Basic Considerations When Building a Garage

There are a variety of considerations to considerjoists, rule of thumb you can clear span 24ft. with a
when planning your garage. In this article we will give16in. deep TJI floor joists,but anything over 24ft will
you the basic things you should take intorequire some kind of load bearing posts downstairs.
consideration when in the planning stages of yourTurnaround radius: Pulling into and backing out of your
garage.garage is another important consideration. If space is
Size: Choosing the size of your garage will probablynot a issue this may not be a problem, but every
be determined by your personal needs and budget,situation is different so we will give you a couple of
so we will give you some basic guidelines that willrules. Back out space should be a minimum of 22ft. If
help you make educated decisions. We recommendyour garage is in the rear of your home be sure to
that all garages be a minimum of 20ft.consider turning radius around the corner of your
This should accommodate most standard cars, buthome. If you have plenty of room many times some
could be a little tight for large trucks. Measure youradditional concrete driveway can solve entry and exit
vehicles and add about 4ft. to have comfortable walkproblems
around space. Standard residential garage doors areCurb appeal: One of the most important
9x7 and 16x7,although you can get them in a varietyconsiderations is building the new garage to be a
of sizes. We recommend 2ft. of spacing fromattractive, natural, and aesthetically appealing addition
corners and between each garage door. If you wantto your home. Of course the exterior finish is the
extra storage space, or work area you can adjustmost obvious way of blending your garage to your
depth and width accordingly. If you are considering ahome,and if possible should match, but there are
garage with a upper floor be sure to allow space forquite a few other considerations you should weigh
the staircase. Staircases by code have to be a min.that sometimes cost very little but provide big
of 3ft. wide and assuming a 8ft. ceiling height willimpact. The pitch of the roof should be considered.,
require 16-20ft. of linier space. Another considerationsimple gable vents or shutters on windows, that
with upper floor garages is the span of the floormatch your home are cheap and simple accents.