When building a garage for your vehicle, two of the options most people consider are either a wooden garage built from scratch or a prefabricated metal garage that is anchored to a concrete slab. These two choices are often considered due to the fact that both are customizable, durable, and can easily be styled to match the house that they are to be attached to. These are also the top choices because these are what people are used to when it comes to garages.
If you are considering either one of the two for your garage but are not sure which one is best, here are some pros and cons for you to check out to help you make an educated decision:
Wooden Garages
Pros
Great to look at – Wood is that one material that looks great no matter what you do to it. You can stain it, varnish it, paint it, or do whatever you want with it, and it still ends up looking amazing. The classic and homey look of a wooden garage is hard to beat, especially when you design it in such a way that it looks like a log cabin or some other similar structure.
Versatile – Wood also fits in with any type of home. No matter what kind of home you have, a wooden garage can easily fit into your home’s aesthetic due to its classic look.
Customizable – As mentioned earlier, wooden garages can be easily customized. All you need to do is to add what you want into the plan. Want a shed? Add it to the plan. Want an extension to your garage, simply have it sketched in before construction starts.
Cons
High maintenance – Since wood is porous, it requires constant maintenance to help keep the wood from rotting when exposed to inclement weather. This means regular and routine maintenance such as painting or varnishing. Depending on the climate in your location, you might need to do this type of preventive regular maintenance twice a year.
Costly – Wooden garages can be expensive at the onset since you will need to construct the structure from scratch. You will also need a few key people to get such a project done properly. These include an architect, an engineer, and a construction crew.
Metal Garages
Pros
Durable – What can be tougher than steel when it comes to these structures? Superman was not called the Man of Steel for anything, right? This basically means that metal garages, particularly those made out of steel, are very durable and tough. Other metal garages, like those made out of aluminum, are also very durable and can withstand a lot of wear and tear.
Cheaper – Metal garages, particular prefabricated ones, are also cheaper to have than those that you need to build from scratch out of wood. These will save you a lot of money since you won’t need to hire professionals to design, plan, and construct it for you since it already comes prefabricated and only needs to be assembled on site by the company that manufactures it (or my people you hire to install it, which is still cheaper than an entire construction crew).
Easier to Install – Unless you are planning on anchoring your metal garage down with a foundation and concrete slab, all you essentially need to do is to put it together and place it where you want to place it. No digging of foundations, no hammering or pouring of concrete necessary.
Cons
Not as customizable as wooden garages – While you can order prefabricated metal garages with sheds and in a variety of designs when you have made up your mind with your order, you cannot add or subtract features from it after. You can add a carport or other external additions to it (or install shelves within), but the structure remains the same once you have ordered and installed it.
Maintenance – As with wooden garages, you will need to do some periodic maintenance on metal garages, particularly if these are made out of steel. Painting areas that get scratched may be required to keep rust at bay. If your garage is made out of aluminum, your problems may include dents and scratches that may want to take care of as well.
