOUR OF EXISTING GARAGE)

Yesterday was demo day:

(VIDEO OF DEMO)

GARAGE DESIGN AND PLANS

This is going to be a relatively small garage. The dimensions of the space are 14’ x 19’ 6”. That’s just enough space to park our SUV along one side and have a little room leftover for some shallow storage and cabinets along the other wall (I think).

And that’s not the only thing that’s tight.

The paved driveway in front of the garage is only 17 feet long - also just enough space to fit our car between the garage and sidewalk. I’m sure all of you who live in suburban homes with huge three car garages are cringing right now.

(VIDEO WALKTHROUGH OF PLANS)

At the end of the day, this is the reality of living in a major north american city. I’m substantially restricted in terms of allowable size and I’m going with a footprint that makes sense for my overall property. I’m also avoiding having to secure special permits that are costly, time consuming and open to neighbour objections.

Ultimately, I think the challenge of setting up a smaller space for storage and some detailing will be an interesting (and sometimes frustrating) process that will hopefully lead to some projects and solutions that others will find interesting as well.

I’ll also be taking on frigid and messy Canadian winters, figuring out how to create a space that can stand up against snow, slush and salt, and allow me to perform occasional indoor winter detailing. I’ll be taking a lot of cues and inspiration from Rick on this one.

Thanks for checking out the thread - I'll try and post more updates soon.

Stuart in MN · Sep 20, 2018

I look forward to your progress. Anything is a step up from that old garage.

captain14 · Sep 20, 2018

I always enjoy the smaller garage builds. Much more realistic for the average home DIY.

theoldwizard1 · Sep 22, 2018

The most important thing about any building with a slab is making sure the slab is far enough above grade that no ground water will ever be above it !

You will notice in Rick's build the walls are on top of curbs/"pony walls". A lot of cities now require this. These pony walls are poured as part of the foundation so require forms to be set to get them up that high. The floor is poured separably.

These walls need to be waterproofed just like a basement wall. 3 steps. Asphalt based waterproofing (tar), waterproof membrane, and dimple board along with weeping tile. Back fill with gravel. Of course at best this protects 3 side !

Doing it "right" is not cheap, but you will have a dry floor. Make sure the floor has just enough pitch for water to flow out under the garage door.

Use moisture resistant resistant "green" drywall (at least 4' up) and several coats of semi-gloss/gloss latex paint and the walls will pretty water resistant. (Make sure the drywall is at least 1" off of the floor.)

Last, build a high as code will allow. This will allow a low mezzanine to be built along the back wall. It needs to be high enough so that the nose of your vehicle will fit underneath it. This is really just a very large shelf, 4' deep, running across the back but done correctly (2x8 16" O.C.) and you will have a lot of heavy storage up there ! Run these joist all the way out to the sheathing on each side. next to a stud and sister a 2x4 underneath each of these joists.

Jtrudel90 · Sep 22, 2018

subscribed... looking forward to see this build

maplepuck · Sep 22, 2018

also sub'd and looking forward to the use of small space

garagedriven · Sep 26, 2018

theoldwizard1 said:
The most important thing about any building with a slab is making sure the slab is far enough above grade that no ground water will ever be above it !

You will notice in Rick's build the walls are on top of curbs/"pony walls". A lot of cities now require this. These pony walls are poured as part of the foundation so require forms to be set to get them up that high. The floor is poured separably.

These walls need to be waterproofed just like a basement wall. 3 steps. Asphalt based waterproofing (tar), waterproof membrane, and dimple board along with weeping tile. Back fill with gravel. Of course at best this protects 3 side !

Doing it "right" is not cheap, but you will have a dry floor. Make sure the floor has just enough pitch for water to flow out under the garage door.

Use moisture resistant resistant "green" drywall (at least 4' up) and several coats of semi-gloss/gloss latex paint and the walls will pretty water resistant. (Make sure the drywall is at least 1" off of the floor.)

Last, build a high as code will allow. This will allow a low mezzanine to be built along the back wall. It needs to be high enough so that the nose of your vehicle will fit underneath it. This is really just a very large shelf, 4' deep, running across the back but done correctly (2x8 16" O.C.) and you will have a lot of heavy storage up there ! Run these joist all the way out to the sheathing on each side. next to a stud and sister a 2x4 underneath each of these joists.

All great advice, thanks. I think I'm doing everything you've mentioned but thinking about plywood on the inside walls instead of drywall. Then I can hang stuff anywhere and not have to sweat it.

The mezzanine / shelf idea is good.

garagedriven · Sep 26, 2018

Yesterday was excavation and concrete prep day. The crew managed to get the entire site cleared of hedges and roots, excavated the grass and dirt, threw down gravel and prepped for pouring the pad. Below is a video and some pics.

Next up, pouring the concrete pad and driveway.

captain14 · Sep 26, 2018

I just watched the video. When is the big day for the concrete pour?

garagedriven · Sep 26, 2018

captain14 said:
I just watched the video. When is the big day for the concrete pour?

Tomorrow 8am!

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garagedriven · Sep 29, 2018

The concrete pad has been poured and the forms for the driveway have been set up. The truck arrived around 8am Thursday and the crew spent most of the morning installing and setting up the pad.

garagedriven · Oct 4, 2018

The concrete and foundation work is now complete. Over a 4-5 day period, the crew poured the concrete pad for the garage and driveway, laid down interlock and set the foundation blocks. The weather has been brutal and wet this past week so things are a little muddy and messy.

But now that the blocks have been set on the pad, I'm getting a much better sense of the space I'll have inside.

Getting lots of looks from neighbours and dog walkers - people are mostly positive and supportive though. One guy the other day said, "Dude, I'm jealous. I'd kill for a garage." lol

captain14 · Oct 4, 2018

Bet you can’t wait. Save the photos and create an album so you can share later in life when friends ask you about the garage.

Take photos of all the utility work so you can find it easily later if there are issues.

macs_rock · Oct 4, 2018

Subscribed, I love small garages as I'm not sure I'll ever have the space to have a big one.

rixtrix1 · Oct 4, 2018

You're gonna love this!! Thanks for sharing!

Bessy · Oct 4, 2018

Subscribed! I love these small builds, they're truly the most ingenious when it comes to effective use of space. Back at my parents place I worked out of 12×17' worth of space, which seems like a palace now compared to the driveway I have to work on in Mississauga right now.

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garagedriven · Oct 5, 2018

Bessy said:
Subscribed! I love these small builds, they're truly the most ingenious when it comes to effective use of space. Back at my parents place I worked out of 12×17' worth of space, which seems like a palace now compared to the driveway I have to work on in Mississauga right now.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Hey!

That's close to what my interior dimensions are going to end up being (13'x18'6"). I'm going to pull my vehicle in once the framing is up to really get an idea of what's going to be possible cabinet / storage wise.

Bessy · Oct 8, 2018

There are a few of us Canucks on here if you keep your eyes peeled. Two things I'll mention that I've taken into account in mine since it's a small space:
1) make (almost) everything mobile, tools, benches, etc. But;
2) have one static (solid, anchored to the wall/floor) heavy-duty bench with a good vice on it.

I made the mistake of making both my benches mobile, and I've regretted not having a good solid bench when needed. Mine are both the same height (exactly) which is nice though.

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garagedriven · Oct 8, 2018

Bessy said:
There are a few of us Canucks on here if you keep your eyes peeled. Two things I'll mention that I've taken into account in mine since it's a small space:
1) make (almost) everything mobile, tools, benches, etc. But;
2) have one static (solid, anchored to the wall/floor) heavy-duty bench with a good vice on it.

I made the mistake of making both my benches mobile, and I've regretted not having a good solid bench when needed. Mine are both the same height (exactly) which is nice though.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Makes sense! Appreciate the advice. I'm hoping to have enough room to get a fixed bench along the right wall - there's a chance it might have to be a fold down bench though. We'll see soon.

garagedriven · Oct 13, 2018

Lumber for framing has arrived. The city building inspector came on Friday and approved the footings and foundation so framing work can start next week. I posted some vids of the lumber being dropped off the back of the truck on insta here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Boz9NeLA0bk/

garagedriven · Oct 20, 2018

After a bit of a pause and some bad weather, framing is finally underway. Hoping to have the walls and roof portion completed this week. Planning to pull the car in and get a sense of how much space is left over.

theundermount · Oct 20, 2018

great looking little garage! I bet the neighbors love you for tearing down that old eyesore that was there. keep it up what are the plans for roofing material?

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garagedriven · Oct 21, 2018

theundermount said:
great looking little garage! I bet the neighbors love you for tearing down that old eyesore that was there. keep it up what are the plans for roofing material?

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Going with asphalt shingles - probably charcoal colored. It's an affordable option and will be in keeping with the neighbouring houses, which is important given how close together everybody is.

captain14 · Oct 21, 2018

Sweep for nails before you test fit the car!

garagedriven · Oct 22, 2018

captain14 said:
Sweep for nails before you test fit the car!

Funny you say that. I was all set to do it and noticed a nail and then did a closer inspection and found half-a-dozen more. Good tip!

captain14 · Oct 22, 2018

garagedriven said:
Funny you say that. I was all set to do it and noticed a nail and then did a closer inspection and found half-a-dozen more. Good tip!

It’s much easier to find them on the floor instead of in the tire along the road after dark.

Bessy · Oct 27, 2018

Garagedriven, Looks like things are moving along pretty well. Did you manage to test fit the car in there yet?

garagedriven · Nov 3, 2018

Things have been a bit slow on the project recently. My contractor is juggling two jobs so isn't on site everyday. He was upfront about that at the outset and the alternative was waiting until April which I didn't want to do. Weather has also been awful - we've been getting a ton of rain.

But I did test fit the car and yep, it's pretty tight but not too bad overall. I'll definitely be putting some hanging cabinets at the back over the front of the hood, but I'm torn right now on whether to also put a cabinet array down the right side. It's doable but would make it a tight squeeze for getting in and out on the passenger side.

captain14 · Nov 3, 2018

Don’t put the cabinets on the right side until everything else is done and closed in.

Maybe make a pattern out of cardboard boxes and hang on the RH side as test?

theundermount · Nov 3, 2018

I say go for the cabinets, a passenger can always just get out of the car before you pull in, it's a detached garage anyway so they would still have to walk outside eventually, if you have kids in car seats etc that may be a different story I guess...food for thought looking great though driveway is very clean

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bobbyjean · Nov 4, 2018

how thick is the pad for garage poured?

Stuart in MN · Nov 4, 2018

Looking good. You can always get shallow cabinets (or shelves) that won't be in the way.

garagedriven · Nov 5, 2018

captain14 said:
Don’t put the cabinets on the right side until everything else is done and closed in.

Maybe make a pattern out of cardboard boxes and hang on the RH side as test?

Ya, I'm not rushing to order them right now but will keep an eye on any Black Friday deals. I actually did do a mockup footprint with cardboard boxes already. The passenger door can open to the second stop and basically almost be touching where the cabinets would be.

theundermount said:
I say go for the cabinets, a passenger can always just get out of the car before you pull in, it's a detached garage anyway so they would still have to walk outside eventually, if you have kids in car seats etc that may be a different story I guess...food for thought looking great though driveway is very clean

It's a good point. We do have do have kids in car seats right now so it's a consideration.

bobbyjean said:
how thick is the pad for garage poured?

Pretty thick. The plans called for 4" but it looked much thicker when they poured it. It's also 4,600 PSI. It's particularly thick around the perimeter as well which I'm happy about.

garagedriven · Nov 5, 2018

Ceiling joists and rafters are up, and the crew also dug the trench that will carry the electrical and plumbing to the garage. I also decided to upgrade my electrical service to the house from 100amp to 200amp which the City came out and did last week.

Looking like the rest of the roof framing might get finished today which will be good because it's a wet mess inside the garage right now with the constant rain we're getting.

PhantomEB · Nov 6, 2018

Mines little compared to a lotta of here, 24x24 but I second Putting up cupboards at the head wall with tool boxes down below inside a well solid bench top cabinet.

Everything else can be pretty much mobile.

captain14 · Nov 11, 2018

Post #34 third picture down shows a brick arch over the basement window and another photo shows brick arches over the first and second floor windows. Your house was constructed immediately after WWII (45-50?) or during the war when all of the steel was regulated to war use? That style is typically seen around the Wash DC in the close in neighborhoods.

theundermount · Jan 17, 2019

any more action on this build ?

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garagedriven · Feb 22, 2019

captain14 said:
Post #34 third picture down shows a brick arch over the basement window and another photo shows brick arches over the first and second floor windows. Your house was constructed immediately after WWII (45-50?) or during the war when all of the steel was regulated to war use? That style is typically seen around the Wash DC in the close in neighborhoods.

Built in the 1920's in Toronto

garagedriven · Feb 22, 2019

Thanks to everyone who has been following this thread and apologies for the awful job I've been doing keeping it updated. I've been finding it easier to update on instagram if you're interested in following there:

https://www.instagram.com/garagedriven/

Here's some photos of progress over the last couple of months.

garagedriven · Feb 22, 2019

And a few more....

Prier hose bib installed inside garage:

Some detailing / pressure washing products from Obsessed Garage

NewAire G73 Electric Garage Heater installed:

Current status:

As of right now, the exterior of the garage is complete. Insulation, drywall and plywood have been installed on the inside. The reason for the two different kinds of materials is that the building inspector required me to install fire-rated drywall along two walls due to the proximity to my neighbours house.

I will be waiting for temperatures to warm up before doing mudding and taping... so everything that comes after that (paint, floor, cabinets, pressure washer setup etc) is on hold until that happens.

My contractor will be installing a attic access hatch next week likely.

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