Garage with finished living quarters ideas...

Looking for some advice by our building experts here...

First a little background. So I'm looking at properties. Would really like to have a big woods - enough to be self-maintaining for heating firewood, hunt, etc. Around here land is very expensive compared to where I grew up (3-5x as much per acre). I'm also ending my marriage so back down to one income. To get a decent house, garage, and land with enough woods (25 acres of mature woods is what I'm shooting for) just isn’t going to happen. I'd really hate to get something now and have to move again... also I'd love to setup a small orchard of fruit trees and berry bushes and other perennials that will take years to mature. So I would love to get the land now and get started on all that, but I still need something for me and my son to live in, and I have enough equipment, tools, and tractors/boats and such that I need a decent size garage/barn too. There is one place I'm looking at now, a nice 24 acre chunk of woods with 8 acres in the drive and area in front of woods (flag lot). It has a mobile home on it now (dilapidated) that I'd take out, but driveway, well, septic already. No way I can afford it and build my dream home and garage, but I'm trying to determine if I could build a big garage with a finished living area enough to get by for a few years. Plan would be pay the place down a little for a few years, save a few bonuses, and a few raises later, maybe at some point pick up a second income and a reason to build a bigger house, and then build the dream home later next to the garage.

I'm somewhat familiar with pole-barn construction and was planning on trying one myself. With the research I've done though, if finishing it off is part of the plan I've been told I'd be ahead to just start off with stick frame. I'm not sure if one can mix building styles in the same building though? Anyhow, to fit what I want in the budget would have to be very inexpensive/minimal. I'm thinking typical pole barn metal siding and roof. I've been told with stick frame you can still do that but turn the metal panels sideways since your framing is vertical? I'm not really sure how you treat the finished section though, do you need anything under the metal, what kind of insulation? Probably all interior walls will be drywall. I'd plan on heating with a wood stove I already have or possibly a pellet burner, and for AC just a window unit in the bedrooms if needed (already have 2). 1 bathroom, 1 living room, a decent sized eat in kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and laundry room (or combine with bathroom). I'd shop around for discounted materials, windows, counters, cabinets, etc... maybe even make some simple pine cabinetry myself. Floor is just concrete (maybe stained), with some area rugs.

I currently have a 40x40 pole barn that’s full but could trim down my garage space requirement on that a little for now and expand it later maybe. I'd also need about 1000 sqft or so finished space I figure to be comfortable. I'm trying to think of a design that maximizes space and minimizes cost. Should I do 2 story finished area on one half the garage, or end finished one story also with attic trusses over the entire building as finished living space? Or just stick to all one level and 4' span barn trusses? Really struggling with what way works out the best bang for buck. Cheaper to go longer and narrow, or more square? I'm envisioning 32' or 40’ wide building around 60' long or so, basically cut in half one side garage other side finished? Or 40 ft worth of garage and 20ft 2 story finished? Or 20-30’ finished and 60’ of attic? I'd want the garage end with at least 10' ceiling if not 14' to accommodate any possible future equipment. But could scale that back to 8’ or so if needed, and build something later if I got a 5th wheel or something bigger.

I may be way off here, but a ballpark of what I could put into the project maybe around $40-50k. Remember this is a very plane jane finishing, I'll do a lot of the work myself (I can do most all the electric, and perhaps with a bit of guidance plumbing, and interior finishing) and I plan on scrounging whatever building materials I can used, craigslists, whatever. But getting the basic building up, roof, walls, cement, insulation... not sure if this is too much of a stretch. I know costs vary a lot by region. For example though my 40x40x14 pole barn cost about $24k with cement floor, 2 overhead garage doors, 1 14' slider, 1 entry door, 5 windows, a little bit of leveling and gravel needed, paid for it all done except I did all the electric.

Any chance this may work?

Warm_in_NH said:

Don't see any benefits of a pole barn for you, not if you're going to finish the inside, you'll have to stud it all out anyway for sheet rock and insulation.

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Well the one advantage I was thinking is I know I can erect a pole building quicker and easier, then take my time building the living area within. Given the extra time and protection from the elements, I'd be more apt to try and do more myself whereas with the stick building I might just have to pay to have at least the shell put up. Well I could probably figure out how to do it, just not as confident. I've never really done concrete work before or block/mortar. Also I didn't know if it would change the taxes, like if a 'pole barn' would be taxed less or not. Guess I need to talk to the locals to figure that one out.

How would you insulate / seal / etc with metal siding? For finished area do you need something else between the studs and the metal siding or should I just skip the metal siding. I actually want it to blend in with the garage/barn, not look nice like a house from the outside. I mean I could just build a separate garage and small house, the only thing I'm really saving on is one common wall - which would otherwise just be a few poles, 2x4's and metal siding, not a whole lot of saving. But if I'm to build a nice house later, I don't want another house there sticking out like a sore thumb. But a big garage will go nicely next to a new house later. And the area can still be utilized as garage workshop area, I've always wanted an office and bathroom in my workshop anyhow, and would make a nice area for guests to stay and have some privacy.

Still struggling with the layout decisions. Concrete is kind of pricey, thinking it would be cheaper to make a slightly smaller footprint and built a second story. Just not sure if 2 story is cheaper of 1 story plus attic (being that you loose sqft in the attic...). I kind of want lots of windows, and that's harder to do with the attic method.

Well I've thought about the mobile home option also but don't plan on going that route unless I get real desperate and can't do what I want. I need to build a garage anyhow, and I think I can do better than a mobile home, both in design and perhaps insulation, and I think for the same cost if I do a lot of the work myself. I've not been terribly impressed with used mobile homes I've seen.

The more I read the more confused I seem to be getting lol. At least I've come across several others doing something similar on other forums. More often just insulating a finishing a garage as a place of business or something like that, not necessarily to live in. There seem to be some debate about where the moisture barrier goes, sealing up the end of the corrugated metal to stop critters getting in the wall, etc. Some stud between the posts then put in batt insulation and cover with sheetrock or osb. Some even use 8' wide rolls of insulation designed for pole barns, then add 2x4 perlins to the interior side and put up interior metal siding. Others have framed in horizontally with 2x6's between the 6x6 posts. Most seem to put the moisture barrier under whatever is used the finish the interior side of the wall.

If I'm to do a second story though, am I correct in assuming I need a studded wall anyhow? I mean if its a 16' high pole barn how do you attach the 2nd floor to the poles? Can you treat it like a deck with a ledger board against the outsidse wall and framed on the interior walls? If I do attic trusses instead of a full width second floor I guess that works with standard pole building correct?