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Old 10-15-2021, 05:51 AM   #1
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Building A New RV Garage Questions

We have a 2022 DS 4369 on order so it looks like a new garage is on the horizon. I'm building a 30' x 70' x 16' with a 14' x 14' OHD.

First, does anyone know the weight of the coach? I'm going to go with a 6" slab with fiber, might also add rebar.

Looking for suggestions anything that you have or would have done.

Some of what I have planed so far

Insulation, LP heat, 20/30/50 amp service, sewer dump.

Here is a drawing of what it will be

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nZSgDAS1U5sgJqjPA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1zPQoprccWgs89fN7

http://https://photos.app.goo.gl/dt4QeY3mGhhhQYhn7

This about what it will look like

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDaFSHReFm1wsrVe7

Thanks for any input.
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Old 10-15-2021, 06:07 AM   #2
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6" with rebar about 14" on center should work. I did a car lift and poured 12" thick where it was to be mounted. If you lay out where the tires will sit and go a litte thicker in those areas it wouldn't hurt. Don't park the beast on it for a month.
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Old 10-15-2021, 06:21 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Van View Post
We have a 2022 DS 4369 on order so it looks like a new garage is on the horizon. I'm building a 30' x 70' x 16' with a 14' x 14' OHD.

First, does anyone know the weight of the coach? I'm going to go with a 6" slab with fiber, might also add rebar.

Looking for suggestions anything that you have or would have done.

Some of what I have planed so far

Insulation, LP heat, 20/30/50 amp service, sewer dump.

Here is a drawing of what it will be

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nZSgDAS1U5sgJqjPA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1zPQoprccWgs89fN7

http://https://photos.app.goo.gl/dt4QeY3mGhhhQYhn7

This about what it will look like

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDaFSHReFm1wsrVe7

Thanks for any input.
I think your dimensions look good. I'm 50' x 24'. At the time I had a 30' coach and didn't think I would ever go bigger, so I'm a tight squeeze at 50'. Your 70 is nice, since if you have a toad, you would have room to have it in there too, such as hooking up in the rain.

I couldn't build where I live, so was originally looking to purchase a lot just for this, with ideally a pull through concept. In the end, my sister and brother in law talked me into building on their land rather than buying a lot, and therefore I downsized to what I thought the minimum that would fit me. My original plan was 60x24, thinking that would fit my 30' coach plus toad behind it.

If your lot supports it, and many don't, having a second overhead door on the other end could be handy, such as to pull your toad in behind your RV -- again in case the weather is bad, which can let you hook up under cover.

I went with rebar and either double or triple fiber, and I "think" 6", but it might have been 5".

I'm similar with LP heating, insulation, dump and 50/15 amp service (didn't wire 30 amp, but not for any good reason).

I went with closed cell foam insulation, as it does a good job as a vapor barrier (although truth be told I'm not thick enough for full vapor barrier function).

I also put in a temp controlled attic type fan on the back wall near the peak, and on each side near the front I have holes something like 24"x36" and have louvered and screened coverings. This is to allow some air flow in the Arkansas summers. I have pieces of plywood, with 2" of pink poly foam insulation on them, so in the winter I put them in place (foam towards the outside, plywood inside) to seal up the lower vents.

I will say, it's unbearable to work on the RV in the summer, so I think late this spring, I'm going to have another 1 to 1.5" of foam applied and then put an air conditioning unit in.
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Old 10-15-2021, 06:29 AM   #4
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Three other things.

1. I would suggest either getting a decent slope back to front to let water drain out the door (if you want to sanitize inside your garage, or have the air conditioners runnin, etc.) and not puddle. Alternatively, you could put two or three floor drains in the slab, running down the center under your coach, and then run PVC to someplace outside (works best if your raised up enough that the PVC can slope and still come out above ground level.

2. I saw pictures of someone else doing it on here, so I copied. Either paint, or get industrial floor tape, and create one or two lines down the length of the garage, that when you are backing in, you can use as a guide to back in straight. I didn't do this initially, and even with my 24', it was challenging to back in straight, as you have minimal points of reference when backing into a wide slab llke that.

3. Don't skimp on lighting. It takes a lot of light to light up a building that big, and you want to make sure you have enough light if you are working on your RV. You likely want ceiling mounted lights, and then wall mounted lights, with the wall mounted lights low enough to give you decent light towards your bays, even if your slides are out.
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Old 10-15-2021, 06:38 AM   #5
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Some of the suggestions will depend upon whether you’re planning do your own maintenance and upkeep, and of course, cost.

One item is another 2 foot in height would help you if you need to do anything on the roof. My old garage was 16 foot tall and I resealed the entire roof one winter inside. Is a little cramped for working in that 4 foot clearance area.

Another item I would love to have but not sure what it would add to the cost would be a mechanics pit to be able to work underneath the RV. Everything from inspections oil changes, Changing airbags, changing shocks, transmission service. Not sure if the pit is practical and not sure how you would cover it with a heavy duty enough structure to take the weight, but still be easy enough for you to remove. Just a thought.

A floor drain or 2, in addition to the dump station you mentioned, so your AC condensate will have someplace to go and not puddle up.

Lots and lots of overhead lighting.

A water hook up/faucet inside where you will be parking/storing the rig.

Ceiling vent fan/attic fan For getting rid of exhaust fumes when you’re idling in the garage during warm-up, maintenance, parking, summer heat, etc. etc.

A port/hole through the side wall where you will be parking to run the generator exhaust (or aqua hot) out of if you need to use the generator during a power outage, monthly generator exercising or during the winter. (we had to move into our RV for four days this past winter due to the ice storm and power outages in Texas. What a Godsend it was. I had to field engineer the exhaust for the generator since I had not planned for that situation).

Smoke Alarm(s)
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Old 10-15-2021, 07:12 AM   #6
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Epp, a couple good points.

In my head, he said sewer and I thought sewer/water, but it's worth calling out to be sure.

I haven't done it yet, but it's been on my list, to drill two holes out the side and then run high temp hoses to my generator and Oasis, so they can run in the winter.

Last winter, we had some bad weather coming and I was concerned about power going out, so I enabled my AGS, which I normally don't. It did come on and when I got over there the garage was full of fumes. I think sometime in the next month or so, before the weather fully turns, I'm going to drill the holes and install some hoses, which as you said, also help for exercising the gennie.

I installed normal doors front and back, primarily for this purpose. If I start my coach in my garage, I open up both doors and then have a couple shop fans blowing in the direction of the rear door which seems to clear the exhaust very effectively.

Real good call to bring up exhausting coach, generator and Oasis/Aqua Hot.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:00 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by tnedator View Post
Epp, a couple good points.

In my head, he said sewer and I thought sewer/water, but it's worth calling out to be sure.

I haven't done it yet, but it's been on my list, to drill two holes out the side and then run high temp hoses to my generator and Oasis, so they can run in the winter.
I assumed he would have water also, but it had to be said, LOL. Also having the Spigot near where you hook your RV up to minimize your hose run.

After the freeze, I picked up some flexible metal exhaust hose in the same diameter as my generators exhaust pipe. Gives you a lot of flexibility and will not melt.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:01 AM   #8
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Here are the weights I received from Newmar on my ‘21 DS. It’s a different floor plan, but should be useful nonetheless.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:07 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Van View Post
We have a 2022 DS 4369 on order so it looks like a new garage is on the horizon. I'm building a 30' x 70' x 16' with a 14' x 14' OHD.

First, does anyone know the weight of the coach? I'm going to go with a 6" ...t.
As suggested above, you might want to consider extending the height. I had 18'. for my other units it was ok. for the ladp (13'6") the 18' wasn't enough. I also had a few ceiling fans I had to crawl around those while on the roof. I'd think DS is about the same height(?). As for the weight, ladp is 48k. I had 5" with 4000psi(?) and that slab was there for more than 16 yrs and no issues. I always had the coach on level jacks with tires on ground with no issues. and no rebar. If that makes you feel better, you can add those. In my experience, the critical factor is the base. most contractors do a lausy/cheap job onthe base. I did the base on my driveway with a rented bobcat and had no issue even with a tandem axle dump trucks driving over it to fill the back yard. I also had the barn on the highest part of the lot. that helped with rain water draining away. thats a moe critical issue, if you experience heavy rains.

The 14x14x14 OHD may or may not be enough, depending on how it is installed. With the previous units it was not an issue. with the ladp, I had to dump the air to back it in. I had a slight incline to pull into the barn and that made it even harder. as you can see the bottom of the door hangs down. you can make sure the door installer ensures the opening is actually 14, or you can consider a custom door (15'). even the 14 wide, unless you are perfectly straight in and out, could be tight. I had to back in thru a twisty driveway with lots of trees, at night it was a bit challenging. keep in mind the side mirrors and you have 40 or 45' to navigate thru the 14' opening.

For the inside walls, I found a roll of corrugated metal, already painted. this helped with washing the coach inside and cieling fans comein handy too.

I added additional softener and filtering to help washing the coach. Lights as stated above is critical specialy with the taller cieling. we used to have elec outages during winter. Had an out let right out of the 4th port from the coach distribution panel and another outlet by the breaker box in the barn. I'd just shut the main to the house and run the gen on the coach and feed the whole house. the barn door had an exhuast outlet to connect the gen exhaust pipe out the door.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:09 AM   #10
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I got to move out of the city and buy more land. You guys are having way too much fun building these garage projects.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:28 AM   #11
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Pretty impressive design. The 30' width will be fine for the RV but bringing other vehicles in from the side will be limited. I use a 16' wide parking area for my coach and only have slides on 1 side. If I had 4 slides it would be tight getting around.

I built a 40'X50'X16' garage, this was all I could fit on the available space, wish I could have been longer but it will do. My coach isn't as tall and when I let the air bags out I can walk on top of it barely stooping. If air bags are full I hit my head on the trusses. Now I wish I would have went 1' higher.

Depending on the site 6" of concrete with fiber should be OK. A lot depends on the soil conditions at the site, ~4' of crushed rock as a base. If you have competent soil (think clay) you won't have to do much site prep. If you have a sandy soil you may have to lay some crusher run and compact it.

The company that designed and fabricated my building recommended a monolithic pour for the footer around the perimeter, which was 16" deep by 12" wide with 2 rebar stacked. It was all poured at the same time. I did deeper, wider with 3 rebar. I have a really good clay base and poured +6" concrete no fiber where the RV would be but I did put a grid of rebar where the tires would run and some for the jacks. So far so good, no cracks after ~15 months. Poured the rest of the garage 4". Poured a +12" thick X 3' wide threshold at each of the doors with lots of steel.

I installed power 50 am service with lots of 120 volt plugs around the RV parking area. Installed water and sewer. Installed floor drains at the front and rear so the AC condensation doesn't puddle (you'd be surprised how much it will drip). In the rear I put a pool type drain right down the middle, a good marker when I'm backing up, just line up the hitch with the drain and I'm center. Also installed a floor drain near the sewer hookup to easily wash down.

Also installed a 14' X 14' door, glad I did. I have to back in at a slight angle until the rear tires hit the concrete and then turn into the building. Not as bad as it sounds although my wife says she's never going to back the RV in and when she went on a trip last week I had to pull it out.

I actually built a 23'X26' shop inside the garage to house my wood working equipment. Use the roof for storage which make it easy to access the roof the motor home, use ramp. Still have enough room to park my boat and storage shelves on one side and storage under the steps used to access the storage above the shop.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:47 AM   #12
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I assumed he would have water also, but it had to be said, LOL. Also having the Spigot near where you hook your RV up to minimize your hose run.

After the freeze, I picked up some flexible metal exhaust hose in the same diameter as my generators exhaust pipe. Gives you a lot of flexibility and will not melt.
I've been afraid of my foam melting, but maybe by the time it gets there (8-10' away) the pipe/exhaust will be cool enough. I've been wondering if I need something like a bigger opening, with maybe PVC and then centered in that, maybe a metal sleeve with high temp insulation between the two.

On door height, as mentioned above, good call to think about this. I made sure I had about 40' of level drive leading to the overhead door. If you have a steep and/or uneven drive, that can cause a clearance issue that you won't have with a nice flat approach.
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Old 10-15-2021, 10:23 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Van View Post
We have a 2022 DS 4369 on order so it looks like a new garage is on the horizon. I'm building a 30' x 70' x 16' with a 14' x 14' OHD.

First, does anyone know the weight of the coach? I'm going to go with a 6" slab with fiber, might also add rebar.

Looking for suggestions anything that you have or would have done.

Some of what I have planed so far

Insulation, LP heat, 20/30/50 amp service, sewer dump.

Here is a drawing of what it will be

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nZSgDAS1U5sgJqjPA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1zPQoprccWgs89fN7

http://https://photos.app.goo.gl/dt4QeY3mGhhhQYhn7

This about what it will look like

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDaFSHReFm1wsrVe7

Thanks for any input.
A few suggestions from having done this a few years ago-2013- my 50' 70' was $147,000 back then!
1) raise your eave height to 18' so you have room to work when you're on top the coach.
2) Install a 4"-6" wide grated (fiberglass grating- safety yellow color- this is your alignment guide when backing in) floor drain down the center of the bay under where the coach will be parked & slope it 7-8'' out on both sides-
a slope of 3/4" in 8' is adequate to drain water when washing the coach or washing road grime off the floor.
3) Pour the floor -6" concrete- 6 bag mix- with # 4 epoxy coated or hot dipped galvanized on 16" centers both ways. This will give you at least 4,900 PSI concrete in 27 days of cure.
4) Be sure your rock base is compacted to 98% or + compaction
5) Use pre-painted perforated metal liner panels to line interior walls & ceiling-deadens sound & looks great. FBI Building from Indiana makes it.
6) Be sure your OH doors (14' X 14' are super) are installed -"hung high" track goes vertically up to ceiling as high as possible before turning horizontal.
7) Install lights sung to the ceiling in between your 2 bays- see my handle pic
8) Install 3 ceiling fans- ceiling huggers - in between the light fixtures- see my handle pic.
9) Install a 1/2 bath or full bath in the shed as well as a man cave if you have room.
10. Install a sewer dump manhole- sloped to 4" sewer drain- with heavy stainless steel cover.
11. Install security cameras inside & outside with audible alarm trips on doors & windows.

Happy Trails
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Old 10-15-2021, 11:07 AM   #14
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Thanks all for the great info and ideas.

Here is the location on Google Maps. The building will be on the west side, close to the cabins.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/11...!4d-83.0574621

As you can see this is in a residential area and I'm restricted as some things like I can only do 16' walls. It has to be attached to the house so I can't do a rear door and a few other issues.

Here are some things I'll be doing to it

All LED lighting and plenty of it

2 Big Ass Fans bigassfans dot com man do they work great

2 floor drains I like the idea about the pool drain and I will look into that

The ground is pretty much rock and I have 6-8" of granite gravel

There will be a full hook up in the building with 50 AMP water and sewer as well as a second one on the outside of the building. I also already have a full service hook up on the east side of the property.

I'll have a setup for the exhaust, good info

The pit is a great idea however I'm in the 100 year flood plain so no underground

I'm planning on a 200 amp panel with new service so I don't have to pull power from the house.

USMC thanks for the weight info, it's quite a bit lighter than my Newell.

I will be putting in a 2 post car lift, I like to work on my own junk.

We sold our home in Florida and downsized from 4800 sq ft to about 1600 plus this building, it will also have a 26x30 garage and 24x18 studio. There will also be a 30x16 loft guest room.

What I'm kind of going for is a nice RV setup and large Casita as a nice base of operation.

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