Kieran McCarthy: How do we go about adding a garage to our new-build home?

A garage can eat into the precious spend when building a home

Garages, or indeed sheds, are very important but we need to design them in such a way that they don’t eat too much of your precious spend.

Hi Kieran

We are in the throes of designing a new home in Wexford. We have an architect on board but no QS [quantity surveyor] as we need to save on costs in today’s environment. We are both outdoorsy people and love gardening so we are looking to build a garage. What size do you recommend and should we build the garage from standard construction methods, eg, blockwork?
Thank you
Jane, Wexford

Hi Jane

Thanks for your question. So you are deep in the design phase of your new home. This is great to hear and it must be a very exciting time as you look at all the drawings and ponder what it will be like to live in your new home (assuming you get planning permission and can afford the building costs). 

Now that you have designed the house, it’s time to start looking at an outbuilding to support your outdoor hobbies So, what are the choices here?

I must inject a little word of caution here given that you don’t have any cost advice as you proceed with your design. Not to rain on your parade but it may in fact be the case that your drawings are already above your budget (assuming you have one ringfenced at this stage). 

Remember an architect is expert in designing your home and planning permission but you need the QS to comment on cost so in the absence of a QS at this stage, it is likely you are already above your budget, before your new garage is considered. Let's assume for now you are still on target and look at the options.

When it comes to garages, things have changed a lot since I was growing up in Suncourt housing estate in Midleton. Here, we all had garages as they came hardwired as part of our houses. In those days, many people drove their cars into their garages because cars used to rust. 

Kieran McCarthy: When we are designing new homes at KMC Homes (with an architect and a QS working together), garages are always the last things I look at. The reason is we design from the inside out and allocating the necessary space and budget in the house is our first priority. Picture: Denis Minihane

People had more spare time and cars were easier to maintain than they are now, so these garages were well used. However, if you drive into Suncourt now, you will see very few garages that have not been converted into habitable rooms (ours was converted into my mother’s surgery) as cars became more rust-resistant and people need more valuable space at home.

I think, in many ways, we are traditional when it comes to house design. Our parents had this thing so we should have it too. I don’t feel this is always the best approach. In many ways, house design has changed a lot from when we were growing up. Gone are the ‘good room’ and the ‘box bedroom’ (hopefully) for example. What does this mean for the humble garage?

When we are designing new homes at KMC Homes (with an architect and a QS working together), garages are always the last things I look at. The reason is we design from the inside out and allocating the necessary space and budget in the house is our first priority. 

I always prioritise the living space, then the utility, then the remainder of the ground floor, then upstairs, then outside. I’m sure it will come as no surprise the garage is one of the last things to consider when it comes to budget allocation.

Yes, garages, or indeed sheds, are very important but we need to design them in such a way that they don’t eat too much of your precious spend. Most people, when they speak of garages, they tend to think of the old ways of building them, which was using masonry walls and a trussed roof with slates. If you think of it, this is the same construction as your house. 

Even though the garage is likely single storey, your engineer will design more or less the same foundations and ground floor slab as your new home. When you go to build it, many people think they may end up converting it into a granny flat or home office at some stage, so they end up insulating it as they build. 

Pretty soon, you are in fact building a mini house, and your budget takes a major hit.

I am assuming that in your new outhouse, you need storage for outdoor hobby equipment, lawnmowers and the like. What I typically recommend instead is a lightweight construction shed on a new concrete base. Your builder can build the base when they are on site and have a digger and concrete to hand and there are a variety of lightweight options available today.

The cheapest is a timber shed, though most have a limited shelf life. The more expensive but more durable option is a shed built from aluminium. These can be bought and assembled yourself, or most companies will erect the finished shed on your site. 

Yes, they are not quite as pretty as a block-built garage but they come at a fraction of the cost and you can instead splurge on that German kitchen and Dekton island you were dreaming of.

• Kieran McCarthy is a building engineer and director of KMC Homes bespoke A-rated new home builder, serving Cork and Limerick. He is also co-presenter of the RTÉ property show Cheap Irish Homes and a new TV show showcasing deep retrofits in existing homes in Ireland;
• Check out KMC Homes’ new website kmchomes.ie. Follow Kieran on instagram @kierankmc for more home building information, tips, and Q&A advice;
• You can also follow Kieran on the Built Around You YouTube channel and @kierankmc on TikTok.