I am planning to build a garage at my house.

I looking at the kits from 84 Lumber and plan to build it myself (with help from friends)... 38' wide by 30' deep with two 16' x9' doors. Plan to have a 12' ceiling height for future installation of a lift.

Right now I am getting estimates on pouring and forming the concrete slab.

Has anyone else built a garage themselves and if so do you have any suggestions, ie. layout, any pitfalls, or foresight for future additions to the garage.

thanks,
Brandon

 

the only thing i could see that would be a major concern atleast to me is the garage doors because depending on the kind you get you might not be able to use your lift with the door open. thats a pain out here in oklahoma during the summer when its about 100 or more outside. i'm planning on trying to build a shop out of metal one of these days i know that the way to save money on metal buildings is to make sure you to know what sizes the material comes in that way you save time cutting by making the building a little taller or shorter. since you talk about a kit i assume that the cutting is done already which is nice and easy. how much is the kit goin to cost you.

 

Heat for the winter
sub panel breaker box to power your tools (compressor, welder, lift, etc..)

 

Hey, good point on the doors. I'll have ask about that.

I plan on wiring it to power my tools, good point also.

The kit is @ $6400 with sheetrock and insulation included. I know the kit includes everything you need to build the garage. I am not sure how much or if any cutting is required.

I also plan on adding attic trusses for a walk up storage.

 

As your building inspector checks your design, ask them if they have any suggestions, or comments.
Study the window and doorway locations and ask yourself if these would work better in a different location than the one shown on your drawing. In my own case, I ended up moving a door to the other side of my garage for security purposes.
Let's see..you'll probably want at least a dual 8 gauge wire to accommodate 220v electrical. Then, a few pair of shielded phone line for future use. A cable coax (who doesn't like TV?) I used 2" PVC pipe to contain all of these wires. The 2" pipe wasn't large enough to make easy installation. Next time, I'd go for the larger size pipe.
You mentioned that you'll be adding trusses(later on?). Each town has a limit on the square footage, and height on additional buildings. These limits are based on existing land size, and your new building's proximity to your land boundries. Verify how high you'll be able to go with a truss, especially if you want to walk completely upright.
Finally, get a concrete guy that has a great reputation. Foundation is everything. I had mine install 8 inches of stone which was hammered flat. He thought I was a nut (and I might just be!), but there is not even one spider crack in the entire foundation six years later. Good luck! Glenn

 

Sounds like fun. I bought one of their kits a few years ago for a 30x28 garage. It worked out nice. Make sure your walls come with plywood and not just the insulation board on the outside. And make sure you get windows big enough to fit an AC unit in if you want later on. They are pretty flexible with additions and customizing it to your needs. And the kit is very complete, nails, shingles, paper for roof, siding, etc. Oh, and make sure you have quite a few friends to help out. Can be a bit much at times.... Good luck!!

 

These sound like a good option for me if my new house doesn't have a big enough garage.

Does the kit include any wiring?

How much does concrete run for a 38'x30?

 

Thanks for the replies, just got my building permit today. Wohoo, I am on my way.

Brandon

 

$73 / cubic yard for concrete.

The slab is 4 inches thick, footing approx. 12"x18".

I am looking at right around $6k for concrete and labor (forming and grading).

I am still trying to find it cheaper though.

 

Just in case you were not aware of this, verify that your slab will be reinforced. Your concrete guy will first lay down thick wire mesh to increase the overall strength. Enjoy!

 

I would go big on the concrete, especially if you want to use a
2-post lift. And watch those concrete guys, I had a somewhat
shady crew form & pour a side drive and those weasels made
the forms 3" deep and called it (and wrote the bill for) 4".

I got out there the night before the pour & scraped out the extra
inch of dirt with the flat shovel. The truck was a little
short but it was not my problem.

Still cracked, though. Road mesh and 4" slab is only good for
light duty. 6" and rebar, baby.

When I made my shed I poured it 6" in the flat and made 12"
footers.

I know a guy I used to work with had one built, he planned
ahead for the lift and got one that lets him store one car
overhead and park another underneath. Good if your
overhead car doesn't drip a lot of oil, I guess....
An overhead girder for a shop trolley crane would be
way spiffy.

Those industrial doors that roll up won't bind your overhead
space as much as a residential garage door. You might be
able to find surplus.

 

Sorry to be a pest, but I wanted to reiterate the point of laying down a solid, vibrated base UNDER your slab. An extra six inches of the proper stone is the difference between strong and weak concrete. My contractor claimed he laid down 5 inches of concrete to insure that I received enough. After he had carved out the area, I measured/checked level all around to insure the amount.

 

Building my shop .... best money I ever spent!

I had 3/8" rebar in my slab.
Insulate it.
Put an awning on the west side, especially if there is a door over there.
It's more expensive, but ceiling hugger garage doors are available.

Here's my place:
Memorabilia ....
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop01.jpg

The car, at rest. My 3 tier tire cart just on the other side. Each rack will hold 4 315s or 6 275s
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop02.jpg

Shop supplies, tool storage and my wonderful shop chair made from a Ford P/U seat
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop03.jpg

Spare parts ... intake to brake pads ... cats to radiator hoses. When you live in the sticks, parts just ain't down the street ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop04.jpg

Welding/cutting cart
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop05.jpg

General storage
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop06.jpg

Toolbox and entertainment center ... that's a redundant phrase ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop07.jpg

Notice the start page ....
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop08.jpg

BFB (Big Fvcking Bench) w/ storage bins. These bins have nuts, bolts, washers, electrical connectors, bulbs ... anything small and segregate-able ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop09.jpg

Fabrication area
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop10.jpg

Fab area ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop11.jpg

Inside, looking towards the front
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop12.jpg

From the front ... that's a 160' of concrete or burnout box!
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop13.jpg

Metal laydown ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop14.jpg

From the back ...
http://webpages.charter.net/mitchntx/Shop15.jpg


Here are a couple of similar threads
https://ls1tech.com/forums/tools-fabrication/119930-help-me-build-up-dream-garage.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/tools-fabrication/81315-lets-see-your-garage-tool-collection.html

 

You win

I like the Miller Spectrum

 

if i built myself a garage even similar to that id have no wife as I'd never be inside with her Id always be working on my car nice work...when i finally move out of jersey I plan on building something similar to that...metal garage 3 bays 1 w/ lift...laying concrete can be alot of money but if you know people that know people you can get it laid on the cheap...we did mine for less than a grand its like a 20X20 slab 8inches deep 6 inches of stone plus mesh...not bad when youve got connections hehe.

lata
Bill

 

Nice shop Mitch! Is that mower modified yet?

 

I built a 3 bay 2 story garage afew years back. Got the plans from Lowe's. It was not too hard at all. Here are a few things to look for that aren't necessarily in the plans in most cases. When you pour the floor, be sure to make your highest point in the floor inside from where the garage doors are to shut. This is especially important if you plan on putting floor drains in the garage. Every time it rains now I have a little water that runs under the garage door to get to the drain from outside because I sloped it up from the drain to just outside the door. I could have probably helped to remedy this problem when I poured the approach, but at that time it hadn't rained at all for months and there were no doors on the garage yet. Other things I really like about my garage... Urinal, Heater, Insulation, Old House stereo w/ surround sound, Enough electrical to power ANY welder, Air Compressor , or anything else I would ever need to use probably all at the same time. I have an outlet every 6' and plenty of workbench space. I would reccommend storage shelves, and racks galore to keep all the clutter that WILL end up in the garage somewhat organised. Lifts are great, and with a 12' ceiling you should be good there, A/C is awesome, even if it's just a cheap fedders window unit mounted in the wall, nice to stay cool. do not put a brushed finish on the concrete floor, you'll wish you hadn't. Another thing to look at with the concrete. if you are planning on putting a lift in one of the bays eventually, I would reccommend that you do a little lift shopping now and pick out a couple you like and get some dimensions. Use those dimensions to plan where the bases of the lift will meet the floor and form the concrete a little deeper in those areas so as to make a thick *** pad to set the lift on and bolt it down to as you don't want to crack the floor, and cutting your floor to rebuild under the lift I'm sure would be no fun. Hmmmm I think that's all I can come up with off the top of my head. Oh one more thing. If you do drywall it by chance, paint the walls white and use a lot of lights. Nice to be able to see.

 

BTW Mitch...Nice Shop!

 

here is something else you might want to look at.
http://www.newmoa.org/Newmoa/htdocs/...o/checklst.pdf

I think it's more for a business type setup, but still some good pointers for safety etc...

 

Just make sure you have some good reinforcement and enough of the RIGHT kind of concrete where the lift will be... This is sooooo very important, it's cannot be reitereated and repeated and empasized enough....

Glad to hear you'r building one! Wish I had the land to do it too!