Garage & Workshop Tips & Ideas for the garage or workshop. No Truck Tech Discussion   

Idea's on the cheapest way to build a Garage??

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 02-24-2007, 10:12 AM
RapidRuss's Avatar
RapidRuss
RapidRuss is offline
FE "Freakin Expensive"

Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Posts: 6,461
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Exclamation Idea's on the cheapest way to build a Garage??

I have been going thru this for a couple of years now..and havent became real seriuos about it until now...

I have seen alot of those Metal shops in the Rod Mags...and have thought about one? But man that metal gets awful cold in the Virginia winters and just smokin hot in the summer...

I would like something along the lines of 30' wide and about 36' to 40' deep?

Any suggestions? On cost and pics would be nice too!

Thanks Guys,

Russ- RSRacing.....
 
  #2  
Old 02-24-2007, 10:25 AM
dffay's Avatar
dffay
dffay is offline
Elder User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 531
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Try a construction salvage company and see if they are contracted to tearing out some site. You may be able to get a building and transport it and reassemble it at your place. They are in the buy/sell business for scrap value.
 
  #3  
Old 02-24-2007, 10:30 AM
tewferford's Avatar
tewferford
tewferford is offline
Post Fiend
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Where's my map???
Posts: 7,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Alot of local lumber yards. Have kits that you can order. Everything is precut and labeled. You can also tweak the orig. specs. They come with everything you need. Right down to the last nail. Worth a look.
 
  #4  
Old 02-24-2007, 10:41 AM
mudmaker's Avatar
mudmaker
mudmaker is offline
Posting Guru
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Windsor, Colorado
Posts: 2,498
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
I have found the cheapest way build is pole style, unless you intend to finish out the inside (insulate and wall covering). If you are going to ever plan on finishing out the inside then pour a mono slab and stick frame with 2x6.

The stick frame method is much better than pole as far as life of the building. I am hopefully going to be building my shop this coming fall.
 
  #5  
Old 02-24-2007, 06:20 PM
RapidRuss's Avatar
RapidRuss
RapidRuss is offline
FE "Freakin Expensive"

Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Posts: 6,461
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Those are all real good idea's...I have looked at 84 Lumber, and there price's arent bad for a Kit.. But I thought I could do better than $8500 for a 22x25'

I havent looked into the Salvage thing tho..Sounds interesting? I'll have to do some research on that one..

And the pole barn is a cheap way to go...But heating one in the winter...LOL.. would run me out of house and home...LOL...

I may just have too slab something this year..and save for a building next year..the wife wants me to remodel the house..and I keep telling her I have nowhere to put my tools to make and cut what I need..I have it all in the basement ..and it only has a 5'6" roof down there...I think Pigmies built this old shack 100 years ago...So with me being 6' I dont have any head room.. Hey the wife is only 5'3"...maybe she should do all the building and cutting..and I can just install...??? Nawwww!! LOL

Russ
 
  #6  
Old 02-24-2007, 06:43 PM
arctic y block's Avatar
arctic y block
arctic y block is offline
Post Fiend
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Island Southeast Alaska
Posts: 14,325
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 5 Posts
Russ I used a chain saw mill and built mine. From trees off the place. Wood stove and an old carpet on pulleys for the door and I can paint in there in the winter with no insulation. Takes a lot a fire wood. But got that too.
 
  #7  
Old 02-24-2007, 09:55 PM
helifixer's Avatar
helifixer
helifixer is offline
Lead Driver
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chino Valley, Arizona
Posts: 9,271
Received 3,652 Likes on 1,126 Posts
www.steelbuilding.com is by far the cheapes I have found just price it with the insulation package. I will be ordering my 30 X 50 X 16 as soon as my house remodel is done.
 
  #8  
Old 02-24-2007, 11:22 PM
thefarelaneman's Avatar
thefarelaneman
thefarelaneman is offline
Posting Guru
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: charlotte nc
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I plan to build a car shead for 3 cars and also want to build it cheap. Right now Im thinking of using wooden fence sections for the walls, mounted on 4/4s every 8 feet with a dormer style roof of OCB covered with tar paper or roll roofing or metal. The section above the fence panels will be filled in with wooden lattice.It will have no floor other than some gravel . I think I can build it for around 1000 bucks . It will be 24wide and 16 deep
 

Last edited by thefarelaneman; 02-24-2007 at 11:24 PM.
  #9  
Old 02-25-2007, 08:54 AM
acheda's Avatar
acheda
acheda is offline
Elder User
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 909
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I am a metal worker by preference, but I built a wooden (stick-built, 2x8 walls, wood truss roof) building because of my desire to have strong insulation. I know Maryland has wimpy winters and summers compared to some of your locations, but I can bring the temperature up about 5 degrees per hour with my propane heater in winter and cool it in the summer, running a dehumidifier 24/7 and an A/C only about 8 hours per day.

If you have a steel building, you almost have to build a wooden building inside it to do serious insulation. I have 7.5 inches of fiberglass and another inch of rigid foam in both walls & ceiling. The walls & roof are sheathed with galvaized steel.

If I had to go cheap, I would do the pole-barn with some non-load bearing studs to hang the insulation and interior/exterior sheathing. One thing I could have done better would be to have a plastic vapor barrier with sealed joints to make humidity countrol easier. Plastic is cheap, but it needs to be installed before the sheathing. (Remember it needs to be on the outside of the insulation.)
 
  #10  
Old 02-25-2007, 10:26 AM
GLR's Avatar
GLR
GLR is offline
FTE Legend
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: NY and VA
Posts: 49,383
Received 845 Likes on 764 Posts
Hey Russ, a guy near you (Redwood) had a 30 x 40 metal on a slab put up for $22,000 which is more than I can swing. We ought to have a g2g and go over ideas. I've been looking at one down here also. I would stay away from those package deals. Tried to put up a 24 x32 (from 84) for a friend a few years ago, we ended up sending it back and designed our own. George
 
  #11  
Old 02-25-2007, 12:09 PM
tewferford's Avatar
tewferford
tewferford is offline
Post Fiend
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Where's my map???
Posts: 7,269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hey! How about a national G2G. Everyone has to bring a piece of lumber and a nail.
Wadda ya think? Good idea right?
 
  #12  
Old 02-25-2007, 12:28 PM
bigredtruckmi's Avatar
bigredtruckmi
bigredtruckmi is offline
Lead Driver
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Huntington Indiana
Posts: 8,095
Received 218 Likes on 50 Posts
We built our shop 10 years ago for 22K. It is 30X40 with 14' clearance. We also have a 20' overhead door for large equipment. We also installed a chain fall for lifting engines ,etc.
 
  #13  
Old 02-25-2007, 12:35 PM
Ford_Six's Avatar
Ford_Six
Ford_Six is offline
Hotshot
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: The Big, Oregon
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 0
Received 19 Likes on 15 Posts
I wouldn't skimp on a building that will be protecting your tools and vehicles.
I am in the process of opening up a 4x4 shop, and have been looking at steel buildings for a bit. My first thought was to go with a mil surplus quonset hut, but you have to get an absolutely huge one to have lifts in it, and then it's too big to be economical.
I am now going with a 40x60x14 steel building, most likely on a 4' footer, with doors in the ends to drive straight through. 14' square side-roll doors with an overhead trolley system, etc. I am now trying to find a place that's somewhat out of town, but has 3ph power. I may have to run a generator for that........
 
  #14  
Old 02-25-2007, 12:41 PM
tjc transport's Avatar
tjc transport
tjc transport is offline
i ain't rite
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
Posts: 60,942
Received 3,090 Likes on 2,154 Posts
i did a 24X26 pole barn style 6 tears ago for $14,000 and change .
the clopay door with opener was $2,600, the concrete for the 6 inch thick slab was $2,300 the 36 inches of stone for the driveway was $900, and the 5 inches of asphalt was $1,200.
the 27 prefab trusses were $120 each, for a total of $3,240, leaving around $3,800 for plywood, shingles, vinyl siding, 16 foot 6X6 poles, 2X10's for the dual cap rails and bottom rail, and 2X4's for nailer's.
i have not insulated it yet, cause i have found that unless it is below 0º out, the kero space heater only takes about 20 minutes to get it to 60º, and then it only comes on for about 5 minutes every half hour or so.
 
  #15  
Old 02-25-2007, 01:59 PM
RexB's Avatar
RexB
RexB is offline
Posting Guru
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,692
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
For $14,500 eight years ago an outfit here built a 32'x42'x14' pole barn double-trussed, posts four feet in concrete, with 2" R-7 insulation lining, three 10'x12' doors, one man-door, one insulated window.

The 5" pour of fiber-concrete cost another $1200, I screed, floated and burned it in.

Bought a 4"x6" I-beam and hung it from the double-trusses, engineer rated for more than the 3-ton hoist.

The Insulation keeps the condensation from "raining" inside like the other metal roofs around here. Rust! Either the wood stove, or the two 5KW heaters, easily keep it at 60F when it's 25F outside, a good temperature to work in.

Ya' can't go wrong by spending a few more dollars RapidRuss, even though it hurts. And it does

Shop 32'x42'x14'
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97...0ZcarMower.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97...1K_31JUL04.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97...00x__24MAY.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y97..._Shop_800x.jpg
 

Last edited by RexB; 02-25-2007 at 02:01 PM.


Quick Reply: Idea's on the cheapest way to build a Garage??



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:27 AM.