Overview
Not long after finishing off the room over our attached garage, we realized that storage was going to be a problem. We have an attic, but it is only accessible with a pull down ladder. This makes it difficult to get large or heavy items up there like furniture, etc. Additionally, our garage is quite small, and with the landing to get into the house, there isn’t enough room for the cars *and* my stuff.
This spring, we decided we wanted to build a detached garage with a storage room that I can use as a workshop and get all of the junk out of the attached garage so that we can actually use it for the cars. Initially we thought we wanted a 16′ x 24′. Here is a rendition of what it would look like.
After spending some time sketching it up, we concluded that we wanted something a little bigger and settled on a 20′ x 30′ garage based on where we wanted to put it and the trees we wanted to keep.
We started to look for a general contractor to do the work since there were some other projects that we wanted to work on. We ended up getting 4 different bids that ranged from $36,000 to $43,000. Eeks! That was way outside what I thought it should cost. Feeling very frustrated, I started to spec out what it would take to build it myself. I worked as a framer one summer while I was in school and didn’t feel that this was outside my ability. The plan was to hire someone to do the foundation work and I would do the rest.
During this, I collected the names of a bunch of subcontractors for various pieces (footing, masonry, framing, roofing, etc.) and decided to make some calls. After talking with Paul (a framer), I felt that just acting as the general contractor would keep me busy enough.
As things stand now, I’m acting as the general contractor. Below are the various phases of the project. I will update as this project progresses.
Building Permit
At this point, I needed to spin up on the current codes for our county. Their website had a lot of good information and anything that was missing, they were more than willing to talk to me about it and answer any questions. I submitted my plans on August 10th. I had to make one small correction and received approval on August 17th.
Tree and Stump Removal
There were a number of trees in the backyard where we wanted to build the garage. Also, we had a small shed that we need to move out of the way. I hired Chris to take down all the trees and haul it all away. If it was just a couple of small to medium trees, I would have done it myself, but one was a huge forked tree that hung over the shed and I didn’t feel comfortable tackling that one myself.
After the trees were down, I rented a backhoe to remove the stumps. My brother-in-law Howie, hooked me up with a good rate on a full size backhoe, and my friend Les (he used to work as an excavator) and my Dad came over and helped dig the stumps out and move the shed.
While I was at it, I used the backhoe to move the bushes that were around the shed. A bit overkill but fun.
I then set up batter boards for marking the exact placement of the stakes for the footing.
Footing
Dan came out and dug and poured the footing on August 7. Normally an engineer is used to inspect the footing prior to pouring the concrete. However, Dan said he would wait for the county inspector to come out so I could save the engineering fees. The inspector was very cooperative and came out shortly after Dan was done digging. The only problem we ran into was Dan estimated 8 1/2 yards of concrete and came up half a yard short so we had to wait another hour for a second truck.
Foundation Walls
The foundation walls were pretty straight forward and were completed in one day.
Backfill
Once the foundation walls were complete, we had to go back and fill in before pouring the slab. We rented a compactor and Les brought his tractor over one afternoon to spread the first 20 tons of #57s (crushed rock). We’d spread a couple of inches, then run the compactor. We quickly realized that it wasn’t enough and I ordered another 17 tons. Unfortunately Les was busy on the weekend and we had to move the remaining 17 tons by hand. We recruited a bunch of family for this effort. Fortunately Ben was able to bring his 4 wheeler which has an attached blade on it. That worked extremely well for grading the dirt around the outside of the foundation but struggled with moving the rock. Still, it saved a bunch of time and effort since it was still quicker than with just shovels.
Slab
With the fill done, Jimmy’s concrete crew was able to come in and pour and smooth the slab in about half a day. Boy does it look good. They are coming back this week to seal it.
Framing
In order to avoid lumber price increases in September, they delivered the framing materials on Aug 31. Paul and his team started framing the following Friday. The framing was finished on October 1st and it passed the veneer inspection the next day. One note, Randy (the lumber yard rep) gave me the house wrap and the flashing that was left over from a sponsored project. This saved me about $200.
Roof
While we were waiting on the stairs, etc., the roofers came out and put down the shingles, so the roof is now done. We had to switch to a ridge vent from the originally planned gable vents because there really wasn’t much room for the gable vents.
Overhead Doors
On October 3rd, the overhead doors were installed. They consisted of a 16′ x 8′ door, a specially cut 6′ x 7′ door and the opener for the larger door.
Siding
Earl and his team came in and finished the siding in a day and a half. It looks great!
Electrical
I’ve been talking with Doug (a master electrician), the county, my dad (he’s an EE that does industrial work) and the electrical supply shop. I basically have a plan in place. The service will be a 100A/240V sub panel off the main panel. While I have the trench dug for the subpanel lines, I’m also going to run a line for the generator so that the generator can be back by the garage. This will tie into the main panel with a main breaker interlock.
The electrical rough is complete. All the lines have been pulled, the sub-panel wired, and most of the outlets installed.
Finish work
In addition to all the necessary inspections, etc. the finishing work consists of insulating, installing pegboard on the first floor, hand rail for the stairs (required by code), painting the side door and trim to match the house, and a couple of trucks of fill dirt for the back yard. So far, one truck load of dirt has been brought in and the driveway has been repaved to blend in the garage.
Budget vs Actual Cost
Below is a table showing what we budgeted versus the actual cost for each phase. In some cases there were things that I had missed or underestimated, in others we made changes that increased the final cost.
| Description | Estimate | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Removal1 | $900 | $1,400.00 |
| County Permit2 | $250 | $440.72 |
| Backhoe Rental3 | $385 | - |
| Footing (labor & materials) | $1,650 | $1,563.85 |
| Foundation (labor & materials)4 | $4,040 | $6,500.00 |
| Slab (labor & materials)5 | $1,500 | $2,452.30 |
| Framing (labor & materials)6 | $9,915 | $8,438.66 |
| Roof (labor & materials)7 | $1,213 | $1353.00 |
| Overhead Doors | $1,934 | $1,934.00 |
| Siding (labor & materials) | $3,460 | $3,210.19 |
| Electrical (labor & materials) | $350 | - |
| Misc (pegboard, insulation, etc) | $1,000 | - |
| TOTAL | $26,597 | $28,075.42 |
- added a couple of extra trees
- estimate didn’t include electrical permit or levys
- unplanned expense
- extra block, brick required, didn’t include mortar, etc.
- estimate didn’t include fill material or compactor rental
- used pvc to frame the overhead doors which was more expensive
- added ridge vent
Hall of Fame
Although I took on contracting this project myself, I have received a huge amount of help.
- Martinah
- Billy
- Martin
- Les
- Dad
- Mom
- Howie
- Howard
- Ben
- Brian
- Bradley
- Adam
- Jon
- Steve
- Gary and crew
- Dan
- Phillip and crew
- Jimmy and crew
- Eddie
- Paul and crew
- Randy
- Todd
- Crystal
- Doug and Earl
- Earl (different one)
September 1st, 2007 at 11:16 am
I just had a 24×24 detached garage built, with removal of 6 large trees as well. Excavation, concrete foundation and 4″ floor and a concrete apron, framing, all vinyl siding and trim work plus 2 Anderson windows. Framing here for a detached garage is 24″ on center, and 1/2 wall sheathing and 5/8 ” roofing sheathing. It has a 7×16 door and a steel 9 light side door. Without electric, the total cost was 18.5K, the only work I did myself was electrical.
January 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am
[...] been a while since I provided an update on the garage. That doesn’t mean things have been idle, although they haven’t been moving as fast as [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Great blog. Thanks–I’m thinking of tackling a detached garage also. The pictures were a big help.
Couple questions regarding the costs:
1. Were there any contributing factors that caused your total concrete work (footings, foundation & slab) to be 10.5k? I am hoping to be able to get away with 20×30 for 5-7k…am I being optimistic?
2.Framing materials also seemed high…did your roof choice/bonus room upstairs play into this?
Thanks,
Tim
June 27th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Tim,
There were a couple of things that added to the cost of the foundation and slab.
First, there was a *big* stump that had to be removed right where the foundation wall was supposed to be. This required a bit more concrete than anticipated. Second, due to the slope of the property, the foundation is about three feet tall in the back. That, plus we used a more expensive brick face to match the house, caused the foundation costs to be higher.
The framing materials were a bit higher because I went with 16″ on center walls instead of 24″ and went with a stick built roof instead of trusses and went with I-joists for the second story instead of a beam. Also, lumber prices in this area have been outrageous.
But to give you a rough comparison, all the quotes I received which didn’t include electrical, upgraded brick, and didn’t include a stick built roof ran $36k to $45k, with the $36k quote coming from someone (that I found out later) cuts a lot of corners. So while I don’t think I got a steal on this, I think the price was reasonable for all the extras I did to it.
Bill
June 28th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Bill,
Thanks for the detailed reply–really valuable information for me as I also have a similar grade to my yard, and I want to build on 16″ centers as well. I’m still in what I’d call the ‘thinking about it’ phase. Came from a 1.5 car garage for my woodshop in MI to a 12×12 SHED when I moved to NC, and it’s a brutal adjustment. But it looks like you’ve got yourself an excellent building and I will probably refer back to this again as I start to go through and plan exactly what I want.
Thanks again,
Tim
July 12th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
What size wire did you run from the house to the garage? The garage looks great… would you act as your own gc again?
July 13th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I ran 4 lines of #6 copper THHN in 2in PVC from the garage to the crawlspace under the house. From there I switched in a PVC box to 3+1 #6 NM to the main panel since I couldn’t easily get conduit to the main panel. The code in my county required that the PVC be buried 18 inches to the top of the PVC.
As far as acting as my own GC, I would do it again. I benefited from the fact that the builder who did my house is a friend of mine and helped me out by giving me names to subcontractors with good reputations. I think that saved me from losing some hair.
One note: I ended up going with a 60A service instead of a 100A service as mentioned above.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Thanks for the information…I am in the process of remodeling our detached garage. As a result of this, I am updating the electrical portion. I like your electrical layout and because the pictures are so clear with detail,it seems like a fairly straightfoward job to tackle as a homewoner. Even though I have done electrical work in my home over the course of 5 years, some projects require some additional input. That said, I am wondering if you could list the supplies(i.e. breaker box– it looks like a 100 amp siemens) that you used and the connnections you made(i.e. main panel). Any info would be greatly apreciated…
on another note, do you still happen to have the manufactuer of the brick and the color species?
Thanks again,
Tom
July 24th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Bill,
Great site, very resourceful with our hopeful similar project. Thank you! Question, on the plans - I see a 2×4 shoe plate, on top of the subfloor, that the rafters attach to. Why did you use this method?
Thanks,
Brian
July 29th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Tom, the panel is a Siemens 100Amp box tied to a 60 Amp breaker in the main panel. Since I have only 5 garage circuits, I wasn’t required to have a main shutoff in the subpanel. I’ll have to look up the info on the brick and get back to you. It was the same that the builder used on the main house. It’s called a turned brick and the look is supposed to give it a more aged appearance.
Brian, I pulled that detail out of a garage plans book. I can’t recall if the framer actually put it (I’m out of town right now). The bigger issue is what will your inspector require.
August 1st, 2008 at 11:05 am
Thanks Bill. If you have a second sometime, please check out the framing and what is the name of the garage plans book?
Thanks,
Brian
October 6th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Bill,
Thanks for the awesome blog of this project. I am planning on building a 36X24 garage next year and am in the planning phases right now. It is going to be a 2 car garage with an enclosed workshop. Unfortunately I can only go up to 15′ MAX due to code and location in my yard but that will be big enough. Thanks for all the great pictures as I will be returning for ideas.
Joe