Garage/workshop build (lots of images)

[exdeath]

How much additional bottom chord dead load spec'ed on the end trusses?

 

[Ns1]

wow, super nice. I jelly.

 

[franksta]

How much additional bottom chord dead load spec'ed on the end trusses?

No idea. I can probably call and ask though if you really want to know.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

I spent every evening for 2 weeks hosing it down with water. Didn't make a bit of difference, it still cracked.

lol, as someone who does concrete for a living.. I have to say that there are only 2 types of concrete. The cracked kind, and the kind that is going to crack.

I can't tell from the pics, how often did they cut/joint it? I usually do 10'x10' squares. But the compaction and materials used below the concrete can make it crack as well.

Are you going to do an epoxy coating on the floor or anything? If you plan on doing it then do it before you put any vehicles in the garage, as oil makes it much more difficult to get a lasting epoxy coat. When I do epoxy sometimes I go a few feet up the walls so I can pressure wash everything below my knees.j

Great build thread so far. looks well done.

 

[franksta]

lol, as someone who does concrete for a living.. I have to say that there are only 2 types of concrete. The cracked kind, and the kind that is going to crack.

I can't tell from the pics, how often did they cut/joint it? I usually do 10'x10' squares. But the compaction and materials used below the concrete can make it crack as well.

Are you going to do an epoxy coating on the floor or anything? If you plan on doing it then do it before you put any vehicles in the garage, as oil makes it much more difficult to get a lasting epoxy coat. When I do epoxy sometimes I go a few feet up the walls so I can pressure wash everything below my knees.j

Great build thread so far. looks well done.

It's not cut at all. One giant slab. I'm still up in the air about the epoxy. I already had to do some work inside it when my truck needed new balljoints. I ended up re-doing the entire suspension back in February and it was nice to work inside rather than in the driveway.

Before pic. I noticed too much wear on the inside of my driver's side front tire. You can see too much negative camber on it.

Done

I don't know who lowers a truck but I guess I thought it was cool when I was 20. It's hard to believe I've had it 12 years but so be it. Back to stock is so much better.

Sorry for the detour, I know pics make the internet go 'round so there they are.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

Yeah a floor that size they most certainly should have cut it, that is why you are getting visible cracks so quickly.

If you do epoxy it then let the floor settle so most of the cracks are figured out. Take an angle grinder and run it down the cracks and fill it with epoxy then grind it down smooth with the floor then apply the epoxy. This will make your floor looks clean, and hide the old cracks.

And if you do get oil on the floor then it isn't the end of epoxying it, it just means that you will have to grind the spots down alot more than normal. I've done a few auto shops that had been used for years and had oil all over them. On those jobs I spent over a week grinding though, which isn't a very fun job.

 

[kevman]

Great thread! How many cars can you fit in there total? Glad to see you don't have any annoying lally columns in there- did you specifically design it that way?

 

[Raizinman]

When I did my garage and lift, the lift required 50 amps. Since we put a 400 amp service to the house it wan't a big deal. We also went with piers (large concrete blocks) where the lift would go under the concrete. Insulation also helps tremendously on hot days, especially ceiling insulation. If you have water run to the garage, you really need insulaton so that the pipes don't freeze. Also, when I poured the concrete floor, I put in some heavy duty bolts for future body shop needs. Pulling out dents with a come-a-long works great if you have something solid to bolt to. I have two ceiling fans, which work great in both summer and winter. Floor drain for cleaning the floor? You don't have to direct the floor drain to the sewer as a large dug out hole with gravel will also work. Just some tips I thought of since I did a garage years back.

 

[franksta]

If you do epoxy it then let the floor settle so most of the cracks are figured out. Take an angle grinder and run it down the cracks and fill it with epoxy then grind it down smooth with the floor then apply the epoxy. This will make your floor looks clean, and hide the old cracks.

Thanks for sharing these nuggets of info.

Great thread! How many cars can you fit in there total? Glad to see you don't have any annoying lally columns in there- did you specifically design it that way?

It depends on the size of the car. Right now I've got my Grand Marquis and my dad's Beetle. I could probably fit 3 more Beetles in there if needed. I don't think I'll ever try to put more than 2 in at a time though. That way I can still have some room to work.

The columns weren't required. I didn't specify it that way but I did ask about it.

When I did my garage and lift, the lift required 50 amps. Since we put a 400 amp service to the house it wan't a big deal. We also went with piers (large concrete blocks) where the lift would go under the concrete. Insulation also helps tremendously on hot days, especially ceiling insulation. If you have water run to the garage, you really need insulaton so that the pipes don't freeze. Also, when I poured the concrete floor, I put in some heavy duty bolts for future body shop needs. Pulling out dents with a come-a-long works great if you have something solid to bolt to. I have two ceiling fans, which work great in both summer and winter. Floor drain for cleaning the floor? You don't have to direct the floor drain to the sewer as a large dug out hole with gravel will also work. Just some tips I thought of since I did a garage years back.

The lift I'm looking at is designed for a 25A circuit.

I've got a paint and body guy on retainer so it was not really a concern to do any dent pulling/frame straightening on my own. He painted my Grand Marquis and is going to help me with the truck after I get the materials.

I did consider installing the drain but ultimately I decided it wasn't really needed.

I already have a floor fan my dad got me for father's day. I may put some ceiling fans in for winter use, the floor one won't be useful then.

 

[Scout80]

One suggestion on the walls: run a row of 4x8 sheets of 3/4 plywood (on it side) around the whole perimeter. The plywood will take a beating much better than the sheetrock when say a tire rolls away and hits the wall. It is also really nice to be able to just stick a nail in it to hang something in a pinch.

 

[franksta]

I forgot about the exterior light.

It was a bit windy when I installed it and it fell off of the ladder and cracked.

I don't have the tractor yet to spread the gravel for the driveway. I'll spread some manually for the lawn mower and service doors. I'm using a plank of plywood as a ramp for the mower and it is getting old.

 

[Doppel]

It's not cut at all. One giant slab. I'm still up in the air about the epoxy. I already had to do some work inside it when my truck needed new balljoints. I ended up re-doing the entire suspension back in February and it was nice to work inside rather than in the driveway.

That's really not good. There's no way a slab of that size won't crack, no way no how, it should have had control lines cut. In the grand scheme I doubt it matters and will never impact function. It probably doesn't matter much if it cracks nicely along the control lines or wherever the hell it wants to crack anyway You'll never know how your watering it impacted it--even though it cracked (inevitable on that size slab), watering it regularly against the Alabama heat was a good idea.

Nice garage!

 

[Safeway]

That's really not good. There's no way a slab of that size won't crack, no way no how, it should have had control lines cut. In the grand scheme I doubt it matters and will never impact function. It probably doesn't matter much if it cracks nicely along the control lines or wherever the hell it wants to crack anyway You'll never know how your watering it impacted it--even though it cracked (inevitable on that size slab), watering it regularly against the Alabama heat was a good idea.

Nice garage!

They probably cut control lines and filled them in with thin sludge. That's what they did for a slab I had poured.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

They probably cut control lines and filled them in with thin sludge. That's what they did for a slab I had poured.

From the pics it doesn't look like its ever been touched with a concrete saw.

 

[cardiac]

I forgot about the exterior light.

It was a bit windy when I installed it and it fell off of the ladder and cracked.

I don't have the tractor yet to spread the gravel for the driveway. I'll spread some manually for the lawn mower and service doors. I'm using a plank of plywood as a ramp for the mower and it is getting old.

Awesome job and thanks for sharing. You are going to form the driveway with railroad ties or landscape timbers in order to keep all the gravel from spreading into the yard? Would make it much neater.....

 

[franksta]

Several hours of spreading gravel later...

The tractor that slayed it.

We (my father-in-law and I) also put the fence back up. We had to dig a hole for the 6"x6" post and trim off the bottom 5 or so inches of the fence to accommodate the gravel. The original hole got filled and packed by the dirt they dumped at the edge of my driveway to keep from destroying it. There will be a second round of gravel moving tomorrow. We had to take a break for my girl's birthday party.

 

[franksta]

Ooooooh

Ahhhhhh

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Nice build!

 

[skyking]

Just read through, Frank. Looks great! You will be very popular

 

[phucheneh]

So heres a question...how about for us dirt poor folk who want to build a mildly-enclosed space to work? Not to threadjack or anything, I just figured it's an appropriate place for discussion.

I was thinking about erecting like a cheap, tin-roof car port on an existing concrete driveway. Then I was considering how I could wall it in without making it look like a meth-shanty.

My garage is my workshop/tool storage area. This would just be a place to store a car and have room to work on it while keeping out of the sun/wind/ect. The cold doesn't bother me much, but it would be nice to have something that would help bottle in the output from a space heater (without a few walls around you, they're pretty worthless).

This kinda basic structure:
http://www.absoluterv.com/carport-kits/single-slope-carport-kits/

but with some side protection. Would I be better off just going ahead and sinking 4x4's and doing doing more regular framing around them? I'm not worried about the cost of framing with 2x4's, but a bunch of OSB and siding might eat quite a bit of money.

edit: Shit, some of these companies have some damned reasonable prices for prefabs...

http://www.carportsandmore.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=24

And they offer enclosed sides, which is all I'd need- sides would face the wind. Could enclose the back myself if I wanted.

 

[franksta]

Depending on how large of a structure you need, your construction skill set, and your budget you could go either way.

 

[phucheneh]

I mean, that basic carport is 600 for the standard, 700 for the extra wide one I linked, and they say that's installed. So I wouldn't have to deal with affixing it to the concrete. I could then reinforce and further enclose it as required on my own.

Unless I had the facilities to bend some square tubing myself, I don't see anything cheaper...doesn't seem worth it to buy a DIY 'kit.' I could cut straight tube with miter joints and weld rather than bending...that'd be pretty damn cheap, but time consuming. Or maybe just build it with a flat roof...I could built it at like 7' 11" tall, which I think may skirt the need for building permits...

I'm definitely capable of framing a wooden structure, but I think the costs would grow quickly. And I would want some supports actually sunk into the concrete, rather than bolted, I would think.

Should I make a 'carport thread?' Surely there's gotta be quite a few people here that have put one up.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

I'm definitely capable of framing a wooden structure, but I think the costs would grow quickly. And I would want some supports actually sunk into the concrete, rather than bolted, I would think.

You could drill into your existing concrete and epoxy some bolts into it. That is what happens on home around here. When the job is bid some times it is the framers job to set the bolts, and they aren't present when the slab is poured to wet set them, so they just drill and epoxy.

Though houses also are required to have straps which are imbedded into the concrete deeper than bolts. These are to help keep the home grounded in very high wind situations.

 

[franksta]

Crappy no-pics update

The wires that connect the control panel to the opener are too short for the mounting location I've selected. I need to get a small amount of wire to extend it and a junction box to mount it. The opener itself is really nice. The big selling point was not having to run the supports and having the chain cutting into my ceiling height. I've got a video of the door opener in action I need to get it from my camcorder and upload it to youtube. My wife has been out of town since last Friday and being at home with my 3 year old and 8 month old daughters means I'm not getting anything else done.

I've also upgraded my sound system...kinda. Previously I ran my ipod into the Aux in on my receiver and I'd stream Pandora from the WiFi or just preloaded MP3s. I have a laptop running Linux and I'm "Wining" Spotify on it. It will be nice having the computer out there vs the ipod so when I forget the cylinder head torque I can look it up. I hate mobile devices for web browsing.

 

[sdifox]

No insulation?

And you are allowed to build so close to the property line?

Having said that, that should work out nicely.

Did you plan your storage before hand and have it built into the walls?