Designing a RV Garage

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Oscar Mike

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I have the pleasure of designing a RV garage, so I've been thinking about what I will have within my RV garage. We are in the initial stages of design, having just closed on the property. Our house will be in the 1,800 to 2,500 sq ft range and my RV garage and shop will be in the 3,500 to 4,500 sq ft range (building a shop is relatively inexpensive since it is essentially a shell of a building). The RV garage will have a 12'Wx14'H door, and the inside bay dimensions will be approximately 20' x 55' x 16' (1,100 sq ft) which will house just about any RV on the market.

I will have at minimum in my RV Garage 50A/30A RV receptacle, sewer connection, floor drain, air compressor... So what am I missing? 
 
Your missing adding another RV bay and having it next to my house. ;D

That sounds awesome John. 

Mike.
 
zmotorsports said:
Your missing adding another RV bay and having it next to my house. ;D

That sounds awesome John. 

Mike.
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We will have a RV guest pad at the new property...so in a couple of years when we are done with this project feel free to come to Vegas for a free stay...
 
We'll take you up on that.  We haven't been to Vegas for leisure in many, many years.  Usually we are there for the drag races and don't get in to town much.

Mike.
 
I have been kicking around the idea of converting a cement block building on my property to an RV barn it's 30'x40 but I would need to modify the doors. they are 10feet high and 11 feet wide but the ceilings are 14' so I have the space. I was thinking of putting in a large wood stove to take the chill off in the winter. I think climate control for that big of an area would be very expensive.
 
I would plumb water in.
I also would add a port in the wall where you could run a hose from your exhaust to the outside, in case you ever wanted to run the engine or your generator while indoors.
Maybe add a connection so you could hook your generator to your shore power in case of a power outage?
Do you plan to heat the building? If so,I would think about insulation.

I knew a couple that built just one building with a living area in part of it, and set up to use the RV as additional living space.
 
The problem with an "RV" garage is it gets used for everything else, my rv garage is 40'X45'X24' with two rollup doors and one walkthru door, one 12X14, one 10X10.  Over and above my "shop" is my truck, 24' foot boat & trailer, two cars, two motorcycles,one 38 foot motorhome, large upright compressor, AND JUNK!!  Make it as big as you can afford!!>>>Dan
 
Jeff in Ferndale Wa said:
I would plumb water in.
I also would add a port in the wall where you could run a hose from your exhaust to the outside, in case you ever wanted to run the engine or your generator while indoors.
Maybe add a connection so you could hook your generator to your shore power in case of a power outage?
Do you plan to heat the building? If so,I would think about insulation.

I knew a couple that built just one building with a living area in part of it, and set up to use the RV as additional living space.
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All good points and I added them to my list. The building will be stick framed, stucco/stone exterior, with R-19 walls, R-30 roof, and drywalled. I will add a few swamp coolers for our hot summers and I will have a natural gas ceiling mounted forced air heater for the two-weeks per year we get sub-freezing weather.

If zoning would allow I would just build an apartment inside the shop, but alas it is not allowed.

We are going to incorporate a stand-by natural gas generator into the house/shop construction for long term power outages.
 
utahclaimjumper said:
The problem with an "RV" garage is it gets used for everything else, my rv garage is 40'X45'X24' with two rollup doors and one walkthru door, one 12X14, one 10X10.  Over and above my "shop" is my truck, 24' foot boat & trailer, two cars, two motorcycles,one 38 foot motorhome, large upright compressor, AND JUNK!!  Make it as big as you can afford!!>>>Dan
Click to expand...

Been there, done that, I've sold everything, Corvette, motorcycles, boat(s), etc., etc...
 
Larry N. said:
Will a 16' height be enough to let you roam around on the RV's roof when needed? Will there be lighting for that purpose, too?
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I thought about that, 16' will allow me to crawl on the roof with ample room. And yes we'll have ceiling mounted fluorescent strip lighting throughout the shop. 
 
I'm amazed at how often I'm on my coach roof, always in the garage never outside, it gives me many overhead handholds for safety.>>>Dan
 
I just finished building a 28x32 addition to my house that I started in the spring of 2011. Instead of stick frame we went with a SIP (structural insulated panel) 6" of Styrofoam and two plywood panels on the outside and inside. Less expensive for the kit with all the cutouts for windows and doors also with all the lumber and trusses and roofing and trim for a finished product.  $36500 for three sides, the fourth side was the original house. R25 sidewalls and R60 blown in cellulose up top, I put radiant heat in the cement slab. Works great. A phone call can't hurt.  PM me for more info. [email protected]
 
Jere and Laur said:
I just finished building a 28x32 addition to my house that I started in the spring of 2011. Instead of stick frame we went with a SIP (structural insulated panel) 6" of Styrofoam and two plywood panels on the outside and inside. Less expensive for the kit with all the cutouts for windows and doors also with all the lumber and trusses and roofing and trim for a finished product.  $36500 for three sides, the fourth side was the original house. R25 sidewalls and R60 blown in cellulose up top, I put radiant heat in the cement slab. Works great. A phone call can't hurt.  PM me for more info. [email protected]
Click to expand...

It looks like an interesting product. I haven't used it nor have I seen it used before. I'll do some research.
 
I would make it a drive-through garage and install an auto-lift, or even better, dig out a rectangular area and add a cement liner with steps so you can work comfortably underneath the chassis while standing up. You may find additional temporary uses for it as well when you are not storing your rv.  :)
 
By the way, if you do put in an open pit service bay, be sure to install a safety net to avoid falls by the unwary or if you forget.
 
Although I will allow for a auto lift for the Jeep, it won't be going in on the original construction because of budget limitations. The motor home will just have to be happy on the ground, without a pit. I'll have grand kids running around and a pit is just too much of a hazard. There is no room for a drive through, too bad though that would be cool.
 
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