By Amy Hanlon
You know you need a watertight building – whether it’s to house your vintage car, set up a wood workshop or simply for storage. But now you’re wondering, do I need a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage?
These G&M buildings feature the same 3-Tier wall construction, so they are pretty similar. However, they have a few key differences which might impact your decision about which building is right for you.
Let’s take a look at how the 3-Tier Workshop and Garage are built and what differentiates them from each other.
How is a timber garage built?
It can be tricky getting to grips with all the different types of timber buildings out there. Even within a single company, we have five completely different product types that have five completely different uses. So let me explain how these two different products came to exist, to help you decide if you need a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage.
Both 3-Tier Workshops and Garages came into being because of water ingress. What don’t you want on the inside of a garage? Water.
In a large timber building like a Garage, water ingress causes the same problems that it causes in a small building. But you probably don’t keep a car in your shed. While they’re both used for storage, Garages usually have larger, more expensive contents.
If you’ve been around here for any length of time you’ll know that a Gillies & Mackay Garage is not just a big shed. It has a 3-Tier specification consisting of a layer of external cladding, an air cavity and dampproof membrane, and a layer of OSB.
Our Garage specification was developed as a direct response to a problem. That problem was water ingress.
We used to build single-skinned Garages, but when the Scottish weather got to doing its thing, water would penetrate the timber cladding that formed their walls. Since nobody wants water inside their Garage, we decided that enough was enough. Our directors applied their very clever structural engineering brains to the problem, and the 3-Tier Garage specification was born.
Now we have Garages that don’t leak. They just don’t. They’re engineered not to, and they don’t. It’s as simple as that.
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Do single-skinned sheds leak?
Are we saying that all of our sheds do leak? No. Of course not. We’d never be done dealing with furious customers if that was the case.
But we have to be realistic about the limitations of a single-skinned building. If you need a space that’s 100% watertight, you can’t build it from a single layer of timber cladding. It doesn’t matter how thick that layer is; it’s still possible, even likely, that water will get into your building.
If there’s a Biblical amount of water tipping down for days at a time, (hello, Scotland!) the percentage of moisture in the air rises. Even the most carefully-painted timber surface will take in water under these circumstances. If there’s enough water for long enough, water may soak all the way through the timber cladding. This isn’t going to cause a huge deluge and massive puddles, but it might be enough water to show through on the inside of your building.
And the Garage specification eliminates this problem. No water on the inside, unless you put it there on purpose!
Since we have a watertight specification, why keep it just for Garages? Why not share the love? And so the 3-Tier Workshop was born.
What are 3-Tier Workshops used for?
A good-quality shed is a perfect solution if you need a small storage space that needs to be reasonably watertight. But a 3-Tier Workshop is a different class altogether.
As your storage needs increase, the natural water ingress that is mostly managed by that good-quality shed starts to cause bigger problems. That’s why we use our 3-Tier specification for buildings larger than 12’ x 10’/3.6m x 3m.
3-Tier Workshops are ideal for:
- Watertight working
- Storing electrical or delicate equipment
- Stormproof studios
- Whatever else you need!
We’ve built 3-Tier Workshops that house laboratories and small businesses, and store film equipment and power tools and all sorts of things. These buildings are a perfect hybrid of Shed and Garage – the security and solidity of a Garage without the large front entrance needed to store a car.
Does a 3-Tier Workshop have a floor?
Our 3-Tier Workshops have tongue-and-groove floors, made from sturdy 19mm Scandinavian redwood. Depending on what your plans are for your building, you may wish to install laminate flooring or a suitable alternative. You don’t have to do this, of course, but additional flooring will protect the timber floor from wear and tear, and if you’re an interior design sort of person, it may fit better with your chosen aesthetic.
It’s worth noting that if you have plans to insulate and line your building at a later date (or have some clever joiners do it for you), you should make sure the floor of the building is insulated when it’s installed, as it’s not possible to insulate under the floor afterwards.
There have been a few instances when we’ve built one of our 3-Tier Workshops without a timber floor. Instead, the concrete base acts as a floor. This is only done in special circumstances when whatever is going to be stored in the Workshop is too heavy for the timber floor and could ruin it – for example, a ride-on lawn mower or several motorbikes.
Does a timber Garage have a floor?
Timber Garages need a poured concrete plinth, made exactly to our specifications – this acts as the floor.
Garages tend to be used to store vehicles, which is why we don’t build them with timber floors like the 3-Tier Workshop.
If you’re not using your garage for a car and want to put flooring on top of the concrete floor, you can do that, but it would be purely for cosmetic reasons. It also adds to the cost of your Garage because of the additional materials and labour.
What kind of base do I need for a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage?
Some 3-Tier Workshops can be installed on a level slabbed base. If a 3-Tier Workshop is bigger than 14′ x 10’/4.2m x 3m, then the weight of the building means you need a concrete plinth.
Ground screws can be an option for 3-Tier Workshops, but this will depend on the individual site.
All our Garages need a poured concrete plinth because of their weight and size.
The base for your building is almost as important as the building itself. A sturdy and level base is key for the longevity of your 3-Tier Workshop or Garage.
How thick is the framing of a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage?
The 3-Tier Workshop and Garage feature the same wall specification, which is what keeps them watertight. However, there are some differences in their overall construction.
3-Tier Workshops have 70mm x 45mm pressure-treated C24-Graded framing. However, if a 3-Tier Workshop is 16′ x 10′ or larger, the framing is upgraded to a minimum of 95mm x 45mm pressure-treated C24-Graded framing. We use this thicker framing in our Garages and larger 3-Tier Workshops because their size requires it.
How tall is a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage?
Another difference in these buildings is their height. A Garage with a 4m gable will be 50cm taller than a 3-Tier Workshop with the same-sized gable. Our Garages are made with the additional height to accommodate cars. 3-Tier Workshops aren’t designed to hold cars, so they’re built to the same height as our standard sheds.
The reduced height of the 3-Tier Workshop makes it a more planning permission-friendly option compared to the garage.
What door does a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage have?
Our Garages come with a manual garage door as standard; however, you can upgrade this to an automatic door at an additional cost. 3-Tier Workshops feature a uPVC Fully Clad Door, fit for pedestrian use, rather than a vehicle.
How much does a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage cost?
The overall cost of a Garage project tends to be more expensive than a 3-Tier Workshop project.
A Garage always needs a concrete base, whereas a 3-Tier Workshop can sometimes go on a slabbed base. Base costs vary highly depending on your site, but a concrete base is generally more expensive than a slabbed base.
The garage door, alongside the larger building size and increased base costs, are all factors that make a Garage cost more than a 3-Tier Workshop.
Where can I buy a 3-Tier Workshop or Garage?
If you want to know more about getting your 3-Tier Workshop or Garage project started book a Consultation with our team. Consultations are free and there’s absolutely no obligation to buy – it’s your chance to ask our expert team all your questions and discuss your individual project.
