How much value does a garage add to your home?

A garage can add between 5 and 10 per cent to the value of your home.

Garages have two major uses in the UK. With recent research from the bank Santander finding that there are over 9 million private garages in the UK, almost half of privately owned homes have one. Whilst many people use them to securely store their car, increasing numbers of British homeowners are converting their garages into additional living space.

Building a garage to add secure parking and storage for your car can, according to the website upmystreet.co.uk, add 5 per cent to the value of your home. Indeed, recent research from the independent estate agents Spicerhaart found that a garage or parking was the number one request from prospective house buyers in the UK.

Garages can start at under £1,000 for a self-assembly metal or wooden garage but can add several thousand pounds of value to your home. They may also make your property more appealing to prospective buyers and, of course, it will reduce the cost of your car insurance.

Whilst many people are adding a garage to their home, many others are converting their garage from car storage into additional living space for their home. The Daily Telegraph recently reported that 650,000 British households have recently converted their garage into another room (an office, gym or additional bedroom/reception room) while a further 470,000 intend to undertake this conversion.

By adding additional living space to your home it is possible to add a substantial amount to the value of your home, particularly if your garage is converted to an additional bedroom. Virgin Media reports that ‘at around £8,000, garage conversions are much cheaper than building an extension and could up the value by as much as 10 per cent’.

So, whilst a garage can add value to your home, make sure you use the space wisely. Some homes will benefit much more from off-street, secure parking whilst other homes will see a leap in value thanks to the additional living space.

This article is from the following website     http://www.homeimprovementloans.org.uk/how-much-garages-add-property-value.html

Don't you wish you could use your garage?

OK, we have all seen it this past week or so, the weather has turned, there is a chill in the air and..............................

YES! It's frosty in the early mornings.  I know because I start work at 6 am.  The other day I noticed my blackberries were all iced up!

So, you know the routine, leave the house 10 minutes earlier just to suit the weather.  Start the car, search everywhere for the de-icer, you know you had it somewhere.  Is it empty, oh dear!  Sit in the car and freeze whilst you wait for the windscreen to clear inside and out, or get out there and scrape it off, or, go inside and make a coffee whilst the windscreen de-ices and then when you come out, OOPs! the car has been stolen!

Yes, you could have avoided all of this if you only had room in your garage for the car!  No more freezing in the mornings, no more peering through that little hole in the windscreen, no more backing into stuff because you set off before it had all cleared.

So, the solution is simple, declutter the garage and use it or declutter the garage and make it into another room.  It will give you enhanced living space and may add value to the price of your house.

Declutter your garage to park your car

The garage is supposed to be where people store their cars but unfortunately this is not the case most of the time.  At seems a shame that your car should sit on your drive or on the road and have to put up with abuse from passersby and the weather.  Plus on top of that you're paying more for your insurance premium as your car isn't really secure i.e. locked away.  Instead of using the garage for this purpose it's used as storage space for anything and everything people want to keep out of their houses or can’t bear to part with.  I'm sure most people don't even know what's in their garage and certainly can never find what they want.

There are many ways to save space in the garage and maximise its use but first you need to have a huge sort out, get organised and declutter.  Pull everything out of the garage and decide what you are going to do with everything i.e. keep, sell/give away or throw away; you could even have a boot/yard sale with the items you decide to sell.  It would be wise to spend a whole day starting very early and on a sunny day!

Depending on what your hobbies are, you could have either various broken computer bits or old parts of vehicles you used to have like spare tyres or parts you have replaced - either sell these items or if they are of no use to anyone dispose of them properly.  I've even known people to put their old washing machines and broken electrical items in the garage.  Don't!  When you replace an electrical item get rid of the old one straight away.  Most electrical companies that deliver new fridges or washing machines will remove the old one for you at no extra cost.

Decluttering tip - Only keep what you need!

I'm sure everyone has got unfinished DIY projects taking up precious space in their garage.  You must set yourself a realistic target (say 2 months) of either finishing the job off or getting rid of it.  Build shelving on the walls to store old pots of paint, decorating equipment etc...  Check the paint first as they do go off after about 4-5 years, even sooner if they haven't been stored correctly and have been exposed to extreme heat or cold.  Don't forget to get rid of those spare rolls of wallpaper and that box of old tiles you no longer have in your house.  Only keep what you need!

Another thing that takes up lots of room is surplus furniture which could be old furniture that's now been replaced or that old 1930's sideboard that you inherited from your granny.  Be ruthless, if you don't need it any more, get rid of it.  If you've got a lawn mower and lots of gardening tools and equipment then consider buying a small shed for your garden.  It makes more sense to have all your gardening things within easy reach of the garden as this is where everything will be needed.

Now that you've sorted everything out you need to put everything away properly.  The best thing to do is to try and keep as many things off the floor as possible.  For example, you can get different sorts of racks for various things.  Hang a bicycle rack on the wall to hang the bicycles up, mount big hooks up to hang your ladder and tools, and as mentioned earlier fix some shelving to the walls or even old kitchen cupboards would work really well.

Belongings like bags of moth-eaten clothes, old toys and games, things the kids have outgrown, nursery equipment, boxes of books, records and video tapes - do you really need them?  They are taking up valuable space in your garage so take them to the charity shop.  Things that you don't need access to on a regular basis, like Christmas decorations, suitcases and boxes of personal memorabilia, can be stored in your attic.  Or if your garage has a high roof or loft space, make use of it to store these things.  Alternatively, install overhead metal hangers which are attached to the ceiling joists as they are very good at providing extra storage.

Now you should have space in your garage to park your car!  In future, instead of chucking things out of the house and in to the garage, deal with it there and then and you'll always have space in the garage for the car.

This article is from     http://www.savingstuff.co.uk/declutter-garage.asp

GARAGE DOORS

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF EXCERPTS FROM THE WEBSITE OF ROLLER DOORS LTD, A COMPANY WITH OFFICES IN LANCASTER

"We understand that a lot of people don’t use their garages for vehicle storage anymore but we know that, whatever it is you use your garage for, it needs keeping safe and secure.  So whether it’s a car, a personal gym or a utility room, your door will help keep out unwanted intruders."

SO IT'S VIRTUALLY A FOREGONE CONCLUSION THEN THAT NOBODY USES THEIR GARAGE AS A GARAGE ANY MORE! SHAME ON US!  NEXT TIME YOU MOVE MAKE A MENTAL NOTE TO YOURSELF THAT YOU WILL GET A PLACE WITH A DECENT SIZED GARAGE!


"You may be wondering why you should install roller shutter garage doors rather than opting for the conventional up and over or side hinged garage doors. There is one simple answer to this question: Space.  You can pull your car right up the front of a garage fitted with a roller door, you can have more hanging space within the actual garage and, if your drive is a little shorter than you might like, you don’t have to concede even more space to cumbersome swinging side hinged doors."

OK, SO THEY HAVE COME OUT WITH ALL THE BRUTAL TRUTH NOW - NOT ONLY DOES NOBODY USE THEIR GARAGE AS A GARAGE ANY MORE, BUT NOBODY HAS A DRIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR THEIR CAR EITHER!

I KNOW!

IT'S TRUE!

SO NEXT TIME YOU MOVE MAKE SURE YOUR DRIVE IS LONG ENOUGH TO PUT YOUR CAR ON! 

IT'S TIME WE REBELLED.  SEND A LETTER/E MAIL TO YOUR LOCAL HOUSE BUILDERS AND YOUR LOCAL PLANNING OFFICE AND YOUR LOCAL MP, AND TELL THEM YOU WANT A DECENT SIZED GARAGE OR DRIVE TO GO WITH YOUR HOUSE!

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SIZE OF GARAGES/DRIVES IN THE USA?  YOU GET THE PICTURE THEN!

To learn more about this company and their information go here:- http://www.rollerdoors.co.uk

Are you buying a house?

Well, even if you aren't, lots of people buy houses all the time.

How much extra do you think you pay for a garage when you buy a house?

Will you use that garage that you paid all that money for or will you just put a load of junk in there and leave your car out on the drive or the road?