We are considering making an offer on a new house. One of the things we are going to include in the offer is that the builder will need to build my shop. My wife and I have agreed that I should build the shop immediately rather than temporarily use the attached garage or basement because of noise and dust, especially in a brand new house. Who am I to argue with that logic?
I've been working on a basic list of requirements for the shop to include in the offer. The plan is to have them put up the shell, run gas and electric, then I will finish the inside as time permits. Here is my list:
Garage:
- 24x32 garage/shop
- frame construction
- 1 9x7 door in 24’ wall facing road
- 1 36” Steel entry door facing house
- 2 36x36” double hung double pane windows facing house
- Exterior finish (siding/shingles) to match house
- 4” concrete slab with reinforcing mesh
- min 1 row of block above finished slab
- Underground natural gas line run to garage from house
- 100A underground electrical service run to garage, installed as a subpanel to house panel. Panel to support min. 16 single pole circuits and match brand/type installed in house.
- Door/Window placement to be approved by me before construction
- Site plan to be approved by me before construction.
Another question for those with "2-1/2 car" garages: will there be room for a lawn tractor, all the accessories, a grill, lawn furniture, and other assorted items in the garage with two cars? Our current house has a detached 22x20 garage with a 22x10 addition on the back that we use for storing all that stuff. I'm wondering if I should divide up the new space in a similar manner and add an additional, smaller overhead door into that space for getting the tractor in and out. Inside I'd have a door to access the space, which I wouldn't heat. I don't want to keep the tractor and stuff in the heated woodworking area. In the future we'd probably put up a shed for the tractor and stuff.