How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself
Image Credit: Pixabay

If you’ve never had a home with a garage, you might not even know what you’ve been missing. A garage can greatly boost the resale value of your home because it’s such a vital area. Whether attached or detached, the extra space and utility that a garage provides are hard to live without once you’ve experienced them.

For a homeowner with no garage, building one could be one of the best modifications you ever make to your home. While it might seem daunting and expensive, it’s probably not as pricey as you think.

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

Average Prices Per Square Foot

Much like a home, when you have a garage built, you’re paying by the square foot. On average, a garage costs between $35 and $70 per square foot, but many factors play into this pricing.

To build a standard one-car garage, you’re looking at spending a minimum of $7,500. At the higher end of the spectrum, a one-car garage with all the frills will be closer to twice that.

For a two-car garage, costs range from about $20,000 to $30,000. Three-car garages start just below $30,000 and cost up to $45,000 on average.

Return on Investment

If you plan to keep your home forever, then you might not be concerned with the return on investment you’ll get from every update. Moreover, not every renovation or addition that you add to your home is going to pay you back well when you sell. But what about building a garage? It’s a pretty big investment, but is it a sound one?

Garages are one of the most consistent returns on investment when it comes to home renovations. They only return slightly less on the back end than major kitchen updates. You can expect to recoup 80% or more of what you spend on building a garage when you go to sell your home.

But there’s a return on investment here that’s much harder to quantify — the use you get from the garage while you own the home. Garages offer protection for your vehicles and valuables, storage for large tools and other objects, extra space for activities, and more. Don’t forget to factor in all these additional uses when determining how valuable a garage is to you.

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

Attached vs Detached Garages

One of the variables that makes the most difference in building costs is whether you’re building an attached or detached garage. Detached garages are considerably more expensive; nearly twice as costly, in fact.

The average cost to build a one-car attached garage is about $10,800. To build the same garage only detached would cost nearly twice as much at $19,300. Things look the same when comparing two-car garages. An attached two-car garage costs $13,200 on average while detached two-car garages cost $24,200.

Prices for Prefab Garages

Depending on where you live, you might be able to build a prefab garage instead of having one built on-site. This could save you a substantial amount of money. However, many homeowners associations refuse to allow such buildings, so you’ll have to check with the regulations where you live.

The price difference between site-built and prefab garages is massive. You can get a kit to assemble a steel two-car garage starting at about $4,000. You’ll still need to account for the cost of pouring a foundation, but compared to the average price of building a two-car garage at $24,200, a prefab kit is an absolute steal.

How Much Does a Foundation Cost?

Obviously, the cost of the foundation will be based on its size, meaning a larger foundation costs more. If you’re just looking for an average one-car garage that’s 16’ W x 24’ L, you might spend about $2,500. A two-car garage is usually a 24’ x 24’ square, which costs around $3,500 on average. For a three-car garage that’s an average size of 36’ W x 24’ L, you’re looking at an average price of $5,500.

Has the Cost of Construction Materials Increased?

Given all that has happened the past few years, it’s reasonable to wonder what’s going to happen to the cost of construction materials. Last year saw some of the highest material costs ever, with lumber reaching a record-breaking high of $1,000 per board foot traded.

The pandemic caused skyrocketing prices in materials as shipping problems created shortages. At the same time, wildfires raged, putting the lumber business in jeopardy. Unfortunately, many experts predict that construction materials will continue to rise in price and take longer to get.

  • See Also: Can I Build My Own Garage? Costs, Risks, and Considerations
How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself
Image Credit: Bodganhoda, Shutterstock

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

How to Save Money Building Your Garage

Just because materials are going to be pricier doesn’t mean that you need to wait another year or several before building your garage. If the price is of major concern to you, there are several ways you can save money while building your garage this year.

Build a Prefab Garage

Prefab garages can be 75% cheaper than site-built ones. You’ll have to factor in some additional costs, such as a cement foundation and someone to assemble your building, but it’s still a much cheaper route than having a garage built. If you have a few extra pairs of hands and some decent DIY chops, you can assemble the garage yourself, saving you even more money on the overall cost.

Do Some of the Work Yourself

This will require a bit of DIY knowledge and some basic tools, but if you have these ingredients, you can save quite a bit of money by doing some work on the garage yourself. Have the builders leave it unpainted and paint it yourself. If you feel confident in your skills, you can even try finishing the interior to save some money.

Build it All Yourself

If you’ve really got some construction skills and tools, you can build the garage yourself. You’ll probably need to sub out some parts like the foundation, but otherwise, you could build the entire frame, roof, exterior, and interior yourself. You’ll still have to go through all the proper legal channels, getting inspections at every step of the way, but there’s no reason that you can’t build the garage yourself like people always used to do back in the good old days.

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself
Image Credit: Vladimirs Koskins, Shutterstock

How much does it cost to build a 2 car garage yourself

Conclusion

On average, you should expect to spend $35-$70 per square foot to have a garage built. Some factors can cause serious adjustments to that pricing, like whether you’re building an attached or detached garage, a site-built or prefab. Of course, the cheapest way to build a garage is to do it yourself, but you’ll need some serious tools and skills to accomplish that major task.

  • See Also: Standard Garage Dimensions for 1, 2, 3, or 4 Cars (with Visuals)

Featured Image: Pixabay

Contents

  • 1 Average Prices Per Square Foot
  • 2 Return on Investment
  • 3 Attached vs Detached Garages
  • 4 Prices for Prefab Garages
  • 5 How Much Does a Foundation Cost?
  • 6 Has the Cost of Construction Materials Increased?
  • 7 How to Save Money Building Your Garage
    • 7.1 Build a Prefab Garage
    • 7.2 Do Some of the Work Yourself
    • 7.3 Build it All Yourself
  • 8 Conclusion

What is the cheapest 2 car garage to build?

Prefab Garage Cost. The cheapest and quickest solution to get a protective home for your vehicles is to buy a prefab garage or steel garage kit rather than build a custom garage. A steel garage kit costs $4,000–$6,500 while prefab garages will generally start in the $5,000 price range for a two-car space.

What is the cheapest garage to build?

A single-car attached garage is the least expensive option and averages $10,500 to $27,000. This size includes approximately 240 to 384 square feet. A 2.5-car garage is a popular option that allows a small amount of work space in 520 to 744 square feet and has an average cost of $20,800 to $52,000.

Can you build your own garage?

Building a garage by yourself is a serious project but can be done with enough motivation, planning, and knowledge. By taking on the project yourself or contracting out portions of it, you could save money over hiring a full-service general contractor.

How much does it cost to build a second garage?

For planning purposes, the Housing Forum suggests using $40 to $50 per square foot for a basic construction. This makes an average one-car garage run $9,600 to $12,000 and a two-car garage $15,200 to $19,000.

Can two cars fit in a 20 ft garage?

Most experts say the minimum recommended dimensions for a two-car garage is 20×20. This size two car garage will give space for two smaller vehicles. You won't have much space for storing extra knick-knacks, but it should get the cars inside.

What size is a 2 car garage?

The average sized 2 car garage's square footage usually ranges from 400 (20×20), 576(24×24), and 720 (24×30) square feet.