I am about to start building a 24 X 28 stand alone garage/shop. I
decided against doing a course or 2 of concrete block and then 8ft
walls and I will just frame it from the pad up. So that leaves me with
the decision of 8' or 10' ceiling height. I know more space is
generally better, but if the space is for casual car repair and wood
working, is 10' really needed? anybody out there do 8' and really
regret it? It's not so much the cost that I'm worried about as I am
doing this myself and 10' will mean more work and I want to be sure its
worth it.
A few years ago, my wife and I built our own garage, also 24'x28'.
Originally, I had planned on a slab foundation, with 8' high walls framed
on top.
I decided against the slab foundation because there was no "easy" way to
provide a slope to the floor and still have a level perimeter for the
walls. Water dripping off the cars would either sit in the middle of the
floor, or drain towards the walls and potentially rot the sills. Hosing out
the inside would have been difficult, as I would need to stay away from the
wood walls. And, a slab would have put the exterior siding too close to the
ground, especially on our slightly sloped site.
Instead, we poured a 2' high concrete perimeter wall and footing ourselves,
and then hired a crew to come in and pour the sloped interior slab for us.
It was a bit more expensive and a little more work, but I've had no
regrets. In addition, if the slab should ever crack and need replacing, I
can easily tear it out and pour a new slab. That wouldn't be possible with
a slab foundation.
I then framed my 8' walls on top of the perimeter concrete wall. With the
thickness of the slab and a little overlap for the plywood siding, I ended
up with around 9-1/2' of interior ceiling height. But, I was still able to
use standard 8' materials (studs, plywood, sheetrock, etc.) which kept the
material costs the same.
I've used our garage mostly for woodworking, and the occasional car repair.
I can't imagine having an 8' ceiling now. I can easily flip an 8' board end
to end, or rotate a sheet of plywood on edge, without hitting the ceiling.
It also allows me to stand 8' lumber supplies on end against the walls.
This takes up a lot less space than storing them horizontally. I can stand
my 16' extension ladder (8' when closed) against the wall instead of
wasting wall space to hang it up. Even when working on cars, it's easier to
move my tall halogen worklight around without banging the ceiling. And I
would have more room to work if I needed to use a hoist to pull an engine.
Remember that whatever your ceiling height is, you'll still have lights,
garage door tracks, and maybe garage door openers sticking down below the
ceiling. My door tracks are just over 8' high, and I HAVE banged into them
several times when swinging boards around.
The only thing I would do different is pour a small curb for the side entry
door. Mine sits right on the slab, and any water that finds it's way inside
runs up against the wood frame of the door. I forsee having to replace the
door sometime in the future because the threshold will probably rot out. A
concrete curb, even just an inch or two, would have prevented this.
Anyway, go for the taller ceiling. You won't regret it.
Anthony
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