RV garage

[thebudman]

We are considering doing a detached garage with an RV stall. So- my question is: what feature(s) should I include in the build? Some I've considered were: 220 power, a large sink (don't need hot water- no need for a hot water heater), and having outlets around the garage for a centralized air compressor. What's else is on the list of things that individuals wished they had installed when their garages were built?

[Supercharged]

DougE wrote:
Put motion sensor spots on the outside to deter thieves. Maybe one inside would be nice too (may do that with my shop). I have a water line run from near a hose bib at the house. The hook up is a short piece of hose so I can disconnect it in the winter and blow it out with compressed air. Go crazy with duplex outlets and mount them 4' off the slab.

I have one plug in and a lock on the door.

[DougE]

Put motion sensor spots on the outside to deter thieves. Maybe one inside would be nice too (may do that with my shop). I have a water line run from near a hose bib at the house. The hook up is a short piece of hose so I can disconnect it in the winter and blow it out with compressed air. Go crazy with duplex outlets and mount them 4' off the slab.

[offtohavasu]

Also, if you install a sink, but don't want to do a full blown water heater, Home Depot has instahots that mount under the sink that will run on a 15 amp circuit.

Also, rather than leaving a light on 24/7, you can install one on a motion switch so as soon as you walk in the light comes on.

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

If you put a 50 amp minimum service to the RV barn, then you can have a distribution panel, and have some 20 amp recepticals, some lights, and still have a 50 amp plug to plug in this or some other RV sometime. You might want to have a 30 amp either for this RV or if you have friends visit.

The 20 amp will come in handy when you want to run a weed eater, or Christmas lights.

What I would recommend is a 100 amp sub panel in the RV barn, then if you want to run all those things at once, they will not overload the panel, or cause excessive voltage loss.

I had not thought of a slop sink, but it sure would come in handy while washing the RV, or anything else around it. Dumping the bucket of soapy water where animals will not get to it, a great idea. Having just cold water will be acceptable. If you really needed hot water, you always have the house, or possibly start the RV heater for a while. It would also come in handy while washing your hands after pulling weeds, or something like that.

Dump station would be nice.

14' tall door so you never need to worry about scraping off your antenna or A/C while pulling in. Might not be your RV, but perhaps when selling it, the next buyer might have a 13'5" tall fifth wheel and willing to pay more for a home with a tall garage.

You might also consider a electric heater. Should you live in a area with infrequent ice, or want to take a trip in November or March, and get sudden snow, you can warm the garage to 45 and not worry about winterizing the RV.

Fred.

[Supercharged]

midnightsadie wrote:
do not sit it on the bare ground moisture will rust out every thing, under the rv.

I learned years ago collecting old cars, the ones that set in the grass for a long time had much more rust under them. First time other than me, that I have heard that, thank you.

[Lowsuv]

i put 3 drains (center) in my 1400 square foot garage i wash my rigs inside , winter and summer .
i did all of the following :
take the old tv from your house and put it on a shelf where you can watch formula one , indy car , NFL , inside.
up high mount large speakers so you can play jazztrax while you are working on your cars .
install a water heater . it will take the chill off in winter by osmosis. plus you need HOT water to scrub the bugs off the trailer front , scrub the tires , and clean camping gear .
although i installed flourescent lights when i built mine i have discovered that multiple switched porcelain cheapy light fixtures work better . put CFL bulbs in all of them .
you are gonna want maybe 5 or 7 light circuits switched so you can focus on your working area .
install one porcelain CFL light that is not switched but rather is on 24 / 7 . that way when you walk in day or night you always have light to find the light switches .
the obvious : 240 volt receptacle to run your welder a 30 amp 120V circuit to run the RV for the day or 2 while packing / unpacking.
plenty of 20 amp receptacles to run radiant heat dishes where you are working . a small compressor is handy .
obviously a roll away tool chest and a work bench .
we have a conventional refer that is always full of cold soda , ice for the ice chests , various frozen meats , all handy when packing to go .
steel shelving ( gorilla rack , costco ) that is portable yet will hold up heavy objects . you may move them later as you determine the best spot .

[WhitehouseLV]

Y-Guy gives some good advice. Consider larger & taller vehicles down the road.

[Y-Guy]

Build it large enough to put the slides out and drop the rear ramp door if you can, even if it means loading the toys from the outside. Put your lights on the outside edge, no point in lighting the top of the RV. However if you have skylights you might place one in that area to light up the interior a bit. Add a dump station if you can, and I agree about the outlets at the front and rear. Then stop and consider if you went to a larger unit would it still fit, don't build for what you have but what you might have. I saw one place that attached single florescent/covered lights about 2' off the ground to illuminate the baggage compartments, dump station, and working underneath the RV - looked sweet.

[nevadanick]

Is it going to be a framed bldg or a pole barn ? If its a pole barn all the plumbing can be done afterwards. If a conventional bldg then they will need to stub the plumbing in or put sleeves in the foundation. Either way the plumbing needs to be done before the floor is poured. You will also need heat to keep the pipes from freezing or just put a frostfree inside.

[Flyfisherman128]

Electric, Water and sewer are a must. Heat is nice. If possible a thru and thru is great especially if your garage is big enough to leave the towed hooked and ready to go.

[Mr_Beebo]

I didn't even have the concrete poured. Just had the building put up. Yes, one 14' door and one 10' for my truck. I prefer a center drain so you can hose and squeegee everything to the middle. You can have the concrete graded to pool at the drain. Probably depends on your climate and location as well. I'm in the country with no codes.

[steiny93]

50amp both front and rear so regardless if you drive in a mh or back in a 5er you can plug them in

place to dump sewer

room for racking for storage

minimum 14ft door clearance

door openers with remotes

enough room to move the rig around outside; our first place was a bit tight in front of the shed; fixed that in the second one

[thebudman]

Mr.Beebo wrote:
It was much easier once I had the building up to go thru it and plan my layout, outlets, drains, lighting, storage, etc.

Question about the drains: I asume that before the foundation/floor is poured, the drains will have to be put in. Is there a consensus about which drain is better? Center floor drain, or a trough-drain on the edges? Or... aside from snow melting from the vehicle, is there a need for any drain at all?

[Mr_Beebo]

I wrote and rewrote lists when I first started thinking about an outbuilding. Finally decided to figure out the dimension I wanted (36'x40'), get the structure up and I would work the details out later. It was much easier once I had the building up to go thru it and plan my layout, outlets, drains, lighting, storage, etc.

[sunnybrooktoyha]

I put up a 30 x44 pole barn. 6 inches of concrete 4500lbs wire reinforced. 16 ft ceiling with 8ft florescent lights down the middle an 3 ft off the walls, all the light I need. Each row is on its own switch so all don't have to be on. Lots of power outlets. If you can put in a dump station 50 amp power dedicated to the rv. Good luck.