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Drivers Require Larger Garages for Their Larger Vehicles
Drivers Require Larger Garages for Their Larger Vehicles
As more consumers purchase trucks and SUVs, the number of garage expansions is on the rise
Drivers are finding it difficult to find space in their garage for their increasingly large vehicles
For the past few years, consumer tastes have turned away from passenger sedans and toward large trucks and SUVs. While these larger vehicles do have their advantages, they also present quite a few challenges.
Chief among those challenges is finding a place to store these gargantuan daily drivers. In fact, a growing number of drivers have had to turn to garage expansions in order for their vehicles to fit inside.
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Dustin Collier, a builder based in Traverse City, Michigan, says that customers can spend somewhere between $3,000 and $12,000 adjusting the size of their garages to accommodate their new vehicles. Collier says that several customers even spend up to $20,000 or more on such projects.
The two busiest times of the year for garage expansions are the spring and the fall. In spring, consumers are receiving tax returns, while people want to prepare their garages for winter in the fall.
In the past, the primary demographic for these garage expansion jobs were higher-income individuals in their 50s and 60s. However, builders are finding that their customer base is shifting toward younger drivers with less money.
“People are buying bigger vehicles. Families. All income levels,” explains William Pachota, a builder based in Livonia, Michiagan. “People really like a cathedral ceiling in the garage these days.”
Large trucks and SUVs in the garage leave very little space for any up-and-coming rock bands to rehearse
Most garages come standard with an eight-foot door, which can accommodate most vehicles. However, with the number of high-riding vehicles on the rise, many have begun to replace that eight-foot door with an 11-foot entrance.
Of course, expansion isn’t the only project underway for garages across the country. Many consumers are installing garage storage organizers to make more room for their vehicles.
Passenger car sales are currently set to hit a 60-year sales low this year. With the market turning toward larger utility models and trucks, garages will need to expand to make room for these rides.
