Perfect Garage Suggestions

DCTiger

DCTiger

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CAT Member
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My wife has plans to move to a bigger house for the sake of our kids, but being the nice wife she is she is allowing me to retain my current capability and some growth in the garage arena. Since the kids are well established in their school, need to stay within the city limits of DC (minimizes options).

I currently have a 4 car garage with alley access (2 x 2) with a lift to allow storage but not actual lift function due to 8' ceiling height. Lift allows storage of Tiger with windshield removed. Have 225 V for larger equipment and a compressor for lift and air tools with rigid air lines running up/down the garage. I like the 2 x 2 configuration because it allows me to work on the cars nearest the door.

I am tired of the wife/kids dragging stuff along the cars since access is down the middle.

So I am looking at least a 40' X 30' X 12' (l x w x h). The garage has to match the rest of the neighborhood, so can't be too high and not too wide so that I can fit into the parcel. The 30' width will allow at least a 5' buffer on the sides of the cars and allow some sort of workspace or machinery locations on the outer sides and the front. Also a workbench I can actually use without having to move a car or sitting on a hood. I also have engine stand, engine hoist, 20 ton press, floor jack, jack stands, etc taking all kinds of space. I got one of those tire racks that mount on the wall for my spare rims/tires. Also have storage cabinets and racks for all the parts and fluids.

Things I have been considering are a degreaser table and a sandblast cabinet for smaller items. I was thinking of running metal I beams across where the engine compartments would be for hoisting capability. I would also like to get an attic so that I can store a lot of my spare parts, which are currently in the rafters.

Any more suggestions? I guess my real problem is that I don't want to downsize my collection.
 
Sounds fun

just on the off-chance that you are unaware of these forums....


Garage Journal

Plenty of ideas there to spend a few months gawking and planning
 
Do You Have a Hardtop

Your garage is way beyond anything I could hope to have in my small, 2-car garage. But here are a few thoughts.

If you have a hardtop, you might also think about how to store it when it is not on the car. There are stands on rollers that hold tops or you can install a hoist so you can hoist the top off the car and have it hang over where you car sits.

Also, allow room for a refrigerator in case you need a cold one while working on or BS-ing about cars. One of the things I wished I could have in my tiny garage is a laundry sink - real deep. Also, how about room for a large convection oven for curing the powder coating on parts?

Every garage needs lots of electrical outlets. If you are running hard air lines, consider putting in a central vacuum system, with vacuum lines and stations on both sides of the garage.
 
HolyCat said:
Your garage is way beyond anything I could hope to have in my small, 2-car garage. But here are a few thoughts.

If you have a hardtop, you might also think about how to store it when it is not on the car. There are stands on rollers that hold tops or you can install a hoist so you can hoist the top off the car and have it hang over where you car sits.

Also, allow room for a refrigerator in case you need a cold one while working on or BS-ing about cars. One of the things I wished I could have in my tiny garage is a laundry sink - real deep. Also, how about room for a large convection oven for curing the powder coating on parts?

Every garage needs lots of electrical outlets. If you are running hard air lines, consider putting in a central vacuum system, with vacuum lines and stations on both sides of the garage.
Click to expand...

And my wife would say why don't you put a bed and dresser drawers as you might as well as live in it:) only having some fun.
 
Mooooooo!!

Needing more space and in order to circumvent some inane bureaucracy, I filed a permit for a "cow/hay" barn. The local Cobra builder got a permit for an "elevated" carport, and slowly filled the walls in one season at a time.
 
DCTiger said:
So I am looking at least a 40' X 30' X 12' (l x w x h). The garage has to match the rest of the neighborhood, so can't be too high and not too wide so that I can fit into the parcel.
Any more suggestions? I guess my real problem is that I don't want to downsize my collection.
Click to expand...

My shop is about that size give or take a few feet @ 1350. It is separate from the main house and garage so it is also equipped with a full bathroom and shower which is a must if a ways from the house. When I first moved in I thought I would never use all the space much less fill it up. Now 12 years later I have no more space and am thinking about building another shop near by or moving some of my woodworking tools to a leased building downtown. So my advice is build the biggest building that you can get away with cause you will fill it up fast......

Moondoggie
 
Keep the ideas coming

Thanks everyone so far. That garage journal is pretty neat. too

My one issue is that the city thinks I am going to rent out the garage for people.

They gave me a hard time running water to the garage for a sink the first time, but it is still in my mind. I am also burdened by keeping a certain percentage of the backyard green, so my first garage maxed out the building space. Also they made me run joists at regular intervals for the roof which kept me from having good storage above the workspace (again for rental).

I love all the ideas that you guys are coming up with since you have been through it before or you had to have someone else perform the work. I believe that almost everything can be done by yourself, except for the engine machining that I had to farm out.

And I am not yet proficient in welding or paint. But I pretty much try everything else.

In regards to the hardtop idea, I did have the joists designed so that I could store the Bronco steel hardtop in the roof. A lot of overkill for the Tiger ht, but yes I forgot about that. With a 12' workspace I definitely have the room for the ht's up high.

The powder coat oven idea was good and I wish had that thought before I replaced my last range.

Regards,
 
The most IMPORTANT Option

...make sure it has room for at least two of my cars.
 
garage

Robert, I agree with Bill D., build as big and tall as you can.

Two things you may think about is laying radiant pex tubes in the slab next to the rebar (before you pour obviously) and polishing/staining/sealing the concrete once it's cured but before it gets any tools or traffic.

If you like one of the epoxy finishes do that before you start to use the space.

Even here in Southern California the really high end car storage places appreciate radiant floor heat. It really helps to keep the moisture out of the slab and the cars like that.

Lastly if you think you would ever put in a 2 post lift figure out the make and location now so you can deepen the concrete in those areas so if it ever gets installed it's done right.

Like David mentioned a shop sink is really nice to have. If the city wants to prevent you from installing plumbing so the shop doesn't get converted to an illegal dwelling tell them that it's either going to be a washer and dryer or a darkroom.
 
I am running a garage that is 42 wide, 26 deep and 12 high. With two lifts you can easily fit 6 cars and 7 in a pinch. The 12' height allows you to use a lift and walk under with ease.
 
Or....

venice532 said:
Like David mentioned a shop sink is really nice to have. If the city wants to prevent you from installing plumbing so the shop doesn't get converted to an illegal dwelling tell them that it's either going to be a washer and dryer or a darkroom.
Click to expand...

Or your meth lab. :D
 
I built a 36x48 "barn" a few years back, and while not in DC it is in the limits of a small town so I had to deal with building height requirements, building and impervious coverage, and all that fun stuff. We had some tight height requirements so I had to get creative to be able to fit a real, full height lift in there. This is the second time I've done this, so I have a pretty good handle on what dimensions work well.

I think the most I've ever had in there is 7, but that was a tight squeeze...

You can contact me off line (PM or email) if you want more details.
 
A Pit?

One of the things I remember about a neighbor many years ago was that he had a pit in his detached, one-car garage. I would estimate that his house was probably built in the 1920s or 1930s, so it was old fashioned. But having a pit in the garage was nice, since he liked to work on his cars himself and this allowed him to get under the car to change the oil, work on the tranny, bleed the brakes, etc. All of this was before there were lifts for personal garages. For safety reasons, such a pit should be kept covered with suitable grating so that people and things don't fall into it. But it may be a way around building height limitations that might preclude a lift.
 
Pit

That was my original plan for my current garage. The city came in and would have made me totally reinforce the hole in the ground. Can't remember, but I think it would have been just as costly as a lift.

I have been considering all your suggestions, especially the max size.

I'm now thinking about a 8 car garage with 2 car slots for a workshop (40x44x12). Looks like all agree that 12' high seems to be the best height.

I will bring over my 4 post lift from my current garage and stick it in the back row next to the workshop.

I am thinking of enclosing the workshop, so that I can heat/AC it since it was pretty darn cold this year working in a 20/30 deg garage.

You guys in CA don't know what cold is like. I remember back in Ventura Ca working on a car all year long even out on the driveway.

Also I have to worry about mosquitos. When working under the car I setup a fan blowing air at me which keeps me cool but also blows the mosquitos away.
 
Garages

DC, about a year and a half ago I sold my house with a 6 car garage and bought a two car garage home. Scaling down. A year later I added a garage (16X26) with a second story for storage etc. TOILET! Wish I would have put one in but the plumbing would have been difficult to connect since it is next to the existing garage. Even a urinal would be nice. Oh well.
I've been a general contractor for 40 years with several years supervising a building dept. I know all about the Zoning stuff about possible illegal dwelling unit conversions. Where I live, Santa Barbara County, they are sticklers about that. Usually, bathing facilities are the big issue but, it can get out of hand. Like others have said, make it as big as you can! I'm already running out of room.
Cheers
 
Bucket

I got a bucket in the garage:D I would not suggest plumbing in the lines and hiding them from the inspector:cool:
 
DCTiger said:
I'm now thinking about a 8 car garage with 2 car slots for a workshop (40x44x12). Looks like all agree that 12' high seems to be the best height.

I will bring over my 4 post lift from my current garage and stick it in the back row next to the workshop.

I am thinking of enclosing the workshop, so that I can heat/AC it since it was pretty darn cold this year working in a 20/30 deg garage.
Click to expand...
A few thoughts. First is that it seems silly to consider the details until you have a new property and know what you have to work with... but it's fun anyway, so let's keep going.

When it comes to width, you have to factor in what door arrangement you will have. If you really want to get 4 wide into a 40' width you need either a pair of doubles (at least 16' each) or 4 singles (at least 8' each). That only leaves 8' of space for the areas to the sides and between the doors, which isn't much especially if you want 4 doors. My previous garage was 38' wide with 2x 16' doors. Having the pillars be so thin had some downsides when it came to wall space. If I did that one again I would have gone with a 16' and something smaller, as a never put 4 wide in it.

The other thing is that despite the fact that my current shop is 36x48, I always seem to be short on wall space. Part of that is because of the windows and doors that I have, but the point is that if you really want to get 4 wide into 40' you will have to give up the walls for anything like workbenches, cabinets, storing mowers, bikes, etc.

44' is a good number for depth, as long as you don't have anything particularly long like a pickup truck. Once again, consider what you want to use that back wall for and include it in your figuring. Mine is 48' deep, and at one point I had 3 cars deep plus a tire rack on the back wall but it's tight. I've also had two wide at the back, then one sideways, then room for one more deep. This was in the winter when the back 3 weren't going anywhere.

I had considered enclosing a portion of mine, but I always have all kinds of goofy projects and I'm always shuffling stuff around. Putting walls in would seriously compromise the flexibility of the space.

For height, I used scissor trusses (with a 2/12 pitch on the bottom) which gave me some extra height inside without having it be too tall on the outside.
 
HolyCat said:
One of the things I remember about a neighbor many years ago was that he had a pit in his detached, one-car garage. I would estimate that his house was probably built in the 1920s or 1930s, so it was old fashioned. But having a pit in the garage was nice, since he liked to work on his cars himself and this allowed him to get under the car to change the oil, work on the tranny, bleed the brakes, etc. All of this was before there were lifts for personal garages. For safety reasons, such a pit should be kept covered with suitable grating so that people and things don't fall into it. But it may be a way around building height limitations that might preclude a lift.
Click to expand...

I have a pit in my workshop which is six feet deep by the width of a car and runs the length of a car. Has lights & air and on top I have metal sections
that come out which are about 4x4. Pretty much like a high end Jiffy Lube.
The advantage over a lift is you don't give up floor space but the disadvantage
is you can't lift the car up and remove wheels. So you really need both...What you really need is an 8 car garage !!!!!

Moondoggie
 
Jeff F said:
A few thoughts. First is that it seems silly to consider the details until you have a new property and know what you have to work with... but it's fun anyway, so let's keep going.
.
Click to expand...

I am getting closer, contract should go in today. But the wife and I realize that this area or similar areas has the house she wants and the space for a garage of roughly this size.

Dimensions are interior: 44 wide x 40 long x 12 high

I am trying to keep this garage as cars/tools only with all the other stuff in a separate space. Tired of bikes hanging from the rafters, trash/luggage going thru the aisles and just anything (besides me throwing tools) to hit the cars.

Plan is to have 4 feet on each side of the car (dead space) with a 20'x20' shop just for workbenches/sandblast booth/degreaser/storage for engine hoist and engine stand/etc. The 4' on each side of the car may be shrunk a little if I decide to have some storage/cabinets on the sides.

I am entertaining a pitched roof for some storage above the shop/back two spots.

I am thinking of one permanent wall btwn the back cars and the workshop with a door that can slide from one side to the next. This can be used to be able to lock up the cars in the back or wall up the workshop.

I may be able to provide a storage opportunity for VaCat33, or this allows me to some parts car for disassembly. I have watched a few good opportunities go by since I had no room.

I was thinking of the I beam approach to hang the rolling door and also to run across the engine compartments in the front so that I could run a hoist across the garage.

This is all dream stuff right now.

Ain't this fun? :D
 
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