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Introducing VersaFinish: Steel Framing for Any Finish
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Introducing VersaFinish: Steel Framing for Any Finish
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Getting Started: Staking Out Your Building

Did you know that where you place your garage can affect the entire yard? Find out what considerations can come into play when choosing a spot in this section that discusses staking out your garage.

As mentioned previously, I wanted to place my garage a fair distance from the house, but when looking for the best spot, a few other considerations came to mind. I don’t know about your property, but mine has a few rises and swales that are largely un-noticeable unless you happen to be pushing a heavy lawn mower. I decided the best way to see how my garage might fit with the lay of the land was to stake it out and string a line to show the building’s actual footprint on the ground.

This is easy to do – all you need are the dimensions of your building, four stakes, a hammer, a line level and a measuring tape. A line level is several inches long and hooks onto a string line – they’re available at just about any hardware or home improvement store. My building was 20 by 20 feet – adjust the steps below accordingly for your structure. Here’s how to stake out your building:

  • Get an idea of how you want your building to be oriented and place two stakes in the ground to designate the front and back of one side of the building – in my case they were 20 feet apart.

  • Measure across from each stake the width of your building and tap the remaining two stakes in to designate the other side of the building – just tap them in a little as they will probably be moved in the next step.

  • Now pull a measurement from your first two stakes in a diagonal to the stakes that were just tapped in – the two diagonal measurements should match, but unless you’re extremely lucky and hit the lottery on a regular basis, they probably don’t.

  • Adjust the two tapped in stakes until the diagonal measurements match while maintaining the width dimensions at the front and back. When you’re finished, the front to back and side to side measurements should reflect the dimensions of your building and if the diagonal measurements match, the stakes are squared up.

  • Now string a line around the stakes to designate the floor height you expect the garage to have when complete – use your line level to ensure the line is level all the way around the perimeter. If you plan to use concrete, allow for four inches of concrete and several inches of gravel below for support and drainage.

If your layout is a triangle, you may have missed a stake. However, if the outline appears to match the dimensions of your building, stand back and take a look – here are a few issues to consider:

  • Drainage – how will the building affect the overall drainage of the yard? You don’t want it located in a spot that might cause water to pond after a rain and the last thing you need is for water to actually run into the building during a downpour.

  • Foundation – if the floor height line on one or more sides is quite a bit higher than the existing ground level, this means you may have to do some block work on your foundation. You might want to move the building site to eliminate this added expense.

  • Overall look – how does the proposed garage location fit with your home and the rest of the lot? As trees and shrubs continue to grow, will there be any potential problems? How will the garage location affect your home’s curb appeal – a major consideration if you decide to sell your house. While the garage may be your pride and joy, you may not want it to be the first thing visitors see as they approach your home.

Don’t feel too bad if you have to move your stakes a few times to find the spot that’s just right – it took me three times, but that may just be me. The most important thing is taking time to consider all the issues before the concrete truck rolls up to your home.

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