Any builder/construction guys here?

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mrfjsf

Member
Sep 29, 2010
215
Wash. Pa
Hey all, im looking to build a smaller 3 car garage w/loft (3rd door would be small and used for equipment storage) or a large 2 car w/loft to use as a gameroom or storage (havent decided yet). Im trying to get a rough estimate of what materials cost will be. Not sure If anyone here can help or not but I thought id throw it out there.

It will be built on a slab
Framing will be 2x6 with full insulation.
Roof pitch will be whatever will match my house, which I believe is 12/12
Vinyl siding
30 yr dimesional shingles
Insulated garage doors
2 man doors
Drywall upstairs
Either drywall or plywood on wall in the garage area (not sure yet)
100 amp electrical service
Havent decided if I want a small bathroom yet. Depends on how difficult it will be to tap into existing septic.

Just looking for a rough estimate on materials only. Not including finishes i.e door openers, lighting fixtures, paint.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Design will be very similar to this except probably 26 deep instead of 22: http://justgarageplans.com/3740/plan-detail/1009.php
 
Home Depot used to have an in-store system for estimating costs. You sit down with them, give them some basic specs and the program puts together a basic drawing with a list of materials and costs. You might get a general idea from something like that.
 
Semipro said:
Home Depot used to have an in-store system for estimating costs. You sit down with them, give them some basic specs and the program puts together a basic drawing with a list of materials and costs. You might get a general idea from something like that.
^ This.

My dad built a 32x24 garage about 4-5 years ago and it was 24k If I recall. Vinyl siding, asphalt singles, concrete slab w/ 4' footers, I think he may have run 100amp electrical. I know it's a tiny box and he only actually has 4 breakers in service out there. 100 amp boxes are pretty big, this looks more like an outdoor pool service panel. It's 2x4 framed, he bought prebuilt trusses to save time.

He contracted out the concrete work, and the truss/roof installing. all other framing, electric and such was done by us. We dug all footers to save money, then just had concrete people come in to do the pours so it goes correctly. He said concrete work was the bulk of the cost.
Since you're quite a bit wider, and two floors I can see it costing a good deal more than that especially if you contract the whole thing out.

He wanted to do a garage exactly like that one and get water running to it and put a toilet upstairs so we don't have to run to the house to go pee when there's a few feet of snow and 0 degrees out. It was meant to just be like extra storage and a rec room for my brother and I and if anyone comes over we can hang out up there instead of cramming in to our house... But his neighbor put up a BIG stink about it (they used to be great friends until this happened), saying how someone can end up living out there and it should be treated as in "in-law" building or something. My parents had to go to a few town meetings and speak to the council about the intended purpose, blueprints, etc... In the end it cost them like 1-2k and they decided not to waste any more time on it even though they finally were approved to build it... They didn't want any unexpected arguments down the road later that may end up costing them big... so he just went with a regular single story garage.

edit; his garage is also unfinished. No drywall, about 2/3 insultated. He just put poly plastic over the 2x4s instead of the drywall because it was almost winter time and we had to get all our stuff back indoors... Never finished it.
 
Thanks guys, the above gives me something to go off of. My uncle is a long time union carpenter that has a small side construction business to keep him busy during layoffs. I will have him do most of the work as I trust him more than anyone else. I also have a friend that does concrete, perhaps he can cut me a deal as well. I figure ill be in it for at least $30k by the time all is said and done not including the gameroom finishes if I go that route.
 
my dad said for the 32'x24' concrete pad with 4' footers, the cost of concrete and labor to have people do the pour was around 8-10k. We rented a backhoe to do the footer and leveled everything ourselves, that's not included in that price.

So if you think about it... the garage is actually pretty cheap :p It's just the concrete that's expensive -.-
 
Hass said:
my dad said for the 32'x24' concrete pad with 4' footers, the cost of concrete and labor to have people do the pour was around 8-10k. We rented a backhoe to do the footer and leveled everything ourselves, that's not included in that price.

So if you think about it... the garage is actually pretty cheap :p It's just the concrete that's expensive -.-

Yeah that is quite a bit of money just in the concrete. I guess you never realize just how expensive the concrete is. Thanks for the input!
 
Around your neighborhood you can get an Amish guy to push a prebuilt off a truck for about $10k, onto your poured slab. That's what we did.

I say, why build your own barn when you have a professional barn-builder next door?
 
28X56
heated
bathroom
full kitchen
bedroom
200 amp
little over 100k I know its not exactly what you want
but a comparison
 
bluedogz said:
Around your neighborhood you can get an Amish guy to push a prebuilt off a truck for about $10k, onto your poured slab. That's what we did.

I say, why build your own barn when you have a professional barn-builder next door?

They do prebuilts that large?
 
'Round here they actually build them modular... they'll show up with a truck full of walls and trusses, built in about 8 hrs. Mine is 24x28 and got built in 2 days + the slab.

The prebuilt ones are smaller... I often see them dropping off a 12x12 or 12x18 around here.
 
bluedogz said:
'Round here they actually build them modular... they'll show up with a truck full of walls and trusses, built in about 8 hrs. Mine is 24x28 and got built in 2 days + the slab.

The prebuilt ones are smaller... I often see them dropping off a 12x12 or 12x18 around here.

They do it around here too.
Anytime I want to make something, my dad says... GO ASK THE AAAMISH!! THEY CAN DO IT CHEAPER!!!

Hey pronounces it like A-mish.
He also says windals. But says Scoo instead of school.
I love my dad even if he is a little weird :eek:
 
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