What should I consider when designing a garage?

[Bob Corb]

My present garage sits in a prime location in the back garden and has the best views of any room in the house, its also by far the largest room so I'm going to convert it into a new living room.

 

I plan to get a new garage built further down the garden which I'd like to be able to put all three cars in (2 everyday euroboxes + the 7). I've got a couple of things down in the spec such as cavity walls and industrial duty rubber/epoxy flat floor. I was just wondering what sort of sensible things people would put into a garage/workshop (what sort of lighting, ceiling height, heating, type of doors, pit - although I think you need special planning permission/building regs etc....)

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

BC

 

 

 

 

[dino ferrana]

I would get some decent doors in your specification to protect your seven and tools from tea leaves. Make sure it bolts into the frame in several locations and is sturdy enough to withstand kicking and crowbars.

[Jason Plato]

Got to have an inspection pit .

[F355GTS]

Bob

 

do you do much work onthe 7? I have RSJ's running across my garage with a Dolly mounted 400kg electric hoist, ideal for lifting engines etc plus a compressor and full range of air tools to make light work of most jobs

 

Mark

[Graham Perry]

Plumbed in airline system from a compressor. Don't bother with steel pipes, flexibles will do mounted to the wall. Good lighting - didn't someone post a formulae on here to work out how many 6 foot tubes you need ? With a three car garage I might be tempted to add some sort of heating system. lots of electric sockets, Somewhere to rest paperwork/Manuals/cups of tea that isn't the workbench. If you have a pit you might want to add a low jacking beam that slide up and down its length. You would need to consider the tracks for this when designing the pit though. I would also design the roofspace for storage. You will need water and perhaps a sink

 

Edited by - Graham Perry on 28 May 2003 12:44:55

[Buda]

if you heat it you'll have to insulate it (floor,cavity wall etc, roof) building regs, I think you can get away with not insulating it if you dont heat it, watch the floor coating, concrete takes about a month to dry per inch thickness - or is it half inch thickness?, if you paint it it'll bubble and lift, worth taking advice from builder,

 

I'd have a sink, and a kettle, and an arm chair, and a fridge, and a pole, and some pole dancers, and some shelves.

 

Edited - just checked its (rule of thumb) month per half inch thickness, I'm seeingthe building regs bloke round here sometime next week so I'll ask him about heating and stuff.

 

Edited by - buda on 28 May 2003 12:46:58

[Bob Corb]

It will have a pitch roof so the upstairs storage space will be there, probably accessed by a folding staircase. I could use an RSJ or two in the ceiling structure which would double up as a hoist in future?

 

I keep borrowing my father's compressor so maybe its time I got my own => add on compressor housing.

 

I do work on my own car quite often so a pit would be a bonus. I will probably heat it using radiant / infra lamps but I'll insulate the roof and walls anyway. Not sure how you insulate a concrete floor, can you use polystrene blocks under the conctrete - I guess the architect will know.

 

Water can be provided but a sink would be tricky as the back garden slopes away from the house and the drains are higher up. I dont suppose the sink could drain to the soakaway from the gutters?

 

I've seen some Cardale Thermo-glide roller doors which looked good, as there name implies they are insulated and they have special security features.

[singlespeeder]

Building Regulations not required if floor area less than 30m sq and garage is materially incombustible i.e.brick/block walls,tiled/felted flat roof.

If it contains a controlled fitting i.e.drainage or fixed heating Building Regulations will be required.

Planning Permission:If the building doesn't face a public highway and is more than 5m from dwelling you can cover up to 50% garden area.Max height 3m flat roof,4m pitched roof.Check with Local Authority Planning Dept in case you're in conservation area,AONB,listed building,etc.

Any other queries mail me or phone 07957-274348 Andy Laight

[Bare]

Be careful what you wish for :-)

I've seen way too many Garages converted to Living space (Architect)

These are often not V successfull adventures, for a variety of reasons.

Resulting Home layouts suffer, quality is lowish, overall Appearance is often "iffy".

But the real killer is the replacement for the Garage.. if..it ever gets built after way too much ($$) has gone into the Refurbishment.

However, Please don't let me Dissuade you... Suggest putting your large and Growing "wish" list down on paper and talk to a Competent builder to affix a realistic cost to each of the wished for items on the list... That usually separates the Men from the Boys :-)

 

[martinwhitcher]

DOH! Double posting

 

Edited by - martin whitcher on 28 May 2003 18:41:22

[martinwhitcher]

Bob,

 

On the door front look at a company i used to work for, Ro-Dor they custom make Insulated uPVC roller shutter doors that are the dog's b0110cks!! double skinned upvc (no more painting 😬) insulated , very good seal all round & very strong.

I used to sell them to the automotive trade, dealerships - for their workshops.

Top quality doors but not the cheapest, if your interested mail me and i'll put you in touch, who knows I may be able to wangel a deal???

 

ps. I DON'T WORK FOR THEM NOW, BUT STILL HAVE CONTACTS 😬

 

Martin

 

MW 51 CAT

[Steve-B]

i could easily advocate anti-female and anti-family perimeter detection devices for those not worthy of being 'in me shed'........

 

Steve

210Bhp Sinister Version-VHPD here

[Paul Deslandes]

Flat floor for suspension setup. Then you could hire it out to those whose floor is less than flat! Easy to do when building. Less so later on.

 

And a pit.............. Oh for a pit!

[Hiu Flaughn Daughn]

... a resident auto electrician perhaps...?

[Chelspeed]

All these useful suggestions and nobodys mentioned the beer fridge yet.

[Pete]

If you dig a pit, create a continuous recess down each side about 600mm down from the top. Mount lights in it, shining upwards. Saves the old inspection lamp from being run over when you move the car.

Put manhole step irons in the end wall of the pit. Tile the walls with white ceramic tiles. (The pits in old London Transport bus garages were done thus).

Also, make the timber cover slats out of 40mm thick timber. Doubled up, they can be used as jack supports, handy if you need to temporarily support the engine/gearbox etc.

If you put in an RSJ for use as a lifting beam, make sure that it is over the pit.

Put a lifting beam over the bench. It is not much fun trying to lift the engine onto the bench by hand.

Lastly, carpet the floor and the walls with cheap carpet. Makes the floor more pleasant to lie on and stops dropped nuts (Ooh Err Missus!) from rolling away into secret corners. Wall carpet protects door edges.

 

Good luck and don't forget the fridge full of beer!

 

😬 😬 😬

 

Chelspeed. We think alike *thumbup* You're not Australian, are you? 😬

 

Edited by - pete on 28 May 2003 22:26:58

[Joe 90]

Bob,

I don't know what your budget is, but some of that stuff is expensive. A pit is expensive because it needs reinforced walls, cavity walls double the number of bricks and reduce the interior dimensions etc. Velux windows in the roof would give more daylight, but then you cut down on loft storage. The 30 sqm limit might be an issue, because complying with building regs will cost a couple of grand.

 

The two features I am most pleased with in my garage are the home made workbench and the tiled (flat) floor. Even my better half agreed that the floor tiles changed it from a garage to a workshop.

 

Upgradeitis ward, awaiting open wallet surgery. 100,016 miles

[Graham Perry]

Last time we made a pit, we made it 'L' shaped so that with most FWD cars having their gearboxes on the nearside these days it made clutch changing a whole lot easier as two men could work side by side to extract clutch and box together. We just used a heavyweight steel ramp across the lower part of the L when you put cars on and off it. Worked exremely well. Of doubtful relevance for a seven though

[Slipper man]

The pit need not be expensive. You can buy them complete (looks like a big bath) including fitted lights, tool tray and a seat. You just set it in to a hole you dig in the floor before concreting. Cost about £350 7 years ago.

 

Agree about the plumbed in air - I was advised to do it and didn't. And regretted it ever since.

 

I would think about some worktops + cabinets - Halfords dp some cost effective ones, and the tops in my garage were from MFI. Some 2x4's for framing and you have a nice set up.

[Bob Corb]

The cavity walls are very high on my list, my father built a workshop at the bottom of his garden without needing planning/regs. A couple of neighbours complained to the council that he was building a bungalow in the garden! The finished article is excellent, nice and warm, tiled floor etc. He's so happy with it he's retired early from his engineering business and now repairs antique furniture for a living.

 

I like the idea of a pit, but it will probably cause problems with planning and building regs unless I add it afterwards. I'll speak to the local architect at the weekend and report back.

 

BC

[Miraz]

There are a number of fairly low cost vehicle lifts available which provide an alternative to a pit - the smaller ones are portable - all they need is a decent flat bit of concrete and a power and/or air supply to lift the car a meter or so off the ground.

 

Miraz

[jackb_ms]

What about getting in and out?

 

What you should consider is insulated doors if you are thinking of heating your workshop.

 

Your best bet is to get a a twin sectional garage door which can be automated from the side, rather than in the middle leaving room for lifting gear.

Think about a side access as well.

 

Jack