[vanwyk4257]

Well, I received the blessing from my wife last weekend to go ahead and build a garage out back (it might have helped that I have two F-bodies in the garage at the moment and she's parking outside (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) ) so I am trying to work out the details on design, size, layout et al.

I am thinking of doing a 24x30 with 12'foot walls to allow me enough height to install a 2 or 4-post lift down the road.

My thought is to put a 16x8 overhead door off to one side of the 30ft. wall which will face the house and then have a 3ft. steel service/entry door as well.

I want to have room to park two cars inside and still have a decent workshop space for working on engines, etc.

I do plan to insulate the entire building and will be running natural gas and electricity (110V only most likely) to it. Heat will be from a 90%+ efficiency furnace, i.e., forced air (my dad's in the business so I can get one cheap).
I also plan to finish the interior walls and ceiling with OSB as opposed to drywall just because it will be easier to live with, i.e., I can bang into it with tools, parts etc. without doing any real damage, and if I do manage to punch a hole in a sheet it will be easier to replace. Finally, I am anticipating putting a loft area in the trusses for storage with a pull-down ladder.

I am looking or any input with regard to the size (I know you can never build too large) based on the aforementioned parameters, will it be large enough?

Also, I would welcome any advice or input with regard to layout etc.

Thanks in advance for the input guys!

[zlexiss]

Get a 220v feed if possible. Air compressors, welders, metalworking lathes/mills, all will be happier down the line.

[cccbock]

Get a 220v feed if possible. Air compressors, welders, metalworking lathes/mills, all will be happier down the line.

Well, you said it yourself....build it as big as you can. If necessary I would recommend sacrificing some garage goodies in lieu of size if it is a budget problem. You can get the goodies later. My garage is 36 x 45, and I grew out of it in 4 years. Also depends if you plan to stay put in your location for awhile, and how many cars you have to park in there. 36 wide is just barely wide enough to put two Fbodies in end to end.

If it were me, I would put in (2) 12 foot overhead doors, one being the entry point for the bay with the lift, the other being a multipurpose bay, or parking bay. I have (2) 12 footers, and a 14 foot wide by 11ft high sliding door on one end of my garage, but your size and utilization may not dictate this. I did this so the structure could house a car on a trailer, small RV, or a boat.

Be careful engineering the overhead doors. Depending on how you do your lift, they will be in the way when they are up. and you will definitely want them up except in the winter.

Consider a couple windows, and/or skylights to allow for natural light.

Suck it up and try to get the 220 volt done. Saves headaches later and gives you flexibility, its not that much more typically when you look at it from the marginal cost standpoint. Plus, when your wife finally kicks you out, you can put AC in there with the furnace and live out there...every mans dream!

Bock (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)