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Need some workshop space, a fortress of solitude, or a place to house your beer fridge? A new spacious garage is the answer, and this is the Instructable to make it possible. As a new homeowner and avid DIY type guy, I was up against a big challenge when tackling a brand new construction of this magnitude. Let my mistakes and sage advice steer you clear of pitfalls and heartbreak. Read on for a step by step guide to building a new garage.
The general process can be summarized as consisting of the following steps.
1. Understand your local rules and make a plan
2. Get the appropriate permits
3. Get quotes and contracts from any subcontractors
4. Order materials (don't forget beer)
5. Begin construction. Getting periodic inspections as required.
6. Get more materials
7. Continue construction
8. Curse your incompetence
9. Get more materials
10. Repeat steps 7-9 ad nauseam
DISCLAIMER: While this Instructable details my experiences building a garage, your mileage may vary. Use your brain, at your own risk.
The general process can be summarized as consisting of the following steps.
1. Understand your local rules and make a plan
2. Get the appropriate permits
3. Get quotes and contracts from any subcontractors
4. Order materials (don't forget beer)
5. Begin construction. Getting periodic inspections as required.
6. Get more materials
7. Continue construction
8. Curse your incompetence
9. Get more materials
10. Repeat steps 7-9 ad nauseam
DISCLAIMER: While this Instructable details my experiences building a garage, your mileage may vary. Use your brain, at your own risk.
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Signing UpStep 1I love it when a plan comes together!
The key component of Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith's favorite saying, "I love it when a plan comes together!" is the plan. Take that to heart and you will spare yourself a lot of trouble when building a garage. You will need to plan the layout of the new garage within your lot, plan the size, shape, and look of your garage, plan the materials needed, plan the subcontractors, plan the permits and inspections, plan the zero-cost (beer compensated) workers, plan the timetables, plan the weather... well you get the picture. If planning is not your cup of tea, then maybe you should just write a check for ~$25k to get it done by a crew of folks who will do a fine job without you learning a damn thing.
So step 1 is simply this: do the legwork and get a plan together. Easier said than done.
Key areas to consider:
1. How big do you want the garage to be?
2. How big can the garage be (city ordinances!?!)?
3. Where and how many doors and windows?
4. What type of roof?
5. What parts are you going to subcontract?
The plan will depend on the rules in your local municipality. Since I undertook this project under the rules of a major metropolis, my example will be on the more restrictive end of the spectrum. If you live in the sticks, then you can probably build as big and awesome a garage as you like. Not me. :( So from this point forward I will be presenting the garage-building process from the point of view of a homeowner in the city of Minneapolis, which should transfer in large part to any city in the US of A.
The first thing to do is visit your city's website to learn about the permit and building plan process as well as any special restrictions in your area. Click here to go to the Minneapolis permit page.
Take the time to talk with your neighbors as well to give them a heads up on your plans for dominating the landscape with your new garage. If they don't like it then at least they can get used to the idea while you get underway. If you live in a neighborhood controlled by a homeowners association, you may need to talk to them as well. They really know how to put the ass in association. In general, as long as you do not require a "variance" or exception from city rules on such things as garage height, placement, and so forth you can build regardless of objections from neighbors.
In Minneapolis, we have alleys behind the houses in a lot of neighborhoods and very deep narrow building lots. As a result I didn't have room to expand the existing attached one-car garage. So I decided on building a detached two-car off of the alley in the backyard. The key municipal codes of interest were the required distances that must be maintained between the new structure and the property lines, adjacent structures, the alley right of way, and other urban features. Click here to read the relavant document (PDF).
You will want to draw up a sketch of your lot and your neighbors' lots so that you can get an idea of how things will fit in your yard in relation to the lot lines and other buildings. Get out a tape measure and a friend and take a walk around the yard to get accurate dimensions for the sketch. You also need to locate the metal stakes that mark the corners of your lot. These are often buried a few inches underground and are set 1 foot in from the actual lines. If you can't find the markers on your lot corners, walk around and find your neighbor's. It is permissible to use theirs as a reference point if you know your lot dimensions. I located my neighbor's corner marker two doors down which was very lucky. If you can't find these markers, you will have to commission an official survey ($$$) to locate them in order to draw up the site plan sketch. This sketch is required by the city in securing a permit, you will need to show this sketch and get the plan approved before a building permit will be issued. See my sketches below. The city of Minneapolis requires a top view building site plan with relevant dimensions as well as a series of detail and elevation drawings of the building itself. As you can tell the level of artistry involved does not need to be high.
When making the drawings, be sure to use the wonderous series of tubes we call the Internets to check the city webpage for property line and lot size information as well as using your favorite satellite imagery site to get info on the placement of buildings in your immediate vicinity . While a 3D model is not required by the city, I found Google's SketchUp to be a useful tool for visualizing how the garage was going to look in relation to the rest of the house, trees, neighbors, etc. Download it here. A sample shot of my model is below.
Once you have a set of drawings to your liking you can take some time and head down to the Minnesota Development Review offices at 250 S. 4th St., Room 300, Minneapolis MN. As a first-timer this can be intimidating, but even though this bureaucratic organ qualifies as part of "The Machine" the people there are there to help you out. If you read and understand the rules, bring in a good site plan and drawings, they will happily inform you of any problems, give you time to correct them, and then take your money with a smile. For reference, our 440 square foot detached garage cost $300 for a building permit. I also had to lop off 2 feet of the width since the city of Minneapolis allows a maximum of 676 square feet of accessory building. My existing 1-car attached counted towards that total, a fact I had overlooked. On your way out of the review office, be sure to get a parking token. With the new permit in hand, I was ready to begin purchasing materials, locating subcontractors, and other details.
In summary:
1. Communication with the building permit office and your neighbors is helpful and important.
2. Take the time to know the city rules.
3. Take measurements of your lot and draw up your site plan on your computer. Experiments here are easier than moving foundations later.
4. Get your plan approved by the city and get your permit.
So step 1 is simply this: do the legwork and get a plan together. Easier said than done.
Key areas to consider:
1. How big do you want the garage to be?
2. How big can the garage be (city ordinances!?!)?
3. Where and how many doors and windows?
4. What type of roof?
5. What parts are you going to subcontract?
The plan will depend on the rules in your local municipality. Since I undertook this project under the rules of a major metropolis, my example will be on the more restrictive end of the spectrum. If you live in the sticks, then you can probably build as big and awesome a garage as you like. Not me. :( So from this point forward I will be presenting the garage-building process from the point of view of a homeowner in the city of Minneapolis, which should transfer in large part to any city in the US of A.
The first thing to do is visit your city's website to learn about the permit and building plan process as well as any special restrictions in your area. Click here to go to the Minneapolis permit page.
Take the time to talk with your neighbors as well to give them a heads up on your plans for dominating the landscape with your new garage. If they don't like it then at least they can get used to the idea while you get underway. If you live in a neighborhood controlled by a homeowners association, you may need to talk to them as well. They really know how to put the ass in association. In general, as long as you do not require a "variance" or exception from city rules on such things as garage height, placement, and so forth you can build regardless of objections from neighbors.
In Minneapolis, we have alleys behind the houses in a lot of neighborhoods and very deep narrow building lots. As a result I didn't have room to expand the existing attached one-car garage. So I decided on building a detached two-car off of the alley in the backyard. The key municipal codes of interest were the required distances that must be maintained between the new structure and the property lines, adjacent structures, the alley right of way, and other urban features. Click here to read the relavant document (PDF).
You will want to draw up a sketch of your lot and your neighbors' lots so that you can get an idea of how things will fit in your yard in relation to the lot lines and other buildings. Get out a tape measure and a friend and take a walk around the yard to get accurate dimensions for the sketch. You also need to locate the metal stakes that mark the corners of your lot. These are often buried a few inches underground and are set 1 foot in from the actual lines. If you can't find the markers on your lot corners, walk around and find your neighbor's. It is permissible to use theirs as a reference point if you know your lot dimensions. I located my neighbor's corner marker two doors down which was very lucky. If you can't find these markers, you will have to commission an official survey ($$$) to locate them in order to draw up the site plan sketch. This sketch is required by the city in securing a permit, you will need to show this sketch and get the plan approved before a building permit will be issued. See my sketches below. The city of Minneapolis requires a top view building site plan with relevant dimensions as well as a series of detail and elevation drawings of the building itself. As you can tell the level of artistry involved does not need to be high.
When making the drawings, be sure to use the wonderous series of tubes we call the Internets to check the city webpage for property line and lot size information as well as using your favorite satellite imagery site to get info on the placement of buildings in your immediate vicinity . While a 3D model is not required by the city, I found Google's SketchUp to be a useful tool for visualizing how the garage was going to look in relation to the rest of the house, trees, neighbors, etc. Download it here. A sample shot of my model is below.
Once you have a set of drawings to your liking you can take some time and head down to the Minnesota Development Review offices at 250 S. 4th St., Room 300, Minneapolis MN. As a first-timer this can be intimidating, but even though this bureaucratic organ qualifies as part of "The Machine" the people there are there to help you out. If you read and understand the rules, bring in a good site plan and drawings, they will happily inform you of any problems, give you time to correct them, and then take your money with a smile. For reference, our 440 square foot detached garage cost $300 for a building permit. I also had to lop off 2 feet of the width since the city of Minneapolis allows a maximum of 676 square feet of accessory building. My existing 1-car attached counted towards that total, a fact I had overlooked. On your way out of the review office, be sure to get a parking token. With the new permit in hand, I was ready to begin purchasing materials, locating subcontractors, and other details.
In summary:
1. Communication with the building permit office and your neighbors is helpful and important.
2. Take the time to know the city rules.
3. Take measurements of your lot and draw up your site plan on your computer. Experiments here are easier than moving foundations later.
4. Get your plan approved by the city and get your permit.
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did you use sketchup BTW?
PS like the a-team reference!
1. Would that be enough to support some light weight storage?
2. The rafters sit right over top of the studs, so my existing joists are ~2 inches off to the side. The new joists would rest in middle between studs. Would that be putting too much load in a bad place?
1. If there is a central beam so that the joists only span 12 feet, then getting 2x6 on 24" centers would support storage in my opinion, but your local inspector may be of a different mind. 24 feet is a long span for a 2x6, so without a central beam I would be hesitant to put much weight up there. I don't have my span table on me but that would be a good place to start for maximum span as a function of spacing and lumber.
2. The new joists in the middle between studs should not be a problem if you have a double top plate which is one of the main reasons a double top plate is required, if not it should still be OK for storage. Again your local inspector would be the end authority. You could put joists on 16" centers over each stud to be safe. This would only be 6 extra joists, so not much money. Tougher to get big stuff into the "attic" though.
Good luck.
There is no central beam. They were able to span the 24' distance by using two 2x6. They are each about 13' long and are fastened together with several screws at the overlap. They are then fastened to a vertical 2x4 running from peak of the roof. Kind of scary, huh?
I don't know much about framing, but it doesn't sound like the joists should be able to support anything on their own; all the support would come from the 2x4 tied into the roof.
I'm going to have a framer come by and check it out for me. Hopefully, I can get away with replacing the existing stuff with 2x10 on 16" centers.
Replacing the 2x6s with 2x10s without increasing the bending strength would be a waste of money. If you can get 2x10s long enough (and can fit them in the building!!) to go the full span from wall to wall, and tie them into the roof with a vertical 2x4 using a suitable hanger then you should be in good shape. If you can't get full span lumber, then I would just fill in between the existing 2x6s and 2x4s with duplicates to make them 16" on center and call it good. Use hangers or mending plates if possible. Throw some plywood up there to bridge the joists and you'd have some light storage. I wouldn't walk up there though.
Good luck
In any case, I ended up going to Home Depot and speaking with someone at their Pro Desk. He thought I would need a center beam and referred me to their LVL manufacturer. After I spoke with them and provided the dimensions and the live/dead load and they recommended four 1 3/4" X 16" LVLs.
I just have to figure out how to tie it into the walls. I plan on running it under the existing joists, but I will have to cut into my top plate so the top of the LVL will be on the same level as the bottom of the joists.
Thanks for your help.
Thanks
Maybe I should write that process up...
Yes I'd like to see any additional work you've done.
I'm planning the same sort of garage thing, but I want to insulate the roof and walls. We get no ice here in So Cal, but it gets roasting hot in the summer. I have been told to make sure to use a moisture barrier and weep screens at the bottom of the walls to avoid mold problems.
On another note, was there a reason you chose this type of roof construction over what is called Type 5 which has a central beam and provides more open rafter space?
I'm in the research phase, I'm right on the fence between trying to build one myself and just buying a Tuff-Shed brand garage as I don't have a bunch of framing experience.
Thanks again
Using the moisture wrap and screens are a good idea, I just didn't feel it was needed on our install. Time will tell, and at least I know where to find the builder for rework.
I chose this type of roof construction because of low cost, ease of build and permit approval. Getting a plan approved and passing inspection is easy with pre-fabbed trusses but takes a lot more work on a hand built roof as you describe. I just didn't have the confidence in getting a ridge beam hoisted 20+ feet in the air. Those LVL beams are heavy as heck, and getting them in position at the peak would require a crane that I did not have or desire to rent. An attic with more storage room is possible with that type of roof, but I am able to store a fair amount of stuff in the trusswork so I can't complain. The main reason I would go that route would be to allow an insulated ceiling in the main garage room, and a separate attic with access hatch/ladder. That would allow the garage to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter. However, the attic would be hot as all hell and limit what you could store up there.
Framing is pretty easy if you can measure and mark wood, make consistent square cuts to length within 1/8" of desired, have access to a pneumatic framing nailer, and if you have fairly straight lumber. Sizing and design of the door and window openings and headers can be an area where experience is helpful. That said, building it yourself is more fun than a Tuff-Shed any day, at least once you are finished.
It's easier to lay them flat, with the peak (tip) laying on the cross wall (over your garage door in this case). After the first truss, spread the others out a little, like a spread deck of cards, to distribute the weight. Keep the bottom chord of each truss on your top plate.
If you do this right, you can just stand each truss and wiggle it over into place, rather than flipping each one completely over. Safer and easier.
Forgot to mention, for the last few trusses you have to move them up against the completed trusses and work from the other end. Be sure to follow your layout (you DID mark a layout, right?) or measure off the places trusses so your sheeting lines up with your trusses.
Great instructable, by the way. Looks like SketchUp for the visuals?
You'll also save time by doing 3-4 rows at a time and working all the way across, so you don't have to move around as much walking back and forth cutting and filling the ends.
Great site!!! My roof will be 7/12 pitch. I've seen others nail down 2x2's or other size strips on the roof to use as footholds while on steeper inclines. Seems to me this would damage the felt---- or would you start at the top and work down in this case, removing the strips as you go? I'm in the southeast so I don't have to worry about ice barriers (thank goodness)...
I'll have the same issue with shingles....
Do you have an idea how much it would cost to build a commercial lube shop? Let's say 3 bays, 1 waiting area, 1 restroom, 1 office and 1 break room?
I think I could really use your help as much as possible. If you think you could help, e-mail me at nyotasandja@hotmail.com
Thanks a lot!
To answer your questions, I don't know how much it would cost, I don't think you can do it yourself, and thanks for reading.
I would imagine that siding over the 1.75" styrofoam is not going to be easy either as you will need a pretty long nail to get to the sheathing. With that much free nail between the siding and the sheathing I'd bet the siding could move around a bit in the right kind of wind. Over time this might work the nails loose. Otherwise you could use regularly spaced furring strips like in drywalling the block walls of a basement.
Based on what I have heard I like the concrete siding, but have not worked with it myself. Initial install is tougher than vinyl or wood, but supposedly lasts a long time if done right. You need to take care to seal the cut ends to avoid water wicking and another tip that I have heard is to skip the concrete hardi-board trim and use another product called MiraTEC for the trim pieces.
Good luck.
-Jon