Are you planning to own a luxury car soon? You are among a growing population of luxury car enthusiasts in the U.S. According to Statista, the U.S. is the leading market for luxury cars. However, owning a luxury car requires some planning, even if you’re in the millionaire and billionaire league.
One of the best ways to warm up for a luxurious car is by upgrading your property. Your luxury car might cost you a fortune, so you must protect it from harsh weather, thieves, and even animals and pests. Therefore, you may need to upgrade your home to prepare for a luxury car.
Most of these upgrades will not only keep your car safe, but they will also increase your home’s value. Besides, having a beautiful machine in a run-down and flooded driveway wouldn’t make sense. In this article, you’ll learn ten essential upgrades to prepare for a luxury car and why these upgrades are important for a car owner.
10 Essential Home Upgrades for Car Owners
1. Install a Modern Fence
America’s home industry is unique because fences are uncommon. Culture plays a big role in this rather peculiar attribute. Maybe you have never had a fence, and all your neighbors don’t have one in place. Yet to prepare for a luxury car, you may need a fence. A fence has multiple benefits for your home as a luxury car owner, such as:
- Increased Privacy – No nosy neighbors stealing glances at your new machine
- Increased Security – Burglars will find it harder to steal car parts from your luxury car
- No Intruders – Run-away dogs, cats, and bears won’t sneak onto your property and make ugly scratches on your luxurious ride
When setting up a fence, getting professional fence building services on board is best because DIYs can take longer and result in less-than-par work. Regarding materials, you have more room for choice and creativity. You can choose a live wire if you live in a more rural place. Alternatively, go for wood, aluminum, or carbon fiber-enforced materials.
2. Build a Covered Parking Area
Most housing units alternate between a carport and a garage. According to the 2015 American Housing Survey, 63% of housing units had either a carport or a garage, with most having access to electricity. A carport is typically open-framed but has a covering to protect your vehicle from exposure to weather elements. It’s suitable for areas without extreme weather.
If you currently don’t have a carport or garage, you can consider building a carport. It’ll cost considerably lower than owning a garage. You can sometimes use your carport as a patio or entertainment space. It’s also recommendable to install clear bras on your car to protect the paint from too much exposure.
A carport would be a suitable option if you live in a low-crime neighborhood, in an area that doesn’t experience flooding, hurricanes, or very high temperatures. However, unlike a garage, a carport will not add any value to your home if you plan to resell it. This brings us to the next point.
3. Upgrade Your Garage
If you want to prepare for a luxury car, a garage would be preferable for parking your car. A garage is enclosed and has more capabilities for protecting your car against extreme weather, burglary, and intrusion. You have more control over where your luxury car spends off-trip days.
If you already have a garage, you can choose some strategic upgrades that’ll prepare it to hold your luxury car. One of the most obvious upgrades you should do is change your garage door. Engage trusted local garage door services to install a heavy-duty door in your garage. A secure door doesn’t have to be ugly, so you can choose a material and style that matches your overall home style.
You can also upgrade the interior, for example, by increasing lighting. If the garage is stuffy and stuffed with old items, ensure you call a cleaning company to clean and organize it. In addition, reputable HVAC services will enhance the air-conditioning to ensure your car is safe from damage by humidity and harsh temperatures.
4. Upgrade Your Driveway
The last thing you need on your car is dents and splashes of dirty stagnant water because of an aging driveway. If your driveway is made of asphalt, it requires resealing every three to four years. If you notice obvious wearing off and cracked parts, it’s time to call asphalt paving services.
If your driveway is uneven and some stones are unlevelled, grading services can make your driveway smooth and ready for a luxury car. If your pavement is made of cement, it can last longer but may not be as aesthetically pleasing for driving your shiny machine. Better alternatives are brick and asphalt. If you want to be extra, try river stones. They look good and make a crunchy sound.
Since you’re going for a luxury car, you could add a bit of class on your driveway with some handmade statues. Ideally, choose your favorite hero as a template or get ideas from local stone engravers. Adding potted plants along the driveway to add color and pop will also get the job done.
5. Pest-Proof Your Home
Prepare for a luxury car by pest-proofing your home, especially against wood destroying insects. While you can eradicate pests in your car after infestation, it’s much easier to pest-proof your home. The aim is to ensure there are no pests, to begin with, when your luxury car arrives home.
Maybe you wonder if pests can harm your luxury car. Mechanics deal with multiple cases of car damage by mice, chipmunks, and squirrels. For instance, cockroaches and flies can also infest your car and multiply rapidly, leaving dark spots on surfaces. Similarly, mice can chew the windshield washer, wires, and carpet insulation.
Before calling a pest removal company, you can practice some measures to reduce the likelihood of pests coming to your home. Here are four suggestions by Consumer Reports.
- Seal your garage and keep it closed
- Pest-proof your vegetable garden, so it doesn’t become a source of food for rodents
- Use sealed trash can bins and have them emptied regularly
- Seal open gaps in your windows and doors with strips and sealants
6. Insure Your Home
Home insurance may not be a property upgrade, but it’s an essential resource to protect your new car. Start by consulting a local homeowner insurance company to learn about the range of their home insurance. While you’ll spend plenty of time driving around in your new expensive machine, you’ll eventually come home. Remember, incidents can happen in your home.
Adequate home insurance should cover your whole property and assets. For example, if a fire breaks out and damages your home, you can claim compensation for any damage to your vehicle. Similarly, if an act of nature such as a flood were to happen, you would receive compensation.
A home insurance plan will also protect the rest of your home. Even if your car isn’t harmed, you’d be less anxious if an occurrence damaged your vehicle. Compare various insurance plans to ensure you get more value beyond your motor vehicle insurance.
7. Prepare Your Compound
One easily forgotten way to prepare for a luxury car is preparing your compound. Specifically, you should prioritize aesthetics. Imagine driving your new 2022 Mercedes Benz E-Class to your driveway only to be met by drying grass, rotting potted plants, broken trees, and over-filled trash-bin cans. Not sightly.
You can engage lawn care professionals to give your yard that extra look. Your vehicle will look more glam if the yard is neat and organized. You could even paint your exteriors to give them a homey and neat finish. Call tree services to remove old tree trunks and remove fallen branches. The last thing you need is a falling tree on your new high-end car.
You can also prepare your compound by removing debris, trans bins, old items, and construction leftovers. You will improve the general look and feel of your compound and protect your vehicle from sudden tears and denting by falling objects.
8. Improve Property Security
Car thefts are not uncommon in the U.S. According to the FBI, in 2019 alone, there were an estimated 721884 motor vehicle thefts. Luxury cars have extra security measures, but you can burglar-proof your property. One of the best ways to achieve this is by putting alarm systems on your property. Install motion sensors and CCTV cameras in all areas of the property.
In addition, have a heavy-duty automated gate to prevent easy access to your property. Additional security measures may look extra but will cost less than having your car stolen. If traveling away from town in a different vehicle, ensure you have locks in the property and the garage. A secure garage door will also add a layer of security.
If there’re overgrown shrubs and bushes near your property’s windows and doors, cut them down to increase visibility. You can fortify more vulnerable sides of your property to prevent easy access or damage to the wall. Also, always pick interior hinges over picklocks which are easy to pick.
9. Improve Lighting
Another way to prepare for a luxury car is to improve the lighting on your property. Call local electricians to install exterior lighting if your electrical connection only allows for lighting the interior compound. Lighting is essential to ensure you don’t hit the wrong thing, especially at night.
You can have a flood light outside your property, especially if you live in an isolated place, to discourage robbers from attacking when you open the gate. Once on the driveway, you can play around with a couple of ideas.
- You can have ground lights, which are advantageous because they’re non-obtrusive and give your driveway a modern look.
- Bollard lights increase visibility while giving a natural daylight feel
- Mount wall lights, especially if you have limited outdoor space
- Add a modern touch with brick wall lights while making it easy to park
Lighting improves your security, protects you by adding a layer of security, and acts as a guide, especially when parking at night. A home lighting upgrade will add aesthetic beauty to your property at night and increase navigation even on foot.
10. Install Effective Drainage Systems
Lastly, prepare for a luxury car by improving drainage to prevent flooding. Poor drainage can lead to garage leaks and driveway or carport flooding. Note that good drainage starts from the roof. For this reason, invest in or repair the gutters to ensure they drain all water from the roof, walls, and foundation. If the garage or carport roof has small leaks, consider roof repair.
Your luxury car’s essential systems could be damaged if exposed to flooding daily. If you live in an area that experiences heavy rain, have the whole driveway upgraded to ensure real-time drainage. For example, you can have it designed to have drainage so that water naturally drains.
You can have an area on your property purposefully built to allow water permeability. Channeling the water to street drains may not be recommended where more flooding is prevalent. Consider gravel or river stones because of their good drainage when looking for a material for your driveway.
Do you have your checklist ready yet? You can complete a home upgrade as you prepare for a luxury car. Some of the upgrades will require minimal effort and resources. Others, such as building a new garage, will take some time. Nevertheless, a home upgrade will bring added benefits such as increased home value and aesthetics. Remember, a luxury car has higher value and different needs than an average car. Therefore, you’ll need proper planning and resources to prepare for a luxury car. Home upgrades to ensure your car’s safety are worth every penny and time. Which of the upgrades will you start with?