Building Tips

Detached vs Attached Garage

detached vs attached garage

Our current house has a detached garage as you can see in the photo above. This is the first time we’ve had a detached, and I have to say, we’ve really enjoyed it. Many would argue they would only have an attached garage, but I could go either way. I feel like they both have pros and cons. So let’s take a look: Detached vs Attached garage. Which is right for your home?

Detached Garage

As for us, our detached garage was an add-on to our current modern farmhouse plan. So, as we were choosing a plan, aesthetics were our first priority. Bringing me to my first pro. In my opinion, a detached garage offers more character and exterior curb appeal than an attached garage. This does depend on the style of the home, but it does add more interest.

A detached garage can also give more flexibility to the placement of your garage. This is a great way to help with privacy or even get creative and add in a courtyard area as we did. Our detached garage allowed our pool to be nestled in the middle area between the house and the garage. This created a super cozy and private area.

Another pro of a detached garage would be that it is separated from your home will allow it to be its own area. This is great, especially if your garage isn’t the neatest. It also could be separate living quarters for a guest apartment, mother-in-law sweet, pool house, or game area. This extra space could seriously up resale value by thousands!

Coming from someone who has a detached garage, I really can’t think of many cons. Some people might find it inconvenient when walking in cold temperatures to the garage or it being a little further to carry groceries and packages from their car. But honestly, this is something that has never bothered us.

Attached Garage

An attached garage is basically just an extension to your home that is a garage. It typically has a door leading to the inside of the home. We did include an attached garage on our new build. This was designed in our plan and fit the style of home we were building. Not that we are opposed to having one, but we do kind of prefer a detached one.

Design: Grand Tradition Homes

There are several pros to an attached garage, the biggest one being that it is easy to access in bad weather. Another huge thing for us was that an attached garage is much cheaper to build. With our current modern farmhouse, we did spend quite a bit of extra money on the three-car detached garage. I felt like we were building another home. With an attached garage, you will also be able to heat and cool any finished room above the garage with the same unit as the rest of the home.

In my opinion, there are a few cons with an attached garage. One of the biggest is the odor. Let’s face it, garages and what in them typically don’t smell that great. With an attached garage, these odors usually find their way into your house.

Another con is that it may be somewhat easier to break into your home. Electronic openers are not that secure. This is why it’s a good idea to keep the entry door locked that leads from your garage into the house.

Something else to consider with an attached garage is that it may compromise the exterior appearance of a home. However, if you choose a skilled architect, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Share
Previous Post Next Post

You may also like

1 Comment

  • Reply Sarah

    This is super helpful! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Would love to know cost to build house structure without finishing if you would ever be willing to share! We are looking to building something similar but no idea on ballpark costs.

    April 26, 2020 at 10:48 pm
  • Leave a Reply