How Much Does It Cost to Build a 24x24 Garage?
If you're wondering much it costs to build a 24x24 garage, you're looking at making a pretty big upgrade to your property. This is a huge project and you can expect to spend a great deal of money on it, but you can find ways to save money and use DIY to cut those costs a bit without sacrificing any quality.
You will have to spend money on every single phase of this project, from the foundation to the roof, but along the way, you will find ways to reduce the price with DIY and other smart decision-making.
Building a Garage
On average, a 24x24 garage ranges in price from $19,000 to $55,000, depending on the materials used and the various extras added, such as plumbing and electricity. This price range is for a wooden garage.
Should you choose to build in brick or some other material, the price will vary greatly.
Every single choice you make will affect the price of building a garage. The more you know about these choices and the various options associated with them, the better choices you will ultimately make.
The Foundation
The foundation of the garage is the first part you will build, and it's essential to the overall design. The foundation must be strong enough to support the weight of at least two full-sized vehicles and the entire garage structure, roof and all.
How much weight is that? A small car might weigh as much as 2,500 pounds, while an SUV or truck can weigh well over 6,000 pounds.
It's actually hard to really get how much weight that really is. To put it into perspective, it takes three average-sized, full-grown panda bears to equal just 1,000 pounds.
That means your garage foundation should be able to support the weight of 18 fully-grown panda bears. At least.
Gravel is an affordable option if you're looking to save money. This will work well for a detached garage, and it's also something you can DIY, though not without some effort.
Use at least five inches of gravel to provide enough support. The gravel provides excellent drainage.
A gravel foundation for a 24x24 building will cost around $600 to $1,800, depending on how much of the work you do yourself and the cost of gravel in your particular area.
Build a timber frame around the gravel to serve as a supporting foundation, pour the gravel, compact the gravel and tamp it down, and that's pretty much all you need to do.
A concrete slab foundation is certainly strong enough to support lots of pandas. Unless you have experience pouring concrete, you might want to consider having a professional crew to get this slab poured.
A 24x24 concrete slab will cost, on average, between $3,100 to $5,900.
The Frame
Once the foundation is solidly in place, you need to frame the walls and roof of the garage. You will also need to create a frame for the garage door itself, which of course is a crucial element.
You want whatever you build to be structurally sound and for it to be proportionally correct, meaning that it has plenty of room for your head as you walk around and all that. This means that you should be working from a set of plans so you make sure your walls are built to be load-bearing where necessary.
The large garage doors must also be framed properly so these openings are perfectly sized for the doors you will use and so that they also have the strength to support the weight of the roof and the building itself.
If you're going to add windows, these must also be framed out properly and of course, you will need a human-sized door in addition to the car-sized doors.
The roof framing is also important, as you will need to get the right pitch and height on the roof. The pitch is important because water, snow, and ice will run off a well-sloping roof, whereas one without the right pitch could accumulate snow and water that end up causing damage and leaks.
You will frame the garage using 2x4 pieces of wood. It takes a lot of knowledge and a lot of math to properly frame a building, so either get help from a professional or have a very good set of plans to follow to make sure you get this correct.
It takes a good deal of lumber to frame the walls and roof of a garage. For a 24x24 garage, expect to pay $7 to $10 per square foot, or about $4,000 in total for the roof and the walls.
The Walls
You can choose to hang drywall or sheetrock to finish the garage walls and cover up the bare timber framing. Drywall is a popular choice for interiors of all kinds and the average DIYer can figure out how to hang their own drywall, which saves money.
You'll be covering around 550 square feet of wall space with drywall, which means you can expect to pay around $1,000 on the drywall panels and another $100 to $200 on related materials like tape, nails, and the tools you need to hang the drywall.
While you're at it, don't forget that the outside walls need to be finished as well.
Should you choose to finish your garage in siding, the price you pay can range anywhere from $1 per square foot for very affordable vinyl to $20 per square foot for stone.
Wood costs about half as much as stone, while engineered wood is even more affordable than this. Aluminum is two to three times as much as vinyl.
Brick is also on the more expensive side, ranging from around $11 to $15 per square foot on average.
A garage measuring 24x24 has an outside area of about 192 square feet per wall. However, you can subtract space taken up by windows and doors and subtract this from the amount of siding you will need.
The Roof
You'll want to finish your roof so that it's watertight. There are a few different options to choose from.
Asphalt shingles are a common and popular choice and they need to be installed correctly. You will pay $1 to $7 per square foot just in materials and you will want to seriously consider having professionals do this, unless you know about roofing already.
Corrugated metal is durable and easy to install and it looks very nice. It does cost more than shingles, at $4 to $9 per square foot.
The Floor
You can leave your garage foundation unfinished if you like, but some people like to add sealant or special finishes to concrete garage floors. If you've chosen gravel, there's not much more you can do to finish the floor.
The Door
Garage doors of course range greatly in price depending on how they function and how nice they are. Garage doors that have windows and connect to wifi, for example, cost a great deal more than roll-up doors that don't use electricity to work.
Expect to pay $500 to $2,500 for a garage door. For a 24x24 garage that holds two vehicles, you'll pay double because you need two doors.
Installing garage doors can be done as a DIY job, though it does take a lot of tools and careful work because everything must be installed properly and all the measurements must be exactly and perfectly precise. After all, you need the garage to open and move smoothly and easily.
Extras
Does your garage need finishing touches like gutters? If it rains where you are, then most likely it very much does.
Gutters cost around $4 to $30 per foot, and for the most part, you want them to be professionally installed. Gutters must have a certain slope to them so the water will drain away, but you don't want too much slope or they will look crooked and create an odd, distorted feeling every time you look at the garage.
Insulation will cost around $2,000 to $6,000, depending on the type of insulation you choose. Cellulose and fiberglass are more affordable, typically running less than $3 per square foot.
Cork and polystyrene cost about five times as much, ranging up to $15 per square foot.
Electricity and plumbing must also be considered. You will most likely need electricity for the garage door, and of course, it helps a great deal to have lighting in the garage.
Unless you are an electrician, you should absolutely hire a professional for this task. This means you can expect to spend $1,000 to $2,500 to have the wiring properly run and get all the permits that go along with it.
Don't forget about paint for the interior and possibly the exterior of the garage, depending on the type of siding you chose. You might also want to add cabinets and counters and work spaces and storage spaces, which will cost more.
What About the Driveway?
Of course, you will need a driveway that leads up to the garage. The structure just isn't functional without it.
Asphalt
Asphalt is a low-maintenance option that is less messy than gravel. Asphalt has a black finish and will last 15 to 20 years with very little maintenance.
Installing an asphalt driveway will cost $3 to $13 per square foot. For a 24x24 asphalt driveway, you'll pay around $4,500, on average.
Concrete
Concrete is incredibly durable, and it's a very popular driveway choice because it is low maintenance, strong, and it will last and last.
However, this is a comparatively expensive option at $4 to $18 per square foot. This price can vary greatly if you choose a specific tint or concrete finish that gives the material a more custom look.
Gravel
The most affordable option is gravel. A grave driveway costs around $1 to $2 per square foot.
If the gravel driveway also measures 24x24, it will cost around $1,150, depending on where you live and the cost of materials in your region.
High End
If you want to spend a bit more, you can opt for cobblestone, brick, or pavers. This creates an elegant, high-end look and it should, because you will pay a luxury price.
Treatments like this cost around $10 per square foot, or over $5,700 for a 24x24 driveway.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Garage?
There are a lot of factors that go into building a garage. You need a strong foundation, strong walls, a good roof, door space—all that stuff.
You might need paint or siding or gutters, window glass, the list goes on. But mainly, you need a structurally sound, well-built building that can support itself and your vehicles safely.
For that, expect to pay an average of around $30,000 to $40,000 for a 24x24 garage. The more work you do yourself, the more you will save.
However, always get professionals when a job is too big for you or beyond your particular expertise. You can save a lot by doing your own framing but can you do this safely and well enough to keep the garage from one day collapsing?
You'd better! The same goes for plumbing, electricity, and every other step of the project.
However, a garage is an investment, and it's a very good one. Having a garage of this size will add a great deal of value to the price of the property.
24x24 Garage FAQs
How much does a garage increase property value?
A garage adds tens of thousands of dollars to your property value. In fact, it adds more to the property value than the cost of building the garage so this investment pays off right away.
You can expect the property value to increase by 60 percent or more. Typically, a garage will add $20,000 to $35,000 to your property value.
Does the garage have to have electricity?
There are manual garage doors that operate without power, which means you must use human power to open and close them. These garage doors are not as secure as garage doors that operate with electricity, which is far a far more popular option.
In most cases, you will want to run electricity to the garage so you can have an electric door that opens and closes at the push of a button. A garage that does not have this feature is far less desirable to future potential buyers and does not add as much value to the property as a fully electric garage door.
It's also incredibly helpful to have lights or at least a lamp out in the garage so that you can see in the dark...because sometimes, you will be coming home or leaving the house in the dark.
What's the difference between an attached and detached garage?
Attached garages are attached directly to the house and have a door leading from the house directly into the garage, while a detached garage is fully separate from the house, and no walls are shared between the two buildings.
It costs less to build an attached garage because it is easier to run electricity and because there is often a shared wall, which reduces building costs. Expect to pay around $29 per square foot for an attached garage.
Compare this to a detached garage, which costs from $40 to $70 per square foot to build, on average.
How many cars can a 24x24 garage hold?
A garage measuring 24x24 can comfortably fit two vehicles with enough room to easily get in and out of each car.
Further Reading
8 Garage Organization Solutions
How to Hang Drywall in a Garage
How to Insulate a Garage Ceiling
How to Reset a Garage Door Opener Keypad
