How Much Does It Cost To Build An RV Garage?

RV garages have to be bigger than car garages because they are for bigger vehicles. How much does it cost to build an RV garage?

Building an RV garage isn't cheap, but there are ways to lower the price. You can build it yourself if you have the skills. If you build an attached rather than a detached RV garage, it is cheaper.

You may spend about $35000 to about $140000 on an RV garage - a bit less than $90,000 is average. The materials cost about $5 or $10 per square foot and the labor costs are higher at $25 to $50 per square foot. The total cost can easily be twice the total cost of labor and materials.

Hiring a contractor that specializes in building garages may be much cheaper than hiring different people to do different parts of the construction. If you hire an electrician, HVAC specialist, siding contractor, ext all separately you may end up spending a lot more than necessary.

I was able to get a decent attached RV garage built for 48,000 dollars. You don't need to spend a fortune - you can get a good deal if you do a bit of research and find the right contractors.

‍What Does it Cost?

It costs anywhere from as little as $36 to as much as $140 per square foot to build an RV garage. These buildings need plumbing, electrical, and water hookups that regular garages don't require.

Why is an RV Garage Necessary?

Just as you should not leave a car or truck out in the open without any shelter, you also shouldn't leave an RV out in the open. You won't get away with leaving it unprotected. If you don't want to build a garage, find a public RV parking space that offers proper shelter.

Since leaving your RV out in the open will gradually damage it, you may lose money in the long run if you don't build a garage. If your RV is a cheap trailer, you might look for a less expensive and less effective way to protect it. However, if your RV is more expensive, a garage is the best choice.

Garages VS Public Parking

A lot of public parking is not good enough to protect a valuable RV. If the public parking is outdoors, your RV will be exposed to rain, wind, and snow that will make it depreciate a lot faster. Your RV will start looking older very fast if you leave it outside, and it may lead to expensive repair bills over time.

It is also more convenient to park your RV on your property. You can use it whenever you want, plus perform basic maintenance on it easily.

Public parking can also be more expensive in the long run. There might not be any good indoor public parking in your area, and it might cost too much if there is. The garage is a one-time payment that may be cheaper than all the public parking fees you will pay over the years.

What Determines the Price?

What type (attached or detached) of garage you want, the garage's location, the size, the cost of contractors in your area, and other things determine the cost of building a garage. Contractors may offer free estimates, but you should know a fair bit about normal prices before you hire anyone. The more you know, the easier it is to get a good deal.

How Much Does it Cost to Build it Yourself?

The cost is largely labor, so you can save a fortune if you build it yourself. Be warned that this is a big project - don't start it if it will make you wish you never started.

Buying a garage building kit can make it much easier. They will send you all the materials you need, at a cost of only $15 to $25 per square foot. However, it will still cost more money than that to build the garage, plus it will take a long time.

What Does a Contractor Do?

A garage building contractor has a lot of responsibilities. They need to hire the right workers and interview them about their skills. They must also observe the project from start to finish and ensure that everything goes according to plan.

The contractor also has to make sure that the project doesn't go over budget. They help the different workers they hire and make sure they get everything done in order. They also need to know what materials to buy and order all of them.

Since this is a lot of work, it might be best to hire a contractor yourself. If you would consider managing the project but not doing the work yourself, that might not be a good idea. You could easily end up spending more if you hire workers separately instead of hiring a contractor.

Attached RV Garages are Cheaper Than Detached Garages

Many people prefer detached garages for their RVs. This is because there might be a good location to build the garage that isn't right beside the house. You can also choose a building material that doesn't match your house if it is detached. This may be an inexpensive material, but the cost of a detached garage will usually still be higher.

An attached garage is built alongside your house and needs insulation. Sometimes, it can make your house look worse. Other times, an attached garage looks very good alongside your home.

Permits

As with many other home improvement projects, some of the cost comes from building permits. You will have to pay about $1200 or $1500 to get permits for your garage.

What Does an RV Door Cost?

Thankfully, garage doors are not very expensive, not even large doors for RVs. You could pay something like $380, $850, or $1100 for an RV garage door. It is only a small part of the total cost.

What Does Water, Plumbing, and Electricity Cost?

You need water, plumbing, and electricity hookups at home as these are essential for your RV. This is another part of the reason why an RV garage is more expensive than a regular garage. It may not be legal to install these hookups in your area without the right permits.

These hookups cost about:

• $750 for water hookups
• $1200 for electrical hookups
• Nothing if you can connect the lines to your existing sewer system, but $3500 if you need a sewer tank installed

It is quite a lot cheaper if you can do some of the work yourself. For example, water hookups may only cost $20, electrical hookups may cost only $100.

What Does Air Conditioning Cost?

Prices vary and depend on what air conditioning unit you buy and the size of your garage. If your RV garage is 450 square feet (450 feet wide and 10 feet long) you may get an air conditioner for less than $400.

What Does Insulation Cost?

It costs around $4500 to fully insulate a garage, on average. RV garages may be more expensive because they are bigger than regular car garages. Insulation is not cheap.

How Large are RV Garages?

An RV garage needs to be large enough to not only fit the RV but a bit larger to provide access to it. It should be at least ten feet wide (an RV may be a little over 8 feet wide, so even ten feet may not be enough) and high enough for the RV.

An RV garage needs to be quite long, about 40 or 45 feet. Make your garage a little larger than necessary as you can use it for storage, as well as other things.

Other Home Improvement Projects

After or before you get your RV garage done, you might do some other home improvement projects. For example, if you don't have a proper garage for your cars, now might be a good time to get one. You could make your RV garage detached from your house and your car garage attached to it.

I also paid for a new driveway when I paid for my RV garage. If you have enough money for more than one project, this might be a good time to do more than one thing.

If you like the contractor you hired to build your RV garage, you might hire them for a second project. If you can afford it, you might hire them to build an addition to your home.