Just showed your last couple of pics to my wife and she's like 'Wow that's as big as the house!' Yep... You're gonna have to invite the brotherhood over for a shop warming party when you're done...
CK5
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The new Garage
- Thread starter r3dd0g
- Start date
I'm tired of working in my tiny 2 car garage so I'm finally building a big (30'x60') shop to work in.
Hmmm flights to there are pretty cheap from salt lake.
I don't think they would allow my shop warming gift on the plane
The garage party is already planned, but I'm also sure that will be a regular thing...
The trusses are going up right now! I should be able to get some good pictures tonight!
On the insulation front, from most expensive to least for the walls:
Full spray foam, R-7/inch self sealing no vapor barrier needed. (AZ climate may change the vapor barrier needs) Nets R-35 +/- wall assembly just in the stud cavity alone.
2" of Spray foam and the rest a blown in bat system, still self sealing thus no vapor barrier needed, Nets R-26+/-
Both of these options REALLY make a difference, I know you'll have synthetic stucco on the exterior and it's good but any penetration, crack etc. still is an air leak. The expanding feature of the foam is meant to find all those "holes" and self fill them. I did the 2" of foam and blown in bat on my own house and think that's a great meet in the middle price point that is well worth it.
Full blown in bat, this is usually a slightly damp mixture of insulation (I've been told denim and some other stuff is the mixture) that goes in and is smoothed off to the stud face. This usually gets you into R-20+
Typical fiberglass bats, I think there are two types now that get you either an R-19 or 21 system. This is the old school method that is fully suitable and decent.
Given your situation, do the 2" of spray foam and the rest a blown in type system, it will be a few thousand more I would guess. . I would also ask the insulation contractor what the best sound insulation is for your application. Typically speaking the spray foams aren't actually good sound insulation.
For the ceiling I would look at going big, Not sure of your ceiling/truss layout but the best place to add insulation is the ceiling since it takes all the heat load in the summer and "cold" (AZ doesn't get cold) in the winter. I'm not sure if some spray foam is the right application or not, vented soffits etc. play into this. But stepping up to something in the R-54 neighborhood will pay off.
Then this is a list of things I wish I had done in my "oversize" garage or that I really have found nice for a confined type area.
Put a good selection of big outlets in the ceiling and get some cord reels, you have a large enough area now that having pull down 10ga cords that you can put a four way splitter on will be nice, Double up on the wall outlets and don't put too many on a circuit. I had a couple 20amp circuits put in with only two outlets on them for larger type tools and I love them. Take a lot of you air over head or at least high up on the walls in hard pipe, put the compressor either outside or up on a stand and off the floor. I kick myself for not having an outside air chuck (you'll want at least two one front, one back) on my garage as well as several easy to get to air points inside.
Before they insulate and sheet rock think about shelving and put in 2X12 blocking in big long runs to be able to easily attach and build shelves. I suggest just looking a what type of pre-made shelving there is and layout around that, then plan to buy it instead of trying to build it. At the same time think about areas where you might want to hang heavy tool storage racks etc. and install blocking there as well. Also think about an area to install a run of kitchen type cabinets complete with a white low cost counter top. I have takeout kitchen cabinets in my garage and they are the best storage, as well as the counter top is really handy for re-building intricate things as it's a small area that is easy to keep uncluttered.
And I'm jealous, I have plans to build a 25X40 addition to my already 33x35 garage I just have to finish my unfinished basement for the wife before I can add onto the only thing that I care about.
Full spray foam, R-7/inch self sealing no vapor barrier needed. (AZ climate may change the vapor barrier needs) Nets R-35 +/- wall assembly just in the stud cavity alone.
2" of Spray foam and the rest a blown in bat system, still self sealing thus no vapor barrier needed, Nets R-26+/-
Both of these options REALLY make a difference, I know you'll have synthetic stucco on the exterior and it's good but any penetration, crack etc. still is an air leak. The expanding feature of the foam is meant to find all those "holes" and self fill them. I did the 2" of foam and blown in bat on my own house and think that's a great meet in the middle price point that is well worth it.
Full blown in bat, this is usually a slightly damp mixture of insulation (I've been told denim and some other stuff is the mixture) that goes in and is smoothed off to the stud face. This usually gets you into R-20+
Typical fiberglass bats, I think there are two types now that get you either an R-19 or 21 system. This is the old school method that is fully suitable and decent.
Given your situation, do the 2" of spray foam and the rest a blown in type system, it will be a few thousand more I would guess. . I would also ask the insulation contractor what the best sound insulation is for your application. Typically speaking the spray foams aren't actually good sound insulation.
For the ceiling I would look at going big, Not sure of your ceiling/truss layout but the best place to add insulation is the ceiling since it takes all the heat load in the summer and "cold" (AZ doesn't get cold) in the winter. I'm not sure if some spray foam is the right application or not, vented soffits etc. play into this. But stepping up to something in the R-54 neighborhood will pay off.
Then this is a list of things I wish I had done in my "oversize" garage or that I really have found nice for a confined type area.
Put a good selection of big outlets in the ceiling and get some cord reels, you have a large enough area now that having pull down 10ga cords that you can put a four way splitter on will be nice, Double up on the wall outlets and don't put too many on a circuit. I had a couple 20amp circuits put in with only two outlets on them for larger type tools and I love them. Take a lot of you air over head or at least high up on the walls in hard pipe, put the compressor either outside or up on a stand and off the floor. I kick myself for not having an outside air chuck (you'll want at least two one front, one back) on my garage as well as several easy to get to air points inside.
Before they insulate and sheet rock think about shelving and put in 2X12 blocking in big long runs to be able to easily attach and build shelves. I suggest just looking a what type of pre-made shelving there is and layout around that, then plan to buy it instead of trying to build it. At the same time think about areas where you might want to hang heavy tool storage racks etc. and install blocking there as well. Also think about an area to install a run of kitchen type cabinets complete with a white low cost counter top. I have takeout kitchen cabinets in my garage and they are the best storage, as well as the counter top is really handy for re-building intricate things as it's a small area that is easy to keep uncluttered.
And I'm jealous, I have plans to build a 25X40 addition to my already 33x35 garage I just have to finish my unfinished basement for the wife before I can add onto the only thing that I care about.
Glad to see you found my thread Brandon!
So factor into this that once the main part of the building is done, Amber and I will be doing the majority of the rest of the work. Insulation, drywall, electrical, plumbing, etc. is all going to be done by us. That being said, the only one of those insulation options I can do is the typical fiberglass batt. I was planning on just shooting cellulose insulation up in the attic once all the wiring and plumbing is done. Not the best, but that's what I have in the main house and it's something we can do ourselves. Moisture barriers are not required in AZ (what's moisture?).
As battery technology keeps improving, I'm discovering I use corded electrical and air less and less. I have tons of Dewalt 20V and 60V tools that kick ass over any air tool I've ever used. That being said, the air compressor has already been relocated into the old garage and will be plumbed to the new garage. I may install a second air tank in the new garage to help and I'll be installing a remote switch for the compressor, but as I said I find myself using it very little (mainly for filling tires anymore).
I'm not sure what I'm going to do for shelving, but that's a good idea with the 2x12 blocking. I do have quite a few of the Costco heavy duty storage shelves and I was thinking of getting some of the industrial style ones to go along one wall and make use of the 16' ceilings (planning on getting a forklift at some point too).
Some of the add-ons we added to the build put this considerably over budget so progress will be slow after the GC is done. My current garage doesn't have any insulation at all and it only almost kills me to work in there in the summer (I have a big evap cooler that helps quite a bit). Anything I do insulation wise will be a huge improvement over what i have now.
My priorities once I get the keys handed over to me will be electrical, lighting and plumbing. Then I'll be widening the gate in the back yard and getting a back driveway poured and maybe get the lift ordered and installed. Once that is all done I can start working on the insulation and drywall. Maybe after a year I'll actually be able to work on one of my vehicles in it!
So factor into this that once the main part of the building is done, Amber and I will be doing the majority of the rest of the work. Insulation, drywall, electrical, plumbing, etc. is all going to be done by us. That being said, the only one of those insulation options I can do is the typical fiberglass batt. I was planning on just shooting cellulose insulation up in the attic once all the wiring and plumbing is done. Not the best, but that's what I have in the main house and it's something we can do ourselves. Moisture barriers are not required in AZ (what's moisture?).
As battery technology keeps improving, I'm discovering I use corded electrical and air less and less. I have tons of Dewalt 20V and 60V tools that kick ass over any air tool I've ever used. That being said, the air compressor has already been relocated into the old garage and will be plumbed to the new garage. I may install a second air tank in the new garage to help and I'll be installing a remote switch for the compressor, but as I said I find myself using it very little (mainly for filling tires anymore).
I'm not sure what I'm going to do for shelving, but that's a good idea with the 2x12 blocking. I do have quite a few of the Costco heavy duty storage shelves and I was thinking of getting some of the industrial style ones to go along one wall and make use of the 16' ceilings (planning on getting a forklift at some point too).
Some of the add-ons we added to the build put this considerably over budget so progress will be slow after the GC is done. My current garage doesn't have any insulation at all and it only almost kills me to work in there in the summer (I have a big evap cooler that helps quite a bit). Anything I do insulation wise will be a huge improvement over what i have now.
My priorities once I get the keys handed over to me will be electrical, lighting and plumbing. Then I'll be widening the gate in the back yard and getting a back driveway poured and maybe get the lift ordered and installed. Once that is all done I can start working on the insulation and drywall. Maybe after a year I'll actually be able to work on one of my vehicles in it!
You should really check the cost of having someone do the insulation. I was surprised. But mine isn't normal at all so I did it myself.
If you can't do spray foam. You can do what I did. Use a 1" foam board. Seal it with right stuff foam to the studs. Then use R13 on top of that. With the stucco you should be pretty well air sealed at that point.
You NEED outlets on the ceiling for cord reels. Or high up on the wall works too.
I also did cabinet blocking. Harder than hell to find used cabinets around my neck of the woods, should be much easier for you. I'd do as many cabinets as possible. They are so much better than shelves.
On outlets I put my outlets at 4'1" basically so if I had any standard metal sheet or wood sheet I could stand it up against the wall without blocking anything.
I did my ceiling drywall before lighting. Much much easier.
If you can't do spray foam. You can do what I did. Use a 1" foam board. Seal it with right stuff foam to the studs. Then use R13 on top of that. With the stucco you should be pretty well air sealed at that point.
You NEED outlets on the ceiling for cord reels. Or high up on the wall works too.
I also did cabinet blocking. Harder than hell to find used cabinets around my neck of the woods, should be much easier for you. I'd do as many cabinets as possible. They are so much better than shelves.
On outlets I put my outlets at 4'1" basically so if I had any standard metal sheet or wood sheet I could stand it up against the wall without blocking anything.
I did my ceiling drywall before lighting. Much much easier.
I'm actually paying them to do the ceiling drywall, forgot to mention that. I have no idea how I'd do that myself on a 16' ceiling...
With allot of swearing and anger lol. Mine is almost 14 they make sheetrock jacks that go that high. That is one of the things I tell people they should have done.
Well, they made up for not getting much done yesterday... Major progress today! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
I tried to get a detail shot here of how the one cut off corner is getting built out.
It's getting so big it's just easier to take pictures with the drone now.
They will be extending the peak of the house out to meet the peak on the garage, so it will be interesting to see how that gets built out. The attics are supposed to interconnect, but it looks like I may have to cut them out to get that access.
I had my first "Can I please come check out your garage, I want to build one like this too!" visitor today.
I tried to get a detail shot here of how the one cut off corner is getting built out.
It's getting so big it's just easier to take pictures with the drone now.
They will be extending the peak of the house out to meet the peak on the garage, so it will be interesting to see how that gets built out. The attics are supposed to interconnect, but it looks like I may have to cut them out to get that access.
I had my first "Can I please come check out your garage, I want to build one like this too!" visitor today.
I get it, FYI my garage is R-19 bats, only area of my house that I did only bat insulation and it works out since I only heat it to 55 degrees in the winter and I use gods AC in the summer, I splurged on a heated floor though, you know it gets cold up here and heated floors kick ass for winter garage work.
I tell myself and my budget minded customers to spend the money to get the bones right, you can always change the skin later. Take the time and get the rough in stuff done then see what the up charge is for some spray foam. It may not work out but it's worth it to wait a month or two for the added money. Blow in in the ceiling yourself is a perfect place to save money, and you can always add more later as cash and time allows.
I wonder about setting up a "charging area" for the cordless tools, I'm finding the same thing you are and a charging shelf or 2 would be handy to have for sure. But I also keep finding myself with at least 1 cord and air hose strung out and in the way because you need a work light or two and the only way to blow things out and off is with air. The outside air chucks are a must for the less used vehicles.
With as high as your ceilings are what about some outlets for dropped down lights above work benches etc. I have 10' ceilings and have a hanging light that makes a notable difference above my work bench. LED tech helps too these days.
A basic mud and fire tape on the drywall then prime and two good coats of GLOSS white paint makes.
I plan on doing all LED lighting and my drop lights are all LED and I even have some led flood lights (all rechargeable cordless). I'm sure I'll throw some extra outlets on the ceilings, we've got to have power for the lights and garage door openers up there anyways.
I was planning on leaving the walls smooth with gloss or semi-gloss paint. I also plan on doing some sections of wall with idea paint (turns the wall into a whiteboard). We have that at work and it's awesome!
I was planning on leaving the walls smooth with gloss or semi-gloss paint. I also plan on doing some sections of wall with idea paint (turns the wall into a whiteboard). We have that at work and it's awesome!
The framing is mostly done, they ran out of the trim wood and will need to come back tomorrow to finish up. The garage looks awesome! I really like the way it ties into the house.
Drone shots for some more detail.
Drone shots for some more detail.
Bonus fly around drone video!
That is fantastic!
Bad ass 
So much room to make fantastic stuff happen!
This looks just like the one Amber is building on Facebook.
Looks good.
Looks good.
I was working in the old garage most of the weekend. It surprised me how many people came down my cul-de-sac to look at the garage, all the comments so far have been positive though so that's good.
It's been rainy (and my GC was at KOH too) so not much has gotten done on the garage. The shingles were supposed to have been put on already, but they were just delivered today. The only thing I can see that got completed was the vents for the sewer.
Here's a shot of the shingles on the roof, I'm hoping they get installed tomorrow as it's supposed to rain again Thursday.
Here's a shot of the shingles on the roof, I'm hoping they get installed tomorrow as it's supposed to rain again Thursday.
