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5 Considerations When Deciding on a Detached or Attached Garage

Posted On Monday, 02 December 2024 11:23
5 Considerations When Deciding on a Detached or Attached Garage Image source: 123RF

If you get a garage, you can keep your car in it, but that’s just the beginning. Maybe you’ll also use it for storage. Some people have a second refrigerator or a chest freezer in there. Some use their garage to store an RV or a motorcycle. 

If you’re installing a garage because your home doesn’t have one yet, you will need to decide whether an attached or detached version makes more sense for you. You’ll have to think about the pros and cons of attached and detached garages. 

We’ll help you to do that right now. In this article, we’ll discuss a few considerations that should enter your mind while you’re trying to make this decision.

Do You Want to Stay Out of the Elements When Parking Your Car?

When you park your car in the garage, you might like the idea of not having to make a frantic dash through the rain, hail, or sleet to get into the house. If that’s the case, then you might opt for a garage that attaches directly to your house. 

You may have a garage with a passageway that enters a mudroom. Perhaps your garage’s passageway lets you open a door directly into your kitchen. 

Either way, if you want to shut the garage door and leave the elements outside, you can do that. You can also enter the garage and get into the car without getting drenched if it’s raining in the morning when you’re on your way to work. That should make your Monday mornings feel a lot better. 

How Much Money Do You Have to Spend?

Detached garages often cost more than ones that attach to your home. That might seem counterintuitive, but that’s how many contractors who install garages structure their pricing. 

If you want a detached garage, it might cost a little more, but if you have enough money, that might not bother you. You’ll need to look at your finances. 

If you have the cash to install a separate garage, you can think of it as investing in your home. When the time comes that you want to move on from that house, a detached garage might get you some considerably higher offers from interested buyers. 

Can You Get the Appropriate Permit or Get the Okay from Your HOA?

You will probably need to get a permit from the city, town, village, or wherever else you live if you install a garage, whether it attached to your home directly or not. In some instances, it’s easier for you to get a permit for a garage if it’s either attached or unattached. 

This might not become a big deal, but certain places have rather strict standards when it comes to such things. If you have your heart set on either an attached or unattached garage, you might need the company that’s constructing it for you to help you. Presumably, they will know all about the permits you require, and they can lend you their expertise.

If you live in a location that has a homeowner’s association, you must deal with them as well. Maybe they will allow you to get either a garage that connects directly with the house or one that does not. 

If you want an attached or unattached garage, and the HOA won’t back down, maybe you can find a way around the issue. In some cases, though, you will need to submit to what the HOA wants. It’s annoying, but that’s part of what comes from living in one of these planned communities. 

Will You Use Your Garage for DIY Projects?

If you use your garage for DIY projects, then noise might become an issue if you have a breezeway connecting the two buildings. Maybe you plan to do some carpentry work in there. If you’re retiring soon and you plan to build things like birdhouses or spice racks, then the noise from a saw, hammer, or other tools might drive your family members a little crazy. 

You don’t want to anger your spouse or partner with excess noise. If you feel like that’s going to become a problem, then you probably want a little space between the two buildings. A detached garage will likely work best for the whole family. 

Will You Store Any Items in the Garage That Could Impact Your Home’s Air Quality?

Perhaps you also plan to keep some chemicals in the garage. If so, you might run into ventilation issues if you have a garage with a passageway that enters directly into the house.

If you have paint, paint thinner, gasoline, or other noxious or flammable chemicals in the garage, then it’s best you have it separate from the house. This way, if you ever have a spill, you can quickly ventilate the enclosure by opening the garage door. You will also not have to think about those fumes entering the house through the connecting passageway and making anyone in your family sick. 

You will need to consider all of these issues very carefully. Some individuals will want an attached garage, while others will feel like a detached version will work better. 

You can often decide easier if you have a family meeting. There, everyone who will use the garage can put their two cents in. 

While the kids in the family should not have a say, the adults should voice their opinions. While things like the cost should come into play, what you all plan to do in the garage will also matter. 

We mentioned loud DIY projects in the house, but what if you have a teenager who fancies themselves a budding guitar or saxophone player? Maybe they have friends that form a band that comes over to rehearse sometimes. 

If so, you will more than likely want a separate garage. The noise might become intolerable if the garage and house directly connect. By discussing the matter, you can probably land on a satisfactory solution.

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