[Archived]

Mine is 60 deep and 42’wide with 2 bays. If you’re going single bay, I go at least 20′ wide and certainly a 14 x 14 door. You can never build too big.

[Doug]

Ron

I just finished my RV shop here in Canada this year, i have a 45 foot Marathon XL, my shop is 60 feet long by 20 wide, those are external dimensions, internal Ceiling height is 16 ft

Internal dimensions are 58 x 18, i have in floor heat which is fantastic, temp here last night was -38 deg C.

I have just finished rebuilding my rear drive axle brakes which of course requires removal of wheels, and axle drive shafts, i had no issues doing this work, and i find i have ample room on the sides of the coach to work / walk even with bay doors open, i would not go any smaller with a 45 foot coach.

i have a work bench in front of the coach and i can walk around complete coach with engine bay doors open.

My entry door is 14×14, lots of room.

Hope this helps

regards

Gordon

[Bob]

Really like that rear coach design Gordon, looks great!

[Dick]

Ron,

My recommendations;

60 feet long as a 45 XLII with the engine room doors open are now appox 50 feet. Gives you excellent room in front.

20 feet width is perfect for opening bay doors.

Sewer drain in floor 25 Ft from overhead door.

!4 X 14 overhead insulated door, perfect.

any questions on pics ?

[Rudy]

Gordon: YOU SUCK!!!!!! (that’s a term of envy and endearment on the Garage Journal Forum).

You’re smart doing the in-floor heat. Put that in the race shop five years ago.

Poured concrete should have expansion joints, either troweled or saw cut. Have the concrete guy (or gal) run an expansion joint down the sides of the coach a few inches outside the tires. Use those to judge if you’re backing in straight or not. Really makes a huge difference.

[Michael]

40′ x 60′ (6″ thick Concrete) with 14′ x 14′ doors is what we built. Wish I would have went larger as they is never enough space it seems.

[Archived]

No matter how big the garage, it will not be big enough.

Make a pit 48″ deep, any more you will not reach some stuff without a step stool or two step ladder, any shorter and you will bang your head more often. Ask me how I know.

Make it 24 inches wide. Since it is imperative the coach is supported any time you are beneath it, including working from within a pit, if the pit is wider the rear supports will be too close to the pit edge, or may actually hang a little over the edge. Any less and you will not be able to reach some things like the grease fittings on the kingpins or steering joints.

The length should be longer than the coach to allow for a set of steps. Mine was perfect for a 40 foot coach, but with my 45 foot coach I have to roll under the rear bumper to get under the coach.

Make sure the pit has water resistant electrical outlets and air fittings at each end.

[Deleted User]

Prior to building my own, I rented a 20′ x 50′ and it was BARE MINIMUM for a 45 footer.

I built a 30′ x 70′ and, as others state, what you build will likely feel too small very soon, so go as big as you possibly can. Wish I had built 40′ x 80′ minimum

[Archived]

Al, what is the heat source in your building? My bus is in a building nearly identical to the picture you show with the wall extending not to the ceiling. In my building if someone next to me opens their bay cold/hot air fills the entire building. Not good!

[Archived]

I’ve owned this RV storage building for 20 years. Gone from month to month rental to now a RV Condo Assoc. The entire property has been replotted allowing the sale of each stall as a separate holding. Now known as Ironhorse Condo Assoc. LLC Each stall sold (7) I kept one for storage of the 8 stalls. With the install on A/C the units sold out in 8 months. Bylaws were drafted to only store diesel pushers inside. That remains in place today.

Your question …with heat and A/C the open seperation works really well. Two overhead heaters keep the entire building at 42 deg in winter and A/C at 83 deg in summer.

If you do A/C to your bldg do de-humidifers as I did at each end removing 16 gal. of water per day- then cool bldg with one 5 ton A/C overhead unit.

[Archived]

Thank you for each and every reply. I am talking with several metal building companies for a 20×60 or 30×60, 14×14 insulated doors on each end, fully insulated, 4 windows (2 per side) that are staggered to maximize natural lighting, 6″ to 8″ fiberglass reinforced concrete, 3-0 side door, water, and electric. I am getting some good pricing on building packages and am now trying to find a general contractor for a turnkey build out.

Thanks again for the responses.

R

[Archived]

This is just my opinion, but in today’s society some people are less than honest and windows enable some of the lousy ones to see in at things they don’t need to see. Ambient light is never enough so eliminate the windows to minimize problems with riff-raff and put ample lighting not located over the coach, but to each side so the sides are well lit. You still need trouble lights for the engine area or beneath the coach.

[Bill]

I recommend researching the use of foam board insulation for the footers and the first four feet of the perimeter of the concrete pad. 4 inch thick on the footers (vertical) and 2 inch thick on the perimeter (horizontal) . It has been found that 80% of the heat loss in the winter from a concrete pad floor occurs in the first 4 feet of the perimeter.

We used this foam board insulation technique on our garage with the exception of the garage door. The goal is to provide a thermal break between the floor and the earth. I measured the floor temperature our first Winter when the outside temperatures were in the low teens (cold for us). Air temperature in the garage was 73°F and the floor temperature within a foot of the perimeter walls was 69°F. Very happy with that.

If your garage is a bit tight and you need to drive the bus close to a perimeter wall, reduce the foam board width from 4 feet to 2 feet.

[cal]

That is one beautiful coach. Les. I like the garage, too.

[Archived]

agree about the riff raff. thanks. What about placing the windows as high as possible?