Thinking about a garage....

Connie has been beating up on me about getting a garage, so I'm thinking about looking into one. Trying to get a feel for cost and some "gotchas" to keep in mind, so figured I would ask any of you who had a garage built for some input.

I'm thinking of a 3 or 4 door garage, nothing real fancy, just something to put the vehicles inside. Have the two vettes under a detached carport now and both have covers on them. But we don't drive either of them very much, so I have to pop the hood every now and again and chase out any critters trying to make a home there.

I'm thinking about planning ahead a little and getting the ceiling high enough to install a lift sometime in the future. Not sure how robust I would need to make the cement pad to be able to handle such a thing.

Also not sure if a concrete block or metal building would be the better way to go with this. Obviously I want it to be sturdy in case a hurricane does happen to take a bead on us.

Will need some electricity for lights and such, as well as a sink just to wash my hand with. Certainly an A/C unit would be advisable so I could work in there without sweating to death in the summer months. Leaving the doors open to catch a breeze during a mosquito population bloom is out of the question.

The land where the garage will go will need to be cleared of trees before the pad can be put down, so that will be an additional step (expense). Our land is heavily wooded, so trees are definitely going to have to come out.

I'm hoping to get this done by the end of the year if I'm going to do it at all. I don't have a feel for the cost at all, so this might just wind up too expensive to even consider. Plus I had been hoping to get a built motor and new clutch for the C5Z as well as have it painted this year, but I can't afford to do both of them. But maybe getting a garage BEFORE getting the car painted would be a smart idea any way... :shrug01:

So, any thoughts out of you all?

Our garage is/was part of the house. If I had the option (read that enough property) to build a separate one, I'd probably look into the manufactured steel buildings you hear so much about. It may be more cost effective and sure as hell would be strong:thumbsup:

I did a steel building, well because I'm sort of a redneck, and I live on an acre where it sits in the back and isn't an eyesore. It's 25 x 40 with a 12' peak. It's tall enough that I have a 4 post car lift. I have about $10,000 invested in it but I did everything myself but the erection of the building. Also this was built around 2000. Here's picture from the outside and one from the inside. Oh yea, I'm kinda messy in there.

raidmagic said:

I did a steel building, well because I'm sort of a redneck, and I live on an acre where it sits in the back and isn't an eyesore. It's 25 x 40 with a 12' peak. It's tall enough that I have a 4 post car lift. I have about $10,000 invested in it but I did everything myself but the erection of the building. Also this was built around 2000. Here's picture from the outside and one from the inside. Oh yea, I'm kinda messy in there.

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Cool steel building:thumbsup:What would a building like that cost? I have alittle over 3 acres .

In 2000 when I had it put on the property it was $5766 installed. That was just the building and install cost. I did all the concrete, electric, doors, etc.

The prices I have been getting, which include the building complete, concrete pad, and erection are hitting around the $35K mark. Doesn't include land clearing, electrical, plumbing, taxes or permits. So we're probaby talking in the $50K range when all is said and done.

Man, I dunno. With the economy reeling like it is doing, I'm thinking keeping that $50K handy might be a wiser thing for me to do right now.... A garage really isn't something you can liquidate if you need the money back out of it...

Rich Z said:

The prices I have been getting, which include the building complete, concrete pad, and erection are hitting around the $35K mark. Doesn't include land clearing, electrical, plumbing, taxes or permits. So we're probaby talking in the $50K range when all is said and done.

Man, I dunno. With the economy reeling like it is doing, I'm thinking keeping that $50K handy might be a wiser thing for me to do right now.... A garage really isn't something you can liquidate if you need the money back out of it...

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That $35K seems about right. I had a carport and it was a pain keeping the car clean. Eventhough I cover it, I always had lots of sand under the cover. I live about four blocks from the ocean. It cost me $35K for the entire garage build but had to spend another $5K to take down a massive tree that was in the way. This was done 1 1/2 yrs ago.

Yeah, I have covers on the vettes under the carport as well. Never had any sand underneath of them though. Scorpions, yes, but no sand....

I always break out the leaf blower and blow off the cover before taking it off of the car. This helps to keep grit from getting on the inside when I roll it up off of the car.

I may get a slab poured for the carport, though. It's sand underneath so if I drop a microfiber towel, it's basically history.

Next time I get this sort of an idea, I'm going to go to a contractor instead of talking to the metal building manufacturers. I just couldn't get a real good feel for the final bottom line talking to them. All they want to do is to sell me the building and be done with it.

I guess I could go ahead and have that area cleared and put the slab down. Kind of do it piecemeal, having the garage then constructed on the slab when I am ready for it. :shrug01:

Rich Z said:

Yeah, I have covers on the vettes under the carport as well. Never had any sand underneath of them though. Scorpions, yes, but no sand....

I always break out the leaf blower and blow off the cover before taking it off of the car. This helps to keep grit from getting on the inside when I roll it up off of the car.

I may get a slab poured for the carport, though. It's sand underneath so if I drop a microfiber towel, it's basically history.

Next time I get this sort of an idea, I'm going to go to a contractor instead of talking to the metal building manufacturers. I just couldn't get a real good feel for the final bottom line talking to them. All they want to do is to sell me the building and be done with it.

I guess I could go ahead and have that area cleared and put the slab down. Kind of do it piecemeal, having the garage then constructed on the slab when I am ready for it. :shrug01:

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Where is Crawfordville? I have a buddy that is a contractor and he will travel. If you want to talk to him I'll pm you his number. You can even get him to price it out differently, just concrete, concrete and electric whatever.

raidmagic said:

Where is Crawfordville? I have a buddy that is a contractor and he will travel. If you want to talk to him I'll pm you his number. You can even get him to price it out differently, just concrete, concrete and electric whatever.

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Crawfordville is about 20 minutes south of Tallahassee. I've been pricing metal buildings, since I thought that might be the best way to go about it. But heck, maybe not....... :shrug01: I've got a 42x20 foot concrete building for my animals that was built around 17 years ago and cost me somewhere near $30K back then. The size of the garage I've been getting prices on is 50x30 inside dimensions with 12 foot ceiling and two 16 foot wide doors.

Kind of like this........

Rich Z said:

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Now that's a garage. :dancer01:

Well, I might need to put this back on the front burner. Took my C5Z to Chris yesterday to get some minor things done, and while I was there, I asked him to look into my fuel pressure gauge not working. Yeah, some rodent had chewed through the wire. Guess I need to get a rodent proof garage built to keep this sort of crap from happening again......

We had some vehicles get torn up several years ago. Cost us a lot of money getting them rewired to fix the damage. Plus the generator outside got hit as well. Been putting out poison, but it's only a matter of time before they learn to avoid that stuff.

Rich Z said:

Crawfordville is about 20 minutes south of Tallahassee. I've been pricing metal buildings, since I thought that might be the best way to go about it. But heck, maybe not....... :shrug01: I've got a 42x20 foot concrete building for my animals that was built around 17 years ago and cost me somewhere near $30K back then. The size of the garage I've been getting prices on is 50x30 inside dimensions with 12 foot ceiling and two 16 foot wide doors.

Kind of like this........

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Hey Rich, just a thought. In another thread you said you were planning on selling the business. Maybe a conversion of the 42 X 20 might be an idea and cost would have to be way better then the clearing, permits, ET. AL. Might take a little longer to achieve but..........

Kap142 said:

Hey Rich, just a thought. In another thread you said you were planning on selling the business. Maybe a conversion of the 42 X 20 might be an idea and cost would have to be way better then the clearing, permits, ET. AL. Might take a little longer to achieve but..........

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Yeah, I've been eyeballing the building with that in mind, but it's made out of concrete block, so it would be probably more expensive trying to cut in garage doors and re-arrange interior walls than to just build a metal building from scratch. And the generator I have would have to be relocated. Plus 20 foot is really not deep enough to park Connie's truck. Then there is the matter of my work room, and tons of crap that would have to go SOMEWHERE... I don't think Connie would go for a milling machine sitting in the living room... Wish it would work, but it sure doesn't seem so.....

Rich Z said:

Well, I might need to put this back on the front burner. Took my C5Z to Chris yesterday to get some minor things done, and while I was there, I asked him to look into my fuel pressure gauge not working. Yeah, some rodent had chewed through the wire. Guess I need to get a rodent proof garage built to keep this sort of crap from happening again......

We had some vehicles get torn up several years ago. Cost us a lot of money getting them rewired to fix the damage. Plus the generator outside got hit as well. Been putting out poison, but it's only a matter of time before they learn to avoid that stuff.

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That's what happens when you live in the stix....:yesnod:

85vette said:

That's what happens when you live in the stix....:yesnod:

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Yeah, no doubt. This country living isn't all it's cracked up to be. Nature can be downright unfriendly at times.

i just had a 25x50X14 insulated steel building put in. i had it built for a lift. all you have to do is pick your lift and when they are doing the layout for the pad, give the crew the specs on the lift and have them dig that area slightly deeper (6" will be plenty). with a very wide driveway, building, slab,electrical, 36" exhaust fan, two remote controlled 10x10 roll up doors, one side steel door, two windows, and a 9000lbs two post lift installed. i have about $45,000 invested. best money i have spent at the house.:crazy03: the building is rated at 140 mph.

I don't think I'm going to worry about getting a lift. For the few things I may think I may need it for, with Xtreme moving into Tallahassee sometime and being much closer than being out in Blountstown, it will just be easier to take the cars to Chris and ask him to do the stuff needed. So that will mean a building that is not as tall as first projected.

A friend of mine with a tractor offered to help with the land clearing. Just need to mark off the area. Which is surprisingly tough to do since we've put in plants just about everywhere. Not sure some of those will be able to survive being dug up and transplanted now. I just need to measure everything off to see what I need to put in four vehicles comfortably, so I can put them in and be able to open the doors without worrying about banging into everything. Hope I can get by substantially cheaper than $45K though, or that will torpedo my getting a new Z06.

Shouldn't be all that tough, though. Here's the stages needed as far as I can figure.

• Design garage
  1. Four single car doors, or two wider two car doors(?)
  2. One walk in door
  3. No windows (for security)
• Get permit
• Clear and prepare land
• Figure out where to put water line for hose
• Get someone to pour the slab
  1. Underneath garage
  2. 16 to 20 ft in front of garage and extending into carport to the side.
• Purchase building and have it delivered and erected on the slab
• Get electricians to run electrical
  1. Lights
  2. Electrical outlets
  3. Exhaust fan(s)
• Figure out everything that I wish I had thought of beforehand...

Problem is that this time of year is just tough to spread myself out on something else going on. These things rarely go smoothly (at least for me), and I'm already just a hair's breadth from a nervous breakdown when July rolls around.

Well, we'll see, I guess.

Awright, Rich. If ya got some time go see what I've done:http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/garage-depot/91740-motorhead-lounge-started.html

But no drooling on the floor - it's not done yet! Maybe I can answer some questions/comments/etc after April 15th as I'm a little busy now...:crazy03:

Sorry, but that link doesn't work for me........... :shrug01: