What Size Garage Would You Build?

[AU Doc]

Pretty simple question, with a complicated answer. I'm looking for recommendations on what size garage you guys would recommend building. I'm thinking two cars with two lifts plus plenty of space to work on stuff, store tools, and not be cramped. At some point I'd like to have a small lathe, CNC, maybe a mill? I haven't put much thought into that stuff and I don't have anything like that at the moment. I've got a pretty big yard, so that shouldn't be a factor. The cost, on the other hand will be. At this point I'm trying to get a feel for a good size so that I can start figuring out what it will cost me.

Thanks in advance!

[raustinss]

30x40

[astroracer]

30' wide is a good start. To establish a length lets stack up your wish list. I am going to outline a few things you will want to take into consideration while designing your work space.
1). You do not need extra concrete for any "hobby" sized lift. BendPaks site calls for 3.5" of 2500 PSI for any 2 post lift under 14K.
2). Your shop dimensions, whatever they end up being, are over the OUTSIDE of the structure, your working space will be 1' smaller on the inside.
3). Keep your overhead doors at least 4' from the INSIDE wall of the building. You will need plenty of "working" space on either side of the hoist. Putting the garage door closer then 4' to the wall doesn't leave a lot of room for benches, storage or even walking space around a vehicle. 6' is even better.
4). If you use 10' doors at each hoist, add 4' (or 6') to either side of the door to get a comfortable working "length" for the shop.
Example: 2 10' doors is 20'. Plus 4' on either side of the doors equals 28'. Putting 10' between the doors will get you to 39'. (Remember, I am working to the INSIDE of the building here. :) ) If you go 6' on either wall you will have 43'.
5). 12' side walls will be minimum height for a lift.
6). Design in 2 or 4' increments to cut down on waste. In my example you end up with 39 or 43'. Go 40 or 44' to keep the waste down.
7). Go here to use a neat little shop design program:
http://fbi.icovia.com/icovia.aspx
Once you get in there and do some planning you will see that a 30' x 40' shop is not going to be very spacious once you get a couple of cars, tools, benches and storage shelves in there. If you design it so you can add on in the future you can get a shop set up then expand as your needs demand.
Mark

[AU Doc]

Great info, guys!!! Thanks!

Because of where I'm planning to put the building, I was thinking of putting the doors on the shorter side. So It took me a bit to figure out what you were getting at astroracer. What you're suggesting makes a ton of sense, and I think make the space much more usable. I build a 26x30 building years ago, with the doors in the 26' side. It was always crowded when there were two cars in there.

[astroracer]

Glad to help. If you want to lay out a really nice shop go here:
http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner
The Grizzly site has a lot of tools and stuff the Barn Planner doesn't. it's not as easy to use but it gets the job done.

[HandOverFist]

Car lift is great, but two of them would be a pita in that space. I would rather have one lift and the rest of the space open for ground work.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

Bigger. I don't care what number someone throws out, the correct answer is always "bigger". 12 car garage? Nope, bigger.

[AU Doc]

Glad to help. If you want to lay out a really nice shop go here:
http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner
The Grizzly site has a lot of tools and stuff the Barn Planner doesn't. it's not as easy to use but it gets the job done.

Cool! I'll try that site out too. I'd like to plan where all my junk will go ahead of time. It'd be nice to have a shop like I see on TV where everything is organized rather than just piled in corners and shelves stuck where ever they'll fit.


Car lift is great, but two of them would be a pita in that space. I would rather have one lift and the rest of the space open for ground work.

Good point. I was thinking of adding the first lift, and then adding the second if I add another project and need the space. Initially I was thinking I would need to plan the extra concrete for the second lift.

[HandOverFist]

Whatever you decide don't put a rubber floor down...worst floor ever to do any actual work on.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2017/02/axles20001_zpsnl68iqid-1.jpg

[willieboy240]

It's simple. As big as my wallet would let me.

[AU Doc]

Nice shop!!!

And I agree. Bigger is better. Unfortunately, I'm pretty patient with regard to this sort of thing, and without a goal in mind I'd keep saving for a bigger, and biggerer, and biggererer shop, and never actually build anything :)

[1989GTA]

Then build a garage with the thought of being able to add on down the road.

[astroracer]

Everything in my shop is on casters. Except one bench and the mill. Even my stomp shear is on casters! Putting everything on casters makes it so easy to move stuff around when working it isn't funny. I have 5 rolling work benches with 2 set up as welding\grinding stations. They go where ever I need them to. Look through my BadAst build thread, you will see what I am talking about.
Rolling stuff outside to clean is a major benefit also. Rolling it out, blowing off the dust, sweeping the floors with nothing in the way to gather MORE dust makes for a better job when it is so easy to do.
Mark

[parsonsj]

I'm in the middle of building a 30x40 workshop. 14' celings, high lift garage doors. Insulated and air conditioned. I'll have a single (2 post) lift, mill, lathe, etc.

I second the notion of moveable tools, benches, etc. I do that as much as possible, just because ideal arrangements of stuff changes as the car projects change.

I will also have two more 30x40 paved areas next to the shop for trailer storage, short-term parking, parts delivery support, etc.

Would I go bigger if I had more money? Hell yes!! :)

[rhurley]

About to buy a house that will require building a shop. 40x60 for me.


My brother has a 30x40. and from REAL use and REAL experience, i can tell you that its a glorifed 4 car garage, and really a 3 car if you have to work on any of them. Once you ad work bench, toolbox, engine hoist, mill, band saw, drill press...... i think you get the idea.

Always go bigger than what you think.

His has a 4 post lift in the corner, which does add 1 parking space. but also uses an entire 1/4 of the shop.


go big!

[biglouie69]

If you can get 16' ceiling height, you can do a two post full stand up under car lift with room to breathe. My shop is 30 x 40 with 16' ceiling and when I get the woodworking equip. into its own shop, life will be even better!

[Reckn8]

Mine is 60 X 65 and it could be bigger. I would like to park my Feather Light inside because of the heat!!

[all4sho]

my is 40x50 and it filled up really fast, i wish it was 32x100

[AU Doc]

I'm seeing a trend here :)

[andrewb70]

I'm seeing a trend here :)

Sometimes, bigger is better :-)

Andrew

[rhurley]

I'm seeing a trend here :)

hahah

the thing is........ You can always use the space thats there..... but you cant always make more space thats not there

[AU Doc]

So what's the minimum height I'll need for a lift and be able to stand up under a car? I'm 6'4" with my shoes on. I've seen anything from 11.5' to 16'. Back of the envelope looks like 12' should get it. If I'm 6'-4", my truck is about 82", then you take off 16" for half the tire height, that's just shy of 12'. I can't imagine anything taller than my truck going on there, and I certainly don't see the point in designing it for that 1% of the time I'd work on something like that. I don't know that I'd want to be under my truck on a two-post residential lift, anyway. I don't usually work on our daily drivers, either.

The building will need to "fit" with the style of the house, and I'm not sure how tall I can go on the walls and make that happen. That, and I'm going to have to pay to brick all that wall, too!

[BMR Sales]

Anything Bigger than mine. I have a Single Car Garage that I raised the roof to put a 4 Post Lift in. With two cars, my 7' Snap-On Box & parts, there is no room to turn!

[AU Doc]

Hahaha! I understand!

I'm toying with the idea of using this year's hotrod fund for building a shop. I've been working out of our two car garage, and I'm tired of tripping over yard toys and looking for tools that have been used as yard toys :)

[WOLF1732]

Car 20ft+6ft+6ft ft either end of car add 3ft for bench now you are at 35ft add +12 for storage and man cave behind that wall so 48-feet wide, on length use 18ft per car add 1 extra car more than you plan for OAL . Height go for 14ft clear min if you can get away with it 16ft you can have a mezzanine. Wire it for 400 amps 3 phase. use about 250sq ft per ton for ac. Pour 6" to 8 " thick 4000 psi concrete use a 1 ft grid of #4 rebar now you got a good start.

[mikedc]

Just a general comment - have you ever seen a home car shop that had enough space for parts & half-assembled stuff?

It's a real factor to consider. Car parts. Whole assembly portions of cars like drivetrains or dashboards or seats. New stuff in boxes. Raw materials of all kinds. Lots of heavy stuff that has to be sitting on the floor. Etc.

Also, consider segregating this area from the main work area in terms of heating & cooling. Climate control is never cheap. Even if the parts area is closed off, it still won't get the full brunt of the outdoor temps & humidity as long as it's basically part of the same building.

[CampbellshotrodsAZ]

I have a climate controlled parts storage... my 2 spare bedrooms, and my game room! Even have 2 transmissions, an engine, heads, and and my Speedway Engineering floater inside. :)

[The Stickman]

Bought not built, lol. I bought a property where the main garage is 125 X 25 and the upstairs garage is 60X25. BTW don't mind the mess we are cleaning it up slowly.

[HandOverFist]

Where I'm at to date - 60' x 40' pole barn w/60' x 16' enclosed shed on one side for truck/gooseneck trailer storage. There is a 800 sg ft apartment at the rear of the building leaving 40' x 40' for a shop area. Still a work in progress, a four post lift will be going in the bay where the rat truck is presently parked. A welding table will go in front of the air compressor and between the bays. Another 8' work bench will be added along one wall which will host a drill press, vise and grinder. Ceiling is 13' and both doors are 12' x 12'. 12 recessed LED lights coupled with the white metal ceiling netted me the best lit shop I have ever owned. I also added a carport shed and a tractor shed on opposing corners of the building. I chose to finish the floor with a stain-guard sealer and several coats of wax for easy upkeep. Using a split-mini head unit for heat/air duties when needed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20002_zpsvwfqzzye-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20004_zpshyu9pd1n-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20002_zpskgmhasfb-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20001_zpspof48t7h-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20002_zpsbfr1ddou-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20006_zpsr7w29psw-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20007_zps9zqjj8gu-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20005_zpszjvuuoez-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20008_zpsc73qeyse-1.jpg

[ORBandit]

Mine is 30x50 and it's not big enough. That's not including the three car (3 doors) garage attached to it either. I have two drive-on Bendpaks too. 50ft long is good, but 30ft wide isn't enough. I have about 8 cars, 4 stored, 79 TA in the middle getting built and the rest are DD go in and out of the 3 doors.

[dhutton]

I have a 40x50 shop, a 24x40 garage for car storage and a 25x40 building for parts and I still don’t have enough room. Rule of thumb is to estimate what you need and add at least 50%.

My perfect setup would be to have a clean shop and a dirty shop. My paint booth eats up a big chunk of my shop. I built an overhang on the shop and moved my four post lift under it. Two post is what I use 99% of the time.

Don

[Sirois]

Here I have a 130x125 garage and everything fits perfectly even though I have millions of gadgets and tools and stuff. I think 130x130 is just the perfect size for a garage, if you have a second floor you can even build a man cave upstairs.. I have another home in Hungary where we usually spend the summer vacations with my family and recently I'm thinking about buying property in Hungary (https://tranio.com/hungary/) near my house to build a garage. My family loves it there however it's awfully boring for me in summer..

[77thor]

Garage should hold 3-car minimum...
There is no such thing as "too big of a garage". :)

[AU Doc]

I come back to this thread a couple times a year, and come away feeling I don't have the funds or the space to build a garage large enough to be worth the trouble. This time, I'm seriously considering building a 32x40. I think a garage that's too small is still better than no garage at all.

[Tincup]

Where I'm at to date - 60' x 40' pole barn w/60' x 16' enclosed shed on one side for truck/gooseneck trailer storage. There is a 800 sg ft apartment at the rear of the building leaving 40' x 40' for a shop area. Still a work in progress, a four post lift will be going in the bay where the rat truck is presently parked. A welding table will go in front of the air compressor and between the bays. Another 8' work bench will be added along one wall which will host a drill press, vise and grinder. Ceiling is 13' and both doors are 12' x 12'. 12 recessed LED lights coupled with the white metal ceiling netted me the best lit shop I have ever owned. I also added a carport shed and a tractor shed on opposing corners of the building. I chose to finish the floor with a stain-guard sealer and several coats of wax for easy upkeep. Using a split-mini head unit for heat/air duties when needed.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20002_zpsvwfqzzye-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20004_zpshyu9pd1n-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20floor20002_zpskgmhasfb-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20001_zpspof48t7h-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20002_zpsbfr1ddou-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20006_zpsr7w29psw-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20007_zps9zqjj8gu-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20005_zpszjvuuoez-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2019/09/shop20interior20008_zpsc73qeyse-1.jpg
Now that's my kind of shop/home....

[AU Doc]

I've priced a steel building, and it looks like conventional framing is much cheaper in this area. However, it looks like ceiling height could be an issue. From what I can tell, code limits the exterior wall height to 10' when using 2x4 or 2x6 wood framing. Am I missing something, or does everyone just go with a steel building if they want 12', 14', or 16' walls to accommodate a lift?

[Smee78]

I'm with you AU Doc, +1 "I don't have the funds or the space to build a garage large enough to be worth the trouble." I'm looking at a 24X36 but all these super shops make me rethink my plans. Also I am jealous of your setup HandOverFist, that is a great looking setup you have there.

[Sbeck09]

I just moved onto my new property which includes a 40x40 shop with 20ft ceilings. Height is great, but I am in disbelief at how little space I have after putting 1 project vehicle in there with 2 Cam Ams and all my tools. I'm about to build a mezzanine just to get more space for shelving. Another 20ft of width on the structure would have gone a long way now that I see it.

[69CougarXR7]

I am an A&P aircraft mechanic partnered in the family business... our maintenance shop is 50X50.. office is 15x15 and side room is 15x40... should have made the shop 60x60...

We also have a storage hanger with 6 airplanes in it that is 70x90.. the front 70x70 portion has a 52 foot diameter “carocell” floor built in with 4 airplanes on the floor... flip a switch and they rotate around till you get the one you want to the front of the hanger... real slick setup... the other airplanes are stuck in the back section and are customer projects.. our other storage hanger is 40x30 and it is full of junk from my old house, my 1969 Cougar project and some other car parts..

Brian

[BMR Sales]

We also have a storage hanger with 6 airplanes in it that is 70x90.. the front 70x70 portion has a 52 foot diameter “carocell” floor built in with 4 airplanes on the floor... flip a switch and they rotate around till you get the one you want to the front of the hanger... real slick setup...

Brian

like a Railroad Turntable? that would be cool, any pictures?

https://i.hmjimg.com/images/2020/05/21/Screenshot2014-01-30at13.25.30.jpg

[69CougarXR7]

176240
More like a lazy Susan as the floor is completely flat and level with the slab.. I went through my phone and can only find this one photo... This is our Super Cub, you can see the edge of the floor just in front of the main tires.. the floor is cable driven..

If I think of it I’ll get some more pictures to post of the building and floor system..

Brian

[69CougarXR7]

So.. I have a short video of the hanger on my Facebook business page here https://www.facebook.com/stevesaircraft/videos/472969243528637/

Should be public so anyone can watch it..

Brian

[79 Camaro]

So I will buck the bigger is best trend. My "work shop" is 20 x 40. Super insulated since it's kind of costly to heat in the MN winters. Cold storage 24 x 40 pole building for all car parts, boat, lawn mower and new hot rod buliders. 14 x 30 steel building for current summer driver.
For me at least the 20 x 40 work shop keeps me from allowing any junk to build up.

[FlyDoc]

I want a 50x60 but when you consider what I have, it still may be to small.
5 cars, a boat, 4 HD's, mill, lath and the list goes on.
the wife wants me to have it built, but for the cost of having a 30x40 built I can build it myself and get the 50x60.

figure that you will want 8' around each car that you plan on working at a time, then the depth of your benches, one thing that can help reduce cost is that if you are going to have storage bays for cars you can put a wall in and reduce the cost of roof trusses.

[TANKMASTERJ]

A friend of mine lived in San Francisco for many years but came back to Arkansas. Told me story of a civil engineer he knew with a house in San Francisco. Of course land is precious and $$$. He had a. Place beside his house with a carousel mounted at back corner or house. Backed his diesel pusher along side. House so far. Pushed carousel and then backed pusher behind house as had to be out of site from front.
To top it off guy had a garage floor that raised on hydraulics with a full machine shop under it.

[Vimes]

Nice thread and I agree, whatever you build will be too small. After working for years out of a 2 car garage designed for a pair of econoboxes I built a 20x30 shop thinking it would be the right size for working on two cars. It's just the right size for working on ONE car in order to have enough room to get around the car with shelving and whatnot. And, that's still tighter than I want. Unfortunately (for this only) I live on the side of a hill so I had the shop built out of concrete and it's dug into the side of the hill. The concrete walls are about 12ft tall, and at the back of it on the high side of the hill it's about 4ft tall, so there's no adding on to it. I'd love working in it if I wasn't storing a car out there right now. I CAN work on a second vehicle with the one stored, but it makes for really tight quarters.

I'm in the process of clearing the hillside below the shop, after which I'm going to build up a retaining wall and put in a 40ftx50ft RV pad. This will be for one RV that I will build out of a schoolbus, with a 40ft shipping container on either side that I can use for storing car parts and large tools I don't need often like my engine jack. The lawn and garden junk goes out there too. The RV pad is situated so I can pull in front of my shed, then back onto the pad between the shipping containers, and I will put a roof over that using the shipping containers as the walls. And if I don't get that extra car I'm storing sold before the shipping containers go in I might set one up with climate control and just park the car in a container until I can deal with it properly.

[WOLF1732]

I have been in the fab- machine shop business for 40 years. The shop I have designed for me at the house is 60ft wide x 100 long 18ft clear inside. with it divided into a 40 x 100 main shop ,with the 20 x 60 walled off for an office and storage and a parts room. With 4 garage doors heat and AC full plumbing. Do at least do 6 in thick 4000psi concrete with #4 rebar on a 12 x12 inch square grid in the floor. My little shop at work where I am building my car is a 20 x 40 room and is to small to build a car. I end up working in the main shop all the time. My 10 cents worth.