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SketchUp fantasy Garage. Drawings for building control


Russdl

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Designing my new build detached garage in SketchUp was easy. Finding someone to convert my fantasy garage into something that Building Control would be happy with was more difficult.

 

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I wanted the detached garage to be well insulated, and I may well have got a bit carried away. I wanted to use Geocell Foamglass for the foundation topped off with a concrete slab. I then wanted single skin blockwork clad with external insulation that married up with the Foamglass so that the slab and block work where inside the thermal envelope. I also wanted a warm flat roof. On top of this the garage was to be trapezoidal in plan to make the most of our odd shaped plot and big enough at the front to take a 5m garage door and finally I wanted a thermal break at the door between the slab and the outside world

 

I contacted a local Structural Engineer who came round for a site visit. There more I spoke the more bewildered he looked. He'd never heard of Foamglass, not necessarily an issue but he didn't seem even vaguely interested in finding out more about it and its utilisation. I rapidly came to the conclusion that I couldn't work with him so I pondered my next move and decided to get in touch with a (well known on here) Structural Engineer/Architectural Designer who happens to live at the other end of the country. I wondered if he'd be able to help me out or steer me in the right direction.

 

It turned out that he could. More than that, he took on board all the odd things I wanted to do and worked with me brilliantly. He's an absolute mine of information and had lots of great input with which to finesse my design and he clearly knew what he was talking about which is so reassuring. A site visit wasn't necessary, I provided a site survey and soil survey from the house build and then photos and Google Earth filled in any blanks. I probably drove him nuts, every drawing he sent I added to my SketchUp design because I really wanted (needed) to understand how it was going to go together and didn't want the standard "the builder will know what to do".  There was a great deal of detail in the drawings:

 

 

 

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The upshot of this long story is that working with a Structural Engineer/House Designer who I'd never met and who never visited the site was a great experience and I'm glad I looked further afield than the local offerings and would recommend the same approach to anyone else looking for an SE/Architectural Designer.


You’ll find him here:@Gus Potter 

and if you’re looking for a Structural Engineer/Architectural Designer I would heartily recommend you get in touch 👍🏻

 

 

Edited by Russdl
Added the last paragraph which I understand is within the BH rules.
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Looks nice - Why so well insulated when you have 3m or so door that gets opened? Or are you planning to heat it and not open the huge door?

 

You also need to look at building regs for the ventilation required if it's anything like Scotland it's huge.

 

Can't see from the drawing do you have a secondary door, so you can get in if you have issues with roller door?

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37 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

Why so well insulated


Good question, I got a bit carried away and it is over the top I guess but I wanted a warm dry garage. 
 

38 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

planning to heat it and not open the huge door?


No heating and the door does open and close as required to get stuff in and out. 
 

The other night it was 3 degrees down here, the garage was at 18 degrees the day before and 17 degrees the following morning. It gains heat from a warm car getting put in there and/or charging up a hybrid car overnight. 
 

42 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

look at building regs for the ventilation required


No ventilation requirements, at least none that I could find and it’s been signed off by building control so I guess they weren’t aware of any either.

 

44 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

do you have a secondary door


No, no secondary door or windows but the electric sectional door can be opened from inside or outside in the event of a power failure. 

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We have a well Insulated large double garage, though no insulation in the floor... Even in coldest of days it still doesn't drop below mid/low teens, and this time of year is around 18 degrees. Door gets opened twice a day, and it's a big opening... 5.5 x 2.7m.

 

I do plan on hard plumbing a small dehumidifier just to help speed up wet cars drying in there.

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2 hours ago, Andehh said:

We have a well Insulated large double garage, though no insulation in the floor... Even in coldest of days it still doesn't drop below mid/low teens, and this time of year is around 18 degrees. Door gets opened twice a day, and it's a big opening... 5.5 x 2.7m.

 

I do plan on hard plumbing a small dehumidifier just to help speed up wet cars drying in there.


Is there anything specific you have done to insulate the main garage door?

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2 hours ago, Andehh said:

I do plan on hard plumbing a small dehumidifier just to help speed up wet cars drying in there.

 

I’m waiting to see how this winter goes but ready to add ventilation if required and I’ve got water and drains in there so I could do that if it looks like it needs it. 
 

So far the temperature is very steady but humidity follows the outside humidity but around 5-10% lower so that may be a problem with this grand design. 

 

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44 minutes ago, Nick Laslett said:

s there anything specific you have done to insulate the main garage door?


The garage door is well insulated and thermally broken from the outside as best I could. 

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3 hours ago, Nick Laslett said:


Is there anything specific you have done to insulate the main garage door?

 

Standard hormann insulated sectional! It dropped to 4 degrees last night, and is 8.9 degrees outside now, and we've been away since Friday but garage is still sat at 15.7 degrees according to the thermostat in there.

Edited by Andehh
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you are going to be in the realms of industrial roller doors at that width. that will give the the 77mm high slats in the door.  you could look at sectional garage doors too as they take up less headroom above the door. i just bought a 2.7m one from roller door uk for £900. lucky you want black as that is a standard (cheaper) colour.

 

permaroof epdm stuff is good, i like the gutter edge trim as it looks nice when done, although it is an absolute pig to fit. call them as you will get a better price ( my online quote was just under £1200 and after a phone call it was £680 delivered). you can not bother with contact adhesive for the side and just use the deck glue. A piece that big is going to be heavy so remember to eat 3 shredded wheat that morning 😁

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10 minutes ago, gaz_moose said:

A piece that big is going to be heavy so remember to eat 3 shredded wheat that morning 😁


I should have posted all this yonks ago because the garage is up and functioning now but you’re absolutely right, a piece that big was really really heavy. It came in a roll. That didn’t roll! 

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We went with a hormann side opening door due to us wanting maximum opening size... 5.8m wide by 2.5m height. That is over the maximum size for standard sectional doors. I also don't like the over head lights being blocked by the door, when you need them most. Roller shuts look too industrial for me.

 

Was about a £2500 premium over the largest size sectional they did.

 

It looks damn cool opening, but is slow to open as you need to wait for it to be fully open on one side obvs. We use alexa to control it from further down the road to get around this. £20 easy fit solution... I love when a headache can be solved so quickly!!

 

That being said...hormann are back out for the 3rd time to adjust it in a year due to it sticking, they've been brilliant over it, but does show 'outside the norm' brings with it the need for more finesse!!

Edited by Andehh
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@Andehh That’s really interesting, my original plan was a side opening door for all the reasons you mention but then changed my mind because I didn’t want to loose the inside wall space and I had heard how difficult they were to set up properly, I hope it’s 3rd times a charm for yours. 
 

We went for the Hormann sectional door in the end which doesn’t take up too much head room and the six strip lights are around the perimeter so the open door doesn’t obscure them. 

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The wall lights area good idea! Did lightly consider it but with 7m x 6.5m dimensions (I think it is) wasn't sure about light levels in the middle.  I was also very against making the dimensions any smaller, as we both have big cars and our holidays heavily involve driving, and use of a roof box, so wanted to park the car in with roof box on (ultimate first world problem and a stupid idea to have got my teeth into... But it does work well in winter!!)

 

Hormann out in 2 weeks time, indeed fingers crossed third times a charm!

 

Its difficult to work out what's failing on it, it works fine for several months then starts sticking/exceeding force limits 75% of use. Always at the same spot.

 

I can adjust the screws to lift the door to resolve it, but that's fixing a symptom vs problem. Somehow over several months of regular use it must be dropping by 3-5mm and hitting force limit. Hormann assured me the door is an 'average size' for a side opener, so well within design limits in theory... I'm not sure!

 

 

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What ewas the reason for the foma glass? Ive used it , so am familiar with it, just not sure why in a new build garage?

 

When i did mine, i created an insulated bucket of EPS to put the concrete in, so like yours an insulated slab. 

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On 27/10/2024 at 11:22, Russdl said:


Good question, I got a bit carried away and it is over the top I guess but I wanted a warm dry garage. 
 


No heating and the door does open and close as required to get stuff in and out. 
 

The other night it was 3 degrees down here, the garage was at 18 degrees the day before and 17 degrees the following morning. It gains heat from a warm car getting put in there and/or charging up a hybrid car overnight. 
 


No ventilation requirements, at least none that I could find and it’s been signed off by building control so I guess they weren’t aware of any either.

 


No, no secondary door or windows but the electric sectional door can be opened from inside or outside in the event of a power failure. 

 

When i built my insulated garage, nobody understands why, so i feel your pain.

 

My answer is why would you build an uninsulated garage. If you are going to spend any time in it, or store anything remotely valuable in it, then it needs insulating. If you are not going to do any of those things, why builld it al all!

 

 

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3 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

What ewas the reason for the foma glass

 


It seemed to be the easiest way to achieve want I wanted achieve, no thermal bridge between the slab and the outside world. 

 

3 hours ago, Roger440 said:

When i did mine, i created an insulated bucket of EPS


I had thought about that, that’s how the house was built, but I couldn’t work out how to do that without the thermal bridge?

 

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10 hours ago, Russdl said:


It seemed to be the easiest way to achieve want I wanted achieve, no thermal bridge between the slab and the outside world. 

 


I had thought about that, that’s how the house was built, but I couldn’t work out how to do that without the thermal bridge?

 

 

I had EPS up the side of the slab. It was steel framed with insulated steel composite panels. So the panels were screwed to the frame. The inner steel layer is inside the the envelop. The insulated parts sits on top of the EPS, and so the outer steel layer is outside. Yes, the securing screws are a thermal bridge, but thats inconsequential id suggest. So no thermal break in the envelope

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