Shop/Garage

[svk]

Eventually here after the divorce, I’d like to build a workshop/garage at the house. Was thinking kind of a four stall garage which would give me the ability to park my car, that of a (future) SO, the plow truck, and some toys each in a stall plus have a long work bench on one wall for saws etc. Then my current (small) shop can be used solely for woodwork and keep all of the dust over there.

I’m kind of leaning towards wood frame construction but use metal for the walls and the roof as it will be maintenance free almost forever. Can get metal to match my pole building.

Anyone done this, and have anything to suggest? I know you always end up having revisions after the fact.

 

[H-Ranch]

Eventually here after the divorce, I’d like to build a workshop/garage at the house. Was thinking kind of a four stall garage which would give me the ability to park my car, that of a (future) SO, the plow truck, and some toys each in a stall plus have a long work bench on one wall for saws etc. Then my current (small) shop can be used solely for woodwork and keep all of the dust over there.

I’m kind of leaning towards wood frame construction but use metal for the walls and the roof as it will be maintenance free almost forever. Can get metal to match my pole building.

Anyone done this, and have anything to suggest? I know you always end up having revisions after the fact.

Before I built my barn, I polled all my buddies for ideas - I got a few good ones, mostly what not to do from their mistakes!

Some of that will depend on your current and future needs (floor drain, windows, single/double doors, in-floor heating, LxWxH, etc.) I wrote down all of my requirements before starting with the hope to minimize the possible reworks. I wanted a 14' door but short sidewalls so I went with a clearspan wood construction method I had seen done locally. I used metal siding on the 2 sides you can't see and then plan to match the house on the 2 sides you can see. Lots of ideas if you want to go down that rabbit hole on Garage Journal or many other similar forums.

Be aware that buildings seem to shrink when they get wet...

 

[moresnow]

Eventually here after the divorce, I’d like to build a workshop/garage at the house. Was thinking kind of a four stall garage which would give me the ability to park my car, that of a (future) SO, the plow truck, and some toys each in a stall plus have a long work bench on one wall for saws etc. Then my current (small) shop can be used solely for woodwork and keep all of the dust over there.

I’m kind of leaning towards wood frame construction but use metal for the walls and the roof as it will be maintenance free almost forever. Can get metal to match my pole building.

Anyone done this, and have anything to suggest? I know you always end up having revisions after the fact.

Great plan. Insulation board under the concrete. In floor heat. Spray foam the walls and ceiling. A few things I've been around that flat out work.

 

[muddstopper]

Size matters. My old shop was 28x30 and was too small. What can I say, I got to much junck. My current shop is 20x24. I put my boat in it with all my tools and I couldnt walk around the boat without turning sideways. Sold boat and that opened up the middle of the floor. Now I have bought a bridgeport and I have a 13x40 lathe to be here next week. I have spent all week cleaning and organizing and just plain throwing stuff away to make room. Once the lathe is installed, I wont be able to get a car all the way in the shop. I am putting casters under my work benches so I can roll them out of the way when needed. My shop is one of those metal carports, cheap and fast to put up. It was here when I bought the place. Thats about all the good I can say about it. I can feel the heat radiating off the ceiling on the back of my neck. The 5ft post spacing, with no lathing, makes putting in wall cabinets a real pain in the but. In the winter, the humidity level gets so high water drips off the ceiling. Spray foam is about the only way to reasonably insulate it. If I ever build another shop, it will be wood construction. Easier to work features, like windows or wall cabinets, into the walls. Easier to heat and cool, and doesnt sweat like the metal shops do. Probably make it 30' deep and 40' wide. I will also probably go with a shingle roof, metal makes a loud bang when a acorn falls on it.

 

[tla100]

Put up 32' deep x 50' long garage 8-10 years ago. 4 stalls, 10' doors. Just got cleaned out, haven't parked in 4th stall for over 3 years. It is deep enough for mega cab shortbox Ram, although have workbench along back wall, gives about 6-7' between. Also have a bathroom on back wall in 1st stall. Only 8' ceiling but truck and skidloader fit in. In floor heat with electric boiler, nice but electric spendy. I put a lot of windows in, nice light, but not lot of storage. Converted all 8' dual bulb fluorescent lights to LED. Way better light. Floor is maybe too smooth, gets very slippery when wet, although dries out fast. Will try remember pics tomorrow.

2x6 construction, used batt insulation, also put 1.5" dow board over top. Then white steel on walls and ceiling.


Sorry to hear about divorce. They suck

 

[holeycow]

Build it tall.

 

[svk]

Build it tall.

Yes, hoping to have a larger boat at some point!

 

[svk]

Right now I have a 42x45 pole building with cement floor as well as a 12x20 single stall dirt floor garage (which is my “shop” for saws/snowmobiles/etc as well as wood working).

Thinking of putting the new building across the driveway from the larger garage. Also tempted to make it a two story building and eventually finish the upstairs as a bunkhouse for the kids and their eventual SO’s

 

[sean donato]

Look into steel buildings. The cost isn't as bad as what most people think. And they go up very fast, have no real rot issues and can come pre insulated of you like. Before having kids I had the hallucination of getting a pole barn put up, 32x40 16ft ceiling height. 2 cut outs for garage doors, and a man door cut out. Sight prep would have been my deal. Building was quoted just over $16k. Wood building was around $14k. Kinda made the steel building a no brainer imo. Had a much higher roof load, and I wouldn't have had to get extra poles put up to help support a partial second floor/ loft. With lumber prices what they are now, and after helping a mate build his shop, he's over $20k and doesn't have the siding finished yet. Can't remember his dimensions off the top of my head but it was close to what I had planned to build, save he has 12 foot ceiling height and cheaped out with 8ft doors. Problems with my mates shop that I wouldn't have done. He didn't plan very well for heating, water, or electric. He did place a small drain in the one bay, and ran conduit for electric and water but the both pop out in the middle of the one side of the shop, and the floor drain goes basically no where. The placement of such things, and if you need hooked up to septic should be pretty well thought out before you poor a floor, as well as bench placements, lift etc. I would have went with in floor heat. But that's just me. A partial second story is paramount for me, as I plan to move my man cave out of the house and into my fabled shop. I'm nearly sure my uncle will eventually be moving in with us once he gets older, and my current man cave would be the perfect room for an older person.

 

[ericm979]

If you want to finish the inside you'll need to do some framing inside a metal framed or pole barn building. That may eat up a lot of the savings vs a stick built where the interior finshing is easier. Of course it depends on the details and your local materials and labor prices.

You can use metal siding and roofing on a stick built building. Also for the inside if you want. 29g ag panel/r panel/liner panel is commonly used for ceilings and sometimes walls. Sometimes people use non perforated exterior soffit panels for ceilings for a smoother look.

 

[svk]

I would be good with finished interior or spray foamed if it was metal. Just want enough space to have a few warm vehicles.

Nothing is happening this year as the STBE needs to be off the deed before I break ground. So by next year, material prices should have stabilized a bit.

 

[ericm979]

Raw foam seems like it'd be a fire hazard, would collect dirt and be impossible to clean.

Check out garagejournal.com for ideas

 

[Lee192233]

Stick build it. Lot's more options for later upgrades. Make it big enough. Insulate under the slab. Floor drains. Have piping for infloor installed.

 

[tla100]

My bro sprayed foamed the inside of his older Morton building. Had someone come and spray it with paint after. Looks good

 

[MH49]

In-floor heat is awesome but in my opinion you have to ask yourself how often are you going to be in it. If you are planning on being in it daily then it is a no-brainer but anything less than that you have to ask yourself if it is worth the investment. I had the debate with myself and ended up with forced air running off my OWB.

One piece of advise that I got when I put my building up (but didn't listen to) is no matter how handy you are, get it built turn-key. As a single guy you think you will have all this time to finish up stuff but you won't. Get it done and enjoy it.

 

[Philbert]

Right now I have a 42x45 pole building with cement floor as well as a 12x20 single stall dirt floor garage . . .

Don’t know if it is an issue for you, but the kind of construction might also affect your assessment. Met a guy who built his classified as ‘agricultural sheds’ to save on taxes.

Doors, heated floors, plumbing, finished upstairs all sound nice, but may affect your assessment and taxes.

Philbert

 

[svk]

Don’t know if it is an issue for you, but the kind of construction might also affect your assessment. Met a guy who built his classified as ‘agricultural sheds’ to save on taxes.

Doors, heated floors, plumbing, finished upstairs all sound nice, but may affect your assessment and taxes.

Philbert

Taxes will be what they will be...not trying to sound snobby or aloof.

 

[H-Ranch]

In-floor heat is awesome but in my opinion you have to ask yourself how often are you going to be in it. If you are planning on being in it daily then it is a no-brainer but anything less than that you have to ask yourself if it is worth the investment. I had the debate with myself and ended up with forced air running off my OWB.

You only get to make the choice to install PEX in the floor one time and that is when you pour the concrete. So may want to consider the future as well. If you never use it it's true that you waste some money.

Good advice on the turn-key if you can afford it.

 

[rancher2]

I have worked in a lot of shops in my life and have built two. First one was 40X40-14 and the second is 30X60-16. Both are pole type sheds the first one six inch slab OSB on walls and steel on ceiling blow in insulation. Waste oil forced air heat. Nice shop and better that working in a cold pole shed with a tropeto heater. The second one six inch slab with pex and insulation. Closed cell spray foam and white tin walls and ceiling. This shop was up for five years before I set my Garn up and hooked the infloor heat up. I wouldn't built a shop in the cold country without tubes in the floor. It's not that big of cost to do the tubes and insulation under them your self.

 

[muddstopper]

My shop was already here when I moved into my home. The guy that installed it made many mistakes. For one thing, it isnt lined up with the driveway which makes backing a trailer into it aggravating. Another thing is he only installed one 110v receptical and one 220v receptical. When I bought my place, I sort of just backed up to the shop and dumped everything inside and I am just now getting around to organizing things. I have already rewired the building, installing outlets every 5 ft around the premeter., as well as adding circuits to two outside sheds. I added 3 220v welder outlets. Also in the process of adding 3 phase converters to run machinery. I have been putting metal lathing around the inside walls so I can hang cabinets as well as add hanging hooks and pegboard. I moved the compressor outside to the back wall and am plumbing in airlines around the walls. One big drawback right now is air flow. The building isnt insulated and I can feel the heat off the roof on the back of my neck. I have to keep the roll up door open and a big fan blowing air anytime I am inside. I intend to add vents in the eaves to let heat escape and will probably add a couple of windows. If i need heat in the winter, I have a 80,000btu propane heater I can light up. I dont see spending all day in the shop so heat for when I am in there and nothing when I aint.

Now if I was building the shop from scratch, there are a few things I would change. For one I would make it bigger, 20ftw and 25ftd isnt big enough. Everything has to be stuffed against the walls or you cant get a car inside. Second, insulation would be added as would proper ventilation. I would also take into account electrical needs. The previous owner only installed a 100amp breaker box. I might end up changeing that out. I ended up changeing out all the breakers to double breakers and the box is stuffed with wires. I am currently installing a additional breaker box with a transfer switch so I can have battery backup power as well as have room to add my 3phase converters. This setup isnt ideal, but I dont plan on running 3 welders and my 3phase equipment all at the same time.