To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Garage plans

Shlavotski

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2026
Messages
2
Location
Pittsburgh Pa.
Hello to all, who like me think the garage is the most important room in the house. Recently retired after 40 years as a HVACR technician, Im in the process of building a garage my way. I’ve come to find out that “my way” isn’t that common, making it hard to find reasonably priced plans.
Nothing fancy, 24x32 with 12’ walls for the car lifts. Actually the wall height will be 13.4’ sitting on top of a 16” knee wall.
The 12’ walls seems to be what puts this build into the custom category as opposed to stock plans.
In my mind $300 bucks for plans to build a rectangle with a roof is reasonable, but $1000 just because I want 12’ walls which means the plans need to be modified seems excessive to me.
To get the build permits I need plans.
I’m planning 2x6 wood framing which makes insulating easy and efficient.
Some might suggest I go with a metal building which Im not opposed to but Im building on a slope which means the left elevation wall will be poured concrete creating a 4’ knee wall/ retaining wall. The metal building salesman told me I need a flat build site for them to install it? I’m not crazy about the insulating methods I’ve seen on metal buildings.
Does anyone have a 2x6 studs 24x32 with 12’ walls build plan reference?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

PugetDude

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Mar 13, 2013
Messages
22,153
Location
Superstition Mountains, AZ
Location matters.

Here in Pinal County Arizona anything over 10' walls requires an engineering stamp. Trusses also have to be engineered. Grading and drainage plans are also required. I just paid $5500 for a full set of stamped plans for my 24x32x12 garage addition from a design draftsman- and that was less than half what two of the licensed architects I talked to wanted.

The days of cocktail napkin sketches and $300 one size fits all mail order plans are long gone in most parts of the country.
 
Last edited:

JohnX14

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
549
Location
Boston 'burbs
Here in MA, you could draw the plans yourself, paper and pencil. No stamp needed. I am a building inspector, fwiw.

$300 is unrealistic. $1000 is a bargain. I drew my own house plans in 2012 the old fashioned way, on a drafting table. I asked a friend who did plans with CAD how much for him to take my plans, with every dimension/ window and door schedule, etc and plug it into an electronic set. He told me $3K back then. No thinking or designing required. I declined. I only mention this for perspective.

edit - trusses would need to be stamped, but on a build like OP, it'd usally be dimensional lumber here.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

PugetDude

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Mar 13, 2013
Messages
22,153
Location
Superstition Mountains, AZ
edit - trusses would need to be stamped, but on a build like OP, it'd usally be dimensional lumber here.
My build was attached to existing garages, four different truss configurations for new flat roof sections to accommodate new and existing roof drainage. Simple stick framed gable roof wasn't an option.
 
OP
S

Shlavotski

New member
Joined
Mar 24, 2026
Messages
2
Location
Pittsburgh Pa.
I’ve been working with my local 84 Lumber Company getting a material list together. I told them the garage dimension. Their design team was able to print out a somewhat generic six page summary of the build. Not exactly a build plan. I turned it in to my township code department along with property survey a hand sketch of the electrical plan. When I turned in the paperwork for the permit I explained that the build summary may not be adequate, she glanced at it and said it may be ok. It’s been a week, they said it will take 10-14 days.
When I asked 84 Lumber about purchasing the actual build plans, I never got a straight answer about the price. I thought, why can’t they just include the plan price with the material list?
I guess at this point no news is good news, I hope to find out this week.
Thanks for some prospectiv.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom