What is your garage construction budget?

This page and video are focused on one question: What is your garage construction budget?

Hey there, it’s Pat from Garage How To and this is the How to Build a Garage series. Follow along as I build my own garage and share every step along the way.  

 

 To be clear, this video talks about your budget, and not about the actual cost to build a garage. “What Is Your Budget?” and “How much does it cost to build a garage?” are really two separate questions with very different answers.

If you want to know how much it costs to build a garage, you should finish watching this video and then watch the video I made to answer the question about garage construction costs.

So, what is your garage construction budget?

This is a great question that needs to be answered early on in the garage design process. Even if your dream garage list is long and exciting, you will likely be frustrated or very disappointed if you can’t build your dream garage when you consider the cost.

Once you have a dream list, and if you’re like me and you don’t have an unlimited budget, think carefully about your non-negotiables, and also about the things you might consider cutting from your list.

Garage Door Size – Non-Negotiable?

For example, if you drive large vehicles, like a Mercedes Benz 4×4 Sprinter Van, you don’t want to install garage doors that are too small.

So, large garage doors are on your non-negotiable list. For this van, you need a garage door that is at least 10 feet tall.

Heated Garage Floors – Negotiable?

On the other hand, you might think heated garage floors would be the absolute bees knees, but you realize the extra $5000 or $6,000 (or more) may not make sense for your budget. That might go on your negotiables list.

While I would love to have heated garage floors, other things are my list are more important. Consequently, warm floors move down the list.

My Garage Budget Non-Negotiable

Here’s a crazy one from my own experience. I live near Portland, Oregon, and it rains about 9 months of the year. That means you have to be properly equipped (and clothed) to play outside during the non-summer months.

What’s my solution? An indoor basketball court in the garage, of course. And that means I need to design my garage with 12 foot tall top plates and add vaulted ceilings. That gives me a peak ceiling height of just over 16 feet, and room enough to shoot hoops in the winter.

I figure this one “little” addition will add at least another $2,000-$3,000 to my budget, but I think it’s worth it. And someday, my grandkids might even thank me.

Let’s Review

When considering your own garage construction budget, follow these steps.

Step 1.

Make your dream garage list. Don’t hold back – just put everything on it.

Step 2.

Separate your dream list into non-negotiables and negotiables. What can you live without, and what is an absolute must for your garage.

Step 3.

Consider the cost of everything on your list, weighing those items against the pile of cash you have available for construction, and then create your final list that fits with your budget. To complete this step, you will likely need to talk with a contractor, or several contractors, the local lumber yard, your local building authority, etc. The key is to gather all of your costs and then decide what makes the cut for your final list. If a list of garage construction costs will help, visit this page for specific details and a free resource to help.

Need help with your garage budget or plan?

If you need some help getting started with designing your perfect garage, I created a free downloadable worksheet that is loaded with ideas and design considerations, as well as a list of my top online resources for inspiration.

You can also visit garagehowto.com/build-a-garage to find a lot of other resources on garage planning, budgeting, construction and more.

Watch Me Build My Garage

REMEMBER to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and follow along as I build my own garage, sharing everything I learn along the way. Visit the How To Build a Garage page for detailed steps, videos and resources to help with your own garage construction project. We’ll talk again soon – this is Pat from GarageHowTo.com.