Dream Garage - help me plan it

Avoiding a typical peak roof seems like it would allow you to maximize your interior space. I have no idea what aesthetics are like in your neighborhood or if it would fit with your specific house, but a modern looking flat (but sloped roof) could be pretty neat and give you more room for a loft. Imagine something like this, but larger and with less slope to the roof:

You'd just want to make sure that the ceiling inside is high enough over the spot where your chosen lift would sit (typically 10-12 ft for a 2 post lift depending on the model).

Well... thank you or that little rabbit hole.

If anyone else wants to follow, here's a link to the Menards Garage Estimator. It's pretty cool.

I'm not sure how much the pricing means to me in the Philly suburbs, but it seems decent for the 20Wx24Dx12H shop I came up with (~$7400). I just wish there was a store closer than in NE Ohio.

In reply to STM317:

That is a good idea, and I had thought a bit about a single slope roof (and remembering back to when I re-roofed my previous house last year the lack of any roof features seems really desirable).

Any idea where I go to learn about the feasibility? I.e. how long can you span, what size lumber do you need to replace the truss, etc, etc. I have seen "half trusses" that give a sloped roof but flat ceiling, so they would be defeating the purpose.

Beams seem like the answer for long spans. GLULAMs come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and lengths, and can be turned into cool architectural elements too.

In reply to Robbie:

Is it fair to assume you will have to have an architect design the plans?

Let him determine spans, etc. That's his job.

Robbie wrote: In reply to dculberson: Thanks! (I'm crossing my fingers). So, right now I'm just looking at the menards garage estimator tool. It's pretty neat, but also only gives you basic options. I built a 22 x 38 (836 total) building with a 4/12 over 2/12 scissor truss spanning the 22ft. 10ft 4 inch walls gives a max height of 14'6" outside and inside about 12'6". I put a human door on the side wall facing my house at the back of the building. I put two 9 ft wide by 8 ft tall insulated overhead garage doors at the front (on the 22 ft wall). They are not centered, they are both moved to the right side since I hope to put the two post lift behind the left overhead door, and all my car tools would be up against the left wall to be within quick reach when a car is on the lift. The 22x38 building could be imagined as having four 11x19 areas. the left front would be the car work area with the lift. The left rear (where the people door is) would serve as the workshop area, with benches and flexible space. The two areas on the right would be flex area. Could store two cars in tandem, could roll them out of the garage door on the right to make space for building a wooden canoe. I would probably put HVAC in the middle of the side wall on the right. I may eventually build a low loft in the rear right - mostly for storage, but maybe a couch. 28 x 30 and 30 x 28 I also considered, but then there are like 3 deep spaces rather than 4 shallow ones. I'm mostly attracted to small cars, but I will still have a deep bay if needed.

You are missing something in these calculations.

If you use a scissor truss, the 12'6" height is ONLY in the center. You are talking about 2 bays. That will leave your bay with the lift only 10' 4" tall at the outside walls. Since you can't lift a car higher than the lowest point, that is effectively your height for the entire bay.

Too short.

I have a 22' wide shop space with scissor trusses. The lift is in the center because of the trusses- making it a very wide 1 car garage.

I'm not sure where some of you guys are getting your height info.

I have a Western 2 post lift. The pads when raised are 72" AFF (above finished floor). It currently has a Mazda MPV sitting on it. The top of the roof rack is 11'5" AFF (I just measured it)

That's the LOWEST point of the roof line. The peak of the scissor trusses in the center is about 20" taller. And you have to allow a few inches for light fixtures, etc.

That's why I said 14'. And it's why 10' is not gonna work.

Yes, I know I could put a MG Midget on a lift and work on a stool so I don't need to stand under it. But why would anyone build a building from scratch without considering a few more options?

I rarely put my truck on the lift. Usually compact racers. But since I have a lift, it is sure nice to be able to use it when I need it.

You could run the trusses the other way, so the peak of the scissor is in the middle (depth-wise) of the bay. Unless you're lifting vans and busses, just keep the hood/trunk down when going up and you'll likely be ok.

I did one WIDE roll-up door, because that is two less vertical gaps for heat loss. Also, since I lost two feet because of hoist post, the door is two feet wider (18' instead of typical 16'). The wide single door provides more options for ingress and egress with vehicles.

I also moved the hoist a bit deeper into my shop so that I could still have a car in there with the doors wide-open and unhindered by the posts, and still close the roll-up door.

My 4/12 roof trusses had a 2.5/12 ceiling pitch.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Yes, he could run the trusses the other way. But that still leaves the car centered front to back, which is gonna waste a huge amount of space. And don't forget the height restriction. 38' of span will raise the ridge higher.

Shed roof with full span TJI joists for rafters is the answer, not scissor trusses.

In reply to Robbie:

I know you said 2 post lift.

If I was working with 840 SF and a 15' height restriction, I'd be looking at something with a smaller footprint, that could be rolled out if the way.

Yeah, I know. Not your dream garage.

Just going to keep posting pics of cool, contemporary garages with a "shed roof" now that I know the actual term.

In reply to STM317:

Those are beautiful.

They give the most interior volume for the lowest overall height.

The only problem is that Robbie needs height on the approach side (the narrow end). I can't think of a modern garage that puts the garage doors anywhere other than the tall (wide) end. All your pictures show the same.

If you can find a picture of a shed roof with the garage doors in the end, we'll have a winner.

Where's your imagination sir?!

This one has the door on the short side, but the roof is pitched incorrectly, so just mix them all up in your head, and voila!

Something like this, only more real:

In reply to STM317:

I don't think the roof is pitched incorrectly. That's what he is gonna need.

Robbie, picture the short wall facing your house. That would give you volume for lift and loft storage on the side furthest from your house.

Well, I may not have said it but I understood that the scissor truss would only be 12' in the center, and that at max lift with a large vehicle I could have interference issues. (But I also hear your main point, which is it would be stupid to design in a possible interference issue.

I ask about the slant roof not because I don't think the architect can do the calculations (or that I want to check his work) but more because I don't want to ask for something that will end up requiring 2 ft beams and a 12/12 slope or something silly and make the whole thought not feasible.

SVreX - you mention the engineered joists, can those be run at an angle? (like 3/12) Or do you have to use them flat? A quick look at their engineering tables shows that their biggest one in 12 inch height would probably be able to span 23 or 24 ft at 16 IOC. And I could go down to 12 IOC to account for some angle in the roof and snow load, etc. So it seems feasible.

Skinny - Good call on the single wide door. I'll look into it a bit.

In reply to STM317:

Your first picture was right.

The 2nd one has too long a pitch- again, reduces interior volume.

SVreX wrote: In reply to Robbie: I know you said 2 post lift. If I was working with 840 SF and a 15' height restriction, I'd be looking at something with a smaller footprint, that could be rolled out if the way. Yeah, I know. Not your dream garage.

I'm considering a maxjax (the two post one you can unbolt and roll away) for flexibility, but I don't know about its max lifting height.

The 4 post ones have some good bennies but I get the feeling that they are designed for 90% storage 10% work, rather than a 2 post which is designed for work. How long does it take to get a car from the driveway to up on a 4 post with the wheels off? That's what I am afraid of.

Yes, TJI's can be used for pitched roof rafters.

According to TJI, they can clear span up to 39'. For your 22' span, it would be easy (but I can't tell you what size without knowing the design specifications for live load and dead load- architect's job)

Don't forget the garage door. If you want to be able to open the door with a car on the lift, you may have additional interference issues. That and the fact roll-up doors generally don't seal as well is why I'm leaning towards a set of double doors for my planned shop. If it's not a garage, you won't be opening and closing the door all the time anyway so much of the convenience of a roll-up door isn't needed.

MaxJack lift around 4'. High enough to do just about any kind of work, but you can't stand under the car if that is important to you. Plus, a full-size 2-post can be used for storage. A MaxJack would only lift a car high enough for a few cars to fit under. A Europa or a Spitfire... or a GT40...

In reply to Robbie:

You are reading the tables for 25 lb live load/ 10 lb dead load. Probably not enough. But it's not important. TJI makes 14" and 16" joists.

STM317 wrote: Where's your imagination sir?! This one has the door on the short side, but the roof is pitched incorrectly, so just mix them all up in your head, and voila!

That is awesome, and basically exactly what I would do (but pitch the roof the other way - toward the house).

I probably would also go a lot less flashy with the materials and build. I might do windows up high on the higher side wall, that would be the east face of my building, so it should get morning sun to warm the place up but shield from afternoon sun.

In reply to Ian F:

If he uses a shed roof pitch roof, he will probably end up with a drum style roll-up door, or hinged doors. The standard roll up will eat up too much volume.

Given his HOA restrictions, a drum style door might not pass visual approval. Let's face it, they aren't the most attractive doors in the world.

In reply to SVrex:

It just seems like the roof pitched to the side, as it is in the Benz photo means one side has a bunch of useless space above a lift. If the lift is 12 ft tall, then the left post would have to be very near the ceiling, while the right post would have more clearance (and therefore wasted space) above it.

If the roof were pitched as it is in the drawing rather than the photo, with the highest point at the front above the doors, then the lift could be placed near the center (front to back), and a loft or storage space could be added in the forward half of the building above the doors.

In reply to STM317:

Right.

But the lift in the center eats up floor space.