The main difference between attached and detached garage is that an attached garage shares a wall, roofline, and utilities with the house, letting you reach vehicles and storage through an interior door. A detached garage is an independent outbuilding placed elsewhere on the lot, giving more design and size flexibility but requiring a brief outdoor walk for access.
House Plans with Attached Garages
An attached garage is a convenient and common feature in many homes, providing easy access to vehicles and storage space. Whereas a detached garage is a standalone building, offering design flexibility and a variety of uses - from in-law apartments to workshops.
When deciding between an attached or detached garage, it’s essential to consider factors such as convenience, storage needs, and local building codes. Understanding the key differences between attached and detached garages can help homeowners make an informed decision.
In this article, we'll compare attached vs detached garages, including pros, cons, and key differences between the two options.
Key Differences
The key differences between attached and detached garages are:
- Attached garages: Are connected to the property, with an access door inside the home and externally, providing easy access to storage and vehicles parked inside.
- Detached garages: Are constructed on the property grounds but don't share a wall with the home, with a single external garage door for vehicle access, plus sometimes a separate entrance.
Pros and Cons
Both attached and detached garages can increase the resale value of a property and provide a secure place to store vehicles and household items. However, the means to access the property can be beneficial or dubious, depending on your preferences.
Read the pros and cons of attached vs detached garages below.
Pros and Cons of Attached Garages
Attached garages offer direct access to the main house via a shared wall. This reduces the need to walk outside to access the garage. Yet attached garages can be more expensive to build than detached garages, especially if they require modifications to the existing structure.
Pros of attached garages:
➕ Easy access: With an interior door leading to the garage, access is quick, easy, safe, and convenient for any family member.
➕ Two separate entrances: Attached garages usually have two separate entrances, one large garage door for vehicles and one interior door, which can make access more convenient.
➕ Safety: When children or family members need to visit the garage at night, it can feel safer to access the garage via an interior door, rather than having to leave the home.
➕ Ease of construction: In an attached garage, it's usually easier and cheaper to supply electricity and water to the premises, as it can be connected to the home's existing utilities.
➕ Increases square footage: An attached garage is part of the home, so it creates a larger home and increases the total square footage of your property.
➕ Cheaper: An attached garage can be cheaper to construct and acquire the appropriate building permits compared to detached garages.
Cons of attached garages:
➖ Limited space: Attached garages are often limited in terms of their size, as you can only construct a garage to suit the property layout and external spacing.
➖ Noise transfer: If noisy activities take place in the garage (like workshopping, entertaining, or vehicle movement), the noise can transfer into the home.
➖ Security measures: Garages attached to the property create an additional access point into the home, which can require homeowners to invest in additional security locks and cameras.
Pros and Cons of Detached Garages
Detached garages provide extra storage space and can be used as a workshop, hobby room, or even a family apartment. But they can be less convenient compared to attached garages, especially in cold winters or at night, when walking outside to access the garage can be undesirable.
Pros of detached garages:
➕ Privacy: Family members workshopping or entertaining inside the garage enjoy more privacy, with greater separation between the home and the garage.
➕ Soundproofing: If the garage is used as a workshop or home office, those inside the home are more soundproofed from the activities in a detached garages, and vice versa.
➕ More space: Detached garages are often more customizable in terms of size and layout compared to an attached garage.
➕ Flexibility: A detached garage offers greater flexibility in terms of its use, e.g., it can be used as a home office, an annex (suitable for letting), a private guest accommodation, or a workshop.
➕ Reduced odors/fire hazards: It's common to store flammable substances in a garage, and keeping these in a detached garage can protect a home from vehicle fumes or additional fire risks.
Cons of detached garages:
➖ Security implications: Being separate from the home can require homeowners to increase security to protect the garage from break-ins.
➖ Electrics/plumbing: Lighting and even running water can be beneficial in a garage, but these can be trickier and more expensive to install compared to installing facilities in an attached garage.
➖ Higher construction costs: With the need to install separate foundations and utility connections, construction costs can be higher for detached garages.
➖ More expensive building permits: Due to the construction required for detached garages, building permits can cost more compared to those needed for attached garages.
Important Considerations
When deciding between constructing a home with an attached or detached garage, it's important to consider what the primary use (or selling point) of the home will be, and the impact on the overall property value.
For homeowners, choosing between building an attached garage extension or a detached garage depends on a variety of factors - from personal preferences to your budget and available space.
In summary, key considerations include:
- Usage: For uses such as workshops, home offices, and garage apartments, a detached garage can be better. For uses such as storage and vehicle parking, an attached garage may be best.
- Personal preferences: Evaluate your priorities and how you'd prefer to access and utilize the garage, e.g., how important is a connecting interior door to your family?
- Resale value: Consider what impact an attached or detached garage could have on your resale value. Typically, added value depends on the construction quality, square footage, and if there's any additional living space in the detached or attached garage.
- Building regulations: Requirements vary depending on whether you're using house plans with an attached garage, compared to detached garage plans, or apartment garage plans.
- Budget: Generally, constructing a property with a garage connected to the existing walls of a home is cheaper compared to building a separate garage due to the need for separate utilities.
- Timescales: Acquiring permits for a house with an attached garage can be quicker compared to building a detached garage, but it depends on how complex the construction and house plan are.
- Local building codes: Local requirements can impact the overall design and construction process of your garage, so check with your municipality before deciding which is best for your home.
- Available space: Attached garages take up space in a property and can cause a garage to be smaller, whereas detached garages use yard or driveway space and can often be larger.
FAQ
What Adds More Value, Attached or Detached Garages?
There isn't a simple answer. Both attached and detached garages can increase the resale value of a property, but the impact depends on various factors.
Some homebuyers may prefer properties with attached garages for convenience and ease of access. However, detached garages can also be a selling point, especially for buyers who value extra storage space and design flexibility.
Factors that can affect the added value of a detached vs attached garage include:
- Total square footage: Size matters when it comes to increasing property value through a garage. Generally, the larger the total square footage, the more value the garage can add.
- Parking bays: Detached and attached garages can have between 1-3 parking bays for vehicles. The more parking bays available, the greater the added value (like our Stewart Garage Plan, which features four parking bays).
- Interior amenities: Facilities inside a garage that can add value include parking bays, workshop space, storage, living space, lofts, utilities (like kitchenettes or bathrooms), and apartments (as seen in our Willow Point Plan).
- Additional living space: If the garage can be used as a living space, for example, if constructing a garage apartment plan (like our Daphne Garage Apartment Plan), this can add more value.
- Construction quality: For a garage to add value to a property, it must be constructed of high quality, which is why it's important to use a construction-ready house plan (like our Meadow Lane Plan).
- Local buyer preferences: Property value is largely influenced by the neighborhood and local buyer preferences. Consider asking a real estate agent what buyers in your area find more desirable.
Does an Attached Garage Raise Insurance?
A garage offers additional square footage, which can mean it raises the costs of household insurance, especially if the owner intends to store vehicles or other valuable household items. This means insurance premiums can be higher regardless of whether it's an attached or detached garage.
When extending a property to include an attached garage, this can increase household insurance. This is because it creates an additional access point to the property (which raises security risks), increases square footage, and potentially leads to more valuables being stored inside the home (e.g., a vehicle).
However, properties with an attached garage may have slightly lower insurance premiums compared to homes with a detached garage. This is often the case if the detached garage is considered an outbuilding, an apartment, or an annex that's rented to external residents.
Is It Better to Have a Detached Garage or Attached?
It depends on your personal preferences. Both attached and detached garages offer benefits to homeowners and builders. Factors such as size, materials, budget, timelines, and design should be taken into account, as well as local building codes and regulations.
As a guide, the reasons an attached garage may be better include:
- It's more convenient to access
- Construction can be quicker, easier, and cheaper
- It can be safer and more pleasant for family members to access, especially during poor weather
- It increases resale value
- It helps owners keep a close eye on stored vehicles
While key reasons a detached garage may be better include:
- It reduces noise transfer
- It offers more privacy
- It increases property value
- It won't impact the exterior appearance of the home
- It can become a crucial selling point of a home
- It offers full flexibility in terms of its use
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