Perhaps this might belong in Old school, but I'm not old school yet.

We have been looking for a home for a few months now, and knew from the beginning it would be difficult to find something that we both really liked. The main reason being that I want a car lift in my garage/shop, which needs 12-14 foot ceiling height to work well.

The longer we look, the more that building something really appeals to us. We don't want a large house size wise, and if we build, she can have the fixtures, appliances, etc she likes and I can get a shop area with 14 ft ceilings.

I am pretty mechanically inclined, but contracting a house with a full time job is not something I relish. I would like to find someone to talk to about this, but where does one even start?

Example of something we would be interested in:
http://www.familyhomeplans.com/plan_details.cfm?PlanNumber=74843
or this
http://www.barnpros.com/barn-plans-products.aspx?itemid=1547&prodid=6749&pagetitle=The+Denali+Garage+Apt+48

The idea being we could place this on a lot, and if we wanted to upgrade down the road we could build a normal "house" and keep this as a in-law/guest suite.

Questions:
Are there companies that specialize or deal with things like this? Its not technically a house, and its not technically a garage..
Can anyone recommend a good general contractor in the Raleigh area?
Is this idea totally crack-brained?
Is it even possible to finance something like this? Would a contractor have connections to a bank which would issue a construction loan?

2/7/2016 5:44:35 PM

Why not buy a house first and build this as time/$ allows?

Seems crazy to live out of a "garage" and maybe upgrade to a real house later.

[Edited on February 7, 2016 at 10:23 PM. Reason : I can only assume that you're solely paying for this and that's how "she" is ok with it]

[Edited on February 7, 2016 at 10:27 PM. Reason : + resale value on one of those things must be crap.can't imagine many buyers would want just that ]

2/7/2016 10:21:17 PM

I know a few people who have taken this approach. One of them is a cousin of mine. It's probably more common than you think. Good idea, imo.

Any decent GC should be able to handle it. There's nothing really challenging about it.

I don't see any reason you should not be able to get a loan for it.

I would do all garage downstairs, steep pitch on the roof, and an attic apartment upstairs. Be sure to put a stairway to the apartment from the outside. That way the apartment could be rented out in the future. May not matter to you, but if you ever sell it, it could be a big selling point.



[Edited on February 7, 2016 at 11:25 PM. Reason : adsf]

[Edited on February 7, 2016 at 11:27 PM. Reason : DAS]

2/7/2016 11:22:57 PM

Thanks for the thoughts.

I never really considered resale value - mostly because I am planning on staying put, but it is something to consider.

How does one go about choosing a GC?

2/8/2016 4:55:56 PM

Angie's List? Word of mouth?

2/8/2016 5:57:37 PM

You should always consider resale value. Never know what the future holds.

2/9/2016 1:15:52 AM

What about a metal building company that does large garages like Morton Building or similar, is something like that in your budget?

2/9/2016 9:29:05 AM

There are several companies that do industrial/garage/shed-to-home conversions that could easily tackle this project. I question the overall idea, in that it seems you will still spend a lot of money to have a garage in the end. It seems smarter to find a house you like with room to add a garage.

2/9/2016 9:53:03 AM

^this

2/9/2016 3:43:29 PM

Quote :

"Be sure to put a stairway to the apartment from the outside. That way the apartment could be rented out in the future. May not matter to you, but if you ever sell it, it could be a big selling point."

2/10/2016 12:28:44 PM

If you find some nice land and build your garage/house in a logical place so that a more traditional home could be added to the property later there is nothing wrong with your plan. There are many people looking for that same garage you want with room to expand.

I have been in real estate over a decade, and had multiple people tell me they are never moving again....they do. The fact is you never really know what the future holds so when doing anything with your property you should keep the buying public in mind. The good news is there are many people who want a huge nice workshop on their property, and many of those people have money.

I think the financing should not be an issue as your structure will meet all the criteria of a house built with a normal construction loan. It may be more garage than house, but as long as it will appraise you should be ok.

2/10/2016 12:49:24 PM

^x5
I always thought metal buildings were cheaper for a similar size, with the downside of noise, efficiency, and appearances? Those Morton buildings look intriguing, yet I get the impression they are a "premium" option.
I priced a 30x40 metal building before, and it seemed quite inexpensive, but that was without any finishing. I wonder how it would be to live in a metal building.

^x4
I would anticipate spending about what I would spend on a pre-existing house, yet would be much happier? If I just purchased a house, I would spend the downpayment money on a pre-existing structure, and then need to wait to build a shop. If I roll it all into one thing now, I can have both at once (with the trade off of a smaller living space, which I don't see as a huge trade off)? Is this thinking flawed?

^
Thanks for the advice. Trick will be finding some nice land before any of this other discussion even matters.

2/10/2016 5:32:39 PM