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Worried about garage size choice.....

B

boss351

Member
Hey guys,

Long story short: I have been using my parents 24x24 garage for the past 10 years, and it is so cramped and dark I cant stand it anymore.

Looks like Im going to have an opportunity to build a post frame building within the next few months. I can get a 30x48x10 for my price range. I have this laid out in my yard with 2x4s right now, so I can judge the size. While the length seems fantastic, I am worried about the width. Right now I have a 68 coupe, and a 69 mach 1. The 68 is almost done, but the 69 is going to need some serious work, and probably put on a rotisserie. I want to be able to comfortably work, and have some room to do some side projects. Do you think this is big enough? I know everyone says a garage is never big enough, but do you honestly think you would be happy in this garage? 1440 square feet. How big are your shops, and how many cars can you fit?
 
30' wide is fine for two cars and a workbench and storage along the side walls. It is entirely too small for a 3 car garage. My garage is 36' wide (3 bays) and I could use another 4 feet total in width.
 
I am with mid here. I have a 36' wide garage and one part has a deeper than the rest work area like 8'x14' or so. It is nice , but I run out of room with three cars in there.

Um, 10' high you will regret. I built min 12' and I wish I had 2 more. For everyday stuff it is fine, but for the lift, too short. It is OK with the Mustangs on it, but the garage doors hang too low and I have already buggered up the hoods of both cars.

That is why neither car will be at knotts. No money to fix them right now with the wedding and all.

Mel
 
The plan is to have the 30 feet wide be the side with the garage doors... so I could have 2 cars wide, but 2 more in front of those if I wanted... maybe even 6 more depending on the type of cars...
 
You are planning a unit that is at least double of the above mentioned garages from the descriptions. Since you have it laid out in the yard, stake out several cars in it along with the work area. Even park some cars there to get the true feeling of the size. I bet you will have enough room until you decide to purchase something else to fill that empty spot in the corner...... Cars are on average, 16-20 feet long and 6-7 feet wide. At 48 feet front to back, you could stack two rows straight in and another row sideways in the back...about 8-9 complete Mustangs.....
 
you will have plenty of room. I am working in a 2 car garage. I cant even see how you can park 2 cars in there. It is plenty cramped(ask Darreld he was over yesterday). I wish I had the space to build a bigger garage or shop.
 
One thing I will add is to give some serious consideration to not just the space to park cars but also the layout of the work area(s). Adding a foot or two of depth here or there can make a HUGE difference in the function of the space. Make a scale drawing of the shop. Cut out paper scale representations of your workbench(es), tool boxes, welding cart, etc. Do the same for your cars. Play around with it and see what works. Tape measures are great but we a visual animals. Do this and I guarantee you will find flaws in your plan but also a better solutions.

One thing I would do different with my garage would be to have three single doors rather than a single and double. The extra space we put in between the single door and double makes a big difference in the room between the parked cars.
 
That sounds huge to me. Mine's 27 x 34 inside and was plenty big for my "frame off" build. I have a 10' garage door and a 16' door and one 3' walk-in door along the long side. I could park my driver in the "little" bay and still have room to work on the '68 in the "big" bay. There were times, though, when the driver had to stay outside because I needed a tad more room to temporarily store parts.

I agree with those who say to go higher. In fact, with your footage I'd trade height for area if I could for the same price. I so wish I had enough ceiling height for a lift.
 
Now there is something that I am jealous of; a huge garage. Just want to think a little outside of the box here. Or outside of your garage. Not sure how big your property is and all of that I will just assume that you will have room around your garage. Where do you wash your cars? I like to do it outside in the shade. How about a carport next to the garage? Or an area behind the garage to store stuff. Which way does the sun travel? That is where will the shadows be? Are you able to use any kind of sky lighting? Back to the inside. Are you going to heat the whole garage? Or just your work area? You are only going 10' high? Others have said that is too low for a lift. Could one be in your future? If not why not a pit? The thing that I am trying to suggest is think or plan for the future. Make it easier to upgrade and add on later because you know that you will want to. fd
 
Build it as big as your finances and property allow. I've had several garages over the years and no matter what, they always end up being too small. I also wish I had gone higher. My current garage is 40X60 with 3 16 ft. overhead doors (2 in front and 1 in back) but my ceiling height limits me on being able to install a lift. Initially I didn't want a high ceiling so it would be easier to keep heated but I wish I had gone higher. I've even outgrown this one now with the cars, parts, tools and equipment I keep in there.
 
A few things I thought of is make sure you have enough outlets. I hate not having enough plug ins. I would also recommend a 220 outlet for a compressor or welder. I put in a deep sink in my garage. A toilet or urinal is nice to have. You could take up a small corner of the shop to accommodate this so you aren't constantly running into the house. It all depends on your needs or wants. I also ran cable into my garage. I like to have a TV running while I am working.
 
all suggestions here are good, but really don't forget about ceiling height! If you ever think you may at some point even think about getting a lift you need 12 feet high or more!

I have 12' and need 14'.

Think about the space in 3D not just 2D. It is cheap to go higher in snow country since you have to excavate deep anyway. Just poor the floor 2' deeper with 2' concrete stem walls.

Don't forget drains in the floor and hot and cold hose bibs. 220 is a must as well. You may also want three phase out there.

Think about which way the wind blows most of the time and put your doors in a different direction. I put my door to the North, big mistake. Good for the way the house looks and access, but the North wind is bitter and the heater can not keep up and in the winter, the concrete ices up.

Door location is key for backing your trailers in and out of. How it is set on the property will determine if you can get trailers to it or turn them around and such.

I thought I would say it once and see where everyone went with it, and nobody mentioned the height but me. I say it again, this is probably as if not more important that square footage!

Mel
 
You may also want to look into making storage space in the attic space. It isn't usually a big deal to have the truss manufacturer set up your trusses so you have a small storage room instead of having the wasted space. It is a lot easier to put your flooring in during construction then when it is finished.
 
Garages are always too small. Just face that fact.

Then you get children and the garage gets smaller. :(
 
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