Building a garage....

prospect

Hi all,

I need to get a garage built this summer, but the finances are a wee bit poor at the minute.

I am very capable at DIY, and have been involved (in and around) in the building of 4 houses. I know a reasonable amount about building. So I am considering building the garage myself.

It won't be massive, about 4m by about 10m, single story, and a single layer of cavity blocks.

I would get someone in to dig the foundations, & get the levels right.
I would block lay myself. I was gonna see about buying a second hand double door and one or two windows from buy & sell, and leaving opes to suit. I could order a factory made roof, and fit myself. I would get someone in to dash the building later.

Question is,
Am I mad? Would I save much money?

smashey

A garage that size will require planning permission.

sean_0

No you're not mad. This can be done. My Dad built one larger than you describe about 25 years ago, he also dug the foundations and roofed it himself with no prior knowledge and it's still standing and looks good. Basically it will just take you a lot longer than it would a professional.

Best of luck!

starman100

Well, best of luck to you, I built (most of) my own garage last year and its still standing.

You can do the slab yourself, you need to prepare the ground and organise the concrete, etc. but it shouldn't be a problem.

Blocklaying is slow unless you're experienced so I got a local lad in, about a euro a block to lay.

I did the cut-roof myself, felting, windows, door, electrics (checked out by electrician), bought roller door for front. Slates still to go up but its weatherproof for the past 3 months.

Don't fool yourself if you reckon you can do it really cheap - no substitute for good materials and sound building practice (which naturally costs money). I would advise putting in a double leaf wall + insulation if you want the place to hold any degree of heat e.g. for a workshop, storage of more delicate items, etc.

De_man

starman100 wrote:

Don't fool yourself if you reckon you can do it really cheap - no substitute for good materials and sound building practice (which naturally costs money). I would advise putting in a double leaf wall + insulation if you want the place to hold any degree of heat e.g. for a workshop, storage of more delicate items, etc.

Agree with that, whatever about doing the foundations and roof yourself
don't bother going to the trouble in doing the blockwork..any brickie would have that done over a few days, with this weather it'll take you forever

prospect

Thanks for replies.
Also, apologies to the mods, I just realised there is a seperate building forum.

I have planning permission for a garage double that size, I just don't want/need one that big.

Also, my train of thought was to spend the money I would have spent on someone elses labour on good quality materials.

I will put some thought into the double leaf and insulation idea.

Does anyone know of a simple formula for calculating the building price based on square footage?