If you already have a garage, imagine one with ample floor space, high ceilings, and room for your workshop. If you don’t have a garage, could you imagine getting your car off the road and into a protected space?
How to Design a Garage Plan - Garage Floor Plans
How to Design a Garage Plan - Garage Floor Plans
HOW TO DESIGN A GARAGE PLAN
When planning the garage of your dreams in Houston, here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind. The following steps are critical in determining how to design your garage.
1. Houston Garage Building Codes and Regulations
Before you break out the pens and pencils, make sure you are familiar with the City of Houston building code that will apply to garage building plans. Also, make sure you understand the rules and requirements of your homeowners’ association. These could also affect what you’re allowed to build on your property.
Going to the Houston permitting center in person to learn about building rules that apply to your project can be very time consuming, but there are other resources.
You may find the process of designing your garage building plans a little overwhelming, but Houston Plans & Permits has an expertise in expediting the City of Houston permit status for your garage design plans. The team will manage pulling permit numbers and speaking to analysts for a better understanding of expectations.
2. Consider the Style of Your Garage
The styling of your garage should match the “look and feel” of your existing home. For example, if the garage is an attachment to your residence, the roof and walls should blend seamlessly with your home. Learning how to attach a garage to an existing house is difficult, but the right professionals will know exactly how to help. Style-matching will make your home more attractive and valuable. Our team will be happy to assist with any design inspiration.
3. Is It Big Enough?
The more, the merrier, right? Building your garage slightly bigger could be worth the cost in the long run. Local codes and regulations will dictate the minimum size requirements – usually 20 feet by 20 feet for two-car garages. Vans and pickups will require more room.
Houston Plans & Permits will make sure there’s enough room to access doors, storage areas and comfortably use your workshop. We will size the garage door to meet building code requirements and make sure it fits standard automatic garage doors. Finally, we’ll recommend the right window positions and sizing – especially if you’re planning for a workshop.
4. The Foundation, Floor, and Driveway
The foundation of your garage should match the style of your home. If your home has a crawl space with a stem wall and footings, for example, design your garage foundation the same.
With a detached garage structure, a monolithic slab may work, though you should check your local codes. Finally, call your local utility companies to determine if utility lines need moving before construction.
Garages floor plans require a slope for water drainage. A 1.5-inch slope for every 10 feet is usually what’s required. The attached driveway will require a similar slope from the garage floor. Consider including space in the driveway for visitor parking.
The foundation, floor, and driveway of your garage may require a level of technical prowess beyond your capabilities, but Houston Plans & Permits will make sure they are built to code and built to last.
5. Electrical Outlets and Wiring
All home garage plans need electrical outlets and lighting. Building codes govern the wiring, but you should think about where you want lights and include some well-placed outlets to power your workshop.
6. Apply for Your Garage Building Permit
When considering how to design a garage plan, remember that you’ll use your plans to acquire a building permit from the permitting center. In many cases, hand-drawn plans won’t be enough. You may need to submit professionally-drawn garage building designs. In this case, you can get help from a building plans design firm like Houston Plans & Permits.
At Houston Plans & Permits, we will transform your hand-drawn plans into professionally-drafted documents. Our home designs experts will ensure you haven’t overlooked any vital components while creating your professional blueprints for building a garage. We will also provide input to make your residential garage designs more comfortable and beautiful.
Contact Plans & Permits today to create your design plans. We will help you build the garage of your dreams.