Regrets?

[Fredro Starr]

For those of you that built or had a garage built, if you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently/or change?

Trying to leverage lessons learned on my new build.

Thanks,

 

[gsbuick65]

Mines been up for 2 years, so far nothing.

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

 

[bobcatdan]

Water to the shop, floor drains and if putting a hoist in, minum of 14' ceilings. Also it never hurts to go 4'to '5 wider and deeper then you think you need.

 

[FJ 432]

Bigger. Always bigger.

 

[wes73]

I would done all attic trusses instead of just 12 feet of 40 feet.

 

[lakeroadster]

I keep hearing "minimum of 14' ceilings for a lift"..... Been there, done that, and disagree.

If you are planning to heat / cool your shop you want the ceilings as low as possible to minimize the cu-ft of HVAC conditioned space.

Think outside the "box" (square box) concept:

Options:

• Build a pole building and locate the hoist between trusses.
• Use a ridge beam design to eliminate trusses all together in the hoist area.
• Use scissor trusses.

We are currently building a 30' x 44' pole barn that has 9 foot side walls. With the 5-12 pitch and strategically located trusses it has adequate ceiling (roof) height to accommodate my 10k Rotary lift.

Example photo below (not mine).

 

[Blk88GT]

Running water, a toilet, more windows.

Other than that, nothing!

 

[gtae07]

I would have saved up more money and paid someone to do the work. Eight months of weekends and counting, and I'm still not done...

 

[Cyberbear]

My 30 x 80 shop with 12" walls, 15 x 30 outside lean-to roof and 5:12 roof trusses, and heavy ridge beam support over the office, washroom and storage room with mezzanine has worked out perfectly. Just make certain all the important details are finished before actually using the building. Due to time constraints I put off the drywall and electrical and am still trying to find the time to get that completed.

 

[bazzateer]

Bigger, always bigger.

 

[norry]

It's way easier and cheaper to add things like extra 110/220 outlets while designing and building it than it is later, and it looks better too.

Have you ever worked in a room where you said, "Huh! I wish there were less electrical outlets in here!" Nuff said =)

 

[coljar]

I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention......................................ok, I'll mention it. I could have made the back room bigger, because I wasn't as close to my property line as I thought and I would have put in one more floor drain. Bigger would have been nice, but couldn't be done with the space I had to work with.

 

[midas]

I would have researched my dumb *** contractor more. He came in with a bid lower than the rest with the same scope, but as the project was in play all of a sudden things stared to change. Get everything in writing and if you don't agree with something...say something, if the contractor does not cooperate with you...fire him! Way to many scam artist out there, trust no one.

Here are some things that i got burned on...Should have had rebar, two coarses of block above ground level, concrete floor does not slope towards drains, garage door tracks mounted flush against ceiling, roughed in plumbing, incorrectly installed shiingles (3000 repair already for one section), flashing bowed all over, man doors not properly installed...that's just the garage I had put on.

 

[Speedy!]

Mine's in process, so I enjoy reading these threads. The common theme tends to be as big as you can have/afford. Mine started off 19' x 32' and is being built at 24' x 34 after reading threads here.

I plan to add a 2 post lift so I too was going for the 14' ceilings. However as mentioned above I was cautioned away from that by SEVERAL knowledgeable folks including my contractor not only due to heating/cooling issues but also roofline and material costs. My contractor came up with doing 12' ceilings and a tray above the lift at 13' 6" to allow plenty of lift room. I thought that was a pretty good idea and will solve both problems.

One big lesson I learned thus far: Check with your local codes department on setbacks and other items. I thought I had done my due diligence when I called and asked for the building inspector to check these things. He forgot to mention a BIG issue in that detached structures have to be located BEHIND the main structure. We got the garage staked out and here he comes to approve and it got denied for being at the end of my driveway and not behind my house (32 feet further back). I had to get a variance from the city which wasn't a huge deal ($100 and 8 minutes in front of my Zoning Authority Board) but it has delayed my build by 6 weeks while I wanted to get on the schedule.

 

[mvdavid]

Hi and good luck with your build. One shop that I worked at had a section of the floor, maybe 10' square, done nearly perfectly level and with a very smooth surface. This was done for layout, drawing with chalk, and assembly of various projects and jigs. The other things would be some substantial anchor points into the ground before the poor. Also an extra strong area for later lift installation. Also some very strong areas in the roof/ceiling to hang a come-along from.
David

 

[bobcatdan]

If I was to build a building with a hoist in mind, I'd save my pennies a little longer and put a the new style in ground hoist. A standard 2 post eats up so much room, I personally spend the extra couple of thousands for an in ground.

 

[Twisted Sid]

 

[ptgb]

If you think 10' high ceilings are enough... put in 14' or 16'.

Trust me.

 

[SweetD]

I have a 24x24x8 attached, so nothing huge.

More electrical outlets, at least two separate 120V circuits (have two now, but installed after the build was done). Separate 240V for whatever I may need it for (still don't have). More ceiling lighting would be nice although it's not terrible (4, 4ft. T-8's)...

Should've put the 12V wiring for the garage door openers in the ceiling. Bothers me still that I have to look at the wiring on the ceiling.

Would've paid more attention to the concrete pour, and would've had the contractor cut stress reliefs in the concrete. It's cracked now, but not severely.

Really glad I put in a utility sink. Also installed a heater after the build, should've roughed it in during the build.

Overall very happy with the only space in the house I control. Good luck!

Dave

 

[jannan]

I would have built mine a year and a week later, so the tornado would have missed it!!

 

[PeterT]

I have two out buildings, a 50x100 with seven front doors (previous owner had a limo biz)... Second is 40x50 with 3 big doors 25 foot ceiling (previous owner had shuttle buses)

Both barns are metal with concrete floors and they are completely maintenance free - both are about 15 yrs old. We get high winds, tons of rain & snow and these metal bldgs look the same as they did 15 yrs ago.

I didn't have them built, but I honestly don't have any regrets,, maybe more outlets & brighter interior lights...

 

[stihlntime]

Mine is a metal shop 40x60 on the primary shop with four windows down the front and two 14 high 12 wide roll up's on the end. I have a 40X20 overhang on one side where I park four vehicles off one corner I added a 20x20 tool room with a 10' sliding door and 36" walk in door. I put a 200 amp panel in for power. I went with a 6" fiber concrete floor with rebar. I poured a 30X40 concrete approach on the end of the shop. My side walls are 14'. I build a stair way leading up to a 20x20 office with windows overlooking the shop. My only regrets are not putting more 220/240 volt outlets, and not sealing the floor when the shop was new. Also I wish I had plumbed in more air line and air outlets down both 60' walls.
I also wish I had added a four post lift and waste oil heater in and financed it in the total cost of the shop. I insulated both the roof and walls and am glad I did. One last regret is not running pex through my roof where I could heat my floor in the winter time, that is probably the biggest regret. It would have been simple to have heated the floor with an outdoor wood furnace. I put ceiling fans in which are a blessing this time of year.

 

[OldracerJones]

Had my 30x50 for four years now. A few things I would do different.
1. Should have made it bigger.
2. Should have used garage door rails that followed the ceiling line.
3. Made the driveway as wide as the whole building. I cut it off at 35 ft wide.
4. Wish I would have used rapid air max line, 1" aluminum tubing instead of plastic line.
4. More elec outlets. I put them every 4 ft but seems like I always need more.
A few things that were great:
1. Full bath and parts cleaning room with parts cleaner and large utility sink turned out to be used way more than I thought they would be.
2. Storage over office/bath was genius, got the idea from here. 12x30 is LOTS of storage.
3. My lighting was great. Very bright 10"CFLs.
4. The drive thru garage doors on each side of the building. Gives me options.

 

[djones1a]

Plum pex pipe in the floor wither you use right away or not,it's not something you can do later for heat. If you are going to build a high end pole barn,build another half the size on the back of it for the mowers,weed eaters.rakes.and all the other things that clutter up the working shop.

 

[steky]

Mine is a 30 X 50, only regret I have is I wished I'd had put in a floor drain and insulated the walls before I started storing all my junk.

 

[slip knot]

My 36X50 went up in 04. I should of had the concrete done for the lift when the slab was poured. I will be putting up a smaller building for parts storage. parts dont need to be stored in the main building unless I'm ready to use them. Put in the biggest overhead door that will fit.

 

[Krash Kadillak]

I've had a few.............

 

[Fred.]

I would have moved the garage 10ft. off the property line instead of 5ft.,
that way I could have a driveway to the back of the property.

 

[why worry]

PEX in the floor, vapor barrier under the concrete and finish it before starting to use it. 72 X 48 building with a 24 X 48 shop on one side.
Dave

 

[SALIV8]

Bigger. Always bigger.

Yup. As everyone says, I wish I woulda went bigger :/

 

[maxpower_hd]

The only regret I have is not building in an I-Beam for an overhead hoist.

 

[bakins]

Wish I had:

Ran water to it

Used a sub panel for upstairs rather than just a couple circuits. Now using it for woodworking.

Added a floor drain

Did something better for heating/air. Currently have a window unit and a ceiling heater downstairs and nothing up stairs.

 

[EdT]

Aside from BIGGER, I would have done two things that I thought about and consciously dismissed before/ during the build. So, shame on me.
1) I would have put more 240 outlets in. 120 is limiting for some of the stuff I want to run.
2) I would have double/tripled up on some of the rafters to make a hard point for lifting stuff. Most of it can be done with an engine lift, but it's far simpler if you can get something overhead. I feel even more strongly about this having had an engine lift collapse a couple of weeks ago with around a ton on it. Could have been avoided with an overhead. I may open up the ceiling and do it someday. Pretty simple except for the wires that pass through the existing I-Joists.

 

[snail81]

I wanted a building that matched my house. Brick ect. I started this 16x20 10 years ago and still not finished. If I had it to do over I would have built a 24x30 at least and built it out of metal.

 

[Corsair4360]

Based upon my vicarious experience with a 40x60 foot shop upgraded from a 30x48 shop. And now my own 24x12 shop (yes it is way to small, long story).

1. Outlets, you can never have enough, all boxes double for 110V (4 plugs), every 4 feet, and same interval for 220V as for 110v. Plan for more electrical load that you need.
2. Eight inch floor thickness, that way you always have a strong enough floor for lifts, etc.
3. An overhead travel crane is best, but an I beam running the width of the shop works with a gantry crane.
4. One bay 14' high, with a high overhead door for the car lift. That area needs to be at least 14' wide so you can walk around the vehicle while it is on the lift, especially if it is low enough you cannot walk under it.
5. Three phase power if at all possible, otherwise a 3 phase converter.
6. Mezzanine or separate storage area.
7. Must have a bathroom (sink and toilet mandatory, shower nice to have).
8. Refrigerator mandatory (not a little one)
9. 2x12 base board to stop heavy tool chests etc.
10. Lots of lights, more than you think you need.
11. Tall roll up doors - at least 10' wide if not double wide
12. Drain to the doors, but with a good flat area for machine tools.
13. Bigger than you think you need by at least 50%.

 

[stngfever]

I keep hearing "minimum of 14' ceilings for a lift"..... Been there, done that, and disagree.

If you are planning to heat / cool your shop you want the ceilings as low as possible to minimize the cu-ft of HVAC conditioned space.

Think outside the "box" (square box) concept:

Options:

• Build a pole building and locate the hoist between trusses.
• Use a ridge beam design to eliminate trusses all together in the hoist area.
• Use scissor trusses.

We are currently building a 30' x 44' pole barn that has 9 foot side walls. With the 5-12 pitch and strategically located trusses it has adequate ceiling (roof) height to accommodate my 10k Rotary lift.

Example photo below (not mine).

While I'm not sure where the 14' for a lift comes from, I too have to disagree!

Doing the odd truss designs adds another level of complexity to insulating and finishing off the interior.

Mine is 12' walls with ceiling at same height in a 32x40. I can lift Explorer and Escape with ability for this 6' 1" to walk under neath without bending over. Still leaving a good amount of clearance between roof of vehicle and ceiling.

Insulated walls with R-19 and R-32 in ceiling. Easy to heat and cool.

You can see pics in my garage build in signature.

 

[Fredro Starr]

Wow, these are GREAT answers to my question. Please keep them coming as your responses have been VERY helpful and given me some things to consider.

Thanks all!!

 

[James E]

I'd have poured the floor to be able to switch to a two post lift if I ever wanted to (and I do want to).

I'd also have added a urinal in the bathroom.

 

[IlliniJeeper]

My garage is just a 2 car attached garage.

What I did well:
- It's slightly oversized at 22x24
- There's a 240V hookup for my welder
- It's finished drywalled and painted
What I didn't do well:
- Poor Lighting
- Not enough 120V outlets
- Should have done 2 or 3 240V outlets, not just one
- Should have done a higher ceiling so I could fit a lift and a high-rise garage door.
- Should have insulated the floor, walls and ceilings for future heating and cooling.
- Should have put in a man door.
- Should have put in a couple windows for a cross breeze and natural lighting.
- Most of all, I should have ponied up for a 3rd, extra-long stall.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I should have made the walls a foot higher and the bays a foot wider.