[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!

[mitchntx]

Opinions ... we all have a different one.

I opted for a single, oversized door instead of 2 individual doors. I didn't want to have to work around the immovable framework that would seperate the 2 doors. Having one single, huge opening gives a lot of flexibility. I installed an 8x18 door and use an opener on it. I also paid extra for a "ceiling hugger" design. That means the door doesn't make a 90* turn, but rather a 45* turn and angles up towards the ceiling. More head room ...

My shop was 24x40 and became too small a year after I moved in. I added another 14' on the back side, giving me 24x54 ... and it's STILL too small.

Think about the prevailing winds in the summer and the winter and place doors and windows appropriately. In Texas, the North wind is a damned cold wind. I have no penetrations on the north side. But I do have garage doors on the west and east side to help ventilate with our SW breeze during the summer months. Also, I planted trees on the west side to provide evening shade to help keep the place cooler. I refuse to install air conditioning in the shop. I'm afraid I'd try and keep it cool! :eek:

Regardless of what your contractor says, overbuild the foundation. Rebar, footings, beams and piers are essential to keep the floor level.

You can never have too much insulation and something easy to clean and never paint for wall covering. I used R panel on the inside and it cleans very easy and never needs paint.

Before the foundation is poured, install a 6" conduit raceway in the foundation. With the price of copper, getting 50A service on the far wall can be damned expensive if you have to chase the perimeter.

Make sure your electric service company will install a separate meter base for the shop. Makes it easier to build to code than retrofitting your home service to accommodate an additional 100A of service.

Pour a pad to park a trailer. Less grass to mow is a bonus.

Electrical service and lighting ... overkill is just about right. Once you've planned for just enough, add 25%. Trust me.

Trusses are your friends ... anything over 10' is potential storage ... deciding on overhead storage access vs floor space is a no brainer ... it's why God made ladders.

Wood looks nice. It's more expensive and requires more maintenance than metal.