A quick walk through on how to get started on building your own garage
Create a plan
As making a garage isn’t easy, and getting it approved by the local municipality is even harder, you’ve got to make sure the blueprints for the garage are spot-on. Misjudging even small allocated screws can become the factor that determines whether the garage stays or falls apart.
Because of this you need to make sure that your garage falls in line with the local construction rules. As long as your garage is fit for the regulations in your municipality you should be fine.
Check how many doors and windows you’re going to have. Don’t undermine the value of roof choice either, do your research before you install it and make the choice according to your preferences.
Subcontract the parts of the garage that you’re unsure of the design and architectural quality requirements. There are usually several carpenters who’ll take subcontracting assignments, so look up a local company to get in touch with. And please note that this is in case you don’t have the intention of taking care of the whole project yourself.
2. Check your surroundings
As you start getting your plan along, it’s a good idea to know how you can realize your vision while still paying attention to the housing lines. One way is to go online, go to your municipality’s homepage and either find the information on their webpage or contact the responsible party.
3. Construction and Costs
You can expect something like a garage to cost several thousand dollars. It’s not uncommon for them to end up at even 20,000 dollars. Of course, you could go for something far more basic, this estimate is if we assume that it’s a garage accustomed for two cars.
There are two main roads to take on the way to creating a garage. First, use the traditional post and beam design, second is the amateur-friendly frame construction.
In a post and beam construction, those two components make the foundation of the supporting structure of the garage. The major support is projected from the posts, and in between the posts there are top- and bottom girders to stabilize them. The roof that comes on later will stem from the girders.
A frame construction is almost made for DIY fans. With a fool-proof lumber based frame construction, the lumber needs to be covered in Oriented Sand Board (OSB) sheathing. The whole construction should be covered by a metal roof.
4. Foundation, Roof and Permit
Next up you’ll need to create a foundation for your garage.The best way to go about it is to use concrete blocks for the construction. Talk to someone who’s knowledgeable in the area that can give you tips on how to lay down the concrete blocks.
The roof should be constructed out of pr-constructed scissor trusses; it relieves you of a lot of the extra and unnecessary hassle of constructing a replacement for them all by yourself. It’s expensive though so try to find something on a local level.
When you get your permit you’ll need to provide the full blue-print for the garage. Once you’ve finished the blue-print and you’re essentially ready to go, get the permit, and fill it out. Once you’ve made sure everything is finished on the paper you put it in a plastic mailbox and stick it to something close enough to be spotted near the construction site. The plastic protects it from the rain.
Comments