Garages

Alfasudcrazy

I am currently building a three car garage - its a fairly simple one but I want it to be fairly good. I am putting 15 vents so as to have plenty of air circulation. It has a cladding roof with felt/mesh wire inside. I will be putting wooden double doors X3 in it.
I was just wondering if any of you people have any nice garages and what you like best about them or would like to do to them to make them better.

camarobill

as i spend most off my time in it the misses suggested i move the bed into it :eek: im thinkin about it

ds20prefecture

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

I am currently building a three car garage - its a fairly simple one but I want it to be fairly good. I am putting 15 vents so as to have plenty of air circulation. It has a cladding roof with felt/mesh wire inside. I will be putting wooden double doors X3 in it.

Envy. I wish I had that kind of space.

A long time ago I used to make/sell steel cladding, and one of the things that always struck me was the level of condensation when anything warm was in the building. I would spend a little more on polystyrene/polyurethane insulation on the roof if you can, instead of the felt. The felt just collects any condensation that forms on the steel, it doesn't actually insulate. Are you going with a box profile or 10/3 corrugated? The box is easier to insulate. I don't know where you are located (so this may not be worthwhile) but my brother in Longford makes & sells pretty good box-profile stuff with 50mm laser-cut polystyrene panels for insulation. PM me for details if you're interested & I'll get him to cut you a deal. He might have some good seconds stuff too. All you have to do in return is give me a spin in the Junior if we ever meet!

Failing that, try to get your hands on some second-hand composite panel (new it's about €75 per metre!). Nothing insulates better than that stuff, it's a doddle to fit and very strong.

A friend built a garage, and I asked why he didn't put a pit in. He said carbon monoxide is heavier than air, so pits are deadly unless forcibly vented.

Have you considered a dehumidifier/air con? Again, maybe not now, but leave provision for it - i.e. a good high-amp circuit to the garage. Also - what about an alarm?

Hope this helps.

ds20prefecture

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

I was just wondering if any of you people have any nice garages and what you like best about them or would like to do to them to make them better.

Another friend of mine has one wall of his garage done in floor to ceiling windows, so that he can gaze in on his DS on the worst of days.

Off topic, and not meaning to be critical, but are you sure about the span and centres of those purlins? From the pictures, and the 3 car I'm guessing 25' span x 25' length with 5' gaps between?
25' is quite a reach, particularly with no overhang beyond the walls. What size are the purlins? You might want to consider a Zed or Multibeam steel purlin instead of timber - they give a lot more strength for a given size/weight. Again, should be easy to source salvage from industrial demolition or seconds from places like my brother's (there's lots of them)
Alternatively you could place a central rsj to halve the span.
You'd want fairly chunky cladding for 5' centres - say 0.6mm box or 0.8mm round profile.
Are you in a very sheltered area, wind wise?

Sorry if I'm teaching granny to suck eggs here.

Alfasudcrazy

Thanks DS - I haven't a clue about building - I get a guy to do it for me. So I don't even know what a purlin is?
The gap width wise is 23' - tight I know for three cars but each door has a clearance of 7' which is more than enough even for the daimler. He has the roof on it now so its too late to change anything there - hopefully with the vents condensation will not be a problem.
Once completed I intend to make an internal doorway from it into the adjacent garage (you can just see its white doors in pic) - effectively making it one five car garage.
I have an ordinary domestic type de-humifidier in it - just plugs into the wall? . Alarm is something to consider as well - bearing in mind it will store €30,000 worth of classics

Silvera

Will you be making an inspection pit, Alfa ?

Or is it high enough for a lift ?

Alfasudcrazy

Was going to put a pit in it but they are very difficult to construct - mainly flooding.
It is a bit low for a lift as well. Does anyone have a recipe for constructing a pit that will not flood. As the floor is not down yet it is still possible to do one if I want to

Silvera

I've seen pre-fabricated plastic pits advertised in UK magazines.

Car Mechanics mag did a feature a few years ago about fitting one - they seemed pleased with the results iirc.

kyote00

probably worth thinking about

- lighting
- area that you can close off for welding, painting etc.
- moisture control & heating [ overkill maybe ?]

I am also planning an extension so i'd like to hear about pit and car lifts if anyone has any experiences....

green-blood

after car envy, garage envy is becoming a serious problem with me - and all I ned is enough space for a mini!!

I've taken to noting the location of house in my area with large garages or large enough side alleys to build one and keeping an eye on them in case they come up for sale..... bloody dublin property prices

nice space alfie, if I had a three car garage, one third would be fully tiled so I could power wash in doors....

Silvera

:eek:

Alfasudcrazy

Nice space Silvera - do you know any place that I might get a used hoist - I know it would not lift the car completely due to the roof height of my garage but I could still work comfortably under them even if they were just a few feet off the ground

JohnBoy

autotrader generally has one or two, keep an eye on the buyandsell too.

nice job, I operate mostly from a three span hayshed shared with a washing line, various supplies of timber, bricks, firewood and a tractor (but the tractor is a classic too, so that's ok)

the workshop then is a lovely stone barn, but it has a major condensation problem, so much so that we're building an insulated tool security cabinet that's gonna have it's own heater in it to try and stop all the tools rusting

nothing bigger than a mini will fit in there though.

silvera I hate you

ds20prefecture

JohnBoy wrote:

silvera I hate you

seconded.

shagman

Yeah I hate all a yiz :mad: ....my garage is the road outside the house and the (1 car) driveway 4 classics and one modern, :eek: and understanding neighbours. The modern is being given to my sister tomorrow. It better not be raining tomorrow cos I've to replace a slave cylinder so I can drive to work on thursday!!!! I NEED A GARAGE . I think tomorrow my garage will be a large umbrella....maybe if I strap the patio umbrella to the side of the wheel well and ......

Paul (MN)

there must be pop-up waterproof "tents" available for working on cars???

MercMad

Yeah you can get them in Woodies !

Paul (MN)

I've just noticed that you have parked your car very close to all the building work!

Alfasudcrazy

Paul (MN) wrote:

I've just noticed that you have parked your car very close to all the building work!

That was during a little bit of a pause (weekend) while I waited for delivery of the roof materials. My Mk 2 Escort is just the tip of the iceberg - theres about 7 other cars out of shot. :rolleyes:
Roof is on now and concrete floor laid - next step - plastering. 3,500 Euros and counting :mad:

Will post a pic of it when it stops raining here.

Alfasudcrazy

Just a pic of my babies first taste of their new home
Concrete floor is now set and roof completed. It is still minus any doors (plywood sheets being used as a stop gap) and it yet has to be plastered. Also the drive up to it has to be concreted - still its a lot of work done in about a month - Rome was not built in a day as they say. Hope to be fully completed by the end of April

Silvera

Looking good Alfa !

You didn't bother with the pit after all ?

I see there is a new inspection ramp/stand for sale in UK mag c.stg£1150, onto which you can drive a car for oil changes, etc. Might suit you ?

Alfasudcrazy

Silvera wrote:

Looking good Alfa !

You didn't bother with the pit after all ?

I see there is a new inspection ramp/stand for sale in UK mag c.stg£1150, onto which you can drive a car for oil changes, etc. Might suit you ?

Thanks Silvera - yes - as you can see from the incline up to the floor level it had to be risen much higher than I expected to take account of very wet and marshy ground at the back of the garage. :rolleyes: The surrounding ground ruled out a pit as it would most likely flood no matter what measures were taken to prevent it. We learned this the hard way with one of our tractor garages which had a pit installed at enormous cost only to have to be filled in again due to flooding. :mad:
I am on the lookout for a lift - but it would have to be fairly cheap as the most these cars can be lifted (due to the floor height) is three feet.

Silvera

I sometimes use a pair of ramps to raise the front of a car when I'm doing an oil change.

I have often thought that it would be relatively straightforward to use four of these ramps, along with purpose-made interconnecting ramps, onto which you could drive the car and so would raise a car approx 2-3 feet off the ground.
Hope you can undrstand what I mean ?

Alfasudcrazy

Yes Silvera I see what you are getting at - but with that set up the wheels would still have to remain on. The great advantage of a lift (the ones where extendable legs are placed under the body of the car) is you could work with an elevated car with the wheels removed - a must when working on brakes or suspension.
I also have to use the ramps for oil changes on my Caddy - just to remove the undertray (has about 10 screws holding it in place) :rolleyes: Have to roll it off again to drain the oil - and then drive it up again to refit the undertray :mad:

Paul (MN)

are all your car red?

Alfasudcrazy

I can have any classic I want as long as its red :rolleyes:

Mmm yes they are all red - all five. My Caddy van is red as well. My Gt is dark grey though - I thought a bit of variety might be nice

JohnBoy

well this is my one, complete with the engine crane about to drive in



looking good alfa...

Alfasudcrazy

I was thinking of building a garage like that as well (a little smaller of course) but was afriad of

a. Planning permission
b. Condensation from all that corrugated iorn.

I know your garage was probably originally concieved as a hay barn but if that was mine I would make a second floor in it (at least some of it) for storing bits and pieces. I suppose you have to store tractors and other high machinery in it which would rule that out - you could not use your 'engine lift' either :rolleyes:

mustang68

If you have humidity problems in your garage you might try a carcoon (carcoon.com). you dive your car onto a mat, zip the cover over and they inflate,keeping your car dry in damp places (I'm beginning to sound like I work for them!!)

I got the outdoor one and its been great, car is always dry, and kept over the winter very well

rooferPete

Sorry I came in too late Alfa, it is possible to manufacture a liner for work pits using epdm, of course the liner must be installed carefully and 150 mm of concrete poured in the bottom.

The concrete acts as a raft foundation for the side walls being 4" solid blocks on flat, the epdm is wrapped over the last course of blocks and the floor is then poured.

A lot of expense to go to for a hobby project because as you pointed out you still have to work on the cars with the wheels off, requiring a ramp so where does a body stop ?

By the time you have kitted out the garage you look around and have sold all the classics to pay for it, unless of course you are like a certain party who displayed a garage to die for

Regards,

Peter.

Alfasudcrazy

mustang68 wrote:

If you have humidity problems in your garage you might try a carcoon (carcoon.com). you dive your car onto a mat, zip the cover over and they inflate,keeping your car dry in damp places (I'm beginning to sound like I work for them!!)

I got the outdoor one and its been great, car is always dry, and kept over the winter very well

I assume you have to have it in a sheltered place because of wind? Does wind affect it and is it easy to put the car in or out of. A pic of that would be very interesting

JohnBoy

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

I was thinking of building a garage like that as well (a little smaller of course) but was afriad of

a. Planning permission
b. Condensation from all that corrugated iorn.

I know your garage was probably originally concieved as a hay barn but if that was mine I would make a second floor in it (at least some of it) for storing bits and pieces. I suppose you have to store tractors and other high machinery in it which would rule that out - you could not use your 'engine lift' either :rolleyes:

Planning could be an issue alright, but condensation isn't, the open front takes care of that,

it's a grand shed to work in, but light is poor in winter time and there is no secure storage so I'm forever loading tools into a wheelbarrow to go out and work there.

I'd like to have a second floor, but it'd just be somewhere else to store rubbish.

as things stand we have the three span hayshed posted above, two smaller lean to sheds, and two slated barns, and the level of rubbish around the place is rather bad, the parents have two cars, a tractor and a car trailer. I have two cars, a landy and a car transporter, my mate dave has two landies, and between us we have another landy rolling chassis.

the problem with living in the country is it's too easy to accumulate rubbish

rooferPete

Hi JohnBoy,

For when you come up lucky on the Lotto, getting older, the old joints not enjoying the cold anymore and decide you want a front on the shed

There is a spray applied foam insulation for inside single skin metal buildings like converted hay sheds, it keeps in the heat and stops the condenation.

I know what you mean about having too much space to keep the bits and pieces that will be handy one day, when the day comes (if ever) the valuables are buried under a pile of newer valuables .

Having looked at your Landy project I think you are making the most of the space you have and fair play to you, that is some very nice work you are doing.

stratos

I dunno if this might help some people. I built a large garage and used cladding on the roof, condensation was a huge problem.

I tried vents and electric fans to no avail. What did work was a plastic dust sheet nailed onto the bottom of the rafters with a cloth dust sheet nailed under that. no more condensation.

Alfasudcrazy

I thought I was particular about my garage - take a read of this link to see how a money no object garage should be built

http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2004/04/30/cx_bs_0430home.html?partner=netscape

My Garage by Jay Leno

http://www.forbes.com/2000/12/18/1218lenols.html

Dades

Wow. Nice looking carpad!

But no-one knows what nice cars you have if you hide them away.
Better to keep 'em on the streets I say.