Can I beat the builders? Garage build...

DUTR

I am hoping to have my garage knocked down and the area used to have a double size garage



I have never done building work (major like this anyway) , I had a quote for a area clear and base :eek: now the thing is , as it is money saving , I wonder if it is worth the effort of DIY, I had a little experiment to gain some idea of the time it may take me (and some helping hands)

I have had a look at some diy gargae builds I was on the understanding that the footings have to be around a metre deep



but the articles I have seen, show footings much shallower than the pic above (which I thought were not deep enough)

there is some old base from the shed



and I would be building the damp course the same height as next door



will a 4 inch thick base do with re-inforcement guage in there suffice?
Is it worth me hiring the heavy machinery and DIY or is it better spent leaving the pro's to it?

Hintza

Clear the site yourself anyway. I took our house down over a couple of weeks by hand except for the walls and they were an hour with a digger. I then buried all the stone.

Quotes were in the region of £10,000, but I did break a lot of the rules. I burned all the wood and only used one skip for anything nasty.

Total cost was about £200 (£100 for the skip and £100 for the digger) I also got back £750 in scrap metal so I made a profit

A clear site is much more appealing to any builder.

111KAB

Agree with above however you could cut up the timber with say a chainsaw and get rid to someone with an open fire/woodburner. From the looks of things you are able to dig the footings yourself so this looks like a possibility as does the possible pouring of the concrete depending upon how close the ready-mix machine can get. This then only leaves work for the brickie (walls and base) and say a roofer/carpenter (roof trusses/tiles/door) so in effect you only have to employ/get quotes from two trades. Should save you a considerable amount I would have thought.

Kiran

As above, definitely do the site clearance yourself, burning the timber is usually ok if its a DIY job providing you don't live in smoke free zone etc. I built my own a couple of years ago and built it as a timber frame. It took me 2 weeks on my own (in very cold weather) to build the whole thing. Its definitely acheivable but you could also look at the kit route if you are interested in timber frame.

DUTR

Thanks gents, so if I allow say 3 days to demolish and dispose of the waste and clear the land, perhaps another 2 days to prep for a base?
I think I will get the actual building erected by the experienced

Hintza

If you can burn as much as you can to try and minimise waste. Since I imagine you have neighbours be careful what you burn. Turn it in to a BBQ if you can

DUTR

Hintza wrote: »

If you can burn as much as you can to try and minimise waste. Since I imagine you have neighbours be careful what you burn. Turn it in to a BBQ if you can

I have to get a skip for other items, so I will skip it, since it may take too long to burn (judging on bonfires we have had before)