Whether you’re planning to buy a house or design a new one, a garage is one of the essential features to consider. A garage can increase your home’s curb appeal, if you decide to sell in the future. It provides a shelter for your vehicles and a storage area for the supplies, tools, and equipment you own.
Before building a garage, always plan ahead. Determine how you want to use your garage and what structures you want to incorporate in there to accommodate your needs. When all of that is done, think about whether what you need is an attached garage or a detached one.
To help you decide, here are some compelling reasons to build a detached garage:
It Is Customizable
Due to the advent of 3-D technology, structures like garages are easier to construct and design. You’re just one click away from the desired blueprint of your home. Want to start designing right away? You can continue reading this to find some design examples. You can also choose from the array of materials available in the market. Depending on the materials you opt to use, the costs can also be significantly lower compared to attached garages. For instance, if you’re using a metal frame for your detached garage, you can save a lot of time constructing it compared to its wood or brick counterparts. As the saying goes, time costs money.
Also, if you wish to expand your garage, detached garages are easier to tailor compared to attached garages. This is because the former is not tied to the architecture of the house.
It Can Be Repurposed Into Something Else
Detached garages are versatile as they can be repurposed into many things. Not only does it shelter vehicles like cars and bikes, but it also can serve as a carpenter’s workshop or a gym. It can also turn into a greenhouse with just a little tinkering.
Another possibility is to renovate it as a “treehouse” without a tree. This treehouse can be used as a guest house, a playhouse for kids, and others. It can also turn into an apartment you can rent out after installing plumbing and electrical systems. It can be all of these things simultaneously if the interior design is excellent. Your imagination is the limit.
It Adds More Space To Your Home
If you’re a certified hoarder who loves to collect vintage items that don’t have a significant use inside your home, this is for you! A detached garage is a freestanding structure that can allow homeowners to stash the things that don’t fit inside their home. It’ll substantially lessen the clutter inside of your house. As Marie Kondo said, if it doesn’t spark joy, throw it away… or put it in your detached garage.
It Is Significantly Safer
According to a study, improperly stored portable generators in attached garages have caused 800 deaths in the past 14 years. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a serious threat that can endanger the lives of your family, especially if your house is not well-ventilated. It only needs 1200 ppm in seven minutes enclosed in an average size garage to suffocate you. This can be completely avoided if you have a detached garage providing a safe distance from the harmful fumes of your vehicles.
Another thing to consider is that a detached garage provides a more spacious storage area to keep any harmful chemicals away from the reach of children, if you have any. Flammables (fuels, paints and oils) and harmful chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides) can be safely kept in the detached garage because it’s relatively out of reach, or is at least a safe distance from where you sleep.
It May Add Resale Value
Building a detached garage can be a great investment. First, determine the factors that affect the value of a property when you decide to put it up in the market. Consider designs that have a lot of potential to be refurbished before spending your money.
Aside from the benefit of keeping your things secure, a detached garage adds extra square footage to your property. As mentioned above, it is versatile and can be renovated or expanded to a number of structures. The possibilities are endless. Thus, a home with a detached garage attracts many potential buyers.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with the decision of whether to build a garage or not doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Ultimately, a garage is great investment as it’s an essential structure for a house. However, there are always pros and cons to consider, like which one is better between an attached garage and a detached one.
Hopefully, this article may be of help because the decision is still up to you. It’s your money and resources that’ll be spent. Research every aspect and consider the opportunity costs. In the end, what you consider useful and practical might not be the case for others.