Garage Setup

Was wondering if any of you guys have a picture of how your garage is setup. I am asking because i am in the proccess of plotting out a 25ft x 30ft Pole Barn with concrete floor and 16ft x 9ft garage door.

 

I want to set up the same here a look at mine it's only 12 X 18 and dbls as the laundry room but it's better then the drive way.

 

just built a 32' x 40' pole barn last fall. (i'd recommend keeping your dimensions in multiples of 4 - it'll make things build a lot easier). i put 2 garage doors on the north wall (the "car" side) and i put another garage door on the south end of the west wall. i am VERY glad i put that extra door there - makes it easy to get stuff out when the front doors have stuff in the way. also, i never have to back my bike up or turn it around - i drive in one door and out the other. PM me if you need any design / building advice as it's still pretty fresh in my memory and i had one heck of a time getting clear information on what to do.

when you're done, you'll know the difference between girts and purlins.

 

Skeeter post up some pics - that sounds like a great setup.

 

I like the pull through garage! Great Idea skeeter.

Camelman Great job with limited space.. What no bike jack? I still have a heck of a time trying to get these bikes on center stand even after reading the how to posts. I swear I'm not a wuss..hehehe

Maye some suggestions of key equpment to have.

 

So Skeeter, how many girts are in a purlin

 

All I know is no matter how big you build, it's never big enough. Things keep appearing and taking up more room. Before you know it, your tripping over stuff you didn't even know you had. Go BIG as you can afford. You'll see what I mean in a couple years.

 

truer words have never been spoken. my barn isn't even a year old and i'm already planning on lean-too.

here is a pic, as requested. it's not finished in this pic, but you can see what i'm saying with the doors. there is, now, also a man-door on the north wall (the wall with 2 garage doors). i also put in a couple windows. if you're going with a steel roof, i also recommend the "skylight" window panels. (the three white panels in the pic). they let in a lot of light during the daytime.

 

sexy

 

thanks.

i also forgot to mention, when planning your build, rembember Hofstadter's law: every thing always takes longer than planned, even when taking Hofstadter's law into account.

edit: oh yeah, DO NOT use a hammer with a metal handle. you will be pounding a lot of nails (unless you get a nail gun). the metal handle transfers all the impact into your wrists. a wooden handle absorbs a lot more of the shock. waking up every night numb to the elbows is not fun.

 

Lots and lots of electrical outlets. Then double them.

Also plan a work area with bench, basin (if you're going to have water) and lots of lighting down just above head level and near the wall. If your eyes aren't going yet they will.

220 power because if you don't have an arc welder yet you will.

Floor drain is also good if code allows it.

 

Is that thing supported in the center or are the trusses full span. If their full span, what is the span?

 

32' full span trusses. 4' on center. 4-12 pitch. rated for 70 lb snow load (i think that means 70 lbs per square foot - local building code requires 60 lbs i think)

edit: agreed on the electrical - just trenched in my underground power from the house last week (gotta do somethin when you're laid off, eh?) ran #8 copper, only hooked up 110V as temp for right now, but ran 3 conductor so i can have 220V down the road.

 

mine is 20x24 fully insulated, raised floor also insulated.

heat - woodstove

electric - 100 amp service, wired for 220, w/ many 110 outlets, 4ft double flourescent lights every 4 ft apart, and air conditioned in the summer

roof - full trusses, 2ft. centers, w/ full length double beam suppport, 1 column

8x8 door (swing-open doors), regular door at rear, 1 window

Currently houses ALL of my tools, automotive, hand, and woodworking tools, plus 4 complete bikes, and several in boxes, as well as a couple of snowmobiles in boxes in the attic space.

Do I have to work around myself? Yep, when the weather is bad, otherwise I take the bikes outside, do my work, then put them back in. Do I wish I had more room? Yup. Do I mind it? nope. Cost- buying the insulation and nails. Everything else was material from tearing down other buildings for the material. THAT'S why I don't mind.

Dave

 

awesome.

i hope to get mine insulated before winter comes and/or installing some temp walls so i have a smaller space to heat in the winter. converted a 55 gallon drum into a woodstove - it really throws off the heat, but with no insulation and such a big space, it still gets pretty cold.

 

I finished mine at the end of last summer with heat and A/C. I spend more time here than in my house. It's 24X24 and attached to the house. I didn't have room to go bigger and still attach it to the house. We already had a 21X21 attached garage in the front of the house so this one is a shop and bike garage.

 

Man, nice I miss having a garage. I miss having a garage, but I moved so my girlfreind can go to school for photography. All of my tools are on the balcony taking up space. I am very jealous! Oh I seen your jet pic an saw your a pilot. I used to build piper aircraft untill last dec when I got laide off. I also finished up Pipers ground school an was about to pic one of their instuctors, but i got canned. heh, but one day.

Anyway I am REALLY into your shop it is nice!! AN CLEAN!! And if I am not mistaken has a mini fridge. No wonder you don't leave the shop!

A++

 

Thanks for the compliments. Yes, my son bought me the fridge for father's day. I think he figures it will be full of beer when he visits (it is.)

You have probably seen our airplane on the ramp at Vero, we get there a lot. It's not the one in the picture, I fly a Falcon 20 now. I retired early from the Falcon 50 job a few years ago. I'll be in Vero next week.

We usually go to the Harley dealer up in Palm Bay and kill time.

Jim

 

OH wow! Yea, I live in Tampa right now. My bikes actually parked in Sebastian witch is where I am from. Small world lol, but I'm not to surprised about you flying into vero. I am living in Tampa right now untill my girlfreind finishes up school. I am trying to get into lockheed. I want to get my Airframe and Power plant certification, but the way the industry is going I am worried about getting a job later on. Just wondering If you have seen the Piper jet an what you thought of it... Do you think It is practical and will sell. Piper has had alot of people come back for their deposits on it since the decline of our economy. One day i will get my Private license, but I love building Planes. The test pilots lives where in my hands. I built all Cherokees, and I spent some time building Meridians. Oh Pm me on what you think about the jet I don't want to steal the page.

 

2Dawson, what kind of coating is on your floor. looks very shiny and slippery as well. Guess that makes for easier cleanup.

 

It's Sherwin Williams commercial epoxy. It is slippery when wet, but very easy to sweep and mop. I just have to be careful when backing the bike around the garage if the floor is wet.

I picked a light color so I can find all the crap I drop on the floor when working on the bikes.

Jim

 

Hey Skeeter! I am BIG TIME jealous! What a palace! Geez, I've got one of those 1-car under-the-house deals with a rickety garage door. It's better than no garage but MAN O MANNEQUINS, what you built is a GARAGE!
Must be nice to be living out of the city too. I live right in the middle of g-damn Toronto and it's a huge drag. It takes at least an hour to get far enough out to find some decent cruising roads. I've been bagdering my wife for years to move out of town and get some breathing space. With RE prices going berserk in this town, we could probably buy a nice chunk of acreage and semi-retire on the proceeds! Ah dreams dreams dreams...