Advice on new build

[Busman770]

Great Forum! I'm learning lots. I could use some initial advice on my planned building.

My plan is to build a 40x60x16 garage beside the existing carport (which I will enclose also).

Main areas of the garage:

> Parking for bus/motorhome, 15 x 60 with 12w x 14h door (another car might fit in this area too)
> Parking for 10'h van, and another vehicle, 25 x 25
> Shop, finished, 17 x 25
> Gym, finished, 17 x 25

(Only the bus parking needs the full height, so might have some loft/office/storage space above some other areas)

Initial sketch attached.

I assume the most cost-effective way is a standard size steel building--I've been reading reviews here for vendors.

A few questions...

1. With 40' of width on the end, is one 12' wide door and one 20' wide door the best way to get the most parking? I don't see how three doors would help and it would cost more, right?

On the doors, it seems that regular garage doors waste the space above them when they are much shorter than the ceiling. Are roll-up doors cost effective, or other option?

2. I want a door from the attic above the carport into the new garage. Is there anything special I should do to allow for a door off the ground in the side of the garage?

3. Since parts of the garage will be finished, is there anything I should do to prepare for insulation and finished wall surfaces (drywall or plywood) on those parts?

4. Windows. In the shop, gym or even parking areas, what's your advice on windows, perhaps high ones for light and ventilation?

5. Concrete pad. I build a house on a slab on which I needed to park similar vehicles. There the engineering spec was '4" slab - 3000 psi concrete with wwf 6x6xw1.4xw1.4 on 6 mil poly vapor barrier and clean, well-compacted sand' -- for this garage, would I use a similar spec for the entire thing, or would it vary, since only part of the garage needs to support a 22 ton bus?

I'm guessing the concrete might be the most expensive part of the whole thing. Any tricks to getting the best deal?

Thanks much for your thoughts!

 

[justin1795]

cash helps. also the time of the year does also. I had a few contractors come out in the winter to give estimates all were interested. after spring came around none would anser there phone. my buddy took his lowest quote and subtracted a couple hundread and told the concreate guy this is where we need to be cash.

 

[Bart Leetch]

I'd save a lot of money on the design by buying a
RV cover or one of those special shelters made for an RV. Then I'd make sure the car port is big enough to cover all vehicles I have with the weather sides closed in.
Next after you get the building built which will be much smaller costing less & less property taxes per year you won't need the Gym because your going to be to busy in your shop to use the Gym so include that area in the shop this makes for a bigger shop costing way less.

 

[Busman770]

Umm, thanks. But I would have thought this is the last forum where I'd have to justify building a large garage!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Where are you located ? How much will be heated and cooled ?

High windows are great for light and help security. If they are very high can you real open them easily ?

Glass block is great for light and security, but they add no ventilation. I don't know how you would do glass block on a metal building. (They are VERY heavy.)

You could also just split it in half, and have 2 equal width sides. A typical garage door is 16-18'. The man door would have to move to the side. You could just add another 4-8' width.

 

[Garage Guy of Denver]

Wow.. sounds like a nice project. Like others have mentioned it all depends on where you are located and how much you want to spend.

Here is my two cents on things to consider.
1. Building type. I would definitely talk to some of the commercial builders out your way. Steel building, cement block, hybrid.. all depends on cost and the area you are in. If you deal with the seasons, especially cold winters I would spend the money and insulate well. Down the road you will be much happier and not hitting your head against the wall getting an outrageous utility bill.

2. Your garage door. You can insulate the heck out of the building but if your doors are not insulated you just wasted a bunch of money. They aren't going to be completely efficient but it will help immensely if you go with the right door. If you have tall ceilings look at the LiftMaster Jack System with high lift. You can run the the door vertically straight up the header. The Jack System gets rid of the unsightly "typical" garage door opener with rails. The system actually clamps around the rod where the springs are attached on the side of the door and turns the rod raising and lowering the door. I actually have them on my 3 car where I have 12' ceilings. My high track actually is 4" down from the ceiling since I don't have 16' to work with vertically. No garage door opener track to deal with and I can move my 1 ton aluminum gantry crane around to lift my watercraft off the trailer onto carts.

3. Windows or skylight are great to have to allow natural light in. Again, make sure they are thermal pane, energy efficient.

4. Again, depending on where you live and how long you plan on staying. Adding solar to your building can be a big benefit. They have come a long way and costs are becoming more affordable.

5. Duct work. If you are looking to keep the shop temps moderate but want the workout room or shop more temp controlled make sure you have the correct duct work done. Insulating the walls to the workout room might help quite a bit and insulation is cheap (well some is).

6. Insulation. There are a ton of products out there. If the shop and gym are going to be rooms with 10' ceilings you can get away with bat insulation in the walls and ceiling making those rooms more temperature friendly. The garage you could do the big bat insulations (used in steel buildings and airplane hangers) or the spray in stuff that can be extremely energy efficient but cost more).

7. Concrete flooring. Again, talk to the commercial guys. People that put concrete in large buildings, hangers etc. Never go with the minimum or just above minimum with the concrete. We just built a shop and went with 6" reinforced concrete. A bit overkill but if you ever put too much weight on and it cracks you will kick yourself. If you have the money go with an industrial epoxy with chips. Cleaning is a breeze and it looks unbelievable. My neighbors love my garage floor and it really makes it look like a custom man cave. The durability is awesome. Make sure you shop around and get the best product warranty. Make sure the company doing it has been around a long time.

8. Utilizing space. If you have tall enough ceilings build up. Don't waste valuable real estate. Put a loft, bathroom, and bedroom up above the gym/shop. Great place to go if your in the doghouse or just a cool loft area to watch the game and drinks some beers with the buddies. There are a lot of things you can do to make it look more like an extension of your house vs just a garage and you can keep it affordable or you can blow it out with 90k in cabinets like I just installed for a guy last week.

Your walls have a ton of room. I just did a guys gun vault, basement and wood working shop with slot wall. You can check out the pics on our Facebook page if you go to my website www.ontrackwall.com. Click the FaceBook page link and check out some photos. We just revamped our web page so we are still getting the galleries set up. The slot wall we use is a great way to utilize the walls and see your stuff plus the locking accessories are awesome. No getting hit on the head when you grab a broom or shovel.

I know money can be a major factor but talking to the right peeps who have been there, done that can help a lot. This is just my opinion but I have been doing custom garages as a hobby and business for a while. The big factor is dinero and where you live. Hope this helps.

Scott
Garage Guy of Denver

 

[Bart Leetch]

Just throwing out options no justification needed. Just consider all the costs building, upkeep & taxes.