Opinion: garage expansion or detached office

Fellow garage and workshop users. I have to gain more usable office space but also workshop space as part of my job is fabrication of electrical control panels.

I have 21’ x 24’ of permittable building space next to my current garage of which I am thinking it would be good to use as another parking spot and workshop/office.

My wife is thinking I should just pour a parking pad there and get a tuffshed and finish it into an office.

Our lot is tight on space and I can’t build larger than the stated 21’x24’ but I can build up and have thought of putting in attic trusses with a finished space as well but haven’t gotten any quotes on that yet.

let me know what your thoughts are. All are welcome.

 

Photos of the space? Or a aerial view of what you’ve got to work with?

 

Morton building if I could get the permit.

 

Two story. Do both

 

Sub’d for parking space

 

To the left of the garage. Is currently fenced in. Where the shadow is where I can build to without getting a variance from the city and neighbors.

 

I can write off an office. Garage/Shop not so much.

 

Dang wasn’t even thinking of write off tax wise for my office, but my workshop is part of my job so I need to talk with my accountant about limits of that.

The way the conversations have been going at home, should we build an office shed so it’s quick and done or build an oversized car port with attic trusses for an office and addition storage? One will take time and a little money the other will take more time and money but be more useful down the road. I have cash to do either but money is so cheap right now I might finance an addition.

 

This is a hard call to make how much will the improvements increase property value ?? Which one gives the most for the investment??

What about property tax increases has that been factored in?

Any plans or thoughts at all of expanding your business ?? Nothing like making all these changes and upgrades only to find you need lots more space .

 

Property value is going way up in my area. 6-20% annual increase in value over the past three years and the newer the house is with more sq ft the higher the increase in value.

Taxes are taxes. The improvement will allow me to walk 50 feet out of my home to work and not have to manage two properties.

I intended to use this space as my office for the next five to ten years, if the business doesn’t increase as we are expecting it to then I’ll still have a nice office space and shop.

I’ll be getting contractors over the second week of the month for estimates.

 

If that's the case, I'd definitely do this one:

If you do the little quick and done shed, I feel like you'd either regret it or end up doing the car port and attic space later anyway.

Do it once, do it right.

 

I started to talk with an architect and a builder and the timeframe might be to far out to actually consider being viable. Since the hurricane everyone is backlogged for 4-6 months, my wife is at my throat to get out of the house because I disrupt the kids being home.

I’m getting quotes for a garage shed 12x20’. Right now it’s a matter of timing and availability, I’ll have to get rid of my utility trailer I don’t use anyway. Hopefully I can just sell it to pay for some of the finishing. ​

 

Wife and I finally decided on a shed and where to put it. After getting our driveway expand we ordered a 10x14 work shed, 32” actual man-door and 5’ roll up door with 3 windows.