5 Things to Consider When Building a Larger Garage

Whether planning to build a room over the top of your garage or constructing another bay for a car there are some things to consider before jumping into the project of building a larger garage.

Function

Why are you expanding your garage? What are the specific aspects of making the garage bigger? Are you wanting to create a secure and sheltered place to park a car? Are you wanting a place to be able to complete handyman projects or hobbies? Are you wanting more room to store things where they are still easily accessible and organized? Do you need more space inside the home and want to move the washer and dryer to the garage? Are you wanting to create more backup storage for the kitchen with an extra freezer and pantry space? Maybe you need some room for the family to remove wet and yucky shoes and jackets before coming into the house.

You will want to think through the exact needs of each function including how much space you will need to be able to open car doors, the doors to the washing machine, how much room you will need around a work bench to be able to function, or how many shelves you want. The best way to think through all of your exact needs to carry out what you hope to do is to hire a garage design consultant.

Don’t Get Too Ambitious

Having extra space in the garage is a plus. A larger garage can do so much. You can create a laundry room, a mud room, a work bench, a pet space, a play place, a storage area, etc. You don’t want to make your garage so big that you steal valuable space away from your yard. Before starting your expansion decide on how much space you want and determine how much space you actually have. If you find that it is going to take too much room away from your yard, you may want to change up your plans a little. One solution could be to use vertical space instead of horizontal space.

Plumbing and Electrical

If you plan to add a laundry area or a workspace, you will want to consider the needed plumbing and electrical changes. You might need to add pluming or re-work the wiring inside the garage. It is a good idea to consult a plumber and/or an electrician to see if adding these things in is doable.

Make Sure You are Up to Code

Before constructing a larger garage, you want to make sure that the changes you make are going to be legal. Each county and city have their own building codes and they can differ right down to the neighborhood or even the specific street you live on. There can be rules about how big your garage can be, how close it can be to your property line, how long the driveway has to be, how tall it can be, etc.

Hire a Pro to do the Work

Unless you have construction experience, it is best to hire an experienced professional garage builder to do the work for you. They can help you think through all of the details needed to make your plans a reality, the permitting and zoning rules, and keep things to a shorter timeline for your larger garage project.

For help expanding your garage in Snohomish County and surrounding areas please contact us anytime. You can send us an email, call us, or even better, come visit us in Marysville. We construct Custom Garages, Mini Cabins, Sheds, and Decks

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