Garage Planning Questions

[67 GTX]

Hello All,

I am starting to plan out and get quotes on having my garage built. I am allowed a 1000 sq ft footprint with the highest point being 16' without a variance.
My goal is to fit 4 cars, side by side.
My initial thought was to build a 40'W x 25'L garage, with 2 16' doors, and going as high as I can. Aiming for a 6" slab so I can put either a 2 or 4 post lift in with no issues.
The slab would be a bit bigger so I would have room to pull cars out in front and wash them.

My thoughts on the 40' and 25' dimensions are as follows:
My GTX is roughly 75" W, 17' L, and 5' H.

If I space the doors 3' off from each side, and have 2' in between the doors, that should give me storage space on the sides of the cars, as well as enough room between the cars themselves so I am not squeezing by all of them.

Then in the back of the garage, I would make a cornered off room that will be my paint/engine area, so it's away from the cars.
The lift would go on one of the sides of the garage.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my plan? Any input is welcomed!

 

[91r/t]

My buddy always told me to build the building in multiples of 8' so you aren't wasting plywood. ie. 40x32. Any other sizes you end up cutting your roofing and sheeting off and wasting some of the wood cutoffs. Always made sense to me to keep it that way so you don't waste sheeting and a few extra 2x4's or 6's was until recently not a huge deal.

 

[pnora]

Hello All,

I am starting to plan out and get quotes on having my garage built. I am allowed a 1000 ft2 footprint with the highest point being 16' without a variance.
My initial thought was to build a 40'W x 25'L garage, with 2 16' doors, and going as high as I can. Aiming for a 6" slab so I can put either a 2 or 4 post lift in with no issues.
The slab would be a bit bigger so I would have room to pull cars out in front and wash them.

My thoughts on the 40' and 25' dimensions are as follows:
My GTX is roughly 75" W, 17' L, and 5' H.

If I space the doors 3' off from each side, and have 2' in between the doors, that should give me storage space on the sides of the cars, as well as enough room between the cars themselves so I am not squeezing by all of them.

Then in the back of the garage, I would make a cornered off room that will be my paint/engine area, so it's away from the cars.
The lift would go on one of the sides of the garage.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my plan? Any input is welcomed!

I am allowed a 1000 ft2 footprint----------------What is that???

 

[69a100]

My thoughts on the 40' and 25' dimensions are as follows:

Then in the back of the garage, I would make a cornered off room that will be my paint/engine area, so it's away from the cars.
The lift would go on one of the sides of the garage.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my plan? Any input is welcomed!

Not knowing how companies work with sizes? You may be better off with a 40 X 30, that gives you another 5' in the back instead of being so close to the wall for some more work space. That would be about the size of a tight packed 4 car garage. Good Luck

 

[747mopar]

1000sqft? Mine is 32W×34L (1,088sqft outside dimensions), I have a lift in one bay, plenty of room to open all of the doors if both bays are full, enough room for a full length workbench lengthwise on one wall, a nice bathroom at the end of one bay, a huge lathe and a milling machine. 25' deep is cramped, I also have an attached 24'×24' for parking and it's tight lengthwise.

My rule of thumb for any 2 car garage that your going to work in is nothing under 32' in either direction.

 

[Dave6T4]

Any plans on heating it? My attached garage is 25'W X 50'L. I have hot water heat in the floor. The heat is down where you want it to work in winter, not up at the ceiling with suspended heater. If you are mounting a hoist to the floor, you just have to map out the attachment areas.

 

[gkent]

Check local codes, there is often a limit to how large you can build on a slab. Around here its the size of a 2-car. In my case I had to build on a foundation. As previously stated, build walls in 4' increments. Variances aren't anything to worry about. In most cases they ask neighbors if they have objections. Objections have to be for valid reasons - "we think he's going to do this" just doesn't cut it. I got a height variance so I could put an attic in my shop. Some locals put together a petition to stop me - the city told them to pound salt. Keep in mind that its YOUR PROPERTY - to pretty much do as you please as long as things are to code, etc.. And the fact that they have "variances" means there is some flexibility there.

Put in a small bathroom. And there is no such thing as too much light.

 

[gkent]

I am allowed a 1000 ft2 footprint----------------What is that???

That's ONE ... THOUSAND ... SQUARE ... FEET !!!

 

[69Bee]

A 5" slab will suffice; 4000psi concrete, rebar/fiber for strength. Plan where you want the lift, and put two 36"x36" pads 8" to 10" deep for a footer. I only did 24"x24" and would have gone larger if I had thought about it more. Get the variance because it is easier than making it larger later when you run out of room. I did 60'x40', and while it is adequate, 80'x60' would have been better.

 

[69 Sleeper Bee]

Here is a picture from my CAD program of a shop I am thinking of building that is 25'x 50'.
I placed a template of my cars inside to give an idea of size.
I do know with a ceiling height you are looking for the exterior walls need to be minimum 2''x 6'' or 2''x 8'' depending
on your local code requirements.

Also you will need spot footings were the lift posts are going to be for added strength.

 

[3sloppydogs]

The mistake i made on my first building was not enough space between the overhead doors. On my second building I spread the doors out so you can put stuff between them. There is room for a drill press or a workbench but mainly ample walking room.

 

[Bighouse]

You might be better off with 38 x 26. Staying with even numbers makes better use of material. Use scissor trusses for the roof- that’ll give you the inside height you need.

These days every piece of wood saved counts!!

 

[gkent]

25' is too short. You're better off losing a bit on the width and adding to the depth.

 

[747mopar]

25' is too short. You're better off losing a bit on the width and adding to the depth.

100% agree. 25' - 17' B Body equals 4' on both ends. That's fine if you only use it for parking but if you work on cars, that's tight.

 

[pnora]

That's ONE ... THOUSAND ... SQUARE ... FEET !!!

THANKS RICHARD.

 

[Bighouse]

28’ deep and I can get my crew cab long bed 2500hd truck in with a workbench in front of it!

 

[YY1]

2' is not enough to open one door on one car, let alone both cars.
3' is not really enough either.

12' is enough total width to open one door, if the other side of the car is only 10 inches from the wall. (that's basically 4 feet of swing for the one door.)
I have 20x12 units at my shop and that's actually a selling point vs 20x10 units available elsewhere.

26' is deep enough to have a "standard" tool box and work bench in front of the cars, plus walk and work, and have enough room to barely walk behind the cars with the garage doors closed.

 

[67 GTX]

A 5" slab will suffice; 4000psi concrete, rebar/fiber for strength. Plan where you want the lift, and put two 36"x36" pads 8" to 10" deep for a footer. I only did 24"x24" and would have gone larger if I had thought about it more. Get the variance because it is easier than making it larger later when you run out of room. I did 60'x40', and while it is adequate, 80'x60' would have been better.

2' is not enough to open one door on one car, let alone both cars.
3' is not really enough either.

12' is enough total width to open one door, if the other side of the car is only 10 inches from the wall. (that's basically 4 feet of swing for the one door.)
I have 20x12 units at my shop and that's actually a selling point vs 20x10 units available elsewhere.

26' is deep enough to have a "standard" tool box and work bench in front of the cars, plus walk and work, and have enough room to barely walk behind the cars with the garage doors closed.

100% agree. 25' - 17' B Body equals 4' on both ends. That's fine if you only use it for parking but if you work on cars, that's tight.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I would've thought 8' would be enough room to work on the cars. Depending on the job that's being done, if I am not using the lift, wouldn't having the car near the door and having around 7' in front be enough? Now side to side could be something. But I want the 4 cars side by side so I don't think I can really go wider and still have the length.

Also in regards to the pads. If I go with a 4 post, I imagine I won't need them. But even with a 6" pad, the two post needs the extra thickness?

 

[gkent]

But even with a 6" pad, the two post needs the extra thickness?

6" is not enough for a two-post. For a 2-post you want it large and thick. And under that you want a very well packed base.

 

[Bighouse]

https://www.bendpak.com/car-lifts/concrete-floor-requirements/