Detached Garage/pole barn

[BrewerFan]

I've been going back and forth with this. I have a small garage. It's supposed to be 2 cars, but...you know how that is.

I've been looking around from building a traditional garage to going with a company like Morton to ALL these other brands that are pre-fabricated and my head is spinning.

Looking for one that's ~34x26. I'd like to be able to put a boat in there, a truck and then have enough room for a little office/work space. 

I've seen some like "big buildings direct," who offer what appear to be a good price, but they don't handle anything but just delivery and putting it up. No electric, no plumbing, insulation...you have to pay extra for the better insulation and then for the garage doors.

I know I could hire a contractor to build a traditional wood garage. That's quite a bit more expensive. I've also read that the metal structures are better, particularly for Wisconsin. Less issues with rot or termites. The quote I got on that was 20K for the materials alone(actually over). I'd have people i know and help building it for me, but I'm still gonna end up ~20 over what I'd like to be at after everything else I have to add. 

That's not accounting for all the permitting and dealing with all of that. I'd also need to remove a tree and have it graded before(which is the easiest part of it as my neighbor has a company that does just that. 

So, just curious if anyone has gone with one of these prefabricated companies in Southeast Wisconsin or even from out of state who contract through people in SE Wisconsin? Who they went with, what their experience was, good or bad. I'm trying to keep my expenses down(obviously). I can't help but think about how every dollar I spend is really 4-8 dollars in when I'm looking to retire(conservatively) but that's also not a healthy way to live. 

 

IF you built one at a good, reasonable price, please tell me who you went with, what you'd do differently and what you're happy with that you choose to add on. 

[Samurai Bucky]

I built a detached garage around 30 years ago.  It was in West Allis.  We removed the old one, had the concrete taken out and repoured.  

I used to work for a construction / carpentry company for a few years and had a good relationship with the owner.  I had asked if he could help out (and bring his tools).  He was OK with that.  When he showed up, he asked where I got the materials.  I said from Menards as a kit.

"Menards? Are you kidding me?"

Mind you, we built houses in more of the upscale communities on the north side and up to Sheboygan, so our typical lumber came from Cedarburg Lumber or Neu's.

With that said, though, I drive by the garage today (we moved out 25 years ago), and it looks just like it did when we built it.  I had help roughing it in and then my wife and I put up the shingles, facia, soffit, gutters, one window, and siding.

After that long story, I guess I'm saying not to be afraid to look at what Menards has to offer.  The lumber was a little more crowned than the Cedarburg / Neu's stuff, but it is still standing today 🙂

 

[BrewerFan]

22 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

I built a detached garage around 30 years ago.  It was in West Allis.  We removed the old one, had the concrete taken out and repoured.  

I used to work for a construction / carpentry company for a few years and had a good relationship with the owner.  I had asked if he could help out (and bring his tools).  He was OK with that.  When he showed up, he asked where I got the materials.  I said from Menards as a kit.

"Menards? Are you kidding me?"

Mind you, we built houses in more of the upscale communities on the north side and up to Sheboygan, so our typical lumber came from Cedarburg Lumber or Neu's.

With that said, though, I drive by the garage today (we moved out 25 years ago), and it looks just like it did when we built it.  I had help roughing it in and then my wife and I put up the shingles, facia, soffit, gutters, one window, and siding.

After that long story, I guess I'm saying not to be afraid to look at what Menards has to offer.  The lumber was a little more crowned than the Cedarburg / Neu's stuff, but it is still standing today 🙂

 

That's sorta the direction I'm thinking about going. The one I'm looking at comes with a lifetime warranty for structural issues, 30 year on the siding(and a couple others). I can put in the concrete(or rather have a friend help me). Put some drainage in, put in the foam insulation. It's just a place to keep the snow and stuff off my cars and stuff, I'm not going to be spending hours a day out there working on things. 

It's kinda funny...when I suggested doing something other than these crazy, all-out, heated floors(though I do think I'll get the Hydronic Radiant Heat floors as those are surprisingly cost-effective and cheaper than I thought) and a bathroom out there and a loft with living space(basically a small house) my friend who's a contractor acts like you might as well just throw up a lean-to! 

 

I appreciate the advice. I hadn't even looked at Menards. I'm just gonna go one step at a time. Take the trees down, then have it graded and concrete poured...and then maybe I'll do it this fall or just see where I'm at-at this point. 

[Samurai Bucky]

16 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

That's sorta the direction I'm thinking about going. The one I'm looking at comes with a lifetime warranty for structural issues, 30 year on the siding(and a couple others). I can put in the concrete(or rather have a friend help me). Put some drainage in, put in the foam insulation. It's just a place to keep the snow and stuff off my cars and stuff, I'm not going to be spending hours a day out there working on things. 

It's kinda funny...when I suggested doing something other than these crazy, all-out, heated floors(though I do think I'll get the Hydronic Radiant Heat floors as those are surprisingly cost-effective and cheaper than I thought) and a bathroom out there and a loft with living space(basically a small house) my friend who's a contractor acts like you might as well just throw up a lean-to! 

I appreciate the advice. I hadn't even looked at Menards. I'm just gonna go one step at a time. Take the trees down, then have it graded and concrete poured...and then maybe I'll do it this fall or just see where I'm at-at this point. 

Hey -- that sounds very, very cool!  Perhaps some watch parties for BrewerFantatics?  😉

Yeah... with what you mentioned, Menard's probably wouldn't be the way to go.  Have fun!

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Menards buys lesser quality lumber than the lumberyards get. If one is doing a smaller project where you go yourself to pick out each piece Menards is a good place to go. If one is blindly having a quantity delivered to your house I would probably choose the lumberyard.

[BrewerFan]

3 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

Hey -- that sounds very, very cool!  Perhaps some watch parties for BrewerFantatics?  😉

Yeah... with what you mentioned, Menard's probably wouldn't be the way to go.  Have fun!

LOL...no, I'm saying I'm NOT going to have the giant 40x40 structure with the living space. It's insane. It's just a friend who doesn't do anything halfway, it's his idea. not mine! And while he'll give me a discount, it's like getting a discount on a Ferrari. Yeah, I'd get a deal, but a deal on a Ferrari is still expensive as hell! It DOES sound pretty cool, but so does lots of stuff! 

And Menards actually have those hydroponic radiating floors as part of their kid. I looked into Menards(which never crossed my mind before that) and they had some good options. I thought it'd be thousands of dollars, but it's not. And the cost on your electrical bill is less than a space heater(from what I can tell). 

I'm going to an open house for Morton and Bigbuildingsdirect.com. See if they're cheap or not. I want to see how they're made and how they feel in December. Again, just need to protect my stuff from the elements. 

[BrewerFan]

1 hour ago, BrewersSuperCollector said:

Menards buys lesser quality lumber than the lumberyards get. If one is doing a smaller project where you go yourself to pick out each piece Menards is a good place to go. If one is blindly having a quantity delivered to your house I would probably choose the lumberyard.

Ok...that's good to know.

Do you have any thoughts on the pre-fabricated buildings? Like American Garage? Anything like that? Morton?