# Affordable homes by "Menards"...



## lunagardens

Thought I would share for those who may be looking for affordable homes with decent space for the family-
Menards just opened a store 1/2 hour from us. The flyer showed they carry "house kits and plans". Had t check it out and see the pricing. The Cabin retreat is perfect for us as a family of 5. 
We found a home under the "vacation homes" chapter which they carry the blueprints in store for just $20- it includes a material list which can be taken to any home lumber store for a price quote. It is shown as a 1243sq foot home with 2 bedrooms downstairs and a loft room upstairs. The total price for complete package is about $29,000! 








Of course thats not "built", but calling around later for pricing on having someone frame it up and other bits we are not able to do ourselves.








(With a few small inexpensive tweaks, it will be perfect and affordable- such as flooring in the loft above the kitchen/living room for another bedroom, add another bathroom to the upstairs between the 2 rooms directly above the 1st floor one, remove the 2 closets downstairs for a larger master bedroom and small laundry room to the stairwell wall. Nothing with structure other then adding the floor to the open loft.)
From my past experience, it would costs about $40,000 (at the most for our area but it could be much less) just for the labor to build the complete materials package.
So its worth checking out. We are going back to buy the blueprints next week. They also have a redesign center for the homes. I will be checking into pricing for the service and to see about how much it would add to the package price for the extra materials.
I have looked into many different home kits to accommodate our family needs and as of now, this is so far the best price by far. 
Its worth checking out if your in the market for a simple yet comfortbale home for your young or not so young family.


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## doohap

I do hope you're looking ahead at all that's not included in the price quoted: 



> Labor, foundation, concrete flooring, steel beams, heating, some finishing materials and delivery are not included. *Construction Blueprints* are sold separately.


I'd be surprised if the final cost of your project is not at least double the ~$29k. 

I wish you good luck in this venture. The house is adorable and looks very livable. Keep us in on your progress!

Peace,
doohap


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## cbcansurvive

These look pretty similar to what Lowes (our equivalent of Menards) is selling. They're called "Katrina Cottages" and were created as low cost, quick to build housing for folks who came home to nothing but a concrete slab after the storm. My wife and I considered their four bedroom model but found that it was simply too expensive to buy the land in the area we wanted. Instead we bought a fixer upper and hope to sell it at a profit so we can build our next home. We may still go with one of these plans as they are incredibly affordable.


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## doohap

One other thing I noticed. If you're planning on putting a bathroom upstairs directly above the existing bath, you do realize that you will have to restructure the roof in order to do so. The roofline slopes down and the bath will have to jut out there.

Just thinking,
doohap


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## Hoop

Suggest you ask the people at Menards is they can give you a name of someone that purchased & completed one of their houses. This may take some doing as some people are extremely guarded about their privacy. Then arrange to talk to them in person.

Ask them exactly how many $$$ were spent (slab/crawl space/basement, septic, water, electrical service, permits, floor coverings, wall coverings, electrical fixtures, water delivery system & plumbing, kitchen cabinets/countertops, bathroom fixtures, heating system, appliances, etc, etc etc) before one could actually move into a completed house and start living. Itemized costs aren't really important. The total COMPLETION cost of the house is the figure you're looking at. 
If the house is built to code, I suspect the final costs will be triple (or more) the $29,000 initial cost. Thats why you should seek out a buyer of this package and know exactly where you'll stand on actual costs.


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## lunagardens

just thought I would direct everyone to the sentence I wrote about construction being at most $40,000...
In referring to the $29K
"Of course that's not "built, but calling around later for pricing on having someone frame it up and other bits we are not able to do ourselves."
And also just to direct you to the other portion indicating more then $29k for it:
"From my past experience, it would costs about $40,000 (at the most for our area but it could be much less) just for the labor to build the complete materials package."
The BLUEPRINTS are in store for $20. COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION BLUEPRINTS.

Did not want anyone to get the wrong idea- just thought I would point out what was included in my post in the case someone may not read it ALL through.
Did not want anyone to skip over any details and assume I was saying it would only cost $29k for it.....
Best to all!


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## cbcansurvive

Hoop said:


> Suggest you ask the people at Menards is they can give you a name of someone that purchased & completed one of their houses. This may take some doing as some people are extremely guarded about their privacy. Then arrange to talk to them in person.
> 
> Ask them exactly how many $$$ were spent (slab/crawl space/basement, septic, water, electrical service, permits, floor coverings, wall coverings, electrical fixtures, water delivery system & plumbing, kitchen cabinets/countertops, bathroom fixtures, heating system, appliances, etc, etc etc) before one could actually move into a completed house and start living. Itemized costs aren't really important. The total COMPLETION cost of the house is the figure you're looking at.
> If the house is built to code, I suspect the final costs will be triple (or more) the $29,000 initial cost. Thats why you should seek out a buyer of this package and know exactly where you'll stand on actual costs.


I asked about this at Lowes and they were extremely forthcoming. The homes are not kits but rather just designs that are optimized for cheap, simple construction. You essentially purchase the plans and the materials list which is already figured for you. Lowes has already itemized everything from the ridge vent to the sill plate accounting for waste of course. After you've purchased the plans and materials list you then purchase the materials in any fashion you wish. Lowes will give you cost estimates based on the materials list. In my area it would have cost about $40K in materials to put up the home (on a slab-full basement would add about $8K) with the inside of the home done "builder grade." This means white egghell painted walls, formica countertops, stock cabinetry, and lower end composite hardwood floors, light fixtures, kitchen appliances, and plumbing/bath fixtures. 

Our plan was to have a general contractor construct the "shell" of the home to the point where it was "dried in" or basically weatherproofed. This would mean that from all outward appearances the home would be finished with trim, siding, roofing, doors, and windows all complete. We would have farmed out the sheetrock/taping, and done all paint, trim, flooring, and kitchen bath work ourselves so that we could get higher end finishes and fixtures for our money since there would be no labor or markup involved. Again, this didn't work out due to land prices, but it's our plan for our next (and last!) home.


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## ErinP

I know of several people who've built Menards houses. They usually come in pretty close to what Menards claims they will. And no, they're not kits. They're materials lists, more accurately.
And watch the flyers. Some of their entire house packages go on sale a few times per year!


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## just_sawing

When I talk to people I tell them up front 1/3 1/3 1/3 
1/3 is the wood. 1/3 is the electrical plumbing and that stuff. The last 1/3 is labor.
If you can cut you own trees and get the logs to a mill that cuts 2/3s of the wood cost.
If you Collect appliances and windows over a time you can easily cut 2/3 of that cost.
Now if you do hire a helper and do most of the grunt work yourself and that will cut 2/3s of the labor.
This is how you get a 60k house for 20K


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## rean

I really like it LG! It looks very do-able. Thanks for the link, because this design is right up my alley!


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## Madame

I like the house plan. I like the price...even if you double it to count in the labor, it's a good deal. Thanks for posting.


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## Jolly

just_sawing said:


> When I talk to people I tell them up front 1/3 1/3 1/3
> 1/3 is the wood. 1/3 is the electrical plumbing and that stuff. The last 1/3 is labor.
> If you can cut you own trees and get the logs to a mill that cuts 2/3s of the wood cost.
> If you Collect appliances and windows over a time you can easily cut 2/3 of that cost.
> Now if you do hire a helper and do most of the grunt work yourself and that will cut 2/3s of the labor.
> This is how you get a 60k house for 20K


With a small exception, or two, I'd agree totally.

One saves the most money on the bigger dimensional stuff, not 1x4 random or 2x4 studs, IME. Especially with the studs, I can frame faster than having to true up my own lumber. 

And a word about siding...a young neighbor had his trees (longleaf pine) sawed into shiplap siding by a bandsaw mill. His house finished out very nice...


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## fransean

http://www.menards.com/featuredProj...Specialty&dispatch=showOneGarage&code=1954605
This can be your new garage for $14,341.00 (approx. price per material lists)

This is the one that I was thinking about. It is a garage with an apartment above. That would get us onto the land.


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## Jolly

Oh, and another thing....Habitat houses are also set up to be economical to build.

And one last thought...some of the most economical floor plans I've seen were from double-wide trailer houses...


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## clovis

I have often wondered about the Lowes and Menards house kits.

They appear to be a glorified 'materials package', and offers a way for the stores to bundle together all the materials that they sell. It is a form of marketing their products in a different way, in my opinion. 

I have seen some pretty neat plans from both Menards and Lowes.

I wonder how much a good salvager could save on plans like they have.

Clove


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## doohap

clovis said:


> .. It is a form of marketing their products in a different way, in my opinion. ...


I agree! And when all costs are tallied at the end of construction I would wager that someone buying piecemeal with an eye toward a bargain will end up paying less per square foot than the package deal offers.

My humble opinion, of course.
doohap


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## Macybaby

Ok, I've spent my life living in areas that have Menards. I even lived near Eau Claire (home of Menards) and I spend a lot of money there each year. I was even there twice yesterday. Menards is my favorite lumber yard.

However, there is no way I would ever buy a kit from them. Not only does this NOT include a lot of what you need (the other stuff will cost way more than what you get with the kit) you'll get a lot of crap lumber. We always sort and some days find less than 50% acceptable. They don't care that we sort. . .

But if you get the kit they'll load up right off the stack and you will get a lot of crap (warped, cracked, lots of tree bark) that you may not want to use. You'll probably get the stuff that people like me left after sorting out the good boards. 

I know I've spent over $10,000 at Menards in the last 18 months, but there is no way I'd let them select anything for me.

Cathy


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## ErinP

> but there is no way I'd let them select anything for me


i agree completely! I was just in there yesterday, buying 2x10s. Mine are just for concrete forms, but the kid that helped me load didn't know that. Jeez, what a bunch of junk! 
if you _do_ buy the package, see if you can get it pieced out so you can make sure to select your own lumber.

BTW, I, too, love Menards.  I can (and have!) easily spend hours, just wandering the store planning projects.


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## pickapeppa

Cute houses, but we don't buy from Menard's anymore. Everything we bought from them either broke, disintegrated, or warped within the first year. Everything. No more Menard's for us.


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## clovis

Menards is by far my favorite big box store. 

As far as the building packages are concerned, I have often wondered if it would be cheaper to buy the package individually. I have wondered if this is one of those deals where the material costs 10%-20% more if bought in a package, rather than bought broken out.

One thing that should be noted about the packages is that Lowes or Menards are guaranteed the additional sale of the extra's, like shingles and siding. Is there value in this? Value in quality? Value in price? 

I have also wondered if you can upgrade the packages. Can you upgrade to a 25 or 30 year shingle if you want to pay the added cost? What if you want to down grade? Lets say you already own the shingles. Do you still have to buy theirs?

I would also want to comparison shop on my materials. I was absolutely stunned this summer when I went to Lowes for electrical wiring. Lowes was priced at nearly $70, while Menards was $44 for the exact same stuff!!!! I also know that most stores will gladly price match. They used to beat competitor prices by 10%, but I don't know if they still offer this.

I have often wondered how close the package is to being accurate. Is it figured with waste, or without? Is the vinyl siding figured to the closest piece that would require the aid of a skilled engineer for closest use? Do they knowingly figure that you will only use 2 pieces from the last box, but still charge you for the full box? 

Are the walls framed for 16" on center, or more than that? It goes back to the value situation. (I value 16" on center framed walls, and would pay more for that.)

Since I am rambling, one last note: If you buy one of these packages, there is a good chance that it is going to be dumped off in one or two big loads. If you are framing this by yourself, or part time in the evenings, you are going to have an added dimension. There is a risk of theft or damage from the elements while they are stacked up waiting on use.

I still think the packages are good starting points, especially if you are looking for ideas. 

It is just not the route I would follow if I were looking to self build.

Clove


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## Joshie

fransean said:


> http://www.menards.com/featuredProj...Specialty&dispatch=showOneGarage&code=1954605
> This can be your new garage for $14,341.00 (approx. price per material lists)
> 
> This is the one that I was thinking about. It is a garage with an apartment above. That would get us onto the land.


One thing about this....I'm not sure it's the cheapest thing you could do. We spoke with a factory builder yesterday. We wanted to speak with them about putting on an addition on a small house on a piece of property we're purchasing. To add an addition with a large garage (28' X 24'), hallway to bedroom area, stairs going to a basement, a 9' deep basement (well insulated), and 450 square feet of living space (walk in closet, bath, and master bedroom). Adding all this to the current home would cost about $80,000. This price includes a new furnace and central air (Trane, propane) for the entire home and a water heater for the home. Anyway, this is the approximate cost for this small space with furnace, air, basement, etc. It seems less than the cost of these kits.


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## TJN66

If you loved the idea of the house plans couldnt you just buy those for the $20 and then buy the materials as you went? Would that help cut down on cost and you could then upgrade what you wanted to. Not sure..as I dont do much building. Have done a fair bit of remodeling though so not totally new to it.


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## Macybaby

When you say "dumped off" you are exactly right. Boy did my eyes get big when they showed up with the trusses and tipped up the truck and let them slide off onto to the ground, then they pulled the truck forward until they had them off. Landed with a loud "bang". 










About the only thing we didn't by from Menards was the roofing and paint. It sure is nice having a 16' stock trailer. When we lived in WI, we joked about hauling our barn in the trailer - this is another building done with about 95% supplies from Menards. 










BTW - this morning I asked my husband if he wanted to spend another 30 years with me. He said "sure, unless you want to keep building things"

Cathy


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## haypoint

TJN66 has a good idea. I'd like to add to it. Tell them right up front what you are doing and see if you can get a contractors discount.
You might get a builder to finish it for $29,000. Will you want padding under that carpet? You want a Basement? In your area, I think your footings have to be at least 4 feet deep and if you have two rows of blocks above ground, you only need to add 4 more rows of blocks to up grade from a crawl space to a basement. Do you want the shingles with the 15 year warrenty or do you want 30 year shingles? Do you know what OSB exterior siding is?

Exterior walls of 2x4s , 16 inches apart cost about the same as 2x6s , 24 inches apart. Insulation isn't listed in the materials list. With what's going on with energy costs today, you'll want to go well beyond the current building code requirements. Is chrome plated plastic fine for your kitchen faucets? 

There is a similar design that has the roof going the other way. The back of the house has room for two bedrooms with the cathedrial in front. They just had the back roof 4:12 and the front 12:12.

Well, septic and electric are costly. Don't forget permits and check out zoning before you buy or at least before you build.


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## tiogacounty

As a builder I would really look at any of these low prices with one huge amount of. skepticism. I just started a place that is about as simple and economical as it gets. It's a ranch on a crawl space, nothing fancy except some tile in the kitchen and baths, and a cathedral ceiling in the combination LR/DR/KIT. My hard costs include me doing all mechanicals, painting, deck building and installing the kitchen. I will end up right at $70 a foot including well, septic and excavating. This does not include profit, overhead or anything for my labor. So a home like shown in the original post, turnkey in my neck of the woods, would sell for about $120K on your lot. I realize that costs vary greatly from one region to the next, but I think anybody hoping to move into a home of that size, using standard materials and subcontracted labor, for $40K is in for a real shock.


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## artificer

You get what you pay for. When you buy the "standard" 2x4's at Menards, you're actually buying #3 lumber. Either pick through it, or go up a grade.

We bought a 40'x 80' x 16.5' pole barn from Menards. People are correct when they say its a parts list. That was the longest receipt we've ever had. It took 2 hours to make the purchase, since we had to approve each and every line. We made a couple of modifications to the design. Afterwards, I built it using "bookshelf" wall framing, so I had to add extra lumber. 

The "kit" is a parts list. They will sell everything thats on the list. They will then deliver the whole thing to your building site. (nice 3wheel rough terrain forklifts, btw) You have to know what you want, what you're getting, and what you want to change. Its not a bad route to go.

The things to consider are the additional cost: foundation, hvac, excavation... with the current downturn in the housing market, you could get some less expensive construction help. I don't know about the $40k, since thats regional.

As for bad lumber, Menards has a return policy. If you get crappy lumber in the package, you can exchange it for acceptable lumber. Not as nice as getting top of the line lumber to start with, but better than getting stuck with crap.

The kit can be a good deal, if you do your homework. If you don't, and have high expectations, it can be a nightmare. Its a case of buy-beware.

I'd suggest to take everyones advice, know whats included in the "kit", know what else you need to provide, and then make your decistion on it. Since the plans are so cheap, its a no brainer to get them. If nothing else, they are a starting point for your personalized design.

Michael


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## clovis

Artificer-

Thank you for the clarification! It is interesting to learn how the kit works and sells.

Clove


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## clovis

Since we are having a discussion about these house kits:

The Mendards advertisement says that the plans don't neccessarily meet code for your area.

I would make sure that I fully understood the how/what/why of meeting code in your county or state. You could be in for a rude awakening if you did not build to code, and it would only take one code officer to red tag your project, and cost you thousands.

For instance, building code here requires that the sill plate and the bottom plate must be of treated material where it contacts cement floor or concrete block.

While I am not an experienced builder, how many people would know that if they had never built a home before?

It is possible that a building inspector can cost you a fortune. My uncle built custom homes, as he had done for 30 years. One day, an inspector with 2 years of experience and a college degree decided to make a big play and show the world who was boss. He forced my uncle, who was working from a licensed architect's prints, to change a load bearing wall and the joists and flooring above it. It cost my uncle about $800 total, and that was nearly 20 years ago. I was on the job at the time, and to this day, I have no idea why in the world he had us change that wall and the second floor above it. It was nothing more that a power play on the inspector's part.

Just some thoughts. 

Clove


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## rzrubek

clovis said:


> Since we are having a discussion about these house kits:
> 
> The Mendards advertisement says that the plans don't neccessarily meet code for your area.
> 
> I would make sure that I fully understood the how/what/why of meeting code in your county or state. You could be in for a rude awakening if you did not build to code, and it would only take one code officer to red tag your project, and cost you thousands.
> 
> For instance, building code here requires that the sill plate and the bottom plate must be of treated material where it contacts cement floor or concrete block.
> 
> While I am not an experienced builder, how many people would know that if they had never built a home before?
> 
> It is possible that a building inspector can cost you a fortune. My uncle built custom homes, as he had done for 30 years. One day, an inspector with 2 years of experience and a college degree decided to make a big play and show the world who was boss. He forced my uncle, who was working from a licensed architect's prints, to change a load bearing wall and the joists and flooring above it. It cost my uncle about $800 total, and that was nearly 20 years ago. I was on the job at the time, and to this day, I have no idea why in the world he had us change that wall and the second floor above it. It was nothing more that a power play on the inspector's part.
> 
> Just some thoughts.
> 
> Clove


When they take their plans in to get a permit, they will find out if they will be up to code. 

As for taking out the closets and making one large master, In my hometown if a room doesn't have a closet, it's not a bedroom (per code). Could affect getting a certificate of occupancy. Good luck with the project. Building a house is always an adventure.

Someone mentioned getting plans and finding all the supplies yourself. That's where these "kits" which everybody is saying are actually just parts list come in handy. Somebody has already sat down and figured out just what you need. Now they can take that list and price shop and scrounge around. Depends on how much they want to save vs. how much the time is worth. Spend too much time rounding everything up and the project never gets done and you've saved nothing.


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## rambler

Artificer has the goods on what the 'kit' is. Many on here understand & like Menards, as I do. They are typically the cheapest place to get wood, so trying to shop around is not likely to get you any better deal, will waste more time than save money. Once the ball is rolling, time equals money so wasting time to save a few cents per 2x4 is going to eat you up too.

Wood from the good lumber yard that charges almost 2x as much as Menards is pretty poor these days. The stuff from Menards is truely junk. As others have said, understand the game, understand what you are getting, and proceed with your eyes open. You are going ot be general contractor on these items, and you'll have to figure out what passes & what doesn't. Some truely bad wood gets used in houses all the time, a few pieces come along with any load these days. 

You can probably substitute _any_ material they have for any other material - like upgrading shingles. The kit is likely designed with the cheapest components possible, so some upgrades are probably a _real_ good idea. It is just a materials list.

As someone else mentioned, be careful on getting rid of all closets, etc. Local & state codes can really foul you up in a hurry. Menards also makes a good deal of money on upgrades & changes, so watch your materials list grow & grow in cost. 

--->Paul


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## pheasantplucker

The few times I've been in a Menard's I was very unimpressed, mostly by the quality of the inventory. Drywall was in very bad condition...lots of torn bags for concrete, etc.


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## Rocky Fields

Hey.

Like Rambler says, Menards wood usually is of poor quality. They unload a lot of their misfits in these kits. Home Depot has much better wood if you need to use a big box store. Small lumber mills are closing down all over. If you have one nearby, they will cut you a better price than Menards. A guy from a lumber mill in WI told me that China is exporting wood to the US

RF


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## Jan Doling

You have to get the blueprints certified by an architect and an engineer qualified with the county. Then each step of the way, the building inspector will send you back to the engineer while you bang your head on the nearest post. It takes forever and costs you every step of the way. Been there, done that.


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## willow_girl

DH#2 and I built a kit house from a lumberyard called Big L in Sheridan, MI. 

We made some changes to the plan ... raised the back wall, added 4ft to one end, a front porch, attached garage, second bath upstairs, dormers on the upstairs windows, etc. 

All in all, we were very pleased with the way it turned out. We ended up going $5,000 over budget, but in the end, we borrowed $55,000 (including $7,000 to pay off our land) and 5 years later, the house appraised at $149,000. 

Edited to add: a link to Bi L's website: http://www.big-l-lumber.com/model_homes.htm

Sadly, it seems the house we built is no longer offered!


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## ErinP

Jan Doling said:


> You have to get the blueprints certified by an architect and an engineer qualified with the county. Then each step of the way, the building inspector will send you back to the engineer while you bang your head on the nearest post. It takes forever and costs you every step of the way. Been there, done that.


Depending upon where you're at.
The only thing that we need to have inspected is our septic. _Nothing_ structural. :shrug:


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## travlnusa

We are currently shopping the Menard's kit for a garage. We paid the $20 for the plans and then made some changes (upgrades here, downgrade there).

We now have that quote at Home Depot, Lowe's and two local yards.

They are very willing to sharpen their pencil. In returned, we are offering to buy all supplies from the winning bidder. 

May the best bidder win.


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## littlekari

A freind looked into a kit and you have to be very careful on what you are getting. Their kit did not include plumbing, electrical and cabinets. The flooring was the poor quality stuff so if you wanted better you had to pay for it. They would have had to buy more supports for the roof to comply with codes. Also the shingles were not the greatest so again more expense. Be careful with what you buy. We have gotten the plans before and taken them around to Lowes, Home Depot and then a local lumber store to see who could give us the best deal. The local lumber store shot us the best deal and they gave us a discount so it was actually cheaper then Menards or anywhere else. They even delivered it for free. The lumber was a lot nicer and we only had one peice that was bad--they drove out to exchange it as well. Check around!


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