Building New Garage...Size? Extras?

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Bill, you should have planned it so that you'd live in the garage while the house was being built. Priorities!

86 year old house, and we live down the street. But yeah, build the garage first if you are building a home, as you can secure tools and parts, which tend to get stolen from new construction.

Just finished a five month renovation. I'm calling it the Corona Cottage. "Thanks" to Corona, I had plenty of time to work seven days a week, ten hours a day. Five months later, its done.

The "experts" claim the only renovations that might pay for themselves are bathrooms and kitchens. Even then, you have a good chance of not getting your money back out of it. As always, the way to make home improvements pay for themselves is to use them. My current house renovation is for the duration. So we made improvements that we wanted, most of which were not cost effective.

[Mark Campbell]

Thanks for all of the guidance and wisdom shared to my original question. I live in a small residential development on a 1/2 acre lot. I need go go visit my township zoning office to see what hoops I need to jump through to build a garage. I have a better idea of what I should include after reading all of the replies. Modern building codes limit the amount of space building can occupy on a lot. That might be an issue. I did receive the message of Go Big or Go Home. I might have more questions once I return from my visit to the zoning office.

Thanks,

Mark Campbell

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Mark Campbell

Thanks for all of the guidance and wisdom shared to my original question. I live in a small residential development on a 1/2 acre lot. I need go go visit my township zoning office to see what hoops I need to jump through to build a garage. I have a better idea of what I should include after reading all of the replies. Modern building codes limit the amount of space building can occupy on a lot. That might be an issue. I did receive the message of Go Big or Go Home. I might have more questions once I return from my visit to the zoning office.

Thanks,

Mark Campbell

Biggest stumbling block in my town was they call any building NOT attached to the home, an accessory building. Max size of any single accessory building is 600 sq ft, max size of ALL accessory buildings is 1000 sq ft. Again, this is my town. Your rules will be different, maybe worse, hopefully better! Attached to the house I could basically build it to the set backs, a giant warehouse if you will. Since my existing garage was 550 sq ft, I was quite limited. I have a 1/2 acre lot as well. People do some crazy "attachment" methods just to satisfy stupid rules, like run a 2x4 overhead from the garage to the house.

Every town is different! And if you have an HOA, look out, it can be impossible. Lots of subdivisions have HOAs. I tried to put a driveway to my back yard when we lived in an HOA subdivision. Forget it. No way.

Carports are subject to different rules in my town. Any carport with three side walls they call a garage, whether it is or not. So I brought the side walls down, kept front and rear open.

In the end, I wanted big, but no way to do it unless it was attached to the house. So I went small.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Mark Campbell

I need go go visit my township zoning office to see what hoops I need to jump through to build a garage.

You might explore the potential impact of adding water and/or sewer/septic service; it might even be just a "dry-lines" that pass through the foundation concrete to allow for future service to be installed by others.

Our City initially resisted the trend of allowing "accessory dwelling units" (mother-in-law houses). Then they embraced it. If I recall correctly, a water supply and drain as my wife wanted for a painting studio in the back yard would not have allowed some years ago, but now it would be fine.

The right person at the agency can be the best resource to help you navigate the rules.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

If all goes as planned this will be up by mid to late October for a shop and my 25RT.

I had a small delivery on Monday.

[Rzrbrn]

Lookin’ good!

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Biggest stumbling block in my town was they call any building NOT attached to the home, an accessory building. Max size of any single accessory building is 600 sq ft, max size of ALL accessory buildings is 1000 sq ft. Again, this is my town. Your rules will be different, maybe worse, hopefully better! Attached to the house I could basically build it to the set backs, a giant warehouse if you will. Since my existing garage was 550 sq ft, I was quite limited. I have a 1/2 acre lot as well. People do some crazy "attachment" methods just to satisfy stupid rules, like run a 2x4 overhead from the garage to the house.

Every town is different! And if you have an HOA, look out, it can be impossible. Lots of subdivisions have HOAs. I tried to put a driveway to my back yard when we lived in an HOA subdivision. Forget it. No way.

Carports are subject to different rules in my town. Any carport with three side walls they call a garage, whether it is or not. So I brought the side walls down, kept front and rear open.

In the end, I wanted big, but no way to do it unless it was attached to the house. So I went small.

We have a small 10 owner subdivision. There is a HOA with rules that are poorly written. When we moved in we immediately became aware of several violations And exceptions of the covenants and the lack of enforcement. So for us it’s
been ok for the last 14 years. If I’m not happy with the road plowing, I fire up my tractor and push the snow myself. I pretty much keep to myself and don’t pay much attention to neighbors. I pride myself on turf grass maintenance and landscaping so it’s fun for me to be the guy who mows too often and disgusts neighbors who think shaggy, weedy grass is a lawn. I am not worried about payback on improvements as where I live now is the last house I will own. Won’t care after I’m gone. Working on my shop building at this time and hope to be buckled up tight for winter before long.
I personally didn’t believe in painting myself into a corner with rules and lack of space where I live so that’s why I moved to a less restrictive county with lower taxes and whatever comes with living in the country. Yes I can smell cows and hear trains from where I live and I love it.
Iowa Dave

[ThomasC]

Well they are here now and moving right along.

[ThomasC]

They will be done next week and I hope to leave for Florida shortly after.

The concrete slab can wait till spring.

[Rzrbrn]

Looks very nice and big Tom. so you built first and then will add the concrete floor. would it not have been better to do the floor first and build on top?

I had a 36'x24' pole barn built and now I am wondering why I did not do the floor first. The poles do go into the ground 3' or 4'.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Looks very nice and big Tom. so you built first and then will add the concrete floor. would it not have been better to do the floor first and build on top?

I had a 36'x24' pole barn built and now I am wondering why I did not do the floor first. The poles do go into the ground 3' or 4'.

Morton has an interesting foundation system that they have developed. I do not know if it is unique or not. It is not a brand new system as it has been used long enough to know it works really well.

It was really interesting watching them setup the piers. They were set extremely accurately horizontally and 5 feet deep. Then before the concrete had a chance to set a long T-wrench was inserted into each pier and it was adjusted vertically with a laser. I was impressed.

Here is a link about their foundations and at the bottom they mention when it is better to use the method you mentioned. The rusty barn in the back ground was built by my father using telephone poles for support. That was a similar construction method and the concrete was poured afterwards.

https://mortonbuildings.com/our-materials/foundation

[ThomasC]

How about a video.

https://vimeo.com/234372201

[ThomasC]

Well over two years since my last post, and the BigFoot is in the building. The typical construction delays held me up. My other problem is I do most things on my own, like installing the radiant floor myself.

I washed it and backed it in in one day. I was dragging by the end of the day. Now I can take my time waxing a little at a time. I still have a lot of work inside the building.

[Rzrbrn]

You did good! Beautiful. Both the bldg and the BF! I was thinking Morton's were all metal. Thanks for the pics while it was being built.