Need some input regarding future plans!

[UroWerks]

First and foremost i'd like to say hello to all of you.I have visited the site quite frequently just recently decided to take the plunge and register on here.I currently live in the North east.NJ to be exact.I am getting married in Dec. and purchasing a home soon after.I currently work for a dealer we service vw,audi,and porsche vehicles.

I like many of you have built a number of cars over the years,however I will no longer have the need to use my fathers garage and will be considering buying a house with either a large garage or a larger lot in order to build a garage for my hobby.

My first question is how big is too big??ideally i was thinking bout a 3 car garage however I am not sure if thats the way to go.The reason is say this is because i'd like to have a spot for my wife to park her car and then have enough space for 2 lifts,but also have some room for storage for a mower,jetski,work bench,tools and so on.All in all a man cave garage lol.If anyone has any other suggestions please mention them.

Next is the question of which lift??Well that to me is a easy one.Asymetrical 2 post lift with a capacity up to 5 tons to 7.5 tons would be ideal for me as I mostly work on my personal cars and rarely ever trucks,some suv's and pickups and so on.So regarding the lift what sort of ceiling height would I need??

Next of course is heating and cooling of the garage??For heating I was considering a portable kerosene space heater or a barrel wood burning stove.I know there is pros and cons to each and cost of running such items.Also depending wether the garage will be insulated or not will also make a huge difference in that.Open to recommendations and suggestions.For Cooling I was considering a regular ac unit however I dont know if it will be adequate or cool efficiently and to be determined depending on size.

Other than that i'm open to suggestions and comments and recommendations.Pic for clicks.

I work on alot of modified vw,audi,porsche in my spare time.

 

[38Chevy454]

No such thing as too big for garage. I think an attached for your daily drivers with detached work garage is best.

Insulate for sure, helps both heating and cooling. Use whatever is lowest cost. If you have natural gas, that is usually the best. Some insurance co do not allow wood fire heating, and even some cities don't allow burning.

 

[UroWerks]

I was thinking about that as well.I was thinking possibly by having a 1 car garage attached to the house for my wife and then having a 2 car garage for my personal car/workshop and some room for my motorcycle as well as tools and so on.I will have to see what looks good.My main concern is ceiling height and what it should be to fit a lift or 2.

In regards to hearing and cooling I will have to check what the laws are and decide what I will do.Thank you for your input.

Wood bruning would be the cheapest to be honest.I will have to see.Next thing i was thinking of was a portable kerosene heater since thsoe thigns will pretty much burn jsut about anything you put in them,lol.

 

[bigbubba]

No such thing as too big for garage. I think an attached for your daily drivers with detached work garage is best.

Insulate for sure, helps both heating and cooling. Use whatever is lowest cost. If you have natural gas, that is usually the best. Some insurance co do not allow wood fire heating, and even some cities don't allow burning.

+1 Think about how big of a garage you need then double it! Before you know it the shop will be full and you will be adding on.

 

[Kevin54]

First and foremost i'd like to say hello to all of you.I have visited the site quite frequently just recently decided to take the plunge and register on here.I currently live in the North east.NJ to be exact.I am getting married in Dec. and purchasing a home soon after.I currently work for a dealer we service vw,audi,and porsche vehicles.

I like many of you have built a number of cars over the years,however I will no longer have the need to use my fathers garage and will be considering buying a house with either a large garage or a larger lot in order to build a garage for my hobby.

My first question is how big is too big??ideally i was thinking bout a 3 car garage however I am not sure if thats the way to go.The reason is say this is because i'd like to have a spot for my wife to park her car and then have enough space for 2 lifts,but also have some room for storage for a mower,jetski,work bench,tools and so on.All in all a man cave garage lol.If anyone has any other suggestions please mention them.

Next is the question of which lift??Well that to me is a easy one.Asymetrical 2 post lift with a capacity up to 5 tons to 7.5 tons would be ideal for me as I mostly work on my personal cars and rarely ever trucks,some suv's and pickups and so on.So regarding the lift what sort of ceiling height would I need??

Next of course is heating and cooling of the garage??For heating I was considering a portable kerosene space heater or a barrel wood burning stove.I know there is pros and cons to each and cost of running such items.Also depending wether the garage will be insulated or not will also make a huge difference in that.Open to recommendations and suggestions.For Cooling I was considering a regular ac unit however I dont know if it will be adequate or cool efficiently and to be determined depending on size.

Other than that i'm open to suggestions and comments and recommendations.Pic for clicks.

I work on alot of modified vw,audi,porsche in my spare time.

First off...If you can go drifting in the garage it may be a tad too large. But besides that, if you build something in the range of a 30' x 40-60' depth, it should take care of all of your needs.

If you are looking for an attached garage, then by all means look for a three car. One problem with attached garages though is the depth of the garage. They never seem to be deep enough. With todays standards, a lot of the attached garages seem to be like 21' deep. It may be fine for most of the intermediate size cars just to park, but to have a bench, engine hoist or a tool cart to work on the engine, it just doesn't cut it. I'd look for something at least 28' deep for the minimum. That depth will give you room to work all around it. But the deeper the better.

 

[UroWerks]

Yes I do agree the problem with attached garages is depth.My good friend who also works at a audi dealer has this very issue.He has a 2 car garage attached to the house height wise its good he has a lift in the garage however depth is a issue.The last time we pulled a motor out of a car with the cherry picker we ran out of room there simply isnt enough depth.Hence why I believe I will be looking to build a garage not attached to the house.But first I need to find a suitable house and lot and see my options.Anyone know height wise how tall of a garage will need to be build in order for me to install a lift and be able to lift taller vehicles such as suv's and pickups??

 

[bigbubba]

Yes I do agree the problem with attached garages is depth.My good friend who also works at a audi dealer has this very issue.He has a 2 car garage attached to the house height wise its good he has a lift in the garage however depth is a issue.The last time we pulled a motor out of a car with the cherry picker we ran out of room there simply isnt enough depth.Hence why I believe I will be looking to build a garage not attached to the house.But first I need to find a suitable house and lot and see my options.Anyone know height wise how tall of a garage will need to be build in order for me to install a lift and be able to lift taller vehicles such as suv's and pickups??

I would go 14' but i think you can get by with 12',Or you can get scissor trusses to keep the height down and still have a lift.

 

[Ksullivan]

Sweet vw! We have a 34x40 and it seems big enough for the tractor, the boat, the 41 pickup and the 38' rv. We heat with a salamander and a Woodstove that has a powered blower on it. Congrats on the wedding! Good luck on the future build.

 

[UroWerks]

Thanks for the input guys and the suggestions.I am considering all options.I figure the bigger the better but ideally I was thinking some like maybe 40x40 but we will see.

 

[crewchief888]

if i was going to build a garage

insulated slab with infloor heat, even if the heat doesnt get conected right away, the tubing is in place
floor drain
2x6 stud walls for plenty of insulation
gas line, 100a service, additional pipe run from the house for future use
30d X 40w 2 doors

lh bay for the wifes car, center bay for my trail truck, rh bay for a work/storage area

 

[kvom]

My ceiling is 13', which is tall enough for anything I've needed to lift. Having the attached garage for the wife and a separate shop garage is the way to go.

I put hydronic heating in my shop slab, and it's worked very well. I have a mini-split AC for cooling.

Water line for a shop sink.

 

[UroWerks]

Thanks for all the input guys.Yes ideally I would want some 230v outlets as well for a welder,air compressor and possibly a part cleaner machine,among other machines.I guess we will see.Still on the house hunt looking for something that will meet my needs.Already have a list made of things I am looking to purchase.As Well as some items I already have.

 

[kbs2244]

First:
An oversized two car attached for the daily drivers and snow equipment.
Walking in the snow and rain to and from your DD gets old real quick.
Same for trudging in the snow to get the snow fighter.

Second:
I know there is no such this as too big.
But you can “Overwhelm” the house architecturally with “too much too close.”
Unless you can put the shop some distance away from the house, it is something to keep in mind.
With what you have described I would say a 30x40x10 would be fine.
Deep enough to work in front, or in back on your Porsche, and wide enough for some heavy shop equipment out of the way of the drive in stuff.
Two overhead doors and pallet racking on the far 30’ wall for the out of season toys.

 

[UroWerks]

Well I am leaning towards 12 or 14 foot ceiling height as I will be looking to install a lift or two.But its all planning for now.House hunting for the time being.

 

[UroWerks]

Sorry to bring a old thread back to life but it looks like I finally will be putting a scissor lift in my garage.I have a question for those of you that have done it.According to the manual it says the floor needs to be at least 6 inches thick.This is a in ground scissor that will sit flush with the floor.So I need to cut my existing floor to recess the lift and pour a new footing for it.it doesn't say I need to tie the new floor to the old but I would assume I do.has anyone done this and how did you go about accomplishing this?