Skip to main content

Reply to "Garage/Shop Expansion- Need Engineer/Architect in CA!"

Steve, I feel for you getting caught in the State bureaucracy loop. But you dealt with a semi-basket-case Mangusta- you'll figure this out!

Once you have permission from the Lord & Master of Building Permits in your area, a few tips.

1) Do NOT run air lines in any kind of poly pipe! The constant strain from 100-120 psi compressor pressure causes the glue to move, until it blows apart in a year or two. If its built into the walls, it can severely damage things. Use sweat-soldered copper tubing, with quick disconnects coming out of the walls every 10 ft or so, all the way around. More expensive but will last a lifetime.

2) Insist on at least 100 amp service in the new building. I have a single-phase 200 amp sub-box for lights, a BIG compressor & electric welders. I suggest  you run 220VAC lines built in the walls separate from the 110VAC, not as taps off the 220 line. I put a 220 outlet every 15 ft and a 110v outlet every 8 ft, all the way around my 30x50 ft shop. A couple of outside outlets are also handy for yard work but are difficult to install after the fact, as I found out.

3)- at least around here, the wood walls must BOLT to the concrete step-wall from the floor every so many feet; big long studs are cast in for this purpose when they pour the floor slab. If you see an area where it looks like a stud is missing, ask the guys laying out the forms before the mixer shows up. In case you get an inspector with delusions of grandeur or to demonstrate his power, Home Depot & Lowes sell legal extra stud kits that set into a drilled hole with epoxy. To be inspector-legal, the drilled hole in the concrete needs to be 18" deep, so clearly its easier to do it when the floor is poured. I missed two near the man-door.....

4)- Add a basic bathroom & a sink to wash up. I missed this one, too. Can't tell you how many miles I've walked back into the house during a project..... There's a slope requirement for the drain or 'soil pipe' to connect to your sewer or septic tank. An outside water spigot or two is a handy thing for landscaping. By NOT adding a shower, it's easier to convince the Lord Inspector the shop will NOT EVER be 'living quarters'- which is another different ball of worms.

5)- Look at the path of the sun & the prevailing winds before you choose a building or window location. Insulate the poo out of the walls, windows, doors and roof! By using 2x6 wall studs instead of 2x4s, you can get 2x the insulation in there, cheaply. Stuff every crevice with fberglas mat. O'sized wall studs might help with earthquake compliancy, too. This not only keeps the place warm in winter, it cuts down on A/C needed in the summer. They make pre-insulated roll-up doors, too. We get snow & ice here and I use a small ventless 33,000 btu hang-on-the-wall natural gas heater with it's own distribution fan, and a small window A/C built into one wall. I work in a tee shirt during zero degree F days.

×
×
×
×