My wife and I are looking for a new house. Number one on the must have list for me is a garage. Only thing is, some of the houses that we both like don't have a garage but have room to build one. Anyone here ever build a garage? I'm not sure what the cost would be. I'm not handy enought with wood to do it myself so I would hire someone to do it for me. Something around a 20x25 idea, floor, framed and wired. I can finish off the inside myself. Maybe cost per sq.foot? Thanks.
Half the problem is geting a permit. When I bought my place it was on the market for less then a day. It's not easy but worth the effort to have a shop. It was about 16 years ago and we got a price to build my shop and it was close to $75,000.00.
Permits aren't all that hard to get if the proposed building fits within current zoning and meets all setbacks etc. Anything outside that & variances have to be obtained which is a longer process. The cost of the permits are usually based on the cost of the building and not on the cost of issuing them.(I better not get started on that..... :evil: ) For a 20X25 semi-finished building with concrete floor & enough height to properly work on stuff, expect it to cost somewhere around $20-40000 depending on several factors. Pole buildings can be a bit less, but require more work to finish inside. Other options are the prefab steel buildings which can be a few dollars per foot cheaper than wood construction.
On most city lots its the zoning and lot size that is usually the problem. A whole other problem if you want to have a separate driveway to the shop. I would contact a contractor to get a rough idea of price. If it is a make or break it deal on a home i would put the availability of a building permit as part of the purchase conditions. One thing to remember is they may say you can get a permit today but if you decide to build 2 years from now you may not be able to get it.
Just for the basic structure, If you build yourself, count on around $30-$45 per sq. ft. for a standard garage with poured concrete floor depending on quality and options (doors, windows, siding, roofing). You could do it for less if you're a good scrounger and have contacts. Double that rate if you have someone build it for you. Be very nice to the building and electrical inspectors. If I were to (when I) do it again, I would build it the following way: 20 x 40, two car bays with seperate doors, one with a pit (if possible - not allowed in some areas), side and rear exit doors as would be useful, several openable windows. 4' of extra height for storage. 200 amp electrical service and a huge number of outlets and lights as well as high current and high voltage recepticals. Full hot and cold plumbing including a 3 peice washroom (shower, basin and toilet), laundry (washing machine at least) and a big basin for cleaning large items. Gas heater and full insulation. External wash bay (concrete pad).
