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New garage going up - things to remember before the builders start?


FridgeFreezer

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I'd echo most of the above, particularly about damp proofing and insulation.

Other things-

Make it as secure as you possibly can.

Think about wider than standard doors- much easier to handle machine tools/ crates etc through, and if at all possible keep the floor level through doorways without a step so wheeling things in and out is easier.

Fit an emergency light that comes on when power is cut so when you angle grind through the cat trip the power out you can still see.

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I get nagged more as the kids were running out of play space. When I told her I was going level with the edge of the patio she thought I meant the start not the end :D Although we compromised at getting rid of the greenhouse and veg plots so that saved a lot of work!

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Real lights not LED fairy lights that seem like a great low energy idea that will illuminate huge swathes of workshop in your head but in fact are very, very bright, but actually emit bugger all light around them. Leaving you feeling somewhat deflated that september night you turn them on expecting to be blinded, then after that you live in denial thinking that maybe its not dark enough yet to see the full effect(??!!) and dont want to admit to the wife until you have to call in at wicks for a load of ip56 fixtures.

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Spray foam insulation! Its a little more expensive, but it's a contractor job, they come in, blast the lot and are gone in a day. It does get everything covered too, in and around all those little crooks and grannies too. I used 50mm polystyrene in my workshop, took me ages to, still isn't finished now, and you just can't get it in to all the corners, wish I'd had it done now. They can coat all the walls and the inside of the roof, and you'll get almost no condensation.

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Two strong points in the slab, preferably deep in the ground as well to pull against (or between), great for straightening and bending.

This is a really good idea. Another variation, obviously build type dependent we were having a concrete roof put on the garage. When the builders had laid the form work and set the rebar I hung three HD shackles out of it down the centre of the garage, with the pin side out. Now there are three hoisting points in the ceiling.

I can't help but +1 the drain. Know you've knocked it on the head but I'm a cheeky f*7k. There's nothing like an old SS sink for getting that mucky job done, and it's only a case of getting a good fall to the junction.

Designing my dream garage at the moment, came across this stuff; there are benefits but I can't decide whether it'd drive me mental or not. The "Free-Flow" stuff with a drain underneath would be great for the mafia hits :D

EDIT: the strong points Blanco suggested could be ground anchors too for bikes or any valuable equipt.

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Decide where your work benches will fit, floor or wall mounting points for these would be ideal - nothing worse that a wobbly insecure bench!

Also, a length of box section into the floor, with some legs under the concrete for rigidity, you can then make attachments for mounting a vice on a stand, tube bender etc etc

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Decide where your work benches will fit, floor or wall mounting points for these would be ideal - nothing worse that a wobbly insecure bench!

Also, a length of box section into the floor, with some legs under the concrete for rigidity, you can then make attachments for mounting a vice on a stand, tube bender etc etc

Or winching your broke down truck back into the garage :glare:

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One thing worth looking through for ideas Jon, is www.garagejournal.com forum. I've spent many an hour engrossed in the workshop builds on there. Anything from some 5000sqft warehouse size to a small single garage. The small ones are particularly good as you see how people have made the best from a tiny space.

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ditto....

One thing worth looking through for ideas Jon, is www.garagejournal.com forum. I've spent many an hour engrossed in the workshop builds on there. Anything from some 5000sqft warehouse size to a small single garage. The small ones are particularly good as you see how people have made the best from a tiny space.

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I'd suggest fitting a couple of deep ground-anchors before your concrete slab gets poured.

A friend had his Sierra Cosworth-500 dragged from his garage and loaded onto a flatbed a while back. Some decent chain-restraints would have frustrated the thieves long enough for him to summon various 15-stone Rugby-playing friends with chainsaws and Rhodesian-Ridgebacks/Rottweilers.

[Hint: if chased by a well-motivated Ridgie you really don't want to try and outrun her. She can happily do 15 miles at a relaxed lope. Can you?].

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Some sort of roof light or transparent panel - i put some in my garage and wouldn't be without natural light now.

If you fit roof lights/window make sure they are on the shaded side of the roof/wall and in shade all day at that. Otherwise in summer you will find out exactly how hot an oven is.

Mike

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If you fit roof lights/window make sure they are on the shaded side of the roof/wall and in shade all day at that. Otherwise in summer you will find out exactly how hot an oven is.

Mike

What mike says, my unit was very warm in the summer! And I've only got 1 section of Perspex in the roof of a 400sqft unit.
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  • 3 weeks later...

The builders are in, the foundations are down, and I've already written one eye-watering cheque for a hole in the ground and a garden full of rubble :ph34r:

For those skimming through, it's a garage of two halves - the "old" half (~5m long) is an existing structure, single-skinned brick which will be extended longways by another ~5m in single-skinned brick, plus the (carp) roof is coming off and being raised by a couple of bricks to allow a rather tall Defender ambulance to get in.

So far the wish-list looks like:

- Epoxy floor paint (possibly need to screed the existing floor as it's bumpy finish)

- Lots of lights, sockets, and beefy electric feed generally for welder, compressor etc.

- Possibly some insulation (will definitely skin the ceiling with something, not sure about all the walls)

- Pallet racking (have it in the "old" shed, absolutely love it for holding vast quantities of cr&p)

- Plastic duct under the garden for the power / water / internet

- Couple of standard 4" air vents (kitchen / bathroom fan style)

- Will try to leave in a couple of the existing beams running across the roof, they are quite sturdy.

- Door has to be something that goes straight up (roller shutter or sectional), I'm tending towards sectional as they need less headroom and can be insulated.

- Might get organised and run airline around the place

- If there's any pennies left I'm hoping to treat myself to a decent roll cab for the tools rather than just having them strewn about the place :unsure:

We can't add windows or a chimney (for wood burner) as it's all had to pass planning :rtfm: and the building inspector is visiting the kitchen extension so stuff like that would get noticed & may get us into trouble - and frankly I've had enough of planning & regs and being without a workshop so don't want to risk any more setbacks. I did some reading and there are building regs on wood burners / chimbleys so I'm not playing that game - can always make a hole in the wall at a later date if needed. I've been looking at air-sourced heat pumps (AKA reversible air-con units) which seem relatively efficient, but that's a bit of a luxury item TBH, I'll take not being rained on as a good start!

Will pass on a pit as I've never really had a problem working under LR's.

Pads for a lift are a good idea but it's unlikely I'll ever have one and there's no way you could actually lift the 109 or the ambulance by any great distance without bursting through the roof!

One issue the "old" half of the structure suffers from is damp, but that is probably not helped by there being no proper soakaway for the guttering and holes in the roof :glare: from botched repairs. I can't do anything about the damp proofing (or lack of) under the old half, I guess the best I can do if it continues to be a problem is coat the walls with some of that clear sealant stuff & hope it keeps the worst out.

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My experience of screeds makes me cautious of their use in a garage. They are so thin that they can crack under point loading (such as bottle jack, dropping heavy object) and also they are not hard wearing at all, foot traffic by approx 10-15 tradesmen over a period of 6-8weeks caused noticeable low spots and obvious wear in doorways and halls

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