I am going to be building a garage this spring for my '98 supercab and my wife's '01 Windstar SE. I am looking for ideas on how large it should be (I know as large as possible!), one large door or two smaller doors, and any other advise you guys can throw out there. In other words if you were building your garage over, what would you change, what would you keep. I can't wait, after 19 years of scraping ice and snow in the winter, and I will finally be able to work on my truck in the winter without freezing vital body parts! I will be breaking ground as soon as the frost is out of the ground!

 

Here's my wish list ...
I would go for 2 doors , extra wide & tall spaced a few feet apart this should give you plenty of room for opening the doors without bumping anything and will look good from outside. if you plan on storing yard equipment out there also you might want to have the garage extra deep with a seprate area in the back for that stuff , maybe an extra door on the side for access to that stuff. I would like to have a drain in the floor and water hookup to wash the truck inside . Heated of course . Seprate space for tools . phone jack might come in handy. wire in some stereo speakers . small space to sit while working on something or reading directions. small dorm type refridgarator and coffee pot. maybe a sink & potty (ya nerver know when) maybe some storage space above . Good lighting ! with windows too . maybe a big exaust fan for those hot summer days. I'm sure I could think of more if given time ... now where do I get the money

 

Congrats! I'd love a garage too - mine fell over during the last ice storm - it was a beautiful plum tree! Hey - it gave me shade at least if not protection from the elements!
I don't suppose you'd like to build me a garage? Actually it wouldn't be for me - it's for my truck! LOL! If you won't come here to build another 1 then can you make yours large enough for my truck too? I'll commute! ROFL!
The only suggestion I have is allow enough room for workbenches & storage of big items - lawn mowers, snow blowers hoses & ladders - stuff like that. Also, plan the lighting so you don't have dark corners since you KNOW when you are looking for something it will always be in the corner that doesn't have light!

 

I wish I had a garage, I bet the truck would think more of me if I let it stay 'inside'!

 

Make sure you go at least 9' wide doors. The trucks will fit in an 8' tall garage but the 9' would give you some extra space. I am building a house where the three car garage concrete slab above will be supported by beams... viola, six car garage! Three up and three down. I will be able to pull my truck around back into its own door ding free space

 

Garage space is some of the best value. I always wanted a pass-through garage, so I built one. It has a 16' garage door on the front and on the back. You can pull vehicles of all types on a large integrated back patio for washing or whatever. It allows vehicles or trailers in the back yard. Best of all, it gives you privacy with the back door up only. Consider socket placement, lighting, opener pre-wiring, and a close water spigot. I prefer a single 16' door; an 18' is better if you have room. Double door separators commonly crack if bricks are used and get ran into. Many builders try to get away with garages that are 19'-20'. There's never enough door room, storage, or large vehicles length with these. Comfort begins at 24'X24' for a double.

 

I have to agree with CL, the lighting is the most vital part of a good garage. I would also give it a gentle slope to a drain, it is handy when cleaning. Be sure that you have plenty of space to work on stuff, and store stuff. 2 doors are better then one. And did I mention lights, lots of them, and some that drop on a cord, mabey even one or two on the side walls.

 

I built my garage in '97 so I could fit a new truck in it, and there a lot of things that I would do different next time. My garage is 24x24 with a 18x6 1/2 foot overhead door in the gable end and a 36" walk through door in the opposite end. The next garage that I build will be at least 28' deep and 26' wide. It will have two 9'x8' doors, and windows for natural lighting.

One of the things that I did right was to install plenty of lighting, and an electrical outlet every 6 feet.

Don't skimp on the materials just because it's a garage. I used two 2x12 glue-lam headers, 1/2 plywood wall sheeting, and 5/8 roof sheeting. I also prefer the overhead doors with the torsion spring on the header (I'm not sure if torsion is the right word??).

 

A friend of mine had a drain put into the floor of his garage. He actually washes his cars INSIDE his garage.

 

I plumbed air lines on the walls with a fitting on the inside between two of the driveway doors. I can fill the neighborhood kids bikes without bringing them inside. You can't have enough lights or outlets. I'm on my third garage, the fourth will be better.

 

Go big, and then go bigger. My parents built a 27x60 with a 14x25 door. So then you can pull anything into it, such as a camper or trailer. When building one, always put plenty of lights(16 8 foot light sets), electrical outlets. I would even have the electrician put in a 30 amp or 50 amp, for welders and such, (if the need ever arosed) I'm not shure if yours will be a metal or wood one? And put in plenty of driveway, it always comes in handy...

Oh, insulate the heck out of it.....

here is a pic of the inside front of ours,

 

I have a two car garage at my house as well as a detached (sp?) garage on my back property. they are both too small to use for cars. I also have a detached garage at one of my duplexes I use for my business. It has it's own driveway, it's 1.5 cars deep and 1.5 cars wide. It also has a carport built onto one side. Here is what I recommend and what I have in mine.

It should be at least 25x25
At least two doors, maybe one double door and one single door.
Plenty of overhead flourescent lighting
A 50 amp subpanel with at least 2 220volt outlets
complete water supply with several fixtures so you can add later
a main drain tap
concrete block construction
plenty of attic space
At least a three ton package unit AC or split system w/ heat pump
although I don't know much about heating up north but AC is nice in Florida, I can work in 65 degree conditions in July.
At least on 3-3 window on each wall without a door
All other doors should be 36inch or maybe double 36 doors.
plumbing for air compressor, soldered copper pipe with a few different outlets
garage door opener for more security
definitely a concrete pad or drive unless you want to sweep it constantly.
A basic phone line with an old computer for quick internet access.


Do more than you want to do. You never know what you will end up doing.

 

If you plan on using trusses, get the attic frame style truss. You will have much more usable overhead storage.

Attic Frame Truss:


Fink Truss:

 

go long. aside from width and height, you will not be sorry that you went an extra 10 feet deep.

 

Thanks to all who replied, I appreciate the imput. I am thinking right now 24 wide X 32 deep with two 9 foot wide by 8 foot high doors, with two 36" swinging doors. I am hoping that I can put a floor drain in, I have to look at the elevation and location of storm water drainage. I am for sure going for the trusses with the attic storage. I will probably have to have a seprate 100 amp service installed for this garage since our hot tub kinda maxed out the 100 amp service in the house! But I will have plenty of 4 foot shop lights in there and lots of outlets! Thinking of maybe a cable hookup and TV so I can watch the Winston Cup races while I wax the truck!

Just to let you know how desprate we were for a garage, we bought the house next door so we have enough room to make a big garage. The house on that lot , which we plan to rent out to help pay for all this, will likely be smaller than the garage!

Hoping to call the masonry contractor in a few days to get an estimate on block and concrete work. After that it will be my job to put this baby up, doesn't look like I'll be doing much to the truck this summer while I work on this. But I will be able to work on the truck all winter once it's done!

Thanks again for everyone who replied, and if anyone has any more suggestions or ideas, I would still appreciate hearing them.