Building a 1-car garage...

[Tactically Fat]

Let's say that you just so happen to have a large 22' wide by 30' long 3 car garage that's attached to the back of your modest home in Greenwood, Indiana (In addition to the normal 2-car attached garage at the front of the house.

If you were wanting to section off the back portion of this room into just a 1-car garage - how wide would you want it to be? The Google tells me that the average 1-car garage is 12' wide. Would 10' be just too narrow?

 

[lonehoosier]

10 feet will work if you only planning on opening the driverside doors on the car because you're going to need to hug the wall on the passenger side.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Measure the width of your vehicle with both front doors open as far as they can go and see how wide that is. I think the one-car garage I used to have was 12 feet wide wall to wall, and our smallish car fit ok, but I don't remember ever thinking about putting my standard pickup in there.

 

[Tactically Fat]

In MY mind - I don't know that I want something over 10' wide. That makes it a mighty snug fit upon getting a car into and out of the garage itself - even if not worrying about having more than just the drivers' door open for ingress/egress into the car itself. My wife does want to retain at least a 1-car space out of this room - but if we go 12' wide - that'll put a crimp on the OTHER space. That said, having an extra 18'x22' room to play with isn't all that bad of a problem to have.

My mind doesn't really work well in this arena of trying to visualize / planning spaces like this.

 

[snorko]

I assume the doors/loading are on the 30' side? If this is in the rear of the house, would you prefer to keep lawn equipment, etc. there as well? I think you are looking at a minimum of 15'.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I assume the doors/loading are on the 30' side? If this is in the rear of the house, would you prefer to keep lawn equipment, etc. there as well? I think you are looking at a minimum of 15'.

Yes, the loading would be on the long side. The current 2-car door is at the south-end of this N-S oriented garage addition.

*WE* would not be putting a car back there. Should we ever sell, however, I think that having a bona-fide 1-car usable garage would be a nice selling point.

Lawn equipment certainly could go back there - though I'm not sure about storing gasoline back there just from an odor standpoint. I could get rid of my dilapidated yard barn for sure!

 

[Fargo]

In MY mind - I don't know that I want something over 10' wide. That makes it a mighty snug fit upon getting a car into and out of the garage itself - even if not worrying about having more than just the drivers' door open for ingress/egress into the car itself. My wife does want to retain at least a 1-car space out of this room - but if we go 12' wide - that'll put a crimp on the OTHER space. That said, having an extra 18'x22' room to play with isn't all that bad of a problem to have.

My mind doesn't really work well in this arena of trying to visualize / planning spaces like this.

Finished space always appears much smaller than unfinished space. I would not go under 12 if you are ever going to use it to park the car in. I don't know if it would make a ton of difference on resale, unless of course you let them park their car in it before you sell it and they realize just how tight 10 feet will be. Then again, if there is already a two bay garage in the front of the house I don't know that I would really be worried about it.

 

[Dirty Steve]

The typical minimum parking space width in a parking lot or parking garage is 9'. Imagine a wall on each side of the painted line. Is that enough? Not for me.

Dirty Steve

 

[RobbyMaQ]

I had a 12' x 26' metal building erected recently (likely thinner walls than stick built) and I'd say 10' would be really narrow. Do-able, but narrow. It houses a minivan or a miata depending on the time of year.

 

[natdscott]

Don't do it.

Go bigger, or wish you did later.

-Nate

 

[SSGSAD]

In MY mind - I don't know that I want something over 10' wide. That makes it a mighty snug fit upon getting a car into and out of the garage itself - even if not worrying about having more than just the drivers' door open for ingress/egress into the car itself. My wife does want to retain at least a 1-car space out of this room - but if we go 12' wide - that'll put a crimp on the OTHER space. That said, having an extra 18'x22' room to play with isn't all that bad of a problem to have.

My mind doesn't really work well in this arena of trying to visualize / planning spaces like this.

Chalk, on the concrete floor will help you vizualize it .....

 

[Benp]

A lot of houses that I see have their cars in their driveway and their garage is full of their junk/precious keepsakes. My wife and I are part of a small minority of people in our area where the cars are in the garage. Some people have their garages with TVs and couches and it looks like a tailgate party.
I would say that it's better to have a little extra room, but it depends if you drive a mini cooper or an explorer. I hope that you project works out well for you!

 

[Tactically Fat]

A lot of houses that I see have their cars in their driveway and their garage is full of their junk/precious keepsakes. My wife and I are part of a small minority of people in our area where the cars are in the garage. Some people have their garages with TVs and couches and it looks like a tailgate party.
I would say that it's better to have a little extra room, but it depends if you drive a mini cooper or an explorer. I hope that you project works out well for you!

Our normal / regular garage is for our cars.

The OTHER garage is filled with all of our crap. For now.

 

[indytechnerd]

Head down to harbor freight and get some 8'x16' tarps and some clothesline. Tie closeline to end of garage at whatever width you want to test. Run clothesline thru grommets in tarp(s). Tie other end of clothesline to other end of garage. Now you'll know what that space looks like closed off.

We did that for a yardsale last summer to block out the 3rd bay of the garage so folks wouldn't screw around finding things that weren't for sale.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Head down to harbor freight and get some 8'x16' tarps and some clothesline. Tie closeline to end of garage at whatever width you want to test. Run clothesline thru grommets in tarp(s). Tie other end of clothesline to other end of garage. Now you'll know what that space looks like closed off.

We did that for a yardsale last summer to block out the 3rd bay of the garage so folks wouldn't screw around finding things that weren't for sale.

Either that or yard-sale sheets!

 

[indytechnerd]

If you want another set of eyes on the project, let me know. I'll find a way to get over to your house and we can scope out the situation.

 

[DRob]

Garage space is pretty much like cabinets in your reloading room. There is such a thing as not enough but no such thing as too much.

 

[PGRChaplain]

What Nate said↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑!

 

[Tactically Fat]

I've pretty much given in to INGO pressure and think we're going to stick with a 12' wide rear section for the 1-car garage. Pretty much have my roommate on board with that as well. She's the one that really wanted to maintain a usable 1-car garage back there anyhow.

If you want another set of eyes on the project, let me know. I'll find a way to get over to your house and we can scope out the situation.

Come over any time! I relish fresh/new eyeballs on the space.

Garage space is pretty much like cabinets in your reloading room. There is such a thing as not enough but no such thing as too much.

Yes!

Thankfully, I have saved all our old kitchen cabinets from our kitchen remodel 2 years ago. Those'll be going up in the east end of that 1-car garage!

ETA: We've got a roughly 5' x 16' bathroom / laundry room sketched in along the east wall of this room. I think that'll work great for what we need - but I don't know how we'll get that room to work well with a mini-split HVAC system. A duct-less mini-split may not work.

 

[indytechnerd]

Come over any time! I relish fresh/new eyeballs on the space.

You gonna be home Saturday around lunch time? I've got to drop to boy child off at the church at 10:30 so he can go to MIX, so I'll be in the area. Also, text me your address since I've forgotten how to get to your house.