How To Build A Garage: Full Guide from Planning to Finish
Whether it’s for your cars or your hobbies, we’ve got you covered
A garage is an invaluable but sometimes overlooked home feature. From storing away your kids’ bikes, seasonal decorations, and family heirlooms to offering a protected parking spot or space for tools and extra craft supplies, a garage adds extra square footage that can be used for storage or as a workspace. No matter how you plan to use a garage, building one from scratch requires a lot of know-how and planning. Use this guide on how to build a garage to get started in the right direction.
Why Should I Build a Garage?
Whether attached or detached, a garage can make your property more functional by adding more space for any number of things, whether it’s a place to park the family cars and bikes or a work studio with walls of shelving for extra household storage.
Protection: Keeping your car in a garage when it isn’t in use can better protect it from the elements and harsh weather, as well as vandalism.
Storage: Need more space for your Christmas tree or other seasonal decor? A garage can add out-of-sight storage space to your home.
Value: A new garage can improve your home’s value and has about a 65% ROI.
More space: A garage can be converted to extra living space, work studio, or home gym with the proper permits.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Garage?
Building a garage costs about $27,600 on average, but you can bring a small, simple garage idea to life for as low as $5,000 or a larger garage that doubles as an apartment or is sizable enough to park an RV for $60,000 or more. Materials are about 30% of the cost, while labor is the bulk of the cost but is crucial for building a safe, stable structure. Most projects will fall between $16,500 and $40,000.
Below is a quick breakdown of the cost to build a garage based on the number of cars it can fit:
| Number of Cars | Average Cost to Build |
|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 |
| 2 | $30,000 |
| 3 | $40,500 |
How to Prep for Building Your Own Garage
Before you grab that hammer, there are some important preparations to take first. You’ll need to understand your local zoning laws and secure the right permits for your project, or you’ll face serious fines. Don’t skip these critical steps for prepping to build a garage.
Zoning
Local zoning laws control how and what you can build on your property. Read up on these before building a garage, and be confident you’re in the clear before installing one. The office of your city or town’s government (either in-person or online) is usually the best place to find information on your area’s regulations. Zoning violations can come with hefty penalties and even short jail sentences in some states.
Zoning regulations are complicated, so don’t stress out if you’re overwhelmed. We recommend hiring a garage builder near you for help if you’re having difficult navigating setbacks, ridge line limitations, and other regulations.
Permits
More often than not, you’ll need a permit for home additions, and building a garage will almost always require permits. Rebuilding an existing structure on the same footprint may not require any permits, but it depends on your municipality. Permits ensure your project is inspected and completed properly to keep you and your neighbors safe during construction and long after the work is finished.
Design Planning
You may want to hire a local architect and even work with an interior designer near you when planning your garage. These pros can help you narrow down what type of garage you want, whether it be attached or detached, and what functions it will serve. They can help design organized storage spaces if you plan to stow seasonal decor and tools or can create a serene workspace if you’re building a garage that doubles as a studio.
Plan Safely
Building a garage yourself can prove dangerous, not to mention deceptively complicated, if you haven’t had previous contracting experience. The information below is intended to help you plan your project with a pro. This is one project we definitely recommend you don’t DIY in its entirety if you don’t have the skills and prior experience necessary, as well as a few reliable assistants who know what they’re doing. Instead, consult a local garage builder who can craft a one-of-a-kind space for you.
Steps to Build a Garage
Just like you’d build a home, you need to start from the ground up when building a garage. With the permits and planning finalized, you can start pouring the foundation, framing the structure, installing electrical and/or plumbing work, and adding the finishing touches, like paint, siding, and trim.
Pour a Foundation
You wouldn’t build a house without laying a proper foundation, and the same is true for a garage. The garage foundation needs to support the weight of the building and also your heavy vehicles. First, you—or your contractors—will place the foundation footers and allow them to cure, then pour the concrete slab to sit on the footers. Proper placement will ensure the weight of the new structure will sit on stable soil well beneath the surface.
Once the concrete slab is poured, it may take several weeks for concrete to dry and cure before you can begin the next steps.
Build Out the Framing
Framing on its own is a major task that you should leave to the professionals, as should much of the garage building process. Workers will start by laying out and assembling wall plates, then they will build out the walls, leaving openings for doors and windows and reinforcing around the wall openings. Then, the team will stand each wall section and nail them together.
Install Outer Sheathing
The team will add the sheathing, which is typically made of exterior-grade plywood or OSB, around the outside framing. Then, the workers can cut openings in the sheathing around the door and window openings.
Install House Wrap and Siding
Next, your garage builder will install house wrap and siding on the exterior of the garage. House wrap is a moisture barrier that protects the sheathing and framing underneath from moisture and water damage. Siding helps protect everything underneath as well, and it also makes the exterior look complete. In most cases, you’ll want to match the siding to what you have on your main structure, especially if you’re building an attached garage.
Top the Structure With a Roof
The construction team will position roof trusses, usually using a crane, then nail them down. Once the trusses are in place over the framing, the workers can begin installing the roofing membrane and the shingles.
Install the Gutters
A gutter system is one of the most crucial parts of your home’s exterior, as it moves runoff away from your foundation to reduce the risk of soil movement and structural damage. We strongly recommend tying in your existing gutter system with new gutters and downspouts on your garage. Installing gutters is an easy process, but ensuring you get the proper slope for drainage is critical. As such, we also recommend leaving this to the professionals.
Position Windows and Doors
Once the framing, sheathing, and roofing are complete, the team will begin installing windows, doors, and the garage door or garage door alternative. If you have building experience, you may be able to help with installing windows and doors. But because doors are heavy and contain dangerous garage door springs, they can be hazardous to install, so make sure to leave that task to professionals.
Add Electrical and Plumbing Work
Once the structure is built out and protected from the elements, local electricians and plumbers can get to work on the interior. While you’ll need electrical work for lighting and charging up your power tools, plumbing is up to you. Do you want to put your laundry appliances in the garage, add a small bathroom, or install a sink for quick cleanup before coming into the house? If not, you may not need plumbing, but this will all be decided during the planning and designing phase.
Install Insulation and Drywall
Even if you don’t plan to spend a lot of time in the garage, adding garage insulation can make the structure more resilient to weather and even pests. If you plan to have any plumbing, whether it’s a washer hookup for a laundry area or just a small sink to wash your hands after woodworking in the studio, you may have to add insulation to keep the pipes from freezing.
At this stage, you or the contractors will also install the drywall, which may need to be a fire-resistant type depending on local requirements.
Finish With Final Touches
Now you can focus on final touches, whether you want to install customized shelving for garage organization or choose automated light switches to turn on instantly when you drive or walk into the garage at night. Wall paint, trim, siding, epoxy garage floor sealants, appliances, and other components that will finish the space can all be completed now, preparing your garage for your household to use.
Taking Care of Your Garage
Once you’ve invested time and money into your garage build, you probably don’t want to be making major repairs or a total rebuild any time soon. To help every part of your garage last longer, from the operable door to the concrete floors, make sure to keep up with garage maintenance.
Inspect and Service the Door
Garage doors have several mechanical components to open and close at the press of a button, but you need to check the door about two times per year and make repairs if needed. Garage door maintenance—including lubricating moving parts and servicing the garage door chains and springs—will help the system last longer before it’s time to replace the garage door.
Wash the Exterior
At least once per year or every few months, use the garden hose or a power washer to clean the garage exterior and the outside of the garage door. Adding a mild cleaning solution of standard dish soap and warm water will do the trick if your garage door has a lot of dirt stuck to it.
Clean and Repair Garage Floors
Even if your garage floors are just concrete, they are prone to wear and tear and even cracking from vehicles and other heavy equipment. Keep concrete floors clean by sweeping them with a broom or vacuum every week or two, and make concrete repairs as needed. You can usually seal small foundation cracks yourself, but call in a professional for any wide or uneven cracks, or if you’re having related moisture issues.
DIY Garage Build vs. Hiring a Pro
If you do all of the work yourself—which isn’t recommended—your garage build will likely cost around $10,000, on average. However, you could spend anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 on the job, depending on the scope of the work and the size of the garage you need. Even if you decide to build your own garage, this is such a huge project that you will need expert hands from time to time. Whether for inspecting, architectural planning and design, or installing electrical wires, you should consult professionals for several parts of the garage building process.
You should have extensive construction experience before taking on an advanced project like this. It can be dangerous, especially when framing a building, installing the roof, or adding wiring. The best option is to hire a local garage builder to help you create a garage that meets your needs, whether you need a place to park your car or want an added studio workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Building your own garage can save about 50% to 70% of the project cost, or an average total of around $17,000. However, we don’t advise a total DIY because it can be incredibly dangerous. You can save money by helping out with some aspects, like installing siding or building interior shelving, but you should at least leave planning, foundation work, framing, roofing, and any electrical or plumbing work to professionals.
A prefab, or prefabricated garage, requires far less construction work than one with a foundation and frame, but it’s not nearly as desirable and may not be a worthwhile option. A prefabricated garage won’t be as durable or long-lasting, and it doesn’t provide the same protection for your belongings and vehicles. Plus, you can use a standard garage for more uses—like living space—whereas a prefab garage only serves as a space for storage. Lastly, building a traditional garage will add to your home value, while a prefab garage usually won’t.
The best material for building a garage depends on your climate and budget. Wood, steel, fiberglass, and aluminum are among the top choices. Wood is highly customizable, naturally insulative, and durable in mild climates, but it can be expensive. Steel is lightweight, low-maintenance, and cost-effective, but it is susceptible to rust. Fiberglass is low-maintenance and doesn’t shrink or expand in changing temperatures, but it can become brittle and crack from high winds and sun exposure over time. Aluminum, unlike steel, is not susceptible to rust and is low-maintenance, but its ultra-light weight makes it less durable than some other materials.
It’s usually best to build a garage in the summer or fall, with most homeowners preferring the fall. Winter might bring frozen ground that can make excavating and pouring a foundation a challenge, and the spring tends to bring more rainfall, which can delay the building process. Most homeowners DIYing portions of their garage build prefer the fall over summer, as the temperature is usually cooler and more conducive to the strenuous work required to build the structure.