Planning a workshop in the garage: HELP

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Skylar

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As a couple of you know, I'm building a house. The garage will be extended so it is approximately 8.5m x 6m. Haven't got perfect dimensions... get the plans next week. I'll then have the opportunity to modify and fine tune the plans further.

Plenty of you boys and girls work on your bikes and cars, etc.... how would you set it up? I'm struggling with a few things....

1. Should I centre the garage door so there is extra space on both sides of the garage.... one side built in storage..... one side workbench? Or should the extra space be maximised on one side?

2. Trough is a must have... what about a toilet in there? Good idea and handy? Or complete waste of time? (Internal bathroom is up other end of house... ensuite up front)

3. At this stage there will be a spa behind the garage so there will be standard sized access door on the side of the garage. Better to move the spa to the other side of the outdoor area so that a single roller door can be put on the back of the garage? There will be access around the garage at the side so is the roller door unnecessary?

4. Windows for light in the garage. Handy or a complete waste of time?

5. Lighting..... what is the best? How many lights? Powerpoints.... how many?

6. Please offer any practical suggestions or anything you can think of. Got one chance to get this right so don't want to stuff it up! :eek:

Thanks in advance! :)

This is the rough plan (written dimensions are wrong) that I've been playing around with to give you an idea....

scan0003moddedagain5.jpg
 
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1. leave the door offset to one side... frees up an entire side of the shed for storage and workspace.
2. toilet definately a good idea... dont really wanna run through your new house with grease and oil over your hands..
3. roller door on the back of the garage is a good idea... bigger the access door the better... much easier to squeeze bikes, bbqs etc out a roller door than a normal access door.
4. windows in the wall do give unwanted persons access to your garage, but skylights are a definate plus... they'll light the shed up pretty well where lighting may not..
5. lighting: multiple flouros are the go for main lighting on the ceiling, (am guessing mercury vapour is out of the question cost wise.. heh heh) fluoros and a floodlight over the workbench... when it comes to workbenches and engines being pulled to bits, you can never have enough light... as for powerpoints, as many as you can get in all corners of the garage, and multiple points over the workbench... the less powerboards and extension cords you need, the better..
6. practical ideas.... big steel tray on the floor ... catches oil and nuts and bolts where you park and work on your bikes...
cupboards.... shadow board on the back wall for hanging tools.... one of those big rolling toolboxes you can get pretty cheap at car parts stores like supacheap or kmart nowadays... and if you can find one, an old fridge, working or not... they are great for keeping things like engine oils, powersteering and brake fluids at a constant temperature and atmosphere, and also handy for things like keeping engine gaskets dry and flat...

only other suggestion i can think of, is do the best you can with security... deadlocks, sliding bolts on the doors etc... make it as hard as possible for anyone to get in...
hope that all helps.
6.
 
don't forget to allow for things like cooling, nothing worse then trying to fix you bike / car and sweating like anything.

If its built on the house like pictured make sure the roof for it is also insulated
allow for things like air lines and what not if you play with air tools, ideally you don't want the compressor in the garage with you tho.

Good ventilation also, don't wanna gas yourself.

don't go overboard with shelving and stuff as that will restrict your working space. Also agree to keep the door to one side, my main work area is a 2 bay garage with one side closed off for like bike storage / workspace.
 
house is damn fine...
id love a garage that had a toilet and a fridge
with a big work bench and racks etc to put ya tools on/put them away
heaps of floor space
oh and airconed :D
 
3 phase power can be a handy addition to. and airlines..a duel outlet either side should be enough air to go around :) 3 phase plug on side walls, 8 or so duel power points, keep any excess carpet that may be around as there is nothing worse than having to work on a cold concrete floor!

hmm beer fridge, LCD screen, intercom, radio, possibly an ADSL connection?! ... yep.. id be happy..
 
hahahaha

think this is turning more into a "what is your dream garage" thread.
 
Thanks for the ideas fellas. Keep them coming. I'm modifying as I go through things.

Thinking of putting in one if those drop down attic ladder things and lining the floor inside the roof space so that it is a storage area (Christmas tree, luggage, etc). This will free up the garage purely for garden/car/bike stuff, not full of long term storage stuff. Will definitely make sure garage is insulated (from memory it will be, but will check with the builder).

Decided no roller door on the back, but might get one made for the side. So instead of a pedestrian door as it is on the plan, a roller door about 1.2m wide. Like the idea of keeping the back wall plain so that it stays a nice courtyard for the spa.:)

The floor will be painted with floor sealer before I move in.

I'll have an alarm system, but it's a really safe area with low crime. And my house will be one of the little ones lol.

fools... where it says outdoor meals on the plan, there'll be a built in outdoor kitchen betwwen the two pillars with bbq, benches and drinks fridge... might have to walk there for your beer.;)

Tom thanks for the idea about the old fridge... getting a new fridge when we move... so I'll keep current one for out there.

BigM it is a bit of a dream garage thread lol, that's ok, they're all good idea! Keep them coming,
Jo
 
thump*140 said:
1. leave the door offset to one side... frees up an entire side of the shed for storage and workspace.
2. toilet definately a good idea... dont really wanna run through your new house with grease and oil over your hands..
3. roller door on the back of the garage is a good idea... bigger the access door the better... much easier to squeeze bikes, bbqs etc out a roller door than a normal access door.
4. windows in the wall do give unwanted persons access to your garage, but skylights are a definate plus... they'll light the shed up pretty well where lighting may not..
5. lighting: multiple flouros are the go for main lighting on the ceiling, (am guessing mercury vapour is out of the question cost wise.. heh heh) fluoros and a floodlight over the workbench... when it comes to workbenches and engines being pulled to bits, you can never have enough light... as for powerpoints, as many as you can get in all corners of the garage, and multiple points over the workbench... the less powerboards and extension cords you need, the better..
6. practical ideas.... big steel tray on the floor ... catches oil and nuts and bolts where you park and work on your bikes...
cupboards.... shadow board on the back wall for hanging tools.... one of those big rolling toolboxes you can get pretty cheap at car parts stores like supacheap or kmart nowadays... and if you can find one, an old fridge, working or not... they are great for keeping things like engine oils, powersteering and brake fluids at a constant temperature and atmosphere, and also handy for things like keeping engine gaskets dry and flat...

only other suggestion i can think of, is do the best you can with security... deadlocks, sliding bolts on the doors etc... make it as hard as possible for anyone to get in...
hope that all helps.
6.
Click to expand...


That was a great post which just about covered most things that should be considered when designing and setting up a garage. The garage is the only room in the house that can never be too big! I hate how all of the big volume builders only allow just enough room for 2 cars to fit in and barely enough room to wheel a bike beside or in between the cars. Another thing I would change is the height of the main garage door because the standard height is 2100mm which in some cases can be an issue but I guess not everyone needs the extra height.

If you are planning on using the garage roof space for storage then you may want to consult your builder about it otherwise it can void their guarantee if anything was to go wrong (such as a failed truss) and the truss company wouldnt be responsible for it either. The reason for that is because the roof trusses would not be designed for that purpose but they can very easily be designed to allow for this and it shouldnt cost much more for the trusses to be made that way as it will only be a stronger bottom cord on the trusses.
 
^^Matt, I hadn't really thought about height. It would only be a problem for a 4 x 4 with roof racks though wouldn't it?

There'll be about 6 or 7 metres on the side of the garage to the fence for a boat or anything later on I guess. ;)

As for upgrading the trusses... really??? It's not like I'll be living up there. It's just be a bit of storage that's all. Will check out the cost to see if it's viable.

Although klx140kid might be banished up there if he's naughty! :p


Yeah, and I agree, Tom's post was great! Thanks Tom. :)
 
..........................................beer Fridge.............................................
 
have you thought bout what tools will be used in the shed? Any welders or thing like that, that may require a 10 or 15 amp powerpoint? For a shed i would say 4 ft fluros are the way to go, 5ft are to expensive and a 3ft fluro costs more than a 4 ft, lol. probably 2 banks of 3 would be my guess or even 2 banks of 4. Get twin fluros too, Probably place a couple over the work benches as well. having the ones over the work bench switched seperate from the ones in the middle. As for power points, have them over the top of the work benches and probably 2 double gpos per location. as a minimum probaly would put at least 3 set of 2 over the top of the workbench, if its only on one side, and if the bench is on both sides then do the same on the other side, also as i said before if you intend on using big welders a 10 or 15 amp gpo wont go astray. Also dont forget about outside powerpoints too, could at least have one or two out the back incase you want to use a pressure washer or things like that.

p.s. if ya thinking about storeing things up in the roof spaces a couple of fluros wont go astray up there either, make it easier than looking for things by torch, lol
 
put the spa inside your garage
buy a bigggggg plasma or maybe even a projector?
hmm maybe some nice leather couches
fridge full of SOFTDRINK :D
 
sounds like a pretty nice set up you got going the skylar.
I am sort of disagreeing with one of the other posts, a air compressor will never hurt, you could even put it outside. I have an air compressor in my shed and even thought it is a small one out of th way, it works really well. you can dry off your bikes, and it makes it really easy to pump up tires, most tires have a desired psi (prressure per square inch) and if go above or below that, you could do some damage to tires and tubes.and if you every need to wash an engine part, it is soo mch easier blowing all the gunk out, than trying to do it by hand, simple, easy and gets the job dome better.

also, some racks never go astray, like in the shed i have like turps and kerro bottles, and racks for like fuel containers, and it is a good idea to but like some spare nuts and bolts, and sort them into different categories and put them in a sorting box. Oh, yeah, containers, like you can buy these little blue containers, they are plastic and works really well, great for cleaning parts with turps and air filters too.
 
all I can say is climate controll :), good airflow as a minimum, but I got a inverter split Aircon from bunnings for about $500 & fitted myself, it's quiet & cheap to run.
I have 4 garages & never park a car in there :)
floor needs to be painted with a solvent/ oil resistant paint. you should use good lighting I run twin batton fluros (one standard & one daylight globe in each) this makes a huge difference, I only changed tubes because I airbrush in there & needed good light, but would do this again regardless.
I have a toilet & a LARGE laundry style sink (S/Steel is easy to clean) & you need a fridge
nice to have a beam across the roof you can lift / support things from (mine will hold a Bigblock, but handy to tie the bars up on the bigger bikes when removing the wheels so they don't fall off the stand
things I could probably live without in there would be 122cm TV (allthough it's good to have the racing on while I work etc. & the kids can play the Xbox while I'm working & babysitting at the same time ;) ) but if you set it up right you will only go into the house to eat & sleep :)
 
a stage:p a definite must have...

shelves. lots of little drawers etc for them bolts and stuff...
an extraction fan...welding fumes, test starts etc... somethging like a leaf blower is ideal... lots of suction
air compressor... get a better one than a cheap bunnings direct drive...they last all of ten minutes.

a lathe and a mill!!!!!!

a vacuum cleaner.

a washtub/sink and hand cleaner.

a decent bench...steel topped is best.

bench grinder.

if not a mill, then a decent drill press...

more shelves.

um... all things i want but dont have... except that mill and lathe bit...:eek:

a bloody rubbish bin!!!!!!! i also lack this particular item... ever since the mother chose to put some fibro in the damn thing....

and throw out the damn tv altogether!!!! the curse of modern times... you may have a pc for accessing miniriders though;)

who in their right mind wants to sit there watching the box when theyre meant to be working on their motomocycles?
 
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I'm not building this house anymore. Have changed to a different design, but it will still have a workshop. The laundry and mud room come off the garage in the new one, so it's much better! :D
 
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