Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT A Garage Decades in the Making

[HPRifleman]

The title is based on all the years that I've spent wanting to start this project.

Background

After 18 years of living on a small suburban lot with an impractical garage, in 2019 my wife and I bought a house in a very unique area of Chicagoland. Large lots, mature trees, and a small town feel. Most lots are also zoned for horses and there are lots of them around. Our house is a 2800 sq. ft. brick ranch that's perfect for a couple of middle-aged, soon-to-be empty nesters.

The Troubles Start…

Since we are on 4 acres I thought I had plenty of space to put up the garage that I always wanted. But the village has an ordinance that limits total garage space to no more than 20% of the dwelling space. Do that math on your own house and see what kind of garage that would get you.

To build the garage we had to apply for a zoning variance from the village. I won't derail this post by documenting that draining experience. But it took 6 months, several board meetings, attorney fees, high stress, and making a case for a garage to non-garage people before I finally prevailed. The whole process left me a bit bitter regarding over-regulating government bodies.

The village granted the variance but, to build the garage to the size I wanted, we had to convert our existing attached garage into living space. Sure, no problem. We just have to spend more of our money. Why should anyone at the village care about that?

The Project

My wife and I worked with an architect to design both spaces (garage and interior) so that we were happy with them. We chose to not finish the new garage interior as part of the current scope. That can be done later on as I better understand how I will use it.

My original thought was a simple rectangle with interior dimensions of 24' x 44'. My architect wanted a better looking front face so he added a bump out with gable that gave me 25' of depth in the middle of the space.

I wanted scissor trusses to provide more headroom and give the feel of a larger space. In-floor heat was also on the menu. I didn't know how much time I would spend out there in the winter, but I did know that I never want to stand around on a cold slab ever again. That in-floor heat also migrated into the refurbished existing garage as well.


Plan view of the new garage.




Front view of the new garage.



Side view of the new garage on the right with the old garage doors closed off in the background.




The new garage is going in that gap between the existing garage and the wood fence.

 

[74Ken]

Isn't dealing with local politicians fun.....doesn't matter what side of the boarder you are on.
It's all bout pushing paper....watch what happens when one of them want a nice new garage.

 

[HPRifleman]

Excavating for the foundation.



Foundation perimeter



Installing perimeter insulation



Pouring foundation concrete

 

[kbeefy]

Congrats on winning the variance. Thats specifically why I bought out of town with no covenants or HOA.

Enjoy building your new space!!

 

[HPRifleman]

After rock was delivered and grading around the perimeter. Nowhere to go but up.

 

[jbrentd]

Looks like it’ll be a nice space. Is that a covered walkway connecting the new garage to the house?

 

[Johnno]

Looks great, cant wait to watch the build here.
I also had to get a variance since we are only allowed 40% of living space, but mine was much easier only dealing with the town.

 

[2manyfumes]

!

 

[MrPink]

Looks nice so far.

 

[HPRifleman]

Looks like it’ll be a nice space. Is that a covered walkway connecting the new garage to the house?

It is. I'm not sure what call it though. The term "breezeway" doesn't seem appropriate since this doesn't have any enclosing walls. But we wanted some kind of cover when walking between the house and garage and that's what the architect came up with.

 

[JC23]

Right on! You are on your way. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

 

[jbrentd]

It is. I'm not sure what call it though. The term "breezeway" doesn't seem appropriate since this doesn't have any enclosing walls. But we wanted some kind of cover when walking between the house and garage and that's what the architect came up with.

Nice, I think that is a good idea.

 

[HPRifleman]

Looks like this will be a nice garage build.



Where I live, as long as the building is 10' from my property line, there is no limit on building size.

Our village has different setback requirements depending on the size of the property. We are on the largest minimum property size (minimum 4 acres) so the setback requirements for any building is at least 50' from the property line.

 

[HPRifleman]

My original plan was to build the garage I wanted and to leave the existing garage as is. Unfortunately, the village didn't like the ratio of the combined garage spaces to the dwelling space. To bring that ratio down I could either have less garage space, more dwelling space, or a combination of both. The most practical way of doing this was to convert the existing garage into dwelling space. We expanded the scope of the project to include this.

The idea is to turn that space into two rooms comprising a mud room and exercise room. The mud room allows a better way of entering the house from the garage and a place to store coats, shoes, etc.

It's hard to see in this picture but the middle of the floor had several cracks in it. The slab had heaved up so much that the center was a couple inches higher than the edges.




So the existing slab had to go.




The existing garage actually had forced air heat/cooling supplied by our existing furnace. I'm sure that wouldn't pass any existing building code. Since the new space would be re-poured with a concrete floor, and the new garage will have in-floor heat, I decided to add that system to this area as well.

I was always skeptical of the concrete guys being able to reliably pull the mesh up into the slab during the pour, so chairs were installed.



It's an important day when the concrete truck shows up.



The floor so far.



Lots of work done so far but still so much more to go. While this isn't technically the new garage, I hope some of you get value out of these posts and pictures. At least until framing begins on the actual garage.

 

[shopnut]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble with the village, but it looks like you are going to end up with 2 fine spaces there between teh new garage and expanded dwelling. Congrats!

 

[HPRifleman]

The framing lumber was ordered in April and now it has arrived.

Here's what $15,500 worth of lumber looks like. It would probably cost more if ordered today.

 

[HPRifleman]

Now that the lumber has arrived, what are they going to do with it? Looks like stacking it in various places is part of the plan.



Walls are going up. I knew there was something I was going to build here but I wasn't really sure what it was until now. The walls really give you the impression that progress is being made. My initial impression is that this thing is going to be really tall. Taller than what the architect's elevations implied.



Here's the view as you come up the driveway.

 

[qwerty18]

Looks awesome!

I still can't believe people keep buying the crazy expensive lumber. I know we all have plans, but 3-4 times the cost from a year ago is nuts!

 

[HPRifleman]

Looks awesome!

I still can't believe people keep buying the crazy expensive lumber. I know we all have plans, but 3-4 times the cost from a year ago is nuts!

I get what you're saying but what is the alternative? Delay my build? The first line of my opening post says it all.

Since no one has a crystal ball I would have to guess when prices will bottom out. Trying to coordinate this project to match that price dip would be a nightmare of anxiety. Plus, the lumber is only a small portion of the total project budget. If it costs a few thousand more than it could have before, I just have to deal with it. I'm better off building now, at today's prices, than waiting a year or two and gambling that prices will greatly reduce. Because I don't think they will.

Here's another way I look at it. Are lumber prices actually crazy expensive now? If you bought a few 2x4's in 2017 for $3 each I guess that would be your outlook. But the market, not past memories, sets value. The market is saying that these are worth $8-$9 now. You either pay the going rate or you don't build. It's like pricing out new cars when you haven't been in a dealership since 1995.

My timing has been pretty fortunate in a lot of things in life. But I guess when it comes to today's construction costs, life is averaging things out.

 

[wasfast]

Saw an article today that lumber pricing at the commodity level is falling quickly. Was $800 in Jan, peaked in May at $1700, now at $1000. There's some hope.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Great build. It’s always nice when you win the battle. Except when I need that space you are building plus the space in the house LOL.

 

[qwerty18]

I get what you're saying but what is the alternative? Delay my build? The first line of my opening post says it all.

Since no one has a crystal ball I would have to guess when prices will bottom out. Trying to coordinate this project to match that price dip would be a nightmare of anxiety. Plus, the lumber is only a small portion of the total project budget. If it costs a few thousand more than it could have before, I just have to deal with it. I'm better off building now, at today's prices, than waiting a year or two and gambling that prices will greatly reduce. Because I don't think they will.

Here's another way I look at it. Are lumber prices actually crazy expensive now? If you bought a few 2x4's in 2017 for $3 each I guess that would be your outlook. But the market, not past memories, sets value. The market is saying that these are worth $8-$9 now. You either pay the going rate or you don't build. It's like pricing out new cars when you haven't been in a dealership since 1995.

My timing has been pretty fortunate in a lot of things in life. But I guess when it comes to today's construction costs, life is averaging things out.

Oh I understand we have plans.....its just the constant "prices of lumber and housing is crazy right now!".....when it's 'us' causing it. (see toilet paper and gasoline) If 'we' could just chill out for a minute or two, things would cool off.....the market is way out of wack now due to a few 'unnatural' things....yes, it is crazy expensive when you look at the reason behind it...it was $3 last year (not 1995) and now it $12...that is my issue with it. We could 'cool' it off almost over night if we wanted. But, everyone keeps building and building, so it won't level out. I'm delaying my builds.

 

[HPRifleman]

Great build. It’s always nice when you win the battle. Except when I need that space you are building plus the space in the house LOL.

It may be more of a smaller loss rather than an actual win. Fighting local government is such a draining experience. I think they figure if you don't give up they have to throw you a bone to reward you for your efforts. There's probably lots of people that wanted to do the same thing we did but couldn't stomach the bureaucracy.

The 20% rule is fine for a 6000 sq. ft. mansion. But paying a million dollars for a house that's way too big for us wasn't in the cards. We felt like we were penalized because we chose the 1950's ranch that was a perfect size for a couple of soon-to-be empty-nesters.

 

[HPRifleman]

The walls now have sheeting on them. That gives me a better idea of the size of the enclosed space.



I'm not sure how I'm going to get my cars, tools, motorcycles, and other stuff in here with all these boards everywhere. I'll have to really park at an angle.



Is it just my imagination or does the garage seem really tall?

 

[Riley]

Absolutely beautiful location! I really like the design you've come up with too! How did you find the process of working with an architect. Were there HOA or village limitations on matching structures etc? Also, I seem to recall members in the past being successful doing a "barn" vice a "garage" which apparently invoked significantly different planning guidelines. Did you give any thought to that approach? Thanks and following along.

 

[HPRifleman]

Absolutely beautiful location! I really like the design you've come up with too! How did you find the process of working with an architect. Were there HOA or village limitations on matching structures etc? Also, I seem to recall members in the past being successful doing a "barn" vice a "garage" which apparently invoked significantly different planning guidelines. Did you give any thought to that approach? Thanks and following along.

The location is why we bought the property. The trees really make the place very private and in the summer we can't even see our neighbors. While at the same time it's just a short drive to the comforts of sprawling suburbia. The village has done a good job of preserving it's country atmosphere while surrounding communities have become generic. Of course, the price is dealing with outdated building ordinances.

This was the first time we had worked with an architect and I was pleasantly surprised. He had good ideas on how to improve the layout and make the space work, and look, better. I had originally drawn the garage as a 24' x 44' rectangular box. He had the idea to add the bump out where the double door is in the middle with the gable overhead. That really makes the front facade look better. He also listened to our needs and gave us ideas on the existing garage conversion. He wasn't expensive and it was money well spent.

We live on a private road but there is no HOA. The village has some silly restrictions on construction but just a general statement that garages have to be "architecturally compatible" with the residence. We were going to do that anyway as I didn't want the garage to be an eye sore on the property. The town has a historic district with houses that date back to the 1870's. Doing work there requires approval of the Historic Site Commission. I'm certainly glad we don't have to deal with that ****.

My neighbors had lots of suggestions on how to skirt the village building ordinances. While well meaning, they weren't the ones that would have to deal with the burden of justification. Barns are pretty common here as this is a community with a high rate of horse ownership. But even so, I would still need a variance to build a barn this size. In the end, I felt that presenting what I honestly wanted to build was the best course of action.

 

[west_perf]

Great build. Beautiful property as well, can you share some pictures of your 4 acres? Looks like a convenient paradise.

 

[HPRifleman]

Great build. Beautiful property as well, can you share some pictures of your 4 acres? Looks like a convenient paradise.

This is what it looks like when the leaves start falling in Autumn.



A few months later it looks like this. For those of you in Florida, the white stuff is called snow.

 

[littlebean]

cool build

 

[HPRifleman]

Even though lumber was delivered, we have to wait for roof trusses to be built. In the mean time work moves into the existing garage and continuing efforts to turn that into two rooms of dwelling space.

One of the first steps was to move the electrical panel from the corner of the room (right side of photo) to this spot in the middle so it's right behind the meter. This also consolidates the electrical in one place so a cabinet can be framed around it.



The well tank is going to remain where it is but will have a room framed around it.



An opening will be knocked through this wall (behind the OSB) to provide a pathway through the mud room into the kitchen. This was on the wife's wish list. Keeping her happy is the number one priority.

 

[HPRifleman]

The opening for the old overhead doors are now gone. Replaced by framing for two windows and a door.



Then, the wall splitting the space into two rooms is framed as well as the closet for the well tank.






Probably due to a myriad of reasons, over the years moisture got inside the wall and rotted the insulation panels between the framing and the exterior brick. It's probably not a good sign when you can see the brick exterior of your house, from the INSIDE. We'll have to come up with a way to seal this before the walls are closed up.

 

[ScottW]

Great work and pictures, thanks. Maybe a little spray foam into the insulation cavity would seal that all up and re-insulate it.

 

[NickH]

Looks great! I agree with ScottW, some closed-cell foam should do the trick once you can get that spot nice and dry.

 

[HPRifleman]

The roof trusses have finally arrived.




But of course it wouldn't be a proper garage build if everything went right. It turns out that the truck and trailer were not able to pull into my driveway due to the trees and fence. So close and yet so far.



Plan B is for the truck to remain in the street and use the crane to offload the trusses into the driveway. Then, it would detach the trailer, back up to the garage, and then pick up the trusses and lift them up to the roof. Since we live on a dead-end street, any traffic would be blocked while the truck has his outriggers deployed. Good thing I have understanding neighbors.

 

[Swanny1953]

Nice to have options . . . . .

 

[HPRifleman]

Trusses are now spanning the space.

 

[HPRifleman]

Holy cow. Ever have a project that moves along at a good pace, only to drag during one phase where there is seemingly no progress? Well, for this one it was the stretch between setting the trusses to roofing. But at least now we have a roof over the garage as well as the small roof that bridges to the house.

 

[Metallitubby]

It looks like you are still progressing nicely. Like others have said, the property looks to be wonderful. I do a lot of work in Hoffman Estates, and one day I drove down toward your area just to drive around. It's a really nice, quiet area.

 

[Quarter Life Crisis]

Very nice! I'll be following closely for progress.

 

[HPRifleman]

Electrical has been roughed in. Plenty of receptacles around the perimeter plus 16 overhead boxes for ceiling lights. 240v runs for compressor and vehicle lift.

For those of you curious about using conduit instead of cable (Romex), keep in mind this is the Chicagoland area. I've lived here almost all of my life and conduit is the standard way of running electrical in residential applications. I can't remember if I have ever seen Romex used in a house around here. I may have seen it in some garages years ago but I think those were done without inspection.