ᐅ Single-Family Home with Large Garage – Prefabricated or Masonry Construction?
Created on: 19 Oct 2020 08:37
E
exto1791
Hello everyone,
We are currently in the process of choosing a general contractor and are still quite uncertain specifically about the garage.
We recently visited a large prefabricated garage at a friend’s new development, and to be honest, we were quite disappointed.
It is the Kemmler large garage type IX – both visually and quality-wise, it reminds me more of a temporary shed.
Our contractor’s price for this garage is around €25,000 (about $26,700) all told. Now we are wondering what alternative options might be available.
Has anyone had experience with a masonry garage, and what are the approximate costs for that? I often read that it is about 60% more expensive, but I suspect it may not be that much higher nowadays, since prices for prefabricated garages have increased significantly.
In principle, I am simply not willing to pay 25k for such a fortress... Does anyone have alternatives?
What type of garages do you have? About 80% of new homeowners currently have prefabricated garages – probably because they are clearly more affordable than masonry garages.
What has been your experience? Also, how long-lasting are concrete prefab garages? Should I expect to deal with renovation or repair work after about 15–20 years? I believe a masonry garage would easily last 40 years or more.
We are currently in the process of choosing a general contractor and are still quite uncertain specifically about the garage.
We recently visited a large prefabricated garage at a friend’s new development, and to be honest, we were quite disappointed.
It is the Kemmler large garage type IX – both visually and quality-wise, it reminds me more of a temporary shed.
Our contractor’s price for this garage is around €25,000 (about $26,700) all told. Now we are wondering what alternative options might be available.
Has anyone had experience with a masonry garage, and what are the approximate costs for that? I often read that it is about 60% more expensive, but I suspect it may not be that much higher nowadays, since prices for prefabricated garages have increased significantly.
In principle, I am simply not willing to pay 25k for such a fortress... Does anyone have alternatives?
What type of garages do you have? About 80% of new homeowners currently have prefabricated garages – probably because they are clearly more affordable than masonry garages.
What has been your experience? Also, how long-lasting are concrete prefab garages? Should I expect to deal with renovation or repair work after about 15–20 years? I believe a masonry garage would easily last 40 years or more.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Hmm... you could naturally have this thought for any feature, since there’s always something "better" or "more clever," right?
For a garage or parking space, I wouldn’t pay extra unless I was a mechanic and needed to work in it for long periods.
But for the feeling of something supposedly “better,” I’d gladly spend more in the living area if it made me feel better. For the extra cost related to car or garage features, you could create many nice or comfortable situations inside the living space.
Why not a carport that you can close or design on the sides as you like, possibly even with a green roof, etc.? It would serve the same purpose, wouldn’t it? No question! That’s absolutely right, but the question is:
We’re still young, and our garage should definitely last for the next 40 years. I can expect that from a masonry garage, but I find it harder with a prefabricated garage. If I face €5,000 (about $5,400) in refurbishment costs after 20 years, I might as well consider having a garage built from masonry right away—that’s the idea.
Also, I can store any items in the garage without worrying about moisture, rust, or mold—so it definitely adds value.
Of course, there’s always something better—in the living area or other parts of the house we are already well equipped (for our standards), so I don’t see added value there anymore. The question then is whether to invest in quality for the garage instead.
A carport is not an option for us. I might save around €5,000–8,000 (about $5,400–8,600) compared to a prefabricated garage but would have to deal with frost, cold, no full protection for equipment, surface rust, or pests like martens.
Basically, we are clearly leaning towards a prefabricated garage—but here’s the thing: is it worth investing a lot of money for such low quality and possibly, for a small extra cost (we’ll see), getting something significantly better? Why not? Especially when considering follow-up costs after maybe 20 years. I think this assumption and consideration are quite legitimate.
I simply like calculating price/performance ratios—no matter what the matter is—and in my opinion, that is simply not given with a prefabricated garage!
P
pagoni202020 Oct 2020 09:51If that’s how you see it for yourself, then you should go ahead and do it that way, otherwise you’ll always be frustrated when standing in front of the prefabricated garage. You can certainly argue both sides, and in the end, it has to fit your life. I have lived and experienced it differently, but that’s not a general guideline—just my personal approach to the importance of certain things in my life. These are still significant sums, even for a prefabricated garage, which is why I at least check if they give me a corresponding return in quality of life or if they take it away elsewhere. Since I really like having nice things in my private space, I would personally choose a parking space or a simple carport (e.g., a kit with a lightweight roof or similar).
Any building can cause you trouble, depending on various factors. A masonry garage will be plastered, so the plaster can cause issues—generally a moisture-related concern... so I don’t believe that simply having thicker masonry automatically results in something “better.”
I’m probably not the right sparring partner on this topic because I think about it very differently. But you seem to have developed a gut feeling for it, so I would trust that.
Any building can cause you trouble, depending on various factors. A masonry garage will be plastered, so the plaster can cause issues—generally a moisture-related concern... so I don’t believe that simply having thicker masonry automatically results in something “better.”
I’m probably not the right sparring partner on this topic because I think about it very differently. But you seem to have developed a gut feeling for it, so I would trust that.
exto1791 schrieb:
No question! That’s absolutely right, but the question is:
We’re still young, and our garage should definitely last at least the next 40 years. I can definitely expect that from a masonry garage – with a prefabricated garage, I’m more uncertain. If I have to spend €5,000 on repairs after 20 years, I might as well have a garage built from masonry in the first place, that’s the thought.
Also, I can store any items in the garage without worrying about moisture, rust, or mold – meaning it also has added value.
Of course, you can always have something better – in terms of living spaces or other parts of the house we are already well equipped (for our circumstances), so I don’t really see any added value there anymore. Then the question is whether it makes sense to invest that quality into the garage.
A carport is not an option for us. I might save at most €5,000 to €8,000 compared to a prefabricated garage, but then I would have to deal with frost, cold, no full protection for any equipment, surface rust, martens, etc.
Basically, we are clearly leaning towards a prefabricated garage – the thing is: investing so much money in such a low quality and possibly getting something significantly better for just a slightly higher cost (we’ll see about that) – why not? Especially when I consider the follow-up costs after maybe 20 years. I think this assumption and consideration are quite legitimate.
I simply like to calculate price/performance ratio... no matter what it is – and in my opinion, that is just not given with a prefabricated garage at all! Price/performance? You’re not really calculating that; otherwise, you wouldn’t end up with the masonry garage. You’d be looking at a carport kit for €3,000 plus a hardware store shed for everything else.
Also, I don’t see low quality with the prefabricated garage...?
You want a masonry garage. You don’t really need it. And I think the decision is already made anyway. That’s not bad at all. So go for it.
Joedreck schrieb:
Price-to-performance ratio? You’re not really calculating that; otherwise, you wouldn’t end up with a masonry garage. Instead, you’d go for the carport kit for €3000 with a garden shed plus a hardware store storage house for the other stuff.
Also, I don’t see any poor quality in the prefab garage...?
You want a masonry garage. You don’t really need one. And I think your decision is already made anyway. That’s not a problem. So go for it. Nope, I have certain requirements for my garage that a carport kit could never meet — so that’s out of the question. Even if you’re right about the price-to-performance ratio. Ultimately, it just doesn’t fulfill a major purpose for me that both the prefab garage and the masonry garage do.
So, for our needs, the minimum option is a prefab garage.
No, my decision isn’t final yet, so I appreciate every message. Long-term experiences, price information, and so on help me a lot.
Honestly, I have no idea yet what we will decide... In the end, we need to wait for the price of a masonry garage of the same size. Only then can we compare and consider whether it’s worth it.
exto1791 schrieb:
We are still young, and our garage should definitely remain sturdy for the next 40 years. That’s something I can certainly expect from a masonry garage—but I find it harder to be sure with a prefabricated garage. The thought is, if I face €5,000 in renovation costs after 20 years, I might as well have a garage built from masonry right away. exto1791 schrieb:
Ultimately, we need to wait for the price of a masonry garage of the same size. Only then can we make a comparison and decide whether it’s worth it. Forty years ago, there were still two or three factories in this region producing concrete prefabricated garages as modular units; now there is only one left, but the area is still full of those garages. I don’t know of any ruins or even worn-out examples. I’ve even had furniture inside without a single drawer sticking. What I don’t like about the typical models is different with your Kemmler IX: you can’t see the wall thickness from outside—it lacks the impression of “they saved on the garage like it’s a luxury car.” This model looks “respectable” on the outside, fitting well next to a Bauhaus-style building. Garages currently have retail prices across the board that are very high; €25,000 for a double garage is almost “cheap” compared to that, although it is a significant increase from the €17,000 in the promotion five years ago. The manufacturer makes a solid impression on me, even though I don’t know their products “in real life,” since two regional suppliers share the market for “solid” prefabricated garages here.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A prefabricated garage will not cause you any quality issues. However, it won’t be as well insulated in winter, and attaching anything to the walls will be more difficult due to the thin walls. Customization options are very limited. I wanted two doors, one at the front and one at the back. I don’t think that’s possible with this type.
Similar topics