I am considering building an outbuilding garage/workshop.  I am just beginning the research for this and went to Menards web site.  They have a project builder tab that allows you to design your own garage.  By doing this I can figure out the materials cost.  What I need to know is a ballpark figure that a contractor will charge to complete the work.  

Just to get started, let's say I want to build a 24' x 24' garage with a concrete slab floor.  What will a contractor charge to complete the project using the materials supplied by Menards?  

Does anyone have experience with this and can give me a ballpark figure for what the contractor will charge, not the materials cost?  

Or perhaps, you know what a contractor may charge to do the project and supply the materials themselves without utilizing Menards' prefab kit.  

As I say, I am just trying to get an idea of the cost of this to know if I should even pursue it.

Thanks.  

Where are you located ?

If you’re not opposed to a metal building, there are numerous companies in my area that sell and put them up. All you would need to figure is the cost of the concrete pad. 

I’m sure there are some in your area also.

Northern KY.

2 hours ago, oldgrappler said:

Northern KY.

I’m sure there are tons of companies in the area.

A good place to start would be Craigslist. Search for metal buildings or pole barns and you’ll probably find multiple businesses that do them.

A guy I work with just had a 30x40x12 foot building with 3 garage doors put up for roughly $25000.

He had the concrete pad poured and they had the building up in 2 days.

Hope that helps.

Yep, that helps!  Thank you!

Labor costs are a hard nut to crack in the current environment for construction. Material prices are comparatively through the everloving roof taken against 18 months ago, so some contractors feel like that should give them license to charge more for their labor. Other contractors feel like they can't charge as much because then no one will give them work because the high material and high labor costs will push things too far out of budget.

My guess is that if you're buying the material for the garage, which is a good plan, you're going to probably end up with labor priced somewhere in the middle, more than likely leaning more towards the expensive end of things rather than the cheap.

Looking on Craigslist and Angie's List isn't the worst idea for laborers, but make sure that whomever you hire, that you can get some references, and do what you can to make sure that they're insured and/or bonded.

Up in NKY, I'd also recommend checking with Independence Lumber (859-356-2141) to see if they sell barn packages...they used to, but it's been a long while since I last dealt with them. I'm more than confident they have a handful of folks they would recommend to build a pole building for you (and they may well offer that up even if you're not buying material from them.) Carter Lumber (859-371-8363) is also someplace you should definitely check with for barn packages and builders, both.

Menard's may well be your cheapest option for lumber, but I wouldn't doubt that Independence Lumber or Carter Lumber could certainly compete with or beat the cost at Menard's either. It's always best to get at least three prices for material and labor both...

Also, for concrete, call Boone Ready Mix (859-371-5542) or Hometown Concrete (859-647-8372). Those are ready-mix plants. They're probably the best two for an individual looking to buy concrete in NKY, and they'll for sure have some concrete flatwork companies to recommend to you.

Guys, thanks for the good information.  It is helpful!