With parking space at a premium in many towns and cities, a garage is on many property hunters’ wishlist. One of the best ways to increase the value of your property is to add a garage, says the National Federation of Builders. Figures suggest that sellers can add 6% to their property’s value if they have a single garage and about 15% if they have a double garage.
Why add a garage?
In an article, renovation expert Michael Holmes writes that off-street parking makes a big difference to a property’s value, particularly in urban areas. As well as providing a secure place to park your car, it can also mean lower car insurance if you keep your vehicle in a garage.
Tips for building a garage
When building your garage, don’t be tempted to join the neighbours to build a ‘link detached’ garage for both of you, as this can lead to maintenance problems. You should try to use the same brick or stonework as your house to improve its appearance and so to make the garage fit in. If possible, leave about five metres between the garage door and the top of your driveway so there is space for another car to park. Always check if you need planning permission, although a garage built to the side of the house is usually exempt, because it is covered by general planning permission.
Providing extra storage space
As well as a secure place for your car, a good-sized garage is handy to store garden equipment, patio furniture, bicycles and other useful objects which you don’t want lying around the house. You can add garage shelving systems, such as those provided by https://www.garage-shelving.co.uk/, to keep the space tidy and make everything easy to find. Storage can be a real selling point, so building shelves or cupboards is a great way to increase storage space and make your home more attractive to buyers.
If you think that a double garage will cost around £18,000 to construct, but will increase the value of your home by around 15%, that’s an extra £32,432 on the asking price if you take the average cost of a semi-detached home in England at £216,217. These are all useful figures to bear in mind when looking at the advantages of building a garage.