Garage Layout

[purduecrew]

Does anyone have any recommendations on tackling garage layout plans? First thing will be the home with attached 4 car. The detached will probably be built about 18 months later Im guessing. The size of the attached garage is fixed so at this point, I can begin design work. For now, Im just using graph paper and ruler (2x3 foot lol).

Anyone do theirs in Visio or anything like that?




Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Falcon67]

I used an older copy of Visio. But to get to a final orientation and working dimensions, I used graph paper and pencil. A sketch was followed by grade stakes and string on the ground in a full size layout. Designs can be quickly discarded or moved to "round 2" once laid out full size.

Visio helped with wall/window/door layout but the primary use was detailing all the equipment and placing it in the space to ascertain working room and location.

 

[zmotorsports]

I did mine on graph paper to scale like you but someone mentioned at one time that there was a nice program over on Grizzly's site that had equipment sized properly that you could click and drag for placement. You may want to look there. Sorry, I don't have a link to it.

 

[Lucky13driver]

We did ours on graph paper too. Then we had them put to blueprints by a local company. It didn't cost to much however, I'm sure the online sketches are much less.

 

[purduecrew]

I did mine on graph paper to scale like you but someone mentioned at one time that there was a nice program over on Grizzly's site that had equipment sized properly that you could click and drag for placement. You may want to look there. Sorry, I don't have a link to it.

Thanks for the tip! Ill download and give it a shot!
https://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[purduecrew]

Thanks for the tip! Ill download and give it a shot!
https://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Ok so I gave it a first try last night. I found it to be kind of clunky. Im gonna give it another shot today.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[penright]

I kind of have the same layout. The house was about a year old when we bought it. I added the shop on the back.
This reply may be a little off topic, but I wanted to say something about lessons learned.
I would go into an empty parking lot. Mark off your dimensions, garage doors and all. Then try and pull your car around and park. Keep in mind swinging into the 4 car you have to have room for the front to pivot and the back to track. Pretend there is a car in stall 1 and 3, then try and pull into stall 2. Then until you add on the drive going back to the shop and you are backing out of the last door, can you back out far enough that you can pull out of the drive.

For me, there is just barely enough from the driveway across the front of the house to make it. The car close to the house has to pull in at a slight angle so when backing out you are moving away from the house. The car away from the house pulls in straight. One is a Grand Prix and the other is a Honda Civic, so the dance works. Then both cars can back into the one car part to keep from having to back all the way down the drive.

Again, not sure what it looks like from the street and such. Just saying an hour or so in an empty parking lot could save some grief later.

 

[purduecrew]

I kind of have the same layout. The house was about a year old when we bought it. I added the shop on the back.
This reply may be a little off topic, but I wanted to say something about lessons learned.
I would go into an empty parking lot. Mark off your dimensions, garage doors and all. Then try and pull your car around and park. Keep in mind swinging into the 4 car you have to have room for the front to pivot and the back to track. Pretend there is a car in stall 1 and 3, then try and pull into stall 2. Then until you add on the drive going back to the shop and you are backing out of the last door, can you back out far enough that you can pull out of the drive.

For me, there is just barely enough from the driveway across the front of the house to make it. The car close to the house has to pull in at a slight angle so when backing out you are moving away from the house. The car away from the house pulls in straight. One is a Grand Prix and the other is a Honda Civic, so the dance works. Then both cars can back into the one car part to keep from having to back all the way down the drive.

Again, not sure what it looks like from the street and such. Just saying an hour or so in an empty parking lot could save some grief later.

That is great advice and I completely agree! I have a CCSB Duramax so my turning radius rivals a steamship.

This baby will be a sideload so what you are describing would be a great idea!

 

[ddawg16]

Penright….good advice.....

Looking at your pic....(nice house BTW)….I would have done the garage at an angle.....like about a 45? One reason, easier access on the approach....AND....I'm OCD in a strange way....I tend to not like symmetrical....I like adhoc angles.

In some cases, depending on where you live, I would have suggested perpendicular....so the inside of the garage is not visible from the street when the doors are open. What people can't see, people most likely don't want.

 

[sanddan]

I did something similar except I did it using the actual property I was to build on. Basically a 1 to 1 layout. It was a big help in getting my shop building in the best location for me.

 

[purduecrew]

Penright….good advice.....

Looking at your pic....(nice house BTW)….I would have done the garage at an angle.....like about a 45? One reason, easier access on the approach....AND....I'm OCD in a strange way....I tend to not like symmetrical....I like adhoc angles.

In some cases, depending on where you live, I would have suggested perpendicular....so the inside of the garage is not visible from the street when the doors are open. What people can't see, people most likely don't want.

Yah I hear what you are saying for sure. While I dont like them normally, with the HOA all those decisions are made for me for the design of the neighborhood.




Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[YukonXL04]

That is great advice and I completely agree! I have a CCSB Duramax so my turning radius rivals a steamship.

This baby will be a sideload so what you are describing would be a great idea!

My current house has a side load garage and it only has 30' from the garage door to the edge of the driveway, which drops off 3ft. I can get my CCSB half ton sierra in the garage just fine. But I wouldn't go any shorter. And would definitely prefer more room, just not possible. Pulling into a 2 car garage though with about 14ft wide floor space available.
So if you are trying to get into a 10ft wide door it might be a little tricky, but you could back it in plenty easily. Also looks like you have more than 30ft though

 

[purduecrew]

My current house has a side load garage and it only has 30' from the garage door to the edge of the driveway, which drops off 3ft. I can get my CCSB half ton sierra in the garage just fine. But I wouldn't go any shorter. And would definitely prefer more room, just not possible. Pulling into a 2 car garage though with about 14ft wide floor space available.
So if you are trying to get into a 10ft wide door it might be a little tricky, but you could back it in plenty easily. Also looks like you have more than 30ft though

Great feedback and yes I would agree. Supposedly I should have about 35 feet on average. I figured that I could park in the third stall from the front and if I HAD to do a 3 point turn, so be it. Like you said, can't do anything about the property line and Ill probably have the same drop off at the edge.

 

[Ridge Runner]

It took a little bit of patience, but I did this back in 2017 with a trial version of SketchUp.

 

[TheLurker]

I started on paper but moved on to SketchUp as well. Think they're calling it SketchUp Make now.

Wasn't to difficult to get up to speed. And you can import Google Earth terrain, equipment and other stuff from the model warehouse so you don't have to create everything from scratch. I even designed my RapidAir layout using it.

 

[purduecrew]

Well update!

Foundation is poured and house walls are going up! Gonna head over tomorrow with the truck so I can do some test driving and see how everything fits! Gonna take stakes and tape now that there is a hard set point of reference off the house. I think that should give me some time to think through things and what I want to do with the detached once that time comes. Thanks for all the tips!