When looking for a 3-car garage plan for your garage addition or new home, pay close attention to size. Building a properly sized 3-car garage can add value to your home for as long as you live in it, and if you ever sell it. Size does matter, and the cost difference is minimal.

Why do you need such a large garage?

Here are three very good reasons: vehicle storage, home storage and resale value.

1. vehicle storage – If you build or buy a house with a small garage, chances are you’ll fill it up so much that your vehicles are outside. When you compare the value of your “stuff” to the value of your car, you may wonder why your $20,000 sedan is stored outside and that $10 garage sale bargain box is inside. Even if you don’t care about your cars, the next potential owner may. Protect your investment with the right size garage.

two. home storage – If you’re like many Americans, you may have one or more “mini-storage” units filled to capacity, and you’ll likely pay $75 to $150 a month for the privilege. By selecting the right size 3-car garage plan and decluttering in your mini-storage unit, you can store the important things at home and pocket monthly storage costs.

3. resale value – When you finally sell your house (everyone does), you immediately enter a competition for buyers. With 10 similar homes on the market, the one with the best location, features, and design will usually sell first. Kitchens often get top billing, but a properly sized and well-organized garage is also a big plus.

How big is big enough?

The ideal size for an optimally configured 3-car garage is 24′ X 36′. Why? Most typical cars today are around 16 feet long and just over six feet wide. Add to that the 30″ minimum clearance that garage planners recommend next to and between cars, and your 30′ wide triple garage becomes pretty narrow with no room for extra storage.

Here’s the breakdown:

A 36′ wide garage with two foot wide shelving on both sides instantly becomes 32′ wide. Park three cars inside at 6’2″ wide each (18’6″ total) and you have 13’6″ left. Add 30″ to the side and between all three cars and you have 3’6″ to spare (not a At 30′ wide, that “free” room becomes 6″. Also remember that you may want room for recreational equipment, an extra refrigerator or freezer, a sink, or other “toys” that take up space.

At 24 feet deep, you have enough room for a 16-foot-long car with a foot between it and the garage door, a two-foot-deep garage workbench, and five feet of workspace. If you own a standard cab, a full-size truck nearly 19 feet long, you have less than two feet of “wiggle room.” Extended cabin? Oh!

Extra square footage is surprisingly affordable

Let’s do the math. If you buy a house with a typical 3 car garage plan, it could be 21′ wide and 31′ deep (I’ve seen 20′ X 30′ which is ridiculous). If you have a $200,000 30-year 6% mortgage, your monthly mortgage payment would be about $1,200.

Increasing the size of the garage to 24′ X 36′ adds 213 square feet. At around $50 per square foot, that adds up to $10,650. A $210,650 30-year 6% mortgage generates a net monthly payment of about $1,263. For the extra $63 a month, you can say goodbye to your mini-storage and hello to a higher investment value for your home. ahh

Even if you never sell your house, the added convenience of having your cars parked inside, all your stuff in one place, and higher (potential) resale value are well worth the few extra dollars (in my opinion). A properly sized 3 car garage plan makes all the difference. Think of the things you could do with the extra space!