12 Design tips for the Garage/Workshop
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 5:04 pmBy Scott Lee McElyea
I like to fancy myself a woodworker along with many other hobbies my wife would never let me do at the kitchen table. In my garage; I work on our vehicles, build custom wooden canoes, and design and build furniture, jewelry boxes, etc. I also have to store bicycles, lawn equipment, camping gear and a chest freezer. To say the least, my 20’x20’ two car garage plan is incapable of housing any cars that do not have the Matchbox logo on the bottom. The encumbered space is loaded to the hilt and if I want to work on a hobby it is usually done in the driveway.
For the time being the space allotted in my home plan will have to suffice, but I am now designing the garage for the next house plan before I even know where the kitchen is going to be placed. After designing many garage/workshop combinations for clients over the years, I have come up with a dozen tips to try to incorporate into the next garage plan design. If you have many large hobbies like I do, they might just help you on your next garage plan too.
My wife cares very little about my future “man cave” designs but has given me the ultimatum that she will either be able to park in the garage in our next house plan, or she will burn all of my tools. This brings me to my first and favorite tip that helps keep cars where cars go and tools where tools go.
Tip 1: Build a 2-4” step up in the concrete slab 15’-6” from the inside of the overhead garage door. This will allow the cars to stop at the same place every time clear of the closing door. For most cars pulling in forward into the garage it will allow for a walking space between the rear bumper and the door once the front wheels hit the curb. For larger more difficult to park vehicles, this will still allow for the garage door to close safely behind it, but not allow much access to the rear of the vehicle. (To be safe, measure before construction and attempting) If you want to be able to open a rear door or tailgate, add 4’ to the depth of the parking area.
(For tips 1 and 2 be sure to paint any changes in floor level bright yellow or other high visibility color to prevent falls)
Tip 2: If you are someone who likes to work on vehicles, you can put in a small pit in the floor between the wheel base of the vehicle. It doesn’t have to be huge or complicated, just make a 28” deep pit that is 34” wide that is angled up to grade on one side. This will allow for sitting room under most vehicles and allow for entry under the car with a creeper dolly. If you don’t need sitting space, just make it 12”-16” deep to allow for the creeper without having to jack up the vehicle.
Tip 3: Allow for a door other than overhead garage door to allow for a quiet means of getting outside or inside the garage without loosing much heating or cooling.
Tip 4: Plan on how you will provide lighting in the space. Large fluorescent work lights provide a lot of light, but consider a cheap track light or other positional light to add extra light to an important work area like a table or band saw.
Tip 5: Adding in windows in a garage plan provide a great way to light and vent a garage. Make sure a work bench can fit under the windows if on is preferred on that wall.
Tip 6: If you need sawdust management or compressed air, plan on an attached but separate room that is accessible from the outside for a noisy dust collection system and or an air compressor that keeps garage quieter and less cluttered.
Tip 7: Adding a utility sink along with a drain or two in the center of the slab will allow you to wash you hands and squeegee the floor clean after a messy job. (Be sure not to wash oil or other dangerous chemicals down the drain. All toxic chemicals should be disposed of properly.) To help keep the floor clean and without stains, you may also want to plan for the low cost of an epoxy floor covering.
Tip 8: Open garage windows can be assisted by a whole house or exterior wall mounted fan to cool the area and get fumes vented out and fresh air in. If your hobbies involve a lot of fumes, even if they are cigar fumes, you might want to think about a detached garage plan so the fumes do not permeate into the house. (You should always wear respiratory protective devises around harmful vapors or dust.)
Tip 9: In the winter, a heated garage is a happy garage. You might want to insulate the garage walls and use heaters to warm the area to comfortable temperatures only when needed. Some people even use wood burning stoves to heat their workshops with their wood scraps.
Tip 10: Allow for big work benches for big tools. Some large tools just don’t fit on smaller work benches. 2’-6” deep bench tops allow for most all tools to be used comfortably.
Tip 11: High ceilings should be put to use. I hang my canoes, kayaks, and wood storage from my ceiling to get the most workable space possible below.
Tip 12: Two story garages are known to bring a tear of joy to a handyman’s eye. If your home plan allows for use of a second story loft in a garage for storage or design space, it should be a crime not to use it. Allow for a simple set of stairs out of the way of cars or main walk ways, and this area will be 100 times more useful than a hard to get to attic space.
I have designed a midsized garage / workshop which utilized most of these tips that you can find on our site at http://www.avidhomestudios.com/plans/p2279.xml
About Scott Lee McElyea
Scott Lee McElyea is a Senior Designer and Autodesk Specialist for AVID Home Studios. His favorite style of house plans would be either Craftsman, or Arts and Crafts. Both styles lead themselves easily to smaller, efficient design without losing details. Scott can be reached at 1-888-280-AVID or scottmcelyea @ avid home studios.com.
Tags: garage plans