Building a garage is an exciting process, whether your goal is to increase storage, create a shrine for your classic muscle car, or simply have a place to park the truck, minivan, or SUV that isn’t on the street out front. We design a LOT of garages here at garagepermits.ca, so if you’re not sure what your garage plans should incorporate to give you the best in terms of functionality, comfort, and daily use, you’re on the right page.
Choosing the Right Garage Size and Layout
In many cases, the garage size is dictated by the size of your property. You may have the space for a 24×4 garage design on wider lots, or you could be restricted to a 20′ garage if you have a narrower lot. Here are a couple of standard land use bylaw considerations to keep in mind:
Lot Setbacks
- If you have registered right-of-ways on your property, you can’t build or have any eave projections inside them.
- You may be able to build your garage right on the property line, but this will require the use of a reverse gable roof with no eave projections.
- Eaves must be a minimum of 0.6m (2 feet) away from side property lines.
Garage Height
- Calgary and some other municipalities allow a maximum wall height of 3.0m (9’10”) and a maximum peak height of 4.5m (14’9″).
- Rural municipalities may not have wall height restrictions and may allow peak heights up to 5.5m (18’0 1/2″).
- Wall height and peak height are calculated from the top of the slab, not the top of the curb wall.
Garage Doors and Windows
Overhead Garage Door
Most standard garages feature either one 16′ double overhead door or two single 8′-9′ doors, if the width of the garage allows, but the important dimension to consider is the height. A standard garage door may be 7′ tall, but pickup trucks and SUVs are only getting larger, and any roof racks or cargo systems may be a tight squeeze. At garagepermits.ca, we recommend always opting for 8′ tall garage doors. It’s a worthwhile upgrade both for your own use and for future resale value.
Man Doors
The front door of your home likely measures 36″ x 80″, and if you’ve ever had to move a sofa through it, you were probably thankful for the extra wiggle room. The same goes for the man door into your garage. Whether you’re packing away storage bins or moving the lawnmower back and forth, a 36″ door is a great upgrade over a standard 32″, but this really comes down to personal preference.
Windows
When choosing windows for your new garage build, consider natural light, ventilation, and privacy. Nobody needs to know whether you’re storing a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang or a beat-up Honda Fit, so choosing a standard 48″ x 36″ or 36″ x 30″ and placing it on the rear of the garage facing the back of your house is always a good option. Municipal land use bylaws—such as the Calgary Land Use Bylaw 1P2007—have restrictions on the amount of glass you can have on the side walls of your garage based on the potential spread of fire, so we generally don’t design garages with side windows.
Storage Space
We design all of our garage plans to the maximum bylaw allowances (unless you specify otherwise—it’s your money, after all). This means there’s often a decent amount of ceiling storage space, and if you don’t finish the interior with drywall, you may also want to make use of additional storage space in the attic.
Get Started with Professional Garage Permit Drawings Today
Garage plans are what we do, and including accurate, high-quality permit drawings with your application will ensure a smooth approval process. Our permit-ready, code-compliant blueprints include all of the important details of your garage laid out clearly and concisely. This means you don’t need to have an advanced degree to read them! We’ve been serving customers across Alberta since 2011 with a focus on speed, accuracy, and friendly service, and we’d love to work with you to make sure you get the garage you want.
Order your garage permit drawings today and experience the ease and simplicity of garagepermits.ca.