Thoughts on precast concrete garage/workshop

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Are these generally true? Any opinions on avoiding a prefab workshop?

I have one...it's about 30 sq m and I haven't had any issues.

On mine I could bolt battens to the joints (comptons supplied the brackets)....then I did rock wool, vapour barrier then ply lined.

One big disadvantage I have is head height....but I think now you can buy high roof versions?

Other thing I did was pay the extra for a pitched roof....its steel truss with felt and batten but with metal tiles that look like clay. Been very happy with mine...I wanted it sorted quickly....took 1.5 days to build so can't complain.

Also I got the base built up a good 4 inches above ground level all round...I'm on a slope and I didn't want to risk flooding...worked really well and I suspect building the base too low is the main reason people get leaks.

 

[brightspark]

sometimes you can get second hand concrete garages for nothing or real cheap if u dismantle them

 

[slim_boy_fat]

No it was Willie - just checked my emails

Different Seller/Agent then, but the same M.O. and same level of usefulness.....

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

If I was going to do it all again I think I would probably go with SIP panels....descent head height....no trusses in the roof plus insulation already built in. Not much in it in terms of construction speed either....probably quicker if you factor in not having to insulate and ply line.

 

[James1979]

Different Seller/Agent then, but the same M.O. and same level of usefulness.....

Yup. Cant remember where in Glasgow the factory was or what they were called but I spoke to them in the end and they were really apologetic and helpful. Seems like they had been picking up the pieces from this guy for a while. Id dig their details out of the OP was interested?

 

[mtt.tr]

If I was going to do it all again I think I would probably go with SIP panels....descent head height....no trusses in the roof plus insulation already built in. Not much in it in terms of construction speed either....probably quicker if you factor in not having to insulate and ply line.

Just priced up a 9m x 9m of walls in sips came in about £2000 which is a bloody good price, can easily loose a week to imsulating.

 

[MattF]

Many years ago I used to erect precast garages. Personally I wouldn't entertain one as a workshop, they do leak after a while, they are cold and damp usually.

Personally I'd go with brick/block, I would also consider insulated steel panel/sheet and steel frame if you can get a decent price/quote.

Another option would be wooden frame building packed with insulation, which would probably be the warmest in the long run.

As above. Any other route but concrete panels.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

can easily loose a week to imsulating.

Took me about a month...I should have done the insulation and ply lining when it was empty

 

[bricol]

A guy I know collected Marley panels,posts and roofing sheets for a few years, got most of them for free or paid very little. He built a huge workshop with them, made his own roof trusses to suit, its a cheap modular workshop if you have time on your hands.

Bob

Pretty much what I did with mine. Some sections from old garage, most of the sections from another I took down, and a number of seconds from a local-ish garage company.

SDS drills them okay, with care. I used C-section roofing beams, lifted up on braced angle iron brackets to span and hold the walls apart while increasing roof height to max without planning permission. Two windows form local company, some 100mm thick insulated roofing panels (seconds) and a new electric roller shutter. Dry, as warm as any other non-heated space I've been in. Stick a fan heater in there and its lovely in minutes.

And up and roofed in a day. 6mx5m for just over £1000, most of which was the door and roof, excluding the base and pit.

 

[gaz1]

I built one for hot work and grinding etc .
It now houses my plasma table .
I got the sections free just had to collect them.
Being a temporary structure means no planning from what i have been told .
The sections often turn up on ebay .
Mine is bone dry inside .

also as doubleboost posted it can also fit on a floating cement bed and still be classed as a temporary structure

 

[brightspark]

also as doubleboost posted it can also fit on a floating cement bed and still be classed as a temporary structure

a raft

 

[northwest]

I had one it was cold and damp but dry. Basically you need to build another complete woodern frame inside it with insulation in-between.

This is exactly what I did, the tiniest bit of background heat, warm and dry.

On mine I could bolt battens to the joints (comptons supplied the brackets)....then I did rock wool, vapour barrier then ply lined.

I lined mine with two layers of sound check, can hardly hear a thing outside.

 

[Leecapri83]

I bought one approx a month ago, still in pieces in the front garden at the mo until I prepare the base.
I will be incorporating a lot of the ideas already mentioned. I bought it second hand after a lot of research for the following reasons:
1. Cost
2. Planning permission restrictions
3. Cost
4. Ease of assembly
5. Cost

I will let you know how I get on!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I will be incorporating a lot of the ideas already mentioned

On mine they put it up....then I had to undo all the bolts to stick brackets on for the ply lining. Just a thought...if you intend to add studs and ply I'd put the brackets on while it's going up instead of after.

 

[Stueeee]

The garage at my first house was a concrete section job. Mine wasn't damp, but the condensation was really bad immediately that there was a temperature change outside. as well as two cars, I had a lathe and a turret mill in this garage and was constantly splurging WD40 on them to keep rust at bay. No planning issues and really quick assembly once the concrete raft is down are the only real advantages I can think of for one of these.

 

[gaz1]

no raft just a concrete wide wall for mine for the base as floor was just 3x2 flags liad on it



front is solid brick built

 

[DAPPH]

If your going sectional concrete . put down at least two thickness of heavy damp proof sheeting .. it helps keep the condensation down . put a decent bead of mastic under each section to seal it to the cured slab . Also put a fillet of waterproof mortar on both sides of the walling to stop movement in a storm and mastic & screw a decent apexed rain strip across the doors thresholds to stop blown rain getting in. .

I built a single skin mancupboard myself put the reinforced slab on three thickness of WPM's , lined the walls with tar paper stapled to the wooden wall collar then set up a screwed to th brick inner 44 x 70 mm CLS frame , Ran all the electric cables in , filled the voids with insulation bats and then clad th frames foil back plaster board with two thousand bell end plaster board screws & a battery drill with three batteries to play with
The roof was cheap commercial roof trusses with a foot of rockwool insulation on top of the plaster board & concrtete Marly tiles that matched the house , over a breathable membrane

One thing that I ended up doing was to put guttering on each long side and running the rainwater to a massive self dug soak away some 3x3 mtrs & two metres deep. I'd seen several mates workshops get wet inside once it rained and wet the soil along the walls for days at a time .

 

[graffian]

I have a few. One was a free to whoever collects it.
The oldest probably doesn't have a damp proof layer, well it may but it has so many gaps the dehumidifer is trying to keep my corner of surrey dry.
A mate put down a base for the free one, it's probably got a damp proof course, never really noticed any condensation in it, but it has no gaps around
roof, windows or doors.

Both are dry. No idea why they wouldn't be?

I say both are dry, the old one has a pitch roof and has always been dry. The freebie has a sloping roof and two years ago started to leak. There are loads
of ladders tacked on the roof and the overhanging trees have dumped leaves on it. Because of the leaves the rainwater was flowing up through the roof
panel overlaps. So I got up on the roof and swept the leaves off it and it is dry again, but It took 33 years to leak so I guess that's not much of a problem.

I have a selection of shelves with home made brackets. You can hang brackets from the top of
the panel or use the through bolts.

Attaching battens and insulating it sounds a good plan.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I have a concrete garage that was bought new in 1990. The panels are still perfect. However if I could turn the clock back I'd have gone for rendered concrete block construction.

 

[bricol]

I have one...it's about 30 sq m and I haven't had any issues.

On mine I could bolt battens to the joints (comptons supplied the brackets)....then I did rock wool, vapour barrier then ply lined.

One big disadvantage I have is head height....but I think now you can buy high roof versions?

Other thing I did was pay the extra for a pitched roof....its steel truss with felt and batten but with metal tiles that look like clay. Been very happy with mine...I wanted it sorted quickly....took 1.5 days to build so can't complain.

Also I got the base built up a good 4 inches above ground level all round...I'm on a slope and I didn't want to risk flooding...worked really well and I suspect building the base too low is the main reason people get leaks.

Where the "rafters" are bolted to the sides (asusming they are in yours, some simply sit on the top) - I used 50x50x5 angle and to extend the attachments and lift the entire roof to the max allowed without planning - then infilled with plywood and metal cladding (rescued from the original garage roof) - it looks a lot better than it sounds and mean I have really good internal height.