Foundation costs

[airmissle]

Hey everyone,

I am trying to kick off my shop build, a ~ 2000 sq/ft steel building. I am gathering quotes for the foundation work and they are coming in at like $40sq/ft.

This seems really high to me. I am in the Bay Area but this seems absolutely ridiculous.

 

[edog1]

Yes, that does seem high but without knowing many of the details it is difficult for anyone to answer your question. If you include more info im sure someone can help

How thick is the slab, footings, type of concrete and rebar,
Is there excavation required, equipment, special permits required

 

[airmissle]

So, unfortunately, all the details are not laid out in the quote I just got, however, based on the conversation it was supposed to be 6" thick with rebar to support the weight of a medium duty truck.

I don't have the specifics on the footing but it's for a 40x50 red iron building.

There is $25k worth of dirt work in the quote.

 

[ForceFed70]

CA is expensive. It does seem high tho. I paid $25/sqft with 5" slab but also had an engineered stem wall that could double as a bomb shelter. Had quotes as high as $35/sqft.

$25k worth of dirt work? So you're building on a slope? That'll certainly bring up the cost.

 

[ard]

Bay Area pricing is just stupid.

They are busy enough that they throw out insane numbers, people eventually get desperate and say yes.

Call people in Stockton. Even paying hotel it may be less. Central Valley?

 

[airmissle]

CA is expensive. It does seem high tho. I paid $25/sqft with 5" slab but also had an engineered stem wall that could double as a bomb shelter. Had quotes as high as $35/sqft.

$25k worth of dirt work? So you're building on a slope? That'll certainly bring up the cost.

It's pretty flat, maybe an inch of difference across the entire thing. The soil is clay and turns to mud during the rainy season so maybe that's part of it?

 

[ForceFed70]

Clay is more difficult to build on for sure. In my neck of the woods they make you dig a lot of it out and replace with gravel or pit run.

 

[matt_i]

Keep in mind the concrete foundation for a red iron building involves massive piers, like 1+ yards for each column location and thick grade beams all over. The rebar work for a 6" slab to support a loaded truck also adds to the prep cost. The anchor bolts in the piers should be set to a +/- 1/8" tolerance for the building to fit together right.

Typically the foundation is "engineered" so its not just "hey I need a quote on a foundation" its more like "I'm sending you the stamped plans for your bid"

 

[airmissle]

Keep in mind the concrete foundation for a red iron building involves massive piers, like 1+ yards for each column location and thick grade beams all over. The rebar work for a 6" slab to support a loaded truck also adds to the prep cost. The anchor bolts in the piers should be set to a +/- 1/8" tolerance for the building to fit together right.

Typically the foundation is "engineered" so its not just "hey I need a quote on a foundation" its more like "I'm sending you the stamped plans for your bid"

That makes sense. Perhaps I am looking at the wrong type of building.

I am really just looking for a place to wrench on my trucks and keep them out of the weather.

-Clark

 

[Kaizen]

agree take a step back. did they dig test pits? How can they quote without knowing what is needed? You should also spec footers and such if needed. You'll need to ask your building permit person.

 

[ddawg16]

$40/sq ft?

Lets see....at ~2000 sq ft, that works out to at least 37 yards.

Factor in you need footings...and for expansive soil, that usually means 12" wide and 2' deep.

The approach for the slab (where the garage door would go) needs a lot of rebar and is usually a 'beam' about 2' wide, 3' deep.

So I'd put your total concrete at closer to 45 yards. At $1000 per truck (10 yds), you are looking at almost $5k just for concrete.

Add in another $300 for rebar and misc materials.

Labor to grade and then pour......figure 3 guys 2 days for prep. 3 Guys all day for the pour. That is almost $2k for just labor.

And all of this assumes the trucks can back up to the slab....otherwise, ya gotta pay the pumper.

Contractor has to make a slight profit....which looks like maybe 15-20%. Not much.

Actually, for a 2000 sq ft slab, that is a pretty good price.

 

[njc41980]

Impossible to know if $25K for dirt-work is reasonable or not without more details. Sounds pretty healthy though.

If you want to check just the concrete number, you can measure it up and use a rule of thumb of about $300 per cubic yard for foundations and $3 per square foot for 4" slab.

 

[njc41980]

Closer to $4 per square foot for reinforced 6" slab

 

[aabirdman]

Let's see 2000 sq ft, at $40.00 per sq. ft. Am I missing something here or is that not $80,000. Unless your excavating the whole building area and importing. Hell even doing all that, Yeah, I'd say that's hi. Even for Morgan Hill. Someone thinks you got more money than smarts.

 

[ard]

$40/sq ft?

Lets see....at ~2000 sq ft, that works out to at least 37 yards.

Factor in you need footings...and for expansive soil, that usually means 12" wide and 2' deep.

The approach for the slab (where the garage door would go) needs a lot of rebar and is usually a 'beam' about 2' wide, 3' deep.

So I'd put your total concrete at closer to 45 yards. At $1000 per truck (10 yds), you are looking at almost $5k just for concrete.

Add in another $300 for rebar and misc materials.

Labor to grade and then pour......figure 3 guys 2 days for prep. 3 Guys all day for the pour. That is almost $2k for just labor.

And all of this assumes the trucks can back up to the slab....otherwise, ya gotta pay the pumper.

Contractor has to make a slight profit....which looks like maybe 15-20%. Not much.

Actually, for a 2000 sq ft slab, that is a pretty good price.

lol

love your math

5k+300+2k = 7300

20 profit is 1500


So total is 8700

THAT LEAVES $71,300 UNACCOUNTED FOR....

$40 a foot times 2000 sqft

 

[ddawg16]

lol

love your math

5k+300+2k = 7300

20 profit is 1500


So total is 8700

THAT LEAVES $71,300 UNACCOUNTED FOR....

$40 a foot times 2000 sqft

It's that new common core math....I figure someone was off a 0 somewhere...

No way anyone would quote $80k for a 2000 sq ft slab.

 

[n20junkie]

My full foundation (4 ft walls, 8" thick on a 10x20 footer), 200 tons of #1 stone, with a 6" thick, rebar on 24" centers and a burnished finish floor cost me $20 a sqft.

 

[ard]

It's that new common core math....I figure someone was off a 0 somewhere...

No way anyone would quote $80k for a 2000 sq ft slab.

Lets say your calendar is full. So, you've got all the work you need, working for general contractors you trust- good money too.

You bid the homeowner jobs at 'crazy money'. Never know....

 

[airmissle]

It's that new common core math....I figure someone was off a 0 somewhere...

No way anyone would quote $80k for a 2000 sq ft slab.

Here is a direct copy of what they sent over.....

Scope of Work: Totals
1 Structural Engineering Design and Drawings for Foundation $ 3,259.08
2 Permit Fees, Permit Coordination, Building Inspections $ 2,112.83
3 Clear and Grub, Excavation of Foundation, Off Haul Soils $ 24,828.01
4 Formwork for Foundation $ 5,092.97
5 Reinforcement and Anchorage for Foundation $ 12,908.11
6 Place Concrete Foundation $ 22,674.37
7 Cure, Strip, Backfill, Finish Foundation $ 5,513.55
8 Project Close Out, Punch List, Site Clean Up, Dump Fees $ 3,510.89
TOTAL COSTS $ 79,899.81

 

[njc41980]

Find another bid

 

[vtcat]

A steel building contractor should be able to build the complete thing for $80,000 or less.

 

[ard]

Here is a direct copy of what they sent over.....

Scope of Work: Totals
1 Structural Engineering Design and Drawings for Foundation $ 3,259.08
2 Permit Fees, Permit Coordination, Building Inspections $ 2,112.83
3 Clear and Grub, Excavation of Foundation, Off Haul Soils $ 24,828.01
4 Formwork for Foundation $ 5,092.97
5 Reinforcement and Anchorage for Foundation $ 12,908.11
6 Place Concrete Foundation $ 22,674.37
7 Cure, Strip, Backfill, Finish Foundation $ 5,513.55
8 Project Close Out, Punch List, Site Clean Up, Dump Fees $ 3,510.89
TOTAL COSTS $ 79,899.81

Laughable.

I mean kudos for creativity- avoiding "$43,000 into my retirement fund"



Are you saying "I need a foundation to assembly a building onto" and expecting the to turnkey the design, engineering and permits?

I wouldn't. I'd have a foundation that I designed (or had designed), what I need- and ask them to bid on that. Site plans, grading plans, foundation plan, steel schedule, etc, etc

This feels like you are inviting the fox to tell you what kind and how many chickens you should put inthe henhouse....

 

[njc41980]

Pro tip:

The more specifics you can give the contractor, the better your bid price will be.

Uncertainty = dollars when it comes to contractors.

 

[njc41980]

BTW,
Your bid doesn't seem to list "slab"

Typically, that line item would come after backfill, but they jump straight to punch list.

Still cracks me up that he listed punch list as a line item. Punch list is something I'll do on the $36 million casino im building; not a garage foundation.

 

[ard]

BTW,
Your bid doesn't seem to list "slab"

Typically, that line item would come after backfill, but they jump straight to punch list.

Still cracks me up that he listed punch list as a line item. Punch list is something I'll do on the $36 million casino im building; not a garage foundation.

Im guessing they throw the slab in for free?

(or maybe include in "Place Concrete Foundation")


Gotta give the guy credit- even made up numbers down to the cents....


PS do you charge for a punch list? punch list is supposed to be a list of tasks for items that were in the contract than need to be corrected, no? "im going to do it, then charge you to fix what I did wrong"

 

[ozyborn]

For that cost you can buy your own used construction equipment and do most of it yourself. Then hire a concrete crew for the pour.

 

[rayra]

Yeah, that's some crazy excrement, even now, even in the bay area. Keep shopping.
And as mentioned, find a hungrier crew from farther afield.

 

[rburke65]

How much weight do you think your medium sized pick up truck will place on your 6" floor with rebar? You do know that 6" Not really needed.....that truck isn't going to fall through the concrete....

 

[njc41980]

PS do you charge for a punch list? punch list is supposed to be a list of tasks for items that were in the contract than need to be corrected, no? "im going to do it, then charge you to fix what I did wrong"[/QUOTE]

No. Even on a big commercial job, where the punch list process takes weeks, we never list it as a cost.

Based on that bid, it looks like you've got a contractor that thinks this foundation is much more that it is.

 

[cos]

Wait until 2007-2009 call them back, if they are still in business.

 

[GMCGarage]

So, unfortunately, all the details are not laid out in the quote I just got, however, based on the conversation it was supposed to be 6" thick with rebar to support the weight of a medium duty truck.

I don't have the specifics on the footing but it's for a 40x50 red iron building.

There is $25k worth of dirt work in the quote.

Starting out, you are at 105K for footings and dirt work and you dont have specifics on the footing? Do you have a foundation drawing/design?

Spend 5K for your own architect, and then go from there. Perhaps they can save money.

 

[GMCGarage]

Here is a direct copy of what they sent over.....

Scope of Work: Totals
1 Structural Engineering Design and Drawings for Foundation $ 3,259.08
2 Permit Fees, Permit Coordination, Building Inspections $ 2,112.83
3 Clear and Grub, Excavation of Foundation, Off Haul Soils $ 24,828.01
4 Formwork for Foundation $ 5,092.97
5 Reinforcement and Anchorage for Foundation $ 12,908.11
6 Place Concrete Foundation $ 22,674.37
7 Cure, Strip, Backfill, Finish Foundation $ 5,513.55
8 Project Close Out, Punch List, Site Clean Up, Dump Fees $ 3,510.89
TOTAL COSTS $ 79,899.81

Love he knows the concrete amount and size of footing and how much rebar, but he has not had it designed iyet.

I would only charge about $1500 for a founadation design, its really only 3 footing designs, and the drawings. No engineer would charge $3259.08

 

[stikman56]

Here is a direct copy of what they sent over.....

Scope of Work: Totals
1 Structural Engineering Design and Drawings for Foundation $ 3,259.08
2 Permit Fees, Permit Coordination, Building Inspections $ 2,112.83
3 Clear and Grub, Excavation of Foundation, Off Haul Soils $ 24,828.01
4 Formwork for Foundation $ 5,092.97
5 Reinforcement and Anchorage for Foundation $ 12,908.11
6 Place Concrete Foundation $ 22,674.37
7 Cure, Strip, Backfill, Finish Foundation $ 5,513.55
8 Project Close Out, Punch List, Site Clean Up, Dump Fees $ 3,510.89
TOTAL COSTS $ 79,899.81

Sounds like a rip off to me. The foundation for our one-level 2829 sq. ft. house and 1020 sq. ft. shop was $29,000.00 Floor for the shop and 3-car garage was I think $7000 for both.

 

[Capt J-rod]

I am just finishing up my 40x56... Do you need steel or just want it? I went stick framed 2x6-16" on center. I poured walls 8"thick. Front wall was 4', back wall was 6' to account for grade. I'm in Ohio, so my numbers are very skewed from CA $$$$, but I was $9500 for foundation. FWIW my front wall was 12" thick under the doors.

 

[Capt J-rod]

Ok, I finally got the pic uploaded but it is upside down. Sorry!

 

[Capt J-rod]

 

[crf731]

Talk to your building supplier and see if they can recommend someone to draw you up a foundation drawing for the building that will work for the soil conditions on your site.
Give that drawing to 3 different contractors so they are all quoting on the same thing and go from there.

 

[Capt J-rod]

geez. I always forget how nice it is to live in no-wheres-ville. I dug down 4', poured 12" thick footers 2' wide, threw in the rebar and the uprights, and set the Simons panels up the next day. Building permit was $25 and no one cared lol! Do yourself a big favor and budget some extra money for stone and tile... It adds up quick!!!