1200 sq ft design?
- Thread starter clawman
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zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I would suggest looking at your options as far as placement on your property and size/shape it to your exact needs. What kinds of tools/equipment do you need to house? How will you be using it? Any jogs getting into it where it will be located? Etc.
My shop is 34x34 but had some logistical items to work around. Square works fine, but in my opinion for my purposes, I think 30' deep by 40' wide would place more room for cars/trucks to be placed side by side compared to where I am at now with my full shop. Currently in my 34' wide shop I couldn't get two cars side by side.
Mike.
My shop is 34x34 but had some logistical items to work around. Square works fine, but in my opinion for my purposes, I think 30' deep by 40' wide would place more room for cars/trucks to be placed side by side compared to where I am at now with my full shop. Currently in my 34' wide shop I couldn't get two cars side by side.
Mike.
astroracer
Well-known member
Use? Automotive? Wood? If automotive 30 x 40 x 12. Put one 16' and one 10' rollup on the 40' side. With lots of room to the gable ends. 
Give yourself room for a lift? Maybe loft trusses for room "upstairs"?
Lots of open questions depending on how you plan to use it.
Mark
Give yourself room for a lift? Maybe loft trusses for room "upstairs"?Lots of open questions depending on how you plan to use it.
Mark
Like they said, yard layout is the first question. I only had enough room to go 24' wide on my property so I went 40' deep. 40' deep is kinda a weird depth, it's more then enough for 1 vehicle but not quite enough to work on anything with 2 vehicles deep.
From my experience I wish my garage was 40' wide x 30' deep. 30' deep is a great depth for vehicles pulling in. 40' wide will give you the ability to go 3 bays wide. And go a min of 12' ceilings. I wish my 10' ceiling was 2' higher.
From my experience I wish my garage was 40' wide x 30' deep. 30' deep is a great depth for vehicles pulling in. 40' wide will give you the ability to go 3 bays wide. And go a min of 12' ceilings. I wish my 10' ceiling was 2' higher.
Dick in Wisconsin
Well-known member
I agree with Jamie's first paragraph.
I went with a 10' ceiling, I wish I would have stopped with 9'. The extra height just drives the costs up (you will spend MORE money than you expect to and want to) and the building is a touch out of scale with the house. Scissor trusses for the possible lift addresses the height issue.
You have lots of options:
Depth Length SqFt
25 48.00 1,200
26 46.15 1,200
27 44.44 1,200
28 42.86 1,200
29 41.38 1,200
30 40.00 1,200
31 38.71 1,200
32 37.50 1,200
33 36.36 1,200
34 35.29 1,200
35 34.29 1,200
36 33.33 1,200
37 32.43 1,200
38 31.58 1,200
39 30.77 1,200
40 30.00 1,200
What do you want to use the garage/shop for?
I based my size (42' x 23.75' = 997.50sf) on two things. (1) The vision I had for a race shop and (2) resale at some point in the future.
I was stuck with 1,000sf after getting the township to increase the max size for "accessory buildings" from 600sf! I wanted room for four cars; one 16' door and two 9' doors with reasonable room between four vehicles and along the sides (shelving and/or workbenches and/or machine tools).
The 16' door (parking spots one and two) is where primary race car work takes place. The second race car is in the "third" parking spot and the "fourth parking spot" is an open area for fabricating, working on stuff, parking another car, etc.
I could have gone deep with three stalls, but I thought that would have held back future salability. I could have gone wider, but that would made getting around the front and back of the 17' race cars difficult. My 23.75 depth (with 6" walls) is about the least I would go. If I were working on Suburbans, extended cab pickups, 50's and 60' Cadillacs, hearses, and other long vehicles ... I would have gone much deeper and hit the local town board much harder to get a max size of 1,200 or even 1,500sf.
If you want more size and have the room for more size, consider going to the municipality and proposing an increase in the maximum size for accessory building. You'll probably find as I did that the municipalilty's appetite for a "variance" or "conditional use permit" is almost ZERO. But they were receptive in considering an increase in the max size. When looking at the other restrictions that could limit the size of your building (side yard, rear yard, distance between buildings on your property) are likely not to change, but if you need those to be smaller, consider asking for that too ... but don't be surprised these measurement are not on the table.
Hope my thought process helps!
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LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Height restrictions?
There are a few at the link below that should give you a few ideas.
http://www.behmdesign.com/
Good Luck
Blue XJ
Well-known member
How wide are your cars? I can fit 2 just fine in my 23' wide garage with about 5 feet on either side of them and a couple feet in between them.
You guys who have 24' wide garages and say you have two cars wide either have no equipment on your side walls or you drive Mazda Miatas. I have an air compressor, tig welder, mig welder work bench, cabinets, drill press, parts wash, cherry picker, engine stand, floor jacks, jack stands, nut/bolt bins, tool chest, etc. they all take up about 3' out from the wall on both sides.
I can jamb two vehicles wide in there for a snow storm or something but you could never work on a vehicle with another one next to it in a 24' wide garage.
I can jamb two vehicles wide in there for a snow storm or something but you could never work on a vehicle with another one next to it in a 24' wide garage.
Jess
Well-known member
I have a 30 x 40 with 16' ceiling and a mezzanine along the one side, benches and such under, finished space over. If I was to do it again, I would have gone 40w x 30d, with two doors and a third area for shop and clean area on the ground and finished space above for other hobbies. Mine is fine, but as others have mentioned 40 deep s a bit odd for multiple projects and I am always moving something or filling the back with ****...
Like has been said. What is the shops intended purpose.
My not done shop is currently 40 wide 30 deep. I on occasion build utility racks on crew cab trucks with 9 or 10 ft utility boxes. I also have a crew cab long bed dually.
Hence I would much rather be 40 deep and 30 wide.
My not done shop is currently 40 wide 30 deep. I on occasion build utility racks on crew cab trucks with 9 or 10 ft utility boxes. I also have a crew cab long bed dually.
Hence I would much rather be 40 deep and 30 wide.
YukonXL04
Well-known member
I would do 46x26. 3 10 ft doors on the 46 side and you should have plenty of room for working on things and room on the sides for tools and equipment
Agreed 1200 sq ft might not be as grandiose as some shops on here but that's a huge amount of space.
Dick in Wisconsin
Well-known member
I wonder what the OP will use the shop/garage for.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Standard width vehicles but due to my configuration I cannot get two cars side by side. One being my two-post lift and the other is due to the equipment. Basically I have one automotive bay, one motorcycle bay where I can get multiple bikes in and a fabrication/machining section.
Mike.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
go with the 40 wide, that is what I would do at least.
Big Daddy Chop Shop
Well-known member
I am a bit over your sq. footage, but I will share regardless. I am at 30*50 and I have one 10'*12' overhead door in the center of the 30' end. Its OK i suppose, but had I built it, I likely would have put a couple doors on the long wall. Using it as I do (all purpose shop, which, fwiw, I believe most of the shops are) its a bit "off". I have had several nice shops, this is for sure the biggest, but doesn't feel like it. I like the length, but it just doesn't feel quite right. Its a bit hard to explain.
Especially if you are working on cars, or tractors, etc, I would go no less than 30' deep...ever. i would not go much over either I don't think. Perhaps 40 deep. But unless the lot deems it, I would never do deeper than wide. Just my $.02.
Especially if you are working on cars, or tractors, etc, I would go no less than 30' deep...ever. i would not go much over either I don't think. Perhaps 40 deep. But unless the lot deems it, I would never do deeper than wide. Just my $.02.
Mine is 30' wide by 40' deep, x 10'. I have one 16' wide main door on the east 30' side and one 10' wide on the south 40' side (for cross ventilation).
I'm a bit of a hoarder, but I have 2 1950 F-1 pick-ups, 1 59 ford Galaxy, a TR-3 and a 944 in mine. It's not the best but I do get things done. The Porsche is for sale so I'll gain a little room then.
I have shelving (15" deep x 10' high) on 40' wall and drawer cabinets on the other.
Works for my needs.
I'm a bit of a hoarder, but I have 2 1950 F-1 pick-ups, 1 59 ford Galaxy, a TR-3 and a 944 in mine. It's not the best but I do get things done. The Porsche is for sale so I'll gain a little room then.
I have shelving (15" deep x 10' high) on 40' wall and drawer cabinets on the other.
Works for my needs.
justanengineer
Well-known member
Before you do too much planning double-check the wording in case they get ****. In some areas restrictions are based upon building area as you assume, in others its based upon covered area for drainage and needs to include eaves which in these parts commonly are 3-6'/side bc of our snow.
I've got a 21 x 50 shop. Cabinets/ 36" counters on one side, upper cabinets and floor tools (blast cabinet , trans jack, engine stand, 2 post lift, 3/4 bath, galley kitchen, refrig) on the other and have 5 cars in there. A little tight to work on them, but so far it works. I'd go 24' x 50'. It gives more side to side room to work and still have cab/ctr/tools on both sides. Go 12' to 14' high so you don't have lift problems.