In reply to nocones:
I'll send this to the contractor and see what he thinks. I like the concept.
In reply to nocones:
I'll send this to the contractor and see what he thinks. I like the concept.
In reply to Conquest351:
Hell of a way to go broke!
DaveEstey wrote: In reply to Conquest351: Hell of a way to go broke!
Shut up with your logic and just do it. LOL
I'll put $20 on me being able to convince SWMBO into us building a modified (read: bigger) version of that when the time comes. 
Swank Force One wrote: I'll put $20 on me being able to convince SWMBO into us building a modified (read: bigger) version of that when the time comes.
Get after it!!!!
DaveEstey wrote: What about this?
You'll be very happy with the 3 "car spaces" oriented together like that. Also, it will work better orienting them in the 28' direction, instead of the 32' direction you had earlier.
You will also be very happy with that rear garage door opposite the front one. I have a similar configuration, and it is awesome for ventilation, etc.
If this is a rural property, the cheapest way to build it will be a large rectangular metal framing pre-engineered building. Cheap enough that you will be able to make it much bigger within your budget. Perhaps as low as $20 per SF.
If it is a smaller residential lot, a design like Nocones drew will make the facade much more appealing, and more human scaled, while maintaining good usable space behind and over SWMBO's car. The extra corners will, however, push the price per square foot up. More like $50-60 per SF.
Both are in your budget, but 1 works better in a rural environment, and 1 works better in a more metro environment.
If you use Nocone's idea, I would increase the 32' dimension to 40', so you can easily put 2 cars end to end.
I would also add a garage door at the rear, so you can drive through the building.
Your wife will like Nocone's version better. It will be better looking than a pre-engineered steel building. But if raw square footage is your goal, then there is no comparison.
BTW- very few contractors do both types of construction. Some work with wood, some with metal. You won't get good apples-to-apples comparisons of the 2 different building types from the same contractor.
I take back my numbers...I didn't realize you are in MA.
$50 per SF for metal, $80-100 for wood. Metal is not done very often in your region.
Metal is almost never done in these parts. We'll likely go with construction that's similar to the barn if for no other reason than consistency.
the house is a gambrel style, which could also work well for a garage.
Gambrel roofs provide nice room in attic options. You can get very wide rooms due to the steep pitch on half of the roof.
My garage was $40/sq-ft stick built and I payed someone to have the shell put up, I did/am doing all electrical/interior/driveway/landscape. I would estimate if I had someone do everything I would have been near $60/sq-ft (main floor).
I can do the interior drywall and whatnot as well as landscaping (another former profession of mine).
Contractor is going out to check the site this week and then he'll get back to me with what he thinks.
Meanwhile, SWMBO has scheduled viewings at two other houses this coming Sunday.... She loves having options
DaveEstey wrote: What about this?
I'd swap the man door on the south end of the east wall to the north end.
Stairs to an attic?
Is that supposed to be a wood stove on the north wall? While I agree they sound great, do some research first - I've heard some insurance companies really frown on them in a garage where flammable liquids & fumes may be present.
One thought on partions... rather than using them to store the wife's car in, perhaps partion off the dirty shop area, leaving the rest for general parking and storage. That way you'll have less cubic feet to heat in the winter (and A/C in the summer if so desired).
A 2-post lift goes in the shop, not in the storage area. A 4-post would go in the storage area. A 2-post needs at least 2' on either side of the posts.
In reply to Ian F:
It appears to be a sink......which is a good idea
That is definitely a wood stove. 
yamaha wrote: In reply to Ian F: It appears to be a sink......
The pipe coming off the back looks like a 6" thru-wall exhaust stack (BTDT).
...which is a good idea
...agree with you there... I'm hoping I can figure out how to run water and a drain to my new shop. I'll install an instant water heater at the sink.
It's a stove. Cheapest way to heat the space.
No sink since I'd have to plumb it to our septic system, which would add a significant expense since the garage is at a lower point than the septic, which means lift pump and whatnot.
My thoughts on partitions would be running welding curtains on a track. That way I can close things off some, but easily have access to the entire area too.
If and when I build mine, it will be insulated and have climate control. Probably a central AC unit. Why? Because it's friggin Texas man and it's hotter than hell.
Might want to check with your insurance before putting a wood burning stove in your garage. Or not. 
In reply to DaveEstey:
In floor heating.......
So does this mean no new tow rig?
Likely going to end up renting a truck when we need dual tow rigs. It doesn't sit well with me, but should actually work out cheaper in the short term.
Any chance you can turn the horses into fancy french burgers and glue and get the money for a dream garage?
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