Considering Adding a Garage to Your Home? Here’s Why You Should

Have you been contemplating for some time now about adding a garage to your home? Maybe you need extra storage space or you feel safer leaving your car in a garage. Whatever your specific needs, adding a garage is a great solution to many problems. If you own a home without a garage, you may not know just how much value a garage can add. Here’s why a garage will prove very useful:

Increased Home Value

Although adding a garage to a home can be fairly expensive, when you consider that a garage will bump property value, it makes financial sense. More buyers are looking for homes with garages, and a house with no garage will certainly sell for less than one with a garage.

Extra Storage Space

One main advantage to having a garage is the additional storage space. Many homeowners don’t have the room to store all of their possessions. You can use the space in your garage to store the extra items. Not only can it house vehicles, cars, motorcycles and boats, but other items such as bicycles, tools, gym equipment, home decorations, and so much more.

A Work Office

Have you always wanted your own private work area? You can turn your garage into a functional workspace. You can add insulation and heat to keep comfortable and enjoy peace and quiet while you work.  

A Hangout Zone

If you purchase a large garage, you can turn it into a hangout area. You can use it to watch television, play games, listen to music, and more. 

A Guest Room

Do you wish your house came with an extra bedroom? You can turn the garage into just that. It’s perfect for when family or friends come to visit.

A Personal Gym

It’s important to invest in your personal health. Turn your garage into your own personal workout room and reap both physical and financial rewards.

Considering all these benefits and more, a garage offers the next step is choosing the garage that's right for you. Colorbond steel garages are highly popular because they are secure, strong, and beautiful. Colorbond doesn’t rust or fade, and you can choose from an array of colors so the garage complements your home.

Steel Prices Are Rising: What This Means for Consumers

While steel prices vary from country to country, rising input costs are generally driving prices of steel upwards.

Rising input costs means it is more expensive to produce steel than in previous years due to global increases in prices of iron ore and hard coking coal. This leads to higher prices on steel products.

In fact, according to MetalMiner, base prices for stainless steel increased by 300% between January and July 2016. Just a few days ago, Livemint reported that in India, steel output has seen double-digit growth rates throughout the fall of this year. Because of rising consumption in the area, domestic steel prices in India have been increasing.

“Higher output and higher prices are two factors that should benefit Indian steel companies considerably,” wrote Livemint’s Ravi Ananthanarayanan in the article.

Also this fall, Australia and China have been debating about the issue of China dumping steel in Australia. Many businesses in Australia have argued that China’s undercutting of steel prices violate international agreements established by the World Trade Organization. Anti-dumping tariffs are designed to alleviate this situation, which is detrimental to local markets, but these tariffs also mean higher prices for consumers.

As Tim Harcourt wrote for Australia’s The Conversation last month, “While consumers may enjoy cheaper products, local industry may argue that the imports are being used to drive them out of business, and get monopoly power.”

For consumers, these increases in price mean that it’s a good idea to purchase goods that utilize steel sooner rather than later. Consumer goods that commonly use steel include:

·         Stainless steel refrigerators, stoves, ovens and other appliances

·         Steel garages and sheds

·         Automotive parts like exhaust pipes and grilles

·         Surgical tools like forceps and scalpels

Construction parts like air ducts, elevators and roof cladding