First time garage building

[Husky79]

After 25 years of borrowing garages to work on all vehicles I have ever owned, I now can build my own, hopefully mid April construction starts! I am extremely excited and just wish April can come by already! It will be built in stages according to my budget. But I am totally new to this, building something new from ground up. I do not know what is better and not, what should be avoided, what should be done first or later, etc.

It will be built on accessible virgin land in north central Minnesota so it is going to have heated floor and that is mandatory!! I will be using it to work on my semi truck, my vehicles, build projects etc. It will also have a 2 point hoist, I think 8,000 lbs capacity is enough for what I need. A section in the garage will be also used for washing vehicles including the semi truck.

I am a guy that likes to do everything myself. I hate payments but getting a loan is the only way to get first stage started in April. Rest of stages later on will be out of my pocket. So I want to limit a $75,000 loan to cover the cost to frame it up with the doors, exterior and hopefully get floor and insulation done within my first stage budget. I will do electricity, lighting, and plumbing myself over the summer.

My biggest question is the size. I know prices varies everywhere, but in a ball park can $75,000 cover the cost to build 50x60 with 15' walls, 1 14x12 door, maybe also include 2 12x10 doors? Would it be possible to push in floor and insulation in the first stage build cost? If not, then how about I prep the ground, put in floor heating plumbing, then hire someone to pour the concrete in? If I have to do this, should it be done first before framing or after?

Next stage will be electricity, well water, and hopefully septic by August. Then 3rd stage will be the heating by October. 4th stage is to build a additional 25x60 for living quarters attached to the side of the building hopefully finish that and live in it by fall of 2020. Then after that there will be various stages in building additional attached building in the back for Metal working like CNC mill, welding, plasma cutting etc. Then a wood room for all kinds of wood working including CNC router.

Here are my questions about building the garage in general.

Heating -

I am planning on wood boiler to heat up water for the floor and forced heating using radiator and fan forcing air through it. What size boiler would I need and what brand is good?

I also will add a 2nd heating source for when I am gone on the road for days. I have not decided yet what it will be, oil, natural gas, or propane to run a boiler.

Insulation -

What type of insulation would be the best for keeping heat and AC cost down?

Should I insulate first then do electric or the other way around?

Flooring -

The concrete must be smooth and protected. My plan is to apply epoxy with texture. Is there a better stuff out now than epoxy? How many coats should I do?

How thick should the concrete be? is 4 inches enough then for the area where the 2 point lift will be installed will be 6 inches? Or should it be more like 8 inches?

 

[Espen]

I'm sorry I can't help you regarding construction specs since I'm living in Europe and we do things different here... But congrats with your new garage! I'm happy for you! I am also constructing a new garage now ,roughly 27x20 feet, cant wait either!

 

[MushCreek]

It sounds like you have a lot of decisions to make, and a lot to learn in a short amount of time. I spent years planning my home and shop build, but maybe I'm just slow. As far as heating goes, there are programs you can get (I used HVACCalc), and they are very accurate, if you know the exact specs of your building. That means careful planning and design work to get an accurate result.

I don't know enough to advise on your other questions, but AFAIK, 6" slab is enough for a two post lift. The manufacturers should have specs to be sure.

 

[ConCretin]

As you correctly mention, prices vary considerably around the country. In addition, many areas have a surplus of demand and a shortage of skilled labor, which makes prices volatile. My sense is you that your budget is going to be tight.

I would prepare a detailed bid package for the basic structure and include a bid alternate for the floor with under slab insulation and pex. You could include a second alternate for additional work but I wouldn't do more than that. The more complicated the request for proposals (RFP), the less likely you are to get good responses.

You want enough detail in your RFP to protect yourself and ensure comparable responses but simple enough so contractors will respond.

With regard to the floor, 4" is adequate for most uses including a lift but many people thicken the area under the lift a couple inches for some extra peace of mind. If you are considering epoxy down the road, don't forget a quality vapor barrier and with in floor heat, 2" of rigid insulation is a good investment.

Good luck with your project!

 

[jscoggin]

"So I want to limit a $75,000 loan to cover the cost to frame it up with the doors, exterior and hopefully get floor and insulation done within my first stage budget. I will do electricity, lighting, and plumbing myself over the summer".

Are you doing a metal shop or stick built. As was mentioned above by another poster, prices vary wildly by region. I'm not familiar with Minnesota but here in TX, $75,000 is probably not enough for concrete, materials, frame labor, doors and some type of exterior (siding? brick? stone?) if hiring a contractor.

I build shops and your number is closer to what my cost would be on a building the size of what you are looking to build. If you acted as your own general contractor, it would be tight but doable. If building metal, $75,000 is probably enough. They generally run around 30% cheaper but again, will vary by region.

 

[PinkJohn]

Do some quick estimates using the garage designer at Menards.com.
It's a great way to quickly compare sizes, materials, pick out different trusses, add garage doors, windows, etc. and get a rough visual of what it could be. It's a bit limited on garage door and window sizes but it's a start.

It was a little too limited for the final design I want, but I just spoke with the company that makes their trusses and they explained a lot of options available to me and they will work up the plans for that.

Have 'fun' with the process!

 

[Husky79]

Thanks for the responses!

I forgot to add that I am thinking about post frame i think that is also called pole barn? Will have steel rib siding and roofing, exposed fastener rib siding.

I am not wanting something fancy, just something that does the job to protect me from outside element and frigid cold. I just need a place to work on my semi truck and stop paying labor to shops. A building that i can build more space in the future like living space, work shops etc.

I am not sure if I would like metal frame how it looks like from the inside. My goal is to have the inside flat wall like with sheetrock side and ceiling.

I asked my friend's brother he said that he did a 30x50 with 15' walls and 3 doors with dirt floor, ribbed tin siding and roof, no insulation all that for 30,000.

I went over to Menards website to use the cost estimator for materials for a pole barn, for a 40x56 with 15 wall and 2 ft over hangs, all setup for a 6" slab but not poured, not including labor, tax and delivery runs at 26,987 dollars.

I agree I have a lot more to learn. I just hate the feeling calling places and ask for bids and they do all that work making a bid then I end up not taking it.

 

[jscoggin]

Thanks for the responses!

I forgot to add that I am thinking about post frame i think that is also called pole barn? Will have steel rib siding and roofing, exposed fastener rib siding.

I am not wanting something fancy, just something that does the job to protect me from outside element and frigid cold. I just need a place to work on my semi truck and stop paying labor to shops. A building that i can build more space in the future like living space, work shops etc.

I am not sure if I would like metal frame how it looks like from the inside. My goal is to have the inside flat wall like with sheetrock side and ceiling.

I asked my friend's brother he said that he did a 30x50 with 15' walls and 3 doors with dirt floor, ribbed tin siding and roof, no insulation all that for 30,000.

I went over to Menards website to use the cost estimator for materials for a pole barn, for a 40x56 with 15 wall and 2 ft over hangs, all setup for a 6" slab but not poured, not including labor, tax and delivery runs at 26,987 dollars.

I agree I have a lot more to learn. I just hate the feeling calling places and ask for bids and they do all that work making a bid then I end up not taking it.

I built my dad a pole building, I actually liked many aspects of it and it was cheaper than doing a traditional stick built (less labor and materials).

Materials - $29,000 (based on Menards quote + tax and delivery. Does that include trusses, siding and roofing?)

Labor - $11,000 (rough, could be more or less in your region).

Skytrak rental - $1,000 (at the height you are looking for, will be needed).

Concrete - $15,000 (only pad with footers, no budget for driveway or exterior approach. Rough, could be more or less in your region).

Permits - You may or may not need and they vary wildly. I've seen them range anywhere from $0 - $2,000.

Engineering - Same as permits. If buying a metal kit, should be included. If doing stick or pole, may have to do yourself.

This is only to get a shell and slab. If you want to dress it up a bit outside, drywall the interior, add electrical etc, prices will get considerably higher.

Your budget isn't unrealistic but you will have to keep an eye on project creep. Call a few local contractors, as long as you are giving them a fair shot at the project, don't worry about wasting their time, it's part of the job. Don't hide your budget though, that does waste everyone's time. Yes, there are contractors that will bid a project up to a budget but if you get multiple bids, you'll easily be able to tell which ones are trying to gouge you.

I believe in the rule of three and usually go with the middle bid. The lowest bid always makes me wary that the contractor will be looking for reasons to create change orders, the highest bid may be a guy that is charging more than necessary (definitely not always the case) and the middle guy is usually the fairest. This is a very generic breakdown, there are exceptions to any rule.

 

[matt_i]

I would take the floor area where you are going to work on a semi truck to 6" thick. I'm just guessing here that part of the work involves jacking it up at times and that's a bigger point load than one would typically find in a standard garage.

I think wiring the building will be tons easier without having to clear insulation out of the way to nail up boxes, drill holes, and hammer in staples.

The absolute best plans have contemplated all systems ahead of times. Its tough to do but in the end worthwhile -- less cobbling.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

A pole barn is usually the cheapest for cold storage, but gets expensive when you go to finish the inside. You have to consider the total cost finished, not initial empty shell. I did it wrong. Built the pole barn and slowly(too slowly) finished the inside. Had to add all the studs, insulation, floor, and ceilings. So in essence I almost built the building twice. I would have been money ahead to build a hybrid pole barn. Posts in the ground but 2x6 studded walls after that. Would have been quicker and in the long run cheaper. Budget could work if you can do some of the work.

 

[jetnow1]

If you have to be inspected At least here the plumbing/electrical inspection has to be done before you insulate.

 

[coljar]

Putting a building up in my area is probably as cheap as it gets in relationship to a lot of the rest of the country, so I'll let others help you with that. With the concrete in mind, I have 5" in my garage and 8" in the area with the 2 post hoist. I didn't use an epoxy, but I did used a clear sealer. I have 6" vinyl backed insulation in the walls.