Owning a house is the best feeling. It is one of life’s greatest milestones that you can achieve with your hard work and resilience. However, the way your house is designed has a lot to do with how convenient it is for you. Building a garage has now become an essential part of house architecture. Having your own safe and covered spot for parking is a huge blessing.
Attached vs. Detached Garages
If you buy a house with a garage, there is very little you can do to change anything in the house plan even if you do not like it as it is costly. However, if you get a chance to build your own home, you have the liberty to decide whether you want to have an attached or a detached garage.
The former type of garage is the one that shares a wall with your home and has a door from inside of the house. You can enter your garage without having to go outside the front door. On the other hand, as the name suggests, a detached garage is a standalone garage built next to your home.
Deciding Between Attached and Detached Garage
Although the decision to build one of the two types of garages is yours, several factors can affect the decision, such as:
- The parameters of your property
- The property rules and regulation in your area
- The budget you have allotted for building your home
- The information you gather on the pros and cons of the two types of garages
While some factors are out of your control, such as legal issues in building an attached or detached garage, enlightening yourself regarding the pros and cons of the types of garages is something you can do. Let’s get started.
Attached Garage
Pros
1. Budget-friendly
If you decide to go for an attached garage, it will most probably cost you less than a detached one as you will only have to build an extension of your house. An attached garage shares at least one wall with the house, depending on the floor plan. This cuts the costs of building a whole new structure with walls and ceilings.
Moreover, building an extension of your house will save you from running new separate electrical or plumbing lines. You can tap into the ones operational in your home and get your garage lighted and heated up.
2. Serves as a Shelter
Having an attached garage is a blessing for you in numerous ways. You do not have to go out the front door to enter your garage every time you run to get things out of the trunk or carry a handful of groceries. In extreme weather, this aspect of an attached garage is vital. You can enter your garage any time from inside your home and go back and forth without going out of the house.
This also means you bring less dirt and shoe debris into the house when it is raining.
3. Serves as an Extra Storage Space
The ease of having an attached garage also makes it possible for you to store a lot of house stuff in the garage. You can place an extra refrigerator or freezer in the garage. Also, it becomes a handy place for storing all the junk you do not need inside the house.
4. Saves on the Yard Space
It is essential for families with children and pets to have an open space for the little ones to run around or enjoy the weather. Building an attached garage will save up on your yard space and also make your house look bigger. As it is a part of your home, regulations in some areas require that you get the same window glazing and outdoor work done on the garage as your house. So, it is a win-win situation.
In simple words, an attached garage makes your house look bigger.
Cons
1. Increased fire risks
As garages are used to store highly combustible and flammable products, such as gasoline and various oils, the chances of house fire remain high in attached garages. Car fire incidents have been reported in numerous cases that led to lethal house fires.
2. Security risks
We all have a habit of locking our front door every time someone comes in or goes out. With an attached garage, you are practically adding another huge entrance to your house for any intruder. The garage doors usually remain open for a long time when you park your car inside. This increases the threat to your personal security unless you have a reliable security system in place.
3. Constraints Due to Property Size
Building garages is a relatively new concept that did not exist in the previous century. Therefore, if you buy an old plot, your property regulations or area might restrict you from building an attached garage. Therefore, in comparison to the detached garages, it might not be very easy to get a permit for building an attached garage on an old plot.
Detached Garage
Pros
1. Effective Utilization of Odd Spaces
Detached garages are mostly built in tight spaces or narrow lots. If your plot has some odd or narrow-shaped space that cannot be utilized otherwise, it is best to build a detached garage. This is an excellent approach that is not possible in the case of an attached garage.
2. Less Chance of Contamination
One of the most important advantages of detached garages is that they are considered safe and healthier for families. Cars emit carbon monoxide and other volatile fumes that have a greater chance of seeping into your homes in case of an attached garage.
3. Better Home Security
Since your house and garage are two completely separate structures on your property, there is a lesser chance of someone easily entering your home through the garage. Even in the unfortunate case of someone breaking into your detached garage, they can’t get easy access to your house.
4. You Can Build Over It
The best thing about detached garages is the extra space you get to build an extra room on top of them. This is called a FROG (Finished Room Over Garage). You can easily earn a good amount of money by renting it out on Airbnb. You can even use this secluded space for entertaining guests.
Cons
1. Costly
An attached garage is easy on the pocket as you can use the same plumbing and electrical lines running in your house. For the same reason, a detached garage is costly to build. You have to build all 4 walls and establish new heating/cooling systems along with plumbing.
2. Compromise on Convenience
The ease of going in and out of the garage from inside the house cannot be ignored. In the case of a detached garage, you will have to constantly go out the front door to access your garage.
3. Lesser Yard Space
A detached garage is built separately from your home; hence, it is bound to take up any extra open space available on your property. This implies that you will have to compromise on the open space in your house and give up any desires of hosting several guests or planning a recreational family activity.
Conclusion
No matter what you decide to go with, it is best to have all the information you can get related to the type of garage you are interested in. Garages enhance the value of your property and come in handy in using the space for extra storage. However, building a garage is a costly process, and you probably have to do it only once in your life. Hence, it is advised to review all the pros and cons before opting for either an attached or detached garage for your house.