What Size Garage?

[RyanbabZ71]

Ok I am starting to really think about building my home now (I have had the lot for over a yr now). Plus the real estate agent and builder are starting to give me a push (not a bad thing). The subdivision has really grown over the past few months and its pretty nice. My question is what size garage do you have or would you recommend. Pole barns are out of the question. My lot size is 80 wide by 130 deep. House + garage can only be 60 ft wide (10 feet on each side of the house according to building laws). 24 w x 28 deep? Or make it 60 x 60

 

Here is a recent pic of the lot. They actually cleared out some more trees and it is bigger than the pic shows. I drove by there this past weekend and it looked much different than the photo. Also right behind the woods there is a large park which is nice. Oh yea and across from the entrance into the subdivision is a golf course

[RyanbabZ71]

Heres the house plan I like

[Greg]

I have a 24' wide by 20.5' deep front-facing garage with a small alcove for a workbench on the side and a 9' ceiling. IT ISN'T BIG ENOUGH! I keep the CTS, Sierra, John Deere 318, implements, etc, in the garage and I wish I had more room. This is especially true when I want to wheel my wife in her wheelchair out there and help her get in the car. (Our garage is on the same level as the first floor of the house, so we don't need a ramp.)

 

Figure out how many vehicles you want to keep in the garage and add 1 bay. Add 2 bays if you have a lot of toys. Also, make sure you have plenty of ceiling height if you want to add a lift someday. If you can put your driveway on the side lot line, you can probably do a 3-car side entry, but you won't have a lot of depth in the garage. You gain a large outside parking area for washing, etc, and people can't see in your garage when they drive by. But you have a lot more pavement to maintain, sweep, and shovel.

 

In your situation, I'd consider an "L" shaped garage that fits on to the front corner of your house. The short side of the "L" holds one car and the long side holds 2+ cars front-to-back. Two entry doors in front with 4" between the doors. If the peak of the roof runs across the house from left to right, the rear bay should have plenty of headroom for a lift. If you also center a peak betweek the garage doors, you could have an upstairs store / work room. In the house, on the inside of the "L", put a 1st floor laundry on the same slab as the garage. That way you don't have to worry about a leaking washer, vibration, and you'll have easy access to hot water for car washing in the winter.

[Greg]

Oh, now you post the plans. It has a hint of my idea. We don't have a formal living room or dining room. Instead we have a large eat in kitchen, great room, and office. We also have a first floor master suite, with two other bedrooms and a bath upstairs.

[Lance Link]

I have a 1 acre lot with a relatively small house, but a detached garage next to it. The garage is 30x40 with 10' ceilings and a 10x8 overhead door on the 30ft side. I wanted one door as I live in Maine and there's less heat loss that way. The garage is fully insulated and sheetrocked and is heated primarily by oil (forced hot air). There is also a wood stove that I use when it's really cold out and I plan to spend the day wrenching on the Jeep and such. Otherwise, the oil keeps it at 60 degrees.

 

In addition, the garage has a bathroom with washer/dryer, cable tv mounted on the wall above the bench, a 14'x 6' corner workbench with a beer fridge built in, compressed air, floor drains, phone, stereo, whatever tools you might need.

 

We might be moving shortly to a new house- it has an attached 3 car garage but plenty of land (4 acres). I plan to build another version on my current garage behind the house, this time 30x30 with 14ft ceilings so I can have a lift someday. Otherwise, it will be the same except in place of the washer/dryer I'll have a shower.

 

[doverarjim]

Hey Ryan, think about this a guy just built a house here and he put in a electric over hydrolic lift cost less than $8000 installed!!!! It will lift 10,000 lbs to 5 1/2 foot off of ground, he has a F250 extended cab 4X4 that he picks up with it. If I was thinking about a house and garage I would think real hard about doing this.

[tmf6902]

Maybe you should just build a huge garage, and have a studio apt. loft type thing above it. I mean with a cool gargage how much time are you really gonna spend in the house?

[RyanbabZ71]

A lift would be pretty cool. Even those that only lift it a few feet off the ground. As far as a 3 car garage I dont think I have enough room because the width I can have is only 60ft. I figured something out and it ends up being like 72ft

[MountaineerTom]

Ryan,

I have a 21'x21' 2 car garage. With my truck parked in it, I have 6 inches front front bumper to the wall when I'm up against my front wheel stops and 18 inches from rear bumper tothe garage dooe. My wife's little car car almost turn around in it though.

 

Our trucks are about the same except I think you still havea brush guard, so that's about what you would have in a 21'x21' garage. It's plenty for me because I don't keep much in the garage but the vehicles. All my toys and tools are out in the workshop, which is approximately 24' deep x20' wide.

[RyanbabZ71]

Maybe you should just build a huge garage, and have a studio apt. loft type thing above it. I mean with a cool gargage how much time are you really gonna spend in the house?

 

Why even have a loft just sleep in the garage :lol I dont think my gf would like that idea

 

Maybe 24x24 would be a good idea? I need to take some measurements. Do a life size scale model haha

[antig24]

We have a 24x24ft garage. It has enough room for shelves on both sides of the garage, and our truck and car. At the front of the garage we have a 3ft deep workbench. The truck fits with about 2 inches of space left in the front and the back. It's barely enough for us, but we wish we had a bigger one. A 24x24 ft should be ok, but bigger is always better

[SnakeEyeSS]

here at my parenst house, we have a 2+ oversized. you CAN fit three cars if you angle them right, but it's made for two with plenty of room. In a year or two, when I buy my own house, I'm getting a three car garage. because I'll have them Bimmer, after I get a house, I might be getting a second car, and then extra room for tools/workpace AWAY from the cars. I have moving around teh car too get to the tools. The third space would also be used to stopre other cars in the faimly if we need a space(impending hail storm, for instance, or after buying a car, haveing one too many until one is sold)

[blue2kzr2]

Ryan, what's the size on that garage? It's kinda hard to read. If you get the optional garage storage, I'm assuming you'd have acces through the garage? Maybe you could have them make it PART of the garage; no wall with a door, just an extra long stall; and use that side for the truck. You could use the back of that storage area for a workbench and tool storage.

[99silveradoz71]

Here's the stock floorplan of my place. I added 4ft to the depth of the garage and 2ft to the width. I wish I would've gotten the extra 2ft I could've added to the width too, but it would've made my house right on the property lines really. Also, some of the other models and lots on curves allowed for 3-cars...nice that someone told me I happened to see a few after they were built. Bottom line, get as much space as you can within reason. You know what your priorities are. You don't want to be sandwiched in with the guy next to you, but trust me on this, you'll find more things to put in that garage than you expect. Heck, I ended up with the Wells Cargo trailer in mine and I wouldn't have seen that coming.Pinebrook

[Wingnut]

I have a 3 bay, and I'm out of room with all the tools, mowers, trimmers, shelving, two quads, a trailer, etc.

 

My next door neighbor just slid his house back a few feet in order to compensate for a longer garage because his lot didn't allow for a 3 bay garage...Of course, he doesn't have to mow as much either.

 

I would sit down with the builder and tell him that you want more garage space. This is a request that they are quite used to, and usually have several options for your floorplan to make it happen. Even if it's extending the garage forward off of the front of the house to give you room to work with a truck parked in there.

 

Good luck with it though, it's a fun, albeit sometimes stressful process to watch your own house being built. Ask a ton of questions. I know there are a few things that I would have done differently if I were to do it again...But didn't have the sack to nancy-up and demand something I wanted.

 

/.02