I prefer going longer over wider when it comes to garages. Not sure what size mine is, but's a solid 2.5 car and I think it's too small now that I actually want to work in it on a consistent basis.
I'm also considering a closet bulge for my compressor both for noise and space reasons.
Given I'm having a hard time finding a house here that already has a garage that fits what I really want, I've been looking into the local zoning rules regarding them- and the max size any 'Accessory Structure' can be is half the sq. footage of the house or 625sq ft, whichever is smaller... so that's going to be the max I could build if I'm within the city itself. 
Still- it would be INFINITELY better than the oversized 1-car garage I've been working in for the last 6 years or so...
Ashyukun wrote: Given I'm having a hard time finding a house here that already has a garage that fits what I really want, I've been looking into the local zoning rules regarding them- and the max size any 'Accessory Structure' can be is half the sq. footage of the house or 625sq ft, whichever is smaller... so that's going to be the max I could build if I'm within the city itself.
Do they have a limit on the number of accessory structures?
Or what if that structure is attached by a small walk/breezeway?
When we moved this time the rules
Yard must have space to build shop and before I put an offer in I had called the county and got approval for what I had planned
Construction must start less than 2 years after we move
3.. Here are some flowers..
I'm not sure about a limit on the number of accessory structures, the ordinances are, as you'd expect, fairly dense and wordy- but I'd be unsurprised if 625sq ft. limit for standard residential-zoned properties were a total square-footage limit. It seems the intent from other rules (the accessory structures can't be taller than the primary structure either, and the footprint on the ground can't exceed that of the primary structure either) is that you not have a tiny house and a massive garage, even if that's what I'd kind of like (though not a tiny house- but I don't need a huge one...).
I'd still like to find a place with a large garage that is near what I want already built- but those have been hard to find, and finding ones whose associated house is in good shape and not immediately nixed by the GF is even more challenging.
It will be easier zoning-wise if we get a place outside of the city itself, but that will make for solidly longer commutes and less convenience- but may be the only way we'll both get what we want. After double-checking the dimensions of my Elky, I can say that my current garage is probably about 17 feet deep and slightly less wide (guessing about 13-14 feet), so about 250 sq. feet- more than doubling that to 625 would be a massive improvement, but also doesn't seem like THAT much more. However- if I do end up having to build a new garage, it will be in the yard of a house that already has an attached garage- so I'll have both more space overall, and SHOULD have the garage I build pretty much entirely to myself (as the GF's Mariner will live in the attached garage) and my shop gear.
The other advantage of building a new garage is being able to have it set up for the power necessary for bigger tools/gear like an oven for powder coating (though some of the larger shop-type garages I've seen already have this themselves...).
How about a variance??
Consider the zoning regs more like guidelines than actual rules. 
Kind of like the Challenge rules. 
The zoning regs are what the inspection department is authorized to approve already. Any exceptions require a variance. Variances are frequently not that hard to come by, especially if there is a precedent in the neighborhood.
You gotta be more creative...
For example... if the requirement says accessory structures need to be smaller than the primary, then you need a bigger primary. An enormous garage in the back yard connected by a breezeway (with a roof making the connection) is not an accessory structure... it is an addition.
If there is not enough side yard clearance to the setbacks, build behind with a connecting hallway or breezeway.
If the height is not allowed to exceed the existing, how exactly is the code written? Would the chimney of the main house count as the highest point?
However, let me be the dissenting voice on one thing...
Bigger is not necessarily better.
The appropriate space between 2 parked cars is about 3'. If it is likely you will be working on them regularly, I'd suggest 5' to the nearest wall, shelf, etc.
If you put 10' between them, then I promise the ONLY thing you have created is a clutter space. You WILL fill it with crap, and then you will effectively only have 1' between the cars pus a whole lot of crap to climb over.
A workbench that is 4' from a car or other obstacle is quite usable. A workbench that is 8' from the car is not, because it is too far to use regularly, so it becomes a horizontal clutter space, PLUS the floor space in between is guaranteed to fill up with clutter and trip hazards.
My shop is 30x40 plus a loft above. Sometimes it gets close to being too big.
It's not the volume. I can always store more stuff (vertically, stacked, whatever). It's the relationship between the primary work areas.
SVreX wrote: However, let me be the dissenting voice on one thing... Bigger is not necessarily better. The appropriate space between 2 parked cars is about 3'. If it is likely you will be working on them regularly, I'd suggest 5' to the nearest wall, shelf, etc. If you put 10' between them, then I promise the ONLY thing you have created is a clutter space. You WILL fill it with crap, and then you will effectively only have 1' between the cars pus a whole lot of crap to climb over. A workbench that is 4' from a car or other obstacle is quite usable. A workbench that is 8' from the car is not, because it is too far to use regularly, so it becomes a horizontal clutter space, PLUS the floor space in between is guaranteed to fill up with clutter and trip hazards.
True, you want usable space- but it also will depend on how much of it you want, and what you plan to do with it.
Pulling some quick numbers out using my El Camino as the reference car (as it's the largest I imagine I'd be dealing with, it dwarfs the Saturn and DeLorean, and is about the same size as the Mariner) and using your spacing number:
Workbench: 3 feet wide Space to car: 4 feet Width of car: 6 feet Space between cars: 3 feet Width of car: 6 feet Space from car: 4 feet Shelving/cabinets: 2 feet Total width for 2 cars= 28 feet
Going by the max (stated... as you said, variances are possible- but I've heard that they can a be pain to come by in my city...) area of 625 feet, this would math out to a depth of 22 feet- 5 feet total longer than the El Camino is. I'd be a lot happier with a few extra feet on either side of it to move around/work on stuff- though that could perhaps be obtained by lowering the distances between the car and cabinets/workbench. Personally, I'd like three bays- I have three cars plus the GF's, and it would be nice to have an open bay for project.
But- I can see your point about unnecessary space cluttering up if it's not being used, I definitely see that happen even in a fairly small garage.
The problem with 24x24 is that it isn't quite long enough to put two Miatas end-to-end. :) 24 wide by 30 long would work better.
Small spaces force efficiency.
I am not saying I don't want it big, but efficient is MUCH more important.
Again, more than 1 way to skin a cat. Consider this scenario:
An "L" shaped garage with a 2-bay front that is 24w x 20d in the front, but has 1 bay that extends 12 more feet into the rear (total 12x12), would make a 624 SF shop. 1 side would be more than big enough for a car plus storage or bench in front of it. The other side (which is 32' deep) would be more than sufficient to park 2 cars end to end (even if 1 is an ElCamino).
A 20' long slab apron leading into the garage would give enough space for 2 cars parked outside, for occasional work.
My shop has garage doors at both ends, so I can drive THROUGH the shop. I have 8-12 cars parked behind the shop, fully out of view from the street.
A roof over a patio tucked into the "L" in the back would give a nice outdoor sitting area, or storage for a lawn mower, etc.
If height restrictions allow a half a story above, it would give enough space for a lift in 1/2 of the deep bay, with 480 SF of loft storage above the other half.
You've got PLENTY of space.
PLUS, if you attach it to the house, it's not an accessory structure- IT'S AN ADDITION!
That would increase your primary structure square footage to 1875 SF, allowing for another accessory structure of 937 SF.
I'm not seeing a problem here...
SVreX wrote: That would increase your primary structure square footage to 1875 SF, allowing for another accessory structure of 937 SF.
He is still limited by the "whichever is smaller" part of that.
mtn wrote:SVreX wrote: That would increase your primary structure square footage to 1875 SF, allowing for another accessory structure of 937 SF.He is still limited by the "whichever is smaller" part of that.
Ooops- true.
But he can STILL build a 625 SF accessory building after building the addition! 
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