The benefits of adding a garage to your property are almost endless. While often overlooked, garage space can be of high value to a homeowner. Not only does a garage provide a secure place to store your vehicles, but it also offers additional storage space for tools, lawn equipment, and other items. This can help keep your home organized and clutter-free. And garage loans are a great way to get started.
How Can a Garage Benefit Me?
Car Storage/Protection
One of the more standard ways a garage can benefit you is by providing a safe place to store your cars. By keeping your vehicles inside, you are helping protect them from the elements and passersby. No longer will you have to worry about hail damage to your car during a storm. You’ll also have a secure place rather than leaving your car vulnerable on the street or in your driveway. A garage can protect your vehicle from inclement weather, flying debris, and even vandalism and theft.
Adding a garage for your vehicles can be particularly important if you’ve recently upgraded your car, added a car, started working on your car, or added a new driver to your home.
Other Vehicle Storage
A garage can hold more than just cars. They are also ideal for storing other vehicles such as golf carts, motorcycles, ATVs, boats, and even family equipment such as bicycles. These smaller vehicles are always good to store inside because they are more prone to accidental damage and theft. Keeping these other types of vehicles in a garage can be crucial to the health of the vehicle as well, as certain recreational vehicles do not fare well in extreme temperatures.
Another vehicle you may consider storing in a garage is an RV. While an RV won’t fit in a standard-sized garage, many RV owners build a garage that has a bay tall enough to fit their vehicle. Adding a custom garage is a great way to protect your RV and other large vehicles.
Lawn Care Items Storage
Another great use for a garage is to store all of your lawn care equipment – particularly your lawn mower. It is a good idea to keep your lawn mower in a protected area in order to lengthen its life span. Keeping your lawn mower and other lawn equipment inside a garage can also help prevent rust and corrosion.
If you build an extra-wide garage, you won’t even have to sacrifice a parking spot in order to have a safe place for your lawn care items.
Additional Living Space
While adding a garage won’t add what is considered true extra square footage to your home, it can be utilized to expand your living space similarly to a basement. A nice garage can be converted into a game area where your family and friends can hang out and have fun together. A home gym is another popular way to use a garage space well.
You may also choose to build a garage where all or part of the building could be converted into ADU livable space. Even if it is not in your budget to finish the space at the time of build, you can have your garage built in a way that makes it easy to convert space as a future project.
Increasing Property Value
Finally, adding a garage can greatly increase the property value of your home. By investing in a garage, you aren’t throwing your money away. Much of the purchase will be retained as equity in your home. In some cases, you can recoup your entire investment when you sell your home thanks to the added value of the garage.
When looking for a home to purchase, many buyers have a garage on their “must-have” list. By adding a garage to your property, you are not just increasing the value of your home, but increasing desirability to the pool of potential buyers if you do go to sell your home at any point in the future.
Types of Garages
There are several types of garages that you can add to your property. Depending on your available space, budget, and needs, you will be able to narrow down your options. Below are some examples of garage types.
Attached Garage
An attached garage is one of the most common garage types, particularly if you live in a suburban area. These types of garages are often attached to the side of your home and the entrance to your home can be through a mud room, laundry room, kitchen, hallway, or by another means. The advantage of an attached garage is that it provides easy access to your home and you can easily keep an eye on your vehicles and belongings.
Detached Garage
A detached garage may be a good option if your property does not support an attached garage. For example, some homes do not have enough land on either side of the house for expansion, and the garage must be put behind the home. It can be difficult to design a layout in which an attached garage works at the back of a home, so the owner may opt to run a driveway next to their property leading to a detached garage behind the home.
Even if you already have an attached garage in your home, adding a detached garage to your property can provide you with all of the previously mentioned benefits if you are needing more space.
Lofted Garage
Another type of garage is one that has a loft built in above the parking space. A lofted garage can either be attached or detached from your home. With an attached garage that is lofted, you can easily create additional attic space for owner-friendly storage. In some cases, this lofted garage space can be accessed from inside your home (if you have a second floor) through a door that you install during the garage installation. If you build a lofted garage that is detached, you will need some form of a staircase or attic stair drop in order to access your loft.
Regardless of whether your lofted garage is attached or detached from your home, the lofted space may be perfect to finish out to create additional living space.
Oversized Garage
An extra-large or oversized garage is essential for parking large vehicles such as RVs. If you need a garage to store your large vehicles, account for door height and width that will accommodate those vehicles. These types of garages are generally detached from the home; however, it is not impossible to add such a large garage to certain homes.
Some homeowners will choose to build a garage that has one large door for their large vehicles and another door (or two) for their regular-sized vehicles. With a custom garage, you can get creative to accommodate your needs.
How Can HFS Financial Help Me with My Garage Loan?
Adding any type of garage to your property is a large project. Make it easier with the help of HFS Financial. With incredible loan options from HFS, you will spend less time thinking and worrying about your financing, leaving you with more time to focus on your garage project. Your contractor will also appreciate it when you finance with HFS Financial because the money comes directly to you. Our direct-to-consumer financing allows you to pay your contractor your way – no more waiting for inspections or staged funding.
HFS can get you low fixed rates and industry-leading loan terms, giving you a clear choice when it comes to your garage loan needs. All you need is 60 seconds to fill out our inquiry form to get started on your project.
After your inquiry, a loan consultant will reach out to help you continue your application process and take the next steps necessary to get your loan funded so you can get back to what’s important.
At any point in the loan process, feel free to reach out with any questions. A member of our team will be happy to assist you. With HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It.”