Barn sticker shock. WOW!

[cat fever]

Don't want to hijack the thread. The buyers realtor showed up before they did, he said "all that matters is their horses." He was right.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It's weird, because outbuildings often do make a place sell faster, so you would think that the price would reflect that, but I say it generally doesn't. Heck, prospective buyers might even say they are interested in the house, but not the outbuildings (like a swimming pool) just as a bargaining tool. I guess people like stuff for free and often the outbuildings are just that.

 

[ericm979]

I think the outbuildings add value but only for a subset of possible purchasers. And sometimes the value is not directly in the purchase price, it may offset something else. For example when my wife and I were looking for our first house she fell in love with a place that had a greenhouse (she's big into gardening). To the point that she was willing to overlook the cracked foundation in the house. It took me a while to convince her otherwise.

When we bought our current house we did not value the old 40x60 barn much because it was falling down on one corner and needed a lot of work. We fixed it up and reroofed it. It's the first or second thing that people comment on when they visit. Maybe when we're finally forced to sell due to old age someone will fall in love with it and overlook some flaws with the house.

 

[ovrszd]

I think this also depends on locale. Not which State. How rural.

 

[Rustyiron]

I think many of our properties here on TBN would require a buyer that's not your normal house buyer, mine have for sure. For example we wanted a pond with a dock & fountain for swimming rather than a pool to be married to. It's certainly a smaller group to draw from but when you find the guy that want's a building for the toy's or tools, space for any critters they may want or have, and no neighbors watching every single move you make, it'll go a long way towards covering a good bit of your improvements, but you'll never get it all back. The realtors have a list that they check the box or not for "comps" that they live by. There are no box's to check for privacy, security or lifestyle. (or the totality or feeling of all that)
The way I look at it is I built it for us - now, not for them, sometime down the road.:drink:

 

[prof fate]

$30/sf for a an 'unfinished shell' is about the going price...

A basic finished house here is $115ish a sf - that includes plumbing, electrical, 2.5 bathrooms, kitchen, drywall, trim, carpet, water heater, furnace, a/c etc.

So the shell is 1/4 of that...seems reasonable.

the kits seem cheap..but that's a pile of material on the ground. Labor is what's gonna cost ya.

 

[ovrszd]

I agree with Eric, I built for me. Not for resale.

I also agree that a kit is just a pile of material.

A shell is cheap to build. A finished, useable shop is considerably more expensive.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

And knowing the exact cost of that pile of material now lets you know their labor cost, and if it's outrageous, which it is in the OPs case.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I spoke with my cement guy yesterday. He asked a lot of questions about what i was putting in there and what i planned to use it for and if my use would change over time. He came put with an estimate of 16,800-17500 for a 6 inch foundation, 40x60.

 

[LD1]

I spoke with my cement guy yesterday. He asked a lot of questions about what i was putting in there and what i planned to use it for and if my use would change over time. He came put with an estimate of 16,800-17500 for a 6 inch foundation, 40x60.

Call other companies. Maybe thats normal for your area??? ~45 yards poured and finished around here would only be half that.

But again lacking all the info.....is he doing site prep? Leveling? Trucking in 4" of stone for a sub-base and grading? Tons of rebar??