Building a new garage is exciting. Whether you want a place to store your collectible cars, a place to do your projects, or you need a place to hang with friends, there’s a lot to consider. Before you start, consider the top three factors – size, style, and storage solutions.

What Size Garage do you Need?

It’s easy to think about what you need now, but what about the future? Sure, you may be single with one car today, but who’s to say you won’t be married with a child on the way in the near future? Is there a possibility of needing more space than for one car? Even if you have two cars, will you need room for a third someday?

It’s hard to predict the future, but leave some room for growth. Think about it – is this your ‘forever’ home or are you here temporarily? If it’s your long-term home, you’ll want room for expansion. Whether that expansion means room for another car, tools, boxes, or something else, consider it when building a garage. 

What Style Garage do you Want?

Your garage should be an extension of your house and not just in the space that it adds. It should look just like the rest of your home, unless you’re going for a ‘stick out like a sore thumb’ look. Consider matching the siding, windows, and trim of your house. 

This is a no-brainer if you’re building an attached garage, but consider it even if you build a detached garage. It’s still a part of your home and on the same property. When it all blends together, it gives better curb appeal, which leads to a higher value. 

Always check with the rules in your city or even your own association. You may have certain colors, styles, or other appearance issues you must satisfy when building a garage. 

What Storage Solutions do you need?

Why are you building a garage? Is it just to house your car? Do you need places to store other things like sports equipment, tools, workbenches, or even holiday decorations? Look at the layout – is it conducive to storage?

Think of how many cars you’ll store in the garage. How much room does it leave for other things? Just like with the size, consider the future. What might you need moving forward? If you have kids, your need for space will increase dramatically, but even if you don’t have kids, as you get older you accumulate more stuff, and you need to store it somewhere. That somewhere will likely be the garage. Choose the layout accordingly. 

A new garage can add value to your home and give you many possibilities for storage, use of the space, and to keep your cars safe. Look at the big picture when building your garage. What do you need today and what might you need in the future? This is an investment that will get you through the next 10 – 30 years. Choose your garage wisely so you love the addition and don’t have to make changes in the future.