I'm adding a one car garage onto the end of a pole barn. This addition will have a 2 post lift and the area used primarily for vehicle repair/ servicing...how wide would be a comfortable width 20 ft? Or more? Don't want a monster size so I can heat and cool it economical
One car garage how wide?
- Thread starter drg5490
- Start date
gregtwojeeps
Well-known member
All about what you can afford and will be pleased with. 20 ft is so close to a two car width may as well make it 24' wide and call it a two car. For me, 14' wide for a one garage is nice, as my present one car is only about 12 ft wide and is tight. good luck jmo
Jlbc212
Well-known member
Check out the outer distance between the posts on the two post lift you would like to get. Add at least another 4ft (2ft each side) just to comfortably walk around. Add extra width for any workbench, tool box you want to place in the garage.
Adk Mike
Well-known member
My shop is 20 wide. Over head door to the far left and bench and work area on the right. Easy to heat. No room for clutter but that was the idea.
rburke65
Well-known member
My 2 posts are 12' apart, so even with 6' on either side it gives you a 24' width. I wouldn't be going any smaller.
Corsair4360
Well-known member
My experience with a 18' wide garage and a two post lift is not good. Walking around the shop to get from one end to another is a PITA.
My suggestion is to carefully think out what you are going to do with the lift. Most of the time we needed the toolbox (a big maintenance unit) at one end or the other, and it is a real mess if the car is high enough you cannot walk around the lift, but not high enough to walk under it. If you are tall (I'm 6'3") walking under is a real pain carrying anything.
I would say that a minimum on either side is 4 feet, and would prefer 6 feet. Of course I am not paying for it....
My suggestion is to carefully think out what you are going to do with the lift. Most of the time we needed the toolbox (a big maintenance unit) at one end or the other, and it is a real mess if the car is high enough you cannot walk around the lift, but not high enough to walk under it. If you are tall (I'm 6'3") walking under is a real pain carrying anything.
I would say that a minimum on either side is 4 feet, and would prefer 6 feet. Of course I am not paying for it....
James-W
Well-known member
It might be a good idea to take into consideration how many tools and how large the tools are that you will be using. The point is, you need room for all that stuff too.
Bib Overalls
Well-known member
Go as big as you can afford. I have never seen a thread/post on the Garage Journal where some one has said "I built it to big."
bazzateer
Well-known member
Can't add anything of value to the posts above except to say make sure you start a build thread and post plenty of updates and photos.
firecracker
Well-known member
just to make us that can't manage bigger, Jealous.
I've heard that you need a space for the car, another space for the interior and another for the mechanicals, maybe another for the tools. Your one car garage is now 50 feet long
That's the way it's looking, my present pole barn is 24x40 and of course too small, that's the reason for adding the 1car mechanical area...
sberry
Banned
You should post in the other thread about the guy wanting to know about a 24 which is really a 1 car garage if you are going to work on it.
This may some what depend on whether your working with compact cars or quad cab 1 ton pickups or larger. Are we to assume this add on is 24 feet long or 40' long? 20x24 would be tight to me, 20x40 would be great. Pay attention to you existing building, does it have 3' wide metal on it? If so then 24' would be a natural size with no waste. What is your pole pitch? Here we use 12', so again 24' is natural. Just a few item to think of.
Also think honestly, are you a neat freak or a mess maker/collector. If you keep your work area neat, lean, and clean then you can make do in a smaller area. If your one to pile things in and 'get to it tomorrow' kinda guy (like me) then your going to fill any area, no matter how big it is. Show us a couple of pictures of what the inside of your current building looks today, and we can decide if your a neat or random kind of a guy.
Good luck on your adventure.
lg
no neat sig line
rburke65
Well-known member
I have 6' on the one side, and 38' on the other. It's 32' deep by 56' wide.
BearsFan315
Well-known member
Mine is 20' and would NOT go any smaller....
My plan for me is to go 20' x 32' because i can NOT go wider on my lot... If so I would go 24' x 32' !! for ROOM !!
My plan for me is to go 20' x 32' because i can NOT go wider on my lot... If so I would go 24' x 32' !! for ROOM !!
Lot of questions great
1 the addition will be about 36 ft long and however wide
It will be set at a 90 degrees angle to the existing building (picture the letter L). So my present bldg is 24 ft wide by 40 ft deep. The new part will be placed at the non garage side of the existing bldg
2. I would like to put a garage door centered in the new addition so I can drive straight in and be in the center of the lift...so if it was 24 ft wide and I placed a 10 ft wide door in the middle, that would give me about 6 ft on either side of the lift columns once inside.
3 . Cars used vary fron compact to 3/4 gass crew cab shortbed.
1 the addition will be about 36 ft long and however wide
It will be set at a 90 degrees angle to the existing building (picture the letter L). So my present bldg is 24 ft wide by 40 ft deep. The new part will be placed at the non garage side of the existing bldg
2. I would like to put a garage door centered in the new addition so I can drive straight in and be in the center of the lift...so if it was 24 ft wide and I placed a 10 ft wide door in the middle, that would give me about 6 ft on either side of the lift columns once inside.
3 . Cars used vary fron compact to 3/4 gass crew cab shortbed.
Jlbc212
Well-known member
If you can, put in a 12ft wide door. You'll appreciate the extra width for the 3/4 ton truck.
Good idea I'll put that one on the list..
rusty1
Well-known member
...no use goin 20',...mite as well make it so 2 cars will fit down the line, if you can offset the lift, you can get 2 cars in there when you don't need the work room....