Why so few garages in Mat-Su Valley?

[Barkingowl]

You can bring the cost down quite a bit by erecting a metal building.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

thanks Marty....I was wondering what the cost of building a finished garage with heat is....is that pretty much though out Alaska....another question I have...if you know.....what is the going price per sq ft of new construction on a stick built house vs log cabin...or is it the same price??? thanks

Those are matsu valley prices. It should be close to that in other places like the Kenai and Fairbanks. It would be a little higher in more rural areas because of trucking and a little higher in Anchorage because of permitting.

Once you get off the road system all bets are off.

A new construction stick frame house in the Mat Su is about $105 per sq foot built by a contractor. Then you add the cost of the lot, garage, well and septic to that. You can go up or down depending on the amenities from that number. And of course you will save a lot of $$$ if you build it yourself.

A scribe-fit log home built by a contractor will probably be about 1/3 more or perhaps a little higher than that. Milled logs will cost you less and 3-sided logs are also less but still more than stick built. Of course, once again, if you do the work yourself it is a lot less. Probably most log homes in our area are owner built.

I drove by a little log cabin with my brother the other day. It's tiny, about 14X16. We both commented on how nice it looked. I happen to know that it cost less than $1000 to build. The owner appears to be keeping it up well and is comfortable. It all depends on what you need for shelter. That place was sold as a shell only, no power, no plumbing, no heat. The owner has added a wood stove and not much else. The lot cost about $25K, the cabin came free and the owner has kept it as is.

[AlaskaErik]

A lot of older homes may not have a garage, but virtually all new construction has at least a two car garage. I'm in Wasilla and every home in my subdivision has a garage, with most them having a three car garage, which I consider to be the minimum size. If you have two vehicles you will find plenty of other things to put in the third bay. We keep two vehicles in our garage and the third bay holds my Harley and the John Deere tractor, which you'll find out comes in handy both in the summer and the winter if you have a good sized lawn and a long driveway.

[malagagirl]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

A lot of older homes may not have a garage, but virtually all new construction has at least a two car garage. I'm in Wasilla and every home in my subdivision has a garage, with most them having a three car garage, which I consider to be the minimum size. If you have two vehicles you will find plenty of other things to put in the third bay. We keep two vehicles in our garage and the third bay holds my Harley and the John Deere tractor, which you'll find out comes in handy both in the summer and the winter if you have a good sized lawn and a long driveway.

I guess it's all relative. You get what you pay for. Looking at houses online, I've seen some drop dead gorgeous places and some that are scary. I'm anxious to get up there and look for real.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by malagagirl

I guess it's all relative. You get what you pay for. Looking at houses online, I've seen some drop dead gorgeous places and some that are scary. I'm anxious to get up there and look for real.

When you get up here, message me and I'll give you some pointers on nice places.