How to build a garage from the ground up

Step 5 Get ready to swing that hammer

You should consider your tools for completing the job before you begin in order to save time and money. These tools consist of two groups, inanimate tools that you swear at, and animate tools that you swear at. Those animate tools are you, your friends, and family that have agreed to help, so a fine line must be maintained in order to avoid a workers strike.

Before you wade into that huge pile of lumber, make sure you have the inanimate tools needed. Below are photos of a typical construction tool belt designed to hold tools and nails while you work. Depending on the job at hand you will want different tools and nails/screws in the pockets. I have laid out my typical load for framing and sheathing as well as for roofing. Use these photos as a guide for what kind of hand tools you will need to build your garage successfully and with minimum pain and suffering.

That said, the best way to minimize your pain and suffering is to have the right power tools for the job. One key tool is a pneumatic framing nailer that can sink 16D and 8D size nails in dimensional lumber such as 2x4's. This tool requires an air compressor with decent capacity as well as special nails but will save you a lot of pain. If you don't have a friend to borrow a nailer from, then you can rent them for a reasonable daily fee. I would suggest buying an air compressor if you don't have one since they come in handy for a lot of tasks. Pretty much any compressor that they sell at Home Depot will be big enough to run a nail gun, but look to get one in the 5 gallon or greater size with 3-4cfm at 100psi capacity and a 1.5-2hp motor. That should serve you well for most future tasks as well. Below is a semi-complete list of the power tools and specialty gear that will make your project go smoothly.

• Air compressor (3-4 cfm at 100psi)
• Framing nailer (3.5" nail driving capacity)
• Circular saw
• Jigsaw or reciprocating saw
• Power drill (corded or cordless)
• Hammer tacker
• 4' level
• Pair of 6' step ladders
• One extension ladder (or little-giant type pivoting ladder) capable of reaching 16'

Unless you plan on renting more than one nailer you will need tools and jobs for your friends and family to use. A good method is to have a team of people laying out and marking the dimensional lumber for framing while another person moves along behind them with the nailer to put it all together. Have another person cutting lumber to length based on instructions from the layout team, someone fetching lumber and beers, someone shaking their head in disapproval, etc. In this way you can efficiently use 4-6 people at once. You will need tool belts and hand tools for the layout team and the person cutting, so they can measure and mark and put in temporary nails as needed. The power nailer guy will need a way to hold extra nails and a hammer to sink stubborn nails. You get the picture. A big bucket or wheelbarrow makes a good way to hold all of these hand tools and supplies during the chaos of the build so make sure everyone knows where to put things when they are done or you will be chasing speed squares half the day.

Below are some pictures with typical tool needs for framing and roofing. In general they have the same tools, but there are some differences. The less you carry the better, because lugging bundles of shingles up a rickety ladder isn't made any easier by carrying 2 pounds of 16D nails. The key tool that is never available is a pencil, so I have pictured two. In reality the first task to beginning work should be to sprinkle pencils in every conceivable place so that you can find one when you need one and someone has walked off with yours.