Sources for building your own garage?

I'm going to build a 16'x21' (or so) garage to work on my cars. Can anyone recommend a source for blueprints or garage kits? The local builders around Austin don't want to mess with "small" projects like this.

All I want is a barn-type structure with plenty of open space inside.

thanks in advance.

I'm going to build a 16'x21' (or so) garage to work on my cars. Can anyone recommend a source for blueprints or garage kits? The local builders around Austin don't want to mess with "small" projects like this.

All I want is a barn-type structure with plenty of open space inside.

thanks in advance.

I wish you lived closer. I draw plans for a living and I could supply you with plans, but am not familiar with the codes in Texas. I suppose I could still draw a set for you and get a local guy to check them out to see if they are within regulations. If you want to send me an idea of what you want in the form of a sketch, I could lay out something. John

keiser31@charter.net

Sounds like you want a pole barn. The easiest and cheapest way to get what you want. Farmers build their own all the time. There are also quonset hut kits you can buy.

Try your local lumber yard, truss factory or sheet iron mill. They can usually generate computerized plans for things like that.

Thanks for the quick responses. keister, as long as I build the garage on wood skids, the city considers them as portable buildings. It don't need a permit for the building. I've done this earlier with a slightly smaller garage and there were no problems. One of the benefits of moving from California to Texas.

Many lumber yards including the big box stores have free or very low cost stock plans complete with a material take off list in the hope you will buy the supplies from them. Many will modify the stock plan to your dimensions but it's easy enough to change the dimensions yourself as long as you don't go overboard. .................Bob

Depending on how far north you are in Texas, a trip to Menard's might work for you.

http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/carports-shelters/garages/c-9891.htm

There are several steel building kits on ebay. Some include assembly and Delivery in the price.

I will tell you one thing. That sounds like an awful small garage. 24 by 24 is really small when you put two cars in it. A good idea to determine the size of the garage you want is to go see how much space you want to work around the car you are going to put in it, then add more space just in case. It's cheaper to make it a little bigger from the start than to try to add a little when it's done.

16' X 21" is plenty big enough to work on one car, as long as you don't clutter it up with work benches, tools and a jack, a couple of jack stands, a bench grinder, drill press, trash can, broom, torches, cabinetts, shelvs and the most importen, a beer depository (and recycle container).

Get the point?

You may try looking for a ready made unit that can just be dropped on your site. around here there are many small builders who make small garages and sheds for under the price of buying material and constructing it yourself. They also come in a range of sizes and like you said , most do not require building permits. Trouble is no matter what size you pick, it's never big enough!

I built the traditional classic with a guy I hired to help 27 years ago and it's still stands. It is 24'x 32' and has storage upstairs or you can change it for an indoor lift. The 84 lumber yard sold me the full plans for FIVE Dollars

and all the lumber and parts to build it except the garage doors for Five Thousand. I used three garage doors instead of two. I'm sure the lumber must be many times more now. The plans list all the lumber needed so that you can buy it locally. http://www.84lumber.com/Homeowners/Garages.aspx

To expand the size by a few feet will not be overly expensive and will make a major difference ! Mine is 16 x 22 and it is just too small. Wayne

Ask my brother. 24 by 24 one work bench across the back and an inside stairway with barely enough room to walk around either car. That's before you put the rest of your tools in there.

Ideal shop size would be 50 by 60 to start and 60 foot long is probably way to short. That way you could pull cars in and park them down the side so they are possible to get out down the open center bay.

Useless shop size if you have more than one car is 20 by 40 foot print. With one bay. I have a 40 by 40 foot shop with a wall down the center that gives me 2 bays this size. Terrible for more than one car in each bay unless you have doors on both ends.

All the advice above is good. Some lumber companies will provide a garage "kit" that you can build yourself, but such buildings are pretty easy to build and don't require any special knowledge. However, the most important thing is that whatever size you're thinking, you should go bigger, probably lots bigger. Nobody ever says, "Boy, this is just too much space!" The cost difference will be fairly insignificant to the overall cost of the project and the extra footage will definitely get used, no matter what you think your ambitions might be.

I would also encourage you to check out http://www.garagejournal.com and read their message boards. That's a whole forum dedicated to guys doing exactly what you're contemplating. My personal thoughts on building a garage are here: http://www.harwoodperformance.bizland.com/1941buick/Editorial%2027.htm.

Go bigger, add more electricity than you think you need, insulate the heck out of it, and use radiant floor heating. Do it right the first time.

But most importantly, have fun!

I built a 32x40 9ft to the bottom of the trusses and wish I had gone taller. Over all the size works fine, but my stuff strung out gets me in trouble sometimes. Always go bigger and plan on 6ft either side of what you want in there, just for moving around and especially if youre gonna be working on it. It's just my 2 cents worth, only you know what you can afford, or have the room for though.

Like Keiser, we're involved in that as well. My wife does plans for custom homes. She of course has a side-line specialty helping club members with their garage plans, and local zoning can be a problem, so be sure to check everything out carefully. With zoning you dont' want to try using the technique of "easier to ask forgiveness than gain permission." Re the 16X21 size - We work on MG's and Model T's and I agree that about all you can do with 16x21 is store someting in it. I did restore a motorcycle in a shed smaller than that but by the time you get tools, parts, etc. in there you'll be rolling the car outside to work on it. Head to Lowes or Home Depot as they both sell books on how to build your own shed. Check this link for some interesting plans and ideas -

http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2008/11/build-your-dream-workshop-23-free-workshop-and-shed-plans

Not only consider the building, but interior features. Visit http://www.garagejournal.com

for more info

as long as I build the garage on wood skids, the city considers them as portable buildings. It don't need a permit for the building.

Beware of false savings here. A building on skids is almost as expensive to build as a permitted permanent building and when it's time to move and sell your property, the 16 X 21 will take a house mover to move. If you do it right to start with you can build it big enough to be a desired garage by future buyers. I concur with all the advise so far about making it as big as you can get permitted.

The more restoration you do, the more stuff you'll decide you need to do the job. Stuff needs space too.

I just had a friend stop by who is building a 32x40 garage with 5 windows 2 10x10 insulated doors, concrete 6" floor. 6 on 12 pitch, pre painted wood siding, Shingled roof and 5 windows. No loft, It's amish built and comes panelized. They erect it on site. It's going to run him about $35,000 Electric and infloor heat as well as insulation are extra above that. This is the Northeast as well so it may have cost extra to comply with snow loads.

Wow I wonder what a 50 x60 would cost.

Here's a link to the Hotrodders.com site, Garage-tools forum. You may have to scroll around a bit, but this is the site I went to for advice and garage experiences before I even started the design of my garage. I wound up with a 30 X 40 ft. garage with 12 ft. eaves and a 2-post lift. I love it.

Here's the link: http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/garage-tools/

Here is one piece of advice that I learned early in the process: Bigger is better ... there is no such thing as a garage that is too big! Build as big as you and the building site can afford.

Cheers,

Grog

Try Sutherlands. I know they have garage kits and are priced well. I think they have a company in Texas too. Worth a check. Just my 2 pennies.

If you are planning on ANY kind of permanent structure your FIRST trip had better be to your local clerk to find out about building codes.

Whatever size of garage you plan, consider making the ceiling

high enough to accommodate a future car lift. You might not

think now that you want one, but cars multiply! Either a high

ceiling or a sloped ceiling can give you the needed clearances.

Of course, you may want your building and its eave height

to blend well with your house, unless you have lots of acreage

and the building can look like an agricultural building.

A one-car garage with a 12-foot eave height could look

tall and narrow and misproportioned if its design wasn't well done.