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24x24 garage planning

rye

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2014
Messages
21
decided to move to build myself a garage. Amongst other reasons of course!
I'm quite restricted being on a 33' wide lot. I'd like 4' on one side for taking out the garbage and getting bikes back and forth, and 8' on the other side to park outside/store whatever car I'm not using. That leaves me with a thinner garage that I'm having trouble laying out. It looks like 25' long will work, but width across the lot will be 22'. These be outside dims, I guess inside will look like 23.5' x 20.5'.

Two big decisions, 1- 2 post or 4 post lift, how to layout inside with a lift, whether I can park 2 side by side (1 project and 1 daily driver during crappy weather, which is all winter), and whether I can store my vw can up top (depends on roof!)

And 2- whether to go with flat or pitched roof. I'd prefer a flat roof for the added storage up high on either side of the garage, and so a lift wouldn't have to be centred. Bylaws say Pitch roof must be 9' max at eaves and 15' max at peak while flat roof must be max 12.1', all measured from ground at property line. I figure by sloping driveway down to inside I can pick up an extra foot height inside and have 11.5' inside height, assuming 18" thick flat roof. My vw van I'd like to have on the lift is nearly 7' tall so I could raise it only about 4.5' on a lift with flat roof. I would get a four post lift if it were possible to eke out enough height to store the vw up top and park another car underneath but that's not ideal. Otherwise it might make more sense to get a two post lift that can be put away when not in use.
Other important part is household storage. As many here have experienced, it's no fun storing the Christmas decorations, camping and bicycle **** between your drill press and your tool box. I want the household **** up and out of the way so a flat roof would be good for the wall mount storage.
I'm not dead set on the flat roof but I have put more thought into it than pitched. I'm more set on the 4 poster for safety and its versatility for other uses like layout table or what have you.

What are your thoughts on my layout and the decision between flat vs pitched and 4 post vs 2 post? It's looking like flat roof with two poster vs. pitched roof with 4 poster.
Sample layout sketch attached...
 

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OP
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rye

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2014
Messages
21
Site layout attached..
 

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carotene

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
107
Location
Washington, DC
If you want the lift, the flat roof seems like the way to go. Weigh that against a pitched roof with attic trusses to give you a bunch of storage above.

Check with your code about how they determine grade. Dropping your slab a foot may affect your average grade measurement at the front of the garage.
 
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matt_i

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
10,725
Location
SE Michigan
Having worked with 2 and 4 post lifts, if I personally had any intentions on doing any serious work on the vehicle, pulling an engine by dropping the front cradle, change rear axle, drop fuel tank, etc, I would rule out a 4 post lift. If its just a device for storage and an occasional oil change, probably OK.

Seems like you are trying to shoehorn a bunch of special features into this building, per the tight envelope. It can work but the flat roof is not going to be cheap. It costs money to fight physics. I think the standard material is a sheet of EPDM rubber for a flat roof these days.

Buying a nice floor jack and some name brand jack stands could probably save you $10-15k.
 

CNGsaves

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Messages
13,233
Location
KS and OK
OP . . good luck planning your new shop. First recommendation as full-size lift in 24'x24' will be awful tight . . . especially if you'll only be 20'x23' in reality. You'll probably be better off with portable style lift . . . MaxJack.

Also, you'll get best advice with LOCATION.
Update GJ Profile with City / State / Country.

Your pictures are sideways. You can modify orientation and other items for pics with FREE software IrFanView.
 
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