did someone say garage?

I've been beavering away at a garage workshop project all summer and this coming Tuesday the slab will be poured. Thought I'd share the progress so far... It's 18.5 ft wide and 42 ft deep. Inside ceiling height is 11 ft at the high side and 10 ft at the low side. Three skylights are installed. The door is 10 ft wide and 8.5 ft high. Slab is at least 6 inches thick at the leading edge and 8 inches thick in the back half where the two post lift will be installed. I'm wiring up for 100 amps and I'm plumbing up for hot and cold running water. My apologies for you guys without garages or shops, but you know what, I'm 46 years old I bloody deserve this.

Awe man, I'm jealous. Although I've got a garage, It's barley big enough for two cars and some storage. Space for a workshop would be Soooo nice. Nice work.

Very nice!

keep posting pics, pretty cool ... congratulation and I can't wait to see it finished with your baby inside

Love it, keep us posted

Looks like a great project ! Why are there two door openings next to each other? BTW- If you haven't decided on a garage door opener yet you might wanna check out a jackshaft opener, it spins the torsion bar, so there is no center track. http://www.liftmaster.com/consumerwe...px?modelId=834

Very very nice and congratulations! BTW I have the liftmaster jack shaft opener and it is terrific, very quiet, very reliable.

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Ah yes, the two doors.... The door going into the shop from the side ( my daughter's left) is the man door. The one to my daughter's right is an opening for a trash bin locker. We have a bear problem where I live...garbage has to be kept locked up or the marauding varmints throw it all over the place. I have a garage door all selected and everything. It's a roll up system by a local outfit called "garador". My buddy has one and it's awesome. I am intrigued by this lift jack thing....will have to check that out.

Nice one Jasper! The two doors side by side must be some sort of arcane N. Vancouver building bylaw! Room for a shop in the back or is it for two cars?

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Hey Bill! One door is for a garbage can locker (see above...bears). North Van district has been pretty good through this. My lot is 60x150 so this shop stretches the bylaws a bit. The plan is the back half will be for hoisting and welding and general hot rod building. Two cars can be stacked in a pinch (one on the hoist). The front half is for daily parking and that's also where my work bench will be...under the windows. Motorcycles will fill in the interstitial spaces.

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Ahhhhh........ So the bears can peek thru the window and see the garbage ..... BUT they can't get to it??? You SIR, are a cruel cruel bastard !! BTW- That pic of your daughter reminds me of this 2003 pic of my Emily after we poured a new slab in our renovated barn.

Awsome! I built a garage 34 years ago, an oversize 2 car 24'x28'. Did most all the work myself, drew the plans, poured and finished concrete, erected the truss joists, roofed and shingled. Turned out wonderful, but my back's never been the same, lol.

OK - when I say I was beavering away...I should clarify that most the my effort has been spent yelling at my contractor who for the most part has not really kept up his end of the bargain. I know wrenches and electronics and spreadsheets and have all sorts of mechanical acumen and I helped out of course, and offered good advice on specific problems, but I have no experience with building and don't have the luxury of time to learn how. I really really admire the guys who could a project like this together on their own, especially if they are holding down a full time job at the same time.

Jasper, cool project. I am also dreaming/planning my garage remodel sometime soon. But agree, though to do on your own with full time job and family. Subscribed

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Those interstitial spaces can get crammed up pretty fast! Didn't know you were into bikes. Looks like a very nice design overall.

Looks great! I've actually been considering adding a free-standing 2-car garage/shop on my property. I have a garage attached to my house already, but I'd like additional space for cars and other stuff. It looks like a cool project.

Looks Great! I helped a friend of mine with his garage a few years ago. He put in a 'grease pit' so he could work under his cars without having to jack them up.

we built two garages, one attached and one freestanding. We always poured the slab first. What is the advantage of building the frame and then pouring the slab?

Great fenestration! You'll have fun working in it. Are you getting a full height 2-post lift? My Rotary lift requires 12' 2" of clearance. (My ceiling is 11' 11" and I had to cut holes so the cylinders could go into the attic 3"!) Lee, my garage is a pole barn that was built first and then the slab poured afterwards. The slab plays no role in holding up the building.

No advantage to pouring the slab first or last. Just how it worked out for me. It's a long story...involving big holes and broken promises. Like Van says, it's not like it adds structure. The hoist I have lined up has two 8 foot high posts. Just the thing for my ten foot ceiling. I would have built it higher but height restrictions prevented me from doing so. As it happens, I was just out admiring my new slab. I'd take photos for you guys but it's dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home these days. It looks great though. Next hurdle is getting the power hooked up!!! Great Scott the dollars just fly out the window with a project like this. I could have had a GT3....but I would have had no place to park it, and now I have no money left. Ain't that just the way though...

Nice project. Four years ago, I added a 1-1/2 car garage onto my existing 2-car garage in a space that was underneath a deck and completely wasted, with the deck going back in where it was previously. The whole thing looks like the house was originally built that way and now I have room for all three cars plus a 1/2 car area with double doors for storage. Here are before and after photos and a photo of the storage alcove. Enjoy your new garage!

Love that drive way!

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Occasionally soils engineering requires the slab to be free standing (not connected by rebar to the footings) if the soils are expansive or subject to seismic activity. There's pros and cons to either design but it's usually dictated by the dirt....

Looks like a great shop. I like the architecture. I find it interesting they built the structure before pouring the slab. In my neck of the woods, the slab always goes first and the framing is attached to the slab.

Nicely done Japser!

Nice looking garage for your toys. Do you get a lot of snow there? What is the pitch of your roof?

you guys can all go to hell!! xD

Awesome! You are going to love having a two post lift!

+1 on the Jackshaft opener. Higher door, fast, and SOOO quiet. If my screws go, or I have a few extra hundred, that's what I plan to put in.

it looks good to me too. how about secondary stuff. cabinets, bench, sink, floor, compressor, lighting, stereo? i would like a space like that.

Update - watershed moment The slab was poured 29 days ago and my concrete curing curves tell me that it is now safe to park *inside*. There's a tonne left to do (including building benches, insulation, interior panelling) but the slab was the major tipping point and I'm now in good shape to replace the clutch on my BMW K75S (which is slipping due to an oil seal leak).. The siding, soffits and garage door *should* be done by the end of the month, and as you can see I wired up some lights and a 15 amp outlet which is just temporary until the 100 amp panel is installed. On with the photos :

That's going to be really nice! Thanks for the update.

Looks great! It looks as though you have a lot of space to move around. Thanks for the update.

That's pretty damn nice Jasper - lots of space. Congrats!

Your 996 looks very happy there... lots of room to move around

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Looks great Jasper but admit it, your little helper pictured here did most of the work, didn't she? With all of that space you are going to need to buy a few more Pcars. Best of luck finishing the project.

Spare me the indulgence, I had my garage door installed today, and in the meantime the siding and soffits were done as well. It's a Christmas miracle!! Still heaps of work to do, but I am *definitely* over the hump. Check out the photos:

Persian carpets! Thought this was a working garage ....

Looks great.

Looks great, nice vertical cedar siding. Lots of room for all of your acquired toys. Keep the updated pics coming.

Beautiful. And all of this for a p-car. LOL. Looks comfy! p.s. Persian carpets are great for just about everything. Ever seen them camping before?

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That's a magic carpet. Performance wise, it blows away the Pcar...

Looks good. Have you considered installing four 2' x 4' fluorescent lights down the center of the garage ceiling. You could space them evenly between the sky lights..... fluorescent light, then sky light, then fluorescent light, then sky light....... They would give you good "general" overhead lighting at night. At this stage of the construction, the wiring would be very easy, maybe about 2 hours of your time. Just a thought.

Yea, and Ti lug nuts too while you're at it...

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Definitely!

Amazing! Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the encouragement guys! Lighting wise, yes, that's what I'm thinking. Flourescent tube lights on the ceiling, lights along the wall, maybe on dimmers (I'm doing a big screen tv eventually with some surround sound action). About a million electrical outlets,some switched, a few 240V outlets scattered around, cat-5 cables, co-ax tv cables... I won't close up the walls until all the wiring is done. The carpet was a cast away from a neighbour. I grabbed it this summer with the plan to put it in the shop. We'll see how it holds up. The door I got is a roll up affair. It's quiet and very unobtrusive. The design comes from Australia of all places. It was called Garador until recently when the local guy got in over his head and had to form a new company called smart garage. Nevermind the guy's business trouble, the product itself is fantastic. You can't imagine the feeling of pushing a button when I pull into my driveway and driving straight into this shop/garage. After 46 years of wanting something.anything, I have this now. Sure I could have had a 996 GT3 instead...but where would I have parked it? Will keep you posted as I get on. The next few moves won't be cosmetic so much..a lot of electrical right. cheers and merry Xmas to all.

Nice!

Looks like it really matches the house, too!

Other garage essentials: big screen/wall mounted TV set on SpeedTV channel w/roof mounted satellite dish, refrigerator, '82s boom box for tunes, telecom+high-speed internet access, two comfy chairs, used desk and chair w/reading lamp, and small aux. space heater for warming feet in winter. Now, you're good to go. relinuca

More light than you think. Overhead air reel 1/2"x50' so it can reach outside. Watch your local online auction house for 24"x96"x96" palett racking, its usually blue. Various and sundry rolling platforms to put things on. Sheetrock the walls then put OSB around the bottom 4', hold up 1/2" from floor. Glue on vinyl base. At least seal the concrete with a couple coats so sweeping isn't such a chore. Frame and hang all of those posters you've been saving. Its an evolving thing, been working at mine for 12 years. Take some time to contemplate the details with a few adult beverages.