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Building a shop

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Building a shop
From: Mark Andy <mark@sccaprepared.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 13:15:55 -0500 (EST)
Howdy,

So we're in the final stages of figuring out an offer to make on a house
in Springfield Township, OH.  The house has a well and septic system,
along with utility line gas.  There is no zoning.

At that house, we want to build a 30x54x12 steel building shop and extend
the (blacktop, currently) driveway to the shop.  The shop has to be
heated, preferably with the utility gas.  I'd also like there to be water
at the shop, along with a bathroom.

I have about one million questions.  :-)

First, how do I go about finding someone to be a general contractor on
this?  Am I correct is assuming that person should be able to handle 
everything from slab plans to plumbing to electrical to how to tie into 
the existing sewer, working with the steel building supplier, etc?

If I am using a general contractor, is it normal for me to do some of the 
work?  For instance, I'd love the following to occur...

1) permits all get approved (ideally this would be prior to us actually 
closing on the house, as not being able to build the shop would make us 
not want the house...) (me?  Someone else?)

2) Basic Plumbing gets done (tie in to well water and septic system, 
stubbed out at the shop site) (Someone else)

3) slab gets poured. (Someone else)

4) steel building gets delivered and erected (me and friends)

5) Electrical panel installed & hooked to pole (someone else)

6) Shop is wired (me)

7) sinks/toilets installed and interior plumbing completed (me)

8) interior finished (me)


Is this sounding like something a general contractor would help with or 
would I need to be my own general contractor?  If I was the general 
contractor, how does the permit stuff work?  A very brief check with the 
Mahoning county website related to new buildings 
(http://www.mahoning-health.org/building/home.htm) indicates that you need 
licensed folks to do plumbing & electrical permits for instance...


On the other hand, are there general contractors that specialize in
building shops such as this?  At steelbuilding.com I get a price of ~$17k
for the building itself with insulation, doors, etc.  Obviously the slab,
plumbing, electrical, etc. adds to that.  If doubling+ the cost to cover
that stuff (around $40k total for instance) is reasonable to me
financially, am I better off just paying someone to do it all?  What's a
realistic amount I'd save by doing as much as I can myself vs. paying
someone?

Pointers / help appreciated.  Ideally this would be done (i.e. house 
bought and shop built) by June/July this year.

Thanks!

Mark






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