[grivera]

Originally Posted by Frank T

A couple questions on your plans...
1. what is the purpose to cutting down the drive to 12ft right off the street then widen it to 20 ? I think that neck down area is going to be cumbersome getting cars backed out (or in) and end up making mud on both sides. My building is necked down on one side because I had to due to another building near by. Its annoying as H-E double hockey sticks. Id recommend 20ft all the way to the street.

2. What is the purpose of the side porch? It looks cool but everyone ive seen has something stored under it and what ever it is, is still outside in the weather. Id rather see that as part of the inside of the building.

3. I only see a pad for the lift cement in the garage plan. What else is going in there besides your firebird? Shelving? Work bench area? table saw? Air compressor? Couch, bar, shuffleboard, TV??? You need to add that and plan that out so after you build it and you run out of room you can go back and figure what doesnt really belong in the garage.

I like the big double door on the side. Good for pulling in larger equipment to work on without opening the front door and pulling a vehicle out.

Frank T

1. Since this will mainly be for storage and hobby work, the driveway leading to the parking pad is to save cost on concrete where it isn't needed. Also, there are neighbors' mailboxes in that area where the dovetail will be so making my footprint smaller in that area keeps all happy.

2. The side porch (lean to) is a feature added by the committee (wife). She wants to use the space when we have outside functions - who am I to argue?

3. Good ideas - Mainly just the Firebird and a loft area to serve as double level storage in the far left corner when one drives in. I will have some shelving but have yet to configure a plan...

BTW - at this point I'm waiting on the county to approve the permit application

[mrennie]

My experience:

The house I own has what was advertised as a 3 car attached garage. Interior dimensions are 27' x 33'.

Garage doors are on the long side. Originally, it had one 8' wide door and one 16' wide door. Brutal design, the 8' door was too narrow to drive my truck in without folding the mirrors and if I wanted to work on a double snowmobile trailer or car hauler I had to use the bigger door.

The 16' door was a PITA to open, and because it was so big and seldom used, things would get piled up against it so when you did need to open it, more work to move things was required. Also eats up a lot of wall space.

I did some renovation 4-5 years ago and changed the 8' to a 10' and the 16' to a 12'. Much better as I would likely never try to fit 3 cars in a 33' long space as I have a lathe and milling machine along the short wall.

If you go with the 40' long design, using 3 doors won't leave very much space between them if you go with 10' doors. IMO 8' is too narrow, you want at least 9' wide.

I can also say that going with only 24' deep will be very limiting if you put anything along the back wall like tool boxes or work bench and want to bring in a car or truck to work on it. You don't want to have to leave the garage door open to be able to get around the vehicle when it is inside.

I would want the 30' x 40' design for sure, and echo the comments to see what the costs are for the attic trusses with the intent of completing that later when funds allow.

[grivera]

This is all great advice. The plans I submitted with the permit application are for the 30x40' building. I've gotten quotes from several pole building outfits and the upgrade to attic trusses without any steps/landing or plywood is approximately $7k. It's crazy to me that it costs that much more. I realize the number of trusses is double because they are 24" OC versus 48" for standard trusses but damn!

[grivera]

My permit was approved yesterday and a rep from Shirk Pole Buildings is coming out on the 28th for contract finalization. Once this building is up, it will be a long time before I can add metal walls/ceiling and thick insulation- as in more than a year. My first upgrade will be the electrical as its an absolute necessity.

I gotta wait on the thick insulation, in the meantime should I opt for the Shirk installed 1/2" or 1" foil faced insulation under roof and siding to aid in heat/cold retention and avoid condensation? Prices are 1/2" for $2450 and 1" for $3650. Eventually I will install thicker insulation. Is the thin insulation a complete waste of money or worthwhile investment? Other suggestions to avoid condensation when I use a bullet propane heater or kerosene heater?

[grivera]

Shirk Pole Buildings has scheduled the build to begin on June 12th. Since the concrete will be poured thicker in the area where a 2 post lift with asymmetrical arms will go, I want to make sure I am not overlooking a better option on the thicker concrete and lift placement. Right now I want the lift to be in the far corner of the garage so the columns won't be in the way when entering the garage door. Unfortunately, the lot layout and back-sets versus the size of the garage limit my choices on overhead door placement. Here is a sketch with planned placement and the final plan drawings from Shirk.

[brad900]

Here is what I did, pour the whole pad the same thickness. Once the building is up you can see the placement better. It didn't cost very much more to pour the same thickness

[Elarson]

The older we all get, the harder steps become. If this is your lifetime garage, consider doing everything on ground floor.

Eric

[gtofreek]

My vote is for 100' x 100'. That might be enough room for the Goat, and goat accessories!

[rexs73gto]

When I built my Pole building garage I went with a 28X32 with a shingle roof. It is a good space but not I wish Id gone bigger. I got it up & got all my stuff in it & all the shelves up I looked around & said where the he!! did all my room go. I installed the insulation & dry wall & electrical which if you can do is A LOT less expensive. It's not that hard to do. Also get the biggest door to get the cars in & out as you can , it gets small quick. Build what ever you can afford & just a bit bigger because once you get your stuff in there it goes away quick. Also go with the tallest roof you can just in case you want a hoist. It cost 3-4 times more later to raise the roof. Believe me. If you have the room make your entrance as easy to get in & out too. Do as much as you can yourself & save on the builders profit. If you go with the metal roof make sure they put the insulation on , the metal roofs sweat a lot & it will drip on your cars & parts.If you can & is allowed have a drain put in the middle of your concrete so you can get the floor washed when needed. It's easy just put down 3" PVC so it will drain out into your yard. It makes for a much cleaner floor. Also make sure they put in the metal in the concrete so it doesn't crack on you in a year or so. The metal is a thick kinda screen but goes in while their pouring the concrete to help keep the stuff from cracking. Now I know this is just , at least for me when I did mine. But if you can have the floor poured with the heating grids in it. Either electric or water, but with that you'll never need gas or elect. heat in the garage ever. Once the floor get warm It stays warm for a very long time. I wish I'd have done it , at the time it was only $ 850.00 more. The reason is I worked in a few garages with it & it's SOOOO nice as your feet are the 1st thing to get cold when your in there. The floor heat you can lay down on the floor & stay warm. Well enough. Have fun with the new garage however you do it. It's worth it. Much better then working outside.

[Va68goat]

I agree with gtofreek! 100' x 100' is the only way to go. It's a little selfish of you to not consider storing my car there in the winter time! Let me know when I can start bringing a few things over!

[grivera]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

When I built my Pole building garage I went with a 28X32 with a shingle roof. It is a good space but not I wish Id gone bigger. I got it up & got all my stuff in it & all the shelves up I looked around & said where the he!! did all my room go. I installed the insulation & dry wall & electrical which if you can do is A LOT less expensive. It's not that hard to do. Also get the biggest door to get the cars in & out as you can , it gets small quick. Build what ever you can afford & just a bit bigger because once you get your stuff in there it goes away quick. Also go with the tallest roof you can just in case you want a hoist. It cost 3-4 times more later to raise the roof. Believe me. If you have the room make your entrance as easy to get in & out too. Do as much as you can yourself & save on the builders profit. If you go with the metal roof make sure they put the insulation on , the metal roofs sweat a lot & it will drip on your cars & parts.If you can & is allowed have a drain put in the middle of your concrete so you can get the floor washed when needed. It's easy just put down 3" PVC so it will drain out into your yard. It makes for a much cleaner floor. Also make sure they put in the metal in the concrete so it doesn't crack on you in a year or so. The metal is a thick kinda screen but goes in while their pouring the concrete to help keep the stuff from cracking. Now I know this is just , at least for me when I did mine. But if you can have the floor poured with the heating grids in it. Either electric or water, but with that you'll never need gas or elect. heat in the garage ever. Once the floor get warm It stays warm for a very long time. I wish I'd have done it , at the time it was only $ 850.00 more. The reason is I worked in a few garages with it & it's SOOOO nice as your feet are the 1st thing to get cold when your in there. The floor heat you can lay down on the floor & stay warm. Well enough. Have fun with the new garage however you do it. It's worth it. Much better then working outside.

Metal in the concrete? Do you mean a wire screen? I am doing rebar in mine and the concret is 4K psi fiber reinforced.

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

I did a 3 bay 30 x 40 with 12 foot walls. I had the trusses set up for a 14' wide attic area. One thing I wish I had done different was to use at least 1 9 foot wide garage door. That extra foot would have been nice. Also look at the lift master openers and have your door tracks go up high and hug the ceiling. Especially where yo plan to put your lift. I did this where my 4-post lift is and it really helps with clearance.

[grivera]

Shirk started the build yesterday. They dug the footings by 9 am and the county inspector didn't come by til 1230, so they worked 1230-330 pm yesterday and 7-330 today. They have made great progress so far and expect to be done tomorrow. Once I get more stone in, the crew can pour concrete! Here are some pics:

[sts]

Lookin' good, Will. Photo update as things unfold.

[grivera]

Thanks Merv- first crew finished today waiting on gutter crew and then cement crew hopefully next week.

[grivera]

More updates:

[napster]

Very cool! I wish I could of done this type of thing at my house. Planning & Zoning limited what I could on the property leaving me no choice except to do something else.

Jim

[grivera]

Thanks - it's been a longtime dream of mine! We still have to get electrical/lighting done, seal the concrete and have insulation installed.

[AdamIsAdam]

To say that I'm jealous would be the understatement of the century! Lots of luck with is.

[grivera]

Originally Posted by AdamIsAdam

To say that I'm jealous would be the understatement of the century! Lots of luck with is.

Thanks Adam! The building of the garage has kept me pacified while not having time to work on the bird...