Garages & Building
Planning a garage, shop, or outbuilding in Canada? This is the complete toolkit: price the build, take off the lumber, size the attic, choose the foundation, and frame the roof — in the right order, with the deal-breakers flagged before they cost you money.
A garage build is really five decisions stacked together: what it costs (and which finish level you actually need), what holds it up (floating slab or frost wall — your soil and code decide more than your preference), what frames it (a lumber package you can take off and price in minutes), what's above it (a roof that blocks the attic, or one that creates a room), and what paperwork makes it legal. The tools and guides below resolve each one, and they cross-reference each other in that sequence.
Tools
Garage Cost Calculator
Full build estimate by size, foundation, roof, and finish level — editable Canadian prices.
CalculatorWall Framing Calculator
Studs, plates, headers, sheathing — a complete lumber takeoff with waste factor.
CalculatorAttic Space Calculator
Pick roof style, pitch, and span — see the usable room drawn to scale, live.
CalculatorFoundation Cost Estimator
Slab, frost wall, piers, or wood floor — concrete and granular quantities, costed.
CalculatorRoof Cost Estimator
Trusses or stick, gable to gambrel, asphalt to metal — framed and covered, costed.
Guides
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Garage in Canada?
2026 budgets by size, what drives the price, deal-breakers, and where to save.
GuideGarage Foundations: Slab vs Frost Wall
The frost decision resolved — by site, soil, and what you're building above.
GuideRoof Framing for Attic Space
Attic trusses, stick framing, or gambrel — costs, trade-offs, and the verdict.
GuidePermits & Property Lines
When a garage needs a permit (almost always) and the zoning that applies regardless.
GuideLumber Choices: What to Use Where
Dimensional, treated, LVL, and trusses — prices, pros, and the material deal-breakers.
GuideRoofing Materials Compared
Asphalt, metal, cedar, composite — by building type, with the verdict.