Breakdown

Garage Living franchise unit economics

Q: How much does a Garage Living franchise make?

The average Garage Living unit reported $1,631,626 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,470,778. The filing discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 11.5% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid,

Q: What does the brand take?

A royalty of 6.5% of gross revenue in a primary market, or a flat $2,000 a month in a secondary market. A marketing fee of 2% in a primary market and $1,400 a month in a secondary one, which may rise to 3% or $1,600. A local marketing requirement of 3% to 6% of gross revenue, set against a plan the franchisor develops and adjustable annually after the first year, with cooperative contributions counting toward it. A $4,500 website development fee at signing and bookkeeping at $750 a month. Together the percentage charges are 11.5% to 14.5% of sales, which is marked *. Separately, the franchisor's affiliate is the designated supplier of the core products inside the 41.29% cost of goods line.

Garage Living franchisees fit out garages (cabinetry, slatwall, overhead storage and minimum coatings) from a showroom with a grinding crew. Cost of goods at 41.29% of sales, labor at 24.23% and gross profit at 34.48% add to exactly 100.00%, so that margin is a true after-labor measure. On the system’s $1,631,626 average it is $562,585 before rent, fees, marketing and the owner’s draw.

By Scott Engler · Averan Advisors · Source: Garage Living, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) · Updated 22 September 2026

Where these figures come from

Primary source: Garage Living, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
Items read: Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure
Population: 30 of 47 locations
Our calculations: Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
Last reviewed: 26 September 2026

Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.

Key idea

Materials take 41.29% of sales and labor takes 24.23%, leaving 34.48%. Those three add to exactly 100.00%, which makes the published profit share an after-labor figure, $562,585 on the average $1,631,626.

Units reporting30 operations, 37 territories

Average gross sales$1,631,626

gross profit34.48% after labor

Total investment$246,450–$323,900

The published margin sits after labor as well as materials. 41.29% plus 24.23% plus 34.48% adds to exactly 100.00% *, giving $562,585 on the average business.
Brand and marketing charges take 11.5% to 14.5% of sales. A 6.5% royalty, a 2% marketing fee and a local marketing requirement of 3% to 6% *, $187,637 to $236,586 at the average.
The top quartile bills 4.5 times the bottom. $2,949,020 against $653,351, with a single high of $3,592,713 and a low of $322,407.
Multi-territory operations report far more from each territory than single-territory ones. $2,194,972 to $3,007,606 against $555,328 to $2,519,267, as printed.
The two sub-tables describe 49 territories and 36 business units. Against a stated population of 37 territories and 30 business operations *.

How much does a Garage Living franchise make?

The average Garage Living unit reported $1,631,626 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,470,778. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 11.5% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.

Single and multi

Two tables, two different systems.

2025 gross sales per territory, single-territory and multi-territory operations, as the brand reported it
Tier	Structure	Territories	Business units	Average per territory	Median	Lowest	Highest
Top	Single territory	6	6	$2,519,267	$2,508,793	$1,742,058	$3,592,713
Second	Single territory	6	6	$1,447,999	$1,470,778	$1,269,804	$1,661,698
Third	Single territory	6	6	$1,034,250	$1,061,498	$846,676	$1,096,057
Fourth	Single territory	6	6	$555,328	$554,529	$322,407	$818,626
Top	Multi territory	6	3	$3,007,606	$3,131,314	$2,852,054	$3,131,314
Second	Multi territory	6	3	$2,714,288	$2,992,600	$2,251,362	$3,039,449
Third	Multi territory	6	3	$2,441,716	$2,551,708	$2,221,732	$2,852,054
Fourth	Multi territory	7	3	$2,194,972	$2,229,139	$2,111,823	$2,251,362

Every figure is as the brand reported it, with both tables headed "Gross Sales/Territory".

Every multi-territory tier reports above every single-territory tier except the top. $2,194,972 at the lowest-selling multi tier against $1,447,999 at the second-highest-selling single tier, as printed. Read at face value, holding more than one territory is worth more per piece of ground here than holding one, the opposite of most brands in this library.

The two tables together describe 49 territories and 36 business units. Against a stated 37 and 30 *. Twelve extra territories and six extra units have to be accounted for before either table can be read as a clean split of the population.

Three business units hold 7 territories in the lowest-selling multi tier. 2.3 each, against 2.0 in the other three tiers. If the printed figure is an unit's total, that tier's per-territory result would be $940,702 *, below every single-territory tier except the fourth.

The single-territory top tier's high of $3,592,713 is the system's own high. So the highest-selling business in the whole filing holds one territory. Its tier averages $2,519,267 across six businesses, which is below the multi-territory top tier's $3,007,606 but above every other multi tier's minimum.

The single-territory bottom tier runs $322,407 to $818,626. Averaging $555,328 across six businesses. At the published 34.48% margin that is $191,478 to cover rent on a showroom, fees of $63,863 at the low fee rate, marketing and the owner *, the tightest position in the system.

Top performers

What separates the top Garage Living performers

Garage Living splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $2,949,020 a year. The worst averaged $653,351. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,470,778. The average was $1,631,626. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.

Decided before you open

Trade area and site.A 4.5× gap between bands, and 11.1× between the strongest and weakest single location, is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
What you spend to open.Opening costs $246,450 to $323,900, a 1.3× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.

Live operating levers

Cost of what you sell.Products and materials take 41.3% of sales. Buying terms, price discipline and waste are where this is won, and each of them compounds at volume.
Installations, the operating driver.This model bills on installations. The sale happens in the customer’s home, so the owner works on how many appointments are booked, how many close, and what the average install is worth. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 11.5% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.

Context you underwrite around

The reporting screen.30 of 47 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. The brand’s own locations are the only margin signal in the document, and they are run by the people who wrote the playbook.

Top performers

How far apart the locations are

Top

This filing does not split its locations into performance bands, so the gap between the highest and lowest Garage Living location is not disclosed. What it does publish is on the Model and Finance tabs.

Best to worst, by sales

Four and a half times, top to bottom.

Top

$2,949,020

Second

$1,785,816

Third

$1,193,707

Fourth

$653,351

2025 gross sales by quartile, 30 business operations, as the brand reported it, with the margin and fee load added *Averan calculation
quartile	Average gross sales	Median	Lowest	Highest	Margin at 34.48% *	Fee load at 11.5% *
Top	$2,949,020	$2,888,126	$2,221,732	$3,592,713	$1,016,822	$339,137
Second	$1,785,816	$1,742,058	$1,479,494	$2,152,071	$615,749	$205,369
All 30	$1,631,626	$1,470,778	$322,407	$3,592,713	$562,585	$187,637
Third	$1,193,707	$1,096,057	$1,057,091	$1,462,062	$411,590	$137,276
Fourth	$653,351	$611,386	$322,407	$1,048,166	$225,275	$75,135

Averages, medians and ranges are as the brand reported it. The margin and fee-load columns are marked *, applying the published 34.48% gross profit and the low end of the fee schedule to each level.

The top quartile averages $2,949,020 and the bottom $653,351. Four and a half times, with a single high of $3,592,713 against a low of $322,407, eleven times across a system of 30 businesses. In a population this small, two or three businesses move any quartile average materially.

The median of $1,470,778 is 90% of the average. An unusually tight relationship, and 43% of business units reach the average. The distribution here is more evenly shaped than most in this library, which makes the published average genuinely usable as a benchmark.

The third quartile spans just $1,057,091 to $1,462,062. A 1.4-fold range, against 1.6 times in the top quartile and 3.3 times in the bottom. The lowest-selling group has all the dispersion: its high of $1,048,166 sits just below the third quarter's minimum while its low is a third of that.

Average unit growth in 2025 was 7.17% with a median of 3.50%. The gap between them says a few businesses grew hard while the typical one grew modestly. Applied to the average business, 3.50% is $57,107 of additional sales and 7.17% is $116,988 *.

Twenty of the 37 territories exceeded the average while only 13 of 30 business units did. 54% against 43%. That gap is the multi-territory operations pulling the territory count up, the units above average tend to hold more than one piece of ground.

Where the money goes

Forty-one out, twenty-four out, thirty-four left.

Published cost percentages applied to each revenue level *Averan calculation
Level	Gross sales	Cost of goods at 41.29%	Labor at 24.23%	gross profit at 34.48%	Less fees at 11.5%	Remaining
Highest business	$3,592,713	$1,483,431	$870,514	$1,238,767	$413,162	$825,606
Top quartile	$2,949,020	$1,217,651	$714,447	$1,016,822	$339,137	$677,685
Second quartile	$1,785,816	$737,364	$432,703	$615,749	$205,369	$410,380
System average	$1,631,626	$673,698	$395,343	$562,585	$187,637	$374,948
System median	$1,470,778	$607,284	$356,370	$507,124	$169,139	$337,985
Third quartile	$1,193,707	$492,882	$289,235	$411,590	$137,276	$274,314
Fourth quartile	$653,351	$269,769	$158,307	$225,275	$75,135	$150,140
Lowest business	$322,407	$133,122	$78,119	$111,166	$37,077	$74,089

The three percentages are as the brand reported it and add to exactly 100.00%. Every dollar figure is marked *, applying them to each published revenue level. The fee column applies the low end of the schedule, a 6.5% royalty, a 2% marketing fee and a 3% local marketing requirement.

Materials are the single largest line at 41.29% of sales. $673,698 at the average business *. Cabinetry, slatwall, overhead racks and coating fluid are bought from the franchisor's affiliate as the designated supplier. So that line is a payment to the brand's side of the table as well as a cost of the work.

Labor at 24.23% excludes the owner entirely. Whatever the owner draws, in whatever role, sits outside both the 24.23% and the 34.48%. That makes the margin flattering for a hands-on operator and honest for a managed one.

After materials, labor and the low fee rate, the average business retains $374,948. 23.0% of sales *. That has to cover a showroom lease the investment table prices at $3,000 to $5,000 a month, plus utilities, insurance, vehicles, bookkeeping and the owner.

At the bottom quartile the same arithmetic leaves $150,140. On $653,351 of sales *. Against a showroom, a grinding crew and an owner, that is a business supporting one income at best, and at the system's lowest-selling business it falls to $74,089.

The median margin of 35.08% beats the average of 34.48%. By 0.6 of a point. Combined with a median cost of goods below the average and a median labor cost below it too, the typical business runs slightly leaner than the mean. Points at one or two high-cost outliers.

Fees and what it costs to open

Six and a half, two, and up to six.

Annual brand and marketing obligations at each published level *Averan calculation
Level	Gross sales	Royalty at 6.5%	Marketing fee at 2%	Local marketing at 3%	Total at the low rate	Total at 6% local
Top quartile	$2,949,020	$191,686	$58,980	$88,471	$339,137	$427,608
Second quartile	$1,785,816	$116,078	$35,716	$53,574	$205,369	$258,943
System average	$1,631,626	$106,056	$32,633	$48,949	$187,637	$236,586
System median	$1,470,778	$95,601	$29,416	$44,123	$169,139	$213,263
Third quartile	$1,193,707	$77,591	$23,874	$35,811	$137,276	$173,088
Fourth quartile	$653,351	$42,468	$13,067	$19,601	$75,135	$94,736

Ours, applying the published rates to filed sales.

The percentage charges run 11.5% at the low local rate and 14.5% at the ceiling. $187,637 to $236,586 at the average business *. That three-point range is set annually by the franchisor against the franchisee's own circumstances, so it is a negotiated figure.

A secondary market pays $2,000 a month against 6.5%. $24,000 a year, which equals 6.5% at $369,231 of sales *. Below that the flat fee costs more and above it costs less. The system's bottom quartile averages $653,351, comfortably above the crossover.

Materials are bought from the franchisor's affiliate. Initial inventory of $20,000 to $25,000 and showroom fixtures of $30,000 to $50,000 at opening, and the ongoing 41.29% cost of goods line. Read together with the 11.5% in fees, the brand's side of the table receives a little over half of every dollar the business collects.

Opening a showroom.

Estimated initial investment, primary market, as the brand reported it, Item 7 of the 2026 FDD
Item	Low	High
Initial franchise fee	$60,000	$60,000
Additional funds, three months	$30,000	$50,000
Furniture, fixtures and displays	$30,000	$50,000
Equipment	$35,000	$45,000
Building work	$30,000	$35,000
Initial inventory	$20,000	$25,000
Rent, three months	$9,000	$15,000
Computer system and software	$5,000	$7,000
Insurance, three months	$3,000	$6,000
Training expenses	$3,000	$5,000
Signage	$3,000	$5,000
Website development fee	$4,500	$4,500
Grand opening promotional campaign	$4,500	$4,500
Vehicle	$3,500	$4,000
Professional fees	$1,500	$3,000
Bookkeeping, three months	$2,250	$2,250
Lease, utility and security deposits	$1,200	$2,400
Licenses and permits	$500	$750
Bookkeeping upfront fee	$500	$500
Total	$246,450	$323,900

As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.

$114,500 of the $246,450 low column is payable to the franchisor and its affiliate. 46.5% *, the $60,000 fee, $30,000 of fixtures, $20,000 of inventory and the $4,500 website. At the high end it is $139,500 of $323,900, or 43.1%.

The showroom is what makes this build heavy. Building work at $30,000 to $35,000, fixtures at $30,000 to $50,000, three months of rent at $9,000 to $15,000 and signage, $72,000 to $105,000 before the franchise fee *. Failing to open a showroom counts as a non-conformity serious enough to drop a business out of the performance tables.

Grinding equipment alone is $35,000 to $45,000. Bought or leased from third parties at volume prices the affiliate has negotiated, and non-returnable once taken. That single line is 14% to 18% of the whole build, which is what a minimum-coating capability costs to put on the road.

Cash to run the business day to day of $30,000 to $50,000 covers three months. Against fee obligations of $46,909 to $59,147 a year at the average business * and a showroom lease running from day one. The lower end of that reserve covers roughly one quarter of fees and rent with little left for inventory.

Questions we get asked

Questions owners ask.

What should a Garage Living business be billing?

Across 30 business operations holding 37 territories and trading the full 12 months of 2025, average gross sales were $1,631,626 with a median of $1,470,778. 13 business units, 43%. 20 territories, 54%, exceeded the average. By quartile the averages were $2,949,020, $1,785,816, $1,193,707 and $653,351. The highest business billed $3,592,713 and the lowest $322,407. Average unit growth in 2025 was 7.17% with a median of 3.50%. There were 41 United States franchised territories held by 34 business operations at 31 December 2025, plus three company-owned outlets. Four non-conforming operations in four territories are excluded from the figures.

What does the work actually cost?

Cost of goods averaged 41.29% of sales and labor 24.23%, leaving a gross profit of 34.48%. Those three add to exactly 100.00%. Is marked *. So the margin here is after labor. The medians were 41.28%, 23.73% and 35.08%. Cost of goods covers materials, freight, inventory adjustments, use tax, consumables and supplies, combined across all product categories. The franchisor's affiliate is the designated supplier of the core products. Labor covers direct and indirect labor and explicitly excludes whatever the owner draws. At the average business the margin is $562,585. After the low fee rate $374,948 remains to cover showroom rent, utilities, insurance, vehicles, bookkeeping, professional fees and the owner's own pay.

Does a second territory help?

The printed figures say yes, though they need reading carefully. The multi-territory table reports gross sales per territory of $3,007,606, $2,714,288, $2,441,716 and $2,194,972 across its four tiers, against $2,519,267, $1,447,999, $1,034,250 and $555,328 for single-territory operations. Every multi tier sits above every single tier except the highest-selling one. However, the two tables add to 49 territories held by 36 business units against a stated population of 37 territories held by 30 business operations. Is marked *. The multi rows show 2.0 to 2.3 territories per unit. So if a figure labeled per territory is in fact an unit's whole sales, the multi results would roughly halve.

What does the brand take?

A royalty of 6.5% of sales in a primary market, or a flat $2,000 a month in a secondary market. A marketing fee of 2% in a primary market and $1,400 a month in a secondary one, which may rise to 3% or $1,600. A local marketing requirement of 3% to 6% of sales, set against a plan the franchisor develops and adjustable annually after the first year, with cooperative contributions counting toward it. A $4,500 website development fee at signing and bookkeeping at $750 a month. Together the percentage charges are 11.5% to 14.5% of sales, which is marked *. Separately, the franchisor's affiliate is the designated supplier of the core products inside the 41.29% cost of goods line.

Who does bookkeeping for a Garage Living franchise?

Three mechanics shape the close. The published benchmarks (41.29% cost of goods, 24.23% labor, 34.48% margin) are defined precisely and add to exactly 100%. So a set of books can be mapped straight onto them. But only if labor is split between direct and indirect and the owner's own draw is kept out of both. Getting that wrong is the difference between a business that looks average and one that looks broken. Second, the local marketing requirement moves between 3% and 6% annually by agreement with the franchisor. Makes a three-point group of revenue a planning variable. The marketing plan it is measured against has to be documented. Third, royalty reports are due on the 7th after month end with payment on the 15th, so the close has a hard eight-day deadline every month. Underneath it, materials at 41% bought from a single designated supplier make inventory and job costing the largest controllable line in the business. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.

What this filing does not disclose

No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.

Questions worth putting to Garage Living

The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.

What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
How many Garage Living locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?

Part of our Home & Commercial Services Franchise Finance guide and the Carpet And Floor Care Franchise Finance guide · Āveran Franchise Resource Center

Run your own numbers.

The Franchise Finance Diagnostic runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.

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Where does your cost of goods sit against 41.29%?

A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around a published benchmark that adds to exactly 100%, a marketing group set annually, and an eight-day monthly close.

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Where these figures come from.

Every figure here comes from Garage Living’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Garage Living® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.

Where this sits

the franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners

The same business, other brands

Garage Living reads against the rest of the carpet and floor care group: AdvantaClean · Chem-Dry · Garage Force · Oxi Fresh · PremierGarage · Stanley Steemer. The carpet and floor care guide compares all of them on the same figures.

Questions owners ask next

The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.

At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
What should I be looking at every week?The handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.
Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?What each one owns, and the point at which the next one pays for itself.

Where to next

Compare brands, every brand in the library on one screen
What changes at ten units
Running the books across several units
Item 19, how to read Item 19 of an FDD
Fractional CFO, for the forecast behind a second location and the cash plan that carries it
Bookkeeping for franchise owners, what this looks like when someone else keeps the books
Āveran Franchise Resource Center, every breakdown in the library
Bookkeeping, monthly close built around the way your brand reports
Controller, when the numbers need someone reading them as well as recording them

Scott Engler

Founder & Principal, Averan Advisors

Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team. More about the team →

If you want this done for you

What happens next

Everything above came out of a filing. Doing it on your own numbers means the books have to produce the same lines: sales, wages, occupancy, fees and what is left, by location, every month. That is the work.

The call, twenty minutesYou describe the business and where the numbers are letting you down. We tell you honestly whether we can help, and what we would start with. No pitch deck.
We look at the fileYou give us read access to the books as they are. We come back with what is wrong, what it will take to fix, and whether the answer is bookkeeping, controller work, or something else.
A written scope and a priceWhat we do each month, what you get, the date it lands, and the fee. Agreed before anything starts, and it does not move without you agreeing it.
Transition, then the first closeAccess, systems, and the opening balances. The first close lands on the date in the scope, and every one after it does too.

Start with the call →How an engagement runs

Averan is not a CPA firm and does not file taxes. Your CPA keeps that, and we keep the books they file from.