Garage Addition - Can't wait to break ground!

[Kyle Kaldor]

I can't wait to get started on my new garage addition. It'll be 21'4" square. Just waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to unthaw. The portion with the block foundation is the addition and the back part in the picture is the existing garage. The open portion on the left side of the first picture is where the existing garage attaches to the house. I'll be adding onto the back of the existing garage into the back yard. More pictures to come when shovels are dirtied and diesel fuel is burned. BTW, I'm doing almost all of the work myself, hence the detailed design.

[Ted Calver]

That's pretty slick Kyle. Do you think you will have enough natural light? Looks like an opportunity to add some high windows and save on the electric bill?

[Jim Andrew]

You get the most light from south facing windows. Does you have a south facing wall in your addition? BTW, like you doing your own work. When I can't do my own work, won't be much getting done.

[Kyle Kaldor]

You get the most light from south facing windows. Does you have a south facing wall in your addition? BTW, like you doing your own work. When I can't do my own work, won't be much getting done.

The wall with the walk in door is facing south, so I could put a window in that wall. The natural light will be blocked by the house during the afternoon, however, so I'm still not sure if I'll do that. Windows and natural light are great, but they also take up valuable wall and storage space and are expensive and make the framing more complicated.

[Ted Calver]

How bout a couple of skylights?

[Art Mulder]

How bout a couple of skylights?

+1, exactly what I was thinking. Or even put in some solatubes (http://www.solatube.com/). (My parents have one in their interior bathroom and it is like having a 60w incandescent bulb in there. Folks regularly try to find the light switch to turn it off! :p)

If it is going to be a shop, why are you putting in a large Garage door? Those are always a problem to insulate and seal, and you live in MN !! Same question about the Garage Door on the back of your garage where it butts into the shop... you're losing a huge amt of wall space there, do you need a wide opening into the old garage?

Are you laying the block foundation yourself also? That's a big job!

Have fun, post photos! We love shop-build threads! :D

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

Looks awesome Kyle! I see why you are stoked. +1 on what others said about some windows for natural light. Whatever you do though, do NOT put many (if any) on the south side. I learned the hard way, I have a skylight on the south roof and there's a period of about an hour a day in the morning when I can not work on my table say because the glare is so bad. If I had to do it all over again, I'd put a skad of them on the north facing walls, it's the way artist's studios are designed. North natural light is the best. Put them up high as you can as well. More usable wall space this way. Check out windows in any recently built post office. Awning style and up real high.
Also, a couple of other tips:

-immediately after you pour your floor, get an insecticide sprayer and spray on some concrete sealer. Important to do while the floor is still curing. The resulting finish is like linoleum. Will cost you less than $100.

-radiant heat in the floor. Even if you don't use it now, lay the tubing before you pour....at least you'll have it for future use.

-also, before you pour your floor, bury some 6-8" PVC pipe for dust collection. I'm really kicking myself for not doing the latter 2 tips.

[Kyle Kaldor]

+1, exactly what I was thinking. Or even put in some solatubes (http://www.solatube.com/). (My parents have one in their interior bathroom and it is like having a 60w incandescent bulb in there. Folks regularly try to find the light switch to turn it off! :p)

If it is going to be a shop, why are you putting in a large Garage door? Those are always a problem to insulate and seal, and you live in MN !! Same question about the Garage Door on the back of your garage where it butts into the shop... you're losing a huge amt of wall space there, do you need a wide opening into the old garage?

Are you laying the block foundation yourself also? That's a big job!

Have fun, post photos! We love shop-build threads! :D

I'm not a big fan of skylights, almost every one that I've seen leaks at some point.

The reason for the garage doors is two-fold. 1. It's the cheapest and easiest way that I can think of to have a large opening to get plywood and cabinets in and out. (occasionally I will probably want the lawnmower to be able to be parked in there) 2. For resale, if I just had walk-in doors, the space cannot be used as a 'garage'.

I am doing the block foundation myself, with the help of a skilled friend. I'm hoping he knows what he's doing because I've never done it before.

[Kyle Kaldor]

Looks awesome Kyle! I see why you are stoked. +1 on what others said about some windows for natural light. Whatever you do though, do NOT put many (if any) on the south side. I learned the hard way, I have a skylight on the south roof and there's a period of about an hour a day in the morning when I can not work on my table say because the glare is so bad. If I had to do it all over again, I'd put a skad of them on the north facing walls, it's the way artist's studios are designed. North natural light is the best. Put them up high as you can as well. More usable wall space this way. Check out windows in any recently built post office. Awning style and up real high.
Also, a couple of other tips:

Funny to see the opposing views on where to place the windows. I'm no expert on window placement, but I can see your point, I would be pretty frustrated if I had a big glare off of my table saw, too. Just one more reason to not add any more windows than I had planned. I don't mind flipping on a few lights to be able to see. I would, however, not be happy if I had a big glare off of a power tool. The more I experience places with large windows, the more I dislike them. My MIL's house has large windows facing south up high on one wall and during some periods of the day I almost have to wear sunglasses to sit in the living room. Very annoying.


-immediately after you pour your floor, get an insecticide sprayer and spray on some concrete sealer. Important to do while the floor is still curing. The resulting finish is like linoleum. Will cost you less than $100.

Do you have any recommendations of a brand? I was planning on doing Epoxy, but may have to look into this.


-radiant heat in the floor. Even if you don't use it now, lay the tubing before you pour....at least you'll have it for future use.

Although, I would love this, I just don't see myself being in this house long enough for it to pay off. Both from a labor and cost standpoint.


-also, before you pour your floor, bury some 6-8" PVC pipe for dust collection. I'm really kicking myself for not doing the latter 2 tips.

Again, great idea, but this is a lot of extra work, time, and money for a place that will not be my shop long term.

[Ted Calver]

You control glare by extending your eve overhang. Sketchup has a neat shade feature that will let you see how the sun will affect your design.

[Doug McClentic]

Why is your shop only going to be 21'-4". I can see that is a even block coursing but the most efficient use of materials would be to make the shop 24'-0" square. You are going to have to buy the most of the materials anyway so why not use all of them and not throw them away. Just think of what you can do with the other 128 square feet of space.