Don't Sacrifice Good Taste for Space with Large Garages: The Perfect Example

Many Australian companies build garages that are downright eyesores.  They do this because of the false connotation that all large garages are unaesthetic and cheap-looking.

This is clearly not true, and you're going to see some samples of proof today.

The fact is: if you own a company or have a need for additional storage space, you can get a garage that's attractive, affordable and spacious.  Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be just one or the other. The old days of single solid garages and sheds are dead! 

Today, people are investing in enclosed storage spaces that complement a community's surroundings – residential homes, schools, stores, etc.  In other words, no longer are garages sticking out like sore thumbs.  With modern design and fair garage prices, land owners and companies are building garages that serve their purpose AND look good.

Let's take a look at the approach you can take to make your garage visually appealing.

The Bi-Color Approach

Below are large single-door garages and large double-door garages.  As you can see, they look better than your standard metal garage with rust spots.  Instead of sticking out and detracting from the beauty of the outdoors, the colors make each garage type blend in nicely with its surroundings.

Contrasting a dark color with a light color is always a good idea with garages.  Here, we have an off-yellow tan coating the sidewalls and a matte black coating the garage doors, roof and corners.

Here's an example of an even larger garage  - a product of this bi-color approach.  Unlike the previous example, both colors are fairly similar.  Although the garage door and roof color are darker than the sidewall color, it's not as dark as black.  Each color has a tan base.  As you can see, surrounding structures like the large cylindrical storage bin use the same tan color.  Complementing surrounding structures with the same color as your garage is always a good idea aesthetically.

After looking at these examples, it should be obvious that your garage should and can be attractive.  To find the perfect color blend and style, work with your local garage supplier and ask for a professional opinion.

The Most Popular Organizational Tools for Your Garage

Many people build garages for one purpose: they need an enclosed space to park their car in.  And after they start using their garage for parking, they notice the extra space available in the garage for storage. 

So they begin piling stuff up in the corners of the garage – useless stuff they don't plan on using.  Their basement is full, so the garage becomes the new place to store junk.  Eventually, there's so much junk lying around that the car can't even fit in the garage – the purpose of building the garage in the first place.

If you're looking at garages or have recently built a garage, don't let this happen!  Use your garage for car storage and general storage the smart way.  With various organizational tools, you can turn your garage into a haven for both cars and junk.  You know the junk that's important to you!

Below are some of the best organizational garage tools that will make the most of that empty space in your garage.

Plastic Rack

In the picture above, you can see the 5-shelf plastic rack to the left of the door.  Having a 5-shelf rack like this maximizes original storage space on the floor by 5 times.  Also, compared to metal storage racks, plastic ones are about 30-50% cheaper, plus they can support around the same amount of weight.  If you're interested in buying a storage unit like this, go with white.  It will add a clean quality to your garage and won't stick out like a sore thumb.

Peg Board

The peg board is the best way to organize tools and keep them readily accessible.  Whether you have a work bench or not, peg boards offer amazing convenience and storage features.  In addition to hanging small items like screwdrivers, you can also hang hammers, brooms, extension cords and other large items.  There are about a hundred different metal attachments you can put on pegboards.  Get an assortment (they're relatively cheap) and experiment with them to find out which ones are most effective in your garage.

Hanging Ceiling Board

In the picture, this is directly above the door.  Unlike the plastic rack that's designed to hold commonly used items, the hanging ceiling board is meant to hold items used less frequently.  In addition to keeping the items you rarely use out of the way, you can access them easily with a small step stool.

Bike Racks

For a bike being as narrow as it is, it sure takes up a lot of space.  They sit awkwardly when stationed and can take up as much space as two garbage cans.  With bike racks, you can hang numerous ones vertically up and down your garage's wall.  Using a step stool, you can take them down and hang them back up again with minimal effort.

Metal Tool-Hanging Strips

These metal strips are for hanging heavier tools that the pegboard can't handle: shovels, pick axes, branch clippers, etc.  Unlike a pegboard, these metal strips already have the holders built into them.  The holders use spring action, so until you snap a tool in they remain shut.  This feature allows the holders on the metal storage strips to keep a firm hold on the tool.  With tool-hanging strips and the other items listed above, you'll have the most organized garage on the street block and possibly within the entire community.

Garages - A Must for Year Round Mechanics

Garages are simple structures that provide a myriad of conveniences. The structures vary depending on size and design. Nonetheless, all provide shelter for indoor car parking, workshop area, and storage. The space is ideal for car maintenance and repair work because it is designed to house vehicles, provides electrical connections, and shelter.

 Garages can be attached additions to homes. This convenience allows a car to be parked indoors, thus protected from weather, and allows owners to leave the house and enter the car protected from any harsh weather.

A detached garage is a structure that is separate from the home. Its short distance away from the house allows maintenance and repair projects to be performed at any hour without disturbing noises reaching people inside the house.

A breezeway garage combines the conveniences of the attached and detached variety. The actual structure is not attached to a house, but a breezeway or covered walkway connects it to the home. The covered addition allows homeowners partial protection from foul weather while keeping activities at a distance to the living area.

Vehicle malfunctions and maintenance requirements occur without regard for weather. A garage owner will never have to wait for decent weather in order to repair a vehicle. As a mechanics’ skill increases, so will the need for additional tools. The vehicle owner will always have a sheltered and secure space to store the necessary tools which eliminates the need to lug tools out of a cramped shed to the driveway and back to the shed when finished. A mechanical hobbyist will be able to tinker with his vehicle whenever the urge strikes, no matter the time of day or weather condition. Therefore, garages allow mechanics can work on vehicles year round.

Common Questions and Answers to Help You With Your Garage Purchase

One of the most common problems our customers have when trying to decide on new garages is where to start. Although we do all we can to make the process easier, people often come to us without much of a clue on what they need or even how to figure it out. Fortunately, we've compiled some purchase questions that ought to help.

What Will the Garage Be Used to Store?

You may know that you want to store a particular vehicle or two, but you to have a think about what that entails. We tell our customers to think about the sizes and number of their vehicles. This helps them determine how much space they need in terms of width and length as well as how the openings ought to be sized and arranged. This question is especially important for people who use their garages to store special pieces of workshop kit.

Who Can Put it Together?

Always ask your garage vendor whether or not assembly requires special skills. It's no good to get an unassembled garage plan that you can't even put together. While our models are all easy for home handymen to tackle in a couple of days, some firms offer garage units that require a bit more extensive skill. Remember that complex build instructions don't necessarily equate better garages.

How Can Each Model Be Modified?

Many people like particular garages, but they still have qualms about a few of the little details. Don't settle for anything less than total satisfaction. Ask the vendor if their plans can be changed to match the roof shape of the buildings around them, whether or not they can be built in different colours, and if things like windows or extra doors can be added.

Good garage vendors like us are no strangers to modifications. We understand that each owner has unique requirements. That's why work hard to customise our products and plans so that our customers don't have to try to make a generic model fit their specific needs.

Planning for Storage Makes Sense

Garages are highly prized structures, and rental trends show that tenants are willing to pay more for properties with one included. A quick glance through real estate listings confirms that properties with ample shedding will attract greater sale prices than the properties that lack them. The recent boom of self-storage units across suburban developments is further testament to the public's desire for extra space; therefore, it makes sense to improve your property investment with the addition of a garage. What is even more ingenious is the ability to select customisable designs that provide maximum storage options. So if you are about to invest in a new garage, there are several things that you can do to get the best storage capacity out of it.

Our garages can be custom designed with additional space explicitly for storage. Some barn-style designs offer a second floor that can be fitted with shelving and cupboards to serve a whole range of storage purposes. Additional bays can be included in the planning stage, and features such as patios, verandas, or even carports can provide more room for caravans, boats, stacking firewood, etc. Design features such as mezzanine flooring enable you to fully utilise the space in your garage. With the addition of a few skylights and an extension ladder or staircase, seasonal objects can be kept safely out of the way.

Workbenches with cabinets provide secure places to store tools, fuels and chemicals. Shelving unit frames require little floor space, are great for holding plastic tubs and baskets, and provide visible, easy access to the stored items. Adding shelving to the walls, along with hooks, will also help store folding chairs and gardening tools, and other equipment in a more organised, safe manner.

Increasing the storage space in garages improves the value of properties, and having a well-organised shed just makes life easier. With all of the options that these structures provide, homeowners are sure to end up with a useful and satisfactory space for their vehicles, extra items, hobbies, and their lives.

FairDinkum Garages Come as You Want Them to

Here at FairDinkumSheds, we make your garage kit to literally fit your needs.

Our innovative quoting and design software lets you decide how big you want your garage by using different measurements; you can choose the width, length, eave height, bay spacing and options to your specifications. No matter what you intend to put in your garage or what you want to use it for, we'll do our best to make it as you want it.

We have garages for however many cars you have, ranging from single to multi-car. We have enclosed garages and drive-through models, as well as open bay and garaport garages. We have roof pitches available in 11, 15, 22, 30 and 45 degrees that allow you to match the current design of your home or just make better use of the headroom that you have.

All our garages are made from steel, which gives them several advantages over brick and timber versions: they don't cost as much to make and can be made faster with the right instructions. In fact, a good handyman can make one in a single weekend using detailed instructions and simple materials. And a steel garage will last for years to come and be able to ward off the ravages of time and the elements better than its wood and mortar counterparts.

All our garages come at a reasonable price and we have weekly financing options to make affording one easy. Here at FairDinkumSheds, we strive to make the best garages you can find in all of Australia. We want to create the best possible environment to place your vehicles or other valuables into, so please visit our website for full details on how to find the garage you want, exactly as you want it. 

Different Garages and Barns Depending on your Needs

Standard Garage

Garages can be built as a single unit or a multi-car building. This building is also great for use as a workshop, studio or any other use that you need. The design is basic and can be built to match the existing style of your home. Materials used to construct this building are wood and even metal. 

American Barns

This is a type of structure that can be used to store a car or even a boat. The building can have any garage door size to fit any type of trailer. People that may want to use this style of structure have various options for its use. These include a workshop, storage building, game room and even a horse stable. 

Farm Sheds

This is another name for a standard pole barn. There are various uses for this building, such as storing a vehicle, boat and various types of farm equipment. Bays can be open, closed or a combination of the two if you need easy access to store hay or other material. Various sizes are available for use, depending on your needs and preferences. You can even have a customized design for your home. 

Carports 

This is a type of garage that is open on all sides with an overhead roof. They are constructed using steel and are an inexpensive option to keep your car out of the weather. You can often select the size to make your carport be specifying the width, length and height. Most carports are built with a gabled roof or a flat roof. 

Quaker Barn

This is a unique design of outdoor shed that can be built having one or two stories. They are sided with either vertical cladding or horizontal cladding. The building can be used as an art studio, for storage, or for a studio apartment.

The Uses & Benefits of Having a Garage

Garages can add to the appeal and value of your home, as well as adding functionality to your space. One obvious reason to have a garage is to protect vehicles from the elements and man-made hazards. Hail can damage the integrity of your windshield and snow salt can ruin your paint job. By using a garage, your vehicle can be protected from outside factors and you can stay mobile longer.

A large garage can also provide room for tools and lawn and athletic equipment. You can install peg boards and hooks to keep all the tools you need on display and within easy reach; you can also add cabinets to your garage to store your important items neatly. There is simply no end to the ways you can use a garage to better organize your life.

Garages are useful for storing outdoor equipment like wheelbarrows, fertilizers, and paints. Fertilizers and other hazardous chemicals have no place in the house, as they can make everyone--especially children-- sick. With a garage, you can keep bulky or dangerous items locked away in safety.

There are many other uses for garages: you may want garage space to work out, entertain people, or set up a game room. However, traditional brick or timber garages can be four times as expensive as steel ones that accomplish the same thing. Depending on your needs and personal preferences, it may make sense to go for the more cost-effective option of steel.

Your steel garage can be customized to match your house or specific preferences. The sleek structures come in a variety of sizes and you can choose the best size to fit your individual requirements and budget. You can also choose a roof pitch to match your home or another one entirely, if you prefer. And remember, the higher the pitch, the quicker that the rain will flow off of it.

Steel garages are built to last many years and provide people with storage options for their lives. Add a concrete floor and build a nice new driveway leading up to it to give a new look to the whole building.