Got my building permit!

[midknightryder]

After almost a year in this house I am going to start on my garage. Just got the permit yesterday. I don't have a lot of space and am on a tight budget, but will build a 16 x 20 1.5 car garage. I've looked at a lot of the threads on this forum and have gotten a lot of good ideas that I am going to try and incorporate into my build. I'm only going to be able to build the shell to start with and then save up money to finish the inside. I plan on putting down some VCT that I took out of a doctors office a couple of years ago, it is a light blue/gray color so that will control the color for the rest of the garage. If I can learn how to do it I will try to post pics as I go.
MKR

 

[JMURiz]

Good luck with the project.
Sounds like you are in a similar situation to me. I am looking forward to getting a building permit in a couple weeks to start on my 22x24 garage...also lot-size and budget limited. I will do a lot of work myself.
Can't wait to start my own thread on this. I'll keep and eye out on your progress and get some ideas as well!

 

[midknightryder]

Started digging my foundation this weekend. Due to budget constrants am digging it by hand, this is going to take a little while as I have quite a bit of dirt to move and am no longer a young man. So its dig a little rest a little, dig a little rest a little. My son came over Sat. and helped for a while but since his first child is due any day now (my first grandchild) I can't depend on him for help. If the weather holds will continue digging each afternoon after work. maybe I will get it finished by next weekend.
MKR

 

[MacTexas]

Goods luck on the project. You must have a small car, 20' is not very long.

 

[twostory]

Digging Footers

I just dug footers for my 26 x 44 garage building. Two weekends ago I rented a small excavator for $300 (for the weekend) My wife & I dug all the footers in 2 days. It was a lot of work, but we got it done. I poured the footers last friday, yea.

My point is, renting equipment is an option you might consider. Without the excavator, we would have taken 3 to 4 weekends to get the job done. I was also able to clean the grass off the area prior to digging the footers. It is a total pain to clear 1,000 square feet of grass. I did that job an hour with the excavator.

 

[midknightryder]

Yes I have a small car (miata and subaru). The building is going to be a multipurpose shop. Mainly woodworking. I will not park my cars in the shop just pull them in to work on them. The garage door is going to be in the side of the building so the parking area will only be 16' long.

 

[midknightryder]

I looked in to renting someting like a bobcat, it's just outside the budget unless I want to cut back on the building. It'll take a while but I will get it dug.

 

[OldCarGuy]

Been there done that,

I dug the footer by hand on my first garage that I built some 40 years ago. Because of the fall of the land, the front was 5’ deep to attain the 42” frost level in the back. The hard clay and bailing out water from rainstorms took the job virtually 3 months. Being a toolmaker and working 55 hours per week, I was limited to a few hours in the evenings and Sundays.

Limited budget made me to be resourceful. I tore down an old factory building walls to get free 12” cement blocks for the under-grade foundation. Mixed all the cement for the footer and floors by hand using a 25-year-old mixer that was my father’s. I got most of the framing, roof and wall sheathing (1x12"s), and windows from demolishing an old home. I even straightened and reused the nails. Total out of pocket cost was under $500.00 for a complete three cars garage.

 

[bmwpower]

Been there done that,

I dug the footer by hand on my first garage that I built some 40 years ago. Because of the fall of the land, the front was 5’ deep to attain the 42” frost level in the back. The hard clay and bailing out water from rainstorms took the job virtually 3 months. Being a toolmaker and working 55 hours per week, I was limited to a few hours in the evenings and Sundays.

Limited budget made me to be resourceful. I tore down an old factory building walls to get free 12” cement blocks for the under-grade foundation. Mixed all the cement for the footer and floors by hand using a 25-year-old mixer that was my father’s. I got most of the framing, roof and wall sheathing (1x12"s), and windows from demolishing an old home. I even straightened and reused the nails. Total out of pocket cost was under $500.00 for a complete three cars garage.

You REUSED the nails? That's ********. $500 to build? You'd be lucky to get the permit for that much today...

 

[midknightryder]

I'm not on quite that tight a budget! I am trying to keep the whole project under $4000.00 though. When I was a young boy my grandfather built a house out of all salvaged materials. I spent a summer straighting out used nails for him to use in the house.
MKR

 

[OldCarGuy]

Waste Not Want Not. There’s noting wrong with being thrifty, and it saved our natural resources at the same time. Recycling long before its’ time. It was common practice several generations ago to straighten and reuse nails. Even though you could purchase new ones for pennies a pound.