Pulled the trigger on a shop. Price check?

[speedracerfx]

Hey gang,
I pulled the trigger on detached shop, and was wondering if I could get some opinions on the cost. I'm located in Southeastern PA.

The building is a metal pole barn from Carolina Carports. 28x30' with 12' walls, two 10x10' garage doors on the front, a man door, two windows and a 9x8' garage door on the side, and upgraded to a vertical roof and 4' on center framing. The price, delivered and installed, is $12,585. That's about what I had expected to spend.

The pad is 29x31', plus there's a driveway extension that's roughly two thirds the size of the pad, and an additional 4x29' pad behind the garage for water storage tanks. The building pad will have 36" footers with rebar, and the rest of the pads/garage will be 5" thick 4000psi with fibermesh on top of a 6" crushed stone bed.

The excavation and stone bed will be $5000. The concrete and forming/finishing will be $12,600. I think these are kind of salty, but I also realize contractors are trying to make up what they can this year since the state had construction shut down for a couple months due to Covid, so there's a premium to be paid to get a project done this year.

All done, it's $30,185 for the dirt work, concrete and building. No electric, no insulation, etc. Does that seem out of line? I had hoped, but not really expected to get it done for $20k, but really expected it to come in at $25K, give or take.

 

[Jking24]

The dirt work and concrete do seem a little high to me but concrete prices vary alot from one area to another. Excavating work is kinda like real-estate you can get what ever the market will bare. But sounds to me like a couple of guys are gonna have a real good couple of days lol

 

[mcbane]

In CA, even with $20k extra in permit fees, your price looks good.


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[Bolson32]

I think that sounds about right to me, probably cost a little more up here in MN actually.

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[speedracerfx]

Thanks, guys. I was hoping I'd get some reassurance that I wasn't getting hosed. lol

 

[readhead]

Price wise I think you are okay. I would not suggest that the concrete be larger than the building. You will chase leaks forever. Talk to the building company and discuss making the concrete the same size as the building. There will probably be some base flashing and clips to locate the bolts away from the edge of the slab.

 

[Showkey]

The dirt and concrete guys here never shut down..........so there were no missing pay checks no working stoppage.

Pretty much the opposite.........they are and were incredibly busy.........so prices went up and availability dropped. Most here have waiting lists and your lucky to get a phone call back saying we are booked for 6 months.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Price wise I think you are okay. I would not suggest that the concrete be larger than the building. You will chase leaks forever. Talk to the building company and discuss making the concrete the same size as the building. There will probably be some base flashing and clips to locate the bolts away from the edge of the slab.

I agree with this statement right here. If the pad is larger than the building, you will get water intrusion under the wall. I don't care what they tell you or what they use. It's been discussed here a few times before.

They want a larger pad poured so it's easy for THEM.

 

[matt_i]

I looked at your concrete dimensions vs. the building dimensions...the pad is larger than the building....Danger! Danger!

If that means the concrete pad is continuous under the edge of the vertical metal siding then I think you will have problems forevermore with water creeping under the edges.

Imo siding should lap over the vertical face of the concrete slab.

Maybe the 1' difference is between the inside dimensions of the posts and the exterior so its more like 11" to account for 2 x 5-1/2" posts (?) But what about the girts (?) In any case a through detailed study is in order, write down the details in a sketch when you finish your analysis.

 

[liliysdad]

It always amazes me in the difference in concrete prices across the country.

I just had a 24x30 pad quoted. With site prep and steel, $3850.

 

[Madc]

I had a 25x30 foundation(36" footers all around) excavated and poured in May in North NJ, when things were slow for contractors and paid $11,000 so I think your increased SF makes your quoted number very fair.

good luck with the project!

MADC

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, Construction prices are always going to be higher than what you would like them to be, and jobs always seem to take longer than you are ready for.

 

[speedracerfx]

I feel a lot better about the cost of things. Thanks again, everyone. Now I'm worried about water intrusion. lol. The two rain facing sides are shielded by tall tree lines, and the building will have gutters (feeding into a 2200 gallon water harvesting setup). I did send the company an email asking about altering the pad size or installing some z-flashing around the base.

 

[readhead]

A larger pad is very common for carport style buildings. It's all about easy installation and not any concern for you. I promise you will be unhappy when water comes under the walls and the overhead door. They can do it the right way but it takes more work and they will probably want more money.

 

[speedracerfx]

They replied and recommend either using concrete sealant or sloping the 6" curtain down slightly, of course.

 

[Bert_]

They replied and recommend either using concrete sealant or sloping the 6" curtain down slightly, of course.

Neither will do much if you want a floor that stays dry. If you just want a building that keeps the weather off your car then it is fine.

A slope doesn't work unless it's pretty steep. And sealant is only temporary.

 

[speedracerfx]

I asked the dealer about the z-clips, and the rep said that they can do that. She's asked for a price check from the manufacturer.

 

[speedracerfx]

$350 upgrade, and no hassle about doing it. So now I'll have the pad poured to size, and overlap the siding down over the sides. A huge thanks to everyone who suggested this. I never would have known about those z-clips otherwise.

 

[karoc]

It always amazes me in the difference in concrete prices across the country.

I just had a 24x30 pad quoted. With site prep and steel, $3850.

Liliysdad,what part of world do you live in? Heck I would pay their travel expenses if I could get close to your price.That is heck of a good price

 

[matt_i]

$350 upgrade, and no hassle about doing it. So now I'll have the pad poured to size, and overlap the siding down over the sides. A huge thanks to everyone who suggested this. I never would have known about those z-clips otherwise.

that will help a lot down the road.