The Garage Plan Shop Blog

Check out our featured garage plan! This unique garage loft plan boasts Williamsburg styling and thoughtful design. From the exterior, it appears to offer a 2-car garage, but take a closer look. There is more than meets the eye! Due to its unique design, the exterior neatly hides a third bay. With one single bay and one tandem bay, this 3-car garage plan works well for storing three cars. Or use the tandem bay for something larger like a boat and trailer. With the extra deep/tandem bay, this garage loft design is more versatile than you might expect at first glance. Additionally, interior stairs lead the way to the second floor loft, which delivers plenty of storage room or a flexible space that could be finished as a game room, home theater or hobby area. Better still, the full bath makes it the perfect guest suite, offering your overnight visitors a bit of privacy if necessary. Fashioned to satisfy many different needs, this unique 3-car garage design is worth taking a second look.

Browse our collection of unique garage designs to discover more one-of-a-kind parking and storage solutions.

Tags: 3-Car Garage Plans, boat storage garage, Garage Loft Plans, Tandem Garage Plans, Unique Garage Plans

When it comes to choosing the best lighting for your garage or workshop, there are many options to consider, however it all comes down to how you plan to use your garage or shop and your personal preferences. Whether you’re building a new garage or just upgrading the one you have, your choice of lighting will influence how usable your garage or shop will be and how much time you’ll spend there. These three easy steps will help you choose the appropriate garage or workshop lighting for your needs:

1. Determine how you plan to use your garage or shop. Will it only be used for parking? Do you plan to work on cars? Will you use the garage for storage space? Hobbies? A workshop?
2. Select general purpose lighting to illuminate all sections of the garage or workshop including the corners. Fluorescent light fixtures are a popular choice as they are relatively common, they provide more than adequate general lighting and they can be equally spaced across the span of your garage for the best illumination. If you have questions, about fluorescent lighting, check with your lighting professional and your electrician.
3. Consider the layout of your garage or workshop and create individual work or storage spaces within it. Select task lighting for each designated space or purpose. If you plan to have a workbench, choose track lighting or a fixture that fits neatly under an overhead cabinet to illuminate your workbench. Consider positioning an overhead light above a craft or hobby table. Use incandescent lighting inside storage closets and other small spaces. Finally, purchase a trouble or drop light to illuminate dark and obscure spaces, such as under the hood of a car. A drop light is portable and can be use for all kinds of purposes within your garage or workshop.

After you’ve selected the lighting fixtures you need, hire a licensed electrician to install them according to local building and electrical codes.

Tags: garage, garage lighting, Lighting, lighting fixtures

Unique garage plans are designed to stand out among the rest in one way or another.

Additionally, they are designed to deliver a specific function while offering individuality. Many unique garage plans are fashioned to satisfy the owner’s needs and desires while others are designed to accommodate particular elements of the lot they are to be built on such as lot size, shape or slope. Some offer one-of-a-kind features, and others deliver a striking exterior look that will catch anyone’s attention at first glance. Original style, futuristic elements, and unusual features are a few things that give these plans their own individuality. While unique garage plans can vary in size, shape and the number or cars they accommodate, all of them reveal unusual and/or distinct elements. Many of these garage designs would not typically be found along an ordinary neighborhood street. While unique garage plans may have a one-of-a-kind exterior appearance or offer elements not commonly found with traditional garage plans, they can offer some of the same features and services such as:

1. Workshops or workbenches
2. Drive-thru bays
3. Storage spaces (closets, lofts or a designated open area for storage)
4. Extra deep bays for boat storage
5. Apartments, studios or guest suites (finished living quarters)

Most of the plans in our unique garage plan collection were created and drawn by residential designers with an imagination for originality and a knack to incorporate form and function as well. Remember: What makes a garage unusual or unique is in the eye of the beholder. What might be classified as a unique garage plan by The Garage Plan Shop, many not necessarily seem unique to everyone else. When searching for a unique garage blueprints it is necessary to search our collections based upon your personal tastes, preferences, requirements and style choices.

Tags: Detached Garage Plans, Unique Garage Plans, unique garages

This featured 1-car garage plan with storage is the perfect addition to any backyard offering parking, storage space and more. The attractive exterior sports vertical siding. When paired with the decorative cupola, it delivers distinctive county charm allowing it to blend with many country style homes. The floor plan offers one oversized parking bay outfitted with an 8’ ceiling and 9’x7’ overhead garage door. You’ll appreciate the workbench at the back of the garage, convenient service entry and the handy storage space on the left side. The storage space works well for storing tools, the lawn mower or the children’s outside toys. Delivering 384 square feet of usable space, this 1-car garage with storage easily converts to a workshop or hobby area for those who enjoy woodworking and tinkering. Enhance your backyard with this practical and versatile1-car garage plan with storage.

 

View this plan in detail or browse our collection of garage plans with storage. 

Tags: Detached Garage Plans, garage plans, Garage Plans with Storage, storage garage plans

When building a new garage, one of the most important things you can do is control your building budget. With careful planning, you’ll be able to stay on budget. But be aware, there are many things that may cause you to overspend such as beginning without a budget, making changes during construction, and poor craftsmanship.

 

1. Often, homeowners who are planning to build a new detached garage need to obtain a loan from a financial institution. This requires careful planning of the building budget up front. Start by estimating how much things are going to cost. Visit a few local lumberyards to find out what materials are available in your area and which ones will best satisfy your needs for your building project. Begin planning your budget by starting with the essential construction elements first such as lumber, roofing elements and foundation materials. Ask about buying materials in bulk as many lumberyards will offer nice discounts when materials for the entire project are bought at one time. This tactic can save quite a bit of money. While at the lumberyards, compare budget and luxury items. For example, compare a name brand light fixture with a budget fixture. If both are visually appealing, come with a good warranty, and serve the same purpose, choose the budget item. This is another easy way to slash your material costs tremendously. Using methods like those mentioned above will help you save money, and following your established building budget will help you complete the project without overspending.

 

2. Next, review your garage plans carefully and discuss the entire design your contractor before construction begins. This includes the floor plan, fixtures, special elements, etc. Be sure your builder understands how you plan to use the garage as the purpose of the garage may influence some of the construction details or finished elements that are included. It is important to have every detail worked out with the builder or subcontractors ahead of time. Once construction begins, making changes to the garage (either inside or out), can become very costly in a hurry. When changes are made during construction, it often requires the builder to redo or tear down some portion of the structure that was already complete or near completion causing a waste of time, materials, labor and money.  

 

3. Lastly, while you cannot be control the local labor costs, you can control who you choose to do build your new garage. Interview potential builders, visit jobsites where the builder has worked in the past, ask to see the builder’s credentials, and ask for references from past clients. Researching the builder you hire (and the subcontractors) will help you choose the most qualified and skilled builder you can afford. Your new garage is a major investment that will complement your home or property. You don’t want to ruin the experience of building a new garage with poor craftsmanship. If you end up hiring an inexperienced builder or subcontractors, it is likely you’ll run it to problems quickly. Poor craftsmanship means you’ll be spending more later to repair things that were not properly built, constructed or installed during the construction of your garage.

 

Following these tips will help you control your building costs when building a new garage plan.

Tags: Building A Garage, Building Budget, controlling building costs