Shop Design on door spacing

[W_A_Watson_II]

Guys,

I sure hope I'm getting truly close in buying a lot(s) and starting construction on the shop and hose, this has been an experience.

I'm looking to build around a 3,600 sq. ft. shop, and have a question for those who have gone before me. I'm looking at installing 12' wide doors, and am wondering on what spacing (Center Line to Center Line) you would recommend.

I'm considering 14'-6" so that there is 8' between vehicles (78" wide), but don't know how much I should leave for adequate working area. Should I go down to 14' or up to as much as 16'?

I'm looking to be either 48' or 56' wide and want enough room on one side wall for work benches and tools.

[Tom Petroff]

Shop Size

Will,
Give it your best quess! When completed it will Always be to Small!Ha.
Mine is 80 feet across, with 4 ft spacing between end walls and doors.
I used 3 10ft doors with one 20ft door.I should hve used 12ft.
Love the 20ft door as you can easily pull in and work on two vehicles side by side, or one in middle.
I know you will come up with the "right" measurments! Remember you will always wished it where bigger!
How's Land of "Lincoln" treating you?
Hope all is Well?
Tom P

[MoparNorm]

Hi Will!
I answered your post at Joe's before I saw it here;

8 to 6 feet between doors would be perfect, each vehicle in a bay could them have it's doors open with room to walk around, or vehicles being assembled would have plenty of room to walk around with tools etc. That would put the centerline spacing of 12' doors at 18' to 20' feet. It's simpler to just use feet between, regardless of door size, start out at the corner, go 6' to the door opening (8' if you want a stall to park against the wall out of the doorway) and then 12'-6'-12' and so on. Here in CA we can't do that because we need a certain percentage of wall surface for siesmic shear strength, you will need that also for wind loads etc., so check with your local codes before getting too far into it.


Listen to Tom, I have shops with 8', 10', 12' and 20' doors, 12' is the SMALLEST that I would go with in the future, 20' is problematic if you are limited to wall space or need enough shear wall to support the building. Space between doors is good to segregate the work, unless you can have completely open walls! ha!ha!
How's this for space?

MN

[bosco]

Will ...
I've been toying with the same thing for my shop. Can't tell you how many times I redesigned it and still at it. Of course the shop you are planning is much larger than what I have in mind. Since my shop will be only 40 x 60 I've decided to install one 12' wide door in each 40' wide endwall, that way I have a drive through shop. That leaves me with plently of room on each side of the door for stalls and it also allows space for tools and equipment along the walls.

I sure wish I could afford a larger workshop. Norm, what size is that shop in the photo...?

Awesome workspace!

[W_A_Watson_II]

Thanks for the comments guys, as I started out with my ideal size (54' x 105' x 14'), but then reality (cost) set in and now I'm back to getting practical.

Well, I keep designing more shop than I can afford at the same time as I'm building a home, so I'm down to say 48' x 60' x 14'. This won't allow me to park a two truck trailer connected to a crew cab LWB tow vehicle in side, but I will be able to park my existing truck trailer combination. When and if I ever go to that size of trailer, I'll have to add onto the back of the shop.

In an effort to have the shop three trucks wide and a work bench on one side I keep coming back to the 14'-6". so here is the latest sketch, what do you think?

[MoparNorm]

It's getting too hard to follow two threads on two forums so look here for future comments.
Looks good, consider whether it is easier to scrimp and save for the right size now, or to add on later. Metal buildings are easily expanded in length, hard to impossible to expand in width, so if your economic option is a short, wide building now and a long, wide one later you'll be all set!
Remember that your shop will NEVER be as clean as that sheet of paper, you'll have tool boxes, parts, welders etc. between those vehicles, that's the reason for my 6' between doors....= )

Bosco, you're looking at HALF of a 204' x 166' building I just finished for a client.

MN

[Ugg013]

Will:

A possible solution. Back when I worked for the City Of Chicago, Dept of Aviation (I plowed snow off the runways at O'Hare), they moved us to a newly built facility. It looked like a Quonset hut placed on flat walls. Later, they added to the width by adding another section of hut(?), and ripping out the walls between. The building was initally bigger than the picture Norm posted (which I'd almost kill to have). BTW Norm, I noticed the date ya posted that picture, 4-1. Hmmmmm. ;>)

Later
Ugg

[Charles Talbert]

RULE OF THUMB in shop space

If it covers 10 acres, it will still be too small.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Ugg013,

Thanks, I've got a shop/building on order. It will be 54' x 48' with two 12' x 12' overhead doors. I've layed it out so that I can add on once I get the cash ot more stuff than needs to be kept inside.

[Ugg013]

Will:

Looks good, but I think ya had a good idea when ya mentioned the drive thru. Are those 2 overheads on the back? If so, it might be a good idea to have one as a straight thru. I like the eves by the walk thru doors, but ya might also want some by the overheads too, ventilation ya know, for those muggy, hot, rainy days/nights. ;>)

Later
Ugg