Advice on New Garage

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi all:

Our 25 year old 2 1/2 car garage is on its last legs, and I am kinda dreading the process of getting it rebuilt (my guess is that repairs will be insufficient and that we should tear down and start from scratch). The concrete floor and drive are okay, though.

Before I get off my butt and start calling the builders (I have a couple of word of mouth recommendations, some fliers left in our mailbox and ads from a few firms that seem to do a lot of garages locally), can I get any words of wisdom here?

What do you do with the “stuff” while they’re building?

How long should it take, start to finish?

Do we have to get a new floor poured?

We’re in Chicago. What’s the earliest in the year they are likely to want to do it?

Is there room to alter the footprint, or will that make it cost a lot more?

Is there a standard package of shelving to go for?

Are there any special features we should think about adding?

My kids love the old garage because we allow them to play soccer against it since it is so crappy. Is there some surface for the new garage that will hold up well under that kind of likely child abuse?

Any other thoughts or words of experience?

Thanks.

2

Shove it in the basement, foist it off on the neighbors, rent a storage unit temporarily.

Hard to say - will depend on the builder and the scope of the job. Best answer may be “Longer than they promise.”

Probably not (if it’s in good shape).

It could, though it may be worth it.

An attic with stairs (possibly the fold-up type) to make it accessible.

Well, you could make a section of the wall out of cinderblock. (And I recommend a phrase other than “child abuse” when discussing this.)

3

I’m also in Chicago. My garage was only a few years old when I bought the place, so I’m not going to replace it anytime soon. But if I did, I’d make two major changes. First, I’d put a deck on the roof. If space is at all limited in your yard, that’d be a big plus.

Also, my overhead door connects to a driveway. That’s nice for some things, but there’s also an alley behind my lot. Most of my neighbors have their doors facing the alley, or in some cases have two doors. Much more convenient to get in an out that way.