What Will It Cost To Add A Garage To Your Home?

When it comes to building a garage, like any large-scale building project, a lot of factors affect the scope and total price. While garage construction costs vary greatly depending on the structure's style, size, materials, and features, most homeowners spend about $25,652 to build an average sized two-car garage. You will most likely spend in the range of $16,799 and $37,091, but that will depend on many factors.


Attached vs. Detached

Putting on an attached garage is more common and tends to be more affordable. Attached garages are building off of an existing structure, and can utilize that as a wall, which cuts down on the average cost to build. It is also less expensive if the driveway is already in place. For a detached garage, the construction costs go up because it's building from scratch. However, these tend to offer more options, like a bigger work space. Here are some other factors to consider when choosing an attached or detached garage.



Attached

Attached garages are considered the less expensive option of the two. It’s easier to build three walls rather than whole new structure. You can have either an open plan (no walls, just a roof), or you can enclose the whole space with walls. They can also be a good place to store fridges, freezers and other secondary supplies. The best benefit of this garage is keeping out of inclement weather. By having an entryway from your home to the garage, you avoid snow, rain or other bad weather as you get into your car.



For a single car attached garage, you’ll pay between $7,500 and $10,000. Two car styles will be between $20,000 and $27,000, depending on materials. You’ll also have to pay electricians, painters and carpenters depending on how complex your structure is. The cost of materials could range anywhere around $40 per square foot or $5,000 to $7,000. This does not include the cost of hiring a contractor or paying for building permits. You will need to consult with several professionals and your local municipality for the best cost.



Detached

Detached garages are more expensive than attached, but they can be beneficial for the cost. If you don’t have room next to an entryway, you can build a detached garage behind the house or in a space that can fit one. These are also safer because you won’t get any carbon monoxide coming in to your house. You can also make the detached garage a secondary living space, if you add a loft space above it. While it costs more to start from scratch, you can see a lot of long-term benefits and ROI.

Costs & Considerations

The cost of a detached garage is between $9,000 and $12,000, since you have to start from the ground up. If you add electrical, plumbing or HVAC capabilities, the price will jump to around $14,000. It will be even more expensive if you add a living space above, potentially $18,000 to $20,000. The DIY cost of building a simple detached garage will be around $4,000 in materials, though you would still pay extra for electrical or plumbing. Factor in about $100 for a permit and then check with electricians & plumbers for their average prices.

How to remove oil stains from your driveway

If your car leaks fluids or you spill some while filling up your vehicle, lawn mower or snow blower, your driveway might end up with a stain or two. Fluids such as oil, transmission fluid and gasoline can leave a stain on paved driveways and garage floors. Because these liquids are all different, cleaning techniques vary slightly from fluid to fluid and surface to surface.

Whether the stain is new or old, there are some basic steps to help remove marks left by leaked fluids from a paved driveway or an uncoated concrete garage floor.

Oil

 Oil can leave a dark stain on your pavement. To remove oil from your driveway, first determine whether the fluid is wet or dry, says Good Housekeeping. If the spill is new, start by covering the stain with cat litter, cornstarch, baking soda or cornmeal, which will help absorb the extra moisture. Once the pavement is dry, or if the stain was already dry, says Good Housekeeping, wet the stain with water and scrub with a stiff brush and a paste made from baking soda and water. Finally, rinse the pavement with a hose and let it air dry.
To remove dried oil from concrete, douse the stain with spray lubricant and then rinse with water, says Reader’s Digest.

Another method, according to the Los Angeles Times, is to put engine degreaser on the stain and scrub it with a wire brush.
Transmission Fluid A bright red stain on light-colored concrete usually indicates a transmission fluid spill or leak, says Popular Mechanics magazine. Oven cleaner can help clean up this type of liquid, according to Reader’s Digest. Simply spray the stains with the cleaner and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, use a stiff brush to scrub the spot and rinse it with your hose at its highest pressure. If the stain is still there, Reader’s Digest suggests repeating the process.

If the (oil) spill is new, start by covering the stain with cat litter, cornstarch, baking soda or cornmeal, which will help absorb the extra moisture.

Gasoline

Spilled gasoline not only leaves stains on your paved driveway; the marks are likely accompanied by an odor you’ll want to neutralize. Much like with oil spills, Good Housekeeping recommends first soaking fresh gas spill with cat litter, baking soda or commercial absorbents and sweeping away excess fluid. Next, scrub the stain with a mixture of dishwasher detergent and water and let it soak in for a few minutes before rinsing with a hose. If that doesn’t take care of the problem, Good Housekeeping suggests buying trisodium phosphate from a hardware store, mixing it with warm water and scrubbing the spill with the solution until the stain lightens.

Those spilled fluids may be unsightly, but they may not be permanent. If the cleaning tips outlined above don’t fully remove the stain, the Los Angeles Times suggests hiring a professional cleaner to do the job.

There’s also a way you may be able to prevent future stains on your clean concrete. Sealing your garage floor with a paint or sealant made for concrete can help prevent fluid from soaking into the floor, says Mother Earth News. With a coating in place, you should be able to simply wipe up spills without any hassle, the publication says.