# Cost to Build a Garage: Slab, Framing, and the Door

Canonical URL: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/cost-to-build-a-garage/
Plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/cost-to-build-a-garage/llms.txt
Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com)
Published: September 14, 2026
Updated: October 27, 2026
Category: Project Cost Guides
Summary: Cost to build a garage in 2026, priced part by part: ready-mix by the yard, studs by the stick, a Clopay steel door, permit fees, and BLS trade wages.

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## Cost to Build a Garage in 2026: Slab, Framing, and the Door

The cost to build a garage, priced part by part from publishers that print a number. Ready-mix by the yard, studs by the stick, a steel door by size, and the permit by the square foot.

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Cost to build a garage, at a glance

1. No builder or kit seller posts an installed garage price. This page prices the parts.
2. Slab: a 24 by 24 foot pad takes 8 yards, $1,016 to $1,184 at posted producer prices and $1,280 to $1,440 at industry averages.
3. Framing: 2 by 4 studs run $3.98 to $4.89 at two suppliers. Lumber sits at $524.55 per 1,000 board feet (NAHB).
4. Door: a 16 by 7 foot Clopay steel door is $1,129 at Sutherlands.
5. Permit: Wake County, North Carolina charges $75 plus $0.25 per square foot, $219 for 576 square feet.
6. Wages: carpenters $31.55, cement masons $28.87, electricians $34.37 an hour, mean (BLS, May 2025).

## What is the cost to build a garage right now?

The cost to build a garage has no honest single number, because nobody who builds them posts one. Tuff Shed shows garage prices only after you set a delivery location in its building design tool; metal-garage sellers quote-gate. So this page prices a 24 by 24 foot two-car garage part by part.

## Why the two-car garage is the reference build

Of 1,005,000 single-family houses completed in 2025, 641,000 had a two-car garage and 154,000 had three or more. A 24 by 24 foot footprint, 576 square feet, is the build priced below.

## Cost to build a garage, part by part

| Part | Posted price | Publisher, captured |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ready-mix, 3,000 PSI, per cubic yard | $127.05 to $148.00 | Supreme Concrete (Los Angeles, New York); Gehring Construction (Nebraska), Sept 2, 2026 |
| Ready-mix, industry average, per cubic yard | $160 to $179.95 | NRMCA (2023); Concrete Financial Insights index (2025), Sept 2, 2026 |
| 2 by 4 by 92 5/8 inch stud | $3.98 to $4.89 | Sutherlands (29 stores); Howe Lumber (Massachusetts), Sept 2, 2026 |
| Framing lumber, per 1,000 board feet | $524.55 | NAHB, Sept 11, 2026 |
| Clopay 16 by 7 foot steel door, white raised panel | $1,129 | Sutherlands, 28 stores, Sept 2, 2026 |
| Building permit, accessory structure | $75 plus $0.25 per sq ft | Wake County, North Carolina, Sept 2, 2026 |

Single-source rows, labeled: the door price comes from one retailer, the lumber index from one association. The stud and ready-mix rows blend two publishers.

## The slab, by the yard

A 24 by 24 foot pad at 4 inches is 7.1 cubic yards. NRMCA says to order 4 to 10 percent more, so order 8. At the posted producer prices that is $1,016 to $1,184 of concrete. At the industry averages it is $1,280 to $1,440. Our concrete cost per yard (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-cost-per-yard/) guide lists the plant fees, and the concrete slab cost calculator (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-slab-cost-calculator/) runs any size.

## The framing, by the stick

Four walls at 24 feet is 96 feet of wall. At 16 inches on center that is 72 studs before corners and openings. That is $287 to $352 at posted prices. NAHB put framing lumber at $524.55 per 1,000 board feet on September 11, 2026. That is up 8.8 percent on the year but down 2.2 percent on the month.

## The door and the trades

Sutherlands lists a Clopay 16 by 7 foot white raised-panel steel door at $1,129 across 28 stores. A 9 by 7 is $628.

Carpenters earn a $31.55 mean hourly wage, cement masons $28.87, electricians $34.37, and roofers $27.95 (BLS, May 2025). Those are wages paid, not rates billed. Burden, overhead, and margin sit on top, as our contractor hourly labor rates by trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/) page explains.

## How to price a garage build

1. Size the footprint and check the permit Set length, width, and wall height, then read the fee schedule. Wake County charges $75 plus $0.25 per square foot.
2. Price the slab by the yard Length times width times thickness in feet, divided by 27, plus the 4 to 10 percent allowance. Multiply by a posted yard price and add the plant’s fees.
3. Price the framing by the stick Count studs at 16 inches on center plus corners and openings. Price plates, headers, trusses, and sheathing.
4. Price the door and the trades Add the door by size, then each trade’s hours at a rate covering wage, burden, overhead, and margin.

## SimplyWise Cost Estimator for the cost to build a garage

SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job-site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Material, labor, and fee lines are editable. Drop in the yard price and the door, then send a branded quote the client signs to approve. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.

## Keep reading

- Concrete Slab Cost Calculator (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-slab-cost-calculator/): yards, bags, and a cost line for the pad.
- Construction Calculators (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/construction-calculators/): 24 free tools, slab to door.

## Sources

- U.S. Census Bureau, Characteristics of New Housing (https://www.census.gov/construction/chars/current.html), parking table, captured 2026-09-02.
- Supreme Concrete, price list (https://supreme-concrete.com/pages/price-list), captured 2026-09-02.
- Gehring Construction, Ready-Mix Products and Pricing (https://gehringconcrete.com/Products/Ready-Mix-Products-Pricing), effective 2026-01-01, captured 2026-09-02.
- NRMCA Benchmarking Survey (https://www.nrmca.org/wp-content/uploads/Performance_Benchmarking_Survey_and_State_of_the_Industry.pdf) and CIP 31 (https://www.nrmca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/31pr.pdf), captured 2026-09-02.
- Concrete Financial Insights, US Concrete Industry Data (https://concretefinancialinsights.com/us-concrete-industry-data), captured 2026-09-02.
- Sutherlands, 2 by 4 stud (https://sutherlands.com/products/item/2368405/sutherlands-2-x-4-x-9258-inch-preferred-cut-whitewoodfir-standard-stud) and Clopay 16 by 7 door (https://sutherlands.com/products/item/387423/holmes-clopay-16-x-7-foot-silver-series-white-traditional-raised-panel-garage-door), captured 2026-09-02.
- Howe Lumber, 2×4 stud (https://cust.howelumber.com/products/2x4-92-5-8--kd-spruce-premium-2894.html), captured 2026-09-02.
- NAHB, Framing Lumber Prices (https://www.nahb.org/news-and-economics/housing-economics/national-statistics/framing-lumber-prices), published 2026-09-14, captured 2026-09-14.
- Wake County, Permits and Inspections Fee Schedule (https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/permits-and-inspections/permits-inspections-fee-schedule), captured 2026-09-02.
- Shelby County, Kentucky, permit fee schedule (https://shelbycounty.ky.gov/departments/Building%20Inspector/Permit%20Fee%20Schedule.pdf), captured 2026-09-02.
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national estimates (https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), mean hourly wage by occupation: carpenters 47-2031 (series OEUN000000000000047203103), cement masons and concrete finishers 47-2051 (OEUN000000000000047205103), electricians 47-2111 (OEUN000000000000047211103), roofers 47-2181 (OEUN000000000000047218103), verified 2026-09-11.
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664), 4.8 rating, verified 2026-09-02.

## Frequently asked questions about the cost to build a garage

### The price

**How much does it cost to build a garage in 2026?**

No builder or kit seller posts an installed price, so price the parts. For a 24 by 24 foot two-car garage, 8 yards of ready-mix is $1,016 to $1,440 and 72 studs are $287 to $352. A 16 by 7 foot Clopay door is $1,129, and the Wake County permit is $219. Labor goes on top.

### The parts

**How much is a two-car garage door?**

Sutherlands lists a Clopay 16 by 7 foot white raised-panel steel door at $1,129 across 28 stores. A 9 by 7 is $628.

**Do I need a permit for a detached garage?**

Almost always. Wake County, North Carolina charges $75 plus $0.25 per square foot for attached and detached garages. Shelby County, Kentucky exempts only one-story detached accessory structures of 200 square feet and less.

### Estimating the build

**Can I measure a garage footprint with my phone camera instead of a tape?**

Tape or wheel the footprint and enter the dimensions. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the site into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds.

**Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator price a garage build?**

It builds material, labor, and fee line items, each with unit, quantity, and price per unit. Enter the yard price, the studs, the door, and each trade’s rate. Then send a branded quote the client signs to approve. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, with a 7-day free trial.

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