Building a shop on my property ... Ideas ??

[ChiefRocka]

My current shop space (father-n-laws building) where I perform all my fab, builds, restos will soon be lost. Pops has to sell part of building in order to 'keep' the building.

Anyway, I'm looking into building at least a 2000 sq ft building/garage at my home.

I REALLY would like a wood structure, barn style shop with loft would be awesome !!

However, a steel building will probably be cheaper ??

Anyone have any idears, pictures, opinions ??

My pops was thinking 20'x30' .... I kinda laughed....my equipment alone covers more than that !!

[Palf70Step]

Make sure you check the local laws on what you can and cannot added to your property, as well as placement.

Mine is 20x30 metal and you are correct I wish I had gone bigger, but I had both funds, city, and wife limitations. Leave room for a lean too/carport type area. It is real nice to do things outside under cover and keep a good deal of mess out of the shop. As mentioned, Garage Journal has tons of great ideas.

I had mine insulated with the blown in commercial type foam stuff. Since I knew it wasn't going to be finished on the insides, I felt it would hold up better than the paper wrap stuff.

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Make sure you check the local laws on what you can and cannot added to your property, as well as placement.

Mine is 20x30 metal and you are correct I wish I had gone bigger, but I had both funds, city, and wife limitations. Leave room for a lean too/carport type area. It is real nice to do things outside under cover and keep a good deal of mess out of the shop. As mentioned, Garage Journal has tons of great ideas.

I had mine insulated with the blown in commercial type foam stuff. Since I knew it wasn't going to be finished on the insides, I felt it would hold up better than the paper wrap stuff.

I agree....that is a nice shop !!

20x30 looks to be a good size.

I wanna build something large enough to where I can run a business out of my backyard...

It need to be big enough to where I can have 'dirty' fab areas, then also 'clean' build areas, as well as parking for customers cars.

Its all gonna ride on the cost, for sure.

[72BlckButy]

Great lookin shop Bill!

[Palf70Step]

BTW, 20' is too short in my opinion for a shop. I wish I had gone 30x30. That extra length is really needed if you have anything other than a standard car or SWB truck.

Build as big as law and money will allow, because no matter what....you'll run out of space

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

..........Build as big as law and money will allow, because no matter what....you'll run out of space

Thats the plan ...

[Chevy Fleetside]

If I were closer I would help out. I think the space I rent up at Bethal is 20x30 and yes it is pretty small.
I guess you have your work cut out for you just pricing stuff out. Sometime lumber yards will give you deals if you order alot of materials. Get some plans, and give the lumber yard a copy and see what they can come up with. A steel building might be cheaper and I think they go up faster. All the concrete will need Rebar in it also. Man that is alot of steel tying... Good Luck with it John. I have a feeling you will have a grin on your face wheather you build it or put in a steel one. I know I would.

[nds1968]

My cousin just built a nice garage on his property to house his trucks and equipment. I believe its 40'x50' and his township fought him the whole way through it They gave him problems with the dimensions of the building, location on his property and water run off issues.

He came up 4' with block and then used standard lumber sizes to frame the building with a ridge beam roof. That gave him the height that he need with out spending more on lumber. Since he went with a ridge beam and not trusses he put a loft on the back half of the garage. He can still park his F550 dump under the loft and you have the front half of the garage with a full height ceiling.

On the outside he stoned over the block and used metal siding above to close in the sides. It's a very nice looking garage. If you need pics I can probably get some from him. I believe he has about $60g's into it but he paid to have most of the work done. Nate

[Phuloi68]

Don't know what your situation is. There are 2 things I was told repeatly when I had my 40 x 64 pole barn built.
1. Go as tall as you can because it is cheaper then going bigger. I went 12 feet on the side walls and can kick my self in the butt for not going 16'. By raising it to 16' I could have built a loft to stand up in and it makes it easy to put a lift in.

2. If you live in a cold weather state, put water/radiant heat in the concrete floor. It makes a BIG difference.

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by Chevy Fleetside

If I were closer I would help out. I think the space I rent up at Bethal is 20x30 and yes it is pretty small.
I guess you have your work cut out for you just pricing stuff out. Sometime lumber yards will give you deals if you order alot of materials. Get some plans, and give the lumber yard a copy and see what they can come up with. A steel building might be cheaper and I think they go up faster. All the concrete will need Rebar in it also. Man that is alot of steel tying... Good Luck with it John. I have a feeling you will have a grin on your face wheather you build it or put in a steel one. I know I would.

Hey, your not that far ?? So what you doing for the New Year ??

Originally Posted by nds1968

My cousin just built a nice garage on his property to house his trucks and equipment. I believe its 40'x50' and his township fought him the whole way through it They gave him problems with the dimensions of the building, location on his property and water run off issues.

He came up 4' with block and then used standard lumber sizes to frame the building with a ridge beam roof. That gave him the height that he need with out spending more on lumber. Since he went with a ridge beam and not trusses he put a loft on the back half of the garage. He can still park his F550 dump under the loft and you have the front half of the garage with a full height ceiling.

On the outside he stoned over the block and used metal siding above to close in the sides. It's a very nice looking garage. If you need pics I can probably get some from him. I believe he has about $60g's into it but he paid to have most of the work done. Nate

Sounds good...pics would be nice, whenever

Originally Posted by Phuloi68

Don't know what your situation is. There are 2 things I was told repeatly when I had my 40 x 64 pole barn built.
1. Go as tall as you can because it is cheaper then going bigger. I went 12 feet on the side walls and can kick my self in the butt for not going 16'. By raising it to 16' I could have built a loft to stand up in and it makes it easy to put a lift in.

2. If you live in a cold weather state, put water/radiant heat in the concrete floor. It makes a BIG difference.

It's a little chilly now, but for Cali it doesnt get that cold...at least at my elevation anyway.

I definately wanna go tall for sure....You never have enough storage !!

[low'n slow]

Taller is better. I built a 24X36 with 10 foot walls. I used 2X6 studs which makes it 23X35. Minimum on the next one is 30X40.

I had about $2500 in the concrete. I dug the beams and footings, framed it, and did the electrical.

I bought rough cut lumber from a sawmill and cut it to length.

I ended up having around $5K into it, but it took about a year to get it all done.

[NONHOG]

Just a couple of things to consider before deciding.
One is will you need insulation? If your doing a steel or pole building it often cost way more to insulate(compared to stick frame) after the savings of a cheaper building.

Posts? Will the building be big enough you'll need to drop posts?
Consider spanning the area with a beam. Cost more up front but in the long run you'll be happier. (ask me how I know)

If I were to do it over I'd have the roof and pad done then I'd stick frame between the post myself to save money.

Lots of options, dont get too caught up on how others have done it.
Good luck!

[piecesparts]

Build until it hurts, then add 10% more.

I built a 40X40 shop with 12 foot ceilings behind my house. I now have a two-post lift in it and as of yet, have not really heeded a heating system. I have enough insulation in the walls and ceiling that the temps never get that low inside. I lined the inside walls with the same metal as what is on th eoutside, so that I could wash them down, if needed. If you have ever tried to clean a shop, you will know what I mean.

[ChiefRocka]

Looks good !!!

Appreciate all the advice !!!

I'm all for building it my self.... Between both sides of the family...I think we can get it done.

I like the idea of slab, post, and roof first.

[PanelDeland]

Just my thoughts.I would build as big as I could.Design so an addition would just add length.Doors on at least 2 sides 3 if possible(airflow is cheaper than air conditioning).Lights,power plugs,stereo/TV cable and speaker wiring,air lines,Plan ahead.Carport roof area,W/Power outlets.
Windows with security bars.Taller for storage and maybe a loft "Mancave".Plan an area for a workbench with toolbox,vice and equipment storage.It's nice to be able to build a part,bracket etc. without walking around the vehicle to get to stuff.Run a water line and plan a laundry sink for washups and maybe a washer/dryer with future expansion to add a bath or at least a toilet/shower.Gutters with gutter guards.Outside lighting,security lighting,and an alarm system.

Try to think of every possible future use,expansion or other change and incorporate that into your design.

[Indian113]

Keep in mind that if your going to use it as a business your bathroom might need to be handicap accessiable,that was one thing I ran into with my M/C shop.

As everyone says build it tall and build it as big as you can-draw it out to scale if you can and put vehicles in the floor plan to check for clearence.

A friend of mine built a new shop and put in a small elevator he made with a electric hoist to store things upstairs in his loft. He installed 4 pieces of heavy wall pipe and built a room that has rings attached to the pipes and the room floats using the pipe as a guide.
He loads it up and walks upstairs and turns on the hoist and the room rises. Then he has a lock that holds it to the height and unloads it. I know he doesn't let anybody ride on said elevator-insurance problems!

[ChiefRocka]

You all have great ideas ... I always think ahead when it comes to wiring, airlines, storage, etc.

Here are some pictures of the house ... These are OLD pics taken even before we owned it, day the inspector was there....
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The front of the house:
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Walking up to the first garage on the left:
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Second garage in the back, this part would be knocked down (kinda rotted anyway):
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As you come around looking at the rear section...from the front main garage to the right in this picture (towards willow trees) is where the "shop" would be built:
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My lame attempt at the idea:
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[ChiefRocka]

I have roughly 40' from the main garage to the willows, and 50' from the chainlink to the backyard ...

The location would depend on the distance from the prop line Im allowed to build...

[thelonerife]

Put a bathroom in it lol

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by thelonerife

Put a bathroom in it lol

On that side of the house I have a big leach line for the sink and washer in the main garage...

The septic, is located in the front yard...so that would quite a pipe run ...

[Chevy Fleetside]

Ok I can come help but I have to bring the little guy with me. I think he would have too much fun there though.

[yousesteers]

I have a 30X40 where I live now and I can not even hardly get my truck in the shop I want a bigger building look at what future projects may become I have a crew cab I had to take it to dads to do my motor swap so that we could get it on the concrete to use a cherry picker and get around it

[406Weiand142t56ina65]

Hey John,

Hmmm...A barn/shop...here is what I built a couple of years ago. For me, this is a dream garage. It is called Hilltop Rod Shop. I put a lot of thought into some cool features of the barn that i won't go into...that makes it a great shop. This is a hobby shop, not a business. I post very, very seldom due to a busy schedule so I don't remember the tricks of reducing pics and stuff. I think my wife put something on Hub Garage too. Here is a link to the barn build...just go to the end of the pictures, sorry there are so many.

Copy and paste link below. Sorry I can't post a pic.

http://picasaweb.google.com/527ruthi...at=directlink#

Edited above link and adding a couple more:

https://picasaweb.google.com/527ruthie/20100626#

https://picasaweb.google.com/527ruth...hingTheCamper#



Here are a few shots of our retro barn/garage. The attached photo shows the whole barn and was taken on 12/26/2010. (I couldnt attach photo, it was too big. It’s 32x40 or 1280 sq foot downstairs. 20x40 or 800 sq foot upstairs. Twelve foot ceiling downstairs. The really cool part are the overhangs….52 foot long on the front (the front being where the porch is) and 52 foot on the back and 56 foot on the right side…but that is actually counting the corners twice…all extend out 12 foot. That’s 1632 sq foot of overhang space which is one of the coolest features of the barn. All of them are concreted and big enough to pull a car up onto, including the "front porch". They are angled where you can wash a car up there, also good for polishing in good outside light.

I've been gathering vintage shop tools for it. So far I have:
-a working 1954 Brunner air compressor
-a working mid sixties Trinco glass beading cabinet
-a working 1967 SUN diagnostic machine with working oscilloscope
-a gantry crane with trolley and IBeam & chain hoist all from the fifties
-antique warehouse lights and so on
-I have my deceased mom's original Buck Stove in there
-a complete HVAC that isn't hooked up yet (leftover from upgrading home unit before 1500 tax credit expired)
-many miscellaneous such as an old turn of the century oak desk
-porch and interior decorated with many antiques and donated items from friends, along with many reproduction signs etc
-old red reproduction phone booth that will be a paint booth with fan and heater for painting smaller parts.
-hole in floor to lift heavy objects to the second floor
-2x6 walls for R-19 insulation
-floor drain, plumbing and so on
-interior will be all tonque and grove paneling that my friend cut for me.
-Rotary 2 post lift
I plan to have some Burma Shave signs going up the secondary drive up to my old fashioned barn/garage.
Unless I come up with something better, they’ll say:

If you like Americana,
And yester-year,
Drive up the hill,
And you’ll find that here….

Burma Shave

Thanks, G
Cumming/Dawsonville, Ga.

[nds1968]

Here is my cousins garage, it is actually 30x50 not 40x50 as I previously stated. He said he should of built bigger Maybe these pics will spark some ideas for you. Nate

[ChiefRocka]

Originally Posted by Woogeroo

go geek out here on The Garage Journal.

Explore, learn, absorb.

a few of my favorite threads:

Restored 1930's Auto Shop

Kiwi Kev's Backyard Hot Rod Shop

Barn Saving - West of Philly <- more interesting because of how he saved it and things he learned along the way.

Broken Old Garage gets new life

The Garage Gallery is where people have their 'build threads' or photo tours of their shops.

There is everything on there from very, very small to super duper expensive.

Lots of Garage Tech, I think you will learn a lot over there.

-W

Awesome site man....thats a whole week just to view over there...thanks for the link !!