Garage Ceiling Question

[DMaxRocks]

I am in the process of completing my plans for a 32'x45' shop. The shop will have 12' walls using 2x6 studs, two 12x8' garage doors and 1 man door. The ceiling over the two garage doors (30' wide) will have scissor trusses, allowing for a 16' tall center (room for a lift) and the last 15' will have a flat ceiling.

A friend asked a question that has me thinking. What if I changed to 14' walls and a flat ceiling? This is definitely an option, but my question to all of you, which method would be more cost efficient? Option A - 12' walls, scissor trusses for 30' and regular rafter/joist for 15'; or Option B - 14' walls and regular rafter/joist for all 45'?

Thanks in advance.

-Mark

 

[stm317]

You'll have to do the math using material costs for your specific location and based on your specific plan/layout/material selection. What's your stud spacing? What kind of sheathing? What kind of exterior siding material? Insulation? Interior wall covering? Etc. There's a ton that goes into it that can change the math that we can't know. But in general, scissor trusses aren't that much more expensive than regular trusses. But adding another 2ft of height to every board and sheet on 4 walls is going to add to your cost.

2 ft taller walls adds 308sqft of wall. That's 308 more sqft of sheeting, vapor barrier, exterior materials, insulation (if any) and interior wall covering (if any). That's basically 10 more 4X8 sheets of every sheet good in your building.
Then you have to add the cost of 2ft longer 2X6 studs for the entire structure. A quick glance at my local Lowes shows 2X6X14 being $0.85 more than a 2X6X12.

 

[Kaizen]

unless you have big trucks you are lifting you won't need the height. I have 12 foot total height. have a one foot concrete knee wall so i don' thave to worry about water and such.
One truss regret i have is that i did not spend the extra to get attic trusses. so much room up there in my 12/8 pitch roof that it is such a waste.
Most people use scissor trusses if they are limited to total height of the building.

 

[DMaxRocks]

stm,

Great feedback, stud spacing is 16" OC and I am planning on the rafters/trusses on 16" centers as well. The exterior will be clad with hardy plank siding. I will definitely look into additional cost in materials to raise the wall.

Kaizen,

My truck is just over 6' tall and my son's truck is about 6'6" tall. On a lift, I am afraid the 12' ceiling will be too low, that is why i was initially planning on going to the scissor truss to give some extra height.

Thanks,
- Mark

 

[DMaxRocks]

bump for more input!

 

[Kaizen]

stm,


Kaizen,

My truck is just over 6' tall and my son's truck is about 6'6" tall. On a lift, I am afraid the 12' ceiling will be too low, that is why i was initially planning on going to the scissor truss to give some extra height.

Thanks,
- Mark

make sure you measure from the bottom of the frame to the top if you are thinking two post lift. think i'd add a foot or two with a knee wall if you are not limited to height by the ordinances. That way you have a full attic for whatever if you use attic trusses. If you are limited to say 14 feet total height then butterfly trusses are the way to go.

 

[Slowgsr]

On another note. I would put in minimum 10' high doors.

 

[TractorJeff]

On another note. I would put in minimum 10' high doors.

Yes!
Why would you limit your doors if you have 12 foot walls?
I have a 10 by 10 and a 12 by 10 and am way happier as I don't need to be dead on to pull a truck in. The other day I snuck the Skidsteer in past the John Deere before the April snowstorm. A narrower door and I would not have been able to do that!

 

[DMaxRocks]

My doors are 12' wide, currently they are 8' tall. As my plans are not finalized yet, I will investigate the cost/benefits of changing from a 12'x8' to a 12'x10' door.

I plan to install a four post lift after the build is complete. From a design/aesthetics point of view, I believe the 14' wall would negatively effect the outward appearance of my shop. This is not a final decision, just an observation.

The reason for this post, I am curious of the cost impact to change from 12' walls with scissor trusses to 14' walls with standard rafter/joist design.

Thanks for all the input.

-Mark