[handyman_plus]

Hello everyone, after spending 30 years in manufacturing for the defense industry I am now looking to my hobby for employment, and possibly the internet.

Can someone tell me what a low, mid and high construction rate per square foot would be for building a 21x20 extension onto an existing garage. Slap is in place, blocks will be laid on the slap to bring the seal plane up to the existion, build and raise walls on three sides, two door, 1 with a 54" opening and the other a 96" opening. 5/12 pitch roof, decking covered with 15lb felt., T1-11 ext siding on all three sides to include gable stripped out and covered. Eaves finished with fascia boards and soffit. A local company will build and deliver roof trusses. No modifications to the back wall, which joins the new and existing buildings. Location is south central Arkansas. Thanks

 

[ddawg16]

Asking prices here does not work well. Too many variables.....don't be surprised if you get some not so nice answers....

With that said....welcome to DIYChatroom....a great place for info....

If I may suggest....go check out the GarageJournal....it's a web site only about garages.....the above question has been discussed many times there....

But this place is your best source for answers to more technical issues....

 

[12penny]

Labor+Materials+Overhead+Profit=Price

Only you know what these numbers are.
School of hard knocks will be your best teacher. :thumbsup:

 

[oh'mike]

Your post was confusing to me---are you hoping to go into the garage building business?

Or are you trying to get a ball park Idea on the cost of adding on to your garage?

If an add on----you need to make calls to local builders----a free standing garage is simple enough for an experienced builder to estimate------

However, additions are one of a kind--so pricing depends on how much work will be involved if matching up the old to the new----

 

[12penny]

If I read correctly, he's going into business and wants to
know how much to charge.

If I'm wrong, my bad. Maybe he'll come back and offer up
more info.

 

[oh'mike]

If I read correctly, he's going into business and wants to
know how much to charge.

If I'm wrong, my bad. Maybe he'll come back and offer up
more info.

I sure found the post confusing-----if y0u are going to be writing contracts--you better have a 'scope of work' written with exactly what you will be doing--and what you will not----confusion leads to going broke in a hurry.:whistling2:

 

[joecaption]

You mean it's even possible to make a profit building stuff!
So that's what I'm doing wrong.

 

[TarheelTerp]

I sure found the post confusing---

It sounds like he has a pretty good idea of what he wants done for *this* garage but it's really too specific to see the Q's being about garages in general.

We often tell people to "make up a spec" and "have some drawings" and " have your job bid apples to apples"... my suspicion is that most of what passes for "builders" (or HVAC installers or twenty other categories) don't like plans and specs let alone customers who have them in advance and don't react well when they see their usual profit making change order business being cut off at the pass.

Can someone tell me what a low, mid and high construction rate per square foot would be for building a 21x20 extension onto an existing garage... because when I ask locally all I'm getting is either dumb looks, crazy high numbers from the contractors I've talked to so far... or just no calls back at all.

 

[12penny]

Wow! Profit making change order business!

I for one, unless the job is small, won't bid a project
without first having an accurate drawing and a
very specific list of specifications.

I find change orders a pain in the [email protected]@ because it
usually means I have to take something apart that
I just put together and it flushes a well thought out
schedule right down the crapper.

 

[TarheelTerp]

Wow! Profit making change order business!
I for one... I find change orders a pain in the [email protected]@...

Yeah.

Of course none of this applies to anyone reading this because as we all know everyone who posts in the forums is the cream of the crop in their industry and would never even consider running their business that way nor do they know of anyone who does.

 

[12penny]

Sarcasm?

 

[brockmiera]

I work with contractors all over the United States and we can build Pre Engineered Steel garages for $20-24 / sq ft for slab, foundation, materials, doors, windows, insulation, labor. Doesn't include electrical, plumbing, hvac, grading.

Now the locale changes things slightly. Metro DC is higher, Bluefield, WV a little lower.

 

[Nailbags]

Hello everyone, after spending 30 years in manufacturing for the defense industry I am now looking to my hobby for employment, and possibly the internet.

Can someone tell me what a low, mid and high construction rate per square foot would be for building a 21x20 extension onto an existing garage. Slap is in place, blocks will be laid on the slap to bring the seal plane up to the existion, build and raise walls on three sides, two door, 1 with a 54" opening and the other a 96" opening. 5/12 pitch roof, decking covered with 15lb felt., T1-11 ext siding on all three sides to include gable stripped out and covered. Eaves finished with fascia boards and soffit. A local company will build and deliver roof trusses. No modifications to the back wall, which joins the new and existing buildings. Location is south central Arkansas. Thanks

Please contact local contractors in your area. doing this on line has so many veritables it is not even funny. I would charge you if you want to know 50 dollars per sq foot.

 

[oh'mike]

Please contact local contractors in your area. doing this on line has so many veritables it is not even funny. I would charge you if you want to know 50 dollars per sq foot.

Does that include your travel and lodgings?:laughing:

 

[handyman_plus]

Replies.

Thanks for everyone's reply, even those that were not much help. I definitely may have made it confusing "a little" because I wasn't clear in that I was only looking for labor rate. The job is only a few miles from my house. The materials cost from two local supply yards is $1589 and $1812.00, plus the $1000 for trusses bring material to $2800 and a labor bid of . I thought this site was a site where you could come to find help but maybe I was wrong. I haven't spent a lot of time in forums, or anytime really. I am unemployed after working 30 years in the aerospace industry. I have a good retirement income in place just need to make it 7 more years. I love carpentry and was looking to maybe bridge the gap doing this. Yes, I have a lot of things to catch up on but am not brand new to the arena. I built the 2200 sq ft house I have lived in the last 26 years. The only thing I contracted out was the HVAC, laying of the rock, the slab pouring and finishing, sheet rock, and the foundation and blocks. I did the rest with help of family and friends. I am turning in a bid that equates to about $21 a sq ft. Those of you that gave a real answer, I appreciate it, and those that just posted see you're local contractor, well I wouldn't of posted if that was what I wanted to do.

 

[TarheelTerp]

Thanks for everyone's reply, even those that were not much help.
sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiipppp
I am turning in a bid that equates to about $21 a sq ft.

Good luck in your future contracting enterprises.

There are forums geared around helping contractors.
http://www.contractortalk.com/index.php

 

[cleveman]

There is a company which advertises a two car garage for $9000 including a reinforced concrete slab.

I'm not sure what a two car garage is, or a reinforced slab.

I would be happy to build a 24x24 garage with a 4" slab resting on a 1x1 perimeter with standard roof & walls, overhead door, entry door, one window, etc. for that price. And I could build them day in and day out.

It works out to $9000/576 is less than $16.

 

[Gymschu]

Easy there, Handyman. You will get plenty of help here. You have to let your question marinate a bit and let everyone sort out what you are asking. One thing that is frowned upon here is asking how to price things no matter if you're doing work yourself or doing it as a contractor. There's just no way to answer labor pricing questions for you unless someone lives close to you and can give possible ballpark figures on labor in YOUR AREA. What works in Arkansas may be twice the going rate of a Midwestern city. No one is intentionally being rude, it's just these questions are asked over and over and over on here and they are impossible to answer.

 

[cleveman]

Handyman,

This may be a nice way for you or anyone to supplement their income.

You just need to take a standard sized garage, say a 24x24, and build it on paper with standard features:

4" concrete slab on 1'x1' perimeter with 1/2" rebar in the perimeter

Anchor bolts/straps as per code requirement

Holes up through concrete as necessary for water, gas, electric, telephone

PT bottom plate on sill sealer and fir studs 16" OC

8' sidewalls sheathed with 1/2" osb

housewrap

vinyl siding

2' soffit with aluminum soffit panels, aluminum fascia cover, gutters

hip roof with ceiling joists every 2'

entry door

vinyl 4x4 slider window

16x7 overhead door, insulated, steel on both sides

overhead door operator

subpanel for electricity. Run one 12-3 cable, 220V

12 electrical outlets, 9 lites

1/2" osb roof sheathing, 30 lbs roof paper, steel gutter apron, roof vents

30-35 year arch shingles

Then you can expand upon this. For example:

Finished ceiling

Finished walls

more electricity coming out

water coming out

gas line coming out

insulated walls and ceiling

mechanics pit

built in cabinets

Now, figure out how to build it cheaper:

Gable roof

7/16" sheathing

cheaper shingles

no window

no electricity

cheap overhead door

You'll want to be careful with this part, because it is a bad road to follow.

Next, figure out how long it takes to build the basic garage:

Grade out pad

form up perimeter, dig down for 1'x1' perimeter, add rock base, plastic

place concrete

framing walls and roof, sheathing

shingle roof, install soffit and fascia

siding

gutter and downspouts

install overhead door and operator

everything else-electrical, insulation, wall/ceiling finish.

I think if you get the basic building down to 10 days of work for a solo worker, you'll be doing alright. You'll need help with the concrete and that should be it. I guess the automatic transits will allow you to set grade alone.

Hope this helps. If you get $10,000 for a garage and have $5 in the materials, that will give you $500/day for your 10 days of labor. Obviously, the big operators have a crew of 3 or 4 knocking these out in 4 days and they pay 3 guys $8/hr and one guy $12/hr.