Garage/Workshop Wish List Advice

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

Starting to get serious about building a detached garage. Thinking something along the lines of a 40x40 combination workshop and toy storage. The size is not yet locked in stone so if you have any insight about how much difference a few more feet of length or width might provide I'm all ears. I would appreciate any insight that you guys might have as to what I want to make sure I include/account for. By the same token, any thoughts you may have about wasted resources would be great to know as well.

I would especially like to hear from those of you that have already been down this road before.

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[AvalancheSVT]

minimum 12 foot walls. 14 is better. plenty of storage and room for lifts.

 

[19gtMD]

I just recently did this in the last year. I can tell you what I did,then tell you what I would do different.. So I built a 24x24 for my car and motorcycles. Is fully insulated, big windows, 12 ft. Ceiling, attic storage, mini split A/C and heat. I have a lift as well. The quick jack 5000xl. I chose that because it can be moved when not in use.
What I would do different is add a bathroom, and a wash sink. A 40x40 sounds awesome and would give you plenty of room to have all of that

 

[19gtMD]

Just to add my wife only parks her SUV inside during the winter when it snows.. Lol and those pics are old, when I was painting the floor

 

[NGOT8R]

Do you have motorcycles? If so, do you foresee needing a lift for them? If the answer is yes to those questions, I recommend pouring a pit in the ground for your MC lift. This will make getting bikes on and off the lift easy and won’t require any help, as you can simply ride on and then roll backward to get off.

- A utility sink, soap dispenser and hand dryer are also good ideas.
- A urinal or toilet.
- Side mount or jack shaft garage door openers will allow for high lift doors.
- Plenty of electrical outlets to allow you to plug in tools.
- LED lights to make the shop super bright.
- Epoxied floors with no fleck, as the fleck makes it difficult to find screws, bolts and washers that you may drop onto the floor.
- Tire rack if you swap between wheels.
- Mini Split (heat and AC) as mentioned above.

I use my 3 car garage as my shop area. I wish I had put a urinal or toilet out there, but having to share the space with lawn equipment has essentially cut me down to 2 usable bays (one for the motorcycles and the other for my car).

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

Great ideas guys! Keep 'em coming.

 

[NGOT8R]

- Loft for extra storage space if you go high enough with the ceilings.
- Run plumbing around perimeter of shop for air lines, or install a hose reel next to your compressor.
- Ultrasonic sink for parts cleaning.

I installed a hose reel next to my compressor, but if I were building a detached garage/shop, I would run plumbing for the air lines from my compressor for more flexibility. I would also keep the compressor in a closet with sound proofed walls to make it quiet in the shop when the compressor is running.

 

[TrackMeisterWannabe]

What are your thoughts on block vs framed walls? Looks like you have quite a bit of slope on your slab. How is that working out for you?

 

[JG M1]

Do you have motorcycles? If so, do you foresee needing a lift for them? If the answer is yes to those questions, I recommend pouring a pit in the ground for your MC lift. This will make getting bikes on and off the lift easy and won’t require any help, as you can simply ride on and then roll backward to get off.

- A utility sink, soap dispenser and hand dryer are also good ideas.
- A urinal or toilet.
- Side mount or jack shaft garage door openers will allow for high lift doors.
- Plenty of electrical outlets to allow you to plug in tools.
- LED lights to make the shop super bright.
- Epoxied floors with no fleck, as the fleck makes it difficult to find screws, bolts and washers that you may drop onto the floor.
- Tire rack if you swap between wheels.
- Mini Split (heat and AC) as mentioned above.

I use my 3 car garage as my shop area. I wish I had put a urinal or toilet out there, but having to share the space with lawn equipment has essentially cut me down to 2 usable bays (one for the motorcycles and the other for my car).

I us the same alignment stuff for my Cobra!

 

[NGOT8R]

What are your thoughts on block vs framed walls? Looks like you have quite a bit of slope on your slab. How is that working out for you?

Two of my walls are constructed of block and one is framed with drywall. At first ai thought it would be challenging to mount things on the block, but quickly learned that Tapcon screws are made specifically for that purpose. I used them to mount heavy objects like my TV, header and cabinets on the walls.

The slope isn’t noticeable at all, unless you look at the walls on either side of the garage bays I actually had them float the wall at the back and side (where the windows are) to make the footer blend in better. I don’t have any issues with jacking the car or anything like that. Being that it is a garage, they have to add runoff, so that it can drain If needed, as most garages don’t have floor drains. In a detached shop you could probably install floor drains, but I would make sure you add traps to be able to access them for clean out purposes. Ever see car wash bay drains full of water? That’s because things are getting backed up in the drainage system. Another benefit to the blocked walls is there is no risk of getting sheetrock wet and soggy. The pic with the car shows the sheetrock wall in the background.

 

[NGOT8R]

@JG M1, I love that Cobra too! I wanted to build one myself many years ago. Maybe some day I’ll have an opportunity to build something nice from the ground up. A nice garage/shop is crucial to making a project like that a lot more fun.

 

[tosha]

Add a second floor on top with a bar, party area, home theatre and maybe guest bedroom.

 

[Highvolts]

Make sure you have high amperage electricity ran and appropriate outlets installed so you can run compressors or welders.

 

[FKE SNK]

30X40(W) detached here.
Go as big as you can
Install more outlets than you think you could ever use if you are going drywall(speaker wired too)
Get your water ran, floor drains are nice but a sloped floor will work if permitting gets tricky
Determine what kind of garage door openers you will use(jack shafts are nice)

See how it all fits using this link - https://coachhousegarages.com/willitfit/
Have you approached your city regarding this project yet?

 

[Tucker80]

One of my favorite garage additions was the polyaspartic flooring. I was going to do a DIY epoxy, but had concerns with hot tire pickup on the DIY stuff. The polyaspartic is damn near impossible to damage and impervious to any chemicals it'll come in contact with in a garage. When I was testing it out I had the sales rep leave me swatches for a week long torture test. Brake fluid, oil, gas all left for days and just wiped clean. Best part is it came with a 30 year warranty.

The other addition that I've become surprisingly fond of is the wall mount garage vacuum system. I use this way more than I thought I would.

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