Building a garage...questions for the pros

[gregfender]

I am going to be putting up a prefab metal garage on a slab in the next few months and was wondering if anyone has ever finished the inside of one of these. I am looking at a 18x36 and will wire and insulate it. I am also going to build a TV/game room in the back by framing it out and paneling it with lumber from my old barn. Anyone else done something similar. My biggest concern is wiring a prefab metal building. What should I worry about?

Thanks, GF

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Not a pro, but I have some opinions!

The usual problems with wiring in metal are that you have to watch for sharp edges cutting wire, and and it's a lot easier to weaken structural members by drilling holes than in wood. I would think that the manufacturer expects the building will be wired, so there might be holes already made, you should check with them. Before building anything check with your local inspector and your utility about what their requirements are for grounding, it can be expensive to get it right after the fact. Your inspector may require BX cable or conduit. Even if it's not required, the cost of PVC conduit and THHN isn't that much more than Romex.

 

[timswi]

In addition to the wiring issues already suggested...Watch for metal sweating on non-insulated panels...That can make a mess of the interior contents depending on your climate.

 

[gregfender]

My plan was to use emt conduit and keep the wiring shielded but outside the walls. I plan on rigid foam panels for the insulation and I will finish the interior walls with a mix of pegboard and drywall. Between the concrete and the installed building, I am looking at less than $7000. By the time I get the wiring and finish work inside done, I will still be well under 10k. As I said earlier, I am trying to work through any potential problems that you fine folks might see that I don't. I appreciate your comments!

 

[i579rbd]

I second Quicksand Farmer about checking with your local inspector. Sometimes they have "quirks" you might not find in the code book. Give you a good chance to build a little rapport with their office as well in the event you don't know them yet. Might make things a little easier down the road.
ATW
Matt

 

[ultrarunner]

The only one I did a long time ago was 24 x 36 with a large gable end garage door... lots of room at the end of the shop for a 24' wide bench across the back wall with good natural light... big enough for 6 Model A Fords.

Inspector had no problems with everything in EMT inside and rigid coming through the slab to the subpanel.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not sure of your garage plans, but if you plan to park a vehicle in the 18' dimension, I would suggest that you make it a bit longer in about 25 feet length. This give you room to park a full sized pickup and still have walking room around both ends. You will want some shelves also and the extra length will allow for some on the front end. I build my shop 30x30 and put 3 foot shelves on the back end. I can park my crew cab short bed truck in it and still have plenty room to walk around each end. I could park a crew cab with long bed and still have plenty room.
You never have enough room after they are built so build as large as you can afford now.
My shop has 12 foot wing sheds on each side and on one of those I walled in for a 12 x 10 bathroom/ storage area and left the 30x30 area for parking and workshop. I just bought the wife a new car so her old one is now parked alongside my pickup and I still have room to work on the end and slide the 38"x 84" work table to the side to remove the old SUV when needing to take it out.
I had to put on a 14'x30' back shed to store may boat in a year or so after I built my shed because I just ran out of room for my STUFF. Everyone ends up with too much stuff after a while.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've never installed the electrical in a metal building, but I've worked on quite a few of them. In every case, they run the lines from the ceiling through conduit.

Eddie