What does it cost to build?

[wrenchmaster]

Is there a general rule or cost per square foot for constructing a garage?
What could the average be?
I know this is a tough question, just trying to figure out what I could build
and what it might cost.

Thanks for you patience..

 

[Boyd Who]

I think alot will depend on where you live, and what degree of "finishing" you want.

 

[wrenchmaster]

I live in MA and don't need much finishing. The only thing is I would like a second floor to carry a small wood shop.

 

[flatheadguy]

There are so many variables that it is literally impossible to give you a number. Especially, a nukber that is accurate. As mentioned in the first reply, it depends on location. Then, there is the question of what type building...metal, wood and so on. Insulated? Floor concrete....thickness? So many questions.
I am just finishing a 30x36x10 (1080 ft. sq.) steel post building. Concrete floor, well insulated, bath, sink, etc. Labor is by me and a damn good friend. Finished walls. My cost so far is about $ 100 per foot for materials and a little sublet....concrete work.
Hope this helps.

 

[bczygan]

Is there a general rule or cost per square foot for constructing a garage?
What could the average be?
I know this is a tough question, just trying to figure out what I could build
and what it might cost.

Thanks for you patience..

$20-$120/SF..or more.
For a standard garage $35-45/SF. What is a standard garage? I don't know exactly. What you are describing is NOT one. The only way to accurately find out what is what is to go through the design and estimating process. The more complete the process, the more accurate the result. I can do an estimate within 1% accuracy. But you have to define everything.
What do you want to build? What functions do you want it to have? How finished? Just a shell with no floor? Heated and insulated? How much money do you have? What can you borrow? What sweat equity can you invest? What have you got now? What are you allowed to build on your lot and with your zoning? Do you have any materials stockpiled? Do you have any friends or relatives that can contribute labor, materials or expertise?

Bill

 

[Grumpy365]

For just a 14' tall pole barn with concrete floor I am budgeting $14 sq ft. (7.50 sq ft for building, $6.50 sq ft for concrete.)

That number is for NO electrical, NO lights, NO plumbing, NO rental equipment, NO insulation, NO cool loft, NO internal walls of any kind, NO air compressor piping, NO garage door opener, NO Permit, NO site survey, And MINIMAL dirt site work.

 

[73Chevy]

I am just finishing a 30x36x10 (1080 ft. sq.) steel post building. Concrete floor, well insulated, bath, sink, etc. Labor is by me and a damn good friend. Finished walls. My cost so far is about $ 100 per foot for materials and a little sublet....concrete work.

You spent $108,000 to build a 1080sq ft steel building? I can buy a house for significantly less than that...

 

[Grumpy365]

You spent $108,000 to build a 1080sq ft steel building? I can buy a house for significantly less than that...

In this market, you can buy significantly less than you can build for.

 

[larry_g]

I purchased the building kit for my building at ~$14,500 which included everything including the permit and engineering stamps on the drawings. ~$6k to construct and concrete and electrical was above that. See thread below.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[kb2tha]

In this market, you can buy significantly less than you can build for.

I wondered if I was reading that right the first time. Seems extreme, especially when stating that only part of the work is subbed. For a 30 x 36

I am building a 1400 sf plus two carports: 10 x 36 and 14 x 22, 10 foot ceiling, pole construction, concrete slab, 3 man doors, 3-9 x 8 OH doors. electric is 75% in, interior partitions, no plumbing. Figure finished job at slightly south of 30k. Most of the work myself. Did have a crew help with truss installation, plywood roof deck and shingles.

Bought my Andersen windows used. Got a great price on fiberglass prehung mandoors ($150 each), currently looking at a slightly used Reznor gas heater, etc. It can be done. Should come in right around $15/sf if I include the roofed over carports. About $22 without. My build is in the gallery here titled "50's Texaco theme garage".

 

[slice]

Houston, Tx 30x40 x10 metal with insulation, slab, I am GC on this and right at $ 23. ft..

 

[dreamingmuscle]

Just received a bid for a 30x40x12 pole barn two over head doors 4 inch concrete and a 12 x 40 loafing shed. For $15,600 Built in 3 days no less. Seen his work at a local farm. It was a 30 x 50 with a 12 foot loafing shed that looked real good. It was built in 3 days just like he said.

The bid did not include any site work. So that would be extra $ and my responsibility to find someone to do any site work needed.

 

[flatheadguy]

You spent $108,000 to build a 1080sq ft steel building? I can buy a house for significantly less than that...

Okay, okay, so my math was off a bit. Of course, I could tell you about the marble floor, murals and interior fountain, but it was a late Saturday night brain fart. Let's try it again.....
ARRGGHHH!!
NEVER MIND!! (smiling)

 

[gabedad]

I live in mass

started looking at prefab
http://www.gbi-avis.com/garages.php
I started with 24x24 and it was in the high 30's with electric upgrade to 200 amp at my house and 100 amp sub run to garage

Decided on 24x30 (because of this site) and it went up to the low 40's. Stick built was around 45 with the same.

I then found george and geobarns (again through this site) www.geobarns.com. We did not really like the plain looking typical garage. We wanted something different. George's buildings are gorgeous and a real barn look. You cannot compare the diagonal framing to anything else.

It's probably going to run close to 50 or maybe a little more but it's going to be a work of art. The 24x30 will be a workshop downstairs and upstairs will be storage and hang out space.

The barn shell itself is about 34k 10k for site prep and 3k so far in electric upgrade to the house and 100 amp sub panel. Plus wiring for outlets and lighting. Plus a garage door etc so it will add up.

Search geobarns on the site and you will not be disappointed. We should be breaking ground in the next week for foundation and the building will be in march.

Where are you in MA - you can come by in the spring when completed.

 

[SPDMETL]

I've had 2 estimates so far...

1---60x40x16 Morton bldg. was $32K for the shell or $55K fully insulated and sheeted
inside. No site work or concrete, although it does include the doors.

2---60x40x18 built by a local guy who only builds pole barns. Site prep ($8K+) with the complete insulated building, 2 14x14 powered doors + 1 10x16 powered + 3 man doors. AND a zoned radiant 6" floor with boiler is (gulp !) $80K

to further confuse the issue, the Menard's kit for an insulated/sheeted buiding with doors was around $29K

I haven't gotten around to checking component prices but I'm told one 14x14 installed with opener is $2,500 alone.

I don't know if it's worth trying to build myself or not.

 

[Old Moparz]

I'd like to think that the best thing to do is get at least 3 estimates to make sure you don't have a price that is much too low with missing things, or one that will blow your budget & kill the whole project, but I never had any luck doing this myself. When I built my 24x36 2 story garage, I planned for a stick built structure on a foundation with a 5" slab.

I was building it myself but needed to sub out the foundation & floor. After calling 3 or 4 masonry contractors & not getting anyone to call back, I called others & waited. After 8 or 9 total, only one called with a $6000 estimate which was more than I had budgeted for. (This was 1997)

I called some of these guys several times & finally had 4 estimates that were all over the place & confused me. The first at $6000, the second at $8900, third at $12,000, & one at a whopping $16,000. It was an eye opener so I redesigned the building as a post & beam structure. (pole barn)

The slab with the concrete ran me $2000, but I had to build a retaining wall adjacent to it because of the slope. It was 4 feet high at it's highest, & made out of pressure treated ties. I never added up the cost of the wall, but I can guarantee it was no where near the masonry estimates & probably saved me about $5,000 on the foundation & excavation.

The only advice I can give you is to find reputable builders to give you quotes & make sure you know their work.

BTW, in 1997 the final cost of the finished shell with only electricity was about $14,500.

 

[ddawg16]

My 20x25 is either $28 SF or $60 depending on how you look at it....if you include the square footage of the second story....$28 SF. I did all the work except for Demo of the original garage...foundation and stucco.

The reason I list the two different amounts is to illustrate how being creative with how you use it can affect the cost/SF.

Look at the link in my sig to see what I did....In my case I had some extra expenses that the average guy may not...like the spiral staircase....land survey....tree removal....it all adds to the total cost.

 

[440Brian]

$42,300 for 600 sq ft= $70.5 per sq ft. Single floor, 10' interior, very low height storage area above (overall height limited by code). About 80% brick exterior to match house per city code. Insulated with a 2 ton mini split. $3k insulated roll up door. No windows, 20 Dual T8 fixtures w/tubes. 24 outlets.

 

[bobadame]

Mine wound up being just a frog hair under $14.00/square foot including the loft and mezzanine, electrical, plumbing,paint, the whole thing. It's 2x6 on 16" centers, r-19 walls, r30 ceiling. I did all the work except pouring the concrete and taping the sheet rock. This figure includes the 16' x 64' loft and 14' x 64' side roof. Without including the loft the figure would be about $20/ square foot. This is in northern Colorado.

 

[kmacht]

I went the pre-fab route here in CT. I bought a 24x24 2 story garage from a place out in Pennsylvania (www.horizonstructures.com). The building cost was around 20k. It included just about everything except the concrete and electrical. Doors, windows, paint, stair case, delivery, etc were all included in the price. The structure design was self supporting and detached from the house so I only had to do a 6" slab and not full footers. I spent about 5k on site prep and concrete and about $500 on electrical. All said and done it cost me about $22 per square foot. The best part was that I went from a bare concrete pad to a fully finished and painted garage in the matter of 1 day.

Keith

 

[Falcon67]

I'm shooting for 10$ a sq/ft on a 24x48, that's 99 44/100's% DIY. Including DIY foundation with only the concrete delivery and maybe slab finish contracted out. And if that's too much, I may float and finish myself - as long as it's fairly flat and a little smooth I'm fine with it. The last one I brought in right at $11 and I contracted some of that out. I have a budget number and I have to hit it. I know I'll hit $10 if the 36x24 car section goes unfinished on the walls.

 

[Gary S]

My 1150 sq ft stick build garage cost me under $9 a sq ft. I live in a cheap part of the country and built it all myself. A similar garage in other parts of the country can cost $100 a sq ft or more due to bureaucratic BS, high labor costs, and other things.

 

[NASTYZEN]

I did most of the work,ends up being $85.00 sq.ft. for a three floor 20x30 600sq.ft. building with actual 1800sq.ft of usable space.That's with 2 concrete floors,windows, doors, electrical,propane heat, but no plumbing.
The one draw back is it was time consuming.You could check out my build below.

 

[Grumpy365]

I'm shooting for 10$ a sq/ft on a 24x48, that's 99 44/100's% DIY. Including DIY foundation with only the concrete delivery and maybe slab finish contracted out. And if that's too much, I may float and finish myself - as long as it's fairly flat and a little smooth I'm fine with it. The last one I brought in right at $11 and I contracted some of that out. I have a budget number and I have to hit it. I know I'll hit $10 if the 36x24 car section goes unfinished on the walls.

I bet if you figured your labor rate at minimum wage and added that to your cost, it would take your cost to $20.00 sq. Ft

It sounds like you are figuring material cost at 10$ a sq ft.

 

[Steevo]

I am up to $41/sq. ft. so far, and still need attic insulation, air lines, driveway and all fixtures in the bathroom.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

If your building to get the most bang for the buch, keep in mind that the building shape is a big player in overall cost. Try to keep it to four corners. Each additional corner add cost.

Also try to keep the building as square as possible
24x40=960 sqft
32x32=1024 sqft and will be close to the same cost to build.

You shouldnt have a problem staying around $20 per sq ft. If you do the work and don't get too wild on the design.

 

[Falcon67]

I bet if you figured your labor rate at minimum wage and added that to your cost, it would take your cost to $20.00 sq. Ft

It sounds like you are figuring material cost at 10$ a sq ft.

Exactly - If I'm building a shop, I'm working for me and I don't pay worth a sh@$. Labor disputes are hell though...

Also try to keep the building as square as possible
24x40=960 sqft
32x32=1024 sqft and will be close to the same cost to build.

I will say "not exactly" to that - because I have made some prelim inquiries for trusses. It is cheaper by maybe $20~40 per truss for me to throw up a 24' 2x10 joist and two 2x8 rafters than install a truss on a 24' wide building. The savings approaches $500 - enough to pay for electrical stuff. On a 32' wide, it comes close to a truss is a truss, but wider does cost more. You save there by not trying to engineer storage in the attic. In fact, I have been advised - IF i wanted to use trusses - to call the lumber yards and find out what is laying around from canceled orders and build to what might be available. I do agree that the simple boxes are cheaper to build. The dollar devils are in the details - the big stuff is not all that much.

 

[green.bubbly]

I have gotten three quotes last week for a 48x60x12/ One from Mueller Steel and two from local steel suppliers. The quotes were for 120mph rating, 26 gauge steel, 6" roof and 3' wall batt insulation and a 18 inch eave overhang on all four sides. Also a 10x10 roll up garage door. The roof pitch was 6:12

All three estimates were between 21k and 22k. This price did not include any doors or windows, just framed openings. one quoted erection of $8,200.00.

I have one rough quotes for concrete finishing of around $150 per square foot plus material.

Hope this helps.

 

[Grumpy365]

I have one rough quotes for concrete finishing of around $150 per square foot plus material.

Hope this helps.

I hope that is a type O.

 

[bill9860]

Many variables but a friend and I both same the same builder. All in both came in around $103/sq ft. Different features to a degree but a fair amount went to the exterior to make them match our respective houses. But both are heated. dry wall, insulated. I had special trusses made to give me more interior ceiling height for lift and keeping exterior walls more in line with the house since they are 10' apart. Some work to have a "culvert" done for ground water run off in my case. Garage sits over the thing.

 

[GarageEnvy]

I can't say I'd recommend it but if you're looking to get a "ballpark" figure on your own you could use a service like Marshall & Swift. They have a "pay as you go" service that would be about $10. I don't particularly find it helpful as an appraiser but it is somewhat of an industry standard. It supposedly factors in the cost of having it professionally done so keep that in mind. I've used their cost service handbook but never the online version.

 

[gloveman132]

$72.00 a square foot nicely finished with a small office inside.

 

[Grumpy365]

$72.00 a square foot nicely finished with a small office inside.

That's a sweet shop.

Do you have problems turning sharp enough to pull into the bays?

 

[gloveman132]

That's a sweet shop.

Do you have problems turning sharp enough to pull into the bays?

Thank you.

When it is finished, there will be grass on the dirt, so I can pull straight in. Had to keep the paved surfaces to a minimum to keep the Code Nazi's at bay.

I will post a build thread when everything is finished.

 

[Falcon67]

I hope that is a type O.

Same here - my estimate for concrete delivered with a very small finish crew is $120/yd. There is a new concrete supplier in the area, so prices may get more competitive here soon. Up to now, there has been only one local company.

 

[kywildcat]

Thank you.

When it is finished, there will be grass on the dirt, so I can pull straight in. Had to keep the paved surfaces to a minimum to keep the Code Nazi's at bay.

I will post a build thread when everything is finished.

Don't get people started about turning in your garage, you will be accused of not know how to operate a vehicle.......LOL

 

[Teach]

Site work and foundation costs can vary greatly. A very flat area in a zone with no freeze/thaw cycle can mean almost no site work and just a 4" slab....relatively small $.

On the other hand, a funky location (topography) in a cold climate with a building inspector who requires 8'+ frost wall, bringing in good fill, etc....add in 5-7" overkill slab for a lift...and it adds up quickly.

 

[stingry]

View media item 6761
This is my new shop located in Western Nebraska. Here's the particulars:

3680 sq ft
5" concrete floor with radiant heat loops installed
2" EPS foam under floor and around the perimeter
2x6 studs on 24" centers
2x4 purlins with 1 1/2 EPS foam board between them
all steel exterior
30 year architectural shingle roof
3' overhang all around, metal soffit
2 entry doors
6 3x4 windows
2 9'w x 8 1/2"h insulated garage doors
1 12'w x 8 1/2'h insulated garage door
rough-in for bathroom
3 gable ends
10' sidewalls
12' x 22' "coffered" ceiling, 12' height to accomodate my 4 post lift

At this point I'm just under $17/sq ft, this includes the doors which are ordered. I acted as my own general contractor and hired a 3 man crew to do the building. A local contractor did the cement work. I did all the design and layed the PEX tubing with help from two of the concrete guys.

I'm estimating another $15K to finish the interior, which will bring my overall cost to about $21/sq ft.

Once winter finally gets here (supposed to be 55 degrees today) and I can no longer work outside, I will start a post showing my build and giving a detailed cost breakdown for those of you who are interested.

Cheers
Steve

 

[brownbagg]

my 24 x 30 x10 metal building was $5200, i erected myself. concrete was another $1000, with insulation,2x plywood wall, electrical, total $7500

got the building from www.acemetalbuildings.com