My cost saving tips on garage builing.

[CruZer]

I built my 36x26' garage in 2002 for about $12K.
Here are few things that saved me money:
I did most of the work myself with some talented friends.
I looked around the internet for line drawings of what I wanted to build,printed them out ,then took them to local lumber yards for quotes.
One lumber yard had a service where they broke the drawing down into a list of everything I'd need from lumber to siding to roofing. Free.
I took this list to as many local yards as I could and found a huge difference in estimates.
Turns out a small local lumber company was cheapest by over $1500. They also saved me money by recommending a metal roof over the trusses to save on plywood, roll paper and roofing shingles. I saved about $500.
A local guy with a small excavator,did all of my site work for fuel and a few bucks working Saturdays only.
A friend in construction was able to borrow foundation forms for a week and help me put them in after another friend layed everything out with a lazer level.
I hired an out of work concrete guy to oversee pouring the slab and smooth it out after my friends and I did the pouring and moving.
Two of us built the walls using my compressor and a rented nail gun in a week and on Saturday 5 of my friends and I put up the trusses.
The hardest part was putting on the metal roof working inside on scaffolding.
From start to finish,it took us three months to "get 'er done."
Here are a couple of pix.

 

[DanC]

good points...I've "recycled" alot of materials for my garage. My heat (I have a choice of two heaters to use, need to decide which one) were both free due to scrounging and asking around. The guy at one of the local HVAC places gave me one that was going to the dump. The heat exchanger had a couple small holes (that have been patched up) so he couldnt salvage or sell it but he said he would have no trouble using it, giving it to me saved him hauling it to the dump. My air conditioner came from a local "radio trade-io" broadcast. When the hardware store has their "bag sales" where everything you can fit in a bag is 20% off I stock up on little things I need like switches, outlets, wiring, etc. Stuff you can fit a whole lot of in a bag. When I built my new deck we built a wall that was gonna need some siding so I choose siding that matched the garage because I knew I was gonna have to patch some on the garage. Remodel the kitchen and used the 2x4's I took outta there and used them in the garage, a 2x4 that has been inside a wall for X years is just as good (if not better) than a brand new from the store. Alot of scrounging and buying used stuff (that is still good) really keeps costs down. Doing alot of the grunt work yourself saves too.

 

[fourspeed]

From start to finish,it took us three months to "get 'er done."

Three months is pretty good! Nice work.

 

[DANNO]

Thanks for the tips. Metal roofs are becoming more and more popular out here in CO due to their snow shedding abilities.


Dan (someday........)

 

[CruZer]

Thanks for the tips. Metal roofs are becoming more and more popular out here in CO due to their snow shedding abilities.


Dan (someday........)

My only complaint with my metal roof is that the snow would come off AFTER I got done plowing the driveway and I was always afraid to park a car too close to it when there was snow on it. I solved that with snowguards. Now the snow melts on the roof and runs off as water.

 

[batmbl]

My only complaint with my metal roof is that the snow would come off AFTER I got done plowing the driveway and I was always afraid to park a car too close to it when there was snow on it. I solved that with snowguards. Now the snow melts on the roof and runs off as water.

My concern would be how well the metal holds up to high winds. Btw, what is this snow stuff you speak of? j/k

 

[krooser]

Nice shop for 12K...Years ago I built a 26X34 attached when I lived in Michigan. My buddy borrowed concrete forms.....I had to build a 4' wall on two sides.

I hired a local concrete guy to come in on Saturday to do the floor....cost me a few bucks an hour plus materials.

My neighbor had built his own 3 story house a few years before so he became my main carpenter...and I was the helper.