Sometimes it is a better choice for a homeowner to go ahead and built a permanent garage instead of just owning a carport. Often if someone transitions from renting a home to purchasing it, a garage will help improve their home value more than just a simple metal carport or even less expensive poly car canopy could ever do. When choosing a garage it is important to review plans, consider your options, weight out in your mind what needs to be included in the garage, and think about the various styles and types. Several construction methods can be turned into garages, so here is a look at some various styles and designs as well as some sample layouts that we have done for customers over the years.
Garage plans are first based on the type of building you want. There are simple pole buildings, stick framed garages, log garages, brick or stone garages, and steel buildings. Another consideration is if you plan to attach it to a home or let it be free standing away from the house. If built only a few feet away from the house then a breeze way can be erected to attach the two together. After you decide which style of garage and if it will be attached or detached, then you should think about the outside appeal of the garage and how many bays you want it to be. Bays is another word for how many cars you can park within it. Garage doors can be single or double doors. Common garage styles are one car, two car, multi car, rv garage plus car bays, garages with lofts, dormer garages, garage apartments, or a cape cod style garage. So let’s look at each.
Silverton Garage Plan by Cowboy Log Homes
Glacier Garage Plan with Large Apartment by Cowboy Log Homes
One hint is it is always a good idea to try to ‘tie’ your home together. One family took great care to re-roof all of their structures with the same kind of roofing. Even the dog house and wishing well had bright blue metal roofs. If you want a garage with living space above and your existing home is a cape cod, then a cape cod garage might look really nice. Here is a photo of a little two car cape cod done in logs. On the second floor this is designed with two gable dormers and a ridge pole. The upper level is very open and is intended for a game room. (Click here for floor plan).
The next one that we can take a look as is designed with a nice size apartment over the garage. The garage is designed for two cars. Also on the first level is a laundry room and half bath. This is a perfect option for someone who wants to rent out the apartment for extra income, have a separate place to put company, or have a home office that is outside of the actual house. The extra decking and covered porches on this model are also very attractive. (Click here for floor plan.)
For all those who own taller possessions such as RV’s, campers, fifth wheels, horse trailers, boats, etc. a nice option is to add a taller bay at the end of the garage or in the middle. If a wider garage of say 50′x28′ is used the middle door could be made wider and higher. Another composition that makes the roof line not stick out on the higher level is to locate the RV bay on the end of the garage. Then place living space over the other two bays. This would even out the roof line and also provide parking for the taller vehicle.
In garage plans and designs it is always better to go bigger. Instead of building a minimal 24×24 garage with eight foot wide doors, consider instead going 28×32 and adding wider doors. When you resell your home someone may not drive the small cars that you drive. More than once a home has sold for more because it has a great garage. Also homes have been passed over because the garage was tiny. Forethought helps to insure your investment.
Fraser Plan with Two Car Attached Garage by Cowboy Log Homes
When choosing the final size be sure to not only count the cars you want to park inside but also factor in all of the other stuff that needs to be stored in there. Many garages loose an entire bay to bicycles, lawn mowers, four wheelers, garage trailers, fishing equipment, the grill, tools, saws, heaters, fans, and just about anything else imaginable. Instead of loosing a bay it might be better to make the garage deeper. Adding another six or eight feet to the end of it provides a place for all of the storage.
For those who are coupling up a garage with a work shop there may be specific needs. For trucks the doors need to be bigger, the floor stronger, and the ceiling higher. A good heavy duty garage could be a metal building or a framed building with 2×6 outer walls. The interior wall height may need to be ten or twelve feet instead of nine. The floor should probably be upgraded to six inches thick with rebar instead of the standard four inches. Some owners even choose to upgrade to a high capacity reinforced garage perimeter footer. In heavy snow load areas the garage roofing could be 16″ on center with trusses or rafters instead of the standard 24″ on center.
When attaching a garage to a home there is always the possibility of loosing a window. Instead that window opening could be cut out and replaced with a door. Here is one ranch style log home with an attached two car garage. This garage is 24′x35′. In my opinion it would be more appealing with a 28′ width, but it is still an impressive garage and it matches will with the roof lines. (Click here for floor plan.)
The finish cost of a garage is much different than for the living space of a home. Once the shell is up, foundation work finished, and the doors and windows installed it is finished. When a garage is attached to a home it is commonly required that the garage be dry walled and fire taped on any wall or ceiling that borders living space of the home. This also helps with the insulation factor of the garage.
Though the featured garages on this page are log and timber please remember that anyone one of them can be built in any style. They could just as easily be stick framed, brick, or from another material.
Many thanks to Cowboy Log Homes for allowing us to feature their log home garage plans in this article. If you contact them directly you may also be able to get free garage plans preliminary drawings for many of their plans. Carport Options
Tags: attached garage plans, cape cod garage plans, free garage plans, garage floor plans, garage plan, garage plan with apartment, garage plans, garage plans and design, garage wit living quarters, garage with apartment, heavy duty garage plans