Thought I'd post a thread on my garage/mancave project. Considering putting a lift in if the budget will allow. Doing most of the construction myself, so we'll see how it goes since I'm approaching "old man" status and may have to subcontract some of it...especially the trusses and roof.
Decided to go with 2"x6" construction with siding and shingle roof instead of metal building since I wanted it to match the house and not look like a machine shed or barn.
The most important part will be decorating and furnishing the mancave once it's done. Suggestions welcome. I'll be glad to host a get-together next summer for anyone interested in visiting us down here in the sticks of Southern Illinois. We have plenty of beer and raise corn fed beef - so the steaks will be juicy!
Any thoughts about asking my wife if a "pole" being added in the Mancave is permissible?
Nice slab! Looks like you have a nice clean shot from the roof if anybody tries to steal your benz!
You have your garage, don't mess it up with the stripper pole suggestion or you may never get that lift! Make sure to get her something special during and after the construction of your man cave to keep her pre occupied and away from the cave.
You already gave your wife something ! And got your ass tossed out of the attached garage for your trouble ! Congrats on the new garage ! It will be an inspiration for all ! I hear ya about the senior thing. I've been a custom builder for 30 years. My expectations always write checks my body can't cash !. You have the right idea about hiring 3 or 4 young bucks for a couple days to roll the trusses and sheet the roof. Think the trusses over carefully. Depending on ceiling height you might want to put some scissor trusses over an area where the potential car lift might live. Remember, a really high ceiling over the entire foot print is just more volume to finish and heat ! The other thing is attic storage. Not sure what you have in mind. I recently built a 5000 sf toy box for a hotrod builder. We had the trusses built with a 2 x 10 bottom chord and a open box area in the center. He like you had a huge shop. Last year, he called and we finished that out for climate controlled parts storage ! Easy now, hard later ! Having done a few of these, if you need to know anything, dont hesitate to ask ! Keep us posted !
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I guess you have decided against a two-post lift since you've already poured the slab. I am not sure of the specs required for a two post lift, but I assume they require a special footer underneath them. I don't think I can do a four post lift in my garage, and have been assuming I'd cut up rectangles in the existing thin concrete floor to pour footers for a two post lift, or just re-do the whole floor while I'm at it.
As far as trusses, my 80-year old garage has rough cut 2x6 every two feet and has nothing supporting them but rough cut 2x6 "joists" every four feet. There is a 2x6 or 2x8 that runs the length of the peak between the roof stinger (?) joists? Its a 45 degree roof pitch and ha 1x wood decking under slate. There's some weight up there. It sits on brick. So maybe there is less risk of the structure going out of square. Regardless, I am impressed that such a small amount of wood can hold so much weight. Maybe it holds less weight in snow because it slides off so quickly.
In the 8' section above where my garage door rolls up, it has been "decked over" in the 4-foot gaps between the "joists". It is really flimsy up there. To add support, there are 2x6's about 3' feet apart that run up to the roof joists. That provides a little stability and doesn't take away too much of my storage space up there. If I ever full deck over that space, I plan on putting in bigger joists every 24", 16", or 12", and eliminating the need for vertical supports in the center, and having shorter ones at the sides with "knee wall" storage. There's a lot of room up there with the ~14 foot ceiling center for a 20x20 garage. (a*a + b*b = c*c).
So how high are you calculating that you need in vertical space for your lift?
If you have a finished ceiling, then there's less volume to heat regardless of how larger your attic is.
With a really large garage like yours, you can also make an area of the garage that is open to the roof for the lift area, while the rest is closed off.
Options of new construction must be fun. I wish I had that kind of space to build.
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Nice slab
A 2 post lift requires 4 1/2" of high strength concrete. Looks like you may have that. Also a 2 post lift is cheaper than a 4 post in that it doesn't require a rolling jack sold separately for an additional $2000. At this point I would make sure I could accommodate a 2 post lift somewhere.
For the pole, just tell your wife you need that for structural support.
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. You have the right idea about hiring 3 or 4 young bucks for a couple days to roll the trusses and sheet the roof. Think the trusses over carefully. Depending on ceiling height you might want to put some scissor trusses over an area where the potential car lift might live. Remember, a really high ceiling over the entire foot print is just more volume to finish and heat ! The other thing is attic storage. Not sure what you have in mind. I recently built a 5000 sf toy box for a hotrod builder. We had the trusses built with a 2 x 10 bottom chord and a open box area in the center. He like you had a huge shop. Last year, he called and we finished that out for climate controlled parts storage ! Easy now, hard later ! Having done a few of these, if you need to know anything, dont hesitate to ask ! Keep us posted !
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