general questions for the more experinced

   / general questions for the more experinced #1  

jmt1271

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MO
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I recently closed on 35 acres for a home site. As brief as possible- eventually will have a home overlooking a lake with large shop in the back and 5-7 acre horse pasture(Lord willing). Plan is to build 40x60 shop, divided down the middle. 30x40 living quarters(to be removed when house is built) and 30x40 garage. I am looking for general tips on how to do this most efficiently. We want it to be liveable(with 2 daughters, 3 and 4) for 1-3 yrs. Then it will be converted into more garage space or horse stalls or something else. I want to build it in a manner that is least wasteful, but still comfortable. I would like to lay out the septic system in a manner that will allow me to utilize it for the house if possible. Any tips from those who have done similar. Thanks.
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #2  
Others will chime in and I would suggest two floors, like a two story, we only pay taxes on what touches the ground, you could have twice the space in the same footprint.
Take a look in my gallery, mine is 50 X 50 two story with a 12 X 12 cupola at the top
Jim
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #3  
Once you build a living quarters in the shop, I'd think it would remain there forever. Thinking that you will tear it all apart, or use the materials for you home never works out. First it will cost you allot of money to make it livable. The shell of a home isn't very much money at all. Most homes are sealed in, or just the shell that's made waterproof for $10 to $15 a foot. You metal shop will be from $5 to $10 a foot. The real money comes in when you finish out the home. The same floorplan for a house can run from $65 a foot to over a hundred bucks just on how you finish it off. If you do it all yourself and are good at finding deals, practice disapline and stay modest, you can do it for $20 a foot. That's bare bones, minimal numbers that I know I can do, but your area might be different.

Your temporary home will run you $30 to $50 a square foot.

If you want a temporary place to live, than you realy need to consider a moble home or a trailer. Both can be sold when your done with them and they wont take any time to build compared to converting the shop. The entire shop will be ready right from the time it's built.

If it was me, I'd put my money into my permanent home and not dump tens of thousands into a temporary home.

Eddie
 
   / general questions for the more experinced
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Some recent quotes for a turnkey(literally) shop setup as described. 1200 feet living quarters, 1200 feet garage:$35000, $29000, $31000. It will be a large shop when finished. Dont want a mobile home on the property.
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #5  
jmt1271 said:
Plan is to build 40x60 shop, divided down the middle. 30x40 living quarters(to be removed when house is built) and 30x40 garage. I am looking for general tips on how to do this most efficiently. We want it to be liveable(with 2 daughters, 3 and 4) for 1-3 yrs. . Any tips from those who have done similar. Thanks.

Find 2 low end travel trailers & park them in the shop end. It'll be like a campground in the barn. Girls in one apartment / you & wife in the other, each with your own bathroom. They could be parked to overlap with open door between, considering the girls ages. Usually older ones in nice shape can be had real cheap. Most vulnerable part is the roof which doesn't matter in a barn. Easily rearranged as needs progress. Sell or junk them when no longer needed. MikeD74T
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #6  
EddieWalker said:
If you want a temporary place to live, than you realy need to consider a moble home or a trailer. Both can be sold when your done with them and they wont take any time to build compared to converting the shop. The entire shop will be ready right from the time it's built.



Eddie

I think Eddie gave you some sound advice. Once you get in the home it's an easy matter to sell the mobile home to recoup your investment and certainely easier than tearing materials back out of the barn.
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #7  
recent quotes $35000, $29000, $31000
TURNKEY?! Unless my math is really poor this a.m. ..... that's less than $15 a sq ft. Where are you? I can't buy materials for that. I paid 30k for my 1500sqft metal building and have as yet to add anything to it. I understand the reasons for building inside - I plan on doing it as well. Mine will only be 480 sqft inside and just me & the wife so it will be fairly rough. Plan is it will be my woodshop after the house is up and a weekend place til then. BUT we're talking very minimalistic accomodations not suitable for children. If you can really get a 2400 sqft building up with half finished off for those prices ..--jump.
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #8  
One of my dreams is a lake house--and I know of an available lot.

In this dream, wife and I build a log cabin type house and do a lot of the work ourselves. To get it off the ground, I'd have a 30x50 shop built first. I would have a decent bathroom/shower built in the shop, where it could function initially as home for us and later as shop. Rest of the "living area" would be temporary in nature, that could be easily and cheaply built and removed.

Have fun,
ron
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #9  
mikim said:
I paid 30k for my 1500sqft metal building and have as yet to add anything to it.

holy crap! i was told that the 32x60' (gravel floor) building i currently have would run me 15K. concreet is another 3-8K depending on how much you cover

i have a 30-40K budget for my 30x30' apt im building on our property. We had initially started with 30x60 with the "back" 30x30 as addtional shop/barn space. but cost of trusses and metal ment it wasnt worth it. i should wind up with 1500 sqft in my 30x30 apt. It is permant structure ment to be a inlaw quarters or guest house or pool house whatever after we move out in 3-5 years to a newly built "big house"
 
   / general questions for the more experinced #10  
The travel trailer inside the shop sounds like a viable option. Get your shop closed in. Get the the septic installed then finish a bathroom and utility room.
A bathroom and utility room(washer/dryer) will always be usefull. Use the travel unit or units to sleep and/or cook.

You don't say where your at, do you need to heat it? A cooktop wood burning stove could serve well. I heat my 50x64 insulated shop with wood.
btw..that was ~27k and another 8k for the floor 3 yrs ago.
 
 
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