Are you thinking about adding a garage to your home? If so, there are lots of questions milling around in your head right now. The main one is, do I really need to do this? Will I actually benefit from adding a garage to my home? The answer to those two questions obviously varies from person to person, but the general consensus is that everyone can benefit from adding a garage to their property. The pros certainly outweigh any cons, and we’ll actually talk about both of these in a section within this guide. 

That is right, this guide will tell you all you need to know about adding a garage to your home, starting with a simple question:

What Is A Garage?

A garage is technically a building that is used to keep cars and other motor vehicles. However, modern-day definitions of a garage can be a bit than that. People often see them as an extended piece of your home that is built for a separate purpose. It could still be home to your cars or motorbikes, but garages can also be used as the following:

• Home offices
• Workshops
• Storage areas
• Washrooms
• Gyms

The list goes on, though it is quite important to add that most people will convert an existing garage to one of these things. If you wanted any of the above, you would just pay for an extension and create the rooms, rather than creating a garage. 

So, for the purpose of today’s post, we are talking about adding a traditional garage to your home. It will be used as a haven for your cars and other vehicles, but it can still have other uses — such as storage for garden tools, and so on. 

What Are The Advantages Of Adding A Garage To Your Home?

Why should you consider adding a garage to your home? What sort of benefits are on the horizon after an addition like this? Believe it or not, but adding this simple space to your property can be highly advantageous. In fact, most people will see the following benefits:

• Save money on car insurance — yes, a strange place to start, but this is one of the underlying benefits of building a garage. Keeping your cars locked away in a safe place will mean the risk of them getting stolen or damaged is lower than usual. Therefore, insurance companies charge you less on your premiums, because of the reduced risk. So, it becomes an investment that literally keeps saving you money year after year!

• Increase your property value — garages are highly sought after, partly due to the point above! People know they can protect their cars with a garage, so it is something they look for. Plus, a garage provides extra space and could be converted, which is another thing people enjoy. Hence your property value will increase!

• Gain extra space — as just mentioned, garages provide you with some extra space. While a lot of it could be taken up by your car, you can use the rest for other means. Perhaps you can bring storage boxes down from the loft and place them here, meaning you have an empty loft to convert! Or, you could keep your washer and dryer in the garage, freeing up space in another area of your home. 

• Improve your curb appeal — adding a garage to your home can make your property look a lot nicer. Generally, it will make your house seem bigger, which makes it more attractive and impressive. There is just something about seeing a nice garage next to a home that makes it more appealing. 

What Are The Disadvantages Of Adding A Garage To Your Home?

As alluded to in the introduction, there aren’t many disadvantages to this idea. In fact, there are only three, and in most cases, the pros definitely outweigh the cons!

• Can be expensive — like all home improvements, you need to take the costs into account. How much will this cost? You can reduce the costs by making the garage smaller or picking different doors, but any extension like this will cost money, and it might be too much for you right now. 

• Potentially takes up exterior space — where will your garage fit? If you don’t have empty space to the side of your house, you may need to dig up part of your yard to fit it there. This means reducing your exterior space, which some might not like. 

• An extra place to maintain — lastly, a garage requires maintenance, meaning you have another place to maintain alongside your house. 

What Are The Top Considerations When Adding A Garage To Your Home?

If you are going ahead with the garage build, what do you need to be concerned about? Here are some of the most critical things to be aware of:

• The garage size — clearly, you need to consider how big your garage will be, and it needs to at least accommodate your car, or it will be pointless.

• The garage doors — did you know there are so many different types of garage doors available? It is worth reading a guide on buying garage doors to understand the options available and their benefits/drawbacks. Ideally, you want doors that open easily, will not break quickly, provide ample security, but also take up as little space as possible. 

• The garage flooring — you need to pick a flooring option that can withstand heavy loads and deal with a car driving in and out of it. Concrete suffices, but other ideas, like epoxy flooring, should be considered. 

Once you have these three elements sorted out, you pretty much have a garage design ready to go. From here, it is a case of choosing how the interior looks and adding any extras — such as storage shelving or a worktop. 

All in all, adding a garage to your home is largely beneficial. Provided you can afford it, have the space, and are able to maintain it, this is a home improvement project that’s well worth considering.