RV Garage Construction - Any Tips?

alliemac9 wrote:
I'm in the planning stages for an RV garage. I have a relatively short Class C, but would prefer to future-proof this structure (hence asking in the Class A area).

Anyone done this? Have any recommendations for resources or input on any of the following? Is there a better area on this forum to discuss this?

-Door size? (hoping to do 12'W x 14'H) This is what we did, I like it.

-Length? (thinking 45-50') We went 48' and it's fine. Depending on your snow load codes you'll be on either 16"
or 24" centers normally, which will somewhat dictate your length.

-Width? (I have more restrictions here due to setbacks, may be limited to approximately 15' - not ideal, but still excited to have indoor storage onsite)Ours is 32' wide,
obviously with 2 bays. It works fine but go as wide as you possibly can.

-Slab construction? (6" reinforced w/rebar?)We went with a heated slab, 6" thick, #4000 lb mix, with both rebar & mesh. We also did relief cuts on 16' squares. 17 years later it still looks great with only 1 hairline crack in the entire garage.
Seeing as it was -32F a few days ago, we do get some big temperature swings.

-Insulation considerations to keep garage above freezing?If you plan on heating it do this right. It will be some of the best money you spend. Under our concrete we have a layer of plastic (vapor barrier) under 2" of foam board. The walls have R30 insulation, the ceiling has R48. Our garage is cheap to heat.

-Heater type? We went with a boiler and in floor hot water heat.
I HIGHLY recommend it. I simply cannot stress how HIGHLY I recommend it. We recently did an addition on our house, it got in floor heat. I absolutely would not pour concrete without insulating it and putting the tubes in. Even if you're thinking you don't want to do it now, you only ever get one chance to do it. DO IT! Pex tubing is what is used, it MUST be oxygen barrier type. Ebay is a great place to buy it. Let me say 1 more time,
if you're pouring concrete insulate it and put in the tubing.
Any questions on how I feel about in floor heat? :B

-Dump station? (don't know if this is possible re: code)We didn't put one in as we already had a dump station tied into our septic tank. We simply dump before putting it in the garage.

-Ceiling height/style? Ours is 16' to the ceiling, it works great. I wouldn't want it 1" shorter, I don't see a need for it to be any taller.


-Drain? (floor or trench? is this a must have?)We have a floor drain for washing, snow melt (my plow truck is in the other bay), etc.

-RV outlet - how best to implement? I would want to put a 50A plug, but I only need 30A. Is there a way to have both plugs but only one functional at a given time, so it's only one 50A circuit versus two separate circuits? Or maybe I should do two separate so I have a guest outlet in the event of a moochdocking friend? Any resources for the electrician? I've heard of people ending up with their plug wired for 220V like a dryer instead of 110V the RV needs - want to ensure the electrician is 100% clear. I put in 30 amp service, never figured I'd need the full 50 in the garage. In 17 years I've never longed for more. With that said, if you put in 50 amp you'll never be wishing you did. The 30 amp services are on their own circuit. I put one in so it it was close if we drove in nose first, another if we backed in. I'd do that again too, as both get used enough to justify having them.

I'm currently planning on frame construction attached to the existing two-car garage. Have two current stretch goals, if you will, that may or may not be implemented based on cost/budget considerations. These include:

-Rooftop deck on back half of garage
-Laundry hookups (this is also future-proofing...the house is a ranch with laundry in the basement; if I could at least plumb it into garage I would have total single floor living if my knees ever give out on me - this may also offer options for a clean out that doubles as a dump station?)

Any insight appreciated!