Building a new Garage From Scratch

[starkman]

Hello Gunkies,

I am seeking information on how to build a NEW garage from scratch for my house. I have torn down the existing junk garage

This is basically where I'm starting from. I know little about building and even less about the electrical, but I'm a hard worker and eager to learn. I will be doing this project by myself with the help of some other more experienced people, but generally it is a do-it-to-yourself project and I want to be as compentent as can be as soon as the frost goes out here up in beautiful frozen Minnesota. If anyone can point out where to start (ie helpful threads or videos, etc) for total newbies I would appreciate it.

 

[alankulwicki7]

I live in a suburb of St Paul and I just went through this same project last summer. I've had some experience building things so things went pretty smooth for me. I hired out the concrete slab but did the rest of the garage myself (with some help of course)! I ordered all of my material from Menard's. They were very helpful and even have a computer that you can design a garage on.
One thing I would suggest is to order 'Spread Web Storage Trusses'. This is basically like adding a second floor to the garage. I ordered 7/12 pitch trusses because I didn't want my garage to overpower my house. These trusses (along with a folding staircase) will allow lots of extra storage.
Also, add twice as many receptacles as you think you'll need.
I'm not an expert but I can try to answer your questions.

 

[BowtieNut]

Welcome guys! Good to see some more MN peeps on here. I did my 28x48 detached last summer as well (still working on finishing the inside actually). I did the same thing with mine - did most of it myself with the help of friends. I "hired" a friend of a friend with all the right tools for the slab pour. To build the shell I had alot of help from a good friend who's a contractor. I'm also not an expert, but I've done a few of these, so I'll help with any advice that I can. Good luck!
-Doug Hanson

 

[starkman]

Specifics of garage build

This is a detached garage as well--I have yet to determine the actual size. I have been reading alot of the other posts so at least I'm getting some ideas. Things I wonder about are, for example running the electric. This happens to be a rental property (single family home converted to a duplex -- ... happens to be for rent at the moment so if you know anyone whose looking...) so I need to run wire from one of the fuse boxes out to where the garage is. How deep does the wire have to go in the ground? Does it have to be encased in something when put in the ground. Do I drill a hole right through the foundation (above ground) of the house to run the wire out? I guess I will learn all these things as I go ... I haven't really started doing anything except think about building the thing at this point. Still have to get everything approved by the city and get the building permit. Other things I wonder about are the foundation. The top of the footings should be 42" below ground level no? Did you go deeper? Did you do a block foundation or poured walls? Did you use alot of rebar (ie what size also) in your footings and slab? From what I've read on this site that is very important.

Doug, where abouts are you from in MN?

 

[snorvet]

Here's what I did on my electric for my last garage.

Ran an electric line (I cant remember how deep) but it was underground rated Romex.

It may be better looking if you drilled through your foundation at below outside ground level ( if you can seal it against ground water) , or you could go above ground and use an "lb" fitting (kinda like an elbow) and pipe it down the outside of the wall.

In my area you dont need a foundation for a detached garage. I've built 2 and both are 5" thick concrete with maybe 8" think along the perimeter. No cracks in either floor. I hired out the concrete work. My first garage has no rebar - just wire mesh in the slab. I dont think my current garage has mesh - I think it has fiberglas type mesh mixed in the concrete.

Your building/zoning office should be able to help you with a lot of your questions because a lot of your answers will depend on local codes.

 

[alankulwicki7]

Hey Mark,

Not sure which Doug you're referring to but I live in Vadnais Heights.

Here are some of the answers to your questions:
I ran the electrical wire (#4 wires) from the house and drilled a hole through the rim joist. Then I ran the wire in conduit (using an LB? fitting) down to 24" below grade. I ran the wire in pcv conduit to my garage. Then the conduit comes up through the cement slab directly into the stud cavity where my panel is. It was slightly more work this way and I had to coordinate the location of the conduit with the cement people but then you don't see the conduit on the outside of the garage. I also rented a trencher to dig the trench (it was about 50' long) instead of digging by hand.

You can do frost footings but I did a slab on grade. It's much cheaper to than footings. My garage has thickened edges (about 12" deep by 12" wide) and then it tapers up so it's 4" thick in the middle. The middle has wire mesh but they used rebar (I don't know what size) around the edges. Then I had them install one course of 8" block so the siding won't get damaged from lawn mowers and the like. I also used full 8' studs (and not the 92 5/8") so I have about a 9'1" ceiling height.

If you plan on insulating and heating your garage, I would use 2x6 studs instead of 2x4 studs. It will allow for more insulation and doesn't cost much more. My garage is 24'x28' and it only cost about $150 more.....

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[GT350Mike]

I know the answer to my question will very, but if I'm planning on building a garage from scratch, what is a good dollar figure to use for "per square foot" estimates? I know that variables like exterior, electical (lighting/outlets), doors, and other options can effect the pricing, but I'm kicking the idea around.

Thanks!

 

[BetterDays]

For electrical, I ran three lines (2 are 12-2, one is 12-3) through conduit, 18" down. Ran a separate conduit for phone/cable/internet.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'm in south Minneapolis. Slab on grade garages are pretty common around here, and they are a lot cheaper and simpler. I built mine that way about ten years ago and it hasn't tipped over yet.. Having said that, you should check to see what the city codes are in Columbia Heights to make sure slabs are OK, as well as setbacks from the property lines, building heights, etc. I know I had to get a variance here in Minneapolis to build the roof on mine as tall as it is.

I had the slab and basic structure built by one of those construction companies that specializes in garages (check the yellow pages, there are a bunch of them) and then I finished it out by wiring it, putting in the windows and doors, etc. If you go that way, be careful when choosing a company - the company that built mine seemed to know what they were talking about when I signed the contract, but the crew they had do the work were a bunch of idiots I had to watch every step of the way. It came out okay in the end but it was a big headache.

Alankulwicki7 describes the electrical wiring pretty well. You do need to figure out just what you need there - if you'll be using air compressors and welders and other big tools out there you need a pretty good sized branch circuit, but if you just have a few lights and outlets your requirements are pretty minimal. Here is a link to a web page that does a good job of explaining how to determine what you need and how to install it: http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homewiringusa/2002/accessory/detgarage/detgarageshowp.htm There's a lot of reading there, but take your time and read it a couple times, and it should make sense.

Here's a picture of my garage.

 

[starkman]

Re: Building a new Garage From Scratch - Finished

Well I've finally finished my garage.

 

[JMURiz]

Congrats on finishing the garage! What size were you able to go with? Looks like you have nice storage/work space on the left side.

 

[joecaver]

looks nice. do have any interior pics?

 

[DynoDave]

That looks very nice. Congratulations!