DIY Garage?

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Hey everyone,

Not sure if this should be in the tools section.

Today I've been thinking about the cost and what-it-takes to build a personal one car garage. I've searched online and found a few kits as well as tips and tricks on building one for under $5,000. Long story short, I may be able to get into buying a starter-home for me and my family, but the current house we are considering doesn't have a garage. The house resides in a non-HOA neighborhood, which I really like, so there is possibility to add a garage in the backyard.

Any advice or viable material i.e. websites, books, journals, that has helped you or someone you know build one?
 
Assuming you want a slab, that'll be where most of your money goes.

If you are going to stay at the house a while, make it as big as you can afford. You outgrow them quick.
 
Make sure your garage adds to the overall value of your home. People use a garage for many things. Sometimes for a car. A garage is not mandatory for working on your car. In areas of the country where most houses do not have basements, people use a garage for storage. Man cave?
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Assuming you want a slab, that'll be where most of your money goes.

If you are going to stay at the house a while, make it as big as you can afford. You outgrow them quick.


Yeah, I'd like to have the equivalent of a double wide garage. I already fill up a large storage unit with most of my garage stuff; need room to stash all the QS oil I bought too LOL
 
I've seen really nice prefab ones for good prices and you don't need a slab.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Make sure your garage adds to the overall value of your home. People use a garage for many things. Sometimes for a car. A garage is not mandatory for working on your car. In areas of the country where most houses do not have basements, people use a garage for storage. Man cave?


Primarily for car work. Currently, a home for my 300ZX. It's been neglected since I moved away from the rental house that had a garage. I keep it running and driving though, so I can move a car in and out to do repair work. My girlfriend already knows the value of having a viable workspace, as her dad does a lot of side work to help pay the bills and keep the fridge stocked.
 
Originally Posted By: Dumc87
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Assuming you want a slab, that'll be where most of your money goes.

If you are going to stay at the house a while, make it as big as you can afford. You outgrow them quick.


Yeah, I'd like to have the equivalent of a double wide garage. I already fill up a large storage unit with most of my garage stuff; need room to stash all the QS oil I bought too LOL


Giving it an upper loft would be nice too then assuming it won't look odd next to your home. That shouldn't add too much of a cost either.
 
I bought a house three years ago, and having no garage is my single biggest regret with this house. I am exploring the garage building process, and I don't like it. My only advice is to buy a house that already has one.
 
You're going to kick yourself if you spend the money to build one and you don't go for something bigger than a 1-car.
 
Every garage or storage garage I have ever built, I wish I had built it bigger.

I use a back corner of my current garage as a man cave. It has windows on both sides of the corner, a tv in the corner above the workbench, a long workbench on each side of the corner, and a recliner for naps & tv watching with a dog.

Each of us guys needs a place to get away from everyone.

A heater is always good as are fans in the summer.
 
Originally Posted By: Dumc87
The house resides in a non-HOA neighborhood, which I really like, so there is possibility to add a garage in the backyard.


Check your locality's zoning authority. You may have setback requirements. The place where you want the garage may have a drain field or well, or, be required to be green for drainage purposes. There are lots of reasons a permit might be denied. Get it in writing first, before buying.
 
If your walls are 20x20 you get 400 sq feet. If you stretch them another 5 feet you get 625, more than 50% more.

I have a 24x26, a "2.5 car" garage. Naturally there are shelves on every wall which shrink the size in somewhat. I can barely fit my F150 in there.

My FIL designed it-- he's a carpenter and I'm a schmuck. But we used roofing trusses. Built the walls then laid the trusses upside down and flipped them around, nailed them in place, then quickly tossed plywood on top to stabilize it. It takes a couple/ few people for that step in the process.

He went on to get one of those 1-car tents with the exhaust pipe tubing at his house. Built a slightly raised deck out of PT 2x6 for the floor.

Hop on garagejournal.com for some architectural inspiration.

10 years back my slab was $6k and my construction was $6k.

Do you have any sort of building codes you have to meet, snow load, standards for appearance?
 
If you can do all or most of the work yourself 5K is more of a budget than you need. I built my 20x20 workshop, with some help from my wife for just over 7 grand. That's everything including power, lights, insulation, drywall, workbenches, cabinets and some rental equipment.

 
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A detached garage was my #1 criterion when on my home search. I bought a house with a 600 square foot garage; my garage has a larger footprint than the house does.

Exactly 1 year later, I've outgrown it. In the spring I'm thinking of either building a lean-to on the back of it that I could park stuff in or putting up a harbor freight garage (
Friend of mine just put up a metal building garage thing. Had a nice slab poured, epoxied it. I might go that route when it's time for a new garage here.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
make it as big as you can afford. You outgrow them quick.


SOUND advice!

Bigger also = more resale value later on.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
make it as big as you can afford. You outgrow them quick.


+1000

The other comment about a loft is an excellent idea as well

When we first moved into our house in ‘95, parked the minivan on the garage. Now? Have to juggle things around just the make room for snow blower when it comes out of the shed.

The amount of [censored] accumulated over the years is mind-blowing
 
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