ᐅ Garage and Tool Shed

Hello everyone,

After reading here for weeks, I’m now writing my first post with… how could it be otherwise… QUESTIONS…

We are planning our semi-detached house. Everything about the house itself is already settled, and we are just waiting for drawings from the architect. But where we really can’t make progress is with the garage and the garden shed.

The place where the garage or carport will be located (we’re not yet sure which one) will be paved (we already have a quote). Now my question is:

Can I simply attach the garden shed and the carport or garage onto this paved area, or should I hold off on paving for now? We just don’t know if we’ll be able to set up the garden shed with the garage or carport this year or only next year.

And parking the car for a whole year without paving is also not ideal.
I just can’t get my head around this, no matter how much I read here.

Maybe you have some advice for us?

Best regards,
Chelria

Do not use paving stones. You need to place your garage or carport on a foundation. This foundation must be designed according to the garage or carport. If you are not yet sure what you will build, you might have to remove a lot of paving later. If you are building a small garden shed, you can place it directly on paving stones; small garden sheds do not require a separate foundation.

As mentioned, you will need a foundation for the garage, so you would have to remove everything again.
If you have space in front of the garage/carport for a driveway or a second parking space, you can start the groundwork for the future paving there. Excavate and compact the gravel. That area will be stable enough to park on.

Thank you for your quick responses. Yes, we still have an access driveway with parking space for a second car. Okay, if I understood correctly, I need to have a foundation made for a garage with a storage room, about 3.15 x 9 m (10.3 x 29.5 feet) in size (and I thought the paving would be enough as a foundation :-( too bad). Is the foundation as expensive as the paving, or is it more cost-effective? And if we only build a carport, do I also need such a foundation? I often read that it can also be done on a paved surface. I have to ask so many questions (I want to get everything right) since the paving alone would cost almost 6,000, and I don’t want to waste that money. Thanks for your patience.

How many square meters of paving? That sounds like a lot. We will pave 70 sqm (750 sq ft) for just over 3000, without any personal labor and without ecological paving.

For your garage, you need a strip foundation or a pad foundation. It should cost around 1500.

The foundation must match the garage type. A precast concrete garage can be placed on strip or point foundations. A masonry garage requires a larger foundation (along the walls). A carport usually only needs 4 or 6 point foundations for the 4 or 6 posts of the carport. As you can see, it depends. With the foundation, you avoid paving because, simply put, concrete is poured directly into the ground – the concrete is strong enough to securely support the garage or carport. If you place a garage without a foundation on paving stones, the paving will settle, causing cracks in the garage (risk of collapse). If you have a very light carport, it might be possible to place it directly on the paving – but personally, I would consider that far too risky.