Garage Plan: Getting close, any advice NW Georgia / Bartow County

[Parttim3r]

We are getting close to finalizing our plan for our garage build and any advice is very much appreciated.

It will be used for a JD 3 series tractor, wife's 4runner, my truck, general storage and workshop area in back corner.

We are working with online company and making some adjustments to a stock set of plans.
The base plan was 32x40 with 9x7 and 16x7 garage doors.
Foundation has an 8" poured stem wall, above level or garage floor.
2x4 framing

Will be using lap siding, possibly hardiplank
Will be insulating, finished with sheet rock and adding minisplit for heat/air
Will be using Thermotracks for the garage doors for a better seal.
Will be running own subpanel to garage
Will be running low voltage for dedicated network switch for PoE cameras, hard wired tv and access point.
Planning to use something like NewAgeProducts Pro cabinets (saw them on costco). pic included for general idea

will be bringing in dirt / gravel so the level of garage floor is about a foot higher than current yardl. This along with foundation / stem wall for allow for excellent grading and divert runoff well around the structure.

Current Changes:
We are making ceiling 10' tall, instead of 9'
We are going to widen to 33' and length to 44'
This will allow 10x8 and 16x8 front doors with similar aesthetics. Then adding a 10x9 door on the back, for the tractor.

Questions:

Should the bottom plate run flush with the foundation and sheathing offset? (I am also waiting to hear back from building inspector / code department to see if it is code issue or just preference issue). The current plan has bottom plate recessed 1/2" so sheathing is flush with foundation. (picture included) Either way will be using something like zip liquid flash to seal 2" below onto concrete and extend 2-4" onto sheathing to seal it well.

Should I change the framing to 2x6 so the inner lip of the stem wall isn't as noticeable once finished with dry wall? Other advantages to 2x6 framing or disadvantages besides cost?

Any recommendations regarding cabinets? I plan to wall mount them to sit flush with wall above the stem wall, which would put the top of the wood work bench at about 42". I'll also add plenty of 2x8 or 2x10 blocking along bottom and top mounting areas to make things easier.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[u2slow]

I had to go to 2x6 walls anyway, so i went with R22 insulation.

The step at the foundation (inside) isn't a problem. It gives some room for conduit or piping. You'll also find rolling tool chests usually have to be a couple inches from a wall for the top cover to open fully.

Edit: outside, the sheathing is flush with the concrete and the metal siding drops down over the concrete a little.

 

[e015475]

A few years ago I downsized from around 1800 SF to about 750 SF shop and garage.

The three things I miss the most in the old shop-

• Toilet
• Stainless sink (I had hot water too, which was really nice)
• The shop section had all the expansion joints leveled - if I were building from scratch I'd consider building a monolith slab and going back and cutting the expansion joints and filling them with urethane

That is going to be a very nice size and space.

I don't think 10' ceilings are high enough - you should plan on a lift eventually. If you can't raise the building to get 12' +, I'd consider some scissor trusses and coffer some of the ceiling for a future lift install.

This is just my personal preference, but I'm not a big fan of stationary cabinets in garages. You've got a relatively large footprint and I'd have toolboxes on rollers.

At one time I had about 15' of upper and lower cabinets. I found that when I mostly had cabinets with doors rather than drawers, they seemed to get cluttered and junky quickly. I tore the cabinets out and replaced them with some HF boxes with lots of drawers - much better, Again, just my personal opinion.

 

[d300]

will be bringing in dirt / gravel so the level of garage floor is about a foot higher than current yardl. This along with foundation / stem wall for allow for excellent grading and divert runoff well around the structure.

Unless you plan on compacting, very well, filling with dirt can cause issues with the slab at some later point due to settlement. A jumping jack could be used but you have a large area; flat plates don't compress as deeply. A small vibratory drum would be ideal. Crushed stone is the best fill by itself as it doesn't hold water. Be sure to use a vapor barrier. 2" eps should be considered under the slab and 4" of xps around the foundation will protect against frost heave. YRMV

 

[Parttim3r]

will be bringing in dirt / gravel so the level of garage floor is about a foot higher than current yardl. This along with foundation / stem wall for allow for excellent grading and divert runoff well around the structure.

Unless you plan on compacting, very well, filling with dirt can cause issues with the slab at some later point due to settlement. A jumping jack could be used but you have a large area; flat plates don't compress as deeply. A small vibratory drum would be ideal. Crushed stone is the best fill by itself as it doesn't hold water. Be sure to use a vapor barrier. 2" eps should be considered under the slab and 4" of xps around the foundation will protect against frost heave. YRMV

A few years ago I downsized from around 1800 SF to about 750 SF shop and garage.

The three things I miss the most in the old shop-

• Toilet
• Stainless sink (I had hot water too, which was really nice)
• The shop section had all the expansion joints leveled - if I were building from scratch I'd consider building a monolith slab and going back and cutting the expansion joints and filling them with urethane

That is going to be a very nice size and space.

I don't think 10' ceilings are high enough - you should plan on a lift eventually. If you can't raise the building to get 12' +, I'd consider some scissor trusses and coffer some of the ceiling for a future lift install.

This is just my personal preference, but I'm not a big fan of stationary cabinets in garages. You've got a relatively large footprint and I'd have toolboxes on rollers.

At one time I had about 15' of upper and lower cabinets. I found that when I mostly had cabinets with doors rather than drawers, they seemed to get cluttered and junky quickly. I tore the cabinets out and replaced them with some HF boxes with lots of drawers - much better, Again, just my personal opinion.

Great idea. I forgot about water and may consider a small electric tankless heater! I might consider lengthening to add room for bathroom / toilet.

I thought about the scissor trusses, but only real work I would do would be on the mower or gator. I’m not handy enough to start lifting the truck.

 

[Parttim3r]

will be bringing in dirt / gravel so the level of garage floor is about a foot higher than current yardl. This along with foundation / stem wall for allow for excellent grading and divert runoff well around the structure.

Unless you plan on compacting, very well, filling with dirt can cause issues with the slab at some later point due to settlement. A jumping jack could be used but you have a large area; flat plates don't compress as deeply. A small vibratory drum would be ideal. Crushed stone is the best fill by itself as it doesn't hold water. Be sure to use a vapor barrier. 2" eps should be considered under the slab and 4" of xps around the foundation will protect against frost heave. YRMV

I updated the title. We are in NW Georgia, Bartow county so not a lot of prolonged freezing temps. The area we have to work with will need some minor grading to divert water around the garage and bury all the downspouts to drain beyond the new driveway. Good to know about the rock. May need 8” of crushed stone / gravel then under the slab of that sounds reasonable.

 

[e015475]

I went 40 years without a lift, and for 30 of that I didn't think I needed one. I got one a year or so ago and wonder how I lived without it.

That shop looks it is a strong candidate for being part of a 'forever home'. You should do what you can to 'future-proof' it.

Little envious - looks great!

 

[Parttim3r]

I went 40 years without a lift, and for 30 of that I didn't think I needed one. I got one a year or so ago and wonder how I lived without it.

That shop looks it is a strong candidate for being part of a 'forever home'. You should do what you can to 'future-proof' it.

Little envious - looks great!

This is definitely a forever home. We are mortgage free and never moving. I hadn’t really thought about a lift. Is there a lift that would be able to do minor things on vehicles and lift the John Deere gator or mower for maintenance as well?

 

[e015475]

Pretty easy to go down the rabbit hole on lifts and most will do a bunch of things and almost all could be modified to lift a mower/gator.

Didn't mean to distract you with that particular issue, only that you think long term what you want to do with the space far into the future - hobbies you'd like to take-up, kid's use, wife's use, electric car, storage. Etc.

Just as an example, when I built my shop/garage in 1992 I didn't know how to weld, but I had a 50A 240V service put in since I always wanted to learn. Few years later bought a TIG machine at an EAA airshow and have been welding ever since.

 

[racecougar]

I'll second the suggestion to change to a 12' ceiling or better to accommodate a lift.

Changing your framing to 6" will provide deeper cavities for insulation, and of course produce a stronger building, assuming spacing remains the same.

 

[d300]

You are on track along with some very good suggestions. Yes, 8" of stone would be good, compacted in 4-5" lifts. For the trusses, scissor truss will give you more height at the center but not at the plate, an attic truss will give you a flat ceiling but with storage capacity and a raised haunch truss will give you more height overall as they sit higher at the plate.
Good luck!

 

[Sturgeon]

Probably not what you would like to hear but ( Run, run ). If you can't build it entirely by your self I would forget it. Mite even look for a house already with a shop, even a barndominium. Sincerely wish you the best of luck.

 

[Parttim3r]

Probably not what you would like to hear but ( Run, run ). If you can't build it entirely by your self I would forget it. Mite even look for a house already with a shop, even a barndominium. Sincerely wish you the best of luck.

I appreciate the input, but moving is not an option at all. Land has been in the family for 100 plus years. Are you saying a cost issue? Or because I have too many questions?

 

[eegger]

Nice, this is the garage I just built

 

[u2slow]

If you can't build it entirely by your self I would forget it.

I battled with that principle for about a year. Finally caved and hired a contractor. It cost 50% more than I anticipated in 2013... and that was just to lockup - no interior or roughins. I do not regret my decision.

However, wouldn't be able to afford a contractor today.

 

[Sturgeon]

No no just, my personal experience. Cost, their isn't much I can do their and not really sure it will ever return to what we were use to. When the shop got started it was already eight month's behind, it's been a mountain of issues from the very start. Something that should have been fun, it was not. My humble opinion = Covid has totally turned everything up side down and this is nothing to do with state/ county regulations = permits. This just came up last week, thought it was all resolved, power supplier came out last week to look at transformer, they didn't know if it was big enough even though we went over everything last year. Fortunately for it is otherwise theirs a year's plus wait for one . In fact there supplier won't discuss transformer issues with them. All this came up because I can't get a ringed 400 amp meter service, theirs none to be bought, thats another waiting list issue. Honestly not sure how anyone can have their ducks in order with what is happening. I'm wiring my shop, garage door installer just finished my doors, that was a long long time coming. One thought, don't start build until you have any and all the building materials on the job site. Hope you the best.

 

[69gp]

Agree with the others to go higher with the walls. With that said I would also look into making one of the garage doors taller. Most likely in the bay where the lift would be in. Never know what toys you will have in the future.

 

[u2slow]

Agree on going taller. I have almost 20' ceiling and 12' clearance lean-to's on either side. It's taking some time to fully use the height (racking, shelving, mezzanine) but I'm getting there. As much as I dislike the term; buy-once cry-once applies here.

Power is an interesting hangup. As an electrician I made it the lowest priority item - actually absent from initial construction. I fed 90A from the main house after the fact. I could get a new service drop if I want, but I don't like the upfront cost, and the commercial billing.

 

[Parttim3r]

Updates:

Going with 2x6 framing.

Raising ceiling height so the roof line matches the house, which will make eventual covered walkway easier.

Ceiling will be between 11-12’ depending on grade we start with.

This will change all doors to 9’ tall.

Adding a 20’ deep, covered pad on the back for tractor implement parking, especially the backhoe. Privacy screen on the side so wife doesn’t have to look at implements from the house.

Met with contractor, as I am just not capable of building myself. 15% of cost is his fee, we sit and review all the bids / receipts and I pay them. Then can pick chose what options / siding / etc.

Here are some 3d models we had someone create that I found on upwork. Super helpful to work through some design issues. Cheap and quick results.

Any thoughts or input on getting power to the garage?

Or should I post electrical question as new post?

Will have heat / ac. Likely 2-3 zone minisplit.
Power for maybe two electric vehicles just in case. Small tankless water heater for possible dog washing station. And then normal lights and outlets. Nothing crazy.

Picture included:

Power buried from pole to side of original garage. Separate panel for garage / garage apartment. Then line runs to main house with its own panel.

?? Run another line off main house panel to panel in new garage (green line)

?? Run another line off original garage panel to new garage panel (Blue Line)

?? Just pull new service to garage from pole (likely overkill)

Thanks for any input

 

[racecougar]

?? Run another line off main house panel to panel in new garage (green line)

?? Run another line off original garage panel to new garage panel (Blue Line)

?? Just pull new service to garage from pole (likely overkill)

Thanks for any input

Do either of those panels have open capacity for the draw of the new panel?

 

[Parttim3r]

Do either of those panels have open capacity for the draw of the new panel?

The garage has the most empty spots, 17. Just a in law suite above garage.

 

[racecougar]

The garage has the most empty spots, 17. Just a in law suite above garage.

The capacity (amperage) is the important bit. What size service is feeding it?

 

[Parttim3r]

200 amp service.

I “think” we have plenty of room / amp wise for the detached garage. Waiting to meet with electrician for site visit as well.

We have ~2 ton Ac, electric water heater, stove and washer/dryer in apartment and not much else.

We have 3.5 ton Ac, water heater, electric washer and dryer, stove, in main house and then just scattered circuits for three bedrooms / etc.

Could also look at just increasing service to main house at time of running the sun panel to the new garage if needed, so don’t have second bill / meter.

 

[racecougar]

Gotcha. So 200A service to the current garage, which then feeds that garage, an apartment, and the main house. Calling an electrician out to talk strategy is prudent. I'd start laying out both the current and expected amp draws in a spreadsheet to get a grasp of whether or not the 200A service is adequate.

 

[Parttim3r]

Gotcha. So 200A service to the current garage, which then feeds that garage, an apartment, and the main house. Calling an electrician out to talk strategy is prudent. I'd start laying out both the current and expected amp draws in a spreadsheet to get a grasp of whether or not the 200A service is adequate.

This stuff is definitely over my head a bit. I appreciate the input and I like to know all my options….”good, better and best” and then I Can decide which one to go with once I discuss with electrician.

 

[racecougar]

I get it. Without being able to walk through your current and expected draws, nobody is going to be able to provide an answer that has any certainty behind it via the internet though. That's why I suggest laying it all out on a spreadsheet.

 

[rktinc]

Probably too late but when I had plans to build a similarly sized and configured garage behind my home. I thought it would be nice to have an attic above my front parking areas (say the first 18 or 20 feet which would create an attic space. I then specified scissor trusses for the rest of the building allowing for a larger/taller rear garage door and capacity for higher/bigger vehicles to drive in from the back.

My lift would have been positioned in the center of the shop and allow me to use it as a lift to get things up to the attic.

I think my plan was 42 wide and 50 deep.

 

[Ak Jim]

Did you decide to put in water/sink/bathroom?

 

[Parttim3r]

Did you decide to put in water/sink/bathroom?

Decided to skip bathroom. I still need to discuss the cost of running drain line to septic for a sink.

 

[lilbuild]

We are working with online company and making some adjustments to a stock set of plans.
The base plan was 32x40 with 9x7 and 16x7 garage doors.

Hi. I'm just getting started in the planning stage. Do you mind sharing which company you went with for the stock plans?

 

[Parttim3r]

I used

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