Help/Advice Constructing 4-car detached Garage
07-30-2009, 10:35 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Help/Advice Constructing 4-car detached Garage
Have a lot next to my house and I want to build a 4 car garage / workshop.
Tall enough for a lift, probably 25 deep x 50 wide 12' ceiling. 2nd story Storage / Gameroom above with 8' ceiling.
Any and all advice would be very helpful.
Need advice on:
1) Do's and Don'ts / lessons learned from experience building detached garage.
2) Using clay fill and raising the garage slab 10 feet to get out of flood plain
3) Ballpark how much this will cost me -- I've heard $27 a square foot. Not sure what all that covers, but I really just want a "shell" No plumbing other than a sink in the garage running off a water well that is already available. Electrical, only a few plugs and lights. Maybe a window AC unit. No drywall in garage, only insulation. Maybe drywall and tile upstairs. Hardy plank exterior, but brick front, composite shingle roof,
4) Best way to finance. I own the lot outright and it's seperate from the lot the house sits on. I also have equity in my house. I don't want to combine the two properties, prefer to keep them seperate. Can I still write them under one insurance policy as a house with detatched garage? etc etc
EDIT
I wasn't sure where to put this thread, but I figured since I'm in Texas I'd start in the Southwest Forum. Off-Topic didn't seem like a good idea, but if it needs to be moved, so be it....
Tall enough for a lift, probably 25 deep x 50 wide 12' ceiling. 2nd story Storage / Gameroom above with 8' ceiling.
Any and all advice would be very helpful.
Need advice on:
1) Do's and Don'ts / lessons learned from experience building detached garage.
2) Using clay fill and raising the garage slab 10 feet to get out of flood plain
3) Ballpark how much this will cost me -- I've heard $27 a square foot. Not sure what all that covers, but I really just want a "shell" No plumbing other than a sink in the garage running off a water well that is already available. Electrical, only a few plugs and lights. Maybe a window AC unit. No drywall in garage, only insulation. Maybe drywall and tile upstairs. Hardy plank exterior, but brick front, composite shingle roof,
4) Best way to finance. I own the lot outright and it's seperate from the lot the house sits on. I also have equity in my house. I don't want to combine the two properties, prefer to keep them seperate. Can I still write them under one insurance policy as a house with detatched garage? etc etc
EDIT
I wasn't sure where to put this thread, but I figured since I'm in Texas I'd start in the Southwest Forum. Off-Topic didn't seem like a good idea, but if it needs to be moved, so be it....
Last edited by jedblanks; 07-30-2009 at 10:39 PM.
07-31-2009, 07:17 AM
#2
Drifting
Member Since: May 2005
Location: Wichita Falls TX
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St. Jude Donor '09
No experience here, but I've wanted to do something similar for years.
I can tell you that you're asking for problems later on by floating a slab that size on 10' of clay fill. Get an engineer involved. Also, you're gonna find it impossible to cool that much space with a window A/C or even several of 'em. You're talking 15,000 cu. ft. of space. That'd be like trying to cool an 1875 ft house with one unit. Everytime you open the garage door, you've lost all the cool or heated air.
As for electrical, plan on as many outlets as you can afford and make sure you've got a couple of 220 outlets. Don't forget plumbing and sewer. You'll probably want a restroom both upstairs and down. Put a drain in the floor so you can wash cars or just hose it out once in a while.
Good luck!
I can tell you that you're asking for problems later on by floating a slab that size on 10' of clay fill. Get an engineer involved. Also, you're gonna find it impossible to cool that much space with a window A/C or even several of 'em. You're talking 15,000 cu. ft. of space. That'd be like trying to cool an 1875 ft house with one unit. Everytime you open the garage door, you've lost all the cool or heated air.
As for electrical, plan on as many outlets as you can afford and make sure you've got a couple of 220 outlets. Don't forget plumbing and sewer. You'll probably want a restroom both upstairs and down. Put a drain in the floor so you can wash cars or just hose it out once in a while.
Good luck!
07-31-2009, 08:29 AM
#3
Safety Car
Thread Starter
No experience here, but I've wanted to do something similar for years.
I can tell you that you're asking for problems later on by floating a slab that size on 10' of clay fill. Get an engineer involved. Also, you're gonna find it impossible to cool that much space with a window A/C or even several of 'em. You're talking 15,000 cu. ft. of space. That'd be like trying to cool an 1875 ft house with one unit. Everytime you open the garage door, you've lost all the cool or heated air.
As for electrical, plan on as many outlets as you can afford and make sure you've got a couple of 220 outlets. Don't forget plumbing and sewer. You'll probably want a restroom both upstairs and down. Put a drain in the floor so you can wash cars or just hose it out once in a while.
Good luck!
I can tell you that you're asking for problems later on by floating a slab that size on 10' of clay fill. Get an engineer involved. Also, you're gonna find it impossible to cool that much space with a window A/C or even several of 'em. You're talking 15,000 cu. ft. of space. That'd be like trying to cool an 1875 ft house with one unit. Everytime you open the garage door, you've lost all the cool or heated air.
As for electrical, plan on as many outlets as you can afford and make sure you've got a couple of 220 outlets. Don't forget plumbing and sewer. You'll probably want a restroom both upstairs and down. Put a drain in the floor so you can wash cars or just hose it out once in a while.
Good luck!
07-31-2009, 09:00 AM
#4
Melting Slicks
I would go higher than a 12' ceiling personally or at least in one bay designed for the lift. I would go at least 16' if not higher. Could you build the upstairs area over only 3 of the 4 bays and do a double height ceiling in the 4th bay? In my house in St. Louis the basement is poured 10' and I couldnt see an extra 2 feet as really helping anything with installing a lift. Do you have an existing garage on the house? What is the height of the ceiling in it?
I would also go deeper than 25' and probably wider than 50'. 35' deep would be much better and probably more like 60'. If you dont build it quite big enough you will be pissed at yourself later.
Check out garageforums.com and there will be tons of guys there more knowledgeable than us.
I would also go deeper than 25' and probably wider than 50'. 35' deep would be much better and probably more like 60'. If you dont build it quite big enough you will be pissed at yourself later.
Check out garageforums.com and there will be tons of guys there more knowledgeable than us.
08-01-2009, 12:51 AM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
wow 35 x 60 is huge. You are right maybe only one bay needs to be full height and that would allow me to go 8 foot ceilings on the other section, both levels. 16 feet on the lift end.
I think maybe I'll stick with a 3 car garage and take the dimensions down a bit. Keeping in mind that the primary house already has a two car garage.
I think maybe I'll stick with a 3 car garage and take the dimensions down a bit. Keeping in mind that the primary house already has a two car garage.
08-01-2009, 02:21 AM
#6
Melting Slicks
You say 35'x60' is huge, but its not that much larger than you have stated you would like to do. The reason I say to go bigger(at least in depth) is that 25' is about standard depth for a garage(which to me does no include any walking around area). An extra 10' depth sounds like a ton, but honestly isnt much compared to 25'. A boat would easily take up 25+ feet as would an RV or boat...
50' width gives you about 10' per bay minus the 2' divider wall(facia) per bay plus the ends. You end up with about 8' of actual bay. With 60-65' width you can do 10' wide bays and still get your same 4-5 doors out of it.
50' width gives you about 10' per bay minus the 2' divider wall(facia) per bay plus the ends. You end up with about 8' of actual bay. With 60-65' width you can do 10' wide bays and still get your same 4-5 doors out of it.
08-01-2009, 10:32 AM
#7
Safety Car
Member Since: Oct 2003
Location: Pearland, TX
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Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20
Jed,
Don't forget about workspace in the length as well. Also consider whether or not you'd ever want to park a truck / SUV under a car, it'll need extra height if you do
Alot of 4 posts come with casters so you could reposition it fairly easily (if you have the ceiling height)
Don't forget about workspace in the length as well. Also consider whether or not you'd ever want to park a truck / SUV under a car, it'll need extra height if you do
Alot of 4 posts come with casters so you could reposition it fairly easily (if you have the ceiling height)
08-01-2009, 10:25 PM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
I spoke with a contractor today.
The problem with a large footprint (like 50x60) is that the entire slab has to be raised 5-7 feet to get out of the floodplain. So even for a 30x36 slab, we are looking at 20,000 for the foundation only. He also said since I have to raise it I could put a "PIT" in one of the bays to eliminate the need for a lift.
I'm thinking a 30 (or 32) wide x 36 deep building for three cars with one 36 foot long bay and a 20x16 room/workspace at the rear of the 20x20 2-bay area. His bid is coming in at about $45,000.
This includes a new electric panel and seperate meter for the garage. Also a new breaker box for the main house (old federal pacific breakers that need to be changed).
Also includes a sloping concrete entrance, but not a driveway.
Honestly that's about all I have to spend right now.
The lot is only 70 feet wide so 50 feet wide with the additional width of the slope to raise 5 feet would be pushing it anyway.
I had thought about the possibility of parking a car under the lift, but honestly with the 2 car garage I already have, I could house 6 cars total. I hope I never need to. Unless of course its a
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
I'm checking to see what it could cost for a 30x36 metal building instead of a wood frame one. That would probably allow for taller ceilings.
The problem with a large footprint (like 50x60) is that the entire slab has to be raised 5-7 feet to get out of the floodplain. So even for a 30x36 slab, we are looking at 20,000 for the foundation only. He also said since I have to raise it I could put a "PIT" in one of the bays to eliminate the need for a lift.
I'm thinking a 30 (or 32) wide x 36 deep building for three cars with one 36 foot long bay and a 20x16 room/workspace at the rear of the 20x20 2-bay area. His bid is coming in at about $45,000.
This includes a new electric panel and seperate meter for the garage. Also a new breaker box for the main house (old federal pacific breakers that need to be changed).
Also includes a sloping concrete entrance, but not a driveway.
Honestly that's about all I have to spend right now.
The lot is only 70 feet wide so 50 feet wide with the additional width of the slope to raise 5 feet would be pushing it anyway.
I had thought about the possibility of parking a car under the lift, but honestly with the 2 car garage I already have, I could house 6 cars total. I hope I never need to. Unless of course its a
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
I'm checking to see what it could cost for a 30x36 metal building instead of a wood frame one. That would probably allow for taller ceilings.
Last edited by jedblanks; 08-01-2009 at 10:33 PM.
03-27-2013, 09:39 AM
#9
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Figured I'd update this thread. in Oct 2009, we bought a 1900 sq ft house with a 67x30 garage and guess what? It's not too big!
Playing with my new iphone panorama mode, I took this picture:
It started out with just open rafters and walls. First item on the agenda was epoxy floor.
A year later, I insulated the walls and used plywood painted white. Now I can hang anything anywhere on the wall.
And I closed in the ceiling with R-max foam sheets. Works as insulation too. And boy does the silver backing make the light "pop"
A year after that I added two 12,000 BTU room air conditioners. They don't cool the space on a hot day, but they do make it more comfortable. They really shine on a wet, humid, warm day, to suck the moisture out of the garage.
Playing with my new iphone panorama mode, I took this picture:
It started out with just open rafters and walls. First item on the agenda was epoxy floor.
A year later, I insulated the walls and used plywood painted white. Now I can hang anything anywhere on the wall.
And I closed in the ceiling with R-max foam sheets. Works as insulation too. And boy does the silver backing make the light "pop"
A year after that I added two 12,000 BTU room air conditioners. They don't cool the space on a hot day, but they do make it more comfortable. They really shine on a wet, humid, warm day, to suck the moisture out of the garage.
Last edited by jedblanks; 03-27-2013 at 09:42 AM.
