Building A New Garage

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Author Message   gibbsgirl Citizen Username: Gibbsgirl Post Number: 34 Registered: 11-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 10:07 am:        Would like to tear down our old garage and build new one. Any experience with this kind of project? Any recommendations for contractors to tackle this job? Help!!!   tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 1621 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 10:37 am:        Consider storage space in the design. You can have a shelf built against the back wall about 5 fee high and four feet wide. You can store lots of junk here that you would normally throwaway. The hood of your car will fit under the shelf. Also, make sure the garage is wide enough - probably ten feet for each car if you have the space. That way, you don't have to be a contortionist to get in and out of your car.   bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 3269 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 11:05 am:        Many existing garages are located within two or three feet of the lot line. This probably doesn't meet current building codes. If you replace, as opposed to repair, the garage you may be in for a nasty surprise.   tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 1623 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 11:21 am:        You should be able to rebuild an existing structure even if it does not meet existing building codes. However, if you want increase the dimensions of the garage, you might have a problem. Even then, if your neighbors agree to a code variance, you can probably do it.   bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 3270 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 11:32 am:        Tjohn, we were in this situation with our first house. We could repair, but not demolish the existing garage and build a new structure. We ended up having the building straigtened and reinforced and to the best of my knowledge it is still standing after 20 or so years. Since the repair cost around $1,000 (1980 dollars) and to replace the garage would have cost $10,000 (1980 dollars) we didn't go all that far with looking into the replacement option. I don't know how it works here, but in many juristicitions there is a percentage limit as to how much of an old, non compliant structure can be replaced before you have to meet current codes.   sac Citizen Username: Sac Post Number: 644 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2003 - 2:42 pm:        When we replaced our garage about eight years ago, we ran into the problem where we were not allowed to rebuild in place without a variance because of the changes over the years in building codes (setback requirements). When we found out how much it would cost simply to make all the photocopies of the forms for all those neighbors, etc. to obtain the variance we decided to shift it a few feet instead. The end result is likely somewhat less pleasing to the immediately adjacent neighbors ... since it was no longer "balanced" with their garage, but it didn't require a variance. We also considered replacing it in stages (i.e. repairing one wall at a time, etc.), but learned that you could only replace 25% or less per year before you became subject to the current codes. That was unfortunate because we had a perfectly good, very thick, but noncompliant slab (10"-12" thick but no 30" pilings) which would have been much better to keep rather than replacing with the thinner slab plus pilings we ended up with instead. We also investigated the zoning rules in order to make our garage as large as allowed for the size of our house and lot. That allowed us to add a bit of workbench/shelving at the back (away from the doors) and also to widen it enough so that the car doors could be opened without hitting the side walls or the other car. However, it was not really all that large, so be sure to check on that before you start. It is proportionate to the lotsize and existing house footprint size, I believe, so it will vary for each situation. I can't give a contractor recommendation since we fired the first one and were barely satisfied with the second one that finished the job (and I can no longer remember their names, etc. anyway.) Good luck!