Input Needed - Garage Layout

[DMcDowell]

I am currently in the planning stages of building a detached garage. I would like it to be a 3 bay garage or a 2 bay with a "workshop". I would also like it to have an area off to the side with a roof covering it so I can park a boat/camper/trailer out of the sun. The garage needs to be in similar appearance to my house. I also need to maintain an area the kids can play basketball. The garage will primarily be used for working on cars and other mechanical projects.

Do you think I should bring in a bunch of fill dirt and level the ground with the existing pad? How would you go about the process? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[CombatNinja]

I think we need a little more info on what you are going for in the end here. Completely detached from the home or semi-attached with a breezeway to make it one 'structure'? Doors on the front like the existing garage or side to disguise it? Does that service door I can see in your pic go into the existing garage? What is your appetite for building a long, separate driveway or are you trying to essentially use what is there?

 

[DMcDowell]

Good questions! I am leaning towards it being fully detached from the home. Yes, doors on the front like the existing garage. Yeah, the service door goes into the existing garage. I am not against building a long, separate driveway, didn't really think about that. Originally, I envisioned it being placed to set off the road the same as our house but I am not against anything at this point. Open to suggestions. There are some great minds here and I am trying to utilize that the best I can.

 

[CombatNinja]

Is the current garage part of the overall plan for the 'flow' of this shop or is it just going to be a totally separate area? I ask because I'd try to tie the two together with the existing probably being for daily drivers but I would have that service door open right to a breezeway that enters into the new shop. But that is just me because that it what would work for my priorities. What is the current garage used for? How will the new shop be used? Important considerations that drive decision-making.

 

[DMcDowell]

I don't hate the idea of tying them together and using the door to enter the new shop. My fear is that having 4 garage doors all tied together will make the house look like it is all garage and very little house. The current garage is a mixture of workshop and daily driver parking. I would like to remove the workshop portion of it and make its use to be for storing day to day items and parking our daily drivers. The detached garage will be for working on various projects. I am primarily a car guy and it will be used for that. We are currently racing karts but I could definitely see us moving up to big cars in the future. I would also like to have the ability to store a boat/camper/enclosed trailer somehow. Doesn't have to be in the garage but would like to at least have a roof over it.

 

[CombatNinja]

I agree on the plethora of garage doors making the property look like a warehouse of some kind. Given what you've said, I would put the building close with a covered breezeway between that would double as parking for the trailer/camper/boat. That way, it would be behind a gate of some sort and really improve the security. I'd also take a serious look at making the new shop a side load or rear load depending on your appetite for paying for a driveway. I see your existing is concrete, if that has to match and can't be blacktop, it might get cost prohibitive quickly. I'm a big believer in keeping prying eyes away from my projects, so I'd go for the rear load and take efforts to make the front of the shop just look like more house.

 

[CraigStu]

My thought would be build a garage to the left of the existing basketball court. I'd have the doors facing the house and not the road. And have some big shrubs along the street/gable side and extending 10ft toward the house to hide the garage function as much as possible. The basket ball thing can fit between garage doors. Play around w/ distance from the road and also whether you need more concrete to move it further away from the house for reasonable access making the 90deg turn into the garage. Depending how it all works out you can go w/ a 3car width w/ just an 18-20ft 2 car door. That gives you your workshop are that can still get a car into in a pinch. Oh, looking at it from the road judge the depth on your own (Min 32ft) but make the width 28ft so it is easier to do some diagonal drive-ins when needed.

 

[Joemctag]

I am currently in the planning stages of building a detached garage. I would like it to be a 3 bay garage or a 2 bay with a "workshop". I would also like it to have an area off to the side with a roof covering it so I can park a boat/camper/trailer out of the sun. The garage needs to be in similar appearance to my house. I also need to maintain an area the kids can play basketball. The garage will primarily be used for working on cars and other mechanical projects.

Do you think I should bring in a bunch of fill dirt and level the ground with the existing pad? How would you go about the process? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!

Only advice I can give now is that a lean-to shed, on the side, being , in my mind an essential , whether now or in the future, is a great idea. Good if it can be made permanent later. Try to have your posts resting on what can be permanent piers or whatever. Don’t know anything about frost heave and stuff but others do.
Second thing’s a biggie: Do NOT create a situation where you have water problems. And make sure a builder doesn’t either. Even if you have to pay a lot to raise your building another foot or whatever. Of course there’s a lot to drainage. Just saying: try to be sure in your own mind that it’ll drain well. Don’t take somebody’s word. I know how I’d go about it but can’t really advise you.
You sure have a lot of potential there. Don’t rush into anything. Good luck.

 

[DMcDowell]

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful suggestions! I like the idea of having the doors face the house and it being a side load but with a trailer of any size, I wouldn't be able to make the turn easily to pull it into the "lean to". Keeping a basketball court is a must as I love to play basketball with my family. I thought about building it to the left of the basketball court but then it feels like a waste of the current concrete and I wouldn't want the basketball court there because basketballs would bounce off the building. Right now, I am thinking that I could building it behind the current side drive so I can use the existing concrete as a driveway/basketball court. I would likely need to pour a little more concrete to the left of the pad but probably my best option at this time. It would also hide the garage a bit from the road but still allow me the ability to back a trailer in.

 

[MadScientist3019]

I'd highly recommend you bring fill in. Also I assume you're going to want to heat the structure so you can do a frost protected shallow foundation that will save some on the concrete foundations costs and still allow connection to the existing structure.

 

[DMcDowell]

Yeah, I definitely will be sure to bring fill in. And definitely going to heat the structure. Thanks for the suggestions!