At CarShacks Garage Builders, they have a unique perspective on garages.

To Rolly Ashdown, president of the thriving Calgary-based business, a garage is not exactly a garage is not exactly a garage.

It's more like a house.

"A garage is more like a house for a car," says Ashdown, whose company prides itself on giving garages all the care and attention of a house.

"It's a building like a house except it doesn't have carpet, a kitchen and a bathroom. I often tell people that the care and quality we put into our garages make them more like a house for your car than a garden shed with an overhead door.

The CarShacks Garage Builders Team includes, back row from left, Rick Lackie, Steve Martin and Rolly Ashdown; front row from left, Wayne Delroy, Jim Lavigne and Lou Meiklejohn.

"When CarShacks builds a garage, it's like building a house. We use only professionals – framers do framing, siders do siding, roofers do roofing, electricians do electrical and so on."

Ashdown's uncommon appreciation for garages goes a long way to explaining why business at CarShacks has been going through the roof, so to speak.

CarShacks was literally built on a cement foundation in 1999 when Ashdown and two buddies in the concrete business, Wayne and Steve Martin, owners of Anchor Concrete Ltd., founded the company.

The Martins told Ashdown that Anchor Concrete was receiving up to 10 calls per week to pour garage pads and that's when the trio tapped into the garage- building market, rapidly cementing a reputation for quality and professionalism.

"The first year, we thought we'd build 20 to 30 garages but we built 60," says Ashdown, who co-owns the company with the Martins.

"In 2000, we thought we'd do 90 or so garages and we did 120. In 2001, we thought we'd do 150 and we did 165. Last year, we were over 200. This year, we expect to do 250 but, the way it's going, we'll probably build 300."

That kind of rapid growth doesn't happen by accident. Ashdown attributes it to his organization's trendsetting approach to building and high standards that has earned the company contracts with major retailers such as Home Depot and Rona Revy.

CarShacks doesn't just show up in your back yard with a hammer and nails.

The CarShacks toolbox is also equipped with modern-day tools such as a computer and a printer. "We try to give people all the information possible so, when we do a quote on a garage, we carry a personal computer and printer and give them a printout so they can make an informed decision based on a detailed report of the costs," says Ashdown.

"Some people think that companies that build garages are run out of a basement: you buy a package, they throw a few people together and they come build. Well, that may happen at other companies, but it’s just not the way it works at CarShacks – we provide quality work and at a price that offers value for your money."

This is not a company that is here today and gone tomorrow, says Ashdown. CarShacks is in business for the long run and is growing every year.

CarShacks also prides itself on the fact that it does nothing but build garages.

"All we do is garages, nothing else," emphasizes Ashdown. "We take great pride in our work and, above all, when we're done, it's done right. Our garage will always look superior to the others on the block."

To assure quality, CarShacks doesn't cut corners. The company employs quality tradespeople and uses superior products. The finished product is backed by a five-year warranty.

"There's one school of building where you save a dollar and cut down the specifications, but we focus on improving specifications," says Ashdown.

"We've never trimmed a dollar item for the sake of something that gives better value. We've never professed to be the cheapest, but we offer the best value by far. What we build has the best specifications available."

Sections of the CarShacks garages are built offsite and then moved onsite. CarShacks custom-crafts the walls and roof at its shop in southeast Calgary, using its own truss press and 2x6 material rather than the standard 2x4 material.

"We use 2x6 construction because it doesn't cost much more than 2x4 construction, yet makes a huge difference," says Ashdown. "When you insulate with 2x6 construction, your heat cost is always less than the cost of a thin-walled garage. Everything we do is done that way, to assure quality.

"Our finished product may cost $50 more here and there than garage packages available at lumber yards, but those packages don't include necessary items like permits, power and concrete. We often hear from people who are having trouble with a material package they've purchased."

Ashdown stresses the importance of an appealing garage in enhancing the resale value and desirability of a house.

"We'll even try and match the garage and its roof with the house," he says.

CarShacks also builds year-round, using a ground heater to prepare the land in the winter.

Besides the actual building, CarShacks handles peripheral tasks such as permits, survey adjustments, sidewalk installation, finishing installation and financing that features monthly payment plans.

Owing to CarShacks' success in the Calgary market, the company is considering expanding its horizons into Red Deer and Edmonton. It is welcoming inquiries from prospective associates or entrepreneurs from those cities.

CarShacks gets numerous inquiries from the U.S. and is capable of shipping product there, at a lower cost than customers might find in their state.

Further information on CarShacks Garage Builders is available at www.carshacks.com.

For a free estimate, call 403-248-6553 or 2GARAGE or contact CarShacks by clicking on the e-mail link on the website.