Plans for my new garage - round 1

[6th Gear]

I'm new to this, so there will probably be a few rounds of revisions.
Background: I live on 2 acres in the country, this will be going in the back yard. 30' is probably as wide as I can go with the septic system leech bed, but there is plenty of room to go deeper. This plan is 30' wide x 40' deep

intentions:
vehicle storage
Vehicle & simple wood work shop
photo studio (loft)
man room (loft)

down the road (depending if we stay in this house):
vehicle lift or full vehicle photo studio

Must Have:
security/alarm
high speed internet
cable/sat tv
airline plumbing
epoxy floor coating

Options:
in floor radiant heat?
sky light(s) in loft

Cost is a major factor. I'm undecided on the heating. I probably won't be using the garage every day in the winter. We have propane out here so natural gas isn't an option. I need to do some more research on heat. Also the garage will face west and there is a constant west wind, so AC is not needed in the summer.

front:

side:

floor plan ground level:

floor plan loft:

each square = 1 ft

What's a ballpark cost for a building like this? (not counting the optional radiant heat & skylights- figure an extra $5k for those?)

I had an earlier plan that was the same design, but 30x50'.
How much additional cost would I be looking at for a 30x50' vs a 30x40'?

I was hoping to stay in the low $20k range, but I already feel like I got carried away

 

[FunfDreisig]

it is always tempting to keep a large building completely open and fit every thing around the exterior walls. But a few strategically placed interior walls (or partitions) can increase flexibility a lot. For example, woodworking and auto workshops don't mix well. Think saw dust and oil

I assume the table saw and slide saw are there as storage. You would need to move at least one vehicle to make them useful for ripping or cutting even an 8' 2x4 in half. Meanwhile the rest of the shop is exposed to their waste products unless you have a fantastic dust system or you do your woodworking outside.

FWIW In my new garage I partitioned off a 12x25 bay that could be used for nearly anything (by moving one vehicle) without disturbing the contents of the rest of the garage. For example, woodworking, welding, painting, etc..

Just my 2 cents - Funf Dreisig

 

[autoist]

I agree - I built a 20x20 just for my woodworking/bench/comkputer area - separated from the garage by a wide enough door that I can move an MG Midget into it if needed....no door, those hanging strips of clear plastic.

 

[6th Gear]

Good advice. I''ll be moving vehicles when I need to weld or cut something inside (usually not too often) I should have mentioned, There will only be 2 vehicles in the garage, but wanted to have some room to work with in case there is ever a 3rd. The plans show a max capacity situation Most likey, things will be more spread out and the saws will be rolled out the front door for big projects while the welding will be done outside the small door when possible.

I will keep the partitions in mind when I go back to revise the plans!

 

[FunfDreisig]

..I will keep the partitions in mind when I go back to revise the plans!

If you've read any of my posts you already know I'm a huge fan a sliding "barn doors".

I have a set of 6 4'x8' doors in our cabin hung on 3 parallel tracks (2 doors each) that span the entire width of the cabin (24'). I can completely close off the back portion of the cabin or park the doors in any configuration from 24 ft down to 8ft. The minimum 8 ft closure can be anywhere within the 24ft span, including 2 4ft "walls" at both ends.

Most workbench areas, etc. are effectively 4 ft deep. So having a 4 ft "wall" beside a work area along the left and right walls would not be a big deal. This would allow you to close off the back half of the lower floor. BTW interior "barn doors" can be made of very light weight material.

Funf Dreisig

 

[mikeyr]

I am going through this right now, in my town I can't have a 3 car garage without the 3 cars being side by side. If you showed the 3rd car in the plans you submit they would shoot it down, take the car out and show a tool there and its ok because then its a 2 car with shop space... make sense of that if you can.

My quote this afternoon for 22x20 was (are you sitting down?) $52,000, I actually asked the guy if the garage was gold plated. Of course this was a finished garage, ready to move in but in reality its only 3 walls since one wall is shared with the existing garage. I hope to build it for less than $25,000, I tought I would ask how much to have it finished.

 

[akdiesel]

I am going through this right now, in my town I can't have a 3 car garage without the 3 cars being side by side. If you showed the 3rd car in the plans you submit they would shoot it down, take the car out and show a tool there and its ok because then its a 2 car with shop space... make sense of that if you can.

My quote this afternoon for 22x20 was (are you sitting down?) $52,000, I actually asked the guy if the garage was gold plated. Of course this was a finished garage, ready to move in but in reality its only 3 walls since one wall is shared with the existing garage. I hope to build it for less than $25,000, I tought I would ask how much to have it finished.

That quote does seem steep. But isnt California one of the highest in realestate in the nation?

 

[tfi racing]

52k? Seems a bit high considering the economic climate,maybe he is trying to recover his Wall St losses on one job!Take material and labour,then double it seems to be his method of pricing!

 

[blkhonda1991]

I'm new to this, so there will probably be a few rounds of revisions.
Background: I live on 2 acres in the country, this will be going in the back yard. 30' is probably as wide as I can go with the septic system leech bed, but there is plenty of room to go deeper. This plan is 30' wide x 40' deep

intentions:
vehicle storage
Vehicle & simple wood work shop
photo studio (loft)
man room (loft)

down the road (depending if we stay in this house):
vehicle lift or full vehicle photo studio

Must Have:
security/alarm
high speed internet
cable/sat tv
airline plumbing
epoxy floor coating

Options:
in floor radiant heat?
sky light(s) in loft

Cost is a major factor. I'm undecided on the heating. I probably won't be using the garage every day in the winter. We have propane out here so natural gas isn't an option. I need to do some more research on heat. Also the garage will face west and there is a constant west wind, so AC is not needed in the summer.

What's a ballpark cost for a building like this? (not counting the optional radiant heat & skylights- figure an extra $5k for those?)

I had an earlier plan that was the same design, but 30x50'.
How much additional cost would I be looking at for a 30x50' vs a 30x40'?

I was hoping to stay in the low $20k range, but I already feel like I got carried away

i dont think you are gonna get anywhere near 20k unless you are doing a lot of the work yourself. Even at 25$ a sf you are looking at 35k+ and it looks like you plan to finish the upper level which will add a decent amount to the project

 

[mengelke]

I would factor in the length of your cars/projects and add about 6 feet in front. It is far cheaper to make it bigger now that later.

I have a 32' X 60' as well as a 4 car garage and I could use more.

Mike

 

[hidollartoys]

I just had a 40x60 pole barn with concrete floor and 14 ft side walls, one man door one,12x12 overhead door, metal ceiling and 40x20 outside pad along the end quoted for$52,000. no electric, lights, water, drains or site work. Thats about $22/sqft. I think that is reasonable, but there is no finish, mechanicals or electric. You can expect to pay about $50 to $75 per sq ft based on finish/fixtures if you add all that is required to completely finish the building. I am a residental contractor and I have qouted or had quoted buildings like this a bunch of times. Weathered in buildings at $25 to $35/ft, finished buildings at $50 to $75/ft, housing at $75 to 100/ft. This is based on midwest (KC) pricing. California has about a 1.5 times mark-up over my area. Read it and weep.

 

[FunfDreisig]

I just had a 40x60 pole barn with concrete floor and 14 ft side walls, one man door one,12x12 overhead door, metal ceiling and 40x20 outside pad along the end quoted for$52,000. no electric, lights, water, drains or site work. Thats about $22/sqft. I think that is reasonable, but there is no finish, mechanicals or electric. You can expect to pay about $50 to $75 per sq ft based on finish/fixtures if you add all that is required to completely finish the building. I am a residental contractor and I have qouted or had quoted buildings like this a bunch of times. Weathered in buildings at $25 to $35/ft, finished buildings at $50 to $75/ft, housing at $75 to 100/ft. This is based on midwest (KC) pricing. California has about a 1.5 times mark-up over my area. Read it and weep.

I updated my cost sheet on my the 25x42' 3 bay + small workshop garage I'm building. It is 2x4 16OC, OSB shear panel, Hardie plank siding and a screw down metal roof. The slab and just MATERIALS comes to $22/sqft. That does not include wiring, lights, water/drains, insulation, interior finish, or the site work (which I did my myself).

Funf Dreisig

 

[mikeyr]

My original quote from a contractor that I have had do lots of work and trusted came out $52k as in my above post, that works out to $118/sq.ft. No way, no how...

I got 2 other quotes that were in the ballpark I expected if $33k and $26k that is $70 and $59 sq. ft. respectively. If the $26k guys references work out, I might have him build it instead of me doing it.

My original contractor well played the "I am shocked and thank you for letting me know I made a mistake, I will get you a new quote this afternoon" we will see what he says.

I was told in S. Calif. count on $25-28 sq.ft. for materials and around $60sq.ft. for finished, this is more than the rest of the country I think, this is also for a garage/workshop, house would be more.

 

[Ggg]

IIRC Morton quoted me in the neighborhood of $30/sq.ft finished. Morton is by no means a cheap barn builder.

 

[sam 8]

Things must be different down in Santa Barbara, about 475 miles northeast of you there are contractors dying for work. That first guy who laid down that $52k bid might have been someone you trusted, but, from this distance, it looks like he was figuring he had the job, and figured to play you as a sucker. No matter what he does now, that speaks volumes about his character.
I wouldn't have him build a doghouse for me at this point. Work with someone else, you don't need the hogwash he would bring.

 

[sweeper]

I was quoted 75/foot for a 30x40 pole barn, turn key. Includes a flat set-up pad and one high lift door and three 8'. Cement and landscaping, tree removal and driveway.

I've had morton quotes at around $50-60/foot.
Yikes