Real Cost to build 60'x60' hangar

[flyboycpa]

Hey all,

I'm enlisting your help to determine the true "finished" costs of the possibility of a hangar at my home airport. I've seen many offers by companies online and in Trade-a-Plane for the basic "box". Other than that, what else am I looking at, and at what rough cost. I'm assuming I'll be looking at a bi-fold door, too.

Is it realistically doable at $70k, or less?? I'm not looking for an apartment-type or anything fancy. Just basic polished, epoxy-coated floor.

[steveinindy]

Well, figure out your required quantity of materials and go from there. For example, a cubic yard of concrete from a commercial source (delivered in a mixer truck) will run you about $100-125. Whether you are willing/able to do the building yourself is going to make a huge difference.

[martymayes]

60 x 60 for $70k.......that works out to ~$19 sq/ft, so I'd put that into fantasy land category.

Depending on what airport you want to put it on, building codes, etc. a metal building or pole barn style building with a concrete floor is going to be in the $35-40 sq/ft range. And that's on the low side.

[steve]

Another data point:
$125K for a 60x50x14 R&M hangar with a 45 ft wide Hydroswing door and heated floor. That's the complete price including permits, fees, concrete, and labor. The steel and door from R&M cost approx $40K. That was the 2008 cost.
Other items included in the build cost:
Basic electric installation - 2 lighting circuits and 8 outlet boxes.
Natural gas service to the floor heater.
Water roughed in and sewer connected.
60x40 asphalt pad in front of the hangar.
One firewall with 3 layers of 5/8" drywall.
Glossy concrete floor but not epoxied.

[martymayes]

Another data point:
$125K for a 60x50x14 R&M hangar


~$41 sq/ft. For all the options and extras, that was a good deal.

[Dave Stadt]

Epoxy floor alone will be several thousand if you have it done. 50 X 60s went for $112K here 8 years ago. That's $37 a square foot. I think you can double your $70K and be close.

[flyboycpa]

Thanks everyone for your knowledge. This is why I asked all of you. I'm evaluating the options of building my own, or buying into another [already built] hangar. Your numbers give me good information to go on. Thanks again.

Sam

[WLIU]

Since none of the previous posters stated that they have actually built a hangar, I will offer my experience.

First, do not confuse the asking price of a finished building, or the property tax value, with the cost of construction. Not the same. Sellers want a profit for their effort and asking prices generally reflect the current market, i.e., supply and demand.

About 10 years ago I put up a 48'x48' Erect-A-Tube building in NH. I was the general contractor. Since the building was a residential accessory building, or barn, on the building permit, I did the electrical work, which was signed off by the building inspector.

Back then the concrete work for the foundation footings and frost wall cost $6K after I dug the trenches with a borrowed backhoe. If I had to pay for all the work including excavation I will guess that I would have spent $10K.

The complete building delivered to my site by Erect-A-Tube was I think $30K. That is every beam, panel, and bolt for a 48' square hangar with a 48' wide bifold door that opens up to 14'. I can't say enough about the quality of the Erect-A-Tube building kit. Good quality and a great door.

I think that I paid another $3K or $5K for a crew to assemble the building on site.

I dug the trench and installed the conduit for underground electric service. That plus the electrical panel and wiring to 115V and 220V outlets and overhead lighting probably cost another $1200.

The concrete floor was fun. Got a really good crew to pour the floor for a total cost of about $3K. Then I bought high quality Hard Deck white paint and my wife and I put that down. About $2500. A white floor reflects so much light that you only need half of the fixtures that you might install otherwise. We call it the garage-mahal.

You can add up the numbers to total something just over $50K. Add 20% for inflation and the price is still not that bad. The finished building is worth a lot more than the construction price. So if you have some patience, shop around, read directions, and are not afraid of sweat equity, you can put up a pretty nice building on the installment plan.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS


P.S. In Tennessee you don't need a heated floor. I don't need one in NH either. Get a large patio heater or two and working in the hangar is just fine in the winter.

[flyboycpa]

Since none of the previous posters stated that they have actually built a hangar, I will offer my experience.

First, do not confuse the asking price of a finished building, or the property tax value, with the cost of construction. Not the same. Sellers want a profit for their effort and asking prices generally reflect the current market, i.e., supply and demand.

About 10 years ago I put up a 48'x48' Erect-A-Tube building in NH. I was the general contractor. Since the building was a residential accessory building, or barn, on the building permit, I did the electrical work, which was signed off by the building inspector.

Back then the concrete work for the foundation footings and frost wall cost $6K after I dug the trenches with a borrowed backhoe. If I had to pay for all the work including excavation I will guess that I would have spent $10K.

The complete building delivered to my site by Erect-A-Tube was I think $30K. That is every beam, panel, and bolt for a 48' square hangar with a 48' wide bifold door that opens up to 14'. I can't say enough about the quality of the Erect-A-Tube building kit. Good quality and a great door.

I think that I paid another $3K or $5K for a crew to assemble the building on site.

I dug the trench and installed the conduit for underground electric service. That plus the electrical panel and wiring to 115V and 220V outlets and overhead lighting probably cost another $1200.

The concrete floor was fun. Got a really good crew to pour the floor for a total cost of about $3K. Then I bought high quality Hard Deck white paint and my wife and I put that down. About $2500. A white floor reflects so much light that you only need half of the fixtures that you might install otherwise. We call it the garage-mahal.

You can add up the numbers to total something just over $50K. Add 20% for inflation and the price is still not that bad. The finished building is worth a lot more than the construction price. So if you have some patience, shop around, read directions, and are not afraid of sweat equity, you can put up a pretty nice building on the installment plan.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS


P.S. In Tennessee you don't need a heated floor. I don't need one in NH either. Get a large patio heater or two and working in the hangar is just fine in the winter.

Thanks, Wes. Yes, you're right in that we don't need a heated floor here. The hangar that I'm in currently has a very-light gray epoxy-coated floor that you could nearly eat off of. It also has fiberglass panels in the roof that allow in a LOT of light.

Sam

[Green Goggles]

I don't know what winters in Tennesse are like, but here in Oklahoma we need heat, and in my opinion, a heated floor is THE way to go.

For the last 4 years or so, I worked in a 9,000 sq/ft hangar (90x100) with a heated floor, and it was magnificent.
It is a totally quiet system, there is no moving air being blown around the hangar, and it is a very even heat from top to bottom, left to right. No cold zones.

Best of all, sitting or lying on the floor is extremely comfortable because it is warm! Tools and equipement don't get cold laying on the ground. Lay your jacket down and it stays warm too.


Obviously, the heated floor adds cost and complexity to the construction, but if you are considering it, I would go for it.
After being in that hangar daily, through a few very cold winters, I am total believer.



Is your hangar for daily work? Or just a storage place to park an aircraft?

[steve]

We 3 partners entertained assembling the structure (we build airplanes, right?) but the local city required a licensed contractor and we all had day jobs and winter was close and another hangar was just completed and that builder offered us a sweet deal cause the crane and crew were already on site, etc. So we did the smart thing and let the pros assemble the hangar.
An important item I listed above was the asphalt pad. We built on the last lot at the end of a row so we had to bear the cost of the pad in front of the hangar. The city inspector also stated the city's position, "No pad - no occupancy certificate." Your local rules may be different.

[WLIU]

I will note that since you are in Tennessee, a bifold door is nice but there are less expensive options. The bifold door is best when you get freezing temps and snow, but in milder climates where the ground does not heave in the winter and the ice does not block the bottom of the door from moving, a side rolling door can be a less expensive choice. The bifold door is 30% of the cost of the building kit.

On the topic of heated floors, I have installed some radiant heat in my house. So I can tell you that to have done that in my hangar I would have had to add the cost of over 2000' of cross linked PEX (1/2") plus manifolds, pumps, and a boiler, and the cost of installation. Plus the floor pour would have required more expensive equipment because with the PEX tubing tied to the reinforcing mesh, you can not drive the concrete truck into the hanger to jusr deliver via the truck's chute. So figure on another $3K+ or so added to the cost of the hangar. Plus you can not simply turn the floor heat on and off. It takes a couple of days to warm up, so you have to turn it on in say December and pay the expense of running it through say March. Unless you are going to spend at least 40 hours a week in your hangar, it is very very hard to justify. But that said, if I were spending someone else's $$, I would certainly suggest doing it. Heated floors are great and if you have a dog it will be one happy puppy all winter.

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS

[prasmussen]

Was looking to put up a pole barn. Just a metal tent with sliding barn doors, right? All looked good until we got to the "site-prep" charges which, in the location I wanted to put the hangar, doubled the cost. And that was certainly not an epoxied, heated floor!

If you have land, a thought that has worked here is to let someone else build a hangar on your strip with the agreement that, after a certain number of years, it belongs to you. It's all in the details, of course, but written right, it is a win-win.

Best of luck

[Joe LaMantia]

I haven't heard any mention of actual ownership regarding a hanger. Many airports that are connected with local govts. have lots of rules, and even if you comply with all the building requirements you may not actually own the building after 10 or 20 years. You are first in line to rent your hanger from the airport "authority" per the agreement, read the fine print before you start signing contracts.

Joe
:cool:

[steveinindy]

I haven't heard any mention of actual ownership regarding a hanger. Many airports that are connected with local govts. have lots of rules, and even if you comply with all the building requirements you may not actually own the building after 10 or 20 years. You are first in line to rent your hanger from the airport "authority" per the agreement, read the fine print before you start signing contracts.

Joe
:cool:

This would be why if it weren't so expensive to put a decent runway onto private property, I would definitely do that.

[Joe LaMantia]

Steve,

Yep, the "solution" to this problem is knowing what the winning lottery number will be before it's drawn!

Joe
;)

[steveinindy]

Steve,

Yep, the "solution" to this problem is knowing what the winning lottery number will be before it's drawn!

Joe
;)

Yup. That it is. Of course, if I did hit the lottery, you all would probably banish me from the Forums because of the 10,000 foot x 100 foot strip of concrete with a Category III ILS on my estate. Then again, you would all be welcome to come see the collect of airplanes kept there so it might balance out. LOL

[martymayes]

I haven't heard any mention of actual ownership regarding a hanger.

Simply observed - If it were cheap to build and own 60 x 60 hangars on municipal airports, EVERYBODY would be doing it.

[WLIU]

The block is that too many folks want instant gratification for low $$. Building a hangar on your local airport requires patience and persistence and some negotiating skills in addition to a few $$. A friend built a block of condo hangars at the local municipal airport and his biggest personal characteristic is persistence. So this challenge is like everything else in aviation. If you really want to do it, you can. But there are 1000 reasons to spend your time on something else.

Yoda - Do or do not...

Best of luck,

Wes
N78PS
Hangar builder

[flyboycpa]

I don't know what winters in Tennesse are like, but here in Oklahoma we need heat, and in my opinion, a heated floor is THE way to go.


Obviously, the heated floor adds cost and complexity to the construction, but if you are considering it, I would go for it.
After being in that hangar daily, through a few very cold winters, I am total believer.



Is your hangar for daily work? Or just a storage place to park an aircraft?

My hangar is only for the storage of my plane. The hangar I'm currently in doesn't have a heated floor and I've been in it for 7 years. I'm sure it would be nice, but not an absolute necessity here.

[dusterpilot]

My hangar....doesn't have a heated floor.... I'm sure it would be nice, but not an absolute necessity here.
Heated floors are great, but my hangar doesn't have one either. I have heat in my insulated hangar and the next best thing to a heated floor: They were replacing the carpeting in our terminal and I snagged two 12'X25' sections of the old carpet and put it in my hangar. The carpet adds an insulation layer that keeps your feet warm in the winter and if I drop a nut or a screw while working on my plane, it generally stays where it falls and doesn't roll to the far corner of the hangar where I'll never see it again.

[Larry Lyons]

We have over head radiant heat, keep it at 55 unless we are working. It makes thing warm to the touch in about 10 minutes and is very nice here in Northern Illinois, and not too terrible costly either. No, it does not heat the floor under the plane but as it is always 55 it is not bad at all. However there are 3 of us in a 60' by 60'. One Debinair, one C 140, one C 182 in parts and one Smith Mini plane also in parts at least for few months yet. The goal is to have the mini at Oshkosh 2013.

L

[2VW]

I was contemplating the same thing three years ago in Florence Oregon. I felt I could pencil it out around $70k to $80k (plus my time to orchastrate) for a 50 x 50 with bifold doors, insulated, non heated floors. My background comes from development and construction, which does have a benifit on conctruction materials. My decision came easy as there There was a brand new hangar on the field and on the market for one year. That being said I made an offer for $80k, which they accepted and also held paper for two years. Moral of the story if they are asking $100k don't be afraid to offer. $80k. However I tried the same strategy at KPLU and was unsuccessful as there was a higher demand for hangars.

[Richard Warner]

I was contemplating the same thing three years ago in Florence Oregon. I felt I could pencil it out around $70k to $80k (plus my time to orchastrate) for a 50 x 50 with bifold doors, insulated, non heated floors. My background comes from development and construction, which does have a benifit on conctruction materials. My decision came easy as there There was a brand new hangar on the field and on the market for one year. That being said I made an offer for $80k, which they accepted and also held paper for two years. Moral of the story if they are asking $100k don't be afraid to offer. $80k. However I tried the same strategy at KPLU and was unsuccessful as there was a higher demand for hangars.

I'm lucky to have my own strip on my farm and built an all steel 50'X40' hangar with a 44' Schweiss Bi-Fold Door. The building was erected by the company I bought it from Total cost including plumbing, wiring done by a commercial electrician, and insulating it complete and ready to use including a 50' X 25' pad in front. The permit was $200 since I told the idiots it was a barn and they didn't require an inspection. I've had my Cessna 180 along with a 182 in it along with a car with no problem. Also had my 180 and Champ in it for a long time. Total cost at the time(1996) was right at $40,000, so whatever inflation has done to the once almighty dollar's loss of value has to be added to that cost.

[FlyingRon]

I'm in NC and the heated floor is the cats meow. The nice thing about the hydronic floor heat is that it recovers quickly after you close the hangar door.
Unfortunately my hangar in colder CJR isn't heated (I've got a Tannis on a cell phone interface).

[DrBill]

In 2004 I built a 30x40 hangar just for the airplane. (Beech Sundowner at the time, now Mooney). I bought (on sale in Feb) a COVER-IT 30x40 shelter. At the time it was c$5K. I had the 30x40 pad poured for $3K. Add 1K for ground work, electric and hoist for the door plus misc and I had 4 other pilots help install it on one weekend. 2 days.
It has been great. The front door now is due to be replaced this summer. I estimate 2K I'll get a quote from Shelter-logic (they took over Cover-it) and a local shelter company.
The 2nd picture down on the right is mine:
http://www.shelterlogic.com/Content.aspx?PageName=Aviation
I sealed the floor with a clear 2 part sealer that has not worn off.
No floor heat needed here in NC. I have used a Kerosun heater to take the chill off when working in the winter.
My neighbors built theirs from US STEEL. They are 40x40 quanset hut like buildings with over 5000 bolts. Double the cost I think.
I'm real happy with it. The county considers it a "temporary-portable" structure so no tax.
BILL

[kenboling]

I have built two hangars in the past eight years...my experiences as to cost here in Arkansas. Building cost (I used Heritage) at ~10$ per sq ft...yours would thus be 36,000$.
Cost for slab, including footers, rebar and wire cloth at ~4$ per sq ft...yours would be 14,400$. Cost for assembly at ~3$ per sq ft...yours would be 10,800$.
Bifold doors (I used Smiths) most are around 6 to 8K for 40 footer. Total of the above...69,200$. We have been using 20$ per foot for a bare/empty hangar to all new/potential buyers at our Airpark.
You can easily spend way more...but if you are your own Contractor, hire carefully, it can be done.
Ken boling

[2VW]

Ken you beat me by $800 you must have seen my number :)

[tankerclown]

Just wanted to revive this thread. I'm looking to build a 60x60 hangar in private land in Michigan. I was looking at morton buildings or steel. Just wondering what we are looking at for prices for morton... 18' ceilings, insulated with a small bathroom.

[malexander]

Just wanted to revive this thread. I'm looking to build a 60x60 hangar in private land in Michigan. I was looking at morton buildings or steel. Just wondering what we are looking at for prices for morton... 18' ceilings, insulated with a small bathroom.

All I can do id highly recommend Morton. My hangar is 60 X 72, 14' walls, Horton stack door. I did all the wiring, air lines and gas lines for the radiant heaters. I screwed up by not having it insulated. The building, door, & concrete cost 30K, in 1995.

My commercial building is also a Morton building (insulated, lol). 42 X 75, 12' walls. This building in 2000 was 75K.

Morton isn't the cheapest way to go, you know the old saying, "you get what you pay for".
I think the main thing I like about Morton is, you buy from a Morton salesman, it's delivered on a Morton truck, it's erected by a Morton crew. You have an issue with something on the building, they take care of it, no finger pointing.

I had a couple of roof leaks on my hangar (22years old) a few months ago. I called the Morton guys, were there within a couple of days. I think the bill was 65.00 or 70.00.

[Frank Giger]

And for goodness sakes, if you're not building it at the County Airport it's a barn. A barn. A storage building. A barn. A workshop. A garage. A barn.

Say it with me....a barn.

[1600vw]

Yes its a barn or storage shed not a hangar. A friend just built one. Its a poll style building with metal sides and concrete floor. He paid in total a little over 10 grand for the completed building and floor. He put sliding doors on it. This is on a farm not an airport. I also believe this to be a 40x40 building.

Tony

[tankerclown]

Thanks for the input. So to correct my previous post, I'm building a storage building! It might have an airplane stored in it from time to time. Thanks for the morton info. I just talked to a salesman today to get the ball rolling. I was hoping to stay in the 60k range for an insulated 60x60x18. I'll report back. I'm also looking at a wick steel building. Sounds like they do all the details as well.

[malexander]

Thanks for the input. So to correct my previous post, I'm building a storage building! It might have an airplane stored in it from time to time. Thanks for the morton info. I just talked to a salesman today to get the ball rolling. I was hoping to stay in the 60k range for an insulated 60x60x18. I'll report back. I'm also looking at a wick steel building. Sounds like they do all the details as well.

If you go with Morton, list me as a referral.lol

[tankerclown]

I was just quoted 9500 for a 42x16 bi fold and 9900 for a 44x16. 15k for a hydraulic higher power door, installed. Are these legitimate prices?

[WLIU]

Depends on where you are. In the northeast that number is very low. But your location might permit lighter construction. Will the plans have an engineer's stamp on it?

Best of luck,

Wes

[Sirota]

I built a 60 X 80 hangar at my (then) airpark. Sewer, water and electrical was nearby. It had a 20 X 40 air conditioned office with 1 1/2 bathrooms, small kitchen, dry walled walls, open ceiling, lots of lights and electrical. Frame stucco. hydraulic door from Schweiss. Granted , it was pretty spiffy but not the showcase others have built. Cost was $350,000 5 years ago. It was featured on the Schweiss site for a while. https://www.bifold.com/photo-of-the-day-stucco-hangar.php

Alas, it went away in the divorce. Know why divorce is so expensive? Because it's worth it

[Frank Giger]

Um, that's a house inside a hangar.

And congratulations on being positioned to spend that kind of dough on a hangar!

[malexander]

Um, that's a house inside a hangar.

And congratulations on being positioned to spend that kind of dough on a hangar!


Then, give it all away.
That could have been the reason for the divorce

[choppergirl]

http://www.zenithair.com/stolch701/pic04/fly-cow5.jpg


Say it with me....a barn.

Your plane is also a COW.. say it with me... a cow.

Paint COW across the side, so the hillbilly hicks won't mistake it for a flying reindeer and shoot at it...

~

I found a collapsing 40x30 pole barn workshop abandoned in the woods with no road any longer leading into it, and the roofing is still excellent on it, so that's going to be my 'free' hanger, I just need to buy some land and relocate it piece by piece, and acquire some new telephone poles because there's no way I'm pulling those ones out... they can be abandoned in place. The rest of the timber and siding I'll scavenging from abandoned sharecropper houses or people post trailers or sheds they want torn down for free on Craigslist all the time so I'm not too worried about getting the rest of the raw materials. I'd like a concrete floor in it, but I've seen my dad pour one or two using a mixer that shows up, and I really don't want to go through that. I think a concrete floor raises your taxes too, so I'll probably just put down some pea gravel or something.

Originally I wanted to make my hanger like a huge rec room with the plane as the centerpiece, with a black and white checkerboard floor, since I have all the furniture for it already (couches, pool tables, arcade machines, etc)... but I'm thinking... meh, I don't really have any friends to hang out with there, and it's going to be in a boring location so... just park the plane in there and be done with it, I don't want to hang around in the hanger. I probably won't even bother running electricity to it. One less monthly recurring bill.

[Floatsflyer]

Know why divorce is so expensive? Because it's worth it

Know why husbands die before their wives? They want to!

No judgement honestly but a $350K hangar for a $30K airplane sounds a little disporportionate.

Was your ex so retributional that she wanted to take away your airplane's home? What was she going to do with a hangar without an airplane? I assume she sold it for the cash. Whoa, what did you do to get her so pissed? These are just rhetorical questions as I'm sure you're not interested in answering which I understand. Hope your life is going well now.

[Sirota]

I could have bought her out and kept the house and hangar but that's all I'd have. I couldn't swing the purchase and upkeep on just my income.

The core of the divorce wasn't the hangar, it was that she found a trust fund baby to hook-up with. The new "10" criteria is a 4 with 6 million dollars.

[Floatsflyer]

The new "10" criteria is a 4 with 6 million dollars.

That's funny, but not at the time I'm sure. Appreciate your candour, I've been there too but my divorce 33 years ago was so amicable we used the same lawyer. No kids and just split the proceeds of the house. But I got custody of the Weimaraner.

[Sirota]

I got custody of the dogs too. Sounds like we both both the better end of the deal

[tankerclown]

We'll, it looks like I may end up just being my own GC for this project. I checked with wicks and morton, they came in at 146k and 125k respectivley. If I do the contracting myself, i can build it for around 60-70...

[tankerclown]

They're saying that concrete is 170/yard... I found it for less than half that locally...

[Frank Giger]

Sounds like they're subcontracting and putting in the markup to make a profit.

Can't blame them for trying.

[beachpilot]

We'll, it looks like I may end up just being my own GC for this project. I checked with wicks and morton, they came in at 146k and 125k respectivley. If I do the contracting myself, i can build it for around 60-70...


I'm curious how you ended up on your hangar project and if you self-contracted it? I'm in the planning stages of a 50 x 50 "garage" or "shop" that may or may not store a Cessna 182... It's on private land in central Georgia. I'm fine with a crossover sliding door as that is what we have at the local airport hangar I fly out of now. Your post came up during my search so I thought I'd ask and see which way you decided to go. Any feedback/advice is well-appreciated!

[tankerclown]

I'm curious how you ended up on your hangar project and if you self-contracted it? I'm in the planning stages of a 50 x 50 "garage" or "shop" that may or may not store a Cessna 182... It's on private land in central Georgia. I'm fine with a crossover sliding door as that is what we have at the local airport hangar I fly out of now. Your post came up during my search so I thought I'd ask and see which way you decided to go. Any feedback/advice is well-appreciated!

I'm sadly still in the planning phase. The airport owner has been having issues setting up all the approvals he needs from the city/state. I haven't gotten much further with the planning as its hard to get the ball rolling without a solid timeline. Luckily, as I said earlier, this will be on private land so I dont need to worry about the city taking the land back at some point. I'm still hoping to get it all done for about $150k. Still looking for a 60x60x18, insulated and heated.