Is this garage extension practical?

[glass_house]

I have limited money and a growing family. I need more room for storage and work space. So maybe an office / work space in the garage. Our back yard is already small so building a 200 sq ft shed would take a lot of space especially considering all the setback requirements.

So I realized that my drive way is pretty long 32'. County and city regulations require 20' setback from street. So i've got 12' to extend and the garage is already 20' wide. A decent 240sq ft boost if the project is cheap enough for me.

Please see the drawing of my horrible plan that I just threw together in paint. How much do you think this would cost? No electrical needed. I just want as simple and cheap as possible.

Please see attached pictures.

Thanks

 

[The Cobbler]

doable I'm sure. but where are you located? will they permit it? you will have to do footings deep enough for frost etc.

 

[glass_house]

Oregon. So I wouldn't need to extend the foundation? Just footings? I have no building experience so i'd need to hire someone. Sure i'd love to try it myself though half tempted to attempt it really...I just know what would happen. I have no idea about permits, as long as i'm at the proper setback would a city care how big your garage is?

 

[rohartman]

Oregon. So I wouldn't need to extend the foundation? Just footings? I have no building experience so i'd need to hire someone. Sure i'd love to try it myself though half tempted to attempt it really...I just know what would happen. I have no idea about permits, as long as i'm at the proper setback would a city care how big your garage is?

Permits are not really that hard just time consuming. I built my first garage (40x64x14) and did everything on it and I had no building experience. I just took the time and researched everything. I had more time then I did money so I did it myself. I had never done it before but it wasn't that hard, saved a ton of money. So if you have more time then money do it yourself. If you don't want to attempt certain things then subcontract it out, like the footers. It is actually kind of fun and rewarding when you see it come together, have fun and good luck!

O

 

[nmk_61802]

How sure are you on the setbacks? Did you call and discuss with planning? On a small lot it is unusual in my area not to build to minimum setback in the front. That setback is defined by if the street is major or minor, and is usually held from property line, not street. The city usually owns more land than the street itself (for expansion) and you only care for it. Finally in my area, the city does care how much garage you have, as the have a total percentage of covered property vs open cap.

BTW: Low square foot sheds without foundations can usually skirt many of these rules. Best to discuss with your local AHJ.

 

[glass_house]

How sure are you on the setbacks? Did you call and discuss with planning? On a small lot it is unusual in my area not to build to minimum setback in the front. That setback is defined by if the street is major or minor, and is usually held from property line, not street. The city usually owns more land than the street itself (for expansion) and you only care for it. Finally in my area, the city does care how much garage you have, as the have a total percentage of covered property vs open cap.

BTW: Low square foot sheds without foundations can usually skirt many of these rules. Best to discuss with your local AHJ.

Ouch, I think you're right on so much of this. Don't think it'll be worth the hassle. I assumed I had room to work with because a lot of my neighbors on the same street have a much shorter drive way. Mine goes in deep for some reason. Maybe because theres a 3 way intersection facing my garage. Who knows without talking to someone. Just navigating that web is already discouraging. Maybe i'll just start digging myself a basement lol

 

[bad_idea]

Head down to the planning office and discuss with them. Call a couple contractors and get some quotes to extend the garage. I think the expansion you sketched would look good, especially if done right.

The other option - slam a big shed in the backyard on a Saturday. One of those prefabbed wooden sheds on skids. Get it delivered and set in the back corner of the yard. IF you get caught then set it at the appropriate setbacks. Unless you piss your neighbors off, you should never have a problem. While you are at the planning office asking about the garage expansion ask about the maximum size of shed you can have without permit.

 

[Lynden]

Head down to the planning office and discuss with them. Call a couple contractors and get some quotes to extend the garage. I think the expansion you sketched would look good, especially if done right.

This is what you should do. Don't give up until you find out what's doable. You can also talk to a building designer or architect. They're familiar with all of the requirements and also may have some ideas you haven't thought about.

 

[LB-1911]

Ouch, I think you're right on so much of this. Don't think it'll be worth the hassle. I assumed I had room to work with because a lot of my neighbors on the same street have a much shorter drive way. Mine goes in deep for some reason. Maybe because theres a 3 way intersection facing my garage. Who knows without talking to someone. Just navigating that web is already discouraging. Maybe i'll just start digging myself a basement lol

Draw up a rough site plan -dimensions of lot - street out front - driveway - proposed addition.

Example of site plan

 

[ludakris04]

I have a similar idea for mine.. but out the back of the garage. I am thinking about 16x12 as a work shop, to free up the 20x20 for cars only.
My best "guestimate" is $12K... and that's were it stops....

 

[vavet]

Architects have seen it and done it all with this stuff.
We built our house with a semi-custom builder 4 years ago. IDK is semi-custom is an accepted term, but it's how I describe it because we took one of their floor plans and then stretched, bumped, and rearranged certain elements of the house.
One of our requests was not getting through using the agent/sales rep to the architect and back to us, so we finally just asked to meet with him. It was the best 30 minutes of the whole building process. The guy had great ideasand could draw them our quickly and accurately. If we proposed something, he'd tell us why it was a bad idea that he was able to foresee because of his experience. He was not the most personable guy, but knowledgeable.

Find an architect in your area. You're going to have to pay for his time, but I think it'll be worth it if you find a good one.

Don't give up before you start. It's a great idea.

 

[firebirdparts]

structurally, that is super easy to do. Materials for everything above ground would probably cost $5000 - ish. Not a lot. The below ground part is going to depend on how you do it.

Biggest problem might be finding somebody to work on such a small project.

 

[MattRMagnum]

Do you have room in your backyard to build a shed? A 200sq ft shed is a big shed, but my neighbor at my previous house built a gambrel shed himself, and the loft in that thing made it super useful. His was about 8'x10', but this company (in Oregon) sells a 10'x12' with a loft for $4229.* The other big advantage was that since the roof was tall, he was able to wall-hang a bunch of his taller yard work tools, that otherwise might lay down and take up floor space. It doesn't quite get you as much space as the garage expansion you want, but I think it'd be close, and significantly cheaper.

Here's a barn like the one I described:
https://www.countrysidesheds.com/storage-sheds/tall-barn/

Here's their price list:
https://www.countrysidesheds.com/wp...ist/Brochure-Island-City-NEW-6-2019-color.pdf

*Note: I found them by Googling for shed companies in Oregon. I don't benefit from your working with them in any way.

 

[Homerr]

Another vote to take your sketch down to the local planning office and talk to them first.

 

[Dustball]

Keep in mind that you'll most likely need to replace the driveway too. To extend the garage, you're going to keep the slab level. Keeping the slab level for an additional 12 feet will probably mean that the slab will be several inches higher than the driveway at the new garage door location. How much different depends on the slope of your existing driveway.

 

[rburke65]

Yep....you need to go to the ...Building Permit Office or what ever it’s called FIRST

 

[HotrodHR]

Print that image and neatly draw your proposed addition/extension; take a copy of the survey drawing of your home and draw the addition to scale. Take both drawings to your building permit office and discuss it with them before you get too excited about your project. They may have setback or other concerns. In save cases you get request and possible get a variance.

Check out your county or city's website for building codes and read up on requirements.

If you're using a contractor have them pull the permits.

 

[dg57]

Consider the impact on resale value. If it is hard to see the house because the garage is in the way, that will be a real negative on curb appeal.

 

[James-W]

Consider the impact on resale value. If it is hard to see the house because the garage is in the way, that will be a real negative on curb appeal.

That is certainly something to consider. A lot of people feel that they want something like a bigger garage or workshop and they say they don't care about resale value. But then at some point, for whatever reasons, they decide to move and all of a sudden resale value becomes important.

 

[Two Speed]

Is this garage extension practical?

Absolutely. Lots of builders offer extended garages so there is space for your car, and space for a workbench/storage at the rear vs the barely big enough to fit a car in and close the door.

Alex.