Purchasing a prefabricated garage kit will come with blueprints and garage floor plans that are pre-approved in certain jurisdictions.  In almost all cases you will still need to get local building inspector approval, and all of the appropriate construction permits. However, by using pre-approved plans from a prefab garage kit most building departments are much more lenient in their approval process.

You have the flexibility of building the garage yourself using the materials that are supplied by the vendor, or hiring a local contractor to assemble the garage, or in some cases the manufacturer will also provide an option of assembling the prefabricated garage as part of the package.  Of course this will cost extra and in most cases the actual assembly and construction will be equal to or slightly more than the cost of the prefab garage kit itself.

Unless you hire an expensive architect to create a professional design and blueprints for your custom garage, the plans and well-thought-out materials that accompany all prefab garage kits will provide a much smoother and error-free construction process.  When purchasing pre-approved garage plans you are purchasing a tested process where all of the errors and oversights have been eliminated.

One other thing that makes prefabricated garage kits so great is that the design and looks of the garage are generally excellent.  The vendor has had an opportunity to spend a significant amount of money for a professional architect to design the various options.  Then reselling them a number of times to people all over the country spreads the professional design expense over hundreds or thousands of sales.

This is one of the most important choices you will make with your garage kit since the size and quality of the garage door will have a significant impact on the total cost of your prefab garage kit.  Garage doors that are higher than the standard seven foot height come with a significant cost premium, as well as doors that are wider than the standard nine feet can add significantly to the cost of the entire package.

The choice of raised panels, type of material, and window patterns will also affect the total cost of prefabricated garages.  Generally you can purchase garage doors constructed from different types of wood or steel.  In most cases the selection of garage doors will all be insulated in North America.

Most prefabricated garage doors will be rollup style with a number of sections that allow the door to roll up into the ceiling of the garage.  Window choices generally allow for a panel of windows about two thirds of the way from the bottom of the door with different patterns and architectural features.

You should also allow an additional two hundred dollars for an automatic garage door opener and associated hardware.  Of course installation of the opener and it’s hardware will be at additional cost, depending on your local contractor or whether you do it yourself.

The quality of your garage door will be a significant component of making your prefabricated garage and enhance the look of your house.  This is very important for resale value, as well as aesthetic pleasure.

Almost all doors for prefabricated garage kits generally cost between six and seven hundred dollars for steel construction, and several hundred dollars more for enhanced wood construction.  Remember that the wood will not be solid, but it will add significantly to the look and value of your garage and home.

A more common approach would be to decide on a vendor for prefabricated garages that meets your requirements for quality and flexibility, and then work with them to choose one of the standard floor plans that suits their garage kits.  In many cases they will actually customize the garage plans to some degree.

Remember, they will only be able to do a certain amount of customizing since one of the big benefits of a prefab garage kit is cost and fast delivery.  This is a result of the vendor already having calculated all of the materials and the exact dimensions for certain conditions and floor plans.

As with any construction you will need to keep the floor plan size and options such as windows, doors and materials within your budget.  Prefabricated garage plans can be purchased for garages anywhere from five hundred square feet to fifteen hundred square feet.

Common wisdom says that for more extravagant homes you should have a custom floor plan designed and a local contractor build your garage to get maximum flexibility and architectural styling.  This is simply not true today since some of the prefabricated garage kits that are available include very extravagant designs and high quality materials.

Many of the prefab garage vendors will include all labor and installation, or you can purchase the materials and design from the vendor, and have a local contractor construct your garage kit as per the specifications.  Remember that you will still need to abide by all local building codes even though these the garage plans have been pre-approved.

Generally prefabricated garages are not large enough to adequately store a motorhome.  On the other hand, carport kits usually do not have fully enclosed walls, but they do keep the majority of the rain, snow, and sunlight off of your valuable possessions.  Carports are also less costly and easier to install than prefab garage kits.

There are several different styles of carports kits that are available throughout the United States and Canada.  They are usually segregated by the style of roof, and almost all of them are supported by either three or four posts.

Flat top roofs are the most common type of roof for prefabricated carports.  Most people are accustomed to seeing these types of carports where the roof is flat and exactly horizontal.  These are usually the cheapest type of carports, but in areas with heavy snowfall they may not be the best choice. Steel carport kits should be considered in northern areas with a lot of snow.

Gabled roof carports have roofs that are shaped much like any house.  The advantage to this type of carport is that it will allow run-off of rain and snow much more easily.  On the other hand, these types of prefabricated carport kits will generally cost more money and will be more difficult to install.

Mansard style roofs look like a flat roof carport or garage except that the roof is sloped in one direction.  This can have the advantages of gable style carports without the extra expense.  In fact, mansard style carports can have two or three sections to their roofs which act almost like a wall on one end of the carport.  You would generally place this end of the carport facing the direction of the prevailing winds.

Garages are a common part of every home in America these days.  They tend to hold some of our most important possessions, especially our cars.  In addition, most of our garages are catch-alls for all of our outdoor toys and yard tools.  The problem with garages becoming so important in our lives is that it can get very costly to build one that is big enough to hold all of these things.  One solution to this problem is to use prefabricated garage kits it to build your garage.

Usually you can find a local contractor in your area, or even a handyman that can assemble your garage building kit very easily.  Costs for these kinds of garage kits can vary widely depending on location, contractor, weather, and building codes.

You need to consider all of the extras and add-ons that you will require with your kit.  Rollup doors, sectional garage doors, pedestrian door frames and doors, and how many windows you plan to have in your garage will all affect the final cost.  As well, standard trim is usually installed at an extra cost.

Other things that you must consider before installing your kit include footings - whether they will be concrete or wood, and ground preparation.  Ground preparation and leveling of the site is extra, and sites with difficult access will cost more usually.

Typical prices that you can expect would be in the $2000 range for eight hundred square feet, and over $3000 for a thousand to twelve hundred square feet with twelve foot ceiling height.  Every window that is added will probably add an extra $100 dollars to the cost, and each door will add another $150 dollars to the cost.

Typical installation prices can run anywhere between $3 to $5 dollars per square foot, depending on the size of the garage.  It will also depend on how complicated the configuration, as well as your location, and the demand for local contractors.

Generally you can choose from a number of predefined garage styles and designs, with pre-approved garage plans, or you can decide to purchase a custom design just for yourself.  A customized garage kit can be modified in just about any way that you would like, including the floor plan.  Either way, prefabricated garage kits are an excellent way to build your garage correct quickly and cheaply.