with both 
post a pic's of the build site 
Need advice on building a garage
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,429
Likes: 14
From: CA
Need advice on building a garage
We finally bought an old Colonial farm house on 1/4 acre in Connecticut. We like it a lot, but there isn't a garage. 
(Can't believe I bought a house without a garage)
I'm looking for ideas for a 2-car style, not sure if it will be wood or metal yet (Pros & cons of the different types?). I'm pretty sure I'll go with the radiant heating in the floor, but I'm undecided if it will be water or electric. The biggest problem is that the house is on a hilltop & the rest of the property slopes downhill, so most of my budget will probably be consumed by making it level & adding the heating system
Can't wait to get this done (hopefully before next fall) so I can get my Vette out from storage in California. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: 1/4 acre, not 1/2 (wishfull thinking I guess)
(Can't believe I bought a house without a garage)I'm looking for ideas for a 2-car style, not sure if it will be wood or metal yet (Pros & cons of the different types?). I'm pretty sure I'll go with the radiant heating in the floor, but I'm undecided if it will be water or electric. The biggest problem is that the house is on a hilltop & the rest of the property slopes downhill, so most of my budget will probably be consumed by making it level & adding the heating system
Can't wait to get this done (hopefully before next fall) so I can get my Vette out from storage in California. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: 1/4 acre, not 1/2 (wishfull thinking I guess)
Last edited by 71coupe; Dec 26, 2004 at 06:46 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 2,320
Likes: 2
From: Salem Oregon
[QUOTE=88'Cubka]Best advice, decide how big ya want it, then add 10' in each direction, and it will still be too small... 
Also and I am sure you are, but think of all the things that would make it better to work in, electric outlets every where, including 220. Fixed air line outlets would be nice. Good lighting, etc.
Oh and storage above the garage, so things do not end up down on the working parking area.
Also and I am sure you are, but think of all the things that would make it better to work in, electric outlets every where, including 220. Fixed air line outlets would be nice. Good lighting, etc.
Oh and storage above the garage, so things do not end up down on the working parking area.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,119
Likes: 213
From: Pittsburgh PA
Originally Posted by 88'Cubka
Best advice, decide how big ya want it, then add 10' in each direction, and it will still be too small...
:Cheers:
David
:Cheers:
David
There is no better advise than this.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 22
Likes: 1
From: Delray Beach, Florida
how about a drain in the floor so you can wash down the the car(s) . I don't know how electric rates are in conn. , buI would always worry that if the water lines ever freeze,(something you left coast guys don't know much about) which would be a major headache. I am so jealous, I only have a one car garage, and I have to keep my '72, and my harley in it . Not much room for much else. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 2
From: Dayton Oh
Go with a metal Morton building at least 10' tall. Believe it or not, those guys can have a building up in 3 days. I've had two over the years and they're top-of-the-line metal buildings. My current garage is a metal Morton 10'h x 40'd x 42'w.
As far as heating, I use the bullet type, 150,000 BTU kero heater. Don't take long to get the place heated and not too bad on fuel. The last couple of days, I worked in the garage for a good 10+ hours/day and up here in NW Ohio the temperature has been in the single digits and I've only burned < 5gals of fuel.
As far as heating, I use the bullet type, 150,000 BTU kero heater. Don't take long to get the place heated and not too bad on fuel. The last couple of days, I worked in the garage for a good 10+ hours/day and up here in NW Ohio the temperature has been in the single digits and I've only burned < 5gals of fuel.
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,176
Likes: 88
From: State of Confusion
Originally Posted by 88'Cubka
Best advice, decide how big ya want it, then add 10' in each direction, and it will still be too small...
Originally Posted by foundvettelifeisgood
There is no better advise than this. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,198
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Connecticut
Your first mistake is only 2 cars. Unless you like scraping ice and snow off your car every morning. Your wife will insist on one bay, the vette in the other, and your car outside. I'd build a 3-car at least (not much more expensive, really) or better yet a double deep 2-car so there is room for three cars, a workbench and the lawnmower, snow blower, etc. I have 4 bays, three in front and one across the back, and it's not enough, but I have two toy cars. Joe
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: Brentwood TN
I agree with making it as big as you can ... a couple of ideas
- Add a shop sink
- Hot water radiant heeting will probably be the most cost effective
- The COOLEST idea I've seen - install 4-6 lights in the concrete floor so you'll have light under the car when working on it. The lights I've seen were installed directly under the car and were flush with the concrete. Very Cool - a little planning is required - but since this is a new garage I bet it would only cost a few hundred
- Add a shop sink
- Hot water radiant heeting will probably be the most cost effective
- The COOLEST idea I've seen - install 4-6 lights in the concrete floor so you'll have light under the car when working on it. The lights I've seen were installed directly under the car and were flush with the concrete. Very Cool - a little planning is required - but since this is a new garage I bet it would only cost a few hundred
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,635
Likes: 0
From: Union Ontario
With electric heat you have only one possible fuel source. Hot water radiant can have many fuel sources.... ie Propane heater, natural gas water heater, electric water heater. Another benefit of hot water radiant heat is that it can be cool water radiant heat in the summer!!!! As for freezing of pipes thats why you properly fill them with a mixture of water and antifreeze for the winter at the very least.
Go for at least a very large 2 car, meaning more like 2.5 wide and 2.5 deep and then you'll have plenty of room to work around and setup tools, work benches, a fridge, a bar, a TV, .... you know the important things required when working on vehicles.
Go for at least a very large 2 car, meaning more like 2.5 wide and 2.5 deep and then you'll have plenty of room to work around and setup tools, work benches, a fridge, a bar, a TV, .... you know the important things required when working on vehicles.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 868
Likes: 2
From: Olney MD
Weel first off I wanna say congrats on the purchase of your home!!! You may wanna see if any of the work can be done yourself maybe the digging - i dunno! I would say go as big as you can as you will never have enought storage space haha. You may wanna ask peeps to post of pics of garages they had built to get some ideas. We had a car port on our house and we just inclosed it. It was a single size one and we couldn't afford to go bigger (even though I wish we could have) so I would say see what you can spend and get lots of ideas together and start getting some contractors to price it out for you!
Good Luck and you will have to keep us posted!
on the purchase of your home!!! You may wanna see if any of the work can be done yourself maybe the digging - i dunno! I would say go as big as you can as you will never have enought storage space haha. You may wanna ask peeps to post of pics of garages they had built to get some ideas. We had a car port on our house and we just inclosed it. It was a single size one and we couldn't afford to go bigger (even though I wish we could have) so I would say see what you can spend and get lots of ideas together and start getting some contractors to price it out for you! Good Luck and you will have to keep us posted!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,429
Likes: 14
From: CA
Originally Posted by pferrall
how about a drain in the floor so you can wash down the the car(s) . I don't know how electric rates are in conn. , buI would always worry that if the water lines ever freeze,(something you left coast guys don't know much about) which would be a major headache. I am so jealous, I only have a one car garage, and I have to keep my '72, and my harley in it . Not much room for much else.
I'm jealous of your 1 car garage, at least I could have brought my Vette out when we moved.