Garage Planning Questions

[DaveyG]

I really like my 4-post lift with rolling bridge jack. Just drive in onto it and lift. No playing with lift points and balancing, and stabilizing the car with portable supports. It is also free standing on a 4" slab, no anchors required. The bridge jack helps with dropping heavy parts (tranny, fuel tank, rear end, etc.) from the underside. As to your original question regarding shop dimensions, I can only say, make it as big as you can afford. There's no such thing as too much space.

 

[T2R9]

I built a 28x40. 10’ side walls with storage trusses up to the last bay and scissor trusses for the end one. The upstairs storage is great to have and I have 15’ to the peak where my lift is. Build thread, https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/finally-breaking-ground.152744/

 

[patrick66]

A pool and jacuzzi are always nice.

A stripper pole would be tits! Be the envy of your auto buddies!

 

[skicker]

My garage build was 28' deep because that is all the useable land I had available at that time...

It's not too tight but when your start adding in tools and welders etc. it's a lot smaller than you envision..

Thx to a shitty neighbor I ended up having to jump through all of the hoops the county erected.

In the end I could have easily added in another 4' of depth but it would have came with a pretty good added cost due to the slope of the land I'm working with...

Here's the entire summation of what I ended up with...
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/new-garage.123463/

Jump through the counties hoops first and you may be able to be larger at minimal cost... .02

 

[ckessel]

skicker brings up a good point at the end. Watch out for bus driving neighbors. Find out from your local building department what you can get away with for max size. Maybe even talk to an inspector. Out here, the three inspectors that have come by on our project have been very helpful when I have questions. Get your background info taken care of, have all your t's crossed/i's dotted so any area wankers don't have a pot to piss in when you are under construction. And of course the Captain Obvious point of watching the time of day and which days you are making noise and plugging up the street with workers/concrete/lumber etc.

 

[mrhemi]

Back to the OP. Plan on building a two car garden shed as well. No yard tools should be allowed in your garage / workshop!

 

[ckessel]

Back to the OP. Plan on building a two car garden shed as well. No yard tools should be allowed in your garage / workshop!

And no chick stuff or anything from relatives/freinds.

 

[patrick66]

I've always been of the mind that a garage should NEVER become a damn mini-storage unit! I know so many that have their two- and three-car garages jammed packed with crap. No room for a car at all. One guy I know can't access his storm shelter (located in the garage) because of his crap. Then, when a hailstorm or ice storm occurs, they're the first to bitch about damages to their vehicles.

Garages are for CARS and associated stuff. Barns are for livestock. Sheds are for yard stuff and other items. The trash can is for the crap you never use and never see, because the garage is so packed with useless crap!

My shop comfortably holds my three old cars and a truck, plus a tractor, a ZTR mower, and all my car stuff and yard tools. My tractor implements stay outside.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

Now I’m dreaming

 

[bandit67]

Build as much roof out in front of your shop as your shop is big. You will do this now or in the future. I do more work to my cars outside under the roof as I do inside. My latest shop, a metal building, has house windows installed instead of standard metal windows and they are kept out of the weather, as well as the roll up doors. You will never be able to seal up the roll up from leaking inside unless you have a roof over it. You will want to drive up under your roof and get out and unlock the door NOT standing in the rain...trust me. I have built three shops and learned a lot, kinda like building your house, by the third one, you know what you want.....