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I might need some professional help

busstuf

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Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
7
Location
Loudon,TN
Building a new house a 1000 miles away with a 4plus car garage. I have got a air compressor, 4 post lift, cabinets etc planned.To make sure I don't miss something I would like to have a plan drawn for my builder to follow. Any ideas from forum members or staff? Please feel free to PM me. This site is incredible with great content.
 
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Stuart in MN

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Sep 8, 2005
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Minneapolis
Any ideas from forum members or staff?

A good idea is to spend some time here on the forum reading...this question comes up all the time, so there are plenty of discussions on the topic. It sometime helps, when you don't know what you don't know :) Then you can formulate some ideas for discussion.
 

matt_i

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Mar 14, 2008
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10,722
Location
SE Michigan
Couple things I see.

The overall size is important. Getting big enough garage doors. Having enough space between the doors so you don't have to pancake out of the driver's door to get out when parking several cars.

The overall height is important. There are many many posts about wanting to modify or raise the ceiling to use a vehicle lift.

Whether you want hvac or not is important, it definitely makes life more comfortable but is an added cost. Even if you don't put it in immediately its important to plan ahead.

Its also important to plan for electrical, many people like to have wiring in place for compressors, stationary tools, welders. Then there is low voltage wiring like ethernet an security system things. Its worthwhile to study lighting and plan for that as well.

The post is hard to answer because of so many details, I would dedicate several weeks to drilling back thru older posts and just click on ones which seem to be related or interested. Put in an hour a night. You will be surprised what you learn.
 

BillK

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Aug 24, 2006
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Location
Beautiful Southern Maryland
Go to Staples or maybe WalMart and buy a large (11 x 17) pad of graph paper. Draw the outline of your garage on it with the doors, windows etc. Then make some paper or cardboard scale cutouts of a couple of cars, your compressor, tool boxes etc. Put them on the drawing and move them around until you like the layout. Pretend you are pulling the cars in and out of the doors etc.

We did that the last time I moved my business and it made it a lot easier when we set up this shop. I could visualize how work would flow etc.

The layout is kind of personal and what some guys might like may not suite you at all.

There are computer programs to do this but personally I like to have it sitting on a table in front of me to fool with.
 

Bluedodge

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Jun 22, 2015
Messages
1,995
Location
Michigan (not the Detroit part)
Are you personally building it? Or have you hired a contactor / home builder to put up this house?

You're in Tennessee currently. Where abouts are you building?

Local snow loads, hurricane tie-downs, earthquake requirements, etc may come into play.
 
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yeldogt

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Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
18,184
Building a new house a 1000 miles away with a 4plus car garage. I have got a air compressor, 4 post lift, cabinets etc planned.To make sure I don't miss something I would like to have a plan drawn for my builder to follow. Any ideas from forum members or staff? Please feel free to PM me. This site is incredible with great content.

who is doing the house plans ?

Is this in a development ?
 
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NUTTSGT

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Sep 14, 2009
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Northern Central Ohio
Go to Staples or maybe WalMart and buy a large (11 x 17) pad of graph paper. Draw the outline of your garage on it with the doors, windows etc. Then make some paper or cardboard scale cutouts of a couple of cars, your compressor, tool boxes etc. Put them on the drawing and move them around until you like the layout. Pretend you are pulling the cars in and out of the doors etc.

We did that the last time I moved my business and it made it a lot easier when we set up this shop. I could visualize how work would flow etc.

The layout is kind of personal and what some guys might like may not suite you at all.

There are computer programs to do this but personally I like to have it sitting on a table in front of me to fool with.


I've never used it but I believe several members here have used Sketch-Up.
 
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busstuf

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
7
Location
Loudon,TN
Thanks for the responses. I currently live in the Chicago area but am building in TN. Footers are in and the plan has been done. The garage is planned at 1452' with a main dimension of 47'WX26'D. There is a 14'x10' area behind the garage entry door to the house. I will share a wall with the 1/2 bath and plan to have a wash basin/sink with hot and cold water there as well as a drain tap for a dehumidifier. Ceiling height is at 12' finished,18x8 garage doors with liftmaster 8500 w/extended track as well as a Advantage 9000XLT lift,and a 220v vertical 60 gallon air compressor are planned.I have budgeted for a expoxy floor and the garage will be used primarily for storage and the occasional brake job.
 

kd3pc

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Aug 10, 2013
Messages
3,630
Location
Northern Neck
I am with BillK on this, paper and cutouts to scale.

I think you will find that the 26' dimension may be tight for a lift in that dimension. The in-law has a lift and it's ramps are almost 4ft. long on top of the length of the lift. They do come off, but are quire heavy/bulky. Make sure your lift length will give you adequate elbow room around it and still center on the door and so on.
 

glentre

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Joined
May 21, 2016
Messages
909
Location
Gloucester, Virginia
It may be too late for you but a highly detailed set of plans and separate written specifications on every single aspect of the project that the general contractor has agreed to and signed off on is extremely important to protect you from arguments, misunderstandings, and legal problems. I see so many guys on the forum talk about problems with contractors, almost all of which could have been prevented by good plans and specs. When there is any question by either the contractor or owner, the answer is to refer to the documents. If it's in the paperwork, the contractor is responsible. If it's not in the paperwork, then it's an add-on or change order for the owner. This is especially important if the jobsite is far from home and the owner or owner's rep is not on the job every day. When both sides fully understand their responsibilities and scope of work, projects run smoothly.

Glen
 
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busstuf

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
7
Location
Loudon,TN
My builder is proposing a couple different ceiling configurations to maximize my ceiling height for a 4 post lift. Any preferences from the group?
 

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kbs2244

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Nov 11, 2006
Messages
14,065
I would go with the vaulted ceiling.
It is nice to have all that room to swing things.
Not to mention it just feels good to walk into a big room.
 
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