Eckhart, who built Ciano's home, said he had one buyer back out of a deal because of the economy, saying the time just wasn't right. On the other hand, several recent contracts have called for larger garages with more features than Eckhart's model designs show. The loft contains a workshop with a winch for hauling anything from a lathe to a V-8 engine upstairs. Another contractor, who declined to be named, recalled a buyer in Oconomowoc who wanted an eight-car garage with her new home. But a design flaw caused two of the doors to collide when they were raised, so one of the eight doors was walled off.
Subdivision rules can drive costs, as well.
Standing in front of one of Eckhart's homes in the Broadlands development in North Prairie, it's hard to tell where the garage is. Covenants demand that the garage doors not face the street and that the exterior must match the home. If that means cedar shake shingles, then the garage gets cedar shakes, too. This particular garage is faced with brick and has cut-stone corner accents. Its three-paneled transom window looks like it belongs in a living room.