Benefits of a Bigger Garage

Is bigger always better? Homeowners constantly must weigh the pros and cons of creating more space when it comes to their property. There are several benefits to a bigger garage. There are also a few disadvantages.

Are you thinking of a new home addition? Is it time you created a permanent home for that lonely car parked outside that isn’t too fun to clear off snow and ice in the morning on a work commute? Do you need more storage space?

Most homeowners cannot argue with the need for more space. But is building a bigger garage your best option? Exploring the benefits of building a bigger garage can help you settle on a floor plan, materials, and features of the garage.

General Benefits of New Garage

Garages are the unsung hero of a home. While they are usually secondary features compared to your kitchen, living room, and dining area – homeowners typically don’t realize how much they appreciate a garage until they don’t have one.

If you fall under the category of a homeowner without a permanent garage, or you have one but would like to create a new addition, investing in a new garage is a smart investment. Why? Adding square footage to this part of your home is generally cheaper than adding another finished bedroom. Garages also provide a ton of flexibility for what you can use the new space for work or play.

Here are some of the general benefits of adding a new garage to your home:

• Increased storage space. The most obvious advantage of building a bigger garage is increasing storage capacity. Many homeowners use a garage primarily for storage. It’s an excellent place to store machinery and tools that you don’t want inside the house. It’s also excellent for overflow once your closets get full.
• Security for your vehicles. New garages get your vehicles out of the elements. There isn’t a need any longer to wake up an extra 10 minutes each workday to clean your car in the winter. You also protect the asset by having a fortress around the car to protect from theft.
• Flexible, multi-purpose space. One exciting movement we are seeing is a lot of homeowners transforming garages into creative spaces. Along with the old methods of using the garage as a workplace for car mechanics and carpenters, the area can also work for craftspeople and hobbyists. Some people are even transforming garage lofts into complete living spaces.

Benefits of a Bigger Garage

Surprisingly, buying a home with an included garage is not always standard. Many neighborhoods, including new residential areas, don’t include a garage with a standard plan. Or the garage is separated from the home or more like a carport.

Regardless if you own a home already with a garage or the property lacks one, building a bigger garage is always an option to expand your living space if you have the room on your property.

There are many benefits to not only building a garage, but a bigger one to provide more long-term flexibility. For example, opting to make a double car garage vs. single car garage is a better long-term investment. There is nothing wrong with a single-car garage, yet after you park the car inside the structure, you won’t have much else for storage space.

Multi-car garages offer way more flexibility as you can not only park more than one vehicle under the structure but also expand your options. The other side of the garage (or a loft) can get used for everything from personal living quarters to a work space or storage.

Here are the biggest advantages of building a bigger garage:

More Storage Space vs. Installation Costs

The biggest dilemma with making a bigger garage is apparent – it costs more money. As you might expect, you’ll pay double or more if you decide to build a double car garage as opposed to a single car garage. And since home remodels and additions are not cheap, there is a significant incentive for homeowners strapped on cash to lean toward the more affordable option.

However, in most circumstances, it’s a mistake. First, you need to decide the purpose of the garage as well as how long you plan to live at the residence if you are only looking to increase the property value and sell than there is nothing wrong with a single car garage.

But what if you are part of a family of four? Your children are young, and there are plans to stay at the house until they graduate, at the earliest. The chances are that even if you are satisfied with a single car garage right now, in a few years, you might regret not building the double or triple car garage.

Thus, when you start to make plans for building a new garage – think about the future. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? If the answer is right here, bigger is almost always better, even if you need assistance covering the higher costs for installation.

Flexibility vs. Dependability

Single car garages are suitable for dependability. It offers enough space to park one vehicle and protect it from the elements. It can also function as ample storage space if you don’t care where you park your ride. However, it offers very little in terms of flexibility.

Building a bigger garage presents far more flexibility. Even the advantages of a double car garage vs. single car garage are tremendous. Double car garages provide ample room to park two cars with storage on the side, one car with storage on the other side, or one car with a work space on the other end. The options are nearly endless.

Bigger garages simply provide way more flexibility. And since most couples have at least one partner that likes to build or create something, it’s the best place for a work space you wouldn’t otherwise want inside your home. Men like the idea of a garage to tinker around with cars or hang out with the boys watching football. Women like the thought of making crafts or organizing storage better.

Simply put, building a bigger garage creates way more flexibility later down the road. So, you might as well take advantage of it since you are already going to the trouble of making your property into a construction site for the next several weeks or months.

Car Storage vs. Personal Belongings Storage

A survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal found that nearly three in four homeowners regard parking their car as the most essential function of a garage. Furthermore, another study concluded that vehicles are typically only used 5% of the time. The other 95% of the time, your car is parked somewhere, often at your house.

Thus, while people like the idea of using a garage as storage, its most common usage is for parking vehicles. And that’s very important when you consider that new cars are a major investment that set you back thousands of dollars. It’s likely your second most crucial investment following your home mortgage.

Therefore, you want to protect your investments. There are several disadvantages to parking cars outside. The weather is hard on vehicles. It’s easier for criminals to break into your car. And it’s way more convenient to park them inside a structure compared to outside.

Consequently, most homeowners have more than one vehicle, which means building a smaller garage will not accommodate every car that the family owns in many cases that is okay if one of the vehicles is older. However, you likely want a roof over at least two of your automobiles, which is why you should always consider building a garage that is bigger if you have the resources.

You Can Afford a Bigger Garage

The good news? While the bigger the garage, the more it costs to build the structure, there are also plenty of financing options available.

That’s why over 100,000 happy customers since 1959 are choosing Danley’s for their garage construction.

We have the professional installers and local services that will go above and beyond to build your dream garage. Speak to a specialist and get a free quote online today!