Nov 17, 2013
141
136
Waterdown, Ontario
VetteCoins
2,791
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2011 ZR1
Well I'll be 65 this March and have come to the conclusion that you can't take it with you so I decided to buy a place just outside the city (Millgrove Ont.) with a big enough lot to build my dream garage. I want to put in a 2 post lift and have enough room for a work bench, tool box, compressor, storage room and oh yeah a beer fridge. I'm thinking 30 wide and 40 deep but not sure 30 wide is wide enough for three cars unless they're parked close together so I'll call it a wide 2 car. That way I can work on both cars if necessary without fear of hitting one with a jack handle or what ever. Has anyone on this forum built a garage that can give me some ideas on size and configuration to help with ideas? I'm in the beginning stages of this but would like to start on it in the spring.
Thanks
Jim
 
Jim I think the old saying is you can never build them big enough. I do think you are on the right track. Mine is 24 wide by 36 deep and approximately 10 feet high inside. The 36 foot dimension works well but the 24 foot width not so good. With two cars parked side by side you start to get very cramped if the vehicle doors are open. Too close to the other vehicle or too close to the wall. Your 30 foot dimension would have worked well for me.

I have a work bench at the back on the side wall. Some storage racks on the back wall and the rest is pretty much wide open. I have two 8 foot doors on the 24 foot dimension and a man door on the 36 foot dimension. I have only two slider windows and they are on the same side as the man door on the 36 foot dimension. I used steel siding and a steel roof. That has held up well. The gable ends are on the 24 foot dimension because of snow load and snow sliding off the roof. If the snow slides off and you don't clear it right away it is going to be a frozen mess.

I will be interested in what you end up with. Good luck with your new project.
 
If it's not big enough you will be pissed off at yourself down the road Jim. I guarantee you will have buddies wanting in now and again. Go as big as you can afford and then you won't have any regrets.
Are you doing pole barn style Jim or complete stick frame? Also a poured foundation will make it much easier to heat as well as keeping out the bugs and furry varmints.

Bill
 

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If it's not big enough you will be pissed off at yourself down the road Jim. I guarantee you will have buddies wanting in now and again. Go as big as you can afford and then you won't have any regrets.
Are you doing pole barn style Jim or complete stick frame? Also a poured foundation will make it much easier to heat as well as keeping out the bugs and furry varmints.

Bill

Wow, that is one nice garage! My Vette's would look good in there. Best of luck with your build.
 
Riley the 24 foot dimension would be just fine if you are just parking your cars in the garage but you know car people. Everything needs to be open (remember Graham's, NASCAR03, great picture tread on all things opened at once on the car?) but it really is tight. I find myself bringing the car in on a bit of an angle so I can open the passenger door without being too close to the wall. I guess garage door placement has an impact on this as well. One thing I would never use would be a single door entrance. I like keeping the doors closed as much as I can. Too may prying eyes.

Bill's is a palace, I like the job he did on that one. Well thought out.
 
Just to confirm what you are saying, if you were to build a garage, you would go with an individual door for each bay as opposed to one large single door?

Good to know 24 width would work. When I plan on building a garage, I need at least one of the bays to be able to work on stuff as I have my old truck to restore, however, if I am actually going to get to a point of being able to restore it, I doubt anything else would be in the garage. I would like it to be long enough to have a full work bench at the end, and be able to use an engine lift without having to open the door on the garage. (I hope this helps the GMJim think about some of the things he would like in a garage).
 
This is my place in BC. Property is almost 200ft wide and 400 feet deep. House and shop sit at the rear of property and a lovely little river is just beyond the cottonwoods-ahh serenity.
Anyway, the big garage is 40 by 60 and houses the motorhome, my pickup, 25hp tractor and 20 ft open trailer. Just installed a 2 post hoist. Also is my shop. All my mechanics tools, welders, compressor etc is on the house side wall with shallow racking and shelving from front to back, Wired for 240 volt and 9 metal halide 1000 watt bulbs for main lighting. Still needs insulation and drywall and will be done if I stay home for the winter.
Moral of the story, build it big and you can fill it up.
Oh yeah, the C7 Z06 and new Jeep Grand Cherokee sit in the house garage (its heated and cooled)
 

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Depends on space to build and money. I have a friend that has 3 lifts, 6 cars and a 45ft motorhome in a 100' x 50. If you ask him, he may say it could be bigger, but he has money to do so. Most of us would like to have a garage 30x40 and it would be a great size as it would be capable of housing 6 cars as each car is 6'-6"x16.
The size sounds good, but depends on how many vehicles you would like to have in it.
Good luck with this build. You will enjoy it.
 
My advice is change it out to wider rather than deeper. My first was built as a 2 car, 30 wide by 24 deep by 10 foot ceiling. Lots wide for 2 vehicles and storage along the sides but not deep enough for anything like a work bench or storage at the front, and barely wide enough to walk around the front and rear if you have a pickup... (My truck is 20 feet long) So next time around, I was somewhat smarter. I went 32 deep by 60 wide and a 12 foot ceiling. I have 4 - 10 foot high by 10 foot wide doors. I have walled off, insulated and heated a 21 foot wide Vettecave on one end where my Vette and my music and my collectibles live. Outside is all metal roof and sides. Inside of VetteCave is metal clad. Inside of unfinished portion is just that.... unfinished and unheated. But it is cooled... errrr... in the winter....lol. And I agree with Murray. Go big or stay home. I thought mine was huge until I filled it. The cost for increasing the size is a sliding scale.... The majority of the cost is in the first 500 sq. ft. Mine is pole shed style with no pony walls. mice can get into the unfinished side but have never had a mouse in the Vettecave, It has concrete floor which is easy to finish down tight to. The unfinished side is gravel floor. All in cost me 60 k to build 11 years ago, but I did do the panel and wiring myself. Here's a couple pictures.


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Thanks for the suggestions guys! At the moment I'm thinking I'm going to build it 30W X 40D but I need to cost it out. Bill that's not a garage, that's a small covered town:Biggrin:. Wow. Please keep them coming, I've been gathering information I didn't really think of. As it's been said, space and money will decide the size I wind up building.
Jim
 
My advice is change it out to wider rather than deeper. My first was built as a 2 car, 30 wide by 24 deep by 10 foot ceiling. Lots wide for 2 vehicles and storage along the sides but not deep enough for anything like a work bench or storage at the front, and barely wide enough to walk around Ni
My advice is change it out to wider rather than deeper. My first was built as a 2 car, 30 wide by 24 deep by 10 foot ceiling. Lots wide for 2 vehicles and storage along the sides but not deep enough for anything like a work bench or storage at the front, and barely wide enough to walk around the front and rear if you have a pickup... (My truck is 20 feet long) So next time around, I was somewhat smarter. I went 32 deep by 60 wide and a 12 foot ceiling. I have 4 - 10 foot high by 10 foot wide doors. I have walled off, insulated and heated a 21 foot wide Vettecave on one end where my Vette and my music and my collectibles live. Outside is all metal roof and sides. Inside of VetteCave is metal clad. Inside of unfinished portion is just that.... unfinished and unheated. But it is cooled... errrr... in the winter....lol. And I agree with Murray. Go big or stay home. I thought mine was huge until I filled it. The cost for increasing the size is a sliding scale.... The majority of the cost is in the first 500 sq. ft. Mine is pole shed style with no pony walls. mice can get into the unfinished side but have never had a mouse in the Vettecave, It has concrete floor which is easy to finish down tight to. The unfinished side is gravel floor. All in cost me 60 k to build 11 years ago, but I did do the panel and wiring myself. Here's a couple pictures.


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Nice size garage!
 
Jim, my garage is not finished yet, maybe it never will, but some other thoughts about garages.

Electrical, how much power will you need for your equipment

Lighting, mine is terrible but thanks to some suggestions that is going to change

Heating, a system that is safe for use in the garage

Security, speaks for itself

Water and drainage and ease of getting water out of the garage

Floor, vapour barrier and insulation I wish I had done mine differently water wicks up through the concrete and I don't think it is supposed to. no finish will stick to concrete if moisture is getting through

Wall finish and ceiling finish what materials

Just a few more thoughts but you will get the details correct
 
GM Jim. Looks like a great project.
I'll be keeping a close eye on some of the ideas here as well.
Consider 9 ft doors (min width you might want with pick up trucks).
If you do put a lift in. I think you'll want 12ft ceilings so there is no issue with what you put underneath.
Are you also thinking about storage.....full or partial in the attic portion. We all have stuff.
I've priced out a natural gas ceiling heater and they typically run from $900 - 1100 for the unit. Installation is extra of course. If you go this route. Code ( in Ont.) will require you to have a seperate A/C line for this type of unit.
Radiant heat would be awesome..... $$$

good luck and keep us posted !
 
GM Jim. Looks like a great project.
I'll be keeping a close eye on some of the ideas here as well.
Consider 9 ft doors (min width you might want with pick up trucks).
If you do put a lift in. I think you'll want 12ft ceilings so there is no issue with what you put underneath.
Are you also thinking about storage.....full or partial in the attic portion. We all have stuff.
I've priced out a natural gas ceiling heater and they typically run from $900 - 1100 for the unit. Installation is extra of course. If you go this route. Code ( in Ont.) will require you to have a seperate A/C line for this type of unit.
Radiant heat would be awesome..... $$$

good luck and keep us posted !

All good advice.... Yes... go wide with the doors...Mine are 10's and I still look twice when I'm going in or out with my diesel.... I have a 20 foot Gordon Ray Radiant heater in my VetteCave bay. It was $ 1300.00 10 years ago. Installation was extra. They are way more efficient than forced air and you can get an inline thermostat for them that you can turn right down to zero if you want. I keep mine at 5 degrees.
 
What about in floor heating? I heard it wasn't too expensive if planned ahead of time. I realize you can't just turn up the heat instantly, but the floor dries more quickly and gives a good even heat.
 
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In Floor is good too. And yes. It dries the floor if you are parking the winter beater in there. Or washing your Vette every day...lol.... Hydronic Floor heat is pricier to install though. Use to be about $ 6.00 per sq. ft. Not sure what it costs today. And not sure of the payback timeline. (if there is one).
 
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In Floor is good too. And yes. It dries the floor if you are parking the winter beater in there. Or washing your Vette every day...lol.... Hydronic Floor heat is pricier to install though. Use to be about $ 6.00 per sq. ft. Not sure what it costs today. And not sure of the payback timeline. (if there is one).

Someone in a recent tread mentioned the floor heating accelerates the corrosion on the vehicles parked in there with road slush and salt on them. Ok not the Corvette but the winter beasts.
I had floor heating a wife or 2 ago and it was great but I only parked ATVs and a skid steer in that garage. Worked great for that but might be worth checking.
I think Eric has the best idea. Man/Corvette cave. The rest of that big garage can be finished later. Priorities are taken care of. :thumbs:
 
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