[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!

[1qwikbird]

Having helped a buddy build his shop (28x32 with 13" interior height) last summer from doing the plans, the block work, the framing everything. Here are a few things to consider:

2x6 framing for the walls, 2x4's at 12' are at the sturctural limit. Plus the larger wall cavity will allow for better insulation.

100 amp service and definitely 220v.

Careful with truss selection, not all trusses are created equal and most generic trusses are not designed to carry the load imposed by a loft. Check into this. The cost of a properly spec'd truss could be more than it would cost to stick frame the roof, because of the small number of trusses you would be ordering? Do your homework.

5/8 inch plywood on the roof deck, even if code allows less. Especially important if using trusses on 24" centers.

1/2 inch ply on the walls if budget allows, otherwise OSB will do.

5-6 inch slab. Lift or no lift. The upfront cost is small compared to a cracked floor a couple years down the road.

As others have suggested, commercial grade door with 8' height. You won't be sorry.

Chris