Garages have become an integral part of our homes, and are a must for those with vehicles as they shelter your car from the elements and vandals. In most homes, the garage serves more than just parking areas, but also serve as an additional storage room, a tool shed, or even a workshop. However, a garage could be expensive, and some homes don’t come with a garage when you purchase them. Luckily, there are many affordable garage alternatives to help keep your car safe without breaking your bank.
Carport
A carport is technically an open garage, comprised of a roof supported by beams. This garage alternative can either be attached to your home or detached. They’re considerably cheaper than garages and are easy to install. In fact, some homes in the Sunshine Coast with existing garages add carports to function as either an extension of their living space, an extra parking spot for guests or additional vehicles, or an open-air workshop. That said, carports are quite versatile and can be a good garage alternative or addition for your Sunshine Coast home.
Awning Extension
Awnings work quite similarly to carports as they’re basically roofs without walls. However, awnings, compared to carports, are directly attached to another structure such as your home or even your current garage. Awning extensions are perfect, cheap, and easy-to-install garage alternatives in order to provide shelter to your vehicle or extend your living space by providing shade on the area the awning covers. Some homes end up converting their garage into an additional room and add awning extensions attached to their converted garage in order to have a safe place to park their vehicle.
Shed
If you don’t have a vehicle but still wish to have a garage to serve as an additional storage room for your tools or serve as a workshop, then you can opt to have a shed built. Sheds are significantly smaller and cheaper to build, and even though a car won’t fit inside it, it’s a perfect place to park a motorcycle as well as to store your lawnmowers, gardening and workshop tools, and other items you need to be stored away from your home.
Tent Canopies
You’d often see tent canopies in outdoor events such as festivals, concerts, weddings, and contests. However, they can serve well as a makeshift garage for your vehicle. In a way, tent canopies are a cheaper and more portable version of a detached carport. Just make sure that you properly install it and be wary of wind as they can end up getting blown off.
Quonset Hut
If you’re not familiar with the term, Quonset huts are often seen in movies used by military forces. Quonset huts are prefabricated structures with a design that looks like a cylinder cut in half and are oftentimes made with lightweight galvanized steel. Quonset garages are durable, strong, and can be purchased as a kit ready to be installed, so you wouldn’t have to go through the cost trouble of constructing it from the ground up as with a garage.
Conclusion
A garage is indeed important for every home and is quite useful even for those that don’t have a vehicle to park inside — utilizing it as a storage area, work area, or simply an extended living space. So, even if you don’t have a garage, it’s important to have a substitute in place.
