Garage Doors
 
Garage doors are available in various styles, sizes and colors. You can replicate an old-world carriage house or a modern slim-line design. Doors can be made of wood or metal depending on the purpose. Varieties of window styles can also add to the building’s appeal and function.

Use Durable Long Lasting Materials for Your Garage

Your quality of life and the value of your property can be directly affected by the type of garage that you choose. The minimal expectation is proper protection for your car. The fundamental requirements here should be to select materials that are durable and will give your garage many decades of serviceable life. Whether you choose metal, wood, brick or some other material, make sure that it’s consistent with a material that will provide adequate protection from weather elements.

Many consumers opt for the use of a number of different garage building materials.

Choosing the Right Size for Your Garage

At this point, you need to strongly consider all of the uses that your garage will serve. This does not mean you need a large, expensive garage - it just needs to be well planned out. Creating the garage vertically in the loft is a great way to have storage for certain items like wood, tools, and sporting equipment. If however, there will be more than one vehicle or if a workshop is in the future, then an additional room might need to be built.  Sketch out your basic needs for the space you require and then add a little more onto that so there’s plenty of room for everything.

Once you have decided on the site of the garage and the size, test it to make sure it’s a practical plan. Stake out the perimeter and tie string on the stakes to create the actual area you are thinking about creating. Once this is accomplished, you can walk through the space to see if it’s everything you need to make your garage happen, and if not, adjust accordingly. You want to do the job right the first time.  It would be a mistake to purchase a garage that does not have enough space for your requirements after the job is completed.

Legalities

 There is some legality that you should know about when considering building a garage that applies in most circumstances. A vast majority of jurisdictions insist on building permits for structures over 100 square feet. It’s any building 10x10 and over -so that’s not a lot of room. A lot of garages are bigger than this. It’s important to plan for the building permit long before you order your garage to minimize problems down the road. Also keep in mind the restrictions, in most instances, of not having a structure within two or three feet of a property line. You need to contact your local building authorities about these regulations.

Roofing Choices and Other Information

Options are endless when it comes to garage roofing. Shingles can be ordered from the company or you can supply your own roofing. Asphalt shingles are a very economical choice, while some consumers opt for wood shingles. Local supply stores can provide either one of those choices. A very practical choice is metal or steel roofing; these are favored due to their drainage and snow load capacity. Keep in mind that metal roofing can be ordered to fit into even non-metal garages. Metal roofs are available in a wide variety of choices; this is important if you have a substantial pitch to your roof that can easily be seen from the street.

There is more information about roofing in our Garage Construction Section.

 

Choosing The Right Garage Company