Build Parking Garage Costs

The reason drivers complain about too-high parking rates is probably because of the expense of erecting a parking garage in the first place. Parking structures vary significantly in shape, size, and materials, and therefore will have significantly different costs from one project to the next. You will need to consider these factors, along with others, in creating your project budget.

The cost to build a parking garage is much higher than the cost to build a surface parking lot. In fact, a single stall can cost thousands of dollars. There are also many strict code requirements that must be followed when building a garage of this nature, so that may impact your building costs, as well.

Building a parking garage: 145,000 sq.ft. and five stories that measure 10 feet each in height.

Building a parking garage: square footage and parking space requirements used to determine the necessary height.

Other considerations and costs

• Based on the estimates above, using non-union labor would reduce the cost by about $8 per square foot, essentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• Zoning and building code requirements may require you to build a garage of a certain size or height. This will impact the cost of the project heavily, in both materials and labor costs.
• The estimates provided include steel framing materials, concrete blocks and poured concrete foundations, brick facing exterior, and all carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and masonry work. Any special requirements or additional services will incur an additional charge.
• You will need to hire a professional architect to create a blueprint of your garage, which must then be approved by a structural engineer before building can begin. This should only assume about six percent of your total budget.
• If you can reduce the square footage of the spaces, you can fit more per level and reduce building costs by building fewer levels.
• Check out our guide if you need a loan for your home improvement project.
• If you are a builder and need insurance check out our Builders Risk Insurance Guide.

DIY considerations

• Building a parking garage is never a DIY project. It involves a lot of heavy machinery, steel and concrete work, and multiple code and safety requirements that require the work of a skilled professional.

References

• Craftsman Estimator Costbook, complete series year 2019.
• Latest prices found on Home Depot and other vendor Web sites.
• Literature review of DIY Web sites.