For a few years I have been day dreaming about building an oversized garage with an apartment above it. The time has come to zero in on a design and begin construction. I am thinking roughly 24' wide by 30' deep with an apartment above. The apartment will have a balcony that extends over the garage doors to create a shallow carport. The siding and roof will probably be metal due to a tight budget. The plan is to make this place look like it was born for hot rods...do you guys have any cool pictures and/or ideas to help brainstorm? Thank you all in advance!
I used commercial glass doors like you used to see on old gas stations. They are a little spendy but give the shop that vintage look and looks great if you have some old gas/oil signs on the walls.
personally, i would skip the big window doors... the thought of someone being able to stand there, inventory my stuff and then bust the glass with a hammer is a 12.8 on the 0-10 sphincter pucker scale might look like a 60's era station, but FAIL
Try searching & posting on The Garage Journal (see link at bottom of the page) Lots of great pictures and ideas there.
Why build the apartment above it? Seems to me you would get all the fumes in your apartment.......................
i want one too. ive looked some up and found a few cool design plans on line. this is boat shop in cape may,nj
Build something that has some aesthetics even of you have to eat mac and cheese for the next 10 years. You will never regret it when it comes time to sell it. Don't put in too any garage doors that it makes it look odd. Maybe build a 2 car garage but make it deeper so you can place a 3rd car parallel with the back wall. There is a whole neighborhood of garage apartments near me-they were built in the 30's and have that bungalow look. Too bad they are in the roughest part of town.
I have security film on all the glass that cant be busted out easy, A 1950 US navy submarine siren that will blow so loud it will make you dizzy if you break in. Not to mention a large German sheppard that will rip your ass up if your brave enough to open my front gate. My shop is not visable from the road anyhow. Pucker scale ? what is that ? something gay ?
I was going to do what you were suggesting ,Till I got shorted on my loan,Make pocket closets that can be extended out the back ,Deck Another great idea and steps on side yard leading up to apartment ,Nothing in garage ,Insulate from fumes with plastic ,Insulation and sheetrock ,Garage should have no windows,Reason being summer time acts as a cooker and put a real roof on it ,Do it once and do it right
ever barely avoided an accident that was soooooo freekin scary that you had to go see a proctologist to have him pull the seat out of your ass, then you know what a "sphincter pucker scale" is. the more risky the event or activity is, the higher the "pucker factor" becomes... the easier you can talk yourself into engaging in such activities means you have a high "balls to pucker ratio" in a nutshell, no. it aint gay. its just funny. remember, the angle of your dangle is equal to the sum of the swing in your thing, but has no correlation to the heat of her meat. i'm sorry, but i'm in one of them kinda moods today.
yea, i haddnt thought about security glass like you see in industrial glass passage doors... you know, the "chicken wire" embedded in glass. good point
Here is mine .... And my photo album during the build .... http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp61/LabRat69/Shed/
Let's see if this works...I posted these over on the Garage Journal board some time ago, they're illustrations from one of my dad's textbooks from when he was in college in the early 1930s.
The security glass I was talking about is a clear film that is installed after the doors are installed. Its hard to explain, The glass if smashed wont shatter and explode in a million pieces, Like a front windshield of a car if that helps.
no no... soon as you mentioned the film i had an idea what you were talking about... it just reminded me of the chicken wire windows is all
A few thoughts: inside stair for those nasty days, make the balcony/carport big enough and set up structurally to allow it to be enclosed underneath in the future and consider a full height storage wall along one side of the garage area.
Thank you guys very much for the helpful advice, pictures, and plans! I had never heard of the garage journal....what a great site! I have spent a lot of time in the past day looking through the threads. if anyone has any further insight please share...
My shop is 40 X 30 with a 300 sq ft mezzanine for storage and a small office across the back. When I think about that, my gut tells me that your plans for 24 x 30 would be so small as to be completely impractical. What would you do for storage, for both your car stuff and personal stuff? You will run out of room the day you move in. I had to go back and read your initial post twice to make sure you said 24 x 30. Please reconsider the size.
just a quick side note as you mention you had not heard of the garage journal... Ryan has a couple of great sites full of information... Gear journal, Garage journal, Jockey journal and Ford Barn.
This is the place my dad built many years ago. I think I have the plans he drew up for it somewhere around here.
FYI, i got pretty serious about one a couple of years ago, the builder told me before i pull the trigger to look into insurance. My company would not insure " got cars with gas in your house". Told me if i could find some one to insure it would cost a mint. Dropped the idea.
I've beeb thinkin about something simmial too. Id go 30x30 ath the smallest. I was thinking 24x48 but all one leval.
Building width of 24' is much simpler and cheaper than building 30' wide. At 30' beams , or bearing walls, or heavier materials needed to span the distance. Keep that in mind. It may suit your needs better to have those? I like the chipolte decor flavor. Also whatever you think is adequate size, build it bigger.
yblock292 - I have considered just what you're saying. However, a very popular floor plan in Austin is the three store townhouse/condo with a garage underneath it. I am going to get in touch with my contact at the city today and as well my insurance company. I really appreciate you stressing the issue. 31Vicky - very good point regarding the 24' width. I am not thinking 24' wide x 35' deep. Very good point out regarding chipotle...that's a look that I really like but I couldn't put my finger on a reference as concentrated as chipotle. Thank you guys very much - please keep it coming...
The Jalopy Journal
