While I would love the look of a detached or even a side load garage, in new housing there is often no choice but to have an attached front loading garage. Lots that are narrow, sloping, etc push us in that direction. Our new house will have one, because we wanted a lot that accommodated a walkout basement. It is 32% of the width of the house. It's a little snotty to cast aspersions on people's taste when you don't know all the factors that went into their decision making. Besides, we live inside our houses, not in the front yard....don't we?

It is true about all the variables that go into a decision, variables that aren't visible on the facade of a house. One of those is that most people have to choose from the housing stock that's available out there. And there's the question of location, affordability, etc. .

"The only reason to buy a house with a garage that is separated is that you are doing to tear it down and built an attached..."

So you're saying that in photo 2 above...they should just tear down that detached garage & build attached??

That is ridiculous!

In my area, people don't park their cars in their garage. The garage is mostly used as a giant shed. I personnaly don't like the look of the garage facing the street. We have a detached garage and it works well for us. My only wish would be to be able to heat it during the winter.

I like the way a garage looks when it's well behind a house, and part of it is visible from the street, poking out from behind the house. The effect can be charming, and does a lot to eliminate the ugliness of most two-car garages.

As an example, look at the second photo of this "gallery":


http://search.har.com/engine/2604-Florence-Ave-Pasadena-TX-77502_HAR94452019.htm

I have no garage so...if I were to move, any garage would do. But if I could build my dream home, I would have a detached garage and a covered breezeway leading to the house. I don't like gasoline and motor oil smells getting into the house via an attached garage. Very unhealthy. Additionally, I think the size of the garage door overpowers the appearance of average sized houses and I see quite a lot of houses with only 1 or 2 windows facing out to the front...the rest is garage door. Not real attractive in my opinion.

I prefer attached, side entry. I've had both and prefer unloading groceries, etc. directly into my house, especially in our hot humid area.

A detached garage means lower insurance rates. I'm planning a detached garage with a breezeway.

Detached for aesthetics; attached for convenience. Aesthetics always wins in our house hunting.

I picked "Other" because I almost always lived in houses with an attached garage (one had no garage and presently I have a detached garage.) My wife parks the family vehicle in the garage, along with the bikes, toys, mower etc. My work vehicles stay outside. I haven't parked in a garage for many years.

I love the detached garage because its a lot easier for organization. If you have a garage attached, no doubt you will find your food and daily use items creeping in there. Before you know it, there's a cluttered mess that you have to clean up. I prefer to leave my car in a safe place where nothing has a remote chance of becoming an insurance liability. http://briargateinsurance.net/Products/

I like both attached and detached garages. I love the way be detached garages look, and I love the convenience of attached garages. My optimum garage would be a lovely detached with a covered walkway to the house for carrying things without getting soaked in the rain.

Detached means you can have a shop at no additional expense.

I grew up in FL and an attached carport with a workshop behind worked fine. But when we moved to MI and my children were very young, an attached garage was top on our list. It was the best decision I made and most older homes here have detached garages. We fit both vehicles in our two car garage that is otherwise lined in storage since we don't have a basement. Whether there is rain, sleet or snow and sub zero temps, I'm two steps into my van and I rarely have to brave the elements to get the kiddos to school. And my home stays relatively clean since we don't have to walk through the snow to get from the van into the house. Just bought a new home with a four car attached garage with an equal size bonus room above. Bonus!

For me it's looks vs. function - unless you have the lot and money to do a wonderful covered breazeway, OR unless you dont use your garage for cars (I have neighbors that NEVER park in the garage and we live in the Philly area (snow - rain - freezing) / I think they're crazy! We use the attached garage all the time - to load & unload and for easy access to things w/out having to go into the weather (or be dressed properly for public view)

Attached but I would never face my garage doors towards the front of the house. They belong on the side or back.

Oops, the comment I left a few months ago (see 11 comments up) led to the page with a map. Although that page led to the page with the photo, here's the page directly:


http://search.har.com/site/2604-Florence-Ave-Pasadena-TX-77502_SITE94452019.htm#section_1

It's the second photo. Just click on it for a larger view.

I used to live in Asia wherein you don't often see a HOUSE ATTACHED TO A GARAGE. You can actually appreciate the architecture of the house. Though weather can be a big factor, I still believe that most houses in Canada are designed as GARAGES with AN ATTACHED HOUSE (boring colours and cookie cut designs in the name of preserving prices and architectural control). Might as well design a VERY NICE GARAGE FRONT since it takes up about 70% of the whole front of the house. A close front attached garage with only a few inches of concrete walkway to the front door feels more like A PERSON WITH ARMS CROSSED (seriously, most regular size houses worth ave of 500CAD have their front doors tucked in the corner with a small concrete walkway from the front garage). It does not feel open and welcoming. Compare that to the sight of a nice curb appeal, nice fence and front lawn design with a welcoming porch. The house does not have to be big to look welcoming.

We have both!!!

best ituation. detached but with a door to the fenced area. lower insurance. and we use the front entrance all the time, enjoying the front landscaping all the time. better feng shui too

i'd say 95% of the "curb appeal" dilemmas involve a giant garage door, or 2 or 3, that dwarfs the house.

I would much prefer to look at a house, and not giant garage doors. We have a carriage house, behind our Victorian, and love it.

Attached side entry garage - so that it doesn't detract from the lines of the house in the front -- and for easy - dry -warm access to the inside for the home owner. Warm when compared to outside temperatures in the winter. My garaged vehicle never needs to be warmed in freezing temperatures - outside vehicles always do. We have 5 cars, a 2-wheeled motorcycle and a trike motorcycle - leaving room for one vehicle, and the trike and bike. So 4 have to be warmed before using. An additional detached garage would be nice for families with kids 16 and older, or for people with boats, recreational vehicles, etc.

A great looking house near me has a ground level attached side entry two car garage - with a daylight basement having a single garage door and an extra tall RV garage door - both also side entry.

Attached with side entry. It's so much better when it snows or rains. Ours goes into a mud room next to the kitchen.

Detached.... safety reasons. Think of the other things you are likely to store in there... perhaps flammable liquids or other things you may not want too close to the house. Also, someone tampering with your vehicle will not necessarily have easy access to the house.

My In laws have detached. Cons to detached, weather (they live in a snowy state), farther to carry groceries, but the one that annoys me the most is security. Most of the time they forget the garage opened. They live in a super safe neighborhood, but I always wonder before going to bed if the garage is locked. Picture you remembering to go check It out in the middle of the night on a stormy night... Not pleasant.

..." but most houses today seem to have the garage entrance in the
front (shorter driveway?) and look (to me) tacky, detracting from the
overall look of a home."

I love an attached garage but prefer it to be located on the side or back of the house so it isn't the first thing you see. It seems like the trend is to have big garage doors on the front that eclipse the entrance to the house. (A separate shed for lawn tools would be great).

both please!

I have an attached garage and I would love to have room for a detached for garden equipment etc. Having seen how other people's garages turned into a haphazard storage facility, when we purchased our home many years ago, my requirement for the 2 door garage.... I wanted one bay for my car! Yes my car, in the garage where it's meant to be. What a new concept that was but a few years later and I don't know why:) but both of our cars are in the garage!

I'm not going to lie, I voted for attached because I'm lazy ;) Both look nice but one is definitely more convenient than the other! (less walking lol)

We had a detached garage at our previous home. We never put the car in it as it was easier and closer to park in the driveway. I liked it for storage but I think I would prefer an attached garage for the car. Actually I would like to have one of each!

For those who like the convenience of an attached garage but dislike the 'focal point' appearance of attached garages in the front of the house, why not consider a side loading attached garage?

Attached garage on the side of the house rather than on the front. This way, you get the convenience of an attached garage without it taking away from the look of your home!

I could live with either, but my husband insists on an attached garage.

attached! rear entry seems to be standard where we have lived and I don't like it. It is dangerous for kids and getting blocked in your drive way not to mention more privacy for burglars. yes they look nicer but not as convenient. best would be a front entry attached to the side but set back on the lot.

Attached ONLY if it's side or rear face garage. Garageface is hideous. No matter how may faux carriage accessories you slap on those things, it's still just a giant garage.

I have a strong preference for a detached garage. Garage doors boldly facing the street are kind of like having your underwear show when you are all dressed up.. A garage is a utility feature and should be tucked away from the public part of the house.

However if I lived in a climate with severe weather, I might consider an attached garage for the practical reasons listed by others who posted here. I would want it to be on the side and recessed from the front of the house to show that it is not the important part of the house. A security door between the house and the garage is also a good idea.

I would go with whichever option is the most user friendly for the homeowner.

Attached, for snowy and rainy weather I can't imagine anything else. The idea of it being hidden behind or side entry is appealing aesthetically, but not practical space wise in the area in which I live. Would need a much larger lot and/or much longer driveway (more to clear snow from, boo) to make this work for most houses where I live (including mine).

We live in a 1915 house and when we bought it, it was always our plan to build a new garage, and later to add on to the house, connecting the 2.

We needed the garage much more than the addition. I remember as my husband was measuring for the garage, I kept telling him to 'move it back. move it back!'

We added on in 1990, and I have never regretted having an attached garage.

I hate it when half of the front of a house is garage. I much prefer a detached garage.

I would love to have a detached garage accessible from the house by a breezeway.

Both for sure.

What's a garage? Or a driveway? Just kidding. For the past 19 years we've lived without a garage of any type. We have a lane way & many people put a detached garage in the backyard. We chose to have a backyard & built an oversized shed to house the 15' canoe. We now want to convert it to a heated shop or build an oversized single car garage. I'd take a detached one because mice will use the garage as an easy entrance. I'd like attached for those -20+C days in January & the June downpours. Hot days I welcome getting blasted when I walk outside, it's the payoff after winter.

One isn't better than the other but for our house which is 100 years old, a detached garage is more suitable.

Detached, but...connected by a breezeway.

Detached, but...connected by a breezeway.

templeofm- I agree. If there's room on the property, detached with a covered breezeway is my absolute favorite.

Attached one for me.. It's more accessible than the unattached one.

Glad to have our attached garage with all the rain we've been having here in Southern CA.