20X20 The Slow Build!

[JimVonBaden]

Greetings,

This is my first post, and I thought it might be good to start here.

I just purchased a new house, close on Jan 15th. The house is done, but in the deal I got them to build me a garage. It has been some time since I have had a two car garage, having suffered with singles for the last 8 years.

My last two garages:



I built the shelving as a way around the small size of the space.



Townhouse garage, and rented, so no builds here.

The new place.


The house.


The back yard.


The garage at the moment.


Plans.

It will be a finished garage, and insulated. The build will be done in a few weeks, but the real work will start after that, filling the empty spaces with useful tools and storage.

This will not match most of what you guys have done, but it should be fun to chronicle.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[PSE driver]

Looks very nice. Should serve its pupose well! How deep is that lot? Looks very long or is it just the narrowness of it?

 

[JimVonBaden]

I wondered if anyone would notice. The realtor shot of the lot makes it look very deep. In reality it is 1/4 acre, and about 1/3 wide, 2/3 deep.

This is more representative, and from about 2/3 of the wat to the back fence.

The lot size is 10,300'

Jim

PS The garage is going to be about 20' past the end of the driveway you see here.

 

[BullyDawg]

Looks good! How is the progress coming along?

 

[JimVonBaden]

I'm going to stop by every few days and check.

I am getting some great ideas here for upgrades and especially storage!

Thanks,

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Went from this:

To this:

With a lot of rain.

Hope to have it done in a couple weeks!

Jim

 

[Nighttrain]

Congrats on the new house and shop. Are you going to beable to put a drive way in to the shop?

 

[JimVonBaden]

Congrats on the new house and shop. Are you going to beable to put a drive way in to the shop?

It will have paving all the way to the garage.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Sask83]

Hey Congrats on the house it looks really nice and you seem to have a very nice yard as well. I was curious as to why only a 20 x 20 garage. The only reason i ask is i just recently bought a house last nov and it had a 22 x 24 garage and i finished it and put in a reznor 45000 btu hanging heater as winters can get very cold here in Alberta. I can barely fit my truck in there with about half a foot on either end to spare and just enough room to have the dirtbike and snowmobile in their comfertably with my workbench. It seems like you have lots of room i would go the extra few feet and not regret it later i would kill to have mine 26 x 26 min. Keep us updated im interested to see how things turn out for ya Cheers

 

[JimVonBaden]

Thanks, we are very excited about the house, me the garage mostly!

Unfortunately the pad was already started, and permits were done when I purchased the house, and the ability to close on the house hinges on the garage being finished.

That said, I already am working up plans to extend the garage in the back by about 15 feet and put in a 6' roll up door in the back to access it. I can then use that space for my workshop, and my motorcycle lift. That will take a while, but once I get rid of some other money drains, property, I will be all over it!

Still, a 20x20 beats my 13x19 single in my old house and townhouse.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Supplies are in, for the shell!

Jim

 

[info2x]

Congrats on the new place Jim! Does this mean fewer Sky snow pics?

 

[JimVonBaden]

Congrats on the new place Jim! Does this mean fewer Sky snow pics?

Thanks!

I sure hope so, at least I wont have to park it in the snow, but I will still drive in in the snow!

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Some progress. It should be done by next week!

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Just a little update. My wife and I stopped by and had a look. The shell is done except the siding, and the roofing is done on one side, and will be complete by the end of the day.

Looks good so far, and feels reasonably large inside. I like the 16X8 door size.

I like the ceiling, it will be very high when done, about 10'. Not much room, or load capacity for storage, but we only planned on light weight stuff there anyhow. The shape is nice looking too.

Lot's of light, but low security. I'm going to need to address that on the door.

The right side is very close to the fence, so required a layer of drywall as fire protection by code. Looks like they are not so good with a nail gun either!

The back side where I will be adding a 15X18' Shop in the future.

The builder says it should be fully complete by the 28th.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

A little more progress!

It is ready to be inspected, then next comes the sheet rock, exterior and interior lights and complete the driveway.

Not the highest level of opener or door, but decent quality and it works well. I will definitely need to add some insulation to the door.

Question, what is the general opinion on garage door windows? I am thinking of adding some, but am not sure if I should or not.

Jim

 

[John in OH]

Several comments ...
1) It looks as if you made good use of your single car garages! This new garage will seem huge ... at least for a few weeks!! Good plan to add a rear addition.
2) I really like the appearance of your new house ... very pretty.
3) Door security ... start with a double-cylinder key deadbolt. They'll have to totally smash the door to get in.
4) I like windows in a garage door. The extra natural light is very pleasant. If you have security concerns, you can put a frosting coating on the interior of the windows ... lets in light but ya can't see through it.
5) What general area of N VA are you located? I live about 30 mi outside of Richmond and my daughter lives in Burke.

 

[Nighttrain]

Looks good. I would add the windows. May want to consider a fence/gate to the driveway if you have security concerns.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Several comments ...
1) It looks as if you made good use of your single car garages! This new garage will seem huge ... at least for a few weeks!! Good plan to add a rear addition.
2) I really like the appearance of your new house ... very pretty.
3) Door security ... start with a double-cylinder key deadbolt. They'll have to totally smash the door to get in.
4) I like windows in a garage door. The extra natural light is very pleasant. If you have security concerns, you can put a frosting coating on the interior of the windows ... lets in light but ya can't see through it.
5) What general area of N VA are you located? I live about 30 mi outside of Richmond and my daughter lives in Burke.

Thanks, I appreciate the input. I plan on a security system to tie into the house system. Motion sensor and door sensors.

The house is in Alexandria, about 4 miles from DC. I have another house in Dale City, so not too far apart.

I'm definitely leaning towards windows in the door, up high, and frosted.

Jim

 

[A**holes Garage]

Nice job, great build!

 

[Kevin54]

Great build!!! How many safety rules broke in the process?" Like maybe the sticker that says "Do not stand above this step"

I've done it many time myself

 

[JimVonBaden]

Great build!!! How many safety rules broke in the process?" Like maybe the sticker that says "Do not stand above this step"

I've done it many time myself

More than a couple I am sure!

I hope to have the driveway and wall drywall finished by the end of next week!

I'm looking forward to getting started on setting it up. But first I need to insulate the ceiling, drywall it, and add lights and paint! I have to admit, I love the process, and am ardently studying all the incredible garages on here for ideas!

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

A little update. The garage is coming along slowly, as expected. However some progress has been made.

Outside back. The mess has been cleaned up, and the power line trench filled.

Front. Light installed and working. Prep has begun to finish the driveway. Concrete will be poured tomorrow.

Inside the sheetrock has been fitted. A view towards the rear.

A view towards the front.

The left over rock, plus the materials ready to mud it up.

The wife, frozen, but happy for me. More happy to have her house nearly done. We move in before the end of the month!

I have lots of plans for my little garage. It will take a while, with the move, but it should look nice. I have gotten lots of ideas from this site!

Jim

 

[A**holes Garage]

no windows?

 

[JimVonBaden]

no windows?

Just in the man door so far. Once I am in and get a feel for it I am thinking about adding windows to the garage door. Not sure if I will add any to the walls other than the window air/heat unit that I have. That may include some glass, or just the hole for the unit. I am not sure yet.

Jim

 

[scotty_d]

That is a tidy Garage. Can't wait to see it filled with toys

 

[JimVonBaden]

For anyone interested, this is the part my wife is excited about:

The upstairs is just a bunch of bedrooms and bathrooms. I like the open layout, though my wife is a bit concerned about how to decorate it.

Jim

 

[cderalow]

Out of curiousity what did a new house in that area run to construct?

 

[JimVonBaden]

Out of curiousity what did a new house in that area run to construct?

The building alone was about $340,000, add land and make it near $600,000. Alexandria, VA, 4 miles from the Pentagon, 5 miles from DC, is an expensive place to live, but still cheaper than where I lived the last 3 years, in Vienna/McLean, VA. The same house there would be near $1M.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

OK, so I picked up some VCT for my floor that I want to put down before I move in. I have 8 boxes of this (360 tiles/360 sq ft):

And three boxes of this (135 tiles/sq ft):

I got a great deal on them at $110 for all of them. So, with this combination, I need to come up with a pattern that looks good on my 20X20 (400 sq ft) garage.

Visual.

So, anyone have any ideas? I will have some cabinets and a workbench across either the man door side or the back, likely the man door side.

All ideas welcome!

Jim

 

[The J]

That build looks great so far! Garage matching house is really nice.

I would do a border of black around the sides and back wall, leaving the front opening and the whole middle the lighter gray. Maybe a gray "path" from the man door to the gray center section.

If you do a checker, use large squares (4x4). The small checkered floors can be too much for the eyes.


Keep you the great work, and keep us updated!

 

[ehgrayIII]

Where did you get that good of a price on vct, and is there any left? I'm planning on using those exact same colors in a checker pattern. If i had those amounts you have I would do a black border around the grey.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Contact the guy from this ad: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/mat/2784340753.html

He has a bunch of tile still, in a bunch of different colors.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

A little update:

The drywall taping is done:

Driveway is paved:

Getting closer and closer.

Jim

 

[mahoptician]

Envious, someday maybe we will have a garage. Looks lke the builder did a nice job for you!

 

[JimVonBaden]

Envious, someday maybe we will have a garage. Looks lke the builder did a nice job for you!

Thanks!

Our builder has really gone above and beyond on some of the details.

From here on out it is all on me.

Jim

 

[letz4wheel]

Thanks!

Our builder has really gone above and beyond on some of the details.

From here on out it is all on me.

Jim

You will probably screw it up Yup that was a joke...poor but it was all I had
Looks Great!

 

[Scuderia-F1]

That garage will look really nice when finished, you & your wife have a good looking home too!

 

[dwaynerz]

is the garage squared on the house, cause it looks like your garage is slanted in relation to the fence. all that said and asked, it looks to be a nice garage.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Thanks guys, it is a nice place, built on an old lot and a "tear down" house plot. The garage is squared up to the house, which is squared up to the road in front. Unfortunately the land is slightly off, like a parallelogram. It wasn't noticeable until the garage was built.

As for screwing it up, I have no doubt there will be mistakes, but I am persistent if nothing else!

Jim