My First "Shop/Garage"

[Clemson]

I am planning my first shop/garage and I need a push in the right direction. We are building a home on 30 acres and the shop will function as my wood working area, place for working on stuff, and it will also house a finished "man cave" space.

My initial plan is a 50x30 building. I would like some sort of relief from the summer heat for the whole building, but only 20x30 will be a finished space. Any thoughts here? Is that realistic from a cost perspective? Our summers are pretty rough, high 90's and extreme humidity that makes you feel like you are under a wet hot blanket.

The whole 50x30 building will rest on cement. I don't want to deal with dirt.

Should I consider a pole barn/post beam construction? My budget is 55k, is that reasonable? I'm fine with getting the shell of the building built and the cement poured and then handling the interior work myself. But the more I can have done the better.

I'm just stuck in the planning stage and can't seem to get out of it. Hoping you guys can bounce ideas and help me start making some actual progress on a hard design.

Thanks,

 

[Clemson]

Forgot to mention:

County states that since the land can be classified as Ag use, there is not a big tax difference between pole barn and stick built.

I will have water ran to the building as well. I plan to make a few indoor/outdoor kennels for our dogs. This makes me want to go bigger, but I am having a hard enough time getting my head wrapped around how much money this "dream shop" is going to cost.

 

[k1rodeoboater]

At that size get quotes for steel too. IIRC you're near the dead even point at that size.

I'd insulate everything, including the slab and un-conditioned areas. Consider running pex for radiant heat while you're at it if where you're at is cold enough to warrant it.

 

[Cryptic1911]

Do yourself a favor and make it larger, like 40x60.. it'll look huge until you start putting stuff in it. Any consideration for doing a steel building?

If you want a/c, look into a large ductless split like a mitsubishi mr slim. Pretty easy install

 

[farmall400]

Hopefully 55k goes a lot farther in S.C. than Ct.. I did a 48x48 on a mono slab and concrete was almost half of your budget.

 

[Clemson]

I have not read anything about steel building. I was debating between stick and pole style. I'll see what I can find for steel buildings.

@Farmall400,
Your building would actually have 804 more square foot than mine. One reason I was trying to stick to a longer and more narrow building was to try and limit the square footage. For concrete, I have been getting quotes of around 12k for a 50x30 slab.

 

[1720blue]

I'm also in early stages of planning a shop/garage. First thing I'm doing is creating a spreadsheet tracking all the different uses I have in mind for the building and the distinct spaces I'll need and how big they are. See my post https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8005967&postcount=5 for an example.

It's eye-opening to see how fast space needs pile up. It's a start -- haven't scrubbed "need vs wants" yet, or tried to double up on how spaces might be used.

 

[Clemson]

Im pretty set on my size mostly because of budget. For example, my contractor gave me a rough estimate of 60k for the building. A pole barn would be cheaper. The 60k would be cement, shell, electric, water, and insulated.

I have read and read about pole buildings. Some say they last, some say they dont. Im 28 and plan to be on this property for a long time. So I am nervous to go with a pole barn and spend so much money finishing it.

What is making the most sense to me is having the shell built and then I either sub out or do the rest myself.

Still need to look at steel.

Lol. I dont want to max out my cash and have an nice empty shop with no toys!

 

[Corsair4360]

The challenge I see with a pole barn setup in South Carolina is that the poles end up being the wall and roof foundation. All sorts of critters in the ground like to use wood for all sorts of nefarious purposes of their own, which means the poles may not last as long as you want the structure to last. I for one want a real concrete foundation, which is what I am constructing here in Northern Utah, only limited by the lot size and the city ordinances.

 

[firebirdparts]

If you build it with the goal of economical air conditioning, you can certainly do it. if you look at buildings built with "real" insulation there are many threads here featuring that. if the building is tall, for a lift, then there is a lot of volume in there, but that's not really a problem for a/c. You need good insulation including the doors and everything else will fall into place. Insulation is kind of pricey but hey you only live once.

The floor will **** some heat out but not much.

 

[Clemson]

What would you say the most common insulation choices are?

Heat is going to be less important. But A/C is huge, I don't want the shop to be miserable during the summer.

Points taken on the pole building. I'm still on the fence about it because its so much cheaper. But I don't want to deal with a lot of problems 25 years down the road.

 

[ANGRYBEARD]

I'm building my first shop currently. I am having an apartment installed in it that will be air conditioned. As for the rest of the shop I personally de ided the cost was to great to justify doing it. So I'm opting to use one of those big swamp coolers.

 

[Clemson]

One more question:

Is concrete work doable for a first timer? I was quoted $8 per square foot which is crazy. Lets say concrete cost 200 per yard. 21 yards and I'll have lots of extra concrete. 21 x 200 = 4200.

1500 * 8 = 12,000. So that quote is saying 7800 in labor? Is that crazy?

 

[Clemson]

I'm building my first shop currently. I am having an apartment installed in it that will be air conditioned. As for the rest of the shop I personally de ided the cost was to great to justify doing it. So I'm opting to use one of those big swamp coolers.

Read bout them real quick. Sounds like they do not work well at all in humid places. Our humidity is horrible lol.

 

[1720blue]

The challenge I see with a pole barn setup in South Carolina is that the poles end up being the wall and roof foundation. All sorts of critters in the ground like to use wood for all sorts of nefarious purposes of their own, which means the poles may not last as long as you want the structure to last. I for one want a real concrete foundation, which is what I am constructing here in Northern Utah, only limited by the lot size and the city ordinances.

Have a look at Perma Posts. Engineered concrete post in the ground, treated wood post attaches to bracket on top of concrete post above ground.

 

[ConCretin]

Is concrete work doable for a first timer? I was quoted $8 per square foot which is crazy. Lets say concrete cost 200 per yard. 21 yards and I'll have lots of extra concrete. 21 x 200 = 4200.

1500 * 8 = 12,000. So that quote is saying 7800 in labor? Is that crazy?

It depends on what is covered by the $8 sf number. If it includes base, forming, vapor barrier, reinforcing, pumping, control joints, curing, etc, that sounds about right. It's not as simple as deducting the cost of the concrete and assuming the rest is labor.

As far as doing it yourself........ you could. The concrete will set up on it's own time table and your floor will be done. You might have a horrible mess on your hands but it will be done.

Seriously, if you want to save some money, do the prep yourself - there is no deadline on this work - but hire a pro to place and finish the slab. Up here, that would run you about $1.50-$2.00 sf but the local price could vary. That number wouldn't include a pump, saw cutting or curing.

Give my Guide to Floor Slabs a read for an overview of the process.

 

[MTY]

One more question:

Is concrete work doable for a first timer? I was quoted $8 per square foot which is crazy. Lets say concrete cost 200 per yard. 21 yards and I'll have lots of extra concrete. 21 x 200 = 4200.

1500 * 8 = 12,000. So that quote is saying 7800 in labor? Is that crazy?

I just poured a 24X36 5 inches thick, 2 inches of foam insulation, vapor barrier, a combination of #3 &#4 rebar on 16" centers and paid two people to finish it. I rented the power trowel. I think I am right at $3000 total. I bought the insulation a year ago, and cannot remember exactly what I paid for it. Concrete was $126 per yard, I ordered 13 yards.