Size ideas and pricing

[AlanSRT4]

Well here is my dilemma, I do not need anything really huge just enough for me to put a 2 post lift in and work on a car in there with enough room for tools and engine stand. I am not worried about heating or cooling or it looking pretty. Last year I went from working out in the direct sun on stone and ant ridden dirt driveway to working in an old barn with uneven dirt floors with no insulation so it's either really hot (just got a chicken house belt fan) or really really cold (just got to use a kerosene heater cannon) so anything is a step up for me. I will be running the electric myself and willing to do pretty much all of it between myself and friends.

I live out in the country so no worries about neighbors complaining about me taking my time.

I was thinking like 12' high, 20' wide, and 15-20' long.

Anyone else have a small inexpensive but usable set up they can share or any leads as to where to go as inexpensive as I can.

I was thinking about pouring a big concrete pad and then placing one of those metal pre-fab on top of it just not sure on pricing or if better to go stick built.

Any and all advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Bib Overalls]

When I was pricing buildings I was told by several builders that 30' x 40' was optimum from a cost per foot perspective. Smaller and the cost went up. Larger and the cost stayed about the same. This, of course included both materials and labor.

For a garage you need to think 12' x 24' per car. A work area should be at least 8' wide. So the minimum you should consider building is 20' x 24'. But, as many have pointed out here, no matter how big you build, it will be to small.

12' walls favor post construction. You can have a frame erected by a pro builder for a small premium over the cost of the materials alone. This is a very competitive business.

 

[Chris J]

For a garage you need to think 12' x 24' per car.

True. My cars range between 16' and 18' long, and I figured that a building 44' deep would be quite satisfactory to have two cars end-to-end. It's okay, but not great. If I had it to do over again, the building would be 48' deep.

 

[sneezer41]

YOu will find that the cost of building anything is 'X', lets say 15K. Added square footage only adds a percentage, IOW, if a 400 sq ft garage costs 15k, a 600sq ft would cost 18k

Build as big as possible. Build incrementally, you will never regret extra space

 

[Lloydthumper]

Listen to these guys I listened to a freind before I knew about this site and he gave me the same advice build it big as you can afford and then some. LOL his advice to me was build it twice as big as you think you need and make the ceiling at least 12" or higher for a lift. (he regreted saying that when he had to help me start building it.)I had a plan for a 24x26 but when it was said and done it was 30x40x12 and guess what It is filling up way faster than I thought it would. I put a lot of racks in mine for parts etc and I am leaving room for a rather large work bench/welding table and a lift plus shop tools and tool boxes. Just keep these things in mind when you decide to start on it. my slab and 3 block high wall set for almost a year before I bought the first stick of lumber and I jewed and hunted untill I build the entire garage including floor for $15,000 +/- At best if you can't afford to build it as big right now design it so you can add on to it easily I am thinking of a 15'x40' lean to on the side of mine now for my camper and lawn mowers etc just to Get rid of my other buildings I have now and to keep them out of my shop. Good luck.

 

[AlanSRT4]

cost is the biggest thing I figure I can add on latter like yall said. To give an idea where 15grand has been mentioned that would pay off my little place if I had that money LOL
Only reason I am not redoing the barn is because it would be like 3grand just to run the power for and some wiring for the 220 line where if I do it out back of my home it would cost hardly nothing because I can do it myself. The barn is right next door as me and my parents share 12acres of land. 6 wooded 6 not. My shed and barn is where I have all my storage space so will not need to store anything in the garage except for what I am working on. While looking around it seems that about 85$ is the avg price for a cubic yard of concrete delivered is that about what you guys found? Thanks for all the replies and advice so far :-D

 

[Sundowner]

my little 17'x20' garage is costing me about $10k. it could be built simpler and cheaper, but I built it the way I wanted it. On the other hand, if I ahd the room I could have ordered a 2 story garage for about $11k from US Sheds and had it dropped on my front lawn in one day.

 

[Lloydthumper]

cost is the biggest thing I figure I can add on latter like yall said. To give an idea where 15grand has been mentioned that would pay off my little place if I had that money LOL
Only reason I am not redoing the barn is because it would be like 3grand just to run the power for and some wiring for the 220 line where if I do it out back of my home it would cost hardly nothing because I can do it myself. The barn is right next door as me and my parents share 12acres of land. 6 wooded 6 not. My shed and barn is where I have all my storage space so will not need to store anything in the garage except for what I am working on. While looking around it seems that about 85$ is the avg price for a cubic yard of concrete delivered is that about what you guys found? Thanks for all the replies and advice so far :-D

I did forget to mention that I started saving for a garage 10 yrs ago

 

[jammerr316]

Hey sundowner, who is this US Sheds?? if I may ask. That sounds like a pretty good deal!

 

[zj96sc]

If you're building it yourself, stick built is cheaper than a metal building, unless you get a steal on price of having someone deliver, assemble, and finish it for you.

I'd recommend:

24'x30'
4" concrete with footers
stick built
10' walls
scissor trusses
2 rollups
1 man door
windows if you want

a 15'x20' building with 12' walls is going to look really disproportional. Unless for some reason you absolutely require full 6' walk under height under lifted vehicles, 9 or 10' walls and scissor trusses should get you the 12' you need in the center of a 24' span for your lift, and enough height to get the vehicle far enough off the ground to do work.

You should also try to stick to the golden rectangle for footprint to keep the building pleasing to the eye.


I've also recently run the numbers, and for the price you'd pay for scissor trusses and a crane to put them up, you could buy some web trusses from adams trusses on their "trusses only" deal. You would then get a fully open full height span, and still have the option to sheet and finish the building like normal stick construction. Just a little food for your thought.

i'd build it slower and in stages rather than stick with a 15x20 building.

just my 0.02
Paul

 

[6768rogues]

I have restored a few old cars, and it is my experience that a taken apart car occupies about the equivalent of 3 parking spaces if the parts are neatly stored and organized.

 

[ws6fiero]

Try looking here under "General Barn and Utility Shed Plans", plan #5929 2 TWO CAR GARAGE. 24' x 24' FRAME CONSTRUCTION. pdf file, about as easy as stick framing gets. You'll need to raise the walls though...
A decent general how to is here

 

[sharage71]

At Adams Trusses are you talking in AR? I wonder if they would come under the 1600 dollars I was given as a rough estimate from Best Built Systems in Byhalia, MS. Those are steel trusses. Correct?