Here’s What You Need to Know About Your Garage When Building or Buying a Home

Tips for Finding or Building the Perfect Home Garage

Are you shopping for a new home or plan to build one from scratch in the Raleigh, NC, or Rochester, NY? When shopping or building a home, it seems like most folks put more thought into the kitchen and how they MUST have granite countertops or NEED to have two living rooms. But there is one area of the home that often gets overlooked that really shouldn’t – and that is the garage! Your home’s garage is just as important as the kitchen because it protects your vehicles from the elements. This means that your vehicle will look nicer and offer optimal performance for a longer period of time. Before you write that check to the realtor or home builder, read these tips on what to look for in your new home’s garage!

Make Sure Your Vehicles Fit!

Vehicles have been getting bigger (a used Chevy Silverado with a crew cab and standard bed can measure over 20 feet long, 6.5 feet high, and over 7 feet wide), but most garages are still being built using the same dimensions with only 22 feet of depth. That can be a very tight squeeze if you have larger vehicles – and you need to take into consideration if the garage is going to serve as storage for lawn and garden equipment, holiday décor, tools, toys, etc. And the house may be in a Homeowner’s Association jurisdiction that does not allow vehicles to be parked out in the open (a word of advice in the home-buying process: stay away from HOAs). So make sure to measure the garage before saying yes!

Find Out How Easy You Can Maneuver Your Vehicles in the Driveway

Something that we see a lot on newer homes – especially McMansions – is the idiotic placement of the garage and driveway. We have seen weird angles, the garage being placed behind the house (which can mean tight turning in order to get inside), garages with no means to enter the house through a side door and getting to the front door is a long walk (which is not fun if the ground is icy or you are carrying tons of groceries), and narrow driveways with no way to turn around.

When building or shopping for a home, make sure that you have easy access to the garage and house. If possible, have a spot on the driveway that is wide enough to turn around so that you are not driving the entire length in reverse when you leave home. And if you are planning to build your dream home, consider installing a circular driveway for even easier entering and exiting – especially for visiting guests!