I found this site while I was looking for new garage ideas. My husband Jeff and I have recently (past 5 yrs.) just started in the collector car hobby (65 Buick Riviera GS & 69 Nova SS, so far). And now that kids are moving out, we find ourselves with way too much house and not enough garage space (only small 2 car now, and the 65 Buick won't even fit in it). My dream would be a 1 bedroom home attached to a 5 - 6 car garage... We are selling "the Shops" in PA, since Jeff's dad has passed away and his brother wants his half of the money (this is where we store the Buick now) and this should give us ~ 50,000 to spend, so we want to put on an addition of a playroom @ 20'x24' (large enough for pool table, big screen TV & seating & lots of cool old car stuff decor) with a 3 - 4 car garage (1 bay to have a lift). I've been watching HGTV shows for years, and 'Holmes on Homes' has me totally terrified of hiring a contractor, for fear of being ripped off. We do not have any friends / family / acquaintances that have put on an addition and used a local contractor so we have no references to go by. Should our first step be to get an architect to do drawings / plans? We just don't know where to start. Any help as to the order that things should happen?
Where to start with building garage
- Thread starter J-CIN
- Start date
Gary S
Well-known member
Start with your local building inspections office. What will they approve, and what do they require?
Some places require you hire an architect to draw up plans. Some places don't. Here, I just got my permit and built the building with my two hands. I didn't have any plans drawn up. I just worked from the ideas I had in my head.
If your local regulations allow it, do the work yourself and avoid contractors. Keep the building simple so you can just nail it together yourself. That will save you lots of money, and also your sanity by not having to deal with contractors. The old saying, "if you want something done right, do it yourself." definitely applies when dealing with building contractors.
Some places require you hire an architect to draw up plans. Some places don't. Here, I just got my permit and built the building with my two hands. I didn't have any plans drawn up. I just worked from the ideas I had in my head.
If your local regulations allow it, do the work yourself and avoid contractors. Keep the building simple so you can just nail it together yourself. That will save you lots of money, and also your sanity by not having to deal with contractors. The old saying, "if you want something done right, do it yourself." definitely applies when dealing with building contractors.
Thanks for the reply, but not a chance we could build ourselves, not enough time, energy etc. We did go to local land use office when we originally talked of just getting one of those delivered sheds large enough to store 1 car, It was overwhelming to us then. And if we are going to put on the Playroom with 1/2 bath & 3-4 car garage we were told we need to submit building permit application consisting of 3 sets of building plans & 3 sets of current plot plan, 2 copies of lines and grades plan and a host of other things including variances from board of adjustment, septic capacity approval, contractor license. Way too complicated for us. Anyway what I really want is someone to coordinate it all, permits, plans & designs, foundations & construction, windows, doors, roofing, siding, plumbing & heating, electrical. Call me lazy... But, I want to tell someone what I want and a couple of months later it just to be there... finished. We talked to one contractor, he came out looked around asked in general what we wanted, took a few notes, took a copy of our plot plan. 2 days later he sent e-mail with attached "Design Proposal" which basically all it was was a proposal to supply design schematics, construction drawings, lines and grades as needed to acquire permits for the addition, also said designs are for exclusive use between his company and us and that HVAC, electrical & plumbing would supply their own design plans to county for permits. And then asked for $5,640. Didn't even hint at estimate of final cost. Will it be 40K, 50K or 70K? We can't even make a decision to move forward without knowing if we will have enough money to complete. Needless to sa I don't think we will be working with him. Anyway I think we are going to look for an architect, that wat at least the plans and drawings will be ours, and then we can take those to a few different general contractors and get an estimate of final cost. I'm not saying they have to be spot on final cost but an estimate would at leaset allow us to say yes or no.
hrdayz
Member
Don't know if something like this is an option for you. I came across this company while driving by in upstate NY as they were erecting a two car garage (24 x24, two bay with 9 x 7 doors, windows, roofing,and siding )with a second story. It was a modular which was delivered in two parts. I'm a friendly guy so I struck up a conversation with a guy who turns out to be the owner of this company http://www.barnraisersheds.com/default.html. He gave me rough numbers of less than $20K for the structure described above which included local delivery and set-up. The structure I watched being delivered was delivered was floor-less and set on a concrete slab which the buyer/owner had poured prior to the building being set. While some of the builds I have seen on here are exceptional this maybe an option for you. God luck with whichever way you decide to go.
dcovey
Well-known member
Sounds like the county/city (authorities) are going to take their pound of flesh..
If you do not have any builders as friends and if you plan on talking to an architect I would as them to recommend some contractors. I would also ask if there is someone you could get to act as your representative during the build to keep the contractors honest. The architects firm may provide these services. You could also ask at the planning office where the permiting is done if they have a list of General Contractors.
Above all find out everything you can and be nosy while the build is going on..Ask questions and then research..
Dave
If you do not have any builders as friends and if you plan on talking to an architect I would as them to recommend some contractors. I would also ask if there is someone you could get to act as your representative during the build to keep the contractors honest. The architects firm may provide these services. You could also ask at the planning office where the permiting is done if they have a list of General Contractors.
Above all find out everything you can and be nosy while the build is going on..Ask questions and then research..
Dave
Keep
Well-known member
If you want to save money, run away from this site as quick as you can!!! Next thing you know you will have in floor heating, 8 inch concrete, lifts, custom cabinets etc etc etc 
I would do a lot of searching on here there are a few threads that I know of, of folks building garages and all the issues they ran into.
Take a good look at some prefab units, usually the places that sell them will install or recommend a good installer for you.
I would do a lot of searching on here there are a few threads that I know of, of folks building garages and all the issues they ran into.
Take a good look at some prefab units, usually the places that sell them will install or recommend a good installer for you.
Keep
Well-known member
Our local hardware stores sell units like these:
http://www.homehardware.ca/BackyardProjects/index/index/parent/3
All sorts of different garage buildings there.
http://www.homehardware.ca/BackyardProjects/index/index/parent/3
All sorts of different garage buildings there.
Gary S
Well-known member
OK, you are in deep doodoo. You live in one of those commie places that demands $6k of paperwork before even looking at the building. If it isn't too late, cut and move somewhere sensible where you just build a building.
I don't want to sink your spirits too much, but here I was able to put up a stick built 24x48x10 garage for $10k, and that included the concrete and excavating work. (my labor was free)
I don't want to sink your spirits too much, but here I was able to put up a stick built 24x48x10 garage for $10k, and that included the concrete and excavating work. (my labor was free)
brwbier
Well-known member
Its been my experience that people love to talk about what they are building. I would ride around and if you see someone putting up something new and if you like what you see, just stop and ask. After a while you will have a list of builders to consider.
Brwbier
Brwbier
First of all check with the board on what variances you need, or what you have to do so that a variance is not needed.
It sounds like your wanting to add add a playroom to the existing house with a bath, or is this going to be part of the garage?
Are you building on your existing homesite, or on new ground?
Are you in the city or the county?
Lots of things play into permits and applications. When I did mine I had to walk across the hall from the permits office to get to the records office where thay gave me a lot of the paperwork I needed, for a fee. I would also go back to the guy that looked at your land and clarify what the 6k$ is for? Work this guy until you get the information you want, a rough bid like per sq' cost. I found once when wanting to add on to a house that I gave each contractor a rough idea of what I wanted and then had them sketch up their ideas as to how they would accomplish it. It was a good way to get ideas, learn how to NOT do things, and how I could work with the contractor/builder. In the end we found a good company with good basic ideas, and all worked out. So don't dismiss this first guy to fast. Make sure he knows your serious and have money in the bank.
When I built my shop I found a company that had some standard buildings and then modified from there. It didn't take long to get a bid package from them. Part of the package I demanded was a stamped set of drawings and an approved building permit. We worked together gathering all the paperwork. In the end the permit through them cost nothing extra above the county fees. They knew the process and what our county required so the building drawing specs were compatiable with our county.
We did not show any interior walls on the plans and after the building was finaled then the dividing walls were put in. So if your rec room is to be in the new garage consider partitioning it off at some future date. Discuss it with you builder so that plans can be made for this future room.
lg
no neat sig line
It sounds like your wanting to add add a playroom to the existing house with a bath, or is this going to be part of the garage?
Are you building on your existing homesite, or on new ground?
Are you in the city or the county?
Lots of things play into permits and applications. When I did mine I had to walk across the hall from the permits office to get to the records office where thay gave me a lot of the paperwork I needed, for a fee. I would also go back to the guy that looked at your land and clarify what the 6k$ is for? Work this guy until you get the information you want, a rough bid like per sq' cost. I found once when wanting to add on to a house that I gave each contractor a rough idea of what I wanted and then had them sketch up their ideas as to how they would accomplish it. It was a good way to get ideas, learn how to NOT do things, and how I could work with the contractor/builder. In the end we found a good company with good basic ideas, and all worked out. So don't dismiss this first guy to fast. Make sure he knows your serious and have money in the bank.
When I built my shop I found a company that had some standard buildings and then modified from there. It didn't take long to get a bid package from them. Part of the package I demanded was a stamped set of drawings and an approved building permit. We worked together gathering all the paperwork. In the end the permit through them cost nothing extra above the county fees. They knew the process and what our county required so the building drawing specs were compatiable with our county.
We did not show any interior walls on the plans and after the building was finaled then the dividing walls were put in. So if your rec room is to be in the new garage consider partitioning it off at some future date. Discuss it with you builder so that plans can be made for this future room.
lg
no neat sig line
rwhite692
Well-known member
Gary S. is right...find out how your local codes work: Maximum roofline height, maximum square footage you can build (many municipalities have codes whereby a secondary structure on the property can be no larger than "X" percentage of the size of the primary structure that is already on the property)....Also, many municipalities will say that only a maximum of X percent of your total property area can be occupied by all of the combined structure footprints...
OMG! I have an awful lot of research to do... Thanks to all who have been replying.
I could very easily get carried away with all the ideas for this thing, yes to the in floor heating, 8 inch concrete, lifts, custom cabinets etc., so I am trying not to get into the interior stuff right away like type of floorings, wall coverings, cabinets / built-ins etc.
We are city address but I do not think we have all the restrictions of true city. We have plenty of land and should not have any problems with the size of the addition and restrictions. It will be an addition to behind the existing house; we have upper and lower driveways now, so the new garage will be accessible from the upper one just by extending it. No variance for new road access needed there.
Can you attach a pole building structure / prefab structure to an existing house?
The ½ bath is actually going to be added into the existing room that is the laundry area / pantry / closet & storage area. It will become a mudroom type thing acting as a pass thru from kitchen to the new playroom, then thru ‘French doors’ looking out into the first bay of the garages with maybe some sort of partial dividing wall between the first & second bay (for added display area of stuff).
I can picture it all in my head, just what I want, so I guess we need to find an architect to get it down on paper. Then we can shop around for contractors and get estimates.
A guy at work told me that if we do the architect, they will supply all drawings and stuff to get permits, and they will know all the codes and restrictions of our area. With this we will have all necessary stuff to easily get contractor & building estimates, and the plans & drawings will be ours. Also, my dad bowls with this man (70+) who is a contractor, partnered with his son, it is just the 2 of them. I have no problem with the age, age is good = experience. But, I am a little hesitant; they might be too small of an outfit to do this job. It would be a lot of sub-contracting I guess, concrete, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. They are coming out to look at our house and yard, this Sat., and take my ideas and said they would be willing to give estimate and work with us on design, all before asking for any money. I guess we will see...
I could very easily get carried away with all the ideas for this thing, yes to the in floor heating, 8 inch concrete, lifts, custom cabinets etc., so I am trying not to get into the interior stuff right away like type of floorings, wall coverings, cabinets / built-ins etc.
We are city address but I do not think we have all the restrictions of true city. We have plenty of land and should not have any problems with the size of the addition and restrictions. It will be an addition to behind the existing house; we have upper and lower driveways now, so the new garage will be accessible from the upper one just by extending it. No variance for new road access needed there.
Can you attach a pole building structure / prefab structure to an existing house?
The ½ bath is actually going to be added into the existing room that is the laundry area / pantry / closet & storage area. It will become a mudroom type thing acting as a pass thru from kitchen to the new playroom, then thru ‘French doors’ looking out into the first bay of the garages with maybe some sort of partial dividing wall between the first & second bay (for added display area of stuff).
I can picture it all in my head, just what I want, so I guess we need to find an architect to get it down on paper. Then we can shop around for contractors and get estimates.
A guy at work told me that if we do the architect, they will supply all drawings and stuff to get permits, and they will know all the codes and restrictions of our area. With this we will have all necessary stuff to easily get contractor & building estimates, and the plans & drawings will be ours. Also, my dad bowls with this man (70+) who is a contractor, partnered with his son, it is just the 2 of them. I have no problem with the age, age is good = experience. But, I am a little hesitant; they might be too small of an outfit to do this job. It would be a lot of sub-contracting I guess, concrete, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. They are coming out to look at our house and yard, this Sat., and take my ideas and said they would be willing to give estimate and work with us on design, all before asking for any money. I guess we will see...
tool whore
Banned
You definitely want to start downtown and find out all of the regs before you even think about drawing it out. I am in NC so the process may be different. Here if you live in the county you deal with them only. If you are in the city, you deal first with the county and then with the city. So it goes, you get a building permit from the co and then a zoning permit from the city. Usually counties do not require all of the height and cosmetic restrictions (see: rural) but in the city where you might have a JAN more often than not, the restrictions may be prohibitive.
So was the garage to be two story? My mind is assuming the rec room is above the new garage, or is it?
Also, everyone here are mostly DIYers. We dont hire contractors. We DIY it. Advice here will be largely to that effect. If you want to hire contractors you will need to do local research. Drive around, find some additions and knock on doors. You'll find someone. My experience has been that there is 'generally' about a 30% markup of profit. 50k would get you about 35k worth of garage.
Others may chime in but that's my .02.
Get a book on building and one on contracting. Both of you should read them and compare notes. You'll glean different ideas from each. The garage will need footers followed by block or concrete walls, followed by wood framing, trusses or rafters and then siding and then onto the interior workings. If you sub out the concrete and do the rest yourself, you can have money left over and still hire a plumber and electrician to do the licensed parts. Otherwise, I think you will be way over budget. You CAN do it yourself. It may take a bit longer but the savings will be worth it. You have to manage though. It is a process, not just an object.
Best of luck. Post some photos and a report of what you learn.
So was the garage to be two story? My mind is assuming the rec room is above the new garage, or is it?
Also, everyone here are mostly DIYers. We dont hire contractors. We DIY it. Advice here will be largely to that effect. If you want to hire contractors you will need to do local research. Drive around, find some additions and knock on doors. You'll find someone. My experience has been that there is 'generally' about a 30% markup of profit. 50k would get you about 35k worth of garage.
Others may chime in but that's my .02.
Get a book on building and one on contracting. Both of you should read them and compare notes. You'll glean different ideas from each. The garage will need footers followed by block or concrete walls, followed by wood framing, trusses or rafters and then siding and then onto the interior workings. If you sub out the concrete and do the rest yourself, you can have money left over and still hire a plumber and electrician to do the licensed parts. Otherwise, I think you will be way over budget. You CAN do it yourself. It may take a bit longer but the savings will be worth it. You have to manage though. It is a process, not just an object.
Best of luck. Post some photos and a report of what you learn.
HemiRambler
Well-known member
I've been down a similar path except that I had a very tight budget and as such had to do as much myself as possible. I would do it again in a heartbeat! I farmed out the concrete - and to be honest I could have done better than the so called PRO I hired did, but I'd still farm that part of the job out again - too much special equipment that I don't have easy access to.
First thing I did was to go down the the City and got a copy of the building codes. I could then start to draw out what I wanted - in my case since I was adding onto an existing structure I was grandfathered in for side clearance, but still had to meet the NEW setback for the rear clearance. Once you know your setbacks and other requirements you are really off and running - start to sketch out what your dream garage will look like. Even if you eventually go with an architech you can show them a good starting point. I don't know what it will cost to build in your area, but when I built my garage it cost me roughly 10K - if I would have farmed it all out it would have been 30K - according to my friends who have farmed out similar projects. For 20K savings I can endure alot of grief.
In your case you may want to approach this as being your own General Contractor - hire out the hard work & do the easy stuff yourself. At least save what you can that way. Ideally I get the "drop off the plans" and wait till it's done approach - I understand that more and more as I get older ;-(
Anyways - it can be done - do your homework no matter WHICH direction you go - it will promote intelligent decisions on your part throughout the entire process!!! Good Luck and keep us posted!!!!
First thing I did was to go down the the City and got a copy of the building codes. I could then start to draw out what I wanted - in my case since I was adding onto an existing structure I was grandfathered in for side clearance, but still had to meet the NEW setback for the rear clearance. Once you know your setbacks and other requirements you are really off and running - start to sketch out what your dream garage will look like. Even if you eventually go with an architech you can show them a good starting point. I don't know what it will cost to build in your area, but when I built my garage it cost me roughly 10K - if I would have farmed it all out it would have been 30K - according to my friends who have farmed out similar projects. For 20K savings I can endure alot of grief.
In your case you may want to approach this as being your own General Contractor - hire out the hard work & do the easy stuff yourself. At least save what you can that way. Ideally I get the "drop off the plans" and wait till it's done approach - I understand that more and more as I get older ;-(
Anyways - it can be done - do your homework no matter WHICH direction you go - it will promote intelligent decisions on your part throughout the entire process!!! Good Luck and keep us posted!!!!
Mike in Ohio
Well-known member
All good advice here. If you have a real lumber yard in your area ( not lowes or home depot) talk to them, they will know all of the contractors in your area and who is good and who is not. They will also have a rough idea of local codes, but you will need someone more expert on those than the lumber yard.
Good luck with your build.
Mike
Good luck with your build.
Mike
babzog
Well-known member
First off, if your current house is too large and you want to downsize, then do that now - find a nice 1BR house with enough land on which to do what you want to do with your $50k. This might take a year, maybe less, depending on how motivated you are (and how motivated the owner of your dream house is to sell). Ensure that building restrictions on the new house aren't too restrictive.
Once you've got that squared away, your main headache, really, is gone. Now, you've also had several months to consider what you want out of a shop/addition. Sounds like you've already got some good ideas going on, but those may evolve as you shop for a house and see different things along the way. Good advice above to stop in on folks engaging in new construction (or even renovations).
Your best bet, really, is to be your own contractor. I know it can be arduous, but really, your time is free and someone else's is very expensive. You can and probably should sub out some things like concrete, drywall mudding, roofing if you're scared of heights like me, etc. but most of it you can do yourself with advice from folks here, other forums, books, in real life, etc. Most of the info you need is right here on this site and much of the work is simply banging nails into boards. Don't be afraid to ask an expert out for an hour or so (tip him for his time) for some advice on site prep, electrical, plumbing, etc. Excavation requires some skill but you can rent the equipment from most equipment rental shops and just do it slowly yourself over a couple of days. It's fun too - playing with big toys in a big sandbox!
Consider also that it may be significantly cheaper for you to take your vacation time plus some unpaid leave than to pay someone to do the work for you - esp design work and permit aquistion. Assuming you work in the type of industry that allows that. $50k is a nice chunk of change, but it'll get eaten up fast by others before you have a spade in the ground... esp when you just tell them "make it so". It's going to be enough of a challenge as it is to get the multifunction building you want within that budget without spending it on "administrative costs".
It's a big task, for sure, but you guys are a team and can certainly do this (heck - you raised children that are presumably doing well for themselves now, by way of comparison, this is a piece of cake!). There'll be the odd catfight, but when the last of the paint has dried, you'll stand back and think "wow, we built this!"
Once you've got that squared away, your main headache, really, is gone. Now, you've also had several months to consider what you want out of a shop/addition. Sounds like you've already got some good ideas going on, but those may evolve as you shop for a house and see different things along the way. Good advice above to stop in on folks engaging in new construction (or even renovations).
Your best bet, really, is to be your own contractor. I know it can be arduous, but really, your time is free and someone else's is very expensive. You can and probably should sub out some things like concrete, drywall mudding, roofing if you're scared of heights like me, etc. but most of it you can do yourself with advice from folks here, other forums, books, in real life, etc. Most of the info you need is right here on this site and much of the work is simply banging nails into boards. Don't be afraid to ask an expert out for an hour or so (tip him for his time) for some advice on site prep, electrical, plumbing, etc. Excavation requires some skill but you can rent the equipment from most equipment rental shops and just do it slowly yourself over a couple of days. It's fun too - playing with big toys in a big sandbox!
Consider also that it may be significantly cheaper for you to take your vacation time plus some unpaid leave than to pay someone to do the work for you - esp design work and permit aquistion. Assuming you work in the type of industry that allows that. $50k is a nice chunk of change, but it'll get eaten up fast by others before you have a spade in the ground... esp when you just tell them "make it so". It's going to be enough of a challenge as it is to get the multifunction building you want within that budget without spending it on "administrative costs".
It's a big task, for sure, but you guys are a team and can certainly do this (heck - you raised children that are presumably doing well for themselves now, by way of comparison, this is a piece of cake!). There'll be the odd catfight, but when the last of the paint has dried, you'll stand back and think "wow, we built this!"
Okay, I don't live in PA. I live in Florida. But, I just put up a metal building 30x50x12. I could have done a lot myself and saved money, but I saved some time and let the manufacterer do it in under 4 weeks from the time I signed the contract. They pulled permits/called for inspections, submitted 3 copies of engineered plans, prepped site, laid slab, and built the building for way under $30k. I only have two 10x10 roll-up doors on the end but, you could put several on the side. What I am doing myself is framing and finishing a cooled/heated 20'x30' playroom/shop inside with a bathroom (shower, sink, toilet) and over the room I have some storage space. So, my building will include a 30x30 garage, a 20x30 shop/room, 20x30 storage over the room, and all total will be done for under $40k.
The company I used is a local manufacterer of the buildings, but in my research beforehand, I know there are companies that build similar up there. I spoke with some that install throughout the country. And your demensions are only limited by your imagination and needs/desires. I won't waste time recommending a company. But, you might try searching for some in your area.
The company I used is a local manufacterer of the buildings, but in my research beforehand, I know there are companies that build similar up there. I spoke with some that install throughout the country. And your demensions are only limited by your imagination and needs/desires. I won't waste time recommending a company. But, you might try searching for some in your area.