Garage kits are perhaps one of the fastest way to add a garage to an already existing building. They are definitely faster to raise than the traditional brick and mortar buildings and the can offer a higher flexibility degree. Some models are especially designed as a do-it-yourself project, so anybody with average skills in this respect can build a garage without needing professional help. This is a brief overview of the main prefab garage kits types, with their features and benefits, so you can see which solution works best for you.
First of all, let’s see how garage building kits are classified by the material they are made of:
Metal Garage Kits
These kits are suitable for both residential and commercial buildings. The idea that if they are made of metal they need to be ugly is totally wrong: with the new technologies, steel arched buildings are available and they can be customized according to the customer’s preference, in order to integrate in the neighboring landscape. They can be one-car or two-car garages, or they can be simply used for storage or for a nice and quiet workspace for your hobbies. Metal garage building kits are very easy to assembly, as most of the times, all you need to do is bolting the panels together, according to the instructions manual.
Steel Garage Kits
Steel garage kits are mainly very similar to the simple metal ones, but the difference is in their durability, which is significantly bigger, because steel is a better material. These garages can also be shaped nicely and they can have various colors. In terms of prices, if you want, for instance, a Powerbilt Steel garage P Model 25w x 13h x 30l with solid rear end wall and with a 9x12 framed opening on the front wall, the price is $6495 plus shipping.
Another company which makes prefab steel building garage kits is Olympia Steel Buildings. Although they don’t have those interesting roof shapes like Powerbilt products do, the Olympia garages have a simple yet elegant look, so they can be a good option for adding a garage in your backyard. The roof panels are made of AZ55 galvalume, which comes with 25 year warranty. The colored wall coatings are made of siliconized polyester and all girts and purlins are galvanized.
Wooden Garage Kits
If you’re rather the classic style, then you may not like the look of metal buildings. However, you don’t have to worry, because you can always buy a prefab wood garage kit and have it installed in as little as one day. Such kits include everything that’s needed for the installation: framing lumber, fiberglass shingles, vinyl siding, wood trusses, doors for the car and for humans, insulation kits and many other elements, together with a detailed instruction manual. Venting skylights can also be added as a separate option. You can have such a garage for either one, two or even three cars, so your whole family will enjoy it. Among the nicest wood garages are the ones manufactured by Summerwood Products, which are now available for 25% less that their usual price. These garage kits can be either pre-cut or pre-assembled. The pre-cut ones will require more work from your part, but they are more fun. The pre-assembled garage kits come in an almost finished shape, so you’ll have very few elements to add in order to finish the structure.
Advantages Of Garage Kits
The main advantage is the building speed. If time is an issue for you, a customized kit will help you get the job done in a couple of days only, provided that you have a few skills in repairing stuff around the house.
Another advantage is cost. Not only you don’t have to pay for expensive workers teams to build your garage, but the building in itself will be cheaper. It’s normal to be like this, since we are talking mass or series production, which means that there are costs that divide across all products of a certain type. While it’s true that you can always buy all parts separately, and probably get some better deals for some of them, don’t forget that you’ll still need a vision, the work of an architect to give a shape to your garage. Kits include everything, so you’ll save a lot on your research work and problems that may occur.
Garage Kits Insulation
Insulation is something you have to pay attention to, if you want to cut your electricity costs, or at least to keep them at the current level. Don’t forget to ask the retailer about the insulation of the kit you intend to buy. Some of them have a special layer that provides a good r value, while some others aren’t insulated at all, so you’ll have to buy an additional insulation kit. They are usually relatively simple to install and they come pretty cheap.
