Garages/sheds - examples & experiences needed

[Ben 28]

So lining up 2.2 hectares of land that does not have a garage on it. I'm going to be budget constrained to an extent, but would like peoples ideas on what works & what doesn't

So far I'm thinking a minimum of 6m wide by 10m long. If i have to go new then that'll probably be my limit, unless i can sweet talk any more budget out of the mrs

I'm hoping to find something secondhand then build a pad to suit. There's a few companies around that offer used garages and will even erect them for a charge. Comes in half the price but dictated on what they have available. 

Will run a water tank off the roof to be used for irrigation (ie untreated)

Wish list is:

- power from house
- in ground scissor hoist (low boi friendly)
- epoxy floor
- plywood lined

Would probably turn a quarter of the rear into workshop area, with the other quarter as storage for the S13. Then the quarter between the workshop & garage door to have the hoist then the quarter next to that to store the C35

Probably have a 10m x 3m carport on the side for firewood / ride-on / water tank but graveled underneath

Thoughts? Ideas? Inspiration?

[blingcommander 8]

Go 7x10 for more inside storage/move around the car room.

[Joey 30]

Yeah we have a 6mx10m at my parents house and it's a ok size but my dad made the mistake of having 2 roller doors on a end not doors on the side. I think cars in side ways would feel like there is more space.

It ends up being a pain in the arse as most the shed gets wasted when we have cars in and out and the sides lined with equipment.  I did a skyline in there and had it parked in the middle of the whole shed so I could work comfortably around it. He had no shed for 3 months haha

 

So if you can, go a little bigger and try to get roller doors on the long side

These are some old pics, prob 2004 haha but as you can see if you are messy like my old man it makes it hard to move

Edited June 26, 2020 by Joey

[Elda_bob 3]

Just go as big as you can, hahaha

I'm about to start sorting prices for a shed, I'm a little restricted as I don't have heaps of room, but I'm gonna get enough floor space for 4 corollas and that's livin.

Will have a hoist and a big bench etc so won't be able to actually fit 4 corollas though. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Elda_bob

[Miller 11]

I built a 6x12x3 high from an old shed I picked up for nothing. Had 5 tilt up doors and a basic pedestrian door. I resheeted to look new.

I rejigged the frame to fit a 5m roller door, bumped up the overall height by 200mm to fit over my block wall. I cut into my block a few meters and blocked it up as retaining.

As for bench space, I built a bench that spanned the 6m depth of the shed. Hardly notice it's there if you want to pull a heap of cars in.

If you have a choice, go at least 7m deep. The extra meter makes a big difference moving around when it's ful

I'm also a big fan of skylights.  One panel per 3m is great

 

Progress pics

Edited June 26, 2020 by Miller

[Ben 28]

Awesome feedback guys

I'm in a 5.7 x 5.7 internal access double with a bench down the side at the moment. I felt having the bench on the side cut out 0.5-1m and i had ~2m unsed width on the other side, so figured 3m width / vehicle would be enough, especially as i wasn't planning on storage on the sides 

But the mrs is saying anything farm related will be going in there as well, so dispensation to go bigger.

Threw my ideas into Skethup quickly

The big front box is the Silvia's dimensions, the one next to the door is Lunch Money (C35). Put them on the LHS so easy to get into drivers sides

Wheel rack on back wall for 3x sets of 17x9's stacked up
Corner workbench
2x modular shelving units for parts (900x500x2100 - already have)
Recessed scissor jacks/Quickjacks
1m x 0.5m island on casters with worktop & vice on top and welder underneath

Idea behind that design is that pulling an engine can be done with plenty of room out the front into the workshop area

So if i could get 6x10 to work anything bigger would be a breeze

[secretdrift 78]

if you are running power from the house, it would be best to run a water line also. tank water will piss you off and you wont have to dig another trench in the future 

[brajjj 85]

^bump this 

[Ben 28]

For sure. Future proofing it will be a big thing. I want the power to be capable of running a decent hoist & welder so the old extension cable aint gonna cut it

Would run water pipe x2, as with a water tank there we may look to add sterilization & pipe this to the house if need be

[ROBAPHENT 23]

I have gone from a 2 1/2 car garage to a larger 3 1/2 with carport for 6. 

I have to say the bigger garage shits me because of lighting. The little one I installed the brightest downlights i could and had three rows of five and I miss that the most about my garage. The house I'm in at the moment is a temp house, so I don't want to go wasting money putting in lights and painting garage floor etc. but I have vast amounts of space now the thing I miss the most is good lighting. 

 

[Ben 28]

Good to hear that.

I was planning on going to town on the LED strip lighting & taking a leaf out of @Miller 's book with the skylights

[Streetkarnage 110]

On 6/27/2020 at 5:41 AM, Miller said:

I built a 6x12x3 high from an old shed I picked up for nothing. Had 5 tilt up doors and a basic pedestrian door. I resheeted to look new.

I rejigged the frame to fit a 5m roller door, bumped up the overall height by 200mm to fit over my block wall. I cut into my block a few meters and blocked it up as retaining.

As for bench space, I built a bench that spanned the 6m depth of the shed. Hardly notice it's there if you want to pull a heap of cars in.

If you have a choice, go at least 7m deep. The extra meter makes a big difference moving around when it's ful

I'm also a big fan of skylights.  One panel per 3m is great

 

Progress pics

WHAT A FLEX MILLER. HOLY FUCK! 

[Hype 9]

Fuck I am that keen to build a shed once I have secured a house. At the risk of sounding 85, has anyone looked into building one with a pit rather than hoist?

[matt99 0]

2 hours ago, Hype said:

Fuck I am that keen to build a shed once I have secured a house. At the risk of sounding 85, has anyone looked into building one with a pit rather than hoist?

This is something I think most people overlook, the height for a hoist. Hoists are cheap enough now and most of us would utilise it plenty. I know ill never not have a hoist again.

But that being said, height is always on your side so a pit would be more usable. Keep in mind though they are now illegal (at least in Vic), so if you're going to be getting permits for anything any time soon wait until after they're done and inspected before you install. Build a cover for it because they're sometimes a pain to work around when not in use and slightly dangerous for kids/animals/drunk. Otherwise they're great. Try and build a small section for a pump or a suction hose to sit in, just in case you ever flood it or need to clean it out.

[Ben 28]

Our offer got accepted so I'm looking hard at this now

Considering going timber framed as heard a lot of the steel kitset jobbies like to flex around a bit. Also heard Placemakers (NZ version of Bunnings but more tradie focused) do kitset wooden framed sheds so have requested a quote.

Really want to go bigger but will need it to be secondhand to fit in budget, and they're hard to find, and even harder with plans (to get it council approved). Can get an engineer inspection but then it ends up being almost as much as a freshie

Am hearing tonnes of horror stories from the kitset sheds missing shit and being flimsy. Apparently the neighbour at the new joint is a builder so will see if i can convince him the best thing he can do with his spare time is build me a shed

Fair whack of land though

[ROBAPHENT 23]

one thing i also learnt when looking at sheds for a property we looked at purchasing was QLD has different build specs due to typhoons ect, will the NZ stuff meet that? 

Nice block of land BTW. cant wait to have a go on the circuit you build. 

[Ben 28]

Cheers, yeah we have wind ratings. This place is in a high wind area but most of the country is. 90% of sheds on the market account for that already

It's the "extra high wind" areas that you have to look out for

[jay70 9]

On 7/9/2020 at 3:33 PM, Ben said:

Fair whack of land though

That’s a sweet property mate, congrats. Infinity pool off the cliff would be sweet in the future, if it’s not too cold down there haha

[Ben 28]

Cheers dude

Looks like broadband will be an issue. Will have to go wireless 4G or maybe even 3G

Anyone in the know on antennas?

[Ben 28]

In September NZ changed the rules on what sheds/garages don't need council consent, and single story lean-to pole sheds in rural areas are included. Soooooooo

4m - 3.4m stud, 6m span, 3x bays at 3.6m per bay. Fully enclosed with 3x roller doors

Getting it priced up at the mo. I've gone ham on Sketchup tho

[DioXidE 14]

So work has been good and Ive got a new shop so moving to the GC. Buying a house and looking at getting one with a shed or building a shed on an existing property. 

Ideally i'd like a 7x10 with 2 roller doors on the long side and a workshop area. Hoist in the middle and room for another vehicle on the side.

Talk to the realestate on Monday so wish me luck!

[Ben 28]

Figured I'd do an update on this seeing as though I've got builders cracking into the shed out my window right now

Got confirmation in writing from the council that we didn't have to go through the building consent process, has made it way easier

A builder/project mgr mate has come to the rescue and allowed me to buy a kitset on his account & he's got himself plus two of his guys doing it over the past few weeks. 

The proposed site was about 300mm sloped from back to front, meaning pad would have been 400mm higher than the driveway & not low car friendly. Pushed it back 3m and it'll be muuuuch easier to smooth out the entrance. 4 loads of fill later and the pad's level, boxed & compacted ready for waterproofing layer & steel mesh, then concrete next week

Pictures tell the story better

[Ben 28]

[Andrew 38]

Looks straight outta Big Angry Fish. Kiwi's do sheds weird but I like them. Good stuff!

[Ben 28]

This is pretty strange even for here - most people go for steel framed sheds, but they need consent from the council. Pole sheds don't

I'm essentially exploiting a loophole. Pole sheds are normally open, gravel floor & store hay or farm machinery in them, hence why council CBF'd with consenting them. I'm enclosing mine & putting a concrete floor down

Plus it fits the rural setting a lot better than a steel framed jobbie