Although the most common outbuilding on a farm is probably a barn, in the city and suburbs the most common outbuilding is a garage. A garage builder is often called upon to replace garages that are many years old and were originally built directly on a slab without the benefit of a foundation. As years go by the garage weight starts to crack the slab, once that happens the whole building begins to sag; first the walls and then the roof and before you know it, it is impossible to open or close the door. This is the time the homeowner calls a garage builder to find out if it can be repaired and if so, how much will it cost.
The sad truth is, when the garage reaches this point it can no longer be repaired, the only solution is to take it down, dig proper foundations, pour a new slab and build a new garage.
Detached garages:
Although there may be local regulations that differ somewhat, generally speaking a garage builder is free to construct one as large as 400 square feet without it sitting on a full foundation. In 400 square feet you could have a good size single car garage or a rather tight two car garage. Although it may be legal to build without a foundation it certainly is something that is not recommended, in a matter of a decade or less you will be faced with the same problem that you are now correcting. The best garage sits on a full foundation, one which goes to footings below the frost line. You can be assured that a good four inch slab will not break up, you can expect this garage to last as long as your house.
How big a garage do you really need?
The size of your garage depends a great deal on what you plan on doing with it. If you only want to get your car inside and protected from the elements and have a bit of space left to store your lawn mower and a few garden tools, this is one thing; anything more than that becomes complicated.
A basic garage is about 18 feet by 22 feet, if you need the garage for more than that noted you will need to add at least three feet in depth. Some of the additional depth is for storage but you must forget that you need space to skirt your car as well. If you are planning to use your garage for anything more than basic storage of your car and a few tools; bigger is better. Your garage builder can discuss many other options; insulation, heat, light and fully automatic doors are all possibilities.
If you want to build a new garage or replace your current one you will need to hire a skilled garage builder that knows how to construct a garage that will last for many years. You are invited to contact “The Garage Guys” at Absolute Garage Builders for more details.
