"Formal" Project Plan for Garage/Workshop?

I was thinking of having a garage/workshop built this spring or summer. I was thinking a separated 24x24 structure - nothing elaborate. The Chief Financial Office (LOML) of the house is going to need some details for this. I'm not particularly handy when it comes to general carpentry/electrical/roofing/plumbing, etc. but I AM pretty familiar with developing and using project plans for estimating and costing.

Has anyone ever developed or used a "formal" project plans for this? How many folks and how long does it take to get the framing and roofing done? How about electrical and plumbing? I'll be able to estimate the cost of materials when I finish the design but I need to get some quotes for the other work.

I know I should try and do the work myself but I know enough not to tackle such a daunting task on my own. It would never get done.

Thanks for any suggestions....Chuck

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Originally Posted by Chuck Darney

I was thinking of having a garage/workshop built this spring or summer. I was thinking a separated 24x24 structure - nothing elaborate.

How many folks and how long does it take to get the framing and roofing done? How about electrical and plumbing? I know I should try and do the work myself but I know enough not to tackle such a daunting task on my own. It would never get done.

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Anywhere from several days to several years depending on whether those folks know what they're doing. You could always farm out the framing and roofing and do the siding. Or farm out the all three and once the building is closed in do the interior at your leisure.

Do as much as you're comfortable doing, it's good to know your limitations as you mentioned but don't underestimate what you can do either.
For instance, you could have an electrical panel brought to the shop and do the inside wiring yourself. It's not especially difficult. But if you're starting fresh you should do a lot of planning;dust collection, ventilation, tool placement, etc. I'd do a lot of reading right here.

Here's a good place to start http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=102833

A non attached structure that is of that size is a great place to get started learning framing. A good crew of 4 could frame that in a couple days tops, maybe less. There isn't anything inherently difficult in framing but it is labor intensive, especially when raising walls and setting trusses.

Same for electrical and plumbing if you have running water. Neither are that hard.

I took rough plans to a plumbing company and an electrician and got rough in quotes when I was building. Originally I had planned on having the plumbing contracted out but do to some delays in other areas I ended up doing it myself.

Joe

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Originally Posted by Chuck Darney

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Has anyone ever developed or used a "formal" project plans for this? How many folks and how long does it take to get the framing and roofing done? How about electrical and plumbing? I'll be able to estimate the cost of materials when I finish the design but I need to get some quotes for the other work.

I know I should try and do the work myself but I know enough not to tackle such a daunting task on my own. It would never get done.

Thanks for any suggestions....Chuck

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Chuck, I just finished having a shop/garage building built on my home site. There are many variables to such a plan. To start, prices for materials and labor differ greatly by location. For example, here in Southern California concrete slabs cost around $10/ sq. ft. Elsewhere they may differ substantially. A general contractor in your area could give you a close estimate for your construction costs. If you are going to contract out the electrical, an electrician can give you an estimate. The same goes for plumbing. I discovered that the difference in some of my plumbing estimates for the same exact work was amazing. This cost of your building can vary greatly just within your area depending on who you have do the work. Sometimes when it comes to having work like this done it's not just what you know, but also who you know. If you or someone you know knows the "right" people you can save a lot of money. If not, it may cost you.

Don't feel bad about not doing the construction yourself. I'm with you when it comes to construction work. When I was planning my shop my feeling was that I'm a woodworker not a framer, drywall installer, electrician, plumber etc.( I did paint the interior though and I'm definitely not a painter). I simply wouldn't know where to start or what to do to construct a building and at my age learning to do it wasn't even a consideration. If I had to build my shop it would have never gotten off the ground literally.:eek:

Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.

First step would be to see what the local codes are. Sometimes, you need to submit an architect's plan for the building (or obtain a pre-done plan that includes an architect's stamp).

I have family members who have done basically the same project but the different locations they live in treated the project completely differently. My brother in the Bay Area of California had to have plans approved by the city, and could not include water or sewer in the building without it being subject to a set of more stringent codes. If he had wanted to include a sink and drain, it would have fallen under the same codes as a house, with all the inspections, etc. that requires. A cousin in the mid-west just had to pay a few dollars for a permit, but didn't have to pass any inspections, etc.

Frank brings up a great point. Local codes can be very limiting and demanding or they may very open. My shop ended up having to be plumbed for a fire sprinkler system as required by our local fire department, so water for the building was a requirement. The plans required were not anything that I would have been capable of drawing and they had to be signed off by both a licensed architect and structural engineer. It's amazing how different regulations can be even within a small area. A contractor friend told me last week that If I was trying to build my shop/garage in the adjacent city I would still be in the planning stage. There just a simple building can take two years to get final plan approval. That's one reason that I suggested that you consult a local general contractor. A good one will have all the answers to your questions and should even have some plans for you to select from. It may cost you some money up front, but could save you money in the end.

You might want to hit up your local building center or BORG and find out what a garage package in the size you want will cost. Also, I will assume that you will need a foundation of some sort. Go to the local cement/ block place and ask who they would recommend and get a price for those materials . I think around here you can get a 24x24 garage kit with 2x4 walls complete for around$ 3,000-5,000 depending on the quality of the materials not including foundation. Better roofing, more money. Better siding, more money. 1 garage door less money than 2 garage doors.

Thanks all for some great suggestions. I haven't look into building permits but assume I will need to do so for the size.

I may end up going the route of having one (or more) building contractors quote the job but was avoiding that for the cost of estimation. A couple of contractors I've talked to want the quote fee up front with the fee subtracted from the project if they're hired. That was the reason I wanted to get an idea of how many/how long. It might be possible to "piece" out the work and I'd need to way to compare the costs to a contractor.

I definitely plan to use this as a learning experience. I might not be able to frame and roof this project but I bet I'll be able to do the next.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

I don't know about a formal project plan, but there is a good article in FineWoodWorking #195 titled "Smart Garage Workshop, From the Ground Up" by Michael Teague. It chronicles his 1-year project to build a stand-along 2-car garage sized workshop.

Here is a link to the article on their site. You probably need a membership to read it:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=29812

Danny has point out a great article. It was helpful to me as I started planning my shop/garage project. It, however, is a little dated and is specific to his area.

As for contractors requiring a fee to quote the project the trick is to get them to give you a ballpark estimate for two car garage with a finished interior and go from there. I had several who gave me estimates and they were all very close. All I told them was that I needed a a "ballpark" figure so that I could plan out my financing and the actual size of the building I wanted before I made any actual commitment, which was true. With the current downturn in the building industry you should be able to find some contractors who will do this for you.

Hiring contractors to build your shop is like hiring the neighbor kid to go skiing for you...

Doing your own framing is a great excuse to buy a bunch of new tools with the money you'll save. It's not hard. Go for it!

Sorry, I don't have anything to offer in response to the original post...I didn't write anything down other than the minimal plans required to get a building permit. No budget, either--I'd just go to Lowes once at the beginning of the weekend and work until the stuff was all gone. Then repeat. Hauled an entire building's worth of lumber on the roof of my wife's subaru.

Whatever you end up doing, good luck!

Look for a company that specializes in detached garages. That is usually the cheapest, and quickest way to get it done. If at all possible, plan for radiant hot water in the floor. This is one thing than when I redo part of my slab will definitely be included. I have a friend who added to their shop, and did the hot water in the floor in the new section. Wow is the only word to describe it.