contemplativeI can do some of the work myself. Really there isn't anything that I couldn't do with the help of some friends and some rented heavy equipment, but there are some things that I'd really rather somebody else do... footings and deep concrete pours are among them, and the lifting of heavy timber beams high in the air with a crane is something that while it sounds fun is something I'd rather let someone else with experience tackle.
There are things that I know about the garage: the size, the height, the roof pitch, the location on the property.
There are some variables, mainly having to do with how to frame it to gain the most usable interior clear space. Roof trusses are the most economical but the most space-wasting. Post-and-beam offers the most usable space, but is also the most expensive. There is steel framing, and concrete posts to consider. There are structural insulated panels (SIP) available.
Any of these choices are going to require either another home-equity loan, or a refi. The refi is a planned thing anyway, but requires the completion of projects that are currently underway-- which is a good idea regardless. Thing is I was looking at another home-equity loan to cover the new siding and concrete work and some windows that need replacing anyway (the one in the kitchen for sure), but adding another $30k on top of that makes me cringe.
I'm trying to balance equity vs. value added. A garage certainly adds value, but does it add $30k worth of value? Does it make sense to do a home equity loan first, build the garage, then refi with a higher value?
Maybe I could save some money with a bunch of friends and an old-fashioned Barn-Raising type of party. Frame up the walls on the ground first, then raise 'em up and attach 'em together. It still would require a crane big enough to handle a 28-foot ridge beam that's probably a 12 x 6 glu-lam, which is professionally known as freakin' heavy.
Or maybe I can see about a specially designed truss. Most trusses are custom-built anyway, and I could live with a 16-foot internal max height. It would need to be okayed by a structural engineer, but pretty much any design that I would do would have to be anyway.
FMI:
Application Good Better Best Attic R-38 R-49 R-60 Cathedral Ceiling R-38 R-38 R-38 Wall Cavity R-19 R-21 R-21 Floor R-19 R-30 R-38 Basement Wall R-13 R-15 R-19 Crawl Space Wall R-19 R-19 R-30