Finally...The RV Garage Is Going Up!!!

[BAK2RVR]

Been on the boards for a while but have not posted much... I have read the many threads on the RV Garages and I have learned that going as big as you can with the square footage is the most important. With that said, we are going 50' deep, 20' wide with 16' doors.
The question I have for those who have been through this: What are the "must haves" or the extras that we should think about?
We got really lucky with our Contractor. We started by calling 5 or 6 contractors and got final bids from 2 of them. Our contractor has been great so far. He is very responsive and is actually working faster than we expected. We would highly recommend him. And on top of all this, his bid came in substantially lower than the others.
We'll post pics of the progress...
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/rv1.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/rv2.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/rv3.jpg

[ElimJimsOtherHalf]

What sq. ft. price did you end up with?

[TheCarDudes]

Looks like you already poured the concrete. Did you set up any drains so you can wash the boat inside the garage. Also, elec outlets every 10 to 15 ft, and, water spickets that are hooked up to your soft water system, 2 or 3 of them if you can throughout the garage.

[Magic34]

Looks like you already poured the concrete. Did you set up any drains so you can wash the boat inside the garage. Also, elec outlets every 10 to 15 ft, and, water spickets that are hooked up to your soft water system, 2 or 3 of them if you can throughout the garage.
Wash with water??? Who does that? No drains needed. :D :D

[BAK2RVR]

Got $3.00 per sq foot for the concrete and have 8 outlets, 4 on each side. Water spickets are in but no drains :(

[Magic34]

in but no drains :(
That's OK, you dont need them. I have never washed my boat in a garage with water. Heck, never washed my boat with water period. :D :)

[Ivan Dan]

That's OK, you dont need them. I have never washed my boat in a garage with water. Heck, never washed my boat with water period. :D :)
What boat? :D

[sigepmock]

What boat? :D
LMAO ......nice:D :D

[BAK2RVR]

True, might of washed the boat only 5 or 6 times last year with water. Vinegar and water does the job.

[Mr. Crusader 83]

Put a swamp cooler in it.
My parents had a 36ft garage built and they added one. Its nice, you can leave the door cracked and turn the swamper on and it really cools it down.

[Not So Fast]

DONT FORGET A WASH TUB OR UTILITY TUB!!! Mine comes in so handy I cant believe it. Looka good!:) NSF

[Havasu1986]

I made a 10' opening on my existing outside wall with a beam so to make both garages seem as one. :)

[Not So Fast]

Put a swamp cooler in it.
My parents had a 36ft garage built and they added one. Its nice, you can leave the door cracked and turn the swamper on and it really cools it down.
Yep, I second that but think about where you put it. Mine is at the rear of the garage and close to the floor. It doesnt get the air to the front because the BOAT IS IS THE WAY, i freeze my butt off when working on the back of the boat but the front is still warm and the garage is 56 ft. long. Just think about where you put it, roof maybe?? NSF

[BAK2RVR]

Did not think about the tub...good idea. Plumbing not in yet so that will be a good add on. Have 3/4 horsepower swamp cooler going in and planning to have a 9' opening between the two garages.

[fasthtm]

If your not putting in a full restroom, you at least have to put in a urinal.

[No Regrets]

I just finished mine here in Cali-
Things I did and suggestions:
Air lines thru out (opper or pvc-I did copper)so you can quik connect for air anywhere. Good for tires, air tools and air blowin shiat (like wifes dog)
I used auto shop style Reel overhead.DUO brand Air/Water line combo. Also Central vac with connects thru-out. Dont forget pre wire for speakers (volume knobs) and wall mount flat screen.
14 high doors because most new coaches are 12'6" and not too many 13 ft doors are avail.
I did a 12 x 12 center rear door so I could just back the boat out if I needed to hook up water to run motors.
At electrical have your guy dedicate a wall switch for your garage door opener outlets so that when your gone for extended time you can switch power off on openers and no one can open you door(s) w/ a random remote code. Make sure you have him give you light boxes on all 4 ext sides for bright security lighting. Dont skimp om interior florescents, they make super strong efficient ones now. Set them up so you have all on or just some for when your in there only briefly. They say once you turn them on they might as well stay on for 4 hrs.
Other stupid things like Satelite, sink, washer & dryer hookups for shop rags/towels, pisser(or u could use the sink) and RV dump to sewer. 50 amp plug for RV and cable plug nearby if you want to plug the rig indoors for guests to watch TV in the coach. All pretty cheap in the rough stage even if you dont finish it off for a while.
That should keep you up for a couple of nights:)
I can post pix later if you'd like.
Good luck,
BP

[BAK2RVR]

Swamp cooler going on the roof. I will make sure its installed somewhere in the middle. Restroom...gotta pee somewhere :)

[BAK2RVR]

Thanks to all for the tips. A lot shit to add. Need to find a second job to get these things done. Well, if the wife finds out about this I might be living in the garage so might as well add the Bling Bling.

[Havasu1986]

I also put in a 220 plug and a T.V. You have to run the fart fan in the bathroom to the outside, so its best to do it before you cover. Slowinhavasu from the boards installed my swamper thru his company that he works for Kool Wave. If your in town 4-27 you can come over and get some ideas.
Bobby

[Magic34]

LMAO ......nice:D :D
Your wife letting you post today?

[Magic34]

What boat? :D
You wont miss it. Trust me. :D :D

[BAK2RVR]

Havasu 1986, thx for the invite. Will not be in Havi until the 30th/1st to get the boat serviced and then will be back out 2nd weekend in May for our first trip of the season. Will keep in touch...Steve

[westair]

Now thats a garage! Who is the contractor and do they provide the plans or
did you have someone else do them. I don't have quite that much room for
that size but close. Do they let go up to 5ft to the property line?
Thanks

[BAK2RVR]

Westair, contractor did everything, plans and took care of the engineering since we went with the 16' wide doors. We have the garage going all the way until the 5' setback. Send you a pm with contractors name.

[Bradman]

One thing I did for my garage was I put in it's own sub-panel. And before you put in a swamp cooler, look into a master cool. This thing is awesome and I also installed it's own thermostat. Keeps the garage nice and cool during the summer when we're not there.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k81/msbladua/Misc%20Pics/DSC00272.jpg?t=1176952916

[Havasu1986]

Westair, contractor did everything, plans and took care of the engineering since we went with the 16' wide doors. We have the garage going all the way until the 5' setback. Send you a pm with contractors name.
I paid 50k for mine at 57' x 14' and doing it as owner builder which was a very trying at times. Did I save any $ not having a GC. I love how it turned out though. :)

[Bradman]

Now thats a garage! Who is the contractor and do they provide the plans or
did you have someone else do them. I don't have quite that much room for
that size but close. Do they let go up to 5ft to the property line?
Thanks
We found a guy in Havasu "Doug Pool" who is listed in the phone book. Cost us $1,500.00 about a year ago for are plans.

[Havasu1986]

We found a guy in Havasu "Doug Pool" who is listed in the phone book. Cost us $1,500.00 about a year ago for are plans.
Did he do the structural plans also. I paid $350 for the plans plus about 1k for the strucural engineer to stamp them. Some garages don't need a structural stamp depending on what you are building.

[BAK2RVR]

I wish I could do the owner/builder but no time and that is not my trade. Would of gone deeper that 50' but saving room for the pool later.

[Member: 7673]

Keep us updated...been interested in doing this for a while. Thanks

[Havasu1986]

I wish I could do the owner/builder but no time and that is not my trade. Would of gone deeper that 50' but saving room for the pool later.
I am in the construction industry so I know what trades go in 1st and how long it takes. I had to drop everything at work on a Wed. and take care of a problem with the concrete pour and the inspector. But it made for a nice 4 day weekend. Once the framing got close I keep in touch with all my other trades and told them I was going to be up in Havi for 10 days cordinating. On the 1st inspection I told the inspector what I thought I would get done in that time and he said "not in Havi". Well on the 10th day he came to inspect again and told me he never seen a garage go up so fast. We were ready to paint and finish stucco. After I left it slowed down alot. I did have great subs that showed when they said and finished on time so they didn't hold up the next trade. Alot of headache but worth it.:)

[BAK2RVR]

Havasu1986, I did not expect the process to go as fast but it has. The permit took 2 months but once that was done Brian the contractor kicked it into fast gear. Its only been about a week and the the concrete is already done. Funny, before we were building I kept looking at your avitar and saying "that a nice pad" One day will have to stop by and check it out....Steve

[BAK2RVR]

Wow, what a difference a week makes. We were in LHC this past weekend and we went to go check out our place and almost drove right by it. The framing was up and almost done… We were thinking of going deeper than 50’ but when we were inside the garage IT IS HUGE!!!! We also decided to extend the patio in the backyard. We are going to put in a patio across the back of the house with a roof and stucco posts.
Thanks to all of you who sent us great suggestions. And a BIG Thank you to Brian with ARC Construction. If you want to check out his work: www.arizonarenovation.com
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0582.jpg
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[msc5195]

GARAGE looks GOOD.
Just Curious, Why do they put the AC units on the roof in the west? I have never seen that til we went to Vegas? Not like that here on the east coast.

[scooooter7]

Hey great job!! But where are the solar panels?

[Throttle]

sweet work...

[Havasu1986]

[QUOTE=BAK2RVR;2539317]
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0596.jpg
I remember standing in my RV garage when the framing was just done thinking how HUGE it was. You will love it with all the extra room. :)

[GHT]

Congrats on the new addition..... Even IF you don't get EVERYTHING in the garage, you will have a nicer garage than 99.9% of the people on here or in Havasu..
:D

[Havasu1986]

Congrats on the new addition..... Even IF you don't get EVERYTHING in the garage, you will have a nicer garage than 99.9% of the people on here or in Havasu..
:D
You should drive around Havi someday and look at the monster garages going up all around Havi. My buddys house has 2 3 car garages attached to his 3500 sq ft. home and a garage to the side where you could put 3 40 motor homes in it.:) BTW I kinda like my garages in my avatar.

[BAK2RVR]

Thx, the hard part is filling it up with more toys so it will not look so empty :D

[Havasu1986]

Thx, the hard part is filling it up with more toys so it will not look so empty :D
Doesn't have to be all toys. I have a commercial ice machine and freezer to store the ice. A beer vending machine and fridge. 2 T.V.'s and stereo thru out and a bath room. I should stay in the garage and rent out the house.:idea: :D

[Throttle]

Thx, the hard part is filling it up with more toys so it will not look so empty :D
it will fill up quickly, mine did...

[BAK2RVR]

We should get signed off on the framing any day now. They also opened up the wall between the two garages so there is a 12’ opening. The plumbing and electrical is going in now. Framing on the back patio is done and waiting to be signed off.
Question about the plumbing. We put in a shut off valve going to the house. We are wondering how this will affect the water softener unit since no water will be going to it. We had a bad experience with one of our pipes busting in the bathroom wall behind the sink and flooding the bathroom and master bath while we were in CA. So, we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0665.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0664.jpg
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http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/HPIM0020.jpg

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Question about the plumbing. We put in a shut off valve going to the house. We are wondering how this will affect the water softener unit since no water will be going to it. We had a bad experience with one of our pipes busting in the bathroom wall behind the sink and flooding the bathroom and master bath while we were in CA. So, we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
We did this exact thing, well almost exact. We had a ball valve installed after the water softener. So we can shut off all of the water to the rest of the house. However, if the main line from the outside to the water softener breaks we are screwed. What type of piping are they using? I imagine it is is the Wirsbo...
Garage looks bitchen BTW. I wish our garage was that wide...

[Hardly Satisfied]

wow , looks awesome

[djunkie]

We should get signed off on the framing any day now. They also opened up the wall between the two garages so there is a 12’ opening. The plumbing and electrical is going in now. Framing on the back patio is done and waiting to be signed off.
Question about the plumbing. We put in a shut off valve going to the house. We are wondering how this will affect the water softener unit since no water will be going to it. We had a bad experience with one of our pipes busting in the bathroom wall behind the sink and flooding the bathroom and master bath while we were in CA. So, we want to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Garage is looking great. We also have a valve to turn the water off to the house. Haven't cause any problems for us with our softener. You should be fine.

[Havasu1986]

[QUOTE=Havasu_Dreamin;2571018]We did this exact thing, well almost exact. We had a ball valve installed after the water softener. So we can shut off all of the water to the rest of the house. piping are they using? I imagine it is is the Wirsbo.
This is how my house is set up. If there is a break before the valve it will only be in the garage and will run to the outside.;) Garage looks great. Once the framing gets inspected the drywall should go fast.:)

[BoatPI]

I have had a central water shut off valve sine i purchased my place 7 years ago. It does NOT shut off the outside water including sprinklers or Master Cool feed line. No problems with the water softner or the valve.
Do not forget to add in a high flow whole house water filter cartrage system to filter out the junk. And If you have a pool ALWAYS add in another filter for the fill line.
Nice garage. Next year I will be extending my triple car garage to 52'.
I cannot go closer to my property line as I am in RE area and this requires a 15' set back on the sides. Not an issue with me as my lot is 105' wide.

[BAK2RVR]

Thanks for the feedback. Am always thinking that one day I will be heading to the river and the house would be flooded. Still will have water going to landscaping so that will not be a problem.

[Debbolas]

You should check out Ahhell's garage:D It's like ManLand in there........bathroom, gameroom, ac, boats, toys.......pretty cool.

[Member: 7673]

Looking good! Thanks for the updates.

[Havasu1986]

Thanks for the feedback. Am always thinking that one day I will be heading to the river and the house would be flooded. Still will have water going to landscaping so that will not be a problem.
Been there before..Nothing worse then walking on the carpet and hearing squish squish.:mad: I did get new carpet, base boards and furniture.:) Oh and the ding on my insurance.:(

[BAK2RVR]

Latest update… Drywall went up very fast and just added the brown coat of stucco.
This garage is going up so fast we can’t make the money fast enough to pay for it…
Bryan at ARC Construction has been on top of this job from day one... Not one issue.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/100_1176.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/100_1177.jpg
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[BajaMike]

Looks great....the RV Garage and the patio are a great addition to your house. Looks like your contractor is doing a great job!

[BAK2RVR]

Looks great....the RV Garage and the patio are a great addtion to your house. Looks like your contractor is doing a great job!
Thanks, we heard so many bad stories so i guess there are a few good contractors out there. I think there was a thread just the other day about a contractor gone bad.

[BAK2RVR]

Getting close to completing the RV Garage... Just waiting for the stucco to dry and paint. Inside is done except for electrical. The back porch is also waiting for stucco and painting. We are really happy with the way it turned out and Brian with ARC Construction has been on top of this project from day one. After this, the driveway goes in and we are done.
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0718.jpg
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0720.jpg
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[VanDeano]

Don't forget the "Stripper Pole":D :D

[Hardly Satisfied]

Wow, it's nice to see and hear that everything is moving along nice and smooth.Looks Awesome

[havasu5150]

Looks outstanding. Makes it look like a completely different
house.

[BAK2RVR]

No stripper pole :( ....ran out of money since the wife wanted tile in the house

[BAK2RVR]

Well, we are in the final stages of the garage and patio being completed. It turned out better than we expected.. Here are some pics of the garage and the patio. The only things left are a couple of electrical things, and final sign off. If anyone is thinking of building an RV garage, we would highly recommend Brian with ARC. He really took care of our home as we were doing a lot of other things inside. He kept an eye out for us!!!!
http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/?action=view&current=IMG_0800.jpg
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[BAK2RVR]

Sorry, here are the pics...
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s9/BAK2RVR/Trotwood%20Garage/IMG_0800.jpg
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[hava life]

The garage went from looking good to red XXXX. Must not have any money left over for the new battery in the camera:D :D :D
I am sure it looks great :) :)

[hava life]

There they are:D :D
Looks like a nice job. You should have alot of fun fillling up the garage:D

[48hr club]

get some good quality windows on both sides

[Hardly Satisfied]

Garage looks sweet

[smoker]

Talking about a face lift. Nicely done.