Building your own garage ensures you get the space you’ve been dreaming of. However, it also means you are responsible for all that goes right and all that goes wrong. As you’re putting the finishing touches on your plan, make sure that you haven’t made one of these common garage design mistakes.
1. The Inconvenient Light Switch
Inconveniently placed light switches are common garage design mistakes. For this reason, when designing your space, you want to factor in the best placement for your light switches. It’s possible to move them, but it can be an added expense that should be factored into your budget. If you’re designing your garage from the ground up, make sure that you have enough light switches and that they follow the flow of the room. You don’t want to have to backtrack halfway down a wall to turn a light off before you leave the room. On the other hand, if you want to use your garage as a workspace as well, it can be useful to have two light switches on opposite sides of the room so you’re never that far from hitting the lights on movie night or turning them on when the sun goes down while you’re working.
2. The One Garage Door Design Trap
When it comes to common garage design mistakes, the garage door can be a major one. As you’re designing your garage door, you want to leave some overhead room so you can install a roll-up track if you need it. Some people only leave room for an out-swing door or carriage house door, especially if they live in moderate climates or believe that they’re seldom to never going to use their garage to store their vehicle. While swing doors require less room to function, they’re going to have to be manually powered forever. If you want to install a motor, there has to be room for it. Factor that room in when you’re designing your garage, just in case you change your mind.
3. Forgetting a Flood Zone
Before you build anything on your property you should refresh yourself on where your property lies on a floodplain. Even if you’re in an area where you have never seen excessive flooding, it’s worthwhile to pay attention to where the water collects on your property. If you put your garage into a depression in your land, water is going to collect along the foundation every time it rains. Over time, this can cause water damage, erosion, and just faster than average wear and tear on your property. Pay attention to the configuring of your land when you’re designing your garage.
You don’t have to fall prey to common garage design mistakes. Pay attention to the flow of your space, and make sure you have enough overhead room to accommodate whatever garage door you want in the future. Most of all, when siting a new garage, ensure you’re not going to put it in the way of runoff or into a floodplain on your property.