Planning on Building a Big Garage/Shop

[R J]

40x80 is what I would like to have with a drive in and drive out set up. In floor heat and maybe zone it so you can turn up one end versus the other etc.

I'm not into making it a house although that would be nice I think the novelty would wear off in a while and then you would have all that for nothing???

I like it simple and straight forward. Big doors, no lower the 12' high and at least 12' wide, just make sure you can fit all your stuff and future stuff in all the doors so that way you aren't limited on where it has to go and so forth.

 

[redlineguy]

I have a 50x80 with loft. I will find a few pics.

 

[redlineguy]

I put a Pit in mine too, Very nice to have.

I built an a apt in mine. That the wall you can see

The inside.

 

[spring snow hero]

I am building a 48x60x14 right now. I am in it less then 20k with all my material, doors, screws, permits, concrete........the whole show. I have driven all but about 100 nails myself.

 

[FurryCURT]

Why not go for a gantry crane so you can hoist stuff from one side to the other without ever touching the floor? You could eliminate the need for drive-thru since you could hoist your vehicles up and turn them around with the gantry crane...

 

[justjohnthomas]

Just and idea I have for my dream shop, but by the time I get ready to build who knows what I'll want. It's 50'X75' with a 50' Covered RV/Trailer parking. Heated Floors + Wood Heat for majority of shop. Electric Heat and A/C in some form for the office/lounge/bathroom. "Dirty" Shop area with 4 Arm vehicle lift 18' doors on either end, with a slider dividing it from the "Toy" Storage with 2 12' doors and "Clean" work area. Separate "storage" area for misc. crap with 12' door. Possibility of apt. overtop all but covered and "dirty" bays. Lounge/Office/Bathroom area. Yes I'm going to want a shower in my shop, saves from tromping in the house with grease and dirt all over you.

 

[2XM3]

I went 66 X 86 with the upper room at 24X86, main area has 18' ceiling with a 22x16 door for the rv(45 foot), and its still getting crowded.....lol....



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[sledskiing]

I went 66 X 86 with the upper room at 24X86, main area has 18' ceiling with a 22x16 door for the rv(45 foot), and its still getting crowded.....lol....



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wow that is huge.. any pics of the inside?

 

[Beels]

Whatever you do, make sure you put the lines in for floor heat whether you use them or not. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to use special pipe of it either. Our main shop was built in the early 80's and regular black PVC was used and we've never had a problem. Floor heat is run by a natural gas boiler and the main heat is a used oil furnace. We also have overheads attatched to the boiler but keep the thermostat set low for those for backup incase the oil furnace quits when we aren't around.

 

[xrated]

where are you located?

know a guy who has made several nice lofted garage/shops in the northern MN area.

 

[Blk88GT]

Damn, I thought I had a big shop till I saw that last one! HOLY CRAP!

 

[2XM3]

wow that is huge.. any pics of the inside?

i'll have to snap some, it's pretty unfinished inside, I still have a ton of work to do on it.
Basically a 25x42machine shop/work area, a long (left side) 23x 86 parking for boat,bike trailer,hunting trailer and a car. Then a 61x23 side entry (the right) for restored cars and the middle bay for the big RV and assorted crap...

Upper room is storage future guest room

 

[strwboss]

great advice. keep it coming.

what would one estimate for a build per sq ft.? Assuming radiat floor heating, 2 zones

i havent seen any response to this question so i thought i would chime in. in 05 i built a 70x90x18.5 for just under $24 a sq ft and that is an all steel building finished inside with hydronic floor heat and electric boiler. and two large overhead doors, one 18x30, and one 16x18. this price was a turn key purchase and also included all electrical. if there was one thing i would recommend for a shop suggestion it would be hydronic floor heat, and you could plumb some valves to set it up in zones. i looked at my invoice for teh materials and the pex pipe cost me .49 cents a sq ft.. but as i said that was in 2005

 

[strwboss]

one thing to keep in mind when planning your building is that your cost per square foot goes down when the sq footage of the building goes up!!!!

 

[2XM3]

great advice. keep it coming.

what would one estimate for a build per sq ft.? Assuming radiat floor heating, 2 zones

mine will be about 29.00 sq ft when finished

 

[spring snow hero]

mine is under $7.00 with me doing the labor on it.

 

[xtremedoo]

I built a 36x46x10 last year for $25.00 per sq completed

 

[straight-shot]

Is there any way to do radiant heat in the floor after the floor is already in?

 

[thebigtreeman]

Here's a couple extra ideas. You might want to consider adding a lean to on one side. I have a 30x40 and added a 12x40 lean to on one side. It makes it nice in case you want to park a truck or trailer outside without having to open up the big shop. Plus, to construct a lean to will add very little to your overall cost. Get a bigger door than you think. I've got a 10x16 and
wish I had gone bigger. I also wish I had made the shop 40x60!!! I chose steel. Fully welded construction (no bolt together). The steel beams make it nice to hoist stuff.

There are several good books that talk about ultimate garage design. You might want to pick one up when you're in town next time.

 

[olddodge]

some pics

build as big as you can cause it still wont be big nuf.