Adding a Garage or Detached Shop to Your Kamloops Property: A Complete Guide

Adding a Garage or Detached Shop to Your Kamloops Property: A Complete Guide

Whether you need shelter for your vehicles during Kamloops winters, a dedicated workshop for your hobby, secure storage for ATVs and outdoor equipment, or space for a home-based business, adding a detached garage or shop is one of the most practical and value-adding projects you can undertake. It's a perennial request at Hodder Construction, and for good reason—Kamloops' outdoor lifestyle, cold winters, and intense summer UV all make covered, usable outbuilding space genuinely worthwhile.

Here's what every Kamloops homeowner should understand before getting started.

Why Build a Garage or Shop?

Protect your vehicles. Kamloops winters can drop well below -20°C, and summer UV degrades paint and interiors fast. A garage eliminates frost scraping, protects your investment, and can provide a secure Level 2 charging station for EVs—an increasingly common request.

Create dedicated workspace. A detached shop gives you a proper environment for woodworking, mechanical work, welding, pottery, or any hobby that benefits from dedicated space—without taking over your basement or living area.

Add usable square footage. A finished, heated shop effectively increases your property's usable square footage at a fraction of the cost per square foot of a home addition.

Generate rental income. With the right zoning, a detached garage can include a legal secondary suite above, providing rental income that helps offset your mortgage.

Increase property value. Garages and shops are highly sought after in the Kamloops real estate market, particularly in residential neighbourhoods where many properties lack them. Buyers notice—and pay for—the presence of good outbuilding space.

Common Types of Garage and Shop Builds

Attached Garage

An attached garage shares a wall with your home and connects directly to your living space. It's convenient for carrying groceries in from a Kamloops snowstorm and doesn't require braving the cold to reach your car. Attached garages work well on urban lots with limited yard space.

Key requirement: The BC Building Code requires a fire-rated separation assembly between any attached garage and the home's living space. This means a minimum 5/8-inch Type X drywall on the garage side of the common wall, plus a self-closing fire-rated door. This is non-negotiable and heavily inspected.

Detached Garage

A freestanding structure separate from the main home. Detached garages offer more flexibility in placement, can be positioned to maximize your lot, and are typically easier to design to match your home's exterior aesthetic.

Popular sizes:

• 20×20 ft (single-bay double car)
• 24×24 ft (standard double car with room to move)
• 24×30 ft (double car with workshop area)

Workshop or Shop Building

A larger structure—typically 30×40 ft or bigger—designed for serious hobby work, trades, or storage of large equipment like boats, trailers, RVs, or farm machinery. Key features typically include:

• High ceilings (12–16 ft clear span) for working on tall vehicles
• Insulated steel roll-up doors in oversized widths
• 200-amp dedicated electrical panel
• Compressed air lines roughed in during construction
• In-floor radiant heat or overhead unit heaters
• Utility sink and floor drain

Garage with Carriage Suite

A two-storey structure with a garage or shop on the ground floor and a finished secondary suite above. These are increasingly popular in Kamloops neighbourhoods where rental demand is strong. Building requirements include proper egress windows, a separate entrance, fire separation between the garage and the suite, and zoning approval for the secondary suite use.

Planning Your Build: Key Considerations

Lot Size and Setbacks

Before any design work, check your property's setback requirements. The City of Kamloops Zoning Bylaw specifies minimum distances from property lines, which vary by zone:

• Side and rear setbacks for accessory buildings are typically 0.9–1.5 metres from property lines in residential zones
• Front yard placement is generally not permitted for detached garages—they must be behind the front wall of the main house
• Maximum lot coverage bylaws cap the total percentage of your lot that can be covered by all structures combined—a large shop may push you over this limit

Your lot size largely determines what's possible. A quick call to the City of Kamloops planning department, or a preliminary site assessment with Hodder Construction, can clarify your options before you invest in design.

Zoning and Secondary Suite Rules

If you're considering a carriage suite above your garage, zoning is critical. Not all Kamloops residential zones permit secondary suites or accessory dwelling units. However, BC's housing densification legislation (Bill 44, 2023) required municipalities to expand secondary suite permissions significantly. If you were previously told a suite wasn't permitted on your property, it's worth checking again—Kamloops has updated its zoning bylaws in response.

Foundation Type

Your foundation affects cost, longevity, and usability:

• Concrete slab-on-grade is the most common option for garages. A 5–6 inch reinforced concrete slab with vapour barrier is the standard for Kamloops. Cost-effective and sufficient for most unheated or intermittently heated garages.
• Frost wall and slab involves a perimeter concrete foundation extending below Kamloops' frost depth (approximately 4 ft). This is the right choice for a heated shop you'll use year-round—it prevents frost heave, cracking, and the problems that come from freezing and thawing ground around a slab.
• In-floor radiant heat can be embedded in either foundation type. It's the most comfortable option for a workshop you spend significant time in, and the even heat from the floor up is hard to beat on a cold Kamloops morning.

For a basic garage you'll only use occasionally, a standard slab works well. For a heated shop where you'll spend real time, invest in a proper frost wall foundation from the start.

Electrical and Mechanical

Think ahead about what you'll need—retrofitting is expensive compared to planning at the construction stage:

• 200-amp sub-panel: Essential if you'll run welders, table saws, compressors, or an EV charger. Even if you don't need it today, run the conduit and panel now.
• EV charging: A 240V outlet (Level 2 charger) is a worthwhile standard addition. BC's EV adoption rate is among the highest in Canada, and this will matter increasingly at resale.
• Heating: Options include overhead propane unit heaters (inexpensive to install), in-floor radiant (best comfort, higher upfront), mini-split heat pumps (efficient and provide cooling too, great for a finished shop), or wood/pellet stoves.
• Plumbing: A utility sink and floor drain dramatically improve usability—for washing up after mechanical work, cleaning tools, or rinsing off equipment.
• Internet/data: Run conduit for ethernet while walls are open. It costs almost nothing at that stage.

Garage Door Selection

The garage door is both the biggest visual element and a key functional component:

• Insulated steel doors are the standard recommendation for Kamloops. They stand up to UV and freeze-thaw cycles, and the insulation value is meaningful for a heated space.
• Sizing: Standard residential is 9×8 ft (single) or 16×7 ft (double). For a shop that will accommodate trucks, trailers, or recreational vehicles, consider 10–14 ft tall doors with 10–12 ft wide openings.
• Opener: Commercial-grade openers with battery backup are a smart investment for a shop you rely on regularly.

Permitting in Kamloops

A building permit is required for any detached accessory structure over 10 square metres (approximately 108 sq ft) in Kamloops. The permit application requires a site plan, construction drawings, and foundation details. Review times typically run 3–6 weeks.

Don't skip permits. An unpermitted structure creates significant problems at resale, may not be covered by insurance in the event of a fire or collapse, and can be ordered removed or brought up to code at your expense. Permitted work also protects you—inspections catch errors before they become expensive.

Typical Cost Ranges in Kamloops

Costs vary widely by size, foundation type, finish, and site conditions. Here are rough current market ranges:

• Single-car attached garage (20×20 ft): $55,000–$85,000
• Double-car detached garage (24×24 ft): $70,000–$115,000
• Large detached shop (30×40 ft): $120,000–$200,000+
• Garage with carriage suite above: $200,000–$350,000+

Sloped lots, premium electrical, in-floor heat, or high-spec exterior finishes all push costs higher. We provide detailed fixed-price quotes after a site assessment so you know exactly what to expect.

Getting Started This Spring

Spring is the ideal time to plan a garage or shop addition. Permitting takes 3–6 weeks, and construction typically takes 6–12 weeks once materials are on site. Starting your planning now means you could be parking in a new garage—or setting up your shop—well before fall.

Hodder Construction has been building garages, shops, and accessory structures throughout Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola region for over 40 years. We handle everything from initial design and permit application through construction and final inspection.

Call us at (250) 828-8760 or visit hodder.ca to schedule a free consultation. Let's build you the workspace you've always wanted.