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Iowa House with attached garage/shop

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iowa4x4dieselman

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Here goes the beginning of our new house with an attached garage/shop all in one build. The home will be located in DeWitt city limits on a cul-de-sac. Where I am building I am not allowed any detached sheds, the garage will be the shop, so hopefully I can still work out of it and keep the daily drivers inside. So far I have been using sweet home 3d for the drawings. I have TONS of questions for the people here, as my wife and I want this to be our forever home. I do have a budget, but if there are some things that should be done for efficiency/resale, I will take into consideration. The basement will be finished, unsure if it will be at the time of build or at a later date. So far we will be having 9 foot walls on both main level and basement. The garage will be at least 12 foot tall to allow for a 2 post hoist in the "tandem" area. I plan to have the garage floor tubed for radiant heat, with hooking it up at a later date. garage doors will be 8 foot tall, 18 foot wide on the double and 10 foot on the single. I will get into lighting questions later once I have the finalized plan from our builder, but as of now I am requesting 3 220v outlets for the garage, with the possibility of 2 being on one circuit. I would like to have one for my compressor, one for a welder and one for the hoist. I think the hoist can piggy back off of the welder, because if I am operating the lift I cannot be welding also, but if I were to have a plasma, I would need the air compressor functional at the same time the outlet is. So 2-220v circuits from the main panel but 3 areas for power. Please let me know of any concerns with that. The home will be about 1800 sq. ft. and the garage is a little over 1200. currently the only photo I have is before I have made changes, I will share this with you guys, and update when I can. I appreciate any feedback and guidance. Thanks!
 

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Kburk09

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Am currently in the same planning stage. We recently had an architect take the best things we liked about a few different house plans and combine them all into the perfect house for us. He brought some great ideas to the table and is well worth the money.

Interested in what feedback you get. What is the room off the front door?
 
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thammel

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One comment on the 12' garage ceiling height. Go for 12'6"....I built at 12' and then found out that many lifts that are spec'd at 12' are actually a few inches over 12'. I got an Atlas 2 post and am happy with it but my options would have been wider if I'd gone a shade over 12'.

Definitely do the insulation and drywall and painting before you move in. Also use Armorpoxy and do the epoxy floors before moving in. I did all that after I started using it and took me forever and a lot of hassle to get it all done.

Tom
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Thank you guys for your responses so far.
I am having our builder and their lumber supplier drawing the plans up, I was doing this to give them a rough layout. The builders have been very helpful with their insights on the design and a few things have changed already.

In the front entry the open space will be a "horseshoe" or return staircase with a window, and behind that will be the "mud room" (the door swings are not correct in photo). My wife requested the entry be to somewhat the same as the front door to alleviate 2 separate areas for shoes/coats etc. The builder had a concern with groceries, as this is the reason many garage entries are to the kitchen. Personally I had never given this any thought, but it makes sense. The plan is to have a corner pantry where the tandem garage starts. The builder suggested some kind of "doggie" door that would enter straight into the pantry.

I have thought about going taller, as I was looking at a bendpak lift that states it was 145 inches tall. I am waiting on the plans to see what we are doing, if the truss design will be different in the tandem area, or the entire garage will be tall enough. There is some fill that will need to be brought in anyways, I just don't want too many steps or the garage to be way higher than the house. thammel - is your garage/shop attached to your house? if so is it a ranch home? just looking for ideas/similar structures.

I plan to have the garage finished before we move in. Definitely the flooring! I have been kicking myself everyday for not doing it in our current house. I wanted to before we moved in, but had too much to do inside that it ended up being a back burner thing and before I knew it the garage was too full. There is way to much stuff to have to move to make it happen at our current home.

How did you like the armorpoxy stuff? Is there a recommended time frame on doing new concrete? I imagine I will be ok from the time it is poured till we move in, just wanted to make sure.

Thanks again guys!
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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A few more questions I have.

Has anyone here used fox blocks, or ICF for the forms? if so what are your experiences with this. If you have a cost comparison that would be great.

I was looking into using the zip system for sheeting, with possible spray foam insulation. The builders concern was building the house too air tight that I would need an exhaust fan to have fresh air in the house. Has anyone heard of this or have any experience with it? He mentioned something about setting up one of the bath fans to come on at intervals. The reason he mentioned was if we were to stay in the house for an extended period of time without opening any doors (multiple days) not that this would happen, but potentially we could use up all of the oxygen in the house.

Hopefully having a meeting on Monday and will have "reviewable" plans then!

Thanks again!
 
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rsanter

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ICF is awsome

First impression of garage is not big enough......but that’s just me

Can you move the back wall of the tandem section of garage back to be even with the other room? Should make almost no difference in cost.

Also, will you ever want to open the back of the garage for drive through? Perhaps when doing a project in the back yard or open for elbow room when working back there?
If so you can install a header now so making the opening later will be easy.
If not a garage door there then perhaps double doors
 
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bdbecker

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iowa4x4dieselman said:
...I was looking into using the zip system for sheeting, with possible spray foam insulation. The builders concern was building the house too air tight...
Click to expand...

That is a real concern when building a highly efficient house. The good thing is that there is a ton of info out there on how to properly exchange the air in sealed house. Do a search for "green building forum" and you'll find several GJ-type forums dedicated to these types of construction methods.
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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rsanter said:
ICF is awsome

First impression of garage is not big enough......but that’s just me

Can you move the back wall of the tandem section of garage back to be even with the other room? Should make almost no difference in cost.

Also, will you ever want to open the back of the garage for drive through? Perhaps when doing a project in the back yard or open for elbow room when working back there?
If so you can install a header now so making the opening later will be easy.
If not a garage door there then perhaps double doors
Click to expand...

Thank you for your feedback!

Do you happen to know the cost spread for something like this from standard poured foundation to ICF?

Haha, I keep telling the wife that, but sometimes she's the boss. If we did extend it to the rear of the house, it could be cheaper/the same due to less corners in the foundation, siding, roof etc., but then there would be no windows on that side of the house. We will have a patio door somewhere on the rear, and a thought was to put a small patio or something in the corner area. Just don't know how it would look with only windows towards the rear of the house? Thoughts or insights?

I have thought about a roll up door out the back. I am hoping I can do this for ease of getting lawn equipment in and out, but with plans for a daylight basement I'm not sure if the land will allow this? An other option I had asked for was double doors along the side towards that corner. I would like something to be able to get lawn mowers out without having to move cars.
 
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jeepxj

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use the zip system. build that thing as tight as possible. install a ERV/HRV


 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Thank you for your response and the videos. I will definitely look into this. It looks like if I coordinate it right I could install this myself on the weekend and save some money.

In the video he shows how it’s controlled in a minute intervals and such. Other ones I have seen have a remotely mounted controller that one could place by the furnace thermostat. Is there an advantage to that vs control at the unit? Or will there not be any changes after the initial setup?



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jeepxj

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I'd set it and forget it. I wouldn't worry too much about having the controller next to the T-stat.
 
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Voi

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iowa4x4dieselman said:
I have thought about a roll up door out the back. I am hoping I can do this for ease of getting lawn equipment in and out, but with plans for a daylight basement I'm not sure if the land will allow this?
Click to expand...

If the land allows for a daylight basement can you do an over/under garage? There are a couple of ICF type products that allow for an elevated slab. Lite Deck is one that comes to mind.

I'm pretty sure one of these products in discussed in this thread:

https://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145073

iowa4x4dieselman said:
An other option I had asked for was double doors along the side towards that corner. I would like something to be able to get lawn mowers out without having to move cars.
Click to expand...

Years ago I priced an 84" steel double (French) door with a handicap threshold as a possible way to get stuff in and out of my garage without another overhead door or roll-up door.

I don't remember the cost but it was cheaper than I expected and I understand people have driven ATVs over the thresholds without issue. I never did do that but have kept it in mind for our next house.

Is that what you meant by double door?
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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jeepxj said:
I'd set it and forget it. I wouldn't worry too much about having the controller next to the T-stat.
Click to expand...

Ok Thanks! I am continuing to do research on this, but it looks like an ERV would be better vs an HRV.

Voi said:
If the land allows for a daylight basement can you do an over/under garage? There are a couple of ICF type products that allow for an elevated slab. Lite Deck is one that comes to mind.

I'm pretty sure one of these products in discussed in this thread:

https://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145073

Years ago I priced an 84" steel double (French) door with a handicap threshold as a possible way to get stuff in and out of my garage without another overhead door or roll-up door.

I don't remember the cost but it was cheaper than I expected and I understand people have driven ATVs over the thresholds without issue. I never did do that but have kept it in mind for our next house.

Is that what you meant by double door?
Click to expand...

While I would love to have more garage, as we only plan to finish part of the basement, I am not sure that would work. With only having a daylight vs full walkout, I'm not sure that would work as the rear of the house will only be out of the ground far enough for windows.

Hmm, good idea on the "handicap" style door. I have never given the threshold a thought. So with installing a handicap accessible door the threshold is lower to allow the wheels to roll over easily? That is exactly what I was thinking was a "French" door style. 84" would be more than enough width for the things I would like to get out, I will just have to measure me sitting on the tractor to ensure enough height, or will I have to duck to avoid a head injury.

The only thing I need to be mindful of is wall space, as I would loose some by adding a door. I don't think it will be critical, but need to hammer out my desired layout before final placement of the door.

I have a preliminary sketch of the house. I will try to get this uploaded later today for feedback.

Thanks everyone on the insights so far!!
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Its been a little while since an update, but meeting with builders tonight to see our requested changes from the last meeting. A family member recently built a home and had included a gun safe in the basement. I was wondering what everyone's take was on that or have any experiences with it. Dimensions would be great if anyone has them.

Thanks,
 
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XJSuperman

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Well if you need one that big then heck yes I would do it now before you have to call 10 friends to help move it in. A relative of mine just left one in a house they sold because it took 8 people to bring it in down a long flight of stairs. Wasn't worth moving it or selling it separate from the home.

An acquaintance of mine's parents had a vault built in under some stairs in a house. It was pretty sweet, but again, it was gone when they sold the house. They were collectors and builders of guns. He had shot Olympic class rifles back in the day, so they really needed the space and security. This was Montezuma, IA.
 
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jeepxj

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iowa4x4dieselman said:
Its been a little while since an update, but meeting with builders tonight to see our requested changes from the last meeting. A family member recently built a home and had included a gun safe in the basement. I was wondering what everyone's take was on that or have any experiences with it. Dimensions would be great if anyone has them.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

a built in gun safe of 1' thick concrete with a baller door would be on my bucket list. dimensions: triple what you think you need. then you'll only run out of space in 3 years.
 
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matt_i

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You asked about ICF - is this for the entire wall to full height or just the foundation "stem" walls below grade?

I did the latter in my build. If you have interest in looking, google "Garage Journal Tool Crib of the North" and you'll find it.

I would definitely do ICF for any basement that I were to build in the future because of the insulation value. The ICF was a savings for me because I was then able to build & pour my own foundation. Would have been considerably more contracting this out. Nowhere I could find to rent concrete forms.
 
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kjdhawkhill

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XJSuperman said:
Well if you need one that big then heck yes I would do it now before you have to call 10 friends to help move it in. A relative of mine just left one in a house they sold because it took 8 people to bring it in down a long flight of stairs. Wasn't worth moving it or selling it separate from the home.

An acquaintance of mine's parents had a vault built in under some stairs in a house. It was pretty sweet, but again, it was gone when they sold the house. They were collectors and builders of guns. He had shot Olympic class rifles back in the day, so they really needed the space and security. This was Montezuma, IA.
Click to expand...

More than a few big collectors out there in Montezuma, I would imagine. I haven't been in the new Brownell's, yet, but will have to get in there eventually.
 
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Kburk09

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We are building a tornado shelter/safe room under our front porch. I purchased a 60 gun safe before Christmas that we will drop in the room after they finish pouring the basement walls. It will be a walkout basement so access would still be there but at 700lbs i would rather the machinery on site do the heavy lifting.
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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We received the bid back on the house, and boy was I surprised at the concrete number. I did not realize it had gone up so much. I believe all of the concrete work for the house including the foundation, basement floor, garage floor, sidewalks and driveway was over 52K is this just the going rate now? he stated that concrete was around $130 per yd. A similar size house they built 4 yrs ago the concrete number was around 35K. that's 17K in 4 years!!
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Well, after many delays I finally have a print. It is not finalized, but its something!! Still waiting on lawyers to close on the lot (since February) but we have started selecting some of the finishes (siding, roofing, doors, trim). The house will be flipped 180 from this layout, kitchen layout is incorrect, and we will be flipping the main bath so the door does not line up with the front door.

The lumberyard was trying to sell us on "Viwintech" windows. Has anyone had any experiences with them? There are so many windows these days its hard to know what is good and what isn't.
 

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bdbecker

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I'm not sure what the current cost per yard is, but I know concrete prices have been pretty wonky the last few years, at least around here (DSM). I need to have my rear patio and front driveway replaced and keep hoping for a little slump in the market, which hasn't happened. I'm just about ready to say "forget it" and have it done.

I really like that garage layout! Seems like a very practical yet comfortable amount of space.
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Thanks! I plan to have a 2 post hoist in the tandem area with cabinets on the house side. I have a 1979 f250 I plan to restore with my son, and wanted to be able to keep the "work area" separate from the daily driver area. I haven't had much time to mess with the layout yet. still trying to figure out lift spacing from front wall if I want to have the cabinets there or not. don't want to be too cramped when a vehicles on there.

On the concrete note. I had my driveway done at the current house, it was very long and it was 10k. I have heard that the new I-74 bridge from IA-IL is using tons of concrete so that could play into the prices also. IDK how much truth to that there is.
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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I received a couple quotes on radiant for the garage and basement, and I plan to at a minimum install the insulation and tubes. I plan to have them zoned separately while running off of the same heating appliance, locating that in the basement utility room. While Wifi would be awesome for these, idk if its necessary to have wifi thermostats as the in floor heat ones will most likely not be adjusted. I do like the wifi one I have at the current house for the main HVAC system though. We have been in the selection process for the finishes. so far have picked out siding, roofing, soffit/gutters, interior doors and trim. Windows is still a large concern for me, as it is not a cheap endeavor, and want to ensure quality products are being installed in the home. Still waiting on them to start digging, as this was supposed to start in April, While it has given me time to work on projects at the current house, I would like this done before winter hits so were not moving in the snow :mad:

Any tips or advice on windows anyone??
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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Anyone have advice on any window brands?

Looking to do a tan exterior with 6 lite prairie grids on the front of the house (rest will not have grids) with white interior.

Now the city is balking at the garage size, and states it should be no more than 40% of house size, putting us at around 750 sq ft. I currently live in a smaller house and my garage is larger than that. Trying to work around this. The builder says he can wall a section off for "storage" and then remove after final inspection. hopefully we can work this out soon :dunno:
 
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matthimself456

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isonic said:
Don't think that you can go wrong with Andersen Windows.
Click to expand...

For the money you can do waaay better than Andersen. In my mind they are a textbook example of a company whose reputation and marketing far outshines the actual product.

If you want wood windows I'd go with Marvin. For vinyl there are cheap ones with garbage quality, expensive ones with garbage quality, expensive ones with good quality and cheap ones with good quality. My point is don't judge vinyl windows based on price. Frankly pretty much all of them provide good thermal and sealing performance. Look at things like fit, finish, hardware, and ease of operation to be able to tell who is just slapping them together and who has done their homework.

It depends somewhat on window type (hung vs. casement, etc) but for that 4th category (cheap but good quality) I'd look at MI if they distribute in your area.
 
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bdbecker

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Glad to see they started! The wet spring has everyone way behind schedule.
 
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Bert_

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matthimself456 said:
For the money you can do waaay better than Andersen. In my mind they are a textbook example of a company whose reputation and marketing far outshines the actual product.

If you want wood windows I'd go with Marvin. For vinyl there are cheap ones with garbage quality, expensive ones with garbage quality, expensive ones with good quality and cheap ones with good quality. My point is don't judge vinyl windows based on price. Frankly pretty much all of them provide good thermal and sealing performance. Look at things like fit, finish, hardware, and ease of operation to be able to tell who is just slapping them together and who has done their homework.

It depends somewhat on window type (hung vs. casement, etc) but for that 4th category (cheap but good quality) I'd look at MI if they distribute in your area.
Click to expand...

Last window I've bought was Anderson. As you said they've always been a well respected brand. I was disappointed with the window for what it cost. I wanted it to look decent so it was a midrange wood window. The joints aren't that good and there's two big vinyl strips visible from inside. Pretty disappointing. Guess I should have found a Marvin windows dealer, nobody seems to push them locally.

I don't know if anybody makes windows that will actually last.
 
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XJSuperman

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Found a window problem in my garage, so Im looking. So far Im going with Jeldwen from menards. They seem nice and have a good display to get your hands on it.
 
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iowa4x4dieselman

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rerod said:
Hey neighbor..

Looking good there, but I cant believe the 52K price tag for the foundation.

https://www.replacement-windows.com/windowbb/ is a great place to research windows. But I imagine you already picked brand by now.
Click to expand...



The 52k was everything including the flatwork for the basement, garage, driveway, and sidewalks. But still nuts how much it cost!!

Thanks for the link, yes we did select windows. I just had to pick finally. I was down to Marvin integrity, which was there entry level and ultrex (similar to fiberglass) and Simonton perfeXion 6000. They were pretty close, but the simonton were vinyl. I know they say fiberglass is stronger. I really did want the Marvin due to their reputation, but in the end the warranty on the simontons were better, lifetime on everything including screens.

Where are you from in Iowa?


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