As the snow, ice and cold temperatures start to recede, many homeowners--not to mention contractors--start turning their attention to construction projects. A lot of contractors are very hungry these days, which opens the opportunity for clients to negotiate particularly good deals.

One big project on many minds is a new garage. If you're one of those contemplating such a project, no doubt you have a lot of questions. Here are a few sources to help get you started:

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The United States Fire Administration sends out short training tips to firefighters on a regular basis. One recent example, "Inspection Techniques: Unprotected Attic Storage," makes an important point that is easy to overlook: Attics are typically not constructed as occupied spaces, and therefore lack the ventilation and fire protection that are required in other, occupied parts of the house.

In fact, fire codes often prohibit storing combustible items (such as boxes of papers or books) in attics. This is more likely to become an issue i...

Often, when I mention to people that I have this little Web presence that focuses on garages, I get this reply: "Cool. Sure wish I had a garage."

Now, many of those responses come from people living in rentals, and their best hope for a garage is to go buy a house. But others come from people living in older homes that never had a garage or whose garage has been converted to living space.

If you've got the room on your property, it really doesn't have to cost a lot to build a garage. If you are so motivated, you can even do a lot of the work yourself. There are so many

I begin every year with a short list of goals for the year. At the end of the year, I almost always have met those goals. It's not that I'm an especially driven sort of person, but I do like to look back at a year and see concrete proof of some dreams realized. The keys to success, I've found, are to keep the list short (usually just three things) and the goals themselves significant.

On the list for 2010 is finishing my garage. The drywall has all been taped and mudded, but I still need to paint the walls and ceiling. I also need to decide if I want to paint or replace the old garage door. I'll also be building lots of shelves so that I can get just about everything off of the ground. These, and other, suggestions are covered in

Garages can be dangerous. From garage doors falling when they shouldn't, to the presence of numerous fire hazards, to the whole range of sharp objects and power tools lying around, this is a space where safety needs to be honored.

But perhaps one of the most dangerous objects frequently found in garage w...