Eco-Garage
 

My house is pretty nice. Everything is fairly new and in good condition.

My garage on the other hand....

It's a detatched garage on a concrete slab. The slab is cracked like crazy - off by 4" in height in some places.

The walls are just 2x4s with wood siding over them. The edges by the gutters are just rotting away.

In short, it needs to be completely rebuilt.

If I am going to build something new from scratch, why not do it right? Instead of the traditional design, I think this is a real opportunity for a well insulated, alternative garage.

My big challenge is going to be the fact that the existing garage is on the corner of two lot lines, and the side lot line abutts major road right-of-way.

What I have to do to appeal to the county board to allow me to get the building permits might be a challenge.

That said, what ideas do you have for an Eco-Garage? Potentially, it could be straw-bale construction, have a green roof, include passive solar design, or a number of other possibilities.

Due to the location of the road, and a large tree I don't want to cut down, I think earth-berming and solar photovoltaic are out.

I would like to have the garage insulated and heated well enough to be able to work on cars and other projects in the winter, as my house has no basement or other workspace. Keep in mind, I am in a northern climate!

Ideally, It would also be nice to include a small "home-office" space in the garage as well.

Your thoughts on the project? Go wild! Let me know your ideas.
We'll plan it all winter and then build it in the spring or summer.

-Ben

(Yes, I will park my electric car in there.)

My one requirement for a new garage would be solar hydronic heated floors. Crawling around on realy cold concrete isn't all that fun. There are of course cheaper alternatives for heat.

More ideas to come...

go wild? ok....

make it a "basement" shop instead of above ground. build a shed on top that looks like a garage (that will be the "office" area). but fold open 2 big doors in the floor to expose the ramp going down under.

or how about this for the walls....

on the outside, mount a tight screen, framed with something stronger (like welded-wire fence), framed with pipe, all together and mounted about 6 or so inches from your regular wall, all the way around (except the door, haha). fill cavity with dirt (you would need something waterproof for your garage wall, of course). cut some small holes and plant a lot of vines of something that grows really thick, all over the place. a couple inches outside of that, mount a bunch of trellis to both partially hide the dirt wall, and give the vines something to grow on. a really light-colored trellis should provide some "contrast" to help hide the darker colored dirt. i really like that new composite trellis, i used some to partially enclose my carport.



alright, here's something a little more feasible....

traditional construction. but for the roof, use the soda-cans-in-a-box heat system, and some good skylights (opposite the tree) for free light.

thats all i can think of right now

I'm still in the planning stages for a 2 car garage but I did find interesting resources for winter heat:

Passive Solar Shop Heating

Solar Heating and Lighting

I've also kicked around the idea of using passive geothermal by heavily insulating a trench around the garage and hoping heat from the earth can flow into the garage faster than it escapes the garage into the atmosphere. It would be similar to an insulated foundation but without the concrete. I would rely on a slab foundation instead. It would certainly be cheaper than a full foundation but I doubt it would be structurally sound. A heavily insulated slab foundation and passive solar thermal heating is the current plan. Now if only I could find the labour to do it. :(

I'm also looking at going solar to power the garage door and lights. I can still run my tools via an extension cord. It looks like it would be cheaper than running electricity through a trench from my house because that would entail replacing the electrical panel in my house. As an off-grid garage, electrical permits and inspections would not be required.

I just found the same article as is in the second link of the post immediately above this! I got beaten to it!

That does look like a great way to use solar heat AND garage doors.

On my garage, the doors may actually be the best location for solar anything.

I think I'm gonna stick with my previous suggestion. Solar heated hydronic floors. Add a fair amount of insulation to the walls/ceiling (which is really cheap) and you'll really be set.

I DO like the idea of a heated floor! Especially after working on my EV in Tom's floor-heated garage!

I do have water issues on my property. My garage is at the nexus of several different soil types, and is LITERALLY where the glacier stopped. (Most of the geology in my area comes from the Ice Age.)

I am also just down the street from a lake. So, that means no hidden basement in my garage. It also means that a concrete slab would need to be very well designed, so as not to crack from any ambient hydraulic pressure.

I think a (reinforced) insulated "floating" concrete slab would be the way to go.

Any ideas about the best way to get heat into the slab?
Direct solar gain is most likely a "no" as I really don't want a garage of patio doors showing off everything in my garage to the entire neighborhood. (I'm on a corner property too!)

I would think that either a roof-mounted or south-wall-mounted (garage doors face south) solar collector can work, I'm just not sure if it should be air or liquid based.

Also, I have electric in the (detached) garage, but no natural gas. I know I would need some sort of backup heat besides the solar.

I think straw bale construction would be cool. I'm tempted to build a house out of it.

If I were building my own garage and had my choice, I would have room for at least 3 cars. I would also have at least 4 feet on one side (beyond the door) for shop space and to store my woodworking tools. The garage needs plenty of storage including places to park bikes. It needs to be fully insulated (including the garage door). As a woodworker, I would also have installed dust collection, 1 or more 220 outlets, a bunch of 20amp outlets with 10 gauge wire, heat and air (I really like the ground source heat pump idea). Space for a portable spray booth would also be nice.

Traditionally, PEX tubing is used in hydronic heated floors. You simply lay out the tubing and poor the cement right over it. Very easy, and the tubing is flexible and should handle cracking.

The collectors could literally go anywhere in your yard, it doesn't have to be on the building.

I also agree with truckncycle, make it larger!

Wow, how cool to have your own green-building project to experiment with. Here are a few thoughts in no particular order:

* Plan, plan, plan. What do you need/want to do in or with the structure today or in a few years? Try to plan for possible future changes in your needs for the building.

* Talk to local / regional sustainable architects to see if any are interested in taking on the project for your budget. An experienced, LEED accredited architect should be able to design a structure that is incredibly efficient, is appropriate for your site and climate, looks good and hopefully avoids the worst mistakes.

* Check out the free / open source Free Green Home Plans from FreeGreen.com and see what you like.

* Design and build to the Passive House standard - Passive house - Wikipedia. Can you build a structure that is carbon neutral (or carbon negative!) for operational power and HVAC needs?

* Can you recycle 100% of the existing structure (Habitat ReStore, FreeCycle, reuse parts in the new building, etc.)?

* Use rainwater catchment for use in the structure or the garden.

* Write about the whole process here!

Have fun,
Tim

Re: the big pine tree
 

Ben,

Can you post a few photos of the existing garage and surroundings, and a sketch of the site layout?

What I'm wondering is if you can prune the lower branches on the pine tree to allow the winter sunlight to shine on the garage. I definitely understand not wanting to cut down the tree, but maybe you can keep the tree and still get some light.

Curious,
Tim

That is an excellent idea Tim!

Have you thought about moving your garage forward and maybe attaching it to your house?

You NEED to insulate to slab fro the ground. I've read a few threads where people failed at insulating the slab and were just pumping heat in to the ground.

Make it as big as you can afford to make it. You may be hosting a TV show in there one day, and you're gonna need extra room for the camera crew...

Attach it to the house. You live in Wisconsin, remember? ;)

I've worked in aircraft hangars that had doors constructed of translucent fiberglass panels. On a cold winter day, it was impressive how much solar heat came through. Of course, I'm sure just as much heat went OUT through the single layer paneling. For a home workshop, maybe doors with double-glazed solar glass panels in them would be more efficient.

Permit...
 

You mentioned it being a pain to get a permit for building... Where I grew up in Wisconsin, you needed a permit only for NEW construction. One guy got around the law by buying a delapitated house, ripping half of it down, building half a house on the existing basement (connected to the existing house), then ripped down the rest and finished the house. BRAND NEW HOUSE with NO PERMITS. It is still considered the original house. Maybe this wouldn't work so well for you with a crumbling slab, but you can keep it in mind.

Hey Wyatt,

The garage is on the corner of TWO lot lines, so I need a variance no matter what.

What you just described is pretty much how my house was rebuilt though.

If you leave the walls that boarder the lot lines you should be able to claim that you are just repairing the old building, anything over $500 worth of work normally requires permits, but less permitting because it's not a new building, also no varrences I think, because it's not new.
I'm a fan of straw bale garages, built one a few years back when I was still building with straw, it was really nice all year round, now if you wood framed your walls, cement sided the outside and set straw in to the wood walls then stuco the inside building inspectors will give you a funny look but will loose any debates, it will also give you an R50 wall.
steel roof all the way, standing seem steel allows for some slick clamps that don't require holes in the roof to mount solar.
in heat slab... PEX in sand under the concreat, you will never have to worry about the slab shifting and cracking the pex, it will also give you more mass to keep the garage warm.

more later.

So here's the latest:

I have a weird lot.
They property is narrow and runs north and south. It used to be wider, but back in the 1960's a tiny local road got turned into a State Road, so everything was widened, making the property smaller.

Also, for whatever reason, I have TWO tax keys, one for the front part of the property, one for the back. I have to get that changed before I can build a garage.

In the last couple of months, I've been turning in forms, paperwork, and permitting.

I attended a town planning commission meeting, and they had no problem with me rebuilding my garage. It was a pretty straight-forward meeting.

Next, I had to attend a County meeting. I wouldn't be able to build my garage for 3 reasons - too close to lot line, too high of "building to lot ratio", and too tall of a building. The County planner makes a recommendation to the board, which can include exemptions for hardship.

The recommendation was to allow exemptions for being too close to the lot line. (That's where the garage and driveway already are, where else are you going to put them?) an exemption for "building to lot" (house has no basement or attic, etc.), but NOT to allow an exemption for for height.

Although I have several neighbors with two story garages, I would only be allowed to have a garage with a peak of no more than 18'. I pleaded before the board for a couple more feet, as my house is 5' BELOW the road (it's steeply downhill from the road to the garage or house.) and the road has a HIGHLY unusual setback, because it was a State Road, which recently was converted to a local road, yet retained the wider right of way. In my area, a building can be taller the farther it is in from a lot line. If it was a local road with a regular right of way, I could be allowed to have a higher roof line.

I wanted the higher roof for three reasons:
1) A steeper roof would match the angle of the house, therefore match and look nicer.
2) It would allow for an upstairs "storage area". This would NOT be a habitable area, and couldn't have a permanent staircase, but it could have a fold-down staircase, similar to what many people have for attic access. In reality, it could be used as an above garage home-office.
3) Steeper is better for solar. In my area, a 40-45 degree angle is ideal. Also, steeper helps snow melt off and slide away, instead of blocking the sunlight.

In the "public comments" part of the hearing, one guy in the crowd, who I didn't know, said basically, "Come on guys, let him have his solar roof!". One of the board members agreed that solar panels mounted flat on a roof (instead of on an angled rack) look much better.

After it was back to "board only discussion" (i.e., I'm not allowed to speak anymore) one of the board members, who didn't speak a single word when discussion was going on, said "I don't see why he doesn't just put the panels somewhere else in the yard. That was after I already had spoken on where all the shade trees in the yard are..... *Sigh* Some people don't get the concept that you need to put solar panels in the sun....

So, what it comes down to is that I am most of the way through getting all the permissions to build the garage, I can't build it quite as tall as I would like, but I can build a pretty good size - up to 27 feet wide by 29 feet deep. (It's currently 22'x22') So, that means I have enough extra width to now park my riding lawn mower INSIDE the new garage and enough extra depth for storage, workbenches, tools, and storage.

In general, I am planning for heated hydronic floor. Since I am building a new slab anyways, how can I NOT put in some PEX? I'd have foam under and around the slab, and insulation between the garage slab and concrete apron that would conned the garage to the blacktop driveway.

Planning on a metal roof. I really like the idea of it lasting longer, and being 100% recyclable when it's all worn out. Probably standing seam, because there are those cool little clamps that let you clamp solar panels right on there.

Solar panels - I'm planning on putting on as many PV solar panels on the roof as I can. What isn't yet clear is the setbacks from the two sides and the peak of the roof. I'm shooting for a 5 kilowatt grid-tie system.
A 5K system should produce 6,000 kWh per year, or about 500kwh per month. In the last year, my house has used anywhere from 207 to 444 kWh per month, averaging about 367 Kwh per month.

Theoretically, a 5K grid-tie solar system should produce, on average, about 150 kWh per month MORE than what the house uses. That much electricity could push an electric car up to 500 miles, or well over 1000 miles on an electric motorcycle.

General construction of the garage would be typical stud construction, cement board siding, and fiberglass insulation. My father is a general contractor and already orders and builds with these materials on a regular basis.

For heat, I would ideally like to go with electric, as the solar panels can create electricity, but not natural gas or firewood or any other source of heat. I'm not sure exactly what's out there for appropriate electric water heaters or boilers. I've also looked at mini-split air-source heat pumps. They are more efficient that resistive heaters (pulling heat from the air, instead of just creating it from electric resistance) and they can also do air-conditioning, which would be nice to have if I am using the upstairs as an office space. (Gets hot and humid here in the summer. Are there any affordable heat pump systems to rig to a heated slab setup?

Here's a few photos for you.
Mostly, these are just so you can see the general condition of the garage. There have been times where I've worked on a car and dropped a tool, and it would roll and disappear into a crack in the floor.

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/DSC_4326.jpg
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/DSC_4322.jpg
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3252.jpg
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3248.jpg

This is a sketch from a few years back for a proposed septic tank. It's a good sketch for just showing the general house/garage/lot line.
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...g_IMG_3264.jpg

Below shows the lot lines as best I can, drawing them in in blue. Notice that the garage is on two lot lines. (Well, technically tax plot lines...) Also, take a look at the shadows from the evergreens on the east side of the property. They are pretty tall trees and throw a long shadow. This photo is from early afternoon. Notice how the shadow of the pine tree by the garage extends to the north of the garage. In the morning, it completely blocks the sun.
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/..._lot-lines.jpg

This image is from Google Maps. It appears to be from early spring, after the snow has melted, but before there are leaves on the trees. This is good because you can see the buildings well. I drew in where leaves are during the summer. Those are all Maples and make a big mess in the spring with helicopter seeds, and a big mess in the fall with leafs. Most of those trees are just on the west side of the property line, so they belong to my neighbor, but I'm downwind, and they block my solar access. (Although they do partially shade the house in the summer)
The garage is marked in red. The dark green circle below it represents a pine tree. It is as large as twenty feet across at the lowest branches. It's in exactly the wrong place for a solar garage. It will have to come down if I want solar panels. Otherwise, the roof of my garage doesn't see daylight 'til noon.
http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...ty_w_trees.jpg

In response to some of the other comments, no, it would be extremely difficult to move the garage. It would be extremely impractical to attach it to the house - for example, the garage would then block half my windows, and I would have no front door! In fact, one of the limitations on the building is that no part of it can be within 10 feet of my house!

Yes, I do need some very bothersome permits irregardless of whether it is technically New vs a Remodel.

In other thoughts. I'm also thinking that the garage will NOT have windows. My current garage has small windows, which end up being completely blocked by shelves and storage anyways. In that case, I'd rather have well insulated walls. The upstairs would have a small window on either end, for light and ventilation. This also matches the style of the upstairs of the house.

I guess it was also so obvious that I didn't mention it, but on the new garage, the sloped roof will face north and south, whereas it faces east and west right now.

Here's a few snapshots of the drawing I had made up.

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3988.jpg

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3989.jpg

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3990.jpg

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...6/IMG_3991.jpg

The idea is that the new garage would be 5 feet wider and 7 feet deeper than the original. This also gives me space for a man door on the left. Nice for going in and out the garage without needed to have a large overhead door open.

Garage doors themselves may or may not have windows. I do sort of like the idea on Builditsolar with the glazing for winter heating (http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...tor/garcol.htm) although that is sort of "semi-permanent". I might be able to do something like that on the one garage door but not the other. That way, I could easily get one car in and out but still have some good solar gain on the other.

Also, here's a photo of the house, so you can see how I'm trying to match the garage to the house to make it look nice.

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...e_DSC01462.jpg

As far as a metal roof goes for the garage, I'm thinking that either silver or a light green would work. The house has asphalt dimensional shingles, which are sort of a gray with a little green in it. I think that silver standing seam would be best for staying cool, which is good for the solar panels, but a light green might look nicer without getting too hot. I'm tempted to find some samples of metal, paint them, leave them in the sun and check how hot they get on a sunny day.

I re-roofed my house with aluminum shingles, which are very good, and they are one product that will last far beyond the guarantee. The house across the street from me has the same shingles. They were installed 70 years ago, and they have always looked two years old. It is amazing!

My roof is green, which looks nice. My only regret is that I did not use the unpainted aluminum shingles, which was an option.

I would have been much farther ahead with regard to summer heat gain.

-AC

Here's what PVWatts says I would produce if I mounted a 5K photovoltaic system straight south.

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...prediction.jpg

I also figured out how to use a spreadsheet to make a chart.
I entered the production estimate from PVWatts and my use from the last 12 months (from my electric bill statements) to make a chart.

The Green line shows how much energy I have used per month over the last year. The Blue line is the predicted energy production.

I would be overproducing almost the entire year, only using more than I would produce in the winter, when the sun is so low in the sky.

Oddly, there is a valley in the production line in November. That's the cloudiest month of the year in my area, as well as heading towards the winter solstice. December has more sun than November. Good to know that the software actually takes in to account real local weather patterns.

The software also accounts for a general amount of inefficiency, but does NOT have any shading info in it. I expect to have a clear view of the sky all morning, but the trees on the far west side of my property are likely to create some shading towards the end of the day at certain parts of the year.

The production spike in March looks unusual, but it's typically very sunny in March. Not sure why else it would spike though.

http://ecoprojecteer.net/wp-content/...production.png

I see a lot of good suggestions, and I insist on habitability issue priority, like ventilation and damper integrity, aroma and air purity control within my 'people space' Fresh air as a priority, can be supplied by area breeze (hopefully you are not situated downwind of any factory, or upwind of any sensitive allergy-prone people). HEPA filters can be engineered in place and wrap up the concerns quite nicely, if you are maintenance oriented for such equipment. Many people acquire nice equipment with no thought of the necessary maintence to keep such equipment operating as designed. Humidity control is another concern for my 'good life' approach, understanding that my older relatives are experiencing difficulty handling heat and that air conditioning is pretty much required for their comfort and survival. I suppose I surely don't have to invite them into my garage to chat, but I personally enjoy their companionship as well as having an enjoyable environment for my grandchildren and children to learn some woodshopping or automechanics. The dust collection system would also be a 'must have' as earlier described. I also enjoy a choice relationship with my wife, having to occasionally enjoy the 'dog house' environment, so some furniture and living accomodations such as a shower and play room with a pull down cot would be a welcome addition to my garage. Hopefully this suggestion won't get your suggestion ridiculed as an opening to a disaster. I am serious about my suggestions. Have fun! Looking forward to your decision on which suggestions to nurture! Sofi

Any updates on the project Ben?

There will be soon.

I'm going through the permitting process. Unfortunately, due to exactly where I am, I have multiple governmental bodies I have to deal with, making getting proper permissions for construction both slow and expensive.

Fun with red tape. Good luck with that! Hope to hear some cool stuff soon.

Sorry to be late to the party to respond to this comment:
"The production spike in March looks unusual, but it's typically very sunny in March. Not sure why else it would spike though."

Solar panels like clear and cold. My solar arrays always put out more total kWh on a perfectly clear, cold winter day than on a perfectly clear, hot summer day, despite the total daylight hours being a good deal less through the winter. You'll note the rated output is always listed at 75 degrees, which should equate to ~ 60 degrees outside temp after you adjust for dark colors heating up more than light colors.

In my area, March typically IS clear and cold, but with more hours of daylight than in January. Looks a little odd on the chart, but I think it's about right for my area.

Likewise, November, instead of December, would be the worst month, as it's the cloudiest month of the year in my area. December has shorter days, but is sunnier.

I STILL don't have a building permit. The County is actually requesting that I get a NEW DEED to my house before they give me a permit! Does anyone at the County know the exact wording they want on it? NOOOOOOOOOO!.

Anyways, There are two trees that I need to remove. One is a large pine tree, which blocks my solar access (and drips sap over ANYTHING under it, meaning I can't use that part of my driveway at all!)

The other is a Maple, but not a very nice one (not a good shape, doesn't make me Maple Syrup, etc.) which will be exactly in the way of the back corner of the garage.

The pine is 70' tall and 2' diameter at the base. It's also only 10' from my garage, maybe 30' from my house, and LESS than 70' from the road. In other words, almost any direction it falls is the WRONG direction.

I read through an old Time-Life book and watched lots of YouTube videos on dropping trees. This past weekend, a friend stopped over, and we brought it down. It was a little nerve-racking...

We took out a wedge of wood in the direction it should fall, then made a relief or felling cut on the back. The tree didn't move, and I did NOT want to cut into it any more. I put a wedge in the back cut, and pounded it in with a sledge-hammer. In the video, that's what the hammering sound is at the beginning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvXWr-OvEus

The camera was pretty far away (a safe distance, anyways...) and wide angle - so the video is not nearly as dramatic as it was to actually be there!

Anyways, there is now a LOT more sunlight on the front of my garage, and no pine sap dripping on vehicles.

http://300mpg.org/wp-content/uploads...27-640x480.jpg

I also started trimming the Maple behind the garage. Got one big branch down so far. It's really starting to open up the light back there too. I should also get some decent firewood. Maple is a bit too fast-growing to be GREAT firewood (compared to oak or hickory or something,) but I will have a lot of it!

http://300mpg.org/wp-content/uploads...29-360x480.jpg

It's a lot of work so far, but other than the fear of actually dropping a tree on my house, it's not that tough work, just a lot of it. I have a public yard waste site right up the street from my house, so it was just a lot of hauling pine branches down there. I found somebody through Craigslist who wants to come out and turn the pine tree into lumber with his portable mill.

If that somebody brings a portable sawmill over and cuts that tree into lumber, you'll have a dramatic amount of wood shavings to clean up afterwards. Cleaning up and hauling off a pile of wood chips is far easier on the back than cutting up a tree and hauling it off or burning it.

I do like the added light from where I've removed trees on our property. OTOH, on a miserably hot day outside, standing under a shade tree feels pretty good too. At times I can be so wishy washy.....

Any updates with the garage, or are you still working through the red tape?

Dude, free pine mulch for your landscaping or garden!!

I think that means, "dude free lumber!" I bet there's some sort of payment in kind. However, thats awesome. I looked into that for my own build but there are now sawyers around here. There's not much pine or lumber grown around here either, which might be why.