Building a Garage: Variables to Consider
Whether you are ready to invest in a new garage or you are in the earlier phases of researching, there are common factors each homeowner should consider that influence the garage building process.
Your Needs & Wants for a Garage
When it comes to the overall design of your garage, think less about the materials and more about what you want your garage to do or the needs you are trying to fill. Do you need space for two cars? Are you using it for extra storage? Perhaps it’s a garage that can double as a handiwork space? Do you want one door or two doors…or even three? Will it need to be insulated? These are the areas where a garage expert can help you vision-cast your ideal garage and start pricing things out for you.
The Style and Design
When it comes to color, materials, and style, your decisions are based less on your opinion, wants, and needs for a garage and more on the existing structures of your property and the surrounding area. If your house embodies a certain style or is a certain color or type of material, your garage should be an extension of that. This isn’t always just a recommendation from our garage experts but sometimes is a contingency from a community’s architectural review board.
Review Boards
Some neighborhoods, communities, or even counties require any building or remodeling plans for a property to be presented before an architectural review board for approval. While at first, it may sound daunting to present your plans for a new garage or a remodel to a review board, this tends to be a key step in defining the variables you and your garage expert have to work within to deliver your new or remodeled garage. Architectural review boards consider the historical significance and style of the house along with the surrounding neighborhood. They have guidelines for sizing, color, siding type, and sometimes the location of where you build your detached garage. All of these guidelines, though high in volume, can actually make your decision-making process easier in the long run. Your focus can be less about the structure and more about the function of your garage. Your garage expert will help you design a structure that is in line with the guidelines from the review board and also meets your needs and budget.
Your garage expert will help you design a structure that is in line with the guidelines from the review board and also meets your needs and budget.
Other Variables
When considering your garage remodel or new build, you’ll also want to consider maintenance. A garage adds value to your property and building or remodeling it can be a significant investment. Over time your garage can have some wear and tear. The volume of recreation, weather, and minor bumps and dings your garage endures over time can naturally lead to upkeep and repairs. Understanding the materials of your garage door, siding, roof, and foundation can help you take proper care of each throughout the life of your garage.
Some helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Garage door springs should be replaced between 7 and 12 years but lubricated twice a year.
- Siding materials like LP Lap Wood should be inspected for paint chips annually and repainted every 3-5 years, whereas vinyl siding may develop cracks here and thereafter a few harsh Wisconsin winters and may need some pieces replaced.
- Regularly washing your garage exterior and interior can help keep it clean and functioning like new one after the remodel or rebuild.
- Understanding and anticipating the various elements of maintenance that go into your garage, just like any other significant investment, like a car or a house, can help you maintain quality and longevity.
Meet with an Expert
It’s not just a J.D. Griffiths garage, it’s YOUR garage! J.D. Griffiths is a third-generation business with over 70 years of experience in the industry. We work with you and the various factors that go into a project like this to get you’re the garage you want and need. We are already planning 2021 garage builds and remodels! Contact us today!
