Typical garage prices?

[Mastiff37]

I know this has probably been beaten to death, but where are we at for pricing on freestanding garage/shops these days? We got a new 3.3 acre lot and a big part of it was because I wanted an awesome shop. My wife wanted some architectural interest, so we came up with this barn style design. The enclosed part is about 40x40 and there's an overhang on the side. For some reason we got it in our head that this could be a $100K project, but signals are coming in that we may be wildly off the mark. I want an oversized slab, good electrical (I can run interior electrical), permits and insulation. I'd want water run to it, just enough for an outdoor spigot or two.
I have data points from people who did 40x60 garages for well under $100K 5 years ago, but I guess things have ramped up a bit... I'm in Arizona.

 

[WildBill]

What type of materials and framing?

 

[Mastiff37]

What type of materials and framing?

Sorry, wood framing. Siding TBD, likely cement board and we were thinking steel roof. Siding and roof totally negotiable though.

 

[WildBill]

Honestly if your local reference ones were 100K 5 years ago you're probably looking at 200-250k for the same thing now. That doesn't mean you couldn't figure out how to do it for less, just that doing the the exact same one now compared to pre-covid is going to be 2-3 times higher.

Hopefully people from your area and ones smarter than me will chime in with costs, I just figured I would get the ball rolling asking the same questions everyone always asks first.

I ended up building a Versatube steel building kit because it was by far the least expensive way to get a decent quality shop done in my area. I am really happy with it, their framing is really solid and it was easy to put together. I could only do a 24'x36' on my lot but you can make all different sizes and configurations on their site and see the costs. I just got the frame kit and got all the rest locally.

 

[AC-WC]

I think you would be extremely lucky and have to do a lot of things yourself to get it for $100k.
Concrete $30-40k and may need more to do site prep
Assembled Pole barn that size $40-60k
Electric-to run a new line from existing house buried is a good $3-4K. To pay an electrician to do the inside minimum $5k.
Water-similar to electric. Issue is if you have a permit they will want to know where the water drains. Back to city sewer -$12k or onsite septic $30-40k. IF just spigots outside you won't need these.
Insulation-spray foam, fiberglass batts, cellulose. Spray foam is generally not a home owner thing. The other 2 are reasonable but how much time do you have?

 

[ericm]

Location has a huge impact on the cost. If you're in an area where contractors are busy and/or labor costs are high, the cost will be higher.

Have you talked to your local planning agency (probably the county if you have 3.3ac)? Their requirements can have a huge impact on the price.

Last, the site can have an impact. If it's not level you'll need site prep. That may trigger extra costs, like for retaining walls.

The shop I'm getting built in Oregon should come in at under half the quote I got for a shop half the size in CA, i.e. 4x the cost per sq ft. Expensive contractors, more required site work and lots of requirements from the county all pumped up the latter's cost.

 

[Jazz1]

price the slab poured and the cost of building supplies. That will give you incentive to build it yourself for less than $100k…metal roof for sure cuz 20 years flies by and if its shingled you might not be up to reroofing.

 

[finn]

The roof line as designed means you either need a support wall down the middle to support the trusses or a relatively stout beam, which will add cost.

Also need your location. Snow load and wind conditions will be major impacts on costs, as will local labor rates and contractor competition.

 

[Steve_P]

I'm in TN and my neighbor had the most basic two car garage possible built ~10 years ago by a company that specializes in just external garages; that is all they do. It was ~$30K. No electricity, no water, just wood framing, unfinished interior, painted T111 siding, asphalt shingle roof, concrete slab. Mostly level lot, so almost no site prep. It was one of those "pick out a plan" from our standard design two car garages, maybe 800 sq ft? I'm sure that same thing would be over $60K today.

So, I don't see $100K for what you want being remotely possible unless you do 90% of the work yourself.

 

[Mastiff37]

The roof line as designed means you either need a support wall down the middle to support the trusses or a relatively stout beam, which will add cost.

Also need your location. Snow load and wind conditions will be major impacts on costs, as will local labor rates and contractor competition.

I'm in Tucson, AZ. The design is a known cost upper which my wife wanted just to make it look more interesting architecturally. Around here the standard thing is what I'm calling a "stucco cube", a rectangle all around with a flat roof. You see them everywhere for RV's. I'm hoping we don't have to fall back to that, but we'll see. We have other wish list items you can't see in that plan including some interior partitioning with a loft, a bathroom, and my wife was wishing for some sort of deck off the loft. I expect much of this will be jettisoned and I'll do the interior work myself.

The site at least is flat, and there's no snow load here.

 

[u2slow]

price the slab poured and the cost of building supplies. That will give you incentive to build it yourself for less than $100k…metal roof for sure cuz 20 years flies by and if its shingled you might not be up to reroofing.

Mine needed a proper foundation and serious site prep (excavation & fill). That was half the cost easily. There was no stopping there.... had to have the GC push thru to unfinished lockup or I'd never have got it done. Over $100k spent. By 5 years, I was starting to have to replace leaky screws on the roof.

YMMV.

 

[pembol]

I'm in Tucson, AZ. The design is a known cost upper which my wife wanted just to make it look more interesting architecturally. Around here the standard thing is what I'm calling a "stucco cube", a rectangle all around with a flat roof. You see them everywhere for RV's. I'm hoping we don't have to fall back to that, but we'll see. We have other wish list items you can't see in that plan including some interior partitioning with a loft, a bathroom, and my wife was wishing for some sort of deck off the loft. I expect much of this will be jettisoned and I'll do the interior work myself.

The site at least is flat, and there's no snow load here.

As a point of reference, we just completed an unfinished ~1000 sq ft garage, no interior finishes, but a similar level of construction to what you are describing - 2x6 walls, rafter as opposed to trusses, hardie panel with fry reglets, zip, clestories all around - in total it was around $125K. We are in a higher COL area, but if you want something a little 'nicer' than the min $/sq ft build then I think $100K for > 1600 sq ft finished is not going to happen, maybe twice that?

Also it may be worth making a 3D model of your design (skethchup is easy to learn if you are not already familiar) so you can play with the dimensions and render it on your lot. I get the feeling what you have sketched may not look quite right - like an RV shed with two lean-tos grafted on to it, the aspect ratios are just a bit odd.

 

[Mastiff37]

This is the inspiration we gave the architect who drew those. That was just for his proposal though, not the final thing. We may or may not actually hire an architect in the end. They aren't cheap, but it sure would be nice to have someone hold our hand through all the permitting and nonsense.

 

[pembol]

This is the inspiration we gave the architect who drew those. That was just for his proposal though, not the final thing. We may or may not actually hire an architect in the end. They aren't cheap, but it sure would be nice to have someone hold our hand through all the permitting and nonsense.

A real architect is one of the best investments you can make on a project like this. They are not cheap, but the project is not going to be cheap - you want someone who has the training and has done this many times before and knows how to design a functional and appealing building.

One piece of advice I received from a friend who is an architect (but not the architect who designed our house and garage) was to make sure you give your architect the opportunity to actually architect. What he meant by that was that the real skill in architecture is the creative part, not the drafting part. Instead of telling your architect 'design me this', have them come take a look at your land and house, tell them what qualities are important to you, things like 'nice natural light', 'clear spans', 'an industrial feel' or what ever it is and then have them come up with 4 or 5 back of the napkin sketches, then work from there. Instead of sending them one example photo of something you like, send 10 photos, each with a different aspect that you like and have them come up with a synthesis.

Good luck - this is the fun part!

 

[partsguy5768]

My current shop I'm building right now. 44×52.. ( 14 foot ceiling) sitting at about 85k inside not finished out yet but all electrical and lighting in at this point. Outside almost done. I own all my own heavy equipment and I / we do everything. Only thing I won't do is drywall and finish of drywall. Covered breezeway wraps around 2 sides at this point will be three sides when done. Probably another 30k to finish out I'm guessing. Building out of pocket so I didn't get bids estimates etc up front and have never bothered to even add up costs to date. I saved up about 130k for this project and I think I'm in the ballgame to make it for that.

 

[manwithtools]

Sorry, wood framing. Siding TBD, likely cement board and we were thinking steel roof. Siding and roof totally negotiable though.

We sought quotes for a 32 x 48 x 12 with similar finishes. Dried in shell with no electrical, plumbing or inside finishes was in the $160k range. Ended up with a pole building and metal roof and siding. By being my own GC and taking on the subs for the concrete, doors and insulation and doing electrical, plumbing and interior finishes myself, I'm hoping to make it all in for $110k. This is in the Nashville area. I think you need to give your budget numbers some serious re-thinking.

Where we are so far for around $50k:

 

[pvfloor]

I know this has probably been beaten to death, but where are we at for pricing on freestanding garage/shops these days? We got a new 3.3 acre lot and a big part of it was because I wanted an awesome shop. My wife wanted some architectural interest, so we came up with this barn style design. The enclosed part is about 40x40 and there's an overhang on the side. For some reason we got it in our head that this could be a $100K project, but signals are coming in that we may be wildly off the mark. I want an oversized slab, good electrical (I can run interior electrical), permits and insulation. I'd want water run to it, just enough for an outdoor spigot or two.
I have data points from people who did 40x60 garages for well under $100K 5 years ago, but I guess things have ramped up a bit... I'm in Arizona.

I have two estimates from back in December 2024 in the Black Hills area of SD. Both estimates required a flat building spot, no electrical, no water, and no insulation. The 24x40 steel frame, metal building, including a monolithic concrete slab floor, two large garage doors so you drive through the garage, one 36" "man" door, and two windows was approx. $65k USD, to be completed in one week, start to finish, all permits included. 24x40 = 960 square feet. Divide 65,000 by 960 square feet = $68 per square foot

The other was a 40 x 60 post frame building but no concrete.... approximately $61k USD. Concrete in this area is running about $200 per yard, plus labor. 40x60 = 2,400 sq ft = approx. 45 cubic yards of concrete at 6 inches thick. 45 x $200 = $9,000 for concrete. Figure $10 per square foot for concrete labor...40 x 60 = 2,400 sq ft times $10 per square foot = $24,000 concrete labor. total concrete = $33,000 $33,000 for concrete plus $61,000 for the 40x60 post frame garage = $94,000. round up to $100,000 and divide by 2,400 sq ft = $42 per square foot, plus electrical, plus water, plus insulation

 

[d300]

How much free time do you have? What is your skill set? How much cash, or financing, do you have?
There are plenty of general contractors out there who can work through the permits and design a decent shop. After all, they do this for a living, just don't go to some kids who started business last month. I have met many GC's who are also graduate and even licensed engineers who simply tired of the desk job and put on a tool belt.
If you have time to spare you may be able to contract out the various jobs like the slab and be the GC but you need a slab designed for the building so who designs the building?
Many things to consider.

 

[Wubicon]

Drop 2 40' sea cans on a gravel base. Run your water and electrical, throw some kind of siding on it and take a nice trip with the 50+k you saved?

 

[ToolsRCool]

I know this has probably been beaten to death, but where are we at for pricing on freestanding garage/shops these days? We got a new 3.3 acre lot and a big part of it was because I wanted an awesome shop. My wife wanted some architectural interest, so we came up with this barn style design. The enclosed part is about 40x40 and there's an overhang on the side. For some reason we got it in our head that this could be a $100K project, but signals are coming in that we may be wildly off the mark. I want an oversized slab, good electrical (I can run interior electrical), permits and insulation. I'd want water run to it, just enough for an outdoor spigot or two.
I have data points from people who did 40x60 garages for well under $100K 5 years ago, but I guess things have ramped up a bit... I'm in Arizona.

My dad just had the Amish put up a pole barn on one of his lots for him here in MI. 40'x80' with a 10' overhang shed roof off one side like you have. Steel roof, zero insulation. Concrete slab under all of it (50x80). Price was $80k, not including doors or electrical. They did it start to finish in 5 days flat with a team working from 7a to 3:30p with a short lunch break each day. He ordered three 18' wide sectional roll-up doors for $5k total new from Home Depot and we put those up ourself. He's putting around on the electrical, but I'll end up doing/finishing it for him. Local utility will let us trench and wire to the pad mounted transformer on the property, they say what wire to use, leave the trench open, and they will do the connections on both ends. Pretty reasonable. He wanted fluorescent lights, probably the last person on the planet for such, so that was his Christmas present from me.

Hope that helps give you an idea of pricing.

 

[Ran58]

Finished mine last year 20 by 60’ Hardie panel. I did a lot of the work myself. Located in middle Georgia. I’ve got 140 K in it but it is a real nice building. 2 by 6 studs

 

[hobie18]

A plain 20x22 garage is over 40 thousand here. Single story.

 

[dcg9381]

Sorry, wood framing. Siding TBD, likely cement board and we were thinking steel roof. Siding and roof totally negotiable though.

It's going to vary wildly depending on where you are. It sounds like this is "traditional construction" pretty much and it's a "small project" so there will be more margin on it. $~125/sqft here to get concrete down, framed up, siding on it and dried in around here if you could find someone to do it.

I did a steel building in 2020, 40x60, it came in at $100-110k so just to get the foundation, steel, and siding up. Bare bones. Pretty much 35/35/35, IE $35k for the steel, $35k to have it put up, and $35k for the foundation. No finish out, no electrical, no plumbing. And it's cheap to build down here (labor costs lower).

 

[kwb]

A low end bookmark from PNW.
I just finished a 30x36x12 covered parking area built as a Post frame structure. All DIY except for roofing (comp roof). I am about $20k doing quick math in my head.

$100k for an enclosed structure of that size with finished concrete would be low if you hired out just a box.

 

[d300]

Drop 2 40' sea cans on a gravel base. Run your water and electrical, throw some kind of siding on it and take a nice trip with the 50+k you saved?

Actually, this is a great idea if the OP can get past the 'pretty' architectural stuff. But, put the two cans about 40' apart (concrete fdn of course), build a 6' 'knee' wall at the top inside face of the cans then drop some trusses on top. Instant 15' ceiling. Too many options to list for end closures.
Saving some money only requires thinking outside the usual box....if the wife allows.....

 

[Mastiff37]

Actually, this is a great idea if the OP can get past the 'pretty' architectural stuff. But, put the two cans about 40' apart (concrete fdn of course), build a 6' 'knee' wall at the top inside face of the cans then drop some trusses on top. Instant 15' ceiling. Too many options to list for end closures.
Saving some money only requires thinking outside the usual box....if the wife allows.....

There are some covenants on the property too. I think everyone is pretty chill, but a pile of shipping containers might be pushing it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I know this has probably been beaten to death, but where are we at for pricing on freestanding garage/shops these days? We got a new 3.3 acre lot and a big part of it was because I wanted an awesome shop. My wife wanted some architectural interest, so we came up with this barn style design. The enclosed part is about 40x40 and there's an overhang on the side. For some reason we got it in our head that this could be a $100K project, but signals are coming in that we may be wildly off the mark. I want an oversized slab, good electrical (I can run interior electrical), permits and insulation. I'd want water run to it, just enough for an outdoor spigot or two.
I have data points from people who did 40x60 garages for well under $100K 5 years ago, but I guess things have ramped up a bit... I'm in Arizona.

Be leery of the oversized slab. One pad for the enclosed and pour a separate pad for the lean-to. If you pour on flat pad and build walls on top, you will get water intrusion under the walls. . . . it's not a matter of if, just when. Step the lean-to area down an inch, if you want it close. I'd prefer my walls built either on a stem wall/curb or a course of block.

The more you can do yourself, the more you will save. If you can do it yourself, spread the build over 6-8 months and save yourself 10's of thousands of $$, would you ?

I'm in Tucson, AZ. The design is a known cost upper which my wife wanted just to make it look more interesting architecturally. Around here the standard thing is what I'm calling a "stucco cube", a rectangle all around with a flat roof. You see them everywhere for RV's. I'm hoping we don't have to fall back to that, but we'll see. We have other wish list items you can't see in that plan including some interior partitioning with a loft, a bathroom, and my wife was wishing for some sort of deck off the loft. I expect much of this will be jettisoned and I'll do the interior work myself.

The site at least is flat, and there's no snow load here.

Tucson, Az. Edit your profile to include that. It will help members answering your future questions.


One last thing. You bought a lot. There's many places that will not allow a building, garage or shop built without a residence on it first. Check with your AHJ before getting to far into the planning stage.

 

[dura eagle]

Amish contractor just finished up my new shop last couple of weeks. Part of the dirt work, retaining wall, 6” concrete in the main part and all doors with openers just under 131,000$ 4,100 sq feet. South west Missouri. I am happy.

 

[manwithtools]

@dura eagle $32/ sq. ft on that building is a steal! Nice place BTW.

 

[d300]

Amish contractor just finished up my new shop last couple of weeks. Part of the dirt work, retaining wall, 6” concrete in the main part and all doors with openers just under 131,000$ 4,100 sq feet. South west Missouri. I am happy.

Damn!!! and happy you should be.

 

[pvfloor]

It's going to vary wildly depending on where you are. It sounds like this is "traditional construction" pretty much and it's a "small project" so there will be more margin on it. $~125/sqft here to get concrete down, framed up, siding on it and dried in around here if you could find someone to do it.

I did a steel building in 2020, 40x60, it came in at $100-110k so just to get the foundation, steel, and siding up. Bare bones. Pretty much 35/35/35, IE $35k for the steel, $35k to have it put up, and $35k for the foundation. No finish out, no electrical, no plumbing. And it's cheap to build down here (labor costs lower).

40x60 = 2,400 sq ft, $110,000 / 2,400 = ~$46 / sq ft is pretty good

 

[pvfloor]

Damn!!! and happy you should be.

p

 

[pvfloor]

Amish contractor just finished up my new shop last couple of weeks. Part of the dirt work, retaining wall, 6” concrete in the main part and all doors with openers just under 131,000$ 4,100 sq feet. South west Missouri. I am happy.

$131,000 / 4,100 sq ft = ~$32 / sq ft - very good price !

 

[Calypsonotch93]

We sought quotes for a 32 x 48 x 12 with similar finishes. Dried in shell with no electrical, plumbing or inside finishes was in the $160k range. Ended up with a pole building and metal roof and siding. By being my own GC and taking on the subs for the concrete, doors and insulation and doing electrical, plumbing and interior finishes myself, I'm hoping to make it all in for $110k. This is in the Nashville area. I think you need to give your budget numbers some serious re-thinking.

Where we are so far for around $50k:

Looks good but looks to be about 13k in materials not counting the pad. Where did the rest of the money go? I'm really curious because I'm trying to price out one this same size and In my head I was thinking about 50K all in with concrete, doors, and insulation. That's building it myself and subbing out the concrete and doors

 

[manwithtools]

Looks good but looks to be about 13k in materials not counting the pad. Where did the rest of the money go? I'm really curious because I'm trying to price out one this same size and In my head I was thinking about 50K all in with concrete, doors, and insulation. That's building it myself and subbing out the concrete and doors

I think you might check a bit more with pricing these days:

Upgrade to electrical service, $2.2k (does not include service to the shop or any internal electrical, just service upgrade from 200 amps to a second 200 amp). Concrete for this will be ~$11k, Epoxy floor ~$6.5k, Doors (3- 10x10 and 1 -8x8) Insulated R15 with 3 jackshaft openers will be ~$12k. 3" of closed cell insulation on the roof and 2" on the wall, ~$14k. I had $2k in fill hauled in to build the pad. There is also a full bath DWV rough in the above price that I did.

The building has a combination of attic, scissor and conventional trusses on 24" centers. Laminated posts set 4' in the ground on 16" concrete cookies, wainscoting adds to the price as well. I paid to have the shell erected, not the cheapest bid, but one I could trust after seeing their other work. EDIT to add: I also included 18" overhang on gable and eaves, another cost adder that makes the building look less like a pole building.

I'd say good luck with DIY for $13k to build that shell. Do you have equipment to bore 4' deep 18" diameter holes, set 30' long x 24 wide " LVL for the header above the doors? Set the trusses? Build and level the pad? If you do that's great, if not, will you need to rent it or hire it? Costs all add up. If I was 35 or 40 Years old I might have done it myself, at 65 not so much desire for that. I was at $44k for the shell as you see it after getting three bids.

So, $2.2k + $2k + $44k = $48.2k as you see in the picture. Took them 4-1/2 days, would have taken me weeks. Then still need $11k + $6.5k + $12k + $14k = $43.5k. That totals $91.7k, still need to do remaining electrical hook up (150' of trench, conduit and wire for 125 amps feeder) and all interior wiring and finish the full bathroom and remaining plumbing and interior wall covering (all me). I might get buy for less than $110k all in, but it won't be much less. Oh, still need to add concrete for apron and sidewalk to the house.

Good luck with your build. Shop carefully.

 

[Calypsonotch93]

I think you might check a bit more with pricing these days:

Upgrade to electrical service, #2.2k (does not include service to the shop or any internal electrical, just service upgrade from 200 amps to a second 200 amp). Concrete for this will be ~$11k, Epoxy floor ~$6.5k, Doors (3- 10x10 and 1 -8x8) Insulated R15 with 3 jackshaft openers will be ~$12k. 3" of closed cell insulation on the roof and 2" on the wall, ~$14k. I had $2k in fill hauled in to build the pad. There is also a full bath DWV rough in the above price that I did.

The building has a combination of attic, scissor and conventional trusses on 24" centers. Laminated posts set 4' in the ground on 16" concrete cookies, wainscoting adds to the price as well. I paid to have the shell erected, not the cheapest bid, but one I could trust after seeing their other work.

I'd say good luck with DIY for $13k to build that shell. Do you have equipment to bore 4' deep 18" diameter holes, set 30' long x 24 wide " LVL for the header above the doors? Set the trusses? Build and level the pad? If you do that's great, if not, will you need to rent it or hire it? Costs all add up. If I was 35 or 40 Years old I might have done it myself, at 65 not so much desire for that. I was at $44k for the shell as you see it after getting three bids.

So, $2.2k + $2k + $44k = $48.2k as you see in the picture. Took them 4-1/2 days, would have taken me weeks. Then still need $11k + $6.5k + $12k + $14k = $43.5k. That totals $91.7k, still need to do remaining electrical hook up (150' of trench, conduit and wire for 125 amps feeder) and all interior wiring and finish the full bathroom and remaining plumbing and interior wall covering (all me). I might get buy for less than $110k all in, but it won't be much less. Oh, still need to add concrete for apron and sidewalk to the house.

Good luck with your build. Shop carefully.

Thank you. I need to do some more research it sounds like. Things have sure changed from the last time I priced it.

 

[JSHOUSE1]

Southern tn. 30x40x12 2-10x10 insulated garage doors 1-36" steel insulated man door 4 inch slab with footers for lift in 1 bay and 2 drains. Sol-r-eclipse insulation on walls and roof. All other finishes I'll complete myself 25k dried in.

Summertown Metals – 30’X40’X12′ Residential Garage

www.summertownmetals.com

This is a link to the company, not pushing them or recommending, but in this area, this is the "go to people," mine is a little less than that base plan even with upgrades, I caught them during a "sale" and have some connections with the contractors so stuff ran me little less to get "upgraded" for example the insulated doors. Gravel for slab i took care of myself (25 ton #57 @ $600).

Obviously yours is a little more involved, i have no permit requirement, no "building codes or inspections" in this county on ag buildings, basically install panel, a light and plug circuit, get passed and run your own electrical, assuming that you are comfortable with that. I don't know how much you can do yoursel, that's where you can really save. I should be in under 30k completely finished.

 

[manwithtools]

Southern tn. 30x40x12 2-10x10 insulated garage doors 1-36" steel insulated man door 4 inch slab with footers for lift in 1 bay and 2 drains. Sol-r-eclipse insulation on walls and roof. All other finishes I'll complete myself 25k dried in.

Summertown Metals – 30’X40’X12′ Residential Garage

www.summertownmetals.com

This is a link to the company, not pushing them or recommending, but in this area, this is the "go to people," mine is a little less than that base plan even with upgrades, I caught them during a "sale" and have some connections with the contractors so stuff ran me little less to get "upgraded" for example the insulated doors. Gravel for slab i took care of myself (25 ton #57 @ $600).

Obviously yours is a little more involved, i have no permit requirement, no "building codes or inspections" in this county on ag buildings, basically install panel, a light and plug circuit, get passed and run your own electrical, assuming that you are comfortable with that. I don't know how much you can do yoursel, that's where you can really save. I should be in under 30k completely finished.

Summertown was one of the bid's I solicited, along with National Barn. Once I visited examples of each builders work, I settled on Keystone. I paid more than the others, but I had my reasons why. I hope it all goes well for you and your build.

BTW, what do you consider "completely finished" ?

 

[madison069]

Ground work is critical to what it will cost. I’m in the middle of building a garage and just dirt and foundation work for a 32’x32’ garage has costed $66,000 alone. No walls or roof yet.

 

[dcg9381]

I’m in the middle of building a garage and just dirt and foundation work for a 32’x32’ garage has costed $66,000 alone. No walls or roof yet.

Build it on the side of a hill? For those type of costs around here, you're cutting the hill, building a retaining wall, etc... But it's a lot cheaper to do that here.

$66k in foundation for a garage.. yikes....