We will land at roughly 26k in materials for this project… a 14’x26’ garage.

Also, in terms of flooring for the storefront what material would be best in terms of money and quality? 

you can however require an non-internet letter.   

You may pay a bit more and make a little less, but playing the long term game is key in real estate.The types of structures could be lump sum (one price) or cost plus (meaning you pay the cost of material and labor plus a flat fee—more of an open-book model).I see some investors who want to pay for ALL the materials, which is excellent for the investor (more control of finishes & cost) and general contractor (if they are getting paid well).  

STR is becoming a difficult strategy because there are so many costs (furniture maintenance, utilities, internet, etc.) that you have to factor in and if you are in an oversaturated market, then unless your property is unique, you can only compete on price.

It's better than what you'll get from most attorneys and what you'll find on the internet.

Or one of the literally thousands of books, videos, etc on this thing called the internet?

Talk to your agent and don't try to hide material facts about what you're planning to do. 

Examples would be incorrect square footage, incorrect year built, incorrect style of home or materials.  

The costs of land  , engineering , site work , permits , labor , and building materials make this virtually impossible . then there are zoning issues and the rest of the politics that go along with this .