[RZR_Joe]

After a lot of years it's time to build my dream garage. The plan is to build a 30'x40' metal building. Building is designed and ordered. Time to start leveling the area for the slab. I'll post updates periodically and the plan as it evolves. I'd like to hear ideas on what your dream garage would include.

Basic design idea:

More details to follow...

 

[Toomuchisneverenough]

Nice! I am starting a 40x60 shop this spring also.

 

[BondoMan]

Epoxy floors ftw. A good one, not the rust oleum stuff. Spills and mud wipe right up, just don’t do it in black with silver and white flake unless you always want to be cleaning it and you never plan to drop a nut or bolt.

 

[RZR_Joe]

I have epoxy on my other garage (rustoleum) and it has held up well for 17 years.

 

[Crash City SxS]

Epoxy floors. Two post lift is on our list to add to ours. Ours has a two doors one on each end and to be able to “drive thru” has actually been very useful. Drains in our floors has been nice with the snow or pulling in from washing to drip dry. Air compressor is outside locked in it’s own little closet with air lines plumbed in throughout the shop. Even though we just use cordless tools lol.

 

[BondoMan]

I have epoxy on my other garage (rustoleum) and it has held up well for 17 years.

I had some bad luck with rust oleum but it was an older floor and very high traffic, which may have been the culprit. Like most projects, prep is much more important than whatever the final step is.

 

[K&M]

Lift.

Heat.

A/C.

Fridge.

Stereo.

 

[J_E_F_F]

had a 30x40 garage built several years ago, it turned out to be the perfect size vs a standard 3 car garage.

 

[StewartWill]

I completed my 30x40 this year too, and the excitement is still alive!

A few thoughts, gutters or concrete for rain runoff sections above the doors. I did so on one side which I love and now have dirt eroding away on the other side. Another is to place the shop (if possible) in a direction that the rain will not blow into the shop when the doors are open. Maybe a small roof add on above the man door to block the weather as you are entering. Also run a few extra or one larger piece of conduit or plastic pipe into the shop from the outside before concrete for the just in case. Definitely place the air compressor in an outside room. I had a 10x10 section inclosed within the 10x40 lean to for a lawn mower shed to keep all the dirty stuff. A large enough breaker box for growth with a min of 200amp service. Cant forget a min of a 2 receptical (4 plug in) box every 10 foot around the inside of the shop, never will have enough plug-in’s where you need them. And 10ea 10 foot led lights. I love to have it bright as a machine shop!

Apologies for the rambling, still excited for the process of building a shop.

 

[LinkedXJ]

How are you heating it Joe?

 

[Medi0gre]

Footings or at least thickening for hoist or hoists😉

Slab with curb.. so you can flood the floor and the walls wont soak up water or get the plates, wood or steel soaked

Floor drain

Washroom with hot water on demand

In floor heating

Receptacle above upper cabinets always handy.. power for a receiver or under cabinet lighting

Couple drops of 240 for welding and whatever man glitter maker you acquire

Obviously 8 ft doors for the truck. 14ft for the rv.. yours looks about 13' I'm guessing

And a couple cat 6 drops for internet things

Pre wired power for cameras.. and cat 6 again

Soffit lighting

 

[rzrhle]

I put a small bathroom and shower in my detached garage. That way when I’m dirty and greasy from wrenching, RZR riding , or from just working outside, I can clean up out there and not bring it in the house so to keep the wife happy.

 

[SNWMBL]

A urinal.

 

[RZR_Joe]

3am and can't sleep so it's and forum time!

A lot of great ideas guys, thanks and keep them coming

I wanted to build a pole barn building but the current price of lumber is stupid. I was able to a metal building fully erected and insulated for the cost of the material for a pole barn. I opted to upgrade everything on the structure, 12g frame, 26g walls / roof, vertical walls / roof, etc... There will be a 12' lean-to on the backside to house the tractor, the Rhino (Yes I still have one LOL), and lawn equipment. Two roll up 10'x9' doors. I already have a 18'x50' shelter for the toy hauler so don't need to be able to put it the garage.

Where it's going right now I have a 12'x28' shed with 100A service using 1/0. I can reuse this and do a 125A or 150A panel which should do what I need. If I go to a 200A panel I would need to run new wire. I need to do some load calculations to make the call to upgrade service or not. I do all my own electrical work so I'll put all the various drops where needed.

4" Monolithic slab with exterior 1'x1' footers - 6" thick runners for a lift. The slab will be 2' larger all around than the building. The interior walls and ceiling will be corrugated tin with exposed conduit for an industrial look. Built-in steel benches with 2"x2" frame with 16g tops with slat wallboard mounted above and diamond plate cabinets.

Undecided on adding water plumbing or not because I'd have to tie into the septic system with a lift station. My county is stupid with the building codes and red tape so not sure I want to go down that road. Still pondering that one.

Already planned:

Insulated walls & roof
Epoxy floors with fluorescent flakes
2 post lift
3T Package HP - spiral duct inside
External enclosure for the air compressor
LED lighting (not sure type of fixtures yet)
Awning over the door
Exterior lighting
Cameras
Mini bar with fridge and 50" LED TV
Bead blast cabinet
Welder station
Exhaust system
Hydraulic press
Lathe / milling machine setup
Sheet metal press / brake
Powder coat oven


On the "want" list"

Radiant floor heat
in-ground safe storage

 

[BondoMan]

I didn’t do plumbing out of the gate and added it later. If you’re going this far already and considering plumbing, just bite the bullet and do it.

On the heater front, the in floor radiant heat is awesome but gets pricey. I have a relative with an hvac business and recommended an overhead radiant tube heater. I ended up getting one and don’t regret it one bit. Also, it was mentioned earlier to put a compressor in an outside room. I have an 80 gal ingersoll that I put in my “closet” and hard piped the lines in the walls and have 6 outlets throughout the shop. I thought it might be a little overkill when I did it, but am glad I did looking back.

 

[RZR_Joe]

For folks who have done metal buildings what the things you wish had done or had not done during construction.

 

[JohnB1983]

Don't forget a soda machine out front and a sign that says Bob's garage

 

[Fiddish]

My Cave isn’t metal so I had to figure out my wiring early on. I have speaker jacks for surround sound for a wall mount TV and speaker jacks for stereo at the workbench and on the high side. I have hard wired ceiling fans, remote controlled, above the TV couch and workbench.
I put duplex outlets up high for 4 LiftMaster 8500 jackshaft garage door openers, which I’m very happy with for 5 years now. One more elevated outlet powers my cable modem, WiFi router and the links to LiftMaster and security camera networks (on a high shelf). As mentioned before, Cat 6 cable and coax connecting Cave and house, LED lighting and air compressor placement. I’d decided on a portable compressor that I can wheel outside and connect power and air output to serve fittings in the workbench area and a 50’ retractable hose.
My quality of life improved drastically with the completion of the Cave!

 

[oilcan1001]

I don’t have any of this YET, but will have to refer back in a couple years when I move to my retirement property and start my “man cave”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Crash City SxS]

Oh yes. Forgot the heat..
We don’t have floor heat but I’ve installed it and been in shops with it before. It’s pretty dang nice.
is say 200a service never know what you may find to put in your shop!