detached garage/shop project planning

[bczygan]

Another thing to think about is how the building will integrate into the site and complement the residential nature of the neighborhood. I know that commercial and residential uses mix there more than they do in the strictly zoned neighborhoods here in the US. There is a special mix of uses in your place/ That can be reflected in this building by not making it an industrial box.

Add some windows so it relates to the house and other outside activities.

Do you have photos of the house from the front and back?

Bill

 

[kinigitt]

The shed does obstruct it a little but it's not a deal breaker. I can add a curve to it. It might line up better with a door like that anyway.

I'm open to different ideas, but I'm having a hard time visualizing the the deck on the roof. I would need to shovel that in the winter as well, wouldn't I?

I have a quick picture I snapped while getting the kids ready for trick or treating. The house is the same in the back as in the front, except it has white double doors opening onto the deck, and a check in the corner.

I'll get some clearer pictures of the house soon. It's been a busy few days.

I would definitely want some windows in the shop for natural light. I was thinking higher up, if it's going to be a 12 foot ceiling.

I also made another model in sketchup, eliminating the loft and just adding a 2nd floor made of 18" I joists spaced 16" o.c.

I designed a basic staircase too, to get a feel for the space. 10 11/16" treads and 7 1/2" rise. 40 1/2" wide at the narrow part. The stud walls are for the compressor enclosure/utility room.

 

[bczygan]

Looks like you have a full basement under that house.

What is the lay of the land?

Does the lot slope down from the street? If so, how much?

And while Sketchup is fun, you need to work from the functions to the structure, and not the other way around.

You could use Sketchup or do it with paper and printer and scissors. Lay out your lift, with the biggest vehicle on it and the doors open. Place it in the space and then locate your various tools and rolling and service carts and benches along the side and end walls, allowing a 3 or so aisle.

Locate other vehicles and items you might put in the building including shelving, cabinets and racking. I was going to do this, but it's an exercise best done by you, so you can lay things out the way you like to work.

Don't worry about how big the building is. It will shrink or stretch to enclose the functions you are laying out. Lay things out to scale and have different functions relate to each other in the best way, for your way of working. Don't forget places for equipment and supplies.

Think hard about who will use the upstairs area, and what they will do up there. Wat furniture, equipment and facilities will be needed?

When you are finished with this, the building will design itself.

Bill

 

[kinigitt]

Looks like you have a full basement under that house.

What is the lay of the land?

Does the lot slope down from the street? If so, how much?

And while Sketchup is fun, you need to work from the functions to the structure, and not the other way around.

You could use Sketchup or do it with paper and printer and scissors. Lay out your lift, with the biggest vehicle on it and the doors open. Place it in the space and then locate your various tools and rolling and service carts and benches along the side and end walls, allowing a 3 or so aisle.

Locate other vehicles and items you might put in the building including shelving, cabinets and racking. I was going to do this, but it's an exercise best done by you, so you can lay things out the way you like to work.

Don't worry about how big the building is. It will shrink or stretch to enclose the functions you are laying out. Lay things out to scale and have different functions relate to each other in the best way, for your way of working. Don't forget places for equipment and supplies.

Think hard about who will use the upstairs area, and what they will do up there. Wat furniture, equipment and facilities will be needed?

When you are finished with this, the building will design itself.

Bill

Yep, there is a full basement under the house. It's finished with 4 bedrooms. There is a full french drain built under the foundation and a sump pump.

The land is relatively flat. We had it slightly graded down from the house on all sides. Not quite a visible slope, but it keeps rain water away from the house. You might notice the brown dusting on the foundation. That is because we just got around to properly backfilling, grading, and grass-seeding this year. 2 years of mud and stones prior to this. The brown accent is from rain water splashing off the mud. In the spring, I'll rent a pressure washer and get rid of it forever.

I dug a deep trench on the eastern side of the house (left if you look at it from the front) towards the road. I buried 4 inch drainage (perforated) pipe in a bed of gravel leading towards the road and hooked it up to the downspouts on that side of the house. I did the same for the sump discharge pipe, with an air gap, that goes alongside the driveway and discharges out of a pop-up near the road. The other side doesn't collect any water during downpours, it stays in a "valley" between ours and the neighbors house. The back yard is pretty much flat. No big puddles.

I will do layout with EC design, since it has a lot of tools, benches, lifts, and cabinets modelled in. Faster than sketchup for interior layout.

 

[bczygan]

Yep, there is a full basement under the house. It's finished with 4 bedrooms. There is a full french drain built under the foundation and a sump pump.

The land is relatively flat. We had it slightly graded down from the house on all sides. Not quite a visible slope, but it keeps rain water away from the house. You might notice the brown dusting on the foundation. That is because we just got around to properly backfilling, grading, and grass-seeding this year. 2 years of mud and stones prior to this. The brown accent is from rain water splashing off the mud. In the spring, I'll rent a pressure washer and get rid of it forever.

I dug a deep trench on the eastern side of the house (left if you look at it from the front) towards the road. I buried 4 inch drainage (perforated) pipe in a bed of gravel leading towards the road and hooked it up to the downspouts on that side of the house. I did the same for the sump discharge pipe, with an air gap, that goes alongside the driveway and discharges out of a pop-up near the road. The other side doesn't collect any water during downpours, it stays in a "valley" between ours and the neighbors house. The back yard is pretty much flat. No big puddles.

I will do layout with EC design, since it has a lot of tools, benches, lifts, and cabinets modelled in. Faster than sketchup for interior layout.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Bill

 

[kinigitt]

Here are some quick sketches of how I see the layout.

I figure the walls will fill up with shelves pretty quickly, once I figure out where the windows should be placed. The back wall with the work bench is the south wall. Most of the sunlight comes from that direction.

Is it ok to keep the area under the lower stairs open for storage of bulky items? Or would I need bracing under the stringers?

 

[bczygan]

Very nice layout.

Make the stringers from 3 LVL's.

What is the width of the truck and the distance from the truck to the wall?

Is there room for a 2 post lift and passage around it? Is there space between the truck and the wall for storage shelves or cabinets and still have passage?

Can you find some shapes to represent the rest of your list of tools, so you can place them where you want them to go?

Waste oil drain tank
Oxy Torch setup
Welding cart
Miter saw
Portable scissor lift or an ATV lift
Spring compressor (wall mounted)
Drill press
Hydraulic press
Bandsaw
Table saw

And can you think of any other needed tools or storage items? Like:

Parts washer
Tire rack
Horizontal band saw or abrasive chop saw
Service cart
Jack
Blast cabinet and filter
Mill
Lathe
Jointer
Planer
Mortiser
Router table
Assembly table
Clamp rack
Disk sander
Belt sander

Other metalworking equipment?
Shear
Brake
Benders
English wheel
Anvil

And show any other vehicles.

Just thinking...

12' gives you lots of up high storage. Might need a rolling ladder though.

How close to the property line will this be?

Bill

 

[kinigitt]

Very nice layout.

How close to the property line will this be?

Bill

Thanks!

6 feet away from the property line (fence)

I looked up the specs for a 2016 model. It lists ~80" wide without mirrors. I mocked up 84 inches wide. The truck is nearly 19' long. There is ~6' of space between the side of the truck and the wall, if it's centered between the 10' wide garage door opening. Plenty for the two post lifts I checked out. Here are some measurements with the atlas 9OHSC.

I didnt put anything on that wall because windows and lift depth aren't decided. I figure I'd keep the oxy torch and welding supplies under the stairs and in the bottom of the welding table.

Waste oil is a little cart, I can tuck it where it's useful but out of the way. Ditto floor jack and stands.

Blast cabinet and parts cleaner would definitely be nice to have. I'll see where they'd fit.

I'd mount the bench grinder and vises in different spots to see what works. I read up about the trailer hitch setup. Seems like a really good idea.

Would it be worthwhile to get a free-standing drill press, or are bench-mounted just fine?

Engine hoist and engine stand can be folded and stored in the utility room when not in use.

I modelled a tool cart under the workbench. I assume there will eventually be more tool chests in the future. Right now I just have one and it ain't too impressive.

I added the miter saw, table saw, any other pricy wood tools as future considerations. Consider those shelved in this model. I borrow a miter saw when I need it for now.

I'm looking up whether it would be more worthwhile to get an air-powered atv lift table or a small moveable scissor lift. Scissor lifts can do cars as well as atvs and tractors, but would be bulkier. Some atv lifts can also fold out of the way. It would be in the second bay. It can also double as a work surface when there's no machine on it.

I don't know if I'd ever get a miller or any of the other advanced metal-working tools on that list.I've got a lot of learning (and saving!) to do before I'd even consider them. Maybe an anvil.