12' vs 14' ceiling

[tomshep]

Great forum. Just found it a couple weeks ago and having a great time reading.

I am in the process of building a 40x36 behind my home. The slab was done this week. Framing will start in a few weeks.

The ONE thing I am uncertain of is the ceiling height. I am trying to decide between 12' and 14'.

The lifts I have looked at all need 12' so that is OK.

Cost savings would be somewhere in the range of $1,000 which is appealing but not a major deciding factor.

My greatest concern is how this garage will look behind my single-story Ranch home with 8' eaves. I just don't know if it is going to look HUGE behind my house from the street and the neighbors perspective.

Normally, I am of the philosophy bigger is better, do it once and do it right, etc. but this is one I really can't come up with a solid reason to go 14'.

So, bottom line questions is--Those that have 12' or 14', was there a big factor helping you decide? Any comments will help.

Thanks, Tom

 

[csp]

How close to the house will it be?

The further from the house, the less the oversize effect will be.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Mine is currently going up with a 15'-7" ceiling because I'm going with a 2' post extension on the lifts that will be put in later. By making them that high, I can still put lights where I need them and use a high lift jack shaft opener on the garage doors.

The liftmaster 3800 will allow the doors to tuck up tight to the ceiling just below the lights and still leave clearance from the lift. I would go with the 14' ceilings just for that reason.

 

[larry_g]

I went with a 14' wall so I could have a second floor above part of the shop. I also went with a steeper pitch than my old shop to increase the usable space in the second floor.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Nighttrain]

36x40 garage is going to look big either way. Steeper pitch roof can make it look taller also. I would go with 14' and maybe a lower pitch. Or to match the house better go with the same pitch as the house.

 

[70redbee]

I went with ceilings of 12'-4 1/2" for mine. That is a full 12' 2x4 with 2 top plates and a single bottom plate. My lift needs 12' so the rest just gave me some fudge factor, worked out great. Keep the pitch of the roof low, so it doesn't take over the house. The further from the house it is, the less it will overshadow the house. If you can, keep the design and trims, siding etc. close to the design of the house, so it blends in. Landscape around the garage in a similar fashion to the house to make it look good.

 

[tomshep]

Good input.

The garage is 70' behind the house.

Garage and house will be built the same brick, trim, paint, roof pitch, shingles, etc.

When they did the slab I had them pour a perimeter around the slab similar to the way a slab is a little lower in an attached garage to a house.

So, the the bottom will actually start 5.5" above the floor of the garage. In reality, I have an extra 5.5" of height with either ceiling.

So far I haven't had a strong reason to choose the 14' from the above posts.

Please keep the thoughts coming....

Tom

 

[Zengineer]

I don't think it's worth the $1,000 premium for most uses.

 

[ddawg16]

Look at this way.....which would you rather change bulbs on....12' or 14' ceiling?

 

[e-tek]

If I could have gone 14' inside I would have. I was limited to a 14 ft overall bylaw, so that meant I couldn't go more than 12' inside, which became 11.6' finished. I can stand under a car on the lift, but not a truck.

 

[BHR4CE1]

$1,000 is nothing on the scope of an entire build. I'd go 14' just to make the space feel more open once all your **** is in there!

 

[akdiesel]

I have a 12'6" ceiling in my shop. It also has a storage above a sectioned off room (28' x 14'that is approx 4' in height. The ergonomics is poor when trying to move items up there and having to bend over at the same time.
The shop was purchased this way so I had not input on the construction, but if I had to do it over again I would go 14' or maybe 16' ceilings.
For $1000 to go an additional 2' in height is cheap in my eyes for the comfort and future expansion if needed.
If you ever want to work on a motor home you may have problems getting it into the shop since most are about 11'6" tall with the ac on top.
Pros for a 12' ceiling are air space to have to heat up. Lower ceilings mean better use of heat unless you have a in floor heat.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I went with 14' so I could add a second floor in one corner (which I haven't done yet)
also I went with a 12' high door on the back of my barn. It also gave me a little cushion for my 12' lift. I went with lower pitched roof 4/12, keep the profile low and I can easy walk on it.

 

[ibedayank]

van is 7 foot tall ....your 6 foot tall... lift van 6.5 feet
now ask yourself how high do you want that ceiling?

 

[Kevin54]

If I had mine to do over and I had a choice between 12' and 14', I would go with a 14' ceiling. You can always add a loft whether it be open or closed off for storage. It's easier to store above than to take up precious space on ground level.

One thing though is that you didn't mention what size the footprint would be. If it is only something like a 24'x24' then a 18' tall building or taller to the peak would look a little top heavy. But if you are talking something like a 30' x 60' then by all means, go with the taller ceiling height.

 

[BPJOOP93]

van is 7 foot tall ....your 6 foot tall... lift van 6.5 feet
now ask yourself how high do you want that ceiling?

We have a winner
10'6" ceilings. no way for lift. Im 6"4".

 

[SuperSocket]

What total height does code allow? 14' plus roof sounds incredibly high for residential with ranch.


You could always do a 12 with a scissor truss.

 

[Aberdale]

Your choice for your needs, although you haven't mentioned what you will be using the space for, or what you will be putting in it other than a lift. But at 70' from the house, the visual difference between 12' and 14' is negligible. They're both going to look big.

When I built my shop, I was more concerned with functionality than what it looked like from the road. I went 14' and have no regrets, except that I wish I had gone 15'. I built a 40x60 with a 10' mezzanine across the far end with stairway access. This was by far one of the best storage solutions to get lots of stuff off the floor, but still easily accessible. The air compressor fit nicely under the stairway. The mezzanine is 8' high to accommodate a machine shop below, so the height to the ceiling on the mezzanine is 6'. Another foot would have provided better head room.

14' ceilings also allowed me to use 12'x12' doors with openers. I can still open the doors with a vehicle on the lift.

And it looks great from the road.

 

[rburke65]

Just my 2cents, but you will never regret the 14' ceilings. You have never heard anyone ever say.....'I wish I would have bought the black and white TV and not the color' or I wish I would have built it smaller.

 

[csp]

But at 70' from the house, the visual difference between 12' and 14' is negligible. They're both going to look big.

^^This^^^

I'd go with 14'. The new building isn't going to affect the look of the house that far away.

 

[Toolfool]

What about 12' walls and scissor trusses ? My shop has 10' walls and scissor trusses spanning 40'. 4/12 pitch roof, 2/12 inside pitch gives me 13' 6" in the center. Steeper roof pitch would give you even more height inside.

 

[rsa]

But at 70' from the house, the visual difference between 12' and 14' is negligible. They're both going to look big.

One thing that would make the difference non-negligible is the overhead door height. A tall wall with a short door will appear taller than a taller door in the same tall wall. Example, 14' with 10' tall doors looks bigger than 14' with 12' tall doors. At least in my inexpert opinion, it does.

I see Aberdale used 12' doors on his build.

 

[djd99]

What about 12' walls and scissor trusses ? My shop has 10' walls and scissor trusses spanning 40'. 4/12 pitch roof, 2/12 inside pitch gives me 13' 6" in the center. Steeper roof pitch would give you even more height inside.

I have 12' in mine, my hoist is right in front of my bay door and I have to shut my door to fit taller vehicles on the lift so go with 14 it will be worth it.
If you locate you lift anywhere else 12' will work for most trucks.

 

[Johnsons Garage]

I built a 36x40x12 behind my one story ranch several years ago. It is 100 feet behind the house with a shallower pitch roof and looks fine. Having lived with it for several years I would say the only reason I would go 14' is if you want some sort of loft area. I can reach all my lighting and overhead storage with a 8' stepladder. Also any additional height does not relate to additional work area like floor space does. It does however add cubic footage which costs more to light and heat and cool. Just my 2 cents.

Regards

 

[Highbeam]

Other than the very obvious vehicle height plus human height issue, you need 12' tall doors to pass a normal RV trailer with an AC unit. Maybe not now, maybe the next owner, but someone will have a normal height trailer that will be hosed because you didn't build it to full height from the start.

I am just finishing framing my 30x60 pole barn with a 14 foot ceiling height to allow for 12 foot doors.

 

[JMURiz]

70' behind the house is far enough, go with either the 12' and scissor trusses or the 14'.

Mine is only 16' behind my house so I had to do 10' sidewalls and a vaulted ceiling.

 

[tomshep]

Great input. The logic on the 12' vs. 14' has to do with door height, as some have mentioned. If I go 14' I get a 12' door which allows most RVs. If I go 12' ceiling I get a 10' door height and no RV inside.

I will see if I can drop the pitch down--good idea. That would bring the overall height down.

I am going with engineered trusses and I will have attic storage the entire length of 40' with stairs on one end.

The use is working on cars. Both older and newer Mustangs are my fun at the moment so 12' inside for a lift is plenty of space.

Heating and cooling isn't critical. I am in TX and it won't have either.

As one posted, I did think about changing those lights at 14'.

Keep the comments coming.

Thanks, Tom

 

[tomshep]

Gotta love the internet.

I just looked at my restrictions and there is nothing specifying roof pitch. Only requirement is the addition needs to be 80% of the same materials as the home.

So, going from a 5/12 to a 4/12 pitch drops the neight by 1.5' which is a BIG POSITIVE.

I am still within shingle specs for a single layer of felt also.

Never would have considered that alternative.

Good advice.

Thanks, Tom

 

[Ray-CA]

I have to stay with a 15-ft height at the peak of the roof, but we are building 8-ft stud walls on top of 2-feet of block using 4/12 (I think) trusses Believe that will give me a 14-ft high ceiling at the peak.

Ray

 

[32rules]

Your choice for your needs, although you haven't mentioned what you will be using the space for, or what you will be putting in it other than a lift. But at 70' from the house, the visual difference between 12' and 14' is negligible. They're both going to look big.

When I built my shop, I was more concerned with functionality than what it looked like from the road. I went 14' and have no regrets, except that I wish I had gone 15'. I built a 40x60 with a 10' mezzanine across the far end with stairway access. This was by far one of the best storage solutions to get lots of stuff off the floor, but still easily accessible. The air compressor fit nicely under the stairway. The mezzanine is 8' high to accommodate a machine shop below, so the height to the ceiling on the mezzanine is 6'. Another foot would have provided better head room.

14' ceilings also allowed me to use 12'x12' doors with openers. I can still open the doors with a vehicle on the lift.

And it looks great from the road.

X2!!!!
Ordered my pole barn 40x60x14 which gave me exactly 13' from floor
To rafters which doesn't leave enough room for a useable loft area. Would have went 15' or 16'

 

[HAP]

One thing to consider, if you have to do an "engineered foundation" for a metal building, eave height will be a major factor in the cost of the design and construction. There is something called a "uproot factor" where lateral wind loads on the side of the structure having a tendency to want to up root the beam attach points. Higher eaves require more substantial footings... your local codes will require you to satisfy wind load spec’s.
One other thing to consider, I erected my 40x60 steel building all by myself using 2 standard 12' fiberglass ladders.
The statement about changing light bulbs or any other type of task related to the ceiling is very relevant as well.
Regards,
HAP

 

[tomshep]

I think I have a handle on this after discussion today with my framer and garage door supplier.

Since I am building an unfinished interior you will be able to look up and see the rafters and bottom of the roof deck.

Originally, I was going with a traditional raised panel garage door. This required 18" for track clearance below the ceiling joists.

I can get a commercial roll door that takes up 21" of space. I can place it in the attic space above my ceiling joist to save room.

So, that means a 12' ceiling and a 12' opening. The roll-up door will be rolled up above my top plate and store in the attic space.

The cost of the roll door and required opener are about $600 over the standard raised panel door. However, I am still money ahead since going down from 14' to 12' will save me about $1,000 in cost.

Total height will be 12' plus 6' in rafter height (using a 4/12 pitch) for a total of 18'.

I don't think I can get any better than this situation.

Thank you for all of the thoughts and comments.

If you have anything else, please add.

Tom

 

[PurdueSD]

e-tek said it well..

My ceiling finished out at 11'11"

Perfect for this...

but could use the extra 2' for this...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Many two post lifts require slightly over 12 ft. If you have something like 11'11" or 12 ft even, you might have a lift poking thru the ceiling.

Charles

 

[akdiesel]

It appears you already had you mind made up of the 12' ceiling and now with almost 100% of the pole telling you to go with the 14' or higher you still choose to go with the 12'.
I sure hope it works out for you.

 

[Highbeam]

Roll up doors do look funny, or different, than regular panel doors. Maybe you like the different look? They also don't seal well at the top so your shop will be leakier.

 

[haugy]

Go 14'. I did and was glad.

See my pics for reference. My neighbors are all around me, and while the shop does stand out, it does not look huge. 40x30x14.

And the extra space inside is nice.

 

[tomshep]

What height doors are those?

Tom

 

[tomshep]

It appears you already had you mind made up of the 12' ceiling and now with almost 100% of the pole telling you to go with the 14' or higher you still choose to go with the 12'.
I sure hope it works out for you.

The main reason I was considering 14' was to get a 12' door.

The extra 2' inside for ceiling height isn't a priority for me. I'm not building an office inside and plan on storage above it. I don't need to put a truck on a lift.

From the floor to the ceiling joists will be 12' 5.5" so I have enough interior height for my needs with a lift and stacking cars.

The issue with a 12" ceiling was the garage tracks dropping me down to a 10" door.

If I can get a roll up door that will work and give me a 12' opening and I have a little over 12' inside then I am good to go.

I will look into the sealing of the door on the top side as noted.

Tom

 

[ckeene]

go big as you can.