if you had to do it over again

[todd8541]

I am about to start a garage and was wondering if those that has built their garage or shop would do anything different. Would you do stick, instead of pole, different lift, different layout (rectangular vs square) etc?

Would love to hear what everyone has to say.

 

[jam0o0]

i was pushed to 25ft wide. i gave in because of budget. but now i have 9ft wide doors. impossible to get my trailer in. between the slightly over width trailer and the trim on the door there is zero clearance.

don't dry wall the ceiling. giant waste of time.

 

[tulenutn2o]

My first shop was 30 x 40 with 16' door on 40' side towards end. had a 9x9 door on end wall at opposite side. prob. go 28 x 60. with doors on one side.. But, my current is a arch style metal 40x60. I like total maint free part, but building inside is a pain. would go with either pole style, or clearspan metal truss next time. My lift sits in about 14', would move it closer to end next time. I may do it anyway, it's a pain to move though.

 

[Thumper68]

Hmm, beyond having a bigger footprint there are only a few things that I would change.

The biggest would be a 12x12 door instead of the 10wx12h that I have.

A full bathroom.

Eliminate the trench floor drain in favor of just a normal drain, with the infloor heat I have no issue with water on the floor.

bit the bullet and built the shelving right away instead of waiting.

Added more lighting to start with the lumen calcs were off and with the high ceilings needed more light.

That's about it, there will always be things that need to be tweeked as you use the space and needs change.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=203465&highlight=close

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178070&highlight=close

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152991&highlight=close

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69893&highlight=close

Above are some links to similar questions and threads.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[82_454_shorty]

Lots and lots of power outlets, all around the inside perimeter.

 

[nonhog]

Figured out conditioned (heat-air) vs. non conditioned space.
Think about insulation, don't make it an afterthought unless you live in the perfect mild climate.

My pole building? I wish I stick framed between the poles. I could have done that part myself and had the roof done. Speaking of pole buildings I think I should have stick framed the whole dang thing. Oh well.

Instead of my lil G73 heater (which is nice) I should have bucked up and got a mini split.

More windows high up for natural light and out of peeping eyes.

Exhaust fan for days when I'm grinding/painting/etc. I can add one but should have figured it out ahead of time.

Think about where your compressor will go.

All 4 now.

 

[1940_dodge]

Exhaust fan, more outlets, more light, conduit in the walls to allow expansion of the electrical system without tearing everything apart. What else, a phone line and radiant floor heating, yep that should do it.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[raddksn]

i was pushed to 25ft wide. i gave in because of budget. but now i have 9ft wide doors. impossible to get my trailer in. between the slightly over width trailer and the trim on the door there is zero clearance.

don't dry wall the ceiling. giant waste of time.

Why not drywall ceiling? Do you mean use something else? I'm getting ready to insulate and sheet with something. Now that the new roof is on

 

[C2 Turbo]

conduit in the walls to allow expansion of the electrical system without tearing everything apart. /QUOTE]

How does ^ that work?

 

[windward]

I wish I had put in a small lift for motorcycles or the lawn tractor. Too late now with pex in the floor.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rburke65]

Bigger is always better. No one knows where you are located so a little hard to advise on heat and etc. Stick build, 2"x6" studs, 12' PLUS ceiling height, 12' wide door....love, love, love mine. In floor heat, big time insulation, lots of lighting and lots of outlets. Attic trusses with a stairway to the attic. Window sills 8' off the floor. That's enough for starters. You can do a search.....this topic has been covered before. Remember you usually only get one chance to do this right. Some things you can add as time and money allows.......others have to go in as its being built. Good luck.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would have bought a newer house (less work on the house too) with the land to build a new shop from scratch (stick built with foundation) rather than refurbing the place I have now.

 

[1940_dodge]

conduit in the walls to allow expansion of the electrical system without tearing everything apart. /QUOTE]

How does ^ that work?

Somebody on the forum talked about doing this so you could pull more wire/change out existing without having to tear down the drywall. Depends a lot on code of course but definitely something to look into.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[mkat1951]

I would have surface mounted all my electrical in conduit. Im always moving stuff and it would be so much easier.

 

[Kentuckian]

I soon found that 36 ft deep is not enough. Could have made it 40 ft with no problem. Before you build, measure the length of any truck or car that you think you may someday try to park end to end. Small size cars/trucks will fit anywhere. Full size cars/trucks need more room.

Also glad I used 18ft and 10 ft wide overhead doors. I can back my trailer through the 10ft wide door with no sweat. And be sure to use doors tall enough for your truck to fit. I did and it works great.

 

[Steevo]

I would move my full bathroom into a corner, and eliminate the extra roll-up door on the side. That door is just wasting wall space now.

And I respectfully disagree with jam0o0 about ceiling sheet rock. I put R60 insulation up there, which makes it easy to keep the shop warm/cool.
Maybe in TX that isn't necessary, but here in Idaho it is.

 

[countryroad82]

If I were to do it over again I would for sure turn the building around, currently it is a 30X50 shop with one large door on the 30' side. I wish I had put 3 doors on the 50' side and turned the building around. This way it would FORCE me to keep the shop cleaner than I do. Plus when I eventually put a lift in the shop, I will always have to keep the end that I put it on clean enough to drive a vehicle back there, which is not easy. I wish I could have gone bigger, at least another 10-20' but the lot I dozed out at the time wouldn't have held it as there was quite a bit of fill on the back side. A bathroom would have been a nice addition, which I'm still contemplating. I also wish I would have finished the inside a little more before I moved in, but at the time I had a backlog of 6 vehicles that needed various stages of restorations/repairs done and the shop was costing me money verses making it. I started working in it after I got the lights and compressor hooked up and haven't really been able to do much to it since due to me having customer vehicles in there. They are what helps me fund my bad old car habits!!!

 

[2nrguy]

Bigger is better, you will never hear a true gear head say he wished he would have gone with a smaller garage!!

 

[fnieto]

Hmm, beyond having a bigger footprint there are only a few things that I would change.

The biggest would be a 12x12 door instead of the 10wx12h that I have.

A full bathroom.

Eliminate the trench floor drain in favor of just a normal drain, with the infloor heat I have no issue with water on the floor.

bit the bullet and built the shelving right away instead of waiting.

Added more lighting to start with the lumen calcs were off and with the high ceilings needed more light.

That's about it, there will always be things that need to be tweeked as you use the space and needs change.

I second the 12' X12' minimum door size.

 

[jam0o0]

Why not drywall ceiling? Do you mean use something else? I'm getting ready to insulate and sheet with something. Now that the new roof is on

I only payed for the shell and drive to be done on my shop. i did the electrical, insulation, driwall, paint. i have wasted so much time on tape and floating the ceiling it makes me sick. if i had just done it in steel panels, the ones they use on the outside of buildings, it would have been done in an afternoon. and it would have looked just as good.

things i liked that i did:
big windows up high,
12ft ceilings
electrical in conduit on the surface

 

[jam0o0]

I would move my full bathroom into a corner, and eliminate the extra roll-up door on the side. That door is just wasting wall space now.

And I respectfully disagree with jam0o0 about ceiling sheet rock. I put R60 insulation up there, which makes it easy to keep the shop warm/cool.
Maybe in TX that isn't necessary, but here in Idaho it is.

i wasn't clear. absolutely finish the ceiling. just don't use driwall. use something easier. here we need the ceiling to keep the 130* attic air out of the shop.