Designing and Planning Your Own carport
A great way to improve your home is to build a garage. A garage not only serves as a place to protect your car(s) from the elements, but somewhere to store tools, sports equipment, and boxes of junk that you just can't seem to part with. It can also provide a space to work on varied projects - anyone from pottery to potting plants to repairing and restoring cars.
Garages aren't just for cars anymore!
You can also build a garage to add quadrilateral footage to a house for less cost than a appropriate home addition - for example, as a playroom for the kids or as a home office. Just think, in 1939, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard created their first goods and formed their company, Hewlett Packard, in their garage. And what about the countless bands that have started out in the garage? For anyone with a musically-inclined teenager (and even more so for the non-musically-inclined), a garage can be a godsend as a custom space.
Do it for the benefits, not the resale value
But for all the added convenience of a new garage, be aware that you probably won't get fully reimbursed for the addition when you sell your house. A garage addition can cost upwards of ,000, and you can expect to get nearby a 40%-50% return on your investment (although these numbers may vary depending on factors such as your geographic location, your neighborhood and the real estate market at the time you're selling your home).
Think of the remaining 60% of the cost in terms of the personal and other financial benefits you'll enjoy. Things like improved lifestyle, recreational benefits, safety and safety for your car, a tax write-off if you use the space for a home office, and the cost savings of not having to move to another home.
Check local building regulations
When you're building a garage addition, start by consulting your local planning department for facts about building permits, zoning regulations and set back requirements, which regulate how close you can build to neighboring property or to the road. Failure to comply with these regulations and failure to secure a building permit (when necessary) can mean having to tear down your new garage. Usually, what you'll need for building a garage are the building plans and a plot plan which indicates where on your land the garage will be built.
Consult with a municipal building inspector - it's free!
It is a good idea to consult with a local city building inspector before you begin your project. Their advice is free, and they can help ensure your scheme is up to code. Rick Perry, a building inspector for the city of Plattsburgh says about municipal building inspectors, "We are a great resource for the community. Our goal is to help homeowners care for and improve their properties safely. We want to work with the homeowners to make their projects successfully"
How big?
So how big should you build your garage? A singular garage should be at least 20 feet long and 11.5 feet wide, measured on the inner walls. The minimum width for a double garage should be 18.25 feet, but you'll need more space if you're planning on putting in a workbench or if you'll need to store bicycles, tools or firewood. anyone size you choose, your garage will cost practically per quadrilateral foot.
Don't forget that you can take benefit of the height in your garage by using the trusses or by building a loft area to store canoes, kayaks, boxes, and patio furniture and bicycles in the off-season.
Your undertaker of a package deal will orchestrate the show
Building a garage addition can be a complicated job, so it's prominent to hire a reputable, licensed contractor. A normal undertaker of a package deal can help you originate a basic garage and even make working drawings that you can use to secure the requisite permits. But more importantly, your undertaker of a package deal will need to coordinate the varied phases of the project, and bring in appropriate specialists at the right times. These may consist of sub-contractors to do demolition, excavation and back filling to put in order the site for building, form setting for the foundation, framing and carpentry for the buildings and roof, and adding insulation, windows, doors, roofing, eaves troughs, covering siding, electricity, plumbing and ventilation.
Use the our Cost Estimator on our site to help appraisal the cost of building your new garage.
Designing and Planning Your Own carport
Pottery Barn Bedding Set
Designing and Planning Your Own carport
Designing and Planning Your Own carport
Designing and Planning Your Own carport
