Which do you prefer.....24x30 OR 26x28

[40 & 61 Fords]

I'm in the planning stages of a new garage, and I'm looking for size opinions. I am looking at building a 1 1/2 story room in attic style. I would put the steps to the upper level OUTSIDE, so they don't take space up on the inside. I may also enclose under the steps, and use that area as compressor storage.

What I'm looking for is opinions on whether to go 24x30, or 26x28. I don't have a ton of large tools, but this will be my "dream shop", so I want to do it right. It's hard to get a good feel for a layout looking at a piece of paper and some stakes in the yard!!

 

[KPSquared]

Go as big as you are allowed and can afford. I went 30x36 because that was as big as I could fit. . . Check out my attic space if you need ideas.

 

[larry_g]

You must tell us the purpose of the building, parking cars, building cars, woodshop, beer hall? Usage will dictate a lot of the layout.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[trboxman]

make the dimensions divisible by 12, I've been told that it's cheaper from a material and labor perspective.

 

[Andamo]

Built mine as a 24' x 36' two story and although the width is ok, I wish I would have gone to a 28' x 36'. As others have said, go as big as you can and if it means waiting another year for the money, wait it out and you'll never regret the decision.

 

[oldgoat]

I agree with build as big as you can afford, but disagree with waiting it out. Seems like waiting it out can keep on waiting as one thing crops up and then another. Costs will probably be going up instead of down also. What I would do is try to plan for expansion as much as possible if you think you still want it bigger. Maybe to get a better idea of which might work better try laying it out in the space you want to build in. Maybe even make cardboard templates of the base of the tools, cabinets and cars that will go in. Think about what you intend to be doing in the garage. It might be that width might be better than length.

 

[waterboy12]

24Wx36L here and i still find my self wishing it was about 6-8ft wider.

 

[RPH]

Wider is better. Had a 24 foot wide and two cars with work benches got really tight.

 

[Steevo]

I started with 24x40, and wish I had gone 32x40. Of course, my lot wouldn't accommodate that, but I can wish. Within a year or two of building a shop, you will be wishing for more space, no matter the initial dimension.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I think I would go slightly bigger that your original plans, 28x32. If you plan on pulling a full size pick up inside, 24' will be tight to work on.

 

[canuckian]

I have a 24x24 and though the depth doesn't bother me much I wish I'd have went wider. The next one for me will be at least 36x36.

 

[Brett K]

It depends on what you will use it for. If you are parking VWs, go wider. If you have a pick-up or plan on working on older and bigger cars you will want more depth.

 

[sirsloop]

You'll fill whatever size you get... heh heh...

 

[40 & 61 Fords]

I am limited by my city to 720 square feet. It will be used to store/work on a 40 Ford coupe, and a muscle car of some sort. I'm not really a full blown project sort of guy, so it will be mostly to park them in and do small projects.

 

[RECox286]

I am stuck with a one bay space for a shop. Can't get a car into it because

I have no room with all the tools, workbench, shelves, cabinets and machinery

that are crammed in. Some stuff even gets to stay out in the driveway !

Bottom line is I have a very small path from front to back, and it is a major

pain to work in the shop or keep any kind of organization. Of course that is a

price I pay for being a Pack-Rat. Can't remeber the last time I had occasion

to throw anything out, heaven forbid. I know when I die, the wife will have

2 40yd bins delivered before I'm cold.

Uncle Bob


Oh, as far as how big you should build your shop/garage ? Think in terms

having the capablity to build a blimp inside your shop, if you so desire.

 

[holt2ton]

Mine is 26X28...depth is usually fine. I just wish I went a little wider like I originally wanted to, but was told it wasn't necessary, any guesses as to who that gem of an idea came from? But, like I said I'm pretty happy with mine the way it is...

 

[ddawg16]

I would vote 24x30. If you go wide, you tend to not have as much room in front of the vehicles for work space.

I would re-think the stairs on the outside....not fun going up and down in the rain....

My garage is 20x25....2-story....click on the Garage build link in my signature to see how I solved my stair problem...

 

[rvr6000]

I would vote 24x30. If you go wide, you tend to not have as much room in front of the vehicles for work space.

I would re-think the stairs on the outside....not fun going up and down in the rain....

My garage is 20x25....2-story....click on the Garage build link in my signature to see how I solved my stair problem...

Me too. My garage is 24x24. Bench is on the side which works out fine but many are the days I wish I had a few extra feet on each end of the vehicles to walk around them.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I am limited by my city to 720 square feet. It will be used to store/work on a 40 Ford coupe, and a muscle car of some sort. I'm not really a full blown project sort of guy, so it will be mostly to park them in and do small projects.

Doesn't 26x28 violate that 720 sqft limit ?

 

[NUTTSGT]

I would re-think the stairs on the outside....not fun going up and down in the rain....

Unless covering the stairs makes them part of the 720 sqft limit, I'd put a roof over them. There's plenty of plans available to purchase with covered stair on the outside.

 

[Jimmy_B]

My current garage is 24' x 32'. The width is fine as my work benches are in the back, not the sides. Depth is more important to me than the width since I drive a 1 ton crew cab with a plow. Nothing ***** more than having a well lit heated work space and then working on your plow out in the snow and cold because the garage is 2' too short.

As the others have already stated, bigger is better. I've never had a garage too big. I just put up a 36 x 56. It's too small after only 6 months.

 

[HKB3]

Depends which side your doors are going on? If you have to stay with those options I would go with 30 wide by 24 deep. I have a 24x32 but the doors are on the 24' side for me if the doors were on the 32' wall it would be perfect. I also have a second story with the staircase in the garage.

 

[larry_g]

I've worked in shops that are 24' deep and find it to short. If your working on a '60 ford that is a long car. You appreciate the the length to have room in front and back of the rig. 24' wide will give you two 12' bays 30' deep. If you get serious then you will find that only one rig will be in the shop at a time for working on it. If you manage to keep storage on the side walls to 12" or so then you use little width. With 30' depth you can have a generous bench and workspace in front of the rig.

Now if you had said your just parking then I would have said go 30' wide as you can park 3 wide in 30'

lg
no neat sig line

lg
no neat sig line