ᐅ Which type of garage at what cost?

Greetings,

We are planning to build a garage next to our single-family house. We have requested several quotes and are surprised by how much they vary. We contacted the following companies: Zapf, Rekers, Hoffmann, and K-Plus. We also noticed that the prices for installing strip foundations fluctuate dramatically, ranging from 3,000 to 5,000€ (approximately $3,200 to $5,300). Wouldn’t a large concrete slab be more cost-effective?

Garage dimensions: 2.95 x 9 meters (9.7 x 29.5 feet), including an extension. The specifications were always the same: Hörmann sectional door, Hörmann door and drive, electrical package.

Quotes:

Hoffmann: 30,000€ (about $31,700)
Zapf: 21,000€ (about $22,200)
Rekers: 17,000€ (about $18,000)
K-Plus: 12,000€ (about $12,700)

Except for Hoffmann, all providers add extra costs for the foundation and crane. Additionally, there is the electrical subcontractor’s fee. Our favorite is Hoffmann because of the material quality and the fact that no crane or foundation is required, but 30,000€+ is quite expensive. With Rekers, we appreciate the TÜV certification and the fact that the electrical wiring is installed flush in the walls; they are also the only provider offering this in their package. Zapf and K-Plus have many dissatisfied customers, and Zapf is still quite pricey.

What are your experiences, or are there other providers known for delivering quality that we might contact? By the way, a steel or wooden garage is not an option for us.

Best regards

A garage is not just a garage—how should the roof be constructed: solid, timber, flat, or pitched? Masonry? Interior/exterior plastered?
If there are no clear requirements, requesting quotes makes little sense, as you end up comparing apples to oranges.

We were around €800–900 per square meter (approximately 93–98 per square foot) of usable area.
This included the concrete slab, solid roof, screed with slope, roof insulation, and without either door.
This is a very rough estimate, and I believe this configuration is rather in the higher price range.

HansvonKlaus schrieb:

We want to have a garage built next to our single-family house. We requested several quotes and are surprised at how much they vary. We contacted the following companies: Zapf, Rekers, Hoffmann, and K-Plus. [...]
Garage: 2.95 x 9 m (9.7 x 29.5 ft). So, including an extension.

I know many Hoffmann garages very well (and I assume you are referring to Bims prefabricated construction Hoffmann from NR-Heimbach), which are still in excellent condition even after fifty years and are absolute market leaders here for single-family to mid-size multi-family houses. The other companies mentioned are insignificant here; for row garage complexes, most concrete garages locally come from Plötner (formerly also Rasselstein and Dyckerhoff) and nearly all steel garages are from AGO. I personally prefer Bims, especially for the trouble-free long-term storage of furniture or files, but high-quality cars (including fabric convertibles) have always been perfectly comfortable in steel garages. For other storage purposes, my steel garages vary greatly depending on the floor’s tightness.

Since the dimensions given suggest a recessed garage (setback garage) and I assume the house is already built or at least the roof will be completed before the garage, keep in mind: you won’t be able to slide a garage under an overhanging roof with a crane. Therefore, of the companies mentioned, only Hoffmann seems feasible—or you might consider a steel garage after all.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

I know many Hoffmann garages very well (and I assume you mean the pumice lightweight construction Hoffmann from North Rhine-Heimbach), which are still in perfect condition after fifty years, and are absolute market leaders here for single-family to medium-sized multi-family houses. The others mentioned are insignificant here; for row garage complexes, most concrete garages are from Plötner (formerly also Rasselstein and Dyckerhoff) and almost all steel garages are from AGO. I prefer pumice, also for worry-free long-term storage of furniture or files, but high-quality cars (including fabric convertibles) have always been perfectly comfortable in steel garages. For other types of storage, my steel garages vary greatly in suitability depending on the floor sealing.

Since the dimensions mentioned suggest a building recess garage and I suspect that the house is already standing or that the roof will be built before the garage, consider this: you won’t be able to slide a garage under a roof overhang with a crane, so among those mentioned, only Hoffmann remains in the race—or alternatively a steel garage.

Exactly, because Hoffmann advertises that they use pumice, that’s why they are our favorite, especially due to the “easy” assembly. But unfortunately, the garages offer almost no features, cost a lot of money, and are not built in one day but require several stages. Also, the wiring is surface-mounted. Ultimately, we decided against Hoffmann because some users reported that the garages do not stay dry as promised and that the after-sales service is inadequate. K-Plus ranks quite low as well, and with Zapf, it doesn’t look any better; in fact, there is even a dedicated page where countless customers complain.

Therefore, we have now chosen Rekers and ordered several features additionally: LED strip, active ventilator, large tilt window, light barrier, etc. The cost is just under €21,000 including crane and road closure. Electrical installation and strip foundation will be extra, and I think we will stay well below €30,000. There is also a 5-year warranty.

The garage, instead of 2.98m (9 ft 9 in), is now 2.94m (9 ft 8 in) wide and will be placed under the roof overhang. There is 3cm (1 inch) clearance on each side; it will be tight, but Rekers and the crane operator have approved it.

HansvonKlaus schrieb:

Besides, the cables will be installed surface-mounted.

Let's be honest, it's a garage, not a living room. The car doesn't care if the wiring is surface-mounted.

I only mentioned it because you can expect that at 30k plus. But yes, I agree with you there.