School me on the best feature of your Bronco shop/garage

[Jeff76]

You may have seen my garage thread already? !

Yep, read the whole thread today. Very nice, and very helpful!

Jeff

 

[dave67fd]

I can't think of just one thing. Probably all of it.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102939

 

[doradoguy]

most of what you want is great but.....

bigger is better but well thought out will save you money. I had a 24X24 detached garage with bare studs and overhead raters at my first house and was never lacking for space. I even managed to work on a 55 chevy and a 73 CJ5 at the same time. engine and transmission swaps for both in the same time frame. My current finished out 30X30 is too small but its because of the way its laid out, with three man doors and the roll up. Along with water heater, wash sink etc. I would rather have my old 24X24.

dependent upon where you live AC might not even be possible without a ton of unneeded insulation and a really good sealed and insulated roll up door. Then you will find you spent a lot of money for something you don't really need or use all that much. What you will also find is that you will have to leave it running because when you come home from work and want to work a couple of hours it will take a couple of hours to get it cool.

lighting hell yes

Wash sink is great as well but location of you sewer may make that a really expensive convenience. I put one in my first shop and dumped it on the ground outside the shop. ended up with two tickets and a threat of condemnation if I needed take out the sink. I ignored them because Dallas doesnt have the time to worry over a mop sink that If I didn't have anyway I would just wash my hands in the same place with a water hose. But I did take it out when I sold the house.

Don't waste you time and money with stationary lift devices of any kind. You will find that they are never where you need them and are always in the way. you wont use them much and a little roll around cherry picker will probably be a part of your tool set anyway. it will do whatever you need.

Don't use your money for something you might not use very often and based on the fact you are asking this question you probably wont use any stationary lift enough to need it. When I was young I did a project about once every two years. I probably averaged an engine a year. I once pulled one out on a tree then backed my pickup under it to take it into the shop. it went back in the same way, and it didn't take but a few minutes more than if I had spent all the money on a nice lift.

Unless you are going to work on 18 wheelers don't waste money on interior height. 8ft will work and 10 ft is more than enough. just make sure you get a door that will let a lifted bronco with tall tires and a top get in. Not just the door needs to be right but the approach as well. I can drive in to my garage forward but if I back in the bestop hits the door frame. The hardtop with rack would not go in the garage with 33s and a 2" of total lift.

If you are going to be a one project at a time guy and that project basically being your one or two broncos. You will not need a huge shop. Build something along the lines of 24X24 or 24X30. Keep it clean and simple. Spend you money on things like air compressors, presses, cherry pickers, drill press, pedestal grinders , a really good mig, etc.

Also keep in mind that one day you may need or want to sell the house. In this day and age (and it will get worse) a shop is often a deterrent. I moved to a house where the 20X24 barn in the back actually reduced the value of the house. There are less and less of us that work on out own vehicles so keep it only as large as you need, you may not get you r money back if you ever sell. Don't fall into the trap of thinking all my friends either have or want a shop in their yard. You tend to run with people of common interests and most people don't do this stuff. Shops are like pools. they don't really increase the value of the house as much as you will have in them and they reduce the number of potential buyers because most people don't want a big ass building in the back yard.

Unless you just want a cool shop so you can bring people over and show it off, save your money for the projects, you can drive them around and show them off.

Thanks for the input. What tools would you put in your arsenal? Pipe bender, plasma, mig, tig, tube notcher. Just wondering what I should make room for. Thanks and sorry for hi-jacking thread.

 

[bigcountry]

My shop is 30x50 with 15 foot eaves. It has a 12x14 door in the main entrance and a 10x10 at the other end that way on the warm Georgia days I can open up both doors and get a nice cross breeze. Plus if I have something tore down at one end and I can bring something else in the other side. I have a bathroom that I am trying to finish. I have a 6x10 storage room with shelves for parts and supplies.

My compressor is outside, ceiling fans are great, and good lights. As said before put in plenty of wall plugs although I do have one #12 heavy duty extension cord hard wired into the fuse panel to run a grinder, shop vac, etc...so I do not have to hunt and extension cord when needed.

If you plan to put ac or want to run things with out a problem go ahead and put a separate service as too much load on the house could effect things. I would not like my house lights to flicker every time the air compressor kicks on.

 

[marshall godron]

Well not to piss people off, but you all suck! I live in the Bay Area of Cali some of you're garages are bigger thean my whole house and property! And I paid over 500,000 for my house, I soo need out of this state!!!!!!!!

 

[Jeff76]

My shop is 30x50 with 15 foot eaves. It has a 12x14 door in the main entrance and a 10x10 at the other end that way on the warm Georgia days I can open up both doors and get a nice cross breeze. Plus if I have something tore down at one end and I can bring something else in the other side. I have a bathroom that I am trying to finish. I have a 6x10 storage room with shelves for parts and supplies.

My compressor is outside, ceiling fans are great, and good lights. As said before put in plenty of wall plugs although I do have one #12 heavy duty extension cord hard wired into the fuse panel to run a grinder, shop vac, etc...so I do not have to hunt and extension cord when needed.

If you plan to put ac or want to run things with out a problem go ahead and put a separate service as too much load on the house could effect things. I would not like my house lights to flicker every time the air compressor kicks on.

Is your shop a metal building or is it stick built? If it's stick built, how did you handle the 50' ridge beam? steel ? gluLam?

Good points on the compressor and electrical. Don't plan on AC, but like the idea on multiple doors for cross ventilation...

Jeff

 

[Jeff76]

Well not to piss people off, but you all suck! I live in the Bay Area of Cali some of you're garages are bigger thean my whole house and property! And I paid over 500,000 for my house, I soo need out of this state!!!!!!!!

I've always worked for Bay Area companies, and I'm out there often. I've learned over the years to just not discuss my house and the size of my property with my coworkers and particularly executive management because I live like a king comparatively. And the property taxes are a whole 'nother discussion...

But the California weather is something beautiful, and I love to visit!

Jeff

 

[miikee73]

When looking for my current house I put "shop" into the real estate search. Ended up with a 24x24 pole barn. It has a 200 amp service so power is no problem. A man door and a 10x10 slider door. No plumbing or gas line,so I guess that is my biggest want. Non insulated metal walls in this weather keeps me in the house,right now 20 deg,wind chill 07 deg.I have a 5000 watt electric heater and a kerosene heater and if you stand in the right spot you can feel the heat.
So if I had it to do over I would go bigger with a separate room with a lower ceiling for a work shop area. Somewhere I could work on thing that was easier to heat and cool.

 

[Crush]

my attached garage is 36' x 55'. 2 16' x 9' doors. 2 man doors. I also have a loft above it that is 25' x 28' that looks over into the lower area where the bronco and some other stuff. the side that is closest to the house has 12' ceilings and the side that is open has 23' vaulted cielings. all with recessed can lighting. I was told by the builder that that was a bad choice but after some research I did it anyway and it has turned out well. I think I might have put some waist high recessed fluorescent lights in the walls and maybe some floor lights to shine up, but I wasn't thinking that far ahead. as was aid earlier, build organization to your design. storage takes up a lot of space. Also, once you decide how big to build, multiply it by at least 1.5! you can never have too much room. One last thing, I also regret not putting in a grease pit, something to drive over and still be able to get to everything underneath. just some food for thought

 

[muskrat]

I have an oversized 2 car attached. Bronco in one side, wifes car in the other, when the other is available.

I have crappy lighting, it's cold, and all the yard equipment, bikes, toys etc share the space. I wanted to build a detached 2.5 car, but we opted for the pool instead.

Don't forget about a large, strong work bench. I don't have one of those either, and I think besides the poor lighting, not having a work bench is the worst.

It doesn't have to be big, just well lit and thought out.

 

[bigcountry]

Is your shop a metal building or is it stick built? If it's stick built, how did you handle the 50' ridge beam? steel ? gluLam?

Good points on the compressor and electrical. Don't plan on AC, but like the idea on multiple doors for cross ventilation...

Jeff

It is a metal building. I did most of the fabrication myself to save money. You can see some of the layout in the background of these pictures.

The first picture was when I was cleaning and purging a lot of stuff. the picture is facing toward the 10x10 door and the other door is behind me.

The enclosed part behind the tub is the bathroom and storage room.

 

[nlped]

^^^Nice!!! I'm working with a 21'(W)x18'(deep) attached garage that NOTHING fits in well, a 24'x24' carport and a 21'x24' metal building with a sloped concrete floor (??? who was the genius that designed that???). I have plenty of space to keep my stuff dry, but not alot of flat floor space. I'm contemplating a 28' (property constraint) x 46' metal building (using the existing carport & building materials as a starting point). I'll have sturdy work benches, storage for my tools, parts, & junk, a bathroom /c my old top load W&D for shop rags & such, and roll up doors on both ends for ventilation, and 200 amp service with tons of plugs (both 110 & 220) and airline access throughout. It will have the blown in foam insulation, but a/c is way to $$$. I have an excavation guy coming in 2 weeks to give me a price on leveling the area I'm wanting to put it. Oh GOD, I hope I can afford that...my place is a rocky mutha!!!

 

[nlped]

best part of my garage....

Oh, and that is WICKED cool!!!

 

[Jeff76]

It is a metal building. I did most of the fabrication myself to save money. You can see some of the layout in the background of these pictures.

The first picture was when I was cleaning and purging a lot of stuff. the picture is facing toward the 10x10 door and the other door is behind me.

The enclosed part behind the tub is the bathroom and storage room.

OK, this is similar to my buddies shop. I worked on my bronco there for about 8 months (using his 2 post lift) while I was in between jobs and it was awesome. I've been debating a 40x40 attached garage on the lower part of my house, or a separate building like this in the back of my property. I think I'm leaning towards something like this...

Jeff

 

[nickgp]

Besides all the normal shop tools, equipment and stuff, Ive got to say the best Bronco specific item is my rotisserie. An Iron worker buddy made it in about 4 hours. Its really made THE difference in the caliber of our builds.

 

[chriswitt]

Urinal...

 

[TwoDalesDad]

My first shop was 35' wide and 100'a long... .IT was split with two sliding doors toward the middle. The shop was fairly well thought out with 16' wide rollup door 20' roof. The old Gas Station H STYLE lift was on the right side, Work bench across the back wall, chain pulls at all corners and Air Drops on each wall. On The Left hand wall was a Huge Sliding Door(barn style ) this room was all shelves I used for tool storage along with drill press. Again air drops on each side. Another Sliding door 12'wide on the left wall. THE LAST ROOM WAS HUGE. With pallett racks against the back wall it was enough rook for six broncos ...again Huge sliding barn door on the Left hand wall.

 

[nlped]

Urinal...

Or drain in the floor.

 

[Pa PITT]

..My shop is 40x40 A slope side , I have 2.....20ft wide door openings ..front & rear.
I think the concrete floor is the best thing in my shop.Really I worked out side for years..
Good air compressor is a must. Big AC/DC welder setup from the past. 3 Roll around tool boxes... 200 amps or so. I can never keep lights working in my shop. I have 3 tractors & one Bronco in my shop . Across the center is a trolly that will transport 5000# from one side to the other. 40 ft I have enough room in center to work between tractors ..About 8 ft by 40.. Benches under the slope side .. Oh mine is 12ft tall inside but I don't think it's tall enough for a lift. I just have way too much scrap & used parts & waist.. Now I'm wanting a 40 ft long storage container to put beside my shop and leave about 10 ft between them. Then put a roof between shop an over container.

 

[deltarat]

I have a 30x62 and take it from another southern boy, air and heat are GREAT! You can not work here when the sun goes down with the doors open for the skeeters. I have 2- 25k window units and it keeps it below 80 when it is above 100. I work in a T shirt year round. I power bill runs about $70 on level pay.
I wish I had put in regular garage door instead of a roll up door so I could insulate it and buy an opener for $150 instead of $500.
I put roll up air line and electric on both sides so I don't have to drag hoses and cords all over the shop.
As mentioned, compressor on the outside under a shed to hold down noise.
I have a 2' by 40' shelf on 2 sides for storage to keep stuff off the floor as well as a 10x30' loft across the rear.
All the insulation you can afford.