Garage Dio question

[Jantrix]

I've been wanting to do a shadowbox dio for a while. I finally found a box. Good size. Plenty of room for two models. Hobby Lobby item, its got a nice patina. In scale, the interior dimensions are 31.2 feet long and 14.5 feet deep and high. The length and depth are no issue, but at 14.5 feet high it's gonna be pretty tall. If my ceiling or bottom of my trusses are at 8 feet that's a lot of wasted space. I want this to represent a stand alone garage, set in the 60's or maybe 70's. 

So my question is this, would a 10 foot or even 12 foot ceiling be incorrect in a stand alone garage of the time period? Was it done? It's pretty common these days. I seem to remember the garage on our place in Bayshore, N.Y. was cavernous, but I was just a lil guy at the time. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jantrix]

No one in the construction trades? Okay, then.

I think I'll just do a 10' ceiling and add a storage loft.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Shouldn't require somebody in the "construction trade" to answer this one.

I've been around garages and shops all my life, and it's really entirely up to you what you want to depict. Shops behind houses were / are usually built with standard dimensional lumber. 10 foot and 12 foot 2X4s were certainly available during the time period you mention. Taller is more expensive, naturally, so if cost is a consideration (to your supposed garage owner) go shorter.

I've seen plenty of 8-foot ceilinged home shops, and plenty with 16 foot ceilings where the guy had a lift.

If you intend to do a "storage loft", remember that your floor joists will need to be heavier than what would be required to support nothing but a sheetrock ceiling.

My last house was built in 1969. It had a stick-built 2-car attached garage with plenty of headroom for a lift...but the framing was not strong enough to support a loft.

[Jantrix]

Thanks Ace. 

[crazyjim]

Is cutting down the size of the box out of the equation?

[dptydawg]

 

12 foot ceilings are quite common is garages especially if you plan to install a floor hoist. You could always install roof trusses on 4' centres to fill up some of the unused space.

It is a useful looking box

Carl

[misterNNL]

I suggest you double check the size of that box.If it is in fact 31 feet by 11 feet then you would have had it delivered by  semi flat bed truck.):

[Jantrix]

The box had a nice patina.  I don't want to mess with it. 

Yep.  Sure was.