contractor or D.I.Y.

[grumpyvette]

Ive been contacting all the local guys that have GARAGES similar to what I want built, one factor seems to keep poping up!
those guys that contracted the whole job out payed a whole lot more than the guys that pulled thier own permits and sub contracted each stage of the project and schedualed thier own inspections.
I know that CONTRACTORS need to make a living too, and I dont have a problem with them making 15%-25% on the project that will cost $50,000 -PLUS but I priced materials and have researched labor rates and it seems they all want to make 100% profit on the job,I.E. if the parts and labor will cost $40,000 they want $80,000 for the complete garage , is this normal or am I just running into the wrong contractors??????

[JonM]

I see you are retired...so you must have the time...I also see you are an engineer...so you must have something on the ball upstairs...Become your own general contractor...You will save a bundle and probably have some fun doing it. Its not that difficult. Their are many good books on the market you could read...and your local building department will help you also.

[invinceablevett]

A garage is not like a home therefore less pressure to get it done on time.I would contract it myself and like Jonm said you would probably enjoy it.

[Piet]

Grumpy... If you have the time, Become your own General Contractor.
(Unless you have a REALLY good relationship with a GC already)
From my experience, not only will you do it cheaper, but a little higher quality as well.

Get a book from the library... it can explain it all...
An average garage is a very small project to most GC's so they tend to spend less time supervising. I did mine myself... very happy.

[Subfixer]

I had the plans for my garage and showed them to 4 different contractors. I got 4 different prices ranging from $28K to $38K. Garage is 24X32 with 11 ft ceiling. The wife & I Built it ourselves after subbing out the concrete work. Total cost $13K.

[boomer]

I agree with the other guys, going to be cheaper to do it yourself. I garage is pretty simple, shouldn't be that hard, especially if you have lots of time.

Good luck,
Oliver

[grumpyvette]

this thread was started years ago,the shops been built up and operational now several years. but I get questions frequently about my shop that I built and what it cost to build and how long it took etc.
people seem to think its both cheap and fast to get a garage built and it can be in some areas, but you need to do the research before jumping into this with both feet blind and you need to realize a shop on the property WILL cause your property taxes to increase
around here just the bare as you described 20x22 ft garage costs about $25K-$28K
site prep THATS REQUIRED BY BUILDING CODES and the PERMITS, land surveys soil tests inspections etc add at least $6k
so I don,t think the quotes youll get if you call 5-6 contractors for bids are all that far off, keep in mind theres usually a great deal of things NOT covered in quotes like site prep, permits, blueprints, inspections, electrical work, ETC.
ask LOTS of questions because you can,t pass inspections without knowing the local building rules, and yes everythings expensive and you can figure on a 50%-70% cost over run on total cost if you FAIL to ask detailed questions of fail to specify EVERY DETAIL ABOUT THE BUILD, I got quotes ranging from about $90K-$240K on my 36FT deep 75 ft long x 16 ft tall shop , the higher quotes were with everything detailed, including extra strength roof trusses, 50 year roof, 4000psi 8' slab 200 amp electrical fans, lights outlets, and everything electrical in conduit using 10 ga minimum wire etc. and a shop bath with toilet and shower and separate septic and drain field , prices skyrocket once you specify GOOD QUALITY WORK with MANDATORY use of the best materials

DON,T JUST GLANCE OVER, BUT READ THRU THE LINK AND SUB LINKED INFO, even if some info doesn,t apply to you it helps you have a better understanding of whats involved


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