Garages can be an expensive investment, but without a sound, well built, garage, you can expect your home value to be considerably less. A garage is a very important part of your home.

Existing garages can be converted into extra living space as well. Entire garages can be converted into living space or part of it leaving you with storage and by creating a doorway from your house it can be used like any other room. Interior space for one or two cars is typical, and garages built since the 1950s typically have a door directly connecting the garage to the interior of the house (an "attached garage"). In the past, garages were often separate buildings from the house, almost resembling modern sheds. On occasion, a garage would be built with an apartment above it, which could be rented out. As automobiles became more popular, and convenience essential, the idea of attaching the garage directly to the house grew into a common practice. While a person with a separate garage must walk outdoors in any type of weather, a person with an attached garage has a much shorter walk inside a building.

Garages and carports are a great addition, adding value to your home. It can be used to provide a safe and protected housing for your cars and/or act as a workshop or storage space. If you are considering building a new garage or carport, you should look at a number of design elements to determine which is the best solution for you.

Carport or Garage
The first decision you may want to consider is whether you are going to have a garage, or a carport. Carports are much cheaper and easier to install than a garage, but they do not provide the same security for your vehicle as a locked up garage.

Attached or Detached Garage
If you are going to have a garage built, then you also need to think about whether you want it attached to your house or detached. This will often depend on the shape and size of your lot and house. You may also have a design preference for one or the other which may determine which you choose.

An important part of attached garage is detecting fire hazards in the garage. Firewall in a garage is an absolute must. It should be made gas and fire retardant. There should not be any opening for the exhaust to flow from the garage into the house. The walls should be covered with a fireproof material like gypsum board. You can be sure that these will be the things that the home inspector is going to look for the first time he enters the garage.

The door connecting the house to the garage should be fireproof, preferably made of steel and have an automatic closing device with gasket seals to ensure that there is provision to completely seal off the garage from the house. The doors should never be hollow and should have weather strippings and thresholds. These features prevent fire from burning through the door quickly and carbon monoxide from entering the house.

Single or Double Garage
Consider how many cars you want to store in your garage. Although single garages may be popular, double garages are often more convenient as many families do have more than one vehicle and the more vehicles you have that are safely locked away at night the better.
Apart from storing vehicles many people use their garages for other purposes such as a workshop or storeroom. Before designing your garage you should think about whether you are going to be using it for other purposes and how this will impact on the amount of space you require in your garage.

Flooring
Garage floors no longer just need to be plain concrete but you can get a number of other garage flooring options which can help to update the style of your garage and be especially useful if you are going to be using your garage for other purposes and want it to be comfortable.

Garage Building Materials
The material that you use to construct your garage may also vary. You may can choose the conventional wood design or steel garage construction that All Pro provides. There is also brick garage construction however, that should be done by professional bricklayers.

Garages and carports add value to your home and may be used for many different purposes such as storing your vehicle, storing other items you don't use regularly or acting as a workshop. When designing your garage you should consider whether you want a garage or carport, what material you are going to use to create it, placement, size, and flooring.