Tying to figure out average cost of a layout

I don't think there is an average layout.......

I have seen layouts from 3 x 6.5 feet to giant 50 x 50 basement fillers to huge clubs.

So getting an average would be very difficult.

Like a old tree removal friend of mine would answer when a customer would ask 'what's the average cost to remove a tree?' his answer was 'there is no average'.

The professional layout builders charge between 125 to 250 a square foot.   Probably half of that would be a good guess of cost

They say that a layout costs between $100 and $300 per square foot to have one built. Building it yourself is a complete wild card. The problem is that there are a lot of variables involved:

• Materials for bench work -- open grid vs. tabletop vs. pre-fab framework, etc.and the type of material used in the build.
• Cost of track. Some track isn't too bad with respect to cost per foot, but turnouts can be astronomical.
• Cost of scenery materials -- pre-packaged vs. generic vs. "scrounged" (my preferred method).
• Cost of electrical components.
• Cost of accessories and buildings. Even scratchbuilding can have high costs (sometimes more than buying one pre-assembled).
• Cost of labor

Hope this helps.

 

You need to at least know the size you intend to build.  You could start out with a couple of saw horses and a single sheet of plywood.  A starter train set.  Now you can estimate a cost.  Work from there.  as everyone said above, there are many, many variables, too many in fact to offer any kind of average cost.  

 

It's like asking someone what is the average cost of a new car?  Do you want a simple, low end entry level car or, and expensive Italian job that costs what a house can cost?  Hard to figure without any input from you.

Just benchwork, track and ballast?  The cost depends to some extent on what track up pick to use, etc., but is fairly scaleable - proportional to size, so you can get a good idea of a role of thumb and understand where the cost goes by looking at what it would cost to build a new 4 x 8 foot layout.  

 

Here are figures I'd use, assuming all the "small stuff," too: a layer of foam atop the wiring for the leads to the track, solder to attach it, screws, glue, nails, roadbed to put under the track when you lay it down (cork, rubber, whatever you choose), etc., etc., you can estimate a reasonable rule of thumb.

 

Four by eight foot table with 45" and 36" loops with switched line between them, using Atlas track,  

 

Wood for benchwork - $125

Foam and glue for it -   $20

Atlas track, clips, et  - $220

Switches (two)         - $160

Roadbed under track   - $28

Wire, screws, nails,

   glue, paint & sealer,

   wire, solder, etc.,   - $125

Ballast                       - $40

TOTAL                        $718

 

Divided by 32 square feet of area = $718/32 ==> $22.43 per square foot.  

 

Frankly, this is about as good an estimate as you are going to get. This is doing it yourself, but with all new material bought with attention to price (i.e, you shop around), and a good basic track (Atlas) with good remote switches: you can spend a bit more on track, but you can also spend a lot less.

 

• You can cut the overall cost by about $200 by using tubular track rather than Atlas. depends on the look you want. You could use Fastrack (no ballasting) and save very little money but lots of time. 
• You can cut the overall cost by about 20% ($140 overall) by scrounging for wood free, buying track at swap meets and such or waiting for real bargains (they come along rarely, but they do come along), etc., maybe buying RTR sets if you like the locos in them, and using the track you get it those, etc.   This can be fun in and of itself: part of the fun of this hobby can be finding a way to do it "on a budget."
• You can cut the overall cost by a further 10%, another $70,  by cutting corners: using only four rather than six legs for the table, 1/2 inch instead of 3/4 in plywood for the top, not making a really strong bench top frame, using glue sparingly, fewer screws, cutting out the use of 1/2 inch of foam atop the benchwork, running fewer feed wires, etc.  I don't recommend this: like building a house on a weak foundation: ultimately self-defeating.  

At this point you have a solid foundation for your layout, and with a power supply and some trains, can run trains.  But this is not comparable to the $250 - $300 per square foot figures you were cited above (the cost can be even higher than that, by the way) .  Those include scenery: at the very least you will want to paint the benchtop greass-green and mud brown, and probably add some hills and mountains and streams or whatever, and grass and bushes and trees and rocks and . . .  add buildings, streets, sidewalks, details, vehicles, figures, etc.: THAT is where the money really goes, but you can do that over time - years, and the cost doesn't become burdensome. (Or you can hire someone, pay $250/$400 square foot, and get it done soon).   

 

 

You also can expect to spend a lot of your time getting to that basic, 4 x 8, $718 becnhwork and ballasted track point. Time is also scaleable, and how long it will take to build that basic depends on how fast you can work.  I'm generally pretty quick at this stuff - lots of experience - but would allow at least three hours per square foot or about 60 hours to do all of this: build the table, lay the roadbed and track, wire it, install and test the switches, and ballast it, then clean up everything well.  If you haven't done this before and often, figure twice that at least, maybe three times.  But realize most of it will be fun time, too: that's what it is all about.

Try checking with commercial layout builders.  It can be a real dose of reality.  The numbers I found were representative of the amazing amount of man hours need to COMPLETE a layout.  The ratio of in process to complete layouts in reality is high.

 

Basic carpentry only jobs can range from $15 to $50 per sq. ft.  Wood, track and wiring can run in the $125 to $175 sq ft range.  Complete turnkey wood, track, wiring, buildings, topography, vegetation, controls, but no trains can run in the low to high $300 per sq ft. 

 

Contact several of the layout builders and share those quotes.

 

Building anything yourself saves the majority cost but still be prepared for some good sized numbers.

Complete?  I wasn't aware that the objective was to ever complete a layout,

I don't even recall when I started, have never keep track () of costs along the way (scary thought...), and I have no idea if or when I might ever finish it, and mine is in an 11'x16' room,

so absolutely true!!!!!

 

it is nothing but a tragedy  when a layout is completed, and a good owner will not let that happen; there is always something to rebuild/add/revise.  Working on the layout is half the fun!

I don't want to know...I have enough guilt trips....

I have about 120 Sq Ft. and my wife tell me I spent about $4k not including trains... She is keeping a close eye on me.

 

Cheers,

Richard

My small 5x8 layout consists of 3 sheets of 4x8 Luan board (glued together to make a sturdy 5x8), and 4 Home Depot plastic saw-horses. Total cost to get me started, about $120.

 

 

TWO VL Big Boys

 

 

Me too...LOL

Cost varies tremendously.

 

I've saved a fortune on track buying used quality pieces.  50% off of retail or more in some cases.  It's out there, just have to look for it.

 

I contacted a layout builder recently for an estimate.  Benchwork, lay track (which I already own) and electrical was all I wanted done.  It was about $25K.

 

 

Believe he is look for to the average cost for an average layout.

My experience has shown that if you are looking for detail, a layout can end up being a cash sponge but cost will depend on how you approach it.

First off. Do you have a finished room to locate the layout in?

Are you a do-it-yourself type of person?

Do you have the carpentry skills necessary to build your own bench work?

Using a 100% build it yourself approach my 14" x 28' room cost about $1600 in materials to build. To save costs the floor is painted concrete and I use a drop ceiling.

Now assuming you already have the space, the 4" pine necessary to built a 4' x 4' table section w 12" on center cross members, 40" legs will run you about $50-$60.

To get a final cost, will you scratch build your own structures or will you buy pre-made?

What type of track will you use?

How may loops, levels sidings and switches do you want? Lighting accessories, scenic features?

Having said all of this be prepared to spend about $20-$25 per square foot for a completely DIY layout in materials ( less the cost of the trains). Lee's estimates are about right.  

 

What is "average"?  Besides, averages are very misleading. For example, the average depth of the Mississippi River is about two feet. That information is pretty useless.

Build to meet your wants/needs today, add more tomorrow, spread the cost and you when think all is well something like a VL Bigboy comes along and you need another level to handle that monster.

 

Make it fun not a chore.

Brent

 

 

Why not work on cost per square foot rather than totals - - then you will be comparing similar costs.

Bagelman,

  IMO what you are asking is really impossible to know, it all depends on the size, track and engineering a person wants to invest in, way to many variables to determine cost on way to may different kinds of layouts, what is average to me maybe smaller or larger than what is average to you.  Track, Transformers and engineering differ greatly in cost, even just the cost of a RTR starter set is completely different in Tin Plate, verses modern today.

PCRR/Dave

 

  

I am building an 8' x 32' layout for www.milwaukeerailroadshops.org in Sioux City. The bench work cost $800.00, stong enough the as a 200 pounder, I can stand on it. Gargraves track and Ross switches another $2500.00. Buildings are 50 to 100 each. Signaling another $1000. 6 stall round house and turntable (Atlas) $800 approx. A whole bunch of scenery material, oh, I forgot, the TRAINS. Power system $500 to $1000. Glue, screws, plaster, etc. 

 

Dick

I'm not sure you really want to know the cost.  You start out and keep going.  The cheapest thing to do is design what you want first according to how much room you have.  Then you can work on it a bit at a time as the money is available.  Getting it done is not the goal with this hobby generally. As I have said before, I have been building my "dream" layout for 10 years.

.....

Dennis

I would say almost impossible,I am now ballasting my layout and have bought $200 worth,this does not include the cost of glue,tint color  etc.

Mikey

I think this is a good idea, I am doing the same thing. I started from scratch about 4 years ago after re-entering the hobby shortly before I retired. I am part way there. Couldn't afford to buy trains, track, bench work, buildings, lights, scenery, control systems, power supplies, etc. all at one time so I had to do it gradually. Since this is all for enjoyment, I have not kept track of the costs, as others have said, not sure I really want to know.

All I know is the lumber would cost considerably more now than it did when I started building my layout 30 years ago. 

 

And I bought my lumber from a small, local family-owned lumber yard back then.  (Go back even further to when I was a pre-teen and I can remember 2x4's going for 10 cents a foot and 3 bucks for a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" plywood...)

 

Rusty

You can easily spend hundreds of dollars just prepairing your room and bench work.  You don't have to build it all at once and you can shop for bargains or look in scrap dumpsters at construction sites.  I found lumber at a Builders Surplus store for about 75% cheaper then I could have bought it at one of the big box retailers.  Track can be found in the used market at train shows, yard sales or ebay.  It really depends on what you want and how much you want to invest.

all his posts are like that.......in case you didnt notice...-jim

I have a twelve by twenty table top layout.  Not to scare one, but it scared me when I figured the cost of my track in today's prices. Greater than $4000 for Atlas track.

After reading all the excellent replies I’ve reached my own conclusion on the price of a layout….

          If you have to ask - You can’t afford it.

　

K.C.

Sounds about right.

 

JaToFy

 

"Just another $250....." Which on my layout is another case of 37" SS Gargraves give-or-take...

 

Gilly

 

...until you run out of things to do. Then you're done.

I built a 4ft x 8ft layout complete with starter set, 2 turnouts, buildings, paint, electrical, and a few 1/43 autos for just under $1,000.00. So $1,000.00/32sq ft = $31.25 per sq ft.

 

That was all new materials. You could do it for less if you buy used. Finding lower cost items does take TIME (and gas and entry fees if you go to shows). 

 

A carpet central can be done for the cost of a starter set.

 

Paul Goodness

Heck it can vary a bunch as others have said.  In my own case I am working on a 12'X33' layout and I am using Atlas track/switches and that alone is just shy of 3 grand.  Bench work?  Heck I would have to add up the receipts.  Then there's wiring and scenery ...yikes I'd rather not think about it.

6 Sheets plywood from a completed project at work- free
Legs made from laminate discard from a paint shop up the road-free

1 case Gargraves- 250  ten years ago 
20 odd switches Ross switches- $800ish ten years ago
1 zw, 1 kw and 3 bricks $475ish

All the other stuff... $1,365,287.00 and counting