The location of your garage can impact your quality of life, as well as your options in the future. If you’re shopping for a new home, here are some points to consider when it comes to detached garages.
Advantages of a Detached Garage
A garage that’s connected to the rest of the house can be a security risk. An intruder might break into the garage or notice that someone forgot to close the garage door, then enter the house and commit a burglary or harm people inside. With a detached garage, you won’t have to worry about that.
Exhaust from a vehicle and fumes from paint, fuel and other chemicals can be dangerous. With an attached garage, fumes might make their way into the house and harm your family’s health. That’s not a concern with a detached garage since it’s physically separated from the house.
A garage can serve as a workshop or a place to work on a hobby. With a detached garage, a member of your family will be able to enjoy a noisy activity, such as using power tools or playing a musical instrument, without disturbing others.
If you need more space to store vehicles, you’ll be able to expand the garage, provided that you have additional square footage available in the yard. You might want to add another level to the garage or convert all or some of the space to an in-law apartment or a home office. With a detached garage, those sorts of projects tend to be straightforward, while a garage that’s attached to a house has constraints that can make modifications difficult.
Drawbacks of a Detached Garage
An attached garage can let you walk from your car to your house without being exposed to rain, snow or extreme temperatures. With a detached garage, you’ll have to endure whatever conditions Mother Nature sends your way as you travel between your home and your car.
If you use a detached garage as a workshop, the distance between the house and the garage can be a hassle. You might spend a significant amount of time carrying tools and materials back and forth between the two buildings instead of working on your project.
You don’t necessarily need heat, air conditioning or electricity in your garage if you only use it to store vehicles. If you want to use your garage as a workspace or an in-law apartment, however, you’ll need to control the temperature and have adequate lighting.
Installing utilities in a detached garage can be difficult and expensive since the garage isn’t attached to the house and can’t just be connected to the existing utilities.
Choose the Type of Garage That’s Right for Your Family
A detached garage has both upsides and downsides. Before you start looking at homes for sale, consider your family’s needs, habits and priorities and figure out if a detached garage would work for you.
