chiefgearhead
New member
This is the second paragraph of my recent “Introduce Yourself” post, replicated here for background on this new project (because I don’t have enough already) of building another garage on our property.
We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains (yes, the ones near the fires last year) in a home that ticked nearly all the boxes for us when we bought it. The only shortcoming, one we figured we’d be able to tackle at some point, was the lack of “desired“ garage space. I use that qualifier because the garage is actually above average, even by North American standards. It’s 625 square feet in size, well insulated, has lots of big windows, great ventilation, is a separate structure, wired for 220v, an epoxy painted concrete floor, room for my air compressor outside, and great view of the forest beyond. Unfortunately, I have 5 motorcycles, three vintage Alfa Romeos, and a long suffering wife who has just taken delivery of her very first brand new car. I promised her that her new car would have a place inside the garage. After years of having to deal with her car being outside in the drizzle, rain, heat, and dust, she certainly deserves it. And as you may have already thought “gee, any woman who puts up with this guy’s collection deserves at least that…hell, she lets him keep one of the motorcycles in the house.” And you’re right.
So it goes that I am hoping to build another structure for the sole purpose of storing vehicles. Our property is typical Cruz Mtns; large enough to accommodate such a build, but painfully lacking in lots of usable space to make it a no-brainer. Thankfully there is one reasonably large area, perhaps 100ft square, that is adjacent to the main driveway, and far enough away from lot lines, to allow for a shop in the 30x40’ size.
The objectives of the build are to have a garage with the following characteristics:
-fully permitted and “conforming” to Santa Cruz County building codes
-concrete slab thick enough for a seismically active area
-large enough to comfortably accommodate 4 cars and 6 motorcycles
-be insulated from cold in the winter and heat in the summer
-have power and running water
-windows and/or skylights for light
-a certain modicum of fire safeness, perhaps of cinderblock construction with aesthetically pleasing exterior
-accommodations for a small workbench and space for tools for general light maintenance (oil changes, tire rotation, brakes, etc.)
So that’s the goal as of right now. I will begin doing research, sharing what I learn, and look forward to any experience, advice, or cautionary tales from the members of the forum. With the disclaimer that I live in California, a state not known for being overly accommodating regarding these sorts of endeavors, I do hope that your experience and advice will be relevant. We do live in an “unincorporated area” so at least, as Carl Spackler said, “I got that goin’ for me….which is nice.”
-tj in the Cruz Mtns
-
As we live in a high fire risk area, my ini
We live in the Santa Cruz Mountains (yes, the ones near the fires last year) in a home that ticked nearly all the boxes for us when we bought it. The only shortcoming, one we figured we’d be able to tackle at some point, was the lack of “desired“ garage space. I use that qualifier because the garage is actually above average, even by North American standards. It’s 625 square feet in size, well insulated, has lots of big windows, great ventilation, is a separate structure, wired for 220v, an epoxy painted concrete floor, room for my air compressor outside, and great view of the forest beyond. Unfortunately, I have 5 motorcycles, three vintage Alfa Romeos, and a long suffering wife who has just taken delivery of her very first brand new car. I promised her that her new car would have a place inside the garage. After years of having to deal with her car being outside in the drizzle, rain, heat, and dust, she certainly deserves it. And as you may have already thought “gee, any woman who puts up with this guy’s collection deserves at least that…hell, she lets him keep one of the motorcycles in the house.” And you’re right.
So it goes that I am hoping to build another structure for the sole purpose of storing vehicles. Our property is typical Cruz Mtns; large enough to accommodate such a build, but painfully lacking in lots of usable space to make it a no-brainer. Thankfully there is one reasonably large area, perhaps 100ft square, that is adjacent to the main driveway, and far enough away from lot lines, to allow for a shop in the 30x40’ size.
The objectives of the build are to have a garage with the following characteristics:
-fully permitted and “conforming” to Santa Cruz County building codes
-concrete slab thick enough for a seismically active area
-large enough to comfortably accommodate 4 cars and 6 motorcycles
-be insulated from cold in the winter and heat in the summer
-have power and running water
-windows and/or skylights for light
-a certain modicum of fire safeness, perhaps of cinderblock construction with aesthetically pleasing exterior
-accommodations for a small workbench and space for tools for general light maintenance (oil changes, tire rotation, brakes, etc.)
So that’s the goal as of right now. I will begin doing research, sharing what I learn, and look forward to any experience, advice, or cautionary tales from the members of the forum. With the disclaimer that I live in California, a state not known for being overly accommodating regarding these sorts of endeavors, I do hope that your experience and advice will be relevant. We do live in an “unincorporated area” so at least, as Carl Spackler said, “I got that goin’ for me….which is nice.”
-tj in the Cruz Mtns
-
As we live in a high fire risk area, my ini