Recommendations on new shop

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Project Beep

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2018
Messages
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Location
Oklahoma
Hello all.....I have only been a member about a year and mostly have just read tons of good info. Have bought a few parts too. I'll soon be starting construction on a new garage and am looking for some advice from those that have been there. Concrete man is coming out next week. Current plan is three bays and 32 feet deep with height to allow for a lift.
Questions so far are:
1. One large and one small or three small overhead doors?
2. Locate lift in one of the end bays or in center one? Need to locate piers for posts.
3. Plan to have rough in plumbing for bathroom. How about a floor drain for a wash bay?
4. Air compressor in building or in small room out back?
5. Best way to heat it for winter use.
6. Any other ideas or suggestions you guys have.
Thanks in advance for the help............
 
Hello all.....I have only been a member about a year and mostly have just read tons of good info. Have bought a few parts too. I'll soon be starting construction on a new garage and am looking for some advice from those that have been there. Concrete man is coming out next week. Current plan is three bays and 32 feet deep with height to allow for a lift.
Questions so far are:
1. One large and one small or three small overhead doors?
2. Locate lift in one of the end bays or in center one? Need to locate piers for posts.
3. Plan to have rough in plumbing for bathroom. How about a floor drain for a wash bay?
4. Air compressor in building or in small room out back?
5. Best way to heat it for winter use.
6. Any other ideas or suggestions you guys have.
Thanks in advance for the help............
This will be a good resource for you.
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If you can, make one of the doors at least 1' tall. I'd use 3 separate doors.

Compressor inside may make for less condensation inside the tank if the garage is heated in winter.

Just a thought: A wash bay probably won't be viable with everything else inside unless it is a complete separated section and sealed off from the rest. And will put moisture on everything.

Heat depends on your resources and frequency of use. Probably not an abundant supply of firewood in OK? Occasional use is probably gas. Daily use might be more like a house and so maybe a heat pump with a back up source; it all becomes about heating efficiency if it is heated all the time.

Consider making it a steeper roof (like 8 over 12) and 1-1/2 stories and put storage, bath, office, etc., upstairs to keep your shop space freed up. Park the compressor under the staircase. Have a lift hole into the storage space that is not right in the middle of a bay.
 
Hello all.....I have only been a member about a year and mostly have just read tons of good info. Have bought a few parts too. I'll soon be starting construction on a new garage and am looking for some advice from those that have been there. Concrete man is coming out next week. Current plan is three bays and 32 feet deep with height to allow for a lift.
Questions so far are:
1. One large and one small or three small overhead doors?
2. Locate lift in one of the end bays or in center one? Need to locate piers for posts.
3. Plan to have rough in plumbing for bathroom. How about a floor drain for a wash bay?
4. Air compressor in building or in small room out back?
5. Best way to heat it for winter use.
6. Any other ideas or suggestions you guys have.
Thanks in advance for the help............
I think natural light would a big help. Something like this.
windows for garage 1.jpg
windows for garage 2.jpg
 
This is really smart- getting some ideas before building. Air compressor- I prefer it being outside due to the noise, but will need a small enclosure without blocking air flow. Lots of LED lighting. For me- one good hoist would be adequate and would locate in the middle bay allowing more room to work at the hoist if the two side cars are backed out. It would be nice if the door on that middle bay was taller allowing me to work on taller vehicles if the need arose. I would keep washing activities outside but since you have a restroom with a drain, one bay could have a drain to catch cooling system stuff. After you build this, I'm coming over to work on my car.
 
consider bolting a stand in the floor made out of heavy square tubing.

using hitch receivers it's a quick change took post for bench grinder, chop saw, vise, etc.

can really save floor space with this trick.
 
On my last shop a buddy talked me into sky lights for natural light. Turned out to be a great idea. Only down side was the humming birds would come in and get caught in them trying to get out. I had to start rescuing them! I like one tall door and the rest short. With a man door of course. I too seperate office area from shop complete with deadbolt. And I like to make exterior doors swing out rather than in as an added point of security. You can't kick in a door that swings out. I like a light out doors exposing the door. I prefer Nat gas for heating but have also used home built wood stove, that is a geographic type question. I also agree on wash area outside. I too build a dog house for big compressor and have a little one in shop for inflating tires etc. I also chose roof trusses that create that dead space in center then I lay down flooring and store fenders hoods etc there. The truss is a wee bit more expensive but the added storage space really helps. Welder plugs on the walls each with own breaker. And I like to put all my 110 at 4 ft off floor, personal preference! Just thinking out loud here guy, it is your shop do it how you like it! There is really no wrong way. Just having a shop is a win!
 
Honking brilliant, I have never thought of that!
That right there is exactly why I love this Forum. There are a zillion different ideas on a hundred topics by every day guys doing everyday stuff. I put a lot of stuff on wheels to achieve the same thing but it is impractical for grinders etc. great idea, thanks again.
 
Draw it out on paper, make it to scale as close to possible. This will give your idea, just how fast space starts to disappear. I would go with a big door with the hoist in that bay, and how many small doors you think you may need. Wash rack I would wall up, with a center drain, if you ever plan to do body work, this will help to keep the dust and paint contained in this one area. Drains in front of every door would be great. The compressor I would build a closet for, keep it shop temp and dry. Outlets, double duplex every 10 foot, redundant wiring, and between the garage doors as well.

Heat, I went with LP using a regular house furnace with duct work, heats like a house. I have no wood here in corn and bean land, so that wouldn’t work for me. Insulate, spend some money here, natural light is great, but use good windows, set them high enough to discourage break-ins. Ask your concrete man about heating the floor or water barrier, and maybe a rat wall around the foundation.

A lot of good advise I have seen, keep the ideas you like and make the shop comfortable for you……
 
All good ideas!
I would go with in floor heat. Can't beat it
 
Lay plastic sheathing down on the ground BEFORE the concrete is poured.

This will do wonders to prevent your new floor from sweating when done.
 
Make sure you put in twice as many electrical outlets as they think you'll need...and put 220 on both ends
The receiver in the floor is one I heard about after it was too late...been trying to figure out a way to do that since
Put light switches by all the entry doors
If they put expansion joints in the slab, put epoxy filler in them - it's a pain to get a cherry picker to roll over them - or a car on wheel dollies
 
40' x 60 ' with two 12x16 roll up doors in front and one in back. A regular door in front and one on the side.
Storage loft 30'x40' and snooze room/office with a window so I can keep watch for the wife down below. lol
The shop is plumbed and wired, has full bathroom and adjustable lighting, outlets throughout.
Fully insolated and sheet rocked. heat is furnished by a modern recycled oil furnace.
My wife had my shop built for me when I turned 50, funny thing is she keeps all her toys in there.lol
 
Honking brilliant, I have never thought of that!
I did it in one place i worked, after the fact. Carved a hole through floor and used construction adhesive to set it.
It was very handy. Vise,t-stand,bender,tire changer-the possibilities are endless. As well as using it as an anchor point.
 
My shop has 10x10 door. Car up on hoist you cant open door.you can,but have to be careful. 8 foot high door limits the vehicles that can get into shop.

Compressor inside shop, but plumb the air intake in from outside.huge noise reduction. If its in a closet it will get hot,and creates a lot of water issues.

Floor drain is a must. Wash bay? Sort of. No pressure washing,but garden hose is ok. I cant stress this enough, you need a good slope to drain. But only in the wash bay.

My concrete finisher didnt do as i asked and sloped from walls to sump. Toolbox against wall now leans and drawers will open if not fully closed.
A little slope in outside bays to middle hoist bay is ok.
And definetly middle bay for hoist. Setup is easier if there is sufficient room to walk around posts.
I got away from that by using a 4 post drive on.

Used oil burner would be nice.
In floor radiant and a makeup air unit is most efficient.

Office, restroom,parts room and electrical set up is a matter of preference,
I really like my led lights.
 
Depends on your budget OP. You can be savvy and spend a little or shoot it to the moon. That's what a garage build comes down to- how much do you want to spend and does it make sense.....

1-Compressor outside but in a separate building if you have close neighbors don't expect fudge at Christmas however they may take you to court depending on the noise level and your local ordinance laws....

2- My shop where the lift is has a depth of 31' and I wish it were 40'. The lift position will minimize how much work space you have up front and if you elect to have your lift towards the door the door needs to stay as vertical as possible when up.

3- Middle Bay for the lift no question. Adding the lift alone will shoot the price of the shop upward since you need higher PSI Concrete and reinforcement. Just ask a friend of mine who put on in his shop a few weeks ago. 1st car up and the lift collapsed. Safety is your first consideration.

4-Electrical in conduit outside of the walls no doubt. Easier to install and allows for changes in your electrical if needed. SO cord is your friend for sure.

JW
 
I would make it as big as you can, within lot limits. Mine was 24 by 40. Make length and width multiples of 4, then there is no waste on cut off siding and sheeting pieces, which are 4 by 8. Wood stove with gas back up for heating. Insulate and drywall ceiling and sides. Big insulated windows on south side for free light and heat from the sunshine. Air compressor separate from building. 1 single and 1 double door. Put the lift on 1 side, prob at the single door. This gives you a wide open space at the double door. Wood frame construction? I prefer that over metal, for a heated shop. I would include a floor drain in or near the bathroom. Then you can always add a parts wash area there. Long workbench along the double door side. Mine was 2.5 by 16. Never big enough. Cover the OSB top with peel and stick floor tile, for an easy to clean oil resistant surface. Angle supports from outer edge of bench to where floor meets wall. This gives you strength and an open area under the bench. Sounds fun! Good luck.
 
How wide are your bays?

I estimated my width by taking two cars and parking them side by side with both doors open on both cars.

WAY too many bad experiences from too narrow garages, either ding related or simply no room to move or work.
 
...and how wide are your doors?

I went with 9 or 10'. It's a few hundred extra but worth it.

With 8' there is virtually no room to get anything into out out of the bay if a car is parked inside.
 
That right there is exactly why I love this Forum. There are a zillion different ideas on a hundred topics by every day guys doing everyday stuff. I put a lot of stuff on wheels to achieve the same thing but it is impractical for grinders etc. great idea, thanks again.
Glad you liked it. it's a work in progress for me. so far I just have an old pipe vise rigged up this way. more to come!
 
...and how wide are your doors?

I went with 9 or 10'. It's a few hundred extra but worth it.

With 8' there is virtually no room to get anything into out out of the bay if a car is parked inside.
I would spend a little extra, and order insulated doors. Helps keep the cold out.
 
Hey: If you live near Guthrie, you could drop in and see my 24 X 40. Not ideal but you could see the things that you would want vs not.
I bought this place last year with the shop in place.
All of the imput that has been on this site is great.
 
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