Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 4/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Bruce,
i am trying to figure out how much money it will cost if i add a second story on to my baseball academy.  So that i know how much to save and how much to spend or ask for from my team and how much i should keep from fundraiser and stuff. please help me out

ANSWER: Hi Alec, I would need to know more about your existing building, how it is constructed, that type of thing.  Then I would need to know how you plan to finish the room.  Will it need wood flooring?  Extra height in the ceiling?  A lot of questions...If you just want a price per square foot for a typical second floor addition?  Plug in 150-200 dollars a square foot..This would give you fairly good idea and a benchmark to work toward.  I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com

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QUESTION: hey Bruce,
i want to add a baseball field on top of my baseball academy. i want it to be 340 to left field, 320 to right field, and 360 to the middle. I want the field to be made of dirt and turf or grass. And the ceiling needs to be really high to have the lights and the cage so the ball doesn't hit the lights.  So how much am i looking at to spend on this.  And do you think that this a good idea or not.  I need answers and opinions

ANSWER: Hi again Alec, Just to venture a guess?  A covered baseball park with roof and lighting on top of another building?  32 million US dollars would probably come close.  I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com

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QUESTION: Hi again Bruce, how much then would it take if i just added it to the side of my building, with roof, and lights, and dirt and turf.  What am i looking at now. Oh, and same measurements still to.

Answer
Hi Alec, I was figuring a four hundred foot by four hundred foot square so you could probably tweak those dimensions to get the overal square footage down.  However, it's not really building on top of the other building that is going to be the big cost.  The big cost is in the structural steel or other material used to span  the width and length of a baseball field.  Look at any domed baseball stadium and you will see what I mean.  You are talking about some major steel girders and beams, plus some kind of covering, whether it is Hypolan or acrylic or whatever.  Plus the height of the structure needed for baseball.  Picture a pop up 70 feet in the air..It happens all the time.  So your walls or beams or whatever would have to be at least that tall!  I suppose you could put together some sort of covered field alongside your building for 5-10 million if you kept it very basic.  The bigger the structural span the higher the cost..If you are serious about this and need some planning help feel free to visit my website bejohnsonconsulting.com