Business in Calgary Magazine
CarShacks discovered a niche market in 1999 and launched a garage building company in Calgary that has become a leader in its field. Their entrepreneurial formula to be the “best” has resulted in rapid growth for CarShacks, a company that is on the brink of expansion throughout Alberta.
“Our business has always been growing and I believe it’s because of the way we build garages. We don’t try to be the cheapest, but we absolutely are the best.”
Creating a garage building company that is in a league of its own, they expected to build 20 or 30 garages in the first year, but with superior service and professionalism, they completed 60. The next year business doubled to 120 garages, then 150, then 200. Their eventual target is 30 per cent of the garage building market share (400 per year).
Clients armed with the knowledge that they will receive the maximum benefit from this type of property investment are eager to get started. “The return on investment for a garage is almost 100 per cent,” he says. And the race is on to complete garages before the snow flies with CarShacks’ telephone literally ringing off the hook. They are currently building 30 garages throughout the city, all at the same time. A portion of this business is also generated through Home Depot since they have been chosen as their garage installer throughout the last five-years.
The company begins building superior client relations through a customized estimating and accounting software package. Estimators meet the clients on-site with a comprehensive laptop presentation that illustrates the entire construction process from excavation through to roofing along with a financial representation of each step of the process. Customers can then customize the garage to meet their specific needs, and receive a print out of the pricing results.
The unique design features, and the fact that they build a garage that will last keeps CarShacks Garage Builders ahead of the pack. “The design features that we add are small options that add a ton of utility. If somebody is buying from the lowest bidder, they will not get these features because the client would have to spend more money, you can’t get it both ways,” he says.
He adds, “Everything we do is different and its because we do it better.” Construction quality is assured each time by prefabricating trusses and wall sections at their shop site located in the industrial Southeast. The trusses incorporate a unique design feature, storage space in the rafters, that also enables proper venting, and ensures there will be no roofline sagging in the future. “Instead of having an unusable roof space, there is a good space for storage,” he says. It is also an economical storage space option that costs about $250 (as compared to building a shed for $1,000).
With the foundation in place, the prefabricated packages arrive on site and the whole outer shell of the project can be erected in one day. Power is then run to the building through a two foot trench. While the company installs the electrical cable, they also include another conduit so the client can install an alarm sensor, a phone line, or cable TV. Most exterior finishes can be matched to the main structure unless a colour has been discontinued.
Even with all of these design innovations, CarShacks can scale the model to meet even the most discerning client’s needs. “If they only focus on price, they can still deal with us.” CarShacks can strip out all of the unique features, leaving only a bare bones structure as offered by many.
The company will also work with do-it-yourselfers, and those types of clients who can remove some of the finishing aspects of the project such as electrical, insulation, drywall, siding and roofing to reduce overall project costs.
Through their web site, they get inquiries from throughout North America . As a result, CarShacks has expanded into Lethbridge this year with a unique partnership agreement, and will be opening in Medicine Hat soon. He also expects to expand operations further by seeking a partner in Edmonton next year.