AeneasWalks
Member
Good morning all, first time poster long time reader. Like many others, I found this forum by way of watching a video of Jack Olsen's 12-Gauge Garage. I'm also an active member of LegacyGT.com, a forum dedicated mostly to the 4th gen. Subaru Legacy. My thread, there.
Since I purchased my wagon 6 years ago, I've performed clutch, timing belt, brake, and other changes in my driveway. This often meant dealing with rain, sun, snow, mosquitoes, and racing against the clock for daylight. Setup, cleanup, and running to-and-fro the house also ate up valuable time.
The area I’m eyeing is a bit small for a garage. Due to setback requirements, my architect recommended a carport. However, after weighing the different options (carport, garage, shed), I’m beginning to settle on a “workshop”… that can occasionally house a vehicle with creative rearrangement.
I believe this is the most ideal solution given two considerations. First, I’ve been developing an interest in auto preservation and restoration. I would like to house machinery such as a sandblaster, parts washer, zinc plating station, etc., all of which must be protected from the elements. I also have small carpentry projects from time to time. Second, the second floor of our house has a wrap-around patio with a waterview that is accessible only from inside the house. If I build this workshop, I can build exterior stairs at its rear leading from our backyard to the patio. The roof of the workshop itself can serve as a mezzanine patio, and that spot happens to have trees that would provide excellent shade.
The area for the garage is outlined in green. Its shape is that of a scalene trapezoid… none of the sides are of equal length. On the east-facing side, from the edge of our house to the fence is 19’. This is where our driveway terminates and where the “garage” door would be. Due to setback requirements, this side of the garage can only span 13’.
The south-facing side of this workshop abuts windows on our house that are 10’ off the ground, so that establishes the maximum height of this workshop as I don’t want to block these windows. This same wall also hides a crawl space behind it. It was just sprayed with 4” of spray-foam earlier this year, which should help if I ever want to use the space to store an air compressor.
The west-facing side faces our backyard and will have an exterior door. This might also be where the stairs would be located.
While this plot of land is not ideal for a spacious workspace, I find that obstacles are often the inspiration for creativity. The purpose of this thread is to both document this process and also invite ideas I haven’t considered. I am not a tradesman so any expert insights are welcome. This workshop is still just in its gestational phase so I hope I don’t disappoint with the absence of progress photos. Ideally I would have my architect draw up plans this year, but with the pandemic and business in a state of flux I will have to adapt to the circumstances.
Thank you for joining me.
Since I purchased my wagon 6 years ago, I've performed clutch, timing belt, brake, and other changes in my driveway. This often meant dealing with rain, sun, snow, mosquitoes, and racing against the clock for daylight. Setup, cleanup, and running to-and-fro the house also ate up valuable time.
The area I’m eyeing is a bit small for a garage. Due to setback requirements, my architect recommended a carport. However, after weighing the different options (carport, garage, shed), I’m beginning to settle on a “workshop”… that can occasionally house a vehicle with creative rearrangement.
I believe this is the most ideal solution given two considerations. First, I’ve been developing an interest in auto preservation and restoration. I would like to house machinery such as a sandblaster, parts washer, zinc plating station, etc., all of which must be protected from the elements. I also have small carpentry projects from time to time. Second, the second floor of our house has a wrap-around patio with a waterview that is accessible only from inside the house. If I build this workshop, I can build exterior stairs at its rear leading from our backyard to the patio. The roof of the workshop itself can serve as a mezzanine patio, and that spot happens to have trees that would provide excellent shade.
The area for the garage is outlined in green. Its shape is that of a scalene trapezoid… none of the sides are of equal length. On the east-facing side, from the edge of our house to the fence is 19’. This is where our driveway terminates and where the “garage” door would be. Due to setback requirements, this side of the garage can only span 13’.
The approach from our driveway to the workshop. It is hidden by the house, which I like as it will be difficult to see from the street.
The south-facing side of this workshop abuts windows on our house that are 10’ off the ground, so that establishes the maximum height of this workshop as I don’t want to block these windows. This same wall also hides a crawl space behind it. It was just sprayed with 4” of spray-foam earlier this year, which should help if I ever want to use the space to store an air compressor.
The west-facing side faces our backyard and will have an exterior door. This might also be where the stairs would be located.
While this plot of land is not ideal for a spacious workspace, I find that obstacles are often the inspiration for creativity. The purpose of this thread is to both document this process and also invite ideas I haven’t considered. I am not a tradesman so any expert insights are welcome. This workshop is still just in its gestational phase so I hope I don’t disappoint with the absence of progress photos. Ideally I would have my architect draw up plans this year, but with the pandemic and business in a state of flux I will have to adapt to the circumstances.
Thank you for joining me.
