I recently bought my first rental property. It’s been my life long dream of building residual income through rental properties, so this is a big step in realizing that dream. I got a great deal on a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with good bones. No pest damage, the plumbing and electrical are in great condition, and there is even a small backyard. There’s just one major detail missing; there’s no garage.

This is what made the price of the house so low, but I couldn’t pass up this kind of deal. How much would building an attached garage cost anyway? So I went out and got quotes from local contractors and quickly realized it’s not cheap. We’re talking multiple thousands of dollars in labor and equipment costs. And I didn’t have the technical and knowledge to do a diy garage conversion myself. So I decided to install a garage kit close enough to the house so that it had the illusion of being an attached garage. Here’s the shopping process I went through to find the best price for my garage kit.

1. Big-box Hardware Store:
The first place I headed was down to my local Home Depot. I’m sure you can find the same selection at any other big-box retailers like Lowes, but Home Depot was closest to me. I know most people start off by searching online, but I wanted to get a feel for what garage kits look like in real life. No picture or video on the internet can recreate actually going to the store and seeing the various kits in person. And while you’re there, you start researching prices to get a good feeling on the price range of the garage kits that appeal to you the most.

2. Google Search:
Now that you have a good idea of what type of kit you’ll want, now it’s time to search for a deal. This is the power and advantage of using a tool like Google to find websites that sell kits you want at less than what the big-box retailers charge. Simply type in “garage kits” or “prefab garage kits” to get a wide selection of ecommerce websites and information sites to help you find the perfect kit for your storage needs.

3. Craigslist/Ebay:
I wouldn’t suggest this as your first or second option, but you can find some incredible deals on these two sites. If you know the exact model and style you’re looking for, do a simple search on Ebay and you’ll see a list of options to choose from at a fraction of the price you would get in a big-box store.

When buying your garage kit, remember to always go for the bigger unit if possible. The extra space can always be used as storage. If you go for a smaller unit, it may not fit your future needs like if you get a larger car (an SUV) and you may also have absolutely no storage space.

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