Decided to build a garage. Now the fun begins.

[South VA]

I wanted a sink in my shop, but it wasn't feasible. So far I don't really miss it. The garden hose is fifty feet away and the bathroom's only another twenty. We put a sink and toilet in my wife's shop and we have to keep a heat lamp on it in the winter. I'm ready to pull the toilet and cap off the lines.

A sink would be nice, but after thinking about what is involved - e.g., where to run the drain - it’s also not feasible for me. I’m guessing I won’t miss having one.

I will probably install a frost free hydrant in the yard near the garage, as it will probably come in handy. Because of a nearby water line, it will be a simple matter to insert a T and a couple of ball valves to supply the hydrant.

As for a bathroom, the house is 100 feet away from the garage. No big deal.

 

[South VA]

Insulating the slab pays huge dividends. People don't realize how much of a difference it really makes. I didn't go the in floor heat route, the cost vs. reward wasn't there for me. With the lift, I'm not working on the cement anyways, so a warm floor doesn't make a huge difference in my operation. Also it takes much longer to bring the air back to a warmer temp after you open an overhead door with the floor heat than with forced air.

I hadn’t thought of insulating the slab, but in a colder climate could see the benefit. Probably not so much here.

 

[South VA]

I've heard the exact opposite, that forced air takes longer to recover than a heated slab. I'm inclined to believe it after experiencing my friend's shop which has insulated walls and ceiling only, his uninsulated slab seems to really moderate the temperature inside the building both summer and winter.

That is a good point. The slab would function as a thermal flywheel, to some extent, to moderate the temperature swings.

As far as heating the slab itself, it's about a $1,000 gamble to just put the PEX in the floor. In the grand scheme of things it's a minimal expense if you choose to not heat the slab down the road. Like plumbing, it's something you can't change your mind on down the road. I'll take a similar approach to the house build, i.e. blow extra money on the stuff you can't see and can't redo, skimp on the finish if need be initially. I'll have some cold winters to fend off myself, I don't think OP will be in that same boat.

It’s going to be a pretty basic garage, which is fine with me. I’m just pleased to be able to have a garage at all. To have a garage with a lift will be nothing short of wonderful, to my way of thinking.

 

[South VA]

A bucket of water for handwashing and homemade urinal for the winter.

*not mine but have seen similar in person*

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Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[Supercharged111]

Not a fan of pumping sewage, although it can be done. I don’t want a bathroom badly enough to do that.

Sounds like the Garage Mahal!

Seriously, it sounds like you have a great setup. If I were to do all of that I’d need a larger building, which is definitely not in the budget. I expect I’ll use all of the available space I have for vehicle related purposes.

I’ve had radiant heat in a house when I lived in Colorado and loved it. There’s nothing like it. But in this climate, in a garage, I can’t see being able to justify the cost.

My setup is all in my head at the moment. Looking to break ground on it or the house in 2025. House and shop would be 200' apart and I'd be using the shop to work out of every day rather than occasionally tinker.

What are you doing for heat in your shop?

 

[Keeper]

Because of a nearby water line, it will be a simple matter to insert a T and a couple of ball valves to supply the hydrant.

Just making sure... it's not the water line from the well to the pressure tank is it?

 

[South VA]

My setup is all in my head at the moment. Looking to break ground on it or the house in 2025. House and shop would be 200' apart and I'd be using the shop to work out of every day rather than occasionally tinker.

Sounds like a great project! That‘s exciting that you’ll be getting a new house and a new garage!

I expect there will be times that I work most of the day in my garage, but after the initial flurry of activity (such as finishing various parts of the Subdivision project), it will probably wind up being a few hours here and there, most weeks. Once the major work gets done, there will be a fair amount of time spent doing maintenance on all of the vehicles we have here.

What are you doing for heat in your shop?

The plan is to use mini splits. And @Keeper has graciously offered an extra one that is currently taking up space in his shop.

 

[South VA]

Just making sure... it's not the water line from the well to the pressure tank is it?

No, it’s a line from the house to another frost free hydrant down by a barn, so we should be good to go.

 

[Supercharged111]

Sounds like a great project! That‘s exciting that you’ll be getting a new house and a new garage!

I expect there will be times that I work most of the day in my garage, but after the initial flurry of activity (such as finishing various parts of the Subdivision project), it will probably wind up being a few hours here and there, most weeks. Once the major work gets done, there will be a fair amount of time spent doing maintenance on all of the vehicles we have here.

The plan is to use mini splits. And @Keeper has graciously offered an extra one that is currently taking up space in his shop.

Oh man, so you'll have AC in the summer too?

 

[South VA]

Oh man, so you'll have AC in the summer too?

That’s the idea. We’ll see how well it works, of course, but I expect a couple of mini splits will at least help take the edge off the Virginia summertime heat and humidity.