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Garage questions and help needed

lakeliving

lakeliving

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Michigander living In Palm City FL
Don't worry I don't need you all for labor, just a couple quick questions. My wife and I currently do not have a garage at our home and would love to have one. We priced out a detached 2 car a little while back and I was floored at foundation/concrete costs. Needless to say that killed the project. Well this Saturday we took the ski up to the in laws detached garage for the winter and I noticed it is a pole barn that was finished as a residential garage would be, vinyl siding, shingle roof, concrete floor. With that said it opened up the thought again on building a garage using this technique.

I'm going to contact our city tomorrow as we will need a variance regardless but here is what I'm thinking for size and what I need help on.

24wx32dx10h pole structure with a 16x8 overhead door. I've done some searching and it appears an 8' door will work with removing the bimini and possibly the windshield.

Here is where the help comes in. Is 32' going to be deep enough for a 24 sslx (kaydano, do you know how long your's is from the bow to the prop?) And Derrick, I saw a post from you back on 2012 about building a garage to store your boat. Did this happen and if so, how did you build it.

Thanks all and I welcome any pics, suggestions.

Andy
 
You have the remember the trailer also I have not measured it but out 22ssx is about 34' and I know for sure that my 18' bass boat is just a hair over 24' cause I had to turn it sideways to get it in the old garage, and there was not room to walk around the back of it.
 
It's out in the street and I will measure it tomorrow.

I believe the garage we are in is 32 feet and they had to move our boat forward on the trailer to get it to fit.
 
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I'm in the exact same process, including the variance. Our trailer alone is 30.5' long. With the motor off the ESP and aft deck, it is right at 35' so 36' minimum. Also, I need to measure the height from the ground to the top of the seats/bimini folded down when it's on the bunk trailer, but I doubt 8' will do it. If anyone has those measurements handy that would be great as mine's in storage at the dealer now.
 
Thanks guys. Once I have the length of the boat I can figure out where it would need to rest on the trailer and go from there. I appreciate it.

According to the boat builder the 24 sslx is 23'10" plus however far a 200 Yamaha would hang off of that so I think Kaydano's measurement should get me pretty close.

Have you already applied for the variance Tom?
 
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Andy,

Depending what trailer you get you can install a swing away tongue which might get you a couple extra feet.

Pole barn garages are very popular where I live. They are economical to build and you can add as budget allows. People do stone floors here, then add concrete floor as their budget permits. We also have numerous wood shed companies that have some huge ones that a toon would easily fit.

Maybe that would be an option too ??
 
Hey Dave,

We currently have our tandem axle trailer from the other boat. It was a little too big for the 22 so it looks like the 24 will fit on it so we're going to hang onto it. As for pole built buildings, It looks like I'll be able to put one up in no time based on the videos I've seen. And if I get stuck I can always zip out to the in-laws and see how theirs was built. Ours would be finished in vinyl siding, laminate shingles to match the house and would have a concrete slab. The problem is our lot is pie shape and it would have to go in the front/side yards due to house orientation and being on the water. I'm going to drive up to the city building dept this morning and see what they say. Fingers crossed we can make it happen.
 
lakeliving said:
Have you already applied for the variance Tom?
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No, not yet, it will take many months in the zoning appeal process here just to get a plain Jane garage :( They have a Unified Development Ordinance that is over 300 pages long! Apparently, I'd be setting some sort of new record for variance relief requests since our lot is not very deep, and no space to build much else. For example, max size is 800 sq ft, 18' max height, and NO metal siding permitted. Our house uses HardiPlank siding all around which is pretty expensive, and the garage has to match it. Even if I buy a bare lot, that's all I can do inside the town limits, so we're looking at some plan "B" of other property in the county for an office/workshop and possible storage.
 
I was at the city earlier and she was not sure about being able to build a pole building in the county. I'm waiting for a call back from the county building dept but my biggest challenge will be the variance request. The lady at the city did say that most variances go through on the lake as the lots are oddly shaped and their one off situations due to the lake. That gave me hope. Once submitted it will be 3-4 weeks before I would even get approval. That is cutting it close before the ground starts to freeze!!!!
 
I've learned that since a new comprehensive plan was adopted in our county ~2009, one cannot even build a new pole barn on rural residential land within the county without also having a residence within 300', septic ($15-20k), and well ($3-5k) constructed FIRST. This is also true for building on agricultural zoned land if you're not actively farming it. It's just become incredibly restrictive in what is essentially a rural agricultural community, not a growing nest of subdivisions outside a major city. There are lots of people not very happy about it. Those that already own them must be sitting on gold, though nothing really useful is even for sale.
 
That is just craziness Tom, I'd work with the community and get that overturned. Glad I'm not having to deal with those issues.
 
lakeliving said:
That is just craziness Tom, I'd work with the community and get that overturned. Glad I'm not having to deal with those issues.
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Unfortunately not gonna happen.
 
Damn! As for mine I talked to the city and county, They are both ok with a pole structure garage so now I just need a measurement from Kaydano on his length with the motor, I'll add that to our trailer and make sure 32 is enough. Then I get to submit my variance request, wait approx. 3 weeks and if approved pull permits and start leveling the site. Just when I thought my projects were winding down for the season!
 
Sounds like a plan to me, have you considered going a little taller with the door?

When we built I did a three car garage and now wish it was four. I used a taller door on one garage so that a boat, small rv, or cargo trailer would fit. I wish I had done all three doors taller..... nope, wish I had a four hole garage with two like my tall one now (12') and two even taller so I could put a good size class A rv in either of them.

My wife wants to down size, I said fine as long as I get my four garages :)

Can't have enough garage space..... imho

Steve
 
My issue is going to be getting it approved by the city. I have to worry about height restrictions, syle, look etc. if it starts to look too much like a barn they might put the kibosh on it. I'd love a 9ft door but not sure if that would work on a 10ft high building. Might be cutting it close, however, since it is not going to be on a load bearing wall I might be able to do it structurally if the city would allow. How would a 16x9 door look for a residential???
 
Mine is residential but it's not a pole style building, mine is brick to match the house. I understand your dilemma, I would go as tall as I could get approved.

Steve
 
we have a 14' door on our pole shed and our 5th wheel just fits in it and the pontoon with the bimini in the storage down on the travel arms just fits in the door. We are getting ready to build a pole shed at the lake we are thinking a 40 X 50  with 2 doors so we can get a camper in one side and the pontoon on the other side. All I can say is build as big as you can we have a 48 X 105' Morton building with 14' sides and 16' center and we have the thing filled up I wish it was bigger! Things have a way of getting filled up.
 
That sounds damn nice Calamus!! I need some pics. As for a 14' door and the boat just fitting under it, that seems odd just off the top of my head. I thought 8 would be close but 14 is tight????
 
Tip of trailer tongue to back of motor:  31' 0". 

Boat and motor only - tip of nosecone to back of motor:  26' 2".

On my particular trailer, there is at least 1 foot of bunks showing behind the back of the pontoons from where the boat was slid forward to fit in the garage. 

Pretty sure our garage is 32 feet (thought that's what the marina owner said a couple years ago), but that is probably the outer dimension of the building.  It is "pole barn" construction, with 6x6 posts, and fortunately one of the posts is off to the side of my motor, so my motor has a little more clearance to stick back in the space out to the aluminum outer wall, if that makes sense.  If you plan to insulate/finish your garage, you could lose 6-7 inches.  There is less than 6 inches of clearance from the garage door to the tip of the trailer tongue.  As I recall, the motor would have hit the post if it was right in the worst possible spot. So, 32 is a tight fit.

If you are NOT going to insulate/finish the inside walls, you might want to check if a post is right where your motor would be, as it will cut down your clearance.  If you are going to insulate/finish the inside, you might want to go 34 feet.
 
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Thanks for taking the time to measure. I really appreciate it!
 
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