Who has built a detached garage?

[gi_984]

I've moved. Need to have garage built but will use as new shop. Gave up approximately 1,200 sq ft. work space at old place. New place does not have a shop. Planned on building before the move. But timeline didn't work. So everything is in storage.
I live outside of city limits on nice acreage. Quiet cul de sac. No HOA. Set backs, zoning, isn't an issue where I want to build. Neighbors are good. Agreement among us and other three neighbors are nothing bigger than 30X40ish. And looks like a garage. Two of neighbors already have smaller than 30X40. And the third is thinking about building as well.

For resale value, I'm going to build a detached garage that looks similar to front of house from the road.
To maximize ceiling height (have couple A frame hoists) I don't want a second level.
A small bathroom and utility sink would be nice if funds allow. And tallest garage doors without making it look out of place.
Any advice from folks who have done similar would be appreciated.

 

[rabler]

I moved my shop out of a detached garage to a pole-barn built for that purpose. Some thoughts:

• If you're trenching for water/sewer, buy a pre-terminated direct bury fiber cable and also run that between the house and shop. Internet access in the shop is really handy, from using CAD to streaming music.
• Sounds like you're already thinking along these lines, but 10' ceilings min, 9' height x 10' min width door.
• Insulate! Most "garages" are not built with insulation in mind. Blown in insulation works well, can often be done DIY, but you want good insulation so that your shop is 4 season comfortable to work in. That typically is easier with an enclosed ceiling. Remember that long sleeves/jackets may be a hazard around shop equipment.
• Mini-split AC units are very popular for shop use, and would probably cover your heating needs in the Springfield area, as well as giving good cooling and humidity control option.
• Don't skimp on power. I'd want at least 100A @ 220V in any shop. For mine I upped my service to a 400A service with 200A for the main shop and 200A for everything else (house, etc).
• Plan on serious lighting. Then wire for double that capacity, as you'll want to add spot lighting over key machines/workbenches. Much easier to have the wiring in place and just hook up additional lights.
• Make sure to put in a few windows or your shop can feel claustrophobic. Given a front facing garage door I'd want some windows in the door so I could look out and see anyone arriving up the driveway.
• Think about drainage, and get that arranged before construction. Unless you plan on a forklift or really heavy machines, a 4" thick slab is probably OK, but I'd want several inches of gravel under that, with a water barrier between the gravel and concrete. Depending on your soil, this keeps your slab dry and good under-slab drainage so water doesn't perk up through the concrete in rainy season.

 

[gi_984]

Hi rabler,

Thanks for the suggestions. I had similar thoughts.
Great idea on the internet cable. At my old place shop was within range of house WiFi.
This place will be too far from house.
Old place was well insulated and heated. Thick slab with fiber reinforcement, etc.
Had a 100amp panel, dedicated machine lights, etc. Just had two windows. So will want a few more here.
Anybody else built or adapted a detached garage as a shop?

 

[DavidR8]

I have a detached 20' x 20' garage as my shop. I've had to be very judicious about my machines as a result.

If I were to build from scratch I'd go as big as code/neighbours/budget allows.
Depending on your desired use, one or two over head doors as large as aesthetics allow.
Plenty of power. I'm just a home gamer and only have small machines so my 60A shop service works fine. Your situation may differ.
Lots of light, natural and artificial. I prefer LEDs for their longevity and low power consumption.
Interior would be finished in plywood so that shelves etc can be put pretty much any where.
A crane system of some sort that runs from one overhead door into some logical point in the shop.
+1 on the the ethernet. My shop is close enough to the house that I can pick up the house wifi but it's sketchy. A serious wifi repeater solved that problem.

 

[Cadillac]

Radiant heat, outlets every two feet, steel I beam in ceiling framed in for lifting. Have a friend that integrated I beams in his side walls along with a cross beam so he has a bridge crane that lifts from anywhere in the shop.

 

[Bone Head]

All excellent points; except for windows.
Friend of mine built his shop/garage with one standard size window. Parked his '71 Sportster, the wife's car and a bunch of other stuff in it. Walking around when everything was home was impossible, he'd lock the overhead door from the outside and feel warm and fuzzy.
While away one night, thieves broke in. Dragged his Sportster over the roof of the wife's car out the overhead.
It's gone. That window now has bars in it.

 

[rabler]

outlets every two feet,

My preference is a quad outlet (ie, 2 double receptacles) every 4 feet. With the two receptacles wired to different 20A circuits. Minutia, but often it seems like the power hungry things that you want to run simultaneously are right next to each other (otherwise you wouldn't run them simultaneously). A a single 20A 220V outlet every other four feet, with those alternately wired to two different circuits. Anything bigger than that is hard to anticipate and best wired to purpose rather than a generic scattering of outlets.

 

[Cadillac]

All excellent points; except for windows.
Friend of mine built his shop/garage with one standard size window. Parked his '71 Sportster, the wife's car and a bunch of other stuff in it. Walking around when everything was home was impossible, he'd lock the overhead door from the outside and feel warm and fuzzy.
While away one night, thieves broke in. Dragged his Sportster over the roof of the wife's car out the overhead.
It's gone. That window now has bars in it.

Sounds like he pick a bad location? Wife’s car must have been a real POS for them to pick a sporty. If they want it their gonna get it or f-up a lot of stuff trying. That’s what INSURANCE Is for.

 

[rabler]

All excellent points; except for windows.
Friend of mine built his shop/garage with one standard size window. Parked his '71 Sportster, the wife's car and a bunch of other stuff in it. Walking around when everything was home was impossible, he'd lock the overhead door from the outside and feel warm and fuzzy.
While away one night, thieves broke in. Dragged his Sportster over the roof of the wife's car out the overhead.
It's gone. That window now has bars in it.

Hard to really stop theives. At best your hoping to make yourself less attractive than someone else. But if thieves decide there is something in there they want bad enough, bars won't slow them down. Couple minutes with a cordless demolition saw and done. Same tool can cut a hole through the wall next to your door, reach in and open a walk-in door from the inside.

 

[cathead]

If one is using 8 foot wall structure, you can run several courses of blocks on top of the footings to make the ceiling higher and
also have a taller door opening. It would be a good idea to put some foam insulation on the inside of the block for energy
efficiency.