Decided to build a garage. Now the fun begins.

[South VA]

If anything, you are creating an asset that you will be leaving for those behind you to have the advantage of. Leave them cash and it's gone in a flash.

I fully agree. Cash is way too easy to let slip through one’s hands.

The kids should be fine.

 

[South VA]

It was the discussion of lighting in this thread that got me thinking about the current state of this project. It didn’t take much thought to realize that there’s a problem.

What I’m about to present might be considered by some as too elementary, too long, or both; maybe even a waste of bandwidth. I understand. But this is not addressed to those folks. For the rest of you, please forgive the length and trudge on. I’ve tried to make it worth reading.

There are three reasons I’m writing this: 1) to make sure that I get this garage project right; 2) to invite additional thoughts and comments that could add value to the project; and 3) to share my experience with anyone who is considering spending the time and money to build and furnish a garage, but who may not know how to get started.

I’ll admit that this garage isn’t a particularly daunting or complicated project to pull off. In contrast to @Road Trip ‘s bestowing upon it the title of Garage Mahal - which I appreciate, btw - it’s not what most would call grand.

However, it has enough elements to consider, keep track of, and execute, that it’s not much of a stretch to imagine that something of importance could be overlooked, or an opportunity missed. Maybe several somethings.

Many, and maybe most, folks (me included) who take on a project like this tend to have an overall idea, maybe even one sketched out on paper; then start in, expecting the details to be sorted along the way. This approach can and often has worked, to various extents. Sometimes that is good enough.

However, without a plan, sorting out the details as you go can lead to forgetting things, or actually getting lost in those details, and thereby losing sight of equally important details and/or the overall purpose of the project.

It’s human nature. It’s certainly my nature.

Which is why professionals who design projects for clients rely on some sort of an established, rational process for carefully thinking the project through, prior to execution.

A project, even one as seemingly simple as this 30’ x 40’ detached garage, in the hands of a competent professional, typically proceeds step-wise from concept to completion, in an orderly, coherent, and verifiable fashion.

That process is generally termed planning; and the method always involves some sort of checklist.

Rich irony here, particularly after my recent discovery of and expressing great enthusiasm for (in another thread) an excellent book on the subject, in that I find myself having made some poor decisions (and on the verge of making more), because of my failure to develop a proper plan and adhere to it.

Fortunately, those poor decisions haven’t yet produced any serious negative effects, other than my embarrassment, some wasted time and fortunately, not very much wasted money. Yet.

However, at a minimum, they need to be addressed and corrected after the fact. Each instance detracts from what should be, for the most part, a fun project. It should be fun. Didn’t I infer as much in the title of this thread?

Looking back, this project actually started off fairly well; I put a lot of thought into it, and made some lists. There has been much helpful advice from many members of this forum and of garagejournal.com.

I looked at other garages, both online and in person. And then came up with a building design that I felt would meet my needs while fitting within the constraints of setback requirements, a nearby septic drain field, a large oak tree, the goat pasture, and, of course, the budget. I drew up and repeatedly revised the floor plan, and eventually felt satisfied with what I saw. Then it was built, and looks great, imho. So far so good.

But now that the shell is up, we’re into the nuts and bolts of this project. That’s when it became apparent that the project was veering off course; and heading for the rough.

The first clue emerged when I looked at the pile of electrical supplies I’d already purchased, and realized that I had yet to do any kind of electrical plan. I think I said I would; I just didn’t do it. True, there was a rough idea in my head of what I wanted to do, but I was still trying to figure out where to run MC cable and where to run conduit, and how large. Or where to use duplex versus single outlets, which in turn affects the number of circuits required. And so forth.

But in the excitement of making things happen, I somehow managed to skip that planning step and went straight into shopping mode. As a result, I’ve purchased things that I may not need, and not enough of what I actually will need.

The other clue was that I was spending a lot of time looking online at light fixtures, before having really thought through how much area lighting is needed to make this garage bright like you read about, without breaking the bank. I came very close to actually buying light fixtures.

Then some folks on here had the nerve to mention task lighting.

No electrical plan, no lighting plan. Full stop.

You’ve heard it here before: unlike most places, our Lowes is about a 70 mile round trip from the farm. Even our local building supply is a 40 mile round trip; but they don’t carry much of what I need. Extra trips because of poor planning are a real drag on a project budget and timeline, not to mention my state of mind. Also, I can’t just have one of my guys fix something if I screw up, because I don’t have any guys. You get the idea. And even if things were closer, extra trips are still a drag. There’s no way around it.

To the point: planning isn’t necessarily fun, but it is necessary. At least if you want to get a project right.

I decided to start over.

The difference this time is that I’m actually writing everything down, using a text editor on an iPad (paper works too, but I find more labor intensive and less effective). In the plans that follow in subsequent posts you’ll see no charts, diagrams, or special project management software printouts.

Edit: Ok, there will be a few diagrams.

Just some checklists. Mostly.

The key is to write it all down, in some sort of logical fashion, and be able to refer back to it and revise it as necessary.

And I write everything down, even when it seems too obvious to forget, like the two post lift, or the bay doors. Why? Because if I don’t, I won’t think as hard about it, and everything that it affects; like the placement of light fixtures and junction boxes and outlets, or the timing of installation.

It’s only after writing it down that I have a fighting chance of surfacing those issues that lurk therein before I drive to Lowes, or hit the Buy button online. Or, even worse, have to tear something out that was installed in haste.

Ok, that’s enough for now. I’ve roughed out the actual plans and will revise them until they’re worth sharing. Hopefully some here will find this exercise somewhat helpful, if not interesting. Maybe not. But if you’ve made it this far, I truly appreciate it.

More to follow.

 

[Scooterwrench]

I'm guessing you've drawn up some sort of wiring blueprint?

 

[Drunkcanuk]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I've seen trained construction professionals with many years of experience have "learning opportunities" but we're too proud to admit it. Costing time and money to fix.
At least you are taking a step back and re-evaluating the situation.
Heck, even with the build on my truck, something I have done a bazillion times in my head, I realized I screwed up. I wanted to eventually upgrade to the bigger post 91 brakes, well, I am stuck now because the dropped spindles I used won't accept that. And I eventually want a 14bolt, would have to buy new stuff for that as well.

What's that saying?
Proper planning prevents pi$$ poor performance.....lol

 

[Trio]

Even a good plan, executed once, often leaves opportunities discovered after the fact. There is a saying akin to you need to build a house three times to get it right - same goes for garages. You need to build one, live in it, and take note of all the things you would have done differently.

Or, listen to folks who gained that experience the hard way and you won't have to repeat it.

I have built enough (and learned the hard way) that I can finally look at a space and know where I want every light, door, window, cable drop, outlet, switch, etc.

 

[South VA]

I'm guessing you've drawn up some sort of wiring blueprint?

Not there yet. I’ll put together an electrical plan once I’m finished with a couple of steps that precede it.

 

[South VA]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I've seen trained construction professionals with many years of experience have "learning opportunities" but we're too proud to admit it. Costing time and money to fix.
At least you are taking a step back and re-evaluating the situation.
Heck, even with the build on my truck, something I have done a bazillion times in my head, I realized I screwed up. I wanted to eventually upgrade to the bigger post 91 brakes, well, I am stuck now because the dropped spindles I used won't accept that. And I eventually want a 14bolt, would have to buy new stuff for that as well.

What's that saying?
Proper planning prevents pi$$ poor performance.....lol

Thank you for that. It is hard for me to keep in perspective sometimes, especially when I find myself lost in the weeds.

Taking this step back has already surfaced some things that I hadn’t thought of, so it’s working!

 

[South VA]

Even a good plan, executed once, often leaves opportunities discovered after the fact. There is a saying akin to you need to build a house three times to get it right - same goes for garages. You need to build one, live in it, and take note of all the things you would have done differently.

I’ve heard that saying as well. And it makes sense.

Since the building - at least the shell - is already up, I have the opportunity to spend some time in it, and can better visualize what will go where, and how it will work.

I even thought about cutting out some large pieces of cardboard to use as templates for the workbench, table, etc, to help visualize where things would best be placed on the floor, and move them around as needed.

Kind of like a floor plan, but on the actual floor.

Or, listen to folks who gained that experience the hard way and you won't have to repeat it.

Which is why I really appreciate the suggestions and comments from you and the other folks on this forum. The help I’ve been given has already made this a far better project than it otherwise would have been.

I have built enough (and learned the hard way) that I can finally look at a space and know where I want every light, door, window, cable drop, outlet, switch, etc.

Having that kind of experience is a wonderful thing, especially in something like this. I really appreciate your willingness to share that experience.

Given my age, this garage will almost certainly be the only one I build. One and done.

Which makes proper planning even more crucial. I learned a while ago that although perfection in any kind of project is rarely an achievable outcome, it is essential as a goal.

I’m relieved, and grateful, that I had the opportunity to hit the ‘Pause’ button, and can now actually finish the planning process before going any further.

 

[Trio]

I’ve heard that saying as well. And it makes sense.

Since the building - at least the shell - is already up, I have the opportunity to spend some time in it, and can better visualize what will go where, and how it will work.

I even thought about cutting out some large pieces of cardboard to use as templates for the workbench, table, etc, to help visualize where things would best be placed on the floor, and move them around as needed.

Kind of like a floor plan, but on the actual floor.

Which is why I really appreciate the suggestions and comments from you and the other folks on this forum. The help I’ve been given has already made this a far better project than it otherwise would have been.

Having that kind of experience is a wonderful thing, especially in something like this. I really appreciate your willingness to share that experience.

Given my age, this garage will almost certainly be the only one I build. One and done.

Which makes proper planning even more crucial. I learned a while ago that although perfection in any kind of project is rarely an achievable outcome, it is essential as a goal.

I’m relieved, and grateful, that I had the opportunity to hit the ‘Pause’ button, and can now actually finish the planning process before going any further.

You're doing great so far, and a really smart thing you are doing is taking your time. Like doing the cardboard cutouts (painters tape also works, but not easily movable).

 

[South VA]

You're doing great so far, and a really smart thing you are doing is taking your time. Like doing the cardboard cutouts (painters tape also works, but not easily movable).

Thanks! I really appreciate your saying so.

I’m kind of excited about the cardboard cutouts!