Watch me build a detached garage

I won't sit and bore you on the reasons I am doing this, I think everyone here would add more garage space if possible.

Feel free to ask prying questions about my thought process, and why I am doing things a certain way, I welcome the input. As much as I think I have thought this through, fresh eyes always offer insight.

Basics:

We have a 1 acre lot, the size we built it just about maxes out the city allowance of outbuilding lot coverage, they include the covered patio in square foot measurement.

The bays of the garage are offset due to an easement that runs through the property.

I'll be glad to tell you about any costs involved, but labor and material vary widely across the country, so my experience may not be yours. I am contracting it myself, and am getting some discounts (not much) on stuff since I am a contractor.

The 2 outer bays are 10' walls, the middle bay is 12' walls, hopefully for a lift in the future.

Basic layout:

Floorplan:

Start. We had a little building in the back, this is coming down.

Stripped and ready:

My skid steer guy came by and pulled it down for me.

Cut the old up mostly with a sawzall and wrecking bar, mostly gone:

Pouring a footing:

Pouring a floor. I chose 6" floor, with no re-bar. I know that no re-bar will send some people over the edge, that's OK.

Framing starting:

Shingles going on:

Shingles coming off next day in 60MPH gusts:

That basically brings me to date. Wiring is going on, and getting ready to set windows and get it weatherproofed next this week.

At least it was only shingles coming off. I have a neighbor that was building his own horse barn years ago. Got it framed and put a roof on it (no wall sheathing as I can recall). A freak wind gust crushed the entire thing. We're talking a building about 42' x 100'. Had to start all over again.

As a car guy, congrats on the big new garage

As a concrete guy, booooooooo on no rebar

jimgood said:

At least it was only shingles coming off. I have a neighbor that was building his own horse barn years ago. Got it framed and put a roof on it (no wall sheathing as I can recall). A freak wind gust crushed the entire thing. We're talking a building about 42' x 100'. Had to start all over again.

That happens more than you think, framing doesn't look like it would catch a lot of wind but it can. 

So much for the pool house.... Is the pool gone too? 

MyMiatas said:

So much for the pool house.... Is the pool gone too? 

As much as the pool is a PITA, it stays. The original little building was just a glorified garden shed, where I kept the mowers and yard stuff.

NoviceClass said:

MyMiatas said:

So much for the pool house.... Is the pool gone too? 

As much as the pool is a PITA, it stays. The original little building was just a glorified garden shed, where I kept the mowers and yard stuff.

Looks like it had a cool lil bar top too. Bummer you had to lose that!  :) garage is looking sweet!

I did a similar build after we bought a new/old (1927) place a few years back. The existing dilapidated double garage needed to come down. So we had our architect design a new garage that blended with the style of the existing house.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/27357414@N02/albums/72157662148350842

I have no problem with a floor with no rebar. Depends on base. I would have liked to see wire.  Did you put fiber in it?

SV reX said:

I have no problem with a floor with no rebar. Depends on base. I would have liked to see wire.  Did you put fiber in it?

Ended up with about 6" sand base with the 6" on concrete on top. We did order fiber in the mix, and sprayed curing compound on it after the finish work.

dougie said:

I did a similar build after we bought a new/old (1927) place a few years back. The existing dilapidated double garage needed to come down. So we had our architect design a new garage that blended with the style of the existing house.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/27357414@N02/albums/72157662148350842

That looks really nice. The house, cars, and garage all just go together; The Trail 70 seems to be a slight oddball, just a different vintage I guess.

Polished concrete? Would love to have that.

NoviceClass said:

dougie said:

I did a similar build after we bought a new/old (1927) place a few years back. The existing dilapidated double garage needed to come down. So we had our architect design a new garage that blended with the style of the existing house.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/27357414@N02/albums/72157662148350842

That looks really nice. The house, cars, and garage all just go together; The Trail 70 seems to be a slight oddball, just a different vintage I guess.

 

Polished concrete? Would love to have that.

 

Agreed. All of it is beautiful!

NoviceClass said:

SV reX said:

I have no problem with a floor with no rebar. Depends on base. I would have liked to see wire.  Did you put fiber in it?

Ended up with about 6" sand base with the 6" on concrete on top. We did order fiber in the mix, and sprayed curing compound on it after the finish work.

 

Nothing wrong with that. 
 

Curious... What's your budget for this?  Looks spendy. 

SV reX said:

Nothing wrong with that. 
 

Curious... What's your budget for this?  Looks spendy. 

You want to know what I told my wife it cost, or what it really cost?  Kidding of course.

I had initially thought it would be at about 50k.

Needless to say, not all things have matched the budget, some positive some negative. For instance lumber went way down from my initial budget, just due to the way the construction fell into the schedule. I underestimated concrete & labor for the footing/floor because I changed to a footing and stem instead of a monolithic floor. And there are always some incidentals that wind up costing more than you thought.

In the end I hope it will all come in under 60k once I get the driveway extended to make it accessible. Even then, that may be optimistic on my part, and there will still be moving some fencing and irrigation lines to contend with, that may not be done until next Fall, and cost more money.

In reply to NoviceClass :

So about $60k......what did you tell the wife?

Datsun310Guy said:

In reply to NoviceClass :

So about $60k......what did you tell the wife?

$4500 give or take $90

In reply to NoviceClass :

Wow. You got a gullible one there. She's a keeper! 

NoviceClass said:

Datsun310Guy said:

In reply to NoviceClass :

So about $60k......what did you tell the wife?

$4500 give or take $90

Lol

It's gonna be a beautiful building. Just not sure I could spend that for less than 1000 SF. 
 

I'm cheap. 

How much of the work did you do yourself? I'm planning a similar shop build, though probably only 2-car.

SV reX said:

It's gonna be a beautiful building. Just not sure I could spend that for less than 1000 SF. 
 

I'm cheap. 

I too, wish it was less expensive to build.

But lots of fixed costs. It has to have engineered lumber, it has to have doors, and according to my HOA, it has to have brick to match the house.

maschinenbau said:

How much of the work did you do yourself? I'm planning a similar shop build, though probably only 2-car.

We've done what we can do date, as it gets further along, there is more I will be able to do. As with most people, time is difficult to find, and my wife has a pretty firm deadline of getting this done before the weather gets "backyard warm" so I have to weigh what I am able to do, with how much time it would take me.

My brother in law lives just around the corner, and he has plans for using it on occasion, so he has helped.

I did the vast majority of the demo for the old building, and working on clean up, and odds & ends as they come up. I rented a trencher for the gas line, and dug that, stained the soffit plywood for the covered patio.

We have gotten a bit done since first post, not as much as I had hoped.

There was a natural gas line that ran under the the building location, there was no way the city would allow a building to sit on top of it. We capped it off, and had originally intended to just run it around the building, and tie back in to other side. I asked my plumber, if we could just run it through the building, so I could has gas for a heater, he affirmed that we could. That's when I rented the trencher, and went around the building, and the plumber will tee off that and run gas to the building.

The electrical work is done, except bonding to the gas line, which of course can't be done until the plumber finishes.

The framers were out and got the rest of the windows framed in and installed, got the building wrap on, installed the T-111 siding that we got and stained for the covered patio ceiling, and Lowes brought out the patio door for the building. Hope to get that installed this weekend.

That's crazy. Where are you gonna put the hot tub? 

It's the slow time where we wait on inspections.

Had sheetrock delivered, but getting it installed was waiting for inspections.

Gas line inspection was rejected first time out, inspector wanted some areas dug out a bit deeper. I was measuring 18" to bottom of trench, he was measuring 18" from top of pipe. Also, someone, I'm not mentioning any names, hit the greywater septic lines when digging the trench...in 3 places. That required even more hand digging and futzing around to get those repaired and squared away. And of course, it filled up with water every time I turned my head, and had to be pumped out. Got the gas line inspection approved last week.

Finally got our electric inspection Monday, it had been called in for 8 business days before the inspector was able to get over here.

Construction is crazy right now, some trades are calling looking for work, some trades are swamped, and you're lucky to get a call back. Our electric inspectors seem to get overwhelmed the most, and have delays getting out.

As soon as the electric inspection passed, I called in for framing inspection. All other trades must be inspected before final framing inspection can be scheduled. Called that in Monday, he made it out today, and gave us the OK to proceed.

Since we got electric inspection, the power company was by today to take a quick look around, and get the new service line run for the garage, it will have it's own electric meter. He estimated about 10 days out.

Just a couple of things for me. First I decided to run air lines in the walls and ceiling, I hate tripping over cords and air lines. Got a Maxline kit from Rapidair, and hope to have it installed this weekend.

Also intend to  internet, speaker wire, and cable to the building from the house, so have to run wires from attached garage out to the building. I got wire rated for direct burial, but since it is running through the flower bed in the backyard, I want it protected in some kind of PVC/conduit to keep it from getting butchered up.

Hopefully insulation, and brick masons nest week.