Garage Ideas And Steps To Build One
There are several benefits to having a garage for your home. They shield vehicles from both intruders and severe weather conditions like harsh sunlight (which can damage the paint and the interior of a car), large hail, heavy snow, debris from strong winds, etc.
Garages also provide additional storage, a practical spot to practice hobbies (if additional space is available), and even home offices for some. The process of planning a dream garage is exciting but also requires a lot of decision-making.
You’re probably here, on this page of our website, because you were searching out answers online to your garage-related questions. That’s great!
We’re here to help and we plan to cover a lot in this article such as:
How much value a garage can add to a home?
Garage Design Ideas for detached/ attached car garage
How to build a garage? and,
How much does it cost to build a garage?
How much value does a garage add to a house?
A garage can definitely increase a home’s value but how much depends on many different factors.
How big is the residential garage? Is the garage attached to the house or is it a detached garage? What is the square footage of the garage?
Does the garage have basic concrete floors or is there special epoxy flooring? Is the garage heated? What type of lighting system does it have? What materials were used? Is there drywall? What type of finishes does the garage have? What door(s)/door opener(s) does it have? Are there windows?…
Okay, do you see how there is basically an endless list of observations that need to be made before that question is able to be given a proper answer? We can say, however, size matters. Yep.
The bigger the square footage, the bigger the ROI. Especially with a detached garage because in general, detached garages come with far more space than their attached counterparts, which can help add significant value.
The overall national average for return on investment for a detached garage addition is estimated to be around 65%. Pretty cool, right? It is definitely safe to say that a garage is an added benefit for homebuyers and adds value to homes!
Garage Building Ideas
So, you’ve decided it’s time for a new garage and we’ve confirmed garages add more value to homes, so, now what? Well, now would be a great time to start thinking about garage ideas, to get a concept of what style of garage you’re wanting.
Since larger detached garages bring more value to homes, and they are becoming very popular; we are going to share some of our favorite detached garage ideas and larger 4-car garage ideas too.
4 Car Garage Design Ideas
The layout.
We love this 4-car garage layout in particular because of the space. There are three traditional bays and then one bay dedicated to being a “workshop” bay.
With the average car being 15 feet in length and the average truck being 20 feet in length, the depth of this garage’s layout allows for plenty of storage and cabinet options in the back of the triple garage.
Even if you kept the fourth car in the workshop bay, you’d still have plenty of room to work back there too! And get this…a two-story garage! The second floor of this layout features a loft that has endless possibilities.
The second floor of this 4-car garage idea definitely allows for “so much room for activities”– said in our best Will Ferrel voice. 😉
Windows
Add windows and recessed lighting to brighten up the space.
Natural light is essential for any kind of room, the garage no longer being the exception. Even if you’re only using the garage to store vehicles and a few bikes, a little natural light can go a long way, but windows become especially necessary for homeowners looking to do any sort of project in their garages.
Adding recessed lighting in a garage is an affordable option to light your space with some style.
Detached Garage Ideas
Incorporate vaulted ceilings
When you build a detached garage, you are not constricted to the height dimensions of the house, so vault it! Vaulted ceilings not only help a space look and feel bigger naturally, but they also allow for more work/storage space too.
For example, with vaulted ceilings, you can have a car lift in one of the bays. If you’re into cars or prefer working on them for maintenance rather than taking them to a car shop, then this would be perfect for you to have. Another great reason to have vaulted ceilings is to store larger motor vehicles like campers and RVs.
Utilize your roof
Get creative and make it a fun space. With the appropriate structural support, framing, and railing, your detached garage’s roof could be turned into a relaxing new deck to call your own. Who knew building a garage could turn into rooftop decks!?
How To Build A Garage
Building a garage requires careful planning if you want it done seamlessly. Here are a few tips we have compiled from our years of building garages in Illinois and Wisconsin:
- Get very familiar with zoning laws, your homeowners’ association agreements (if applicable), and local regulations. This is a very, very important step of the process because not knowing these rules and regulations could end up costing you a lot of wasted time and money.
- Make a plan and then list everything out thoroughly.
- Get a floor plan together.
- Pick your style.
- List out all the materials and supplies needed to build it. (From foundation, nails, insulation, electrical, lumber, etc. to the finishing touches like paint, flooring, outlet covers, air vents, light fixtures, storage system, etc.
- Once you have a completed list of supplies and materials, submit it to home improvement stores around you to begin getting quotes from them.
- Gather your quotes and figure out your cost-to-build as accurately as possible.
- If you’re over budget or have room in your budget to go higher-end, make revisions NOW. Don’t wait until you are halfway through building it to decide, that’s where a lot of money and time can get wasted.
- Apply for and pull all applicable building permits in your city.
- Begin preparing the site or demoing your existing garage (if keeping and updating the current one.)
Rockford has strict zoning requirements that need to be met, or be prepared to pay violations. This is one reason most hire a qualified garage contractor in their city before attempting to build a garage.
Detached Garage Costs
Detached garage costs are not all the same. It depends on many factors such as:
- Foundation
- Electrician
- Siding
- Roofing
- Insulation
- Painting
- Driving
- Doors
- Flooring
- Windows
- Heating & Air
- Cabinets
- Storage
- …..and the list could go on
Calculating Garage Building Costs
To help estimate a detached garage’s cost, the first thing you would need to do is decide how large this new detached garage is going to be. (One tip to help determine how big your detached garage is going to be is by the number of cars you want to park in there or by how many square feet.)
It’s also a popular decision to add half a car size on top of your ideal car space to accommodate a workspace and to provide additional storage space for things like outdoor gear or warehouse store purchases, so you may want to add this to your floor plan.
Once you know the square footage of your detached garage is going to be, decide on the layout/floorplan of where everything will go and gather the material list needed as mentioned above.
It is harder work planning and building a garage than most people would think or expect. The reason most people try to do it themselves is that they want to save money. (I don’t blame them. Who doesn’t want to save money?)
But with errors and constant time delays, it doesn’t even end up saving much in the end and if it isn’t properly built right, the return on investment drops way down compared to when a garage is professionally built.
That’s where we come into play. We are Experienced, Licensed, and Insured professional garage builders in Rockford, IL and Wisconsin.
Our team of professional builders has experience in building all different types of garages from small renovations, garage additions, and brand new ground-up garage projects. We can handle everything from start to finish while all you have to do is call the shots on the fun and exciting stuff like the colors and design.
With over 10 years of experience building garages, our garage building team knows to always be up-to-date with city codes and local regulations and we are ready to take on your garage-building project.
Get the best Bang-for-your-Buck when deciding to build a garage in Illinois or Wisconsin with a Free Garage Estimate by calling (815) 319-0350 or filling out the quote form below. Only with us you’ll find Hercules Strong Garages!