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Detached Garage Ideas

author John Mazzuca headshot 2.0

By John Mazzuca | About | More Posts |

John Mazzuca is a custom home builder with over 25 years experience in the construction industry. John has designed, managed, and built hundreds of homes & construction projects.

Sometimes you just need more room. Renting a storage space can help, but it’s expensive and a pain to drive there every time you want to use it. That’s when a detached garage can be a great addition. In this article we’ll go over some of our best detached garage ideas and designs.

If you need more space and you’ve got the right sized property, a Detached Garage may be the answer. And they can be a lot more than just an oversized storage shed. We build them in all sorts of designs which include home gyms, workshops, offices, pool houses, and even living space with full 2nd floor apartments. Since a detached garage is it’s own standalone structure you don’t have as many restrictions as you do when the garage is attached. And they come in a variety of sizes.

While most garages are attached to the house, a detached garage design offers a few unique benefits. More and more homeowners each year are opting for the advantages of a separate garage over one that’s attached to the house. Ahead you’ll find out why.

In this article we’ll go over the benefits of owning a detached garage, their styles, prices, designs, pros vs. cons and an FAQ.

Detached Garage Ideas & Design Options

The best detached garage designs open up all sorts of creative options that aren’t available with a conventional garage. Especially when your dealing with a small or oddly shaped lot. There are a few keys pros and cons with a detached garage design.

Cons:

  • Having a garage attached to the home boxes you in when designing since your stuck having to match the garages style to the house it’s connected to.
  • A traditional garage can detract from your curb appeal.
  • With a 3 or 4 car garage the home can look very long or oddly shaped.

Pros:

  • Detaching the garage let’s you design it differently than the home since it’s a standalone building. You can take risks and be bolder. This is harder to do if it’s attached.
  • Attached garages can dominate the home’s facade which highly effects curb appeal. When it’s detached you can hide the garage in the back where it hardly seen from the curb.
  • You have more freedom to position the garage wherever you want it on the lot since it’s not attached to the house. Set it at an angle, bring it close to the curb or hide it in the backyard. You won’t have these options if you connect it to the house.
  • Design the garage to look like a little house or cottage all its own. It’s a great option if the garage has an apartment.

You’ll also gain the benefit of the space between the home and the detached garage. This pathway can be covered or left open. Maybe you’d like a breezeway or a blue stone patio. It can be beautifully landscaped, lit up at night, covered with a trellis or decorated with hardscaping.

A myriad of design options open up when you choose to detach the garage.

2 car detached garage with apartment living space real stone with cedar shake and real wood doors

Detached 2 car garage with real stone veneer, cedar shake siding and timberline roofing. 2nd Floor apartment with dormers. Real wood doors. Azek. Architectural details. This is a beautiful detached garage design that perfectly compliments the main home and hardscaping.

Detached Garages Are Easier & Cheaper To Build

As the name implies, a detached garage isn’t attached to the home. They’re standalone structures completely freestanding. Because of this design they’re are a few key advantages that make detached garages easier and cheaper to build.

  • Adding on a detached garage is easier than building an attached one because we don’t have to demo into the existing home.
  • No worrying about tying the new foundation into the existing or dealing with electrical, plumbing, insulation or roof line issues.
  • We don’t have issues matching siding, paint or masonry veneer.
  • A detached garage is it’s own structure, completely independent of the main home, so we can do whatever we want without worrying about existing issues.
  • By eliminating the demo and connective issues you save valuable time and money.

When building a free standing structure you’ve got far less potential problem areas to worry about. Since you don’t have to consider another structure, you’re free to design the garage however you want. You can angle the garage however you want and not worry about how it looks attached to the home or how it’s connected.

A detached garage causes fewer headaches during the building process which saves time and money.

Detached Garages Have Multiple Uses

Adding a detached garage opens up option an attached garage may not give you.

  • Make your garage into a workshop without worrying about your family complaining about all the noise and dust.
  • How about a detached home office to give yourself a dedicated and quiet workspace.
  • Maybe you’d like a to add a 2nd floor living area which may not look great when attached to the main home or create privacy issues.
  • Some clients here at the beach turn the side of their detached garage into an outdoor shower, grill area, or pool house.
  • They make a great home gym.

If your thinking of detached garage ideas and can’t make up your mind consider going multi purpose. Garages are great for that sort of thing and you’ll get more value for your money.

A Bigger Detached Garage Is Generally Better

Poor planning is the most common reason for dissatisfaction when building just about anything. Whether it be a custom new home, addition, deck, patio or a detached garage, poor planning will hurt your construction project. There are a few common issues that make up the root of the problem.

  • The inability of most people to visualize the finished space is a huge issue. This is where research and looking at lots of detached garage pictures and designs can help.
  • People don’t realize how much room they actually need. It’s hard to visualize how a room will feel once it’s done and filled with stuff. If you have the space, and the budget, building a little bigger is generally better.
  • Since a detached garage is a standalone structure you don’t necessarily have to match the home exactly in terms of size or style. It’s hard for some customers to be creative.

You’re lucky if you have the land, the budget, and a nice area to build on. Here are a few things you should consider during the planning phase which will make your finished build that much better.

  • Make a list of all the things you plan to put in the garage. Include enough storage for all your stuff plus another 25-50%. You’ll be glad you have the extra space. We’ve never had a single client complaint about they’re garage being too big.
  • What would you like to use the detached garage for? Is it just storage or would you like a work area, an office, gym, bathroom, kitchen or more living space.
  • Do you have a home business that a detached garage could help you with.

Think about not only what goes in it but also it’s primary use. I’m not just talking about all your landscape tools, mowers, snow blowers, motorcycles, and cars. Will you be using the garage as a work space? For storage of bigger things you can’t fit in the attic or basement?

Consider everything you want to cram into the garage and what you want to use it for, and then go bigger.

Detached Garage Designs Have An Extra Exterior Wall

When you build a detached garage you gain more wall space than with other garage designs. An attached garage has at least one common that connects the home with the garage. A detached garage is a freestanding structure so both the garage and home have some additional wall space. There are some advantages that come along with this design.

  • Since a common garage wall is an inside wall you can’t have windows. By eliminating the common wall you can add more windows and doors to both the garage and home.
  • You also gain another exterior wall. This can be a huge benefit depending on where the garage would have attached to the house.
  • It’s very hard to have a wraparound porch when you have a garage attached to the house. However with a detached garage this sought after home design becomes possible.

Not having any common interior walls opens up all sorts of design possibilities like adding a deck or porch which isn’t possible with an attached garage. Many detached garages double as living space or even a pool house. Some include a home gym, office or a great place for pets you don’t want in the house.

There are so many design options available to detached garages that don’t make as much sense with an attached one.

best detached garage ideas custom NJ home with a detached garage - Gambrick

2 Car detached garage design. Gray siding with dark brown stained wood doors. Wraparound porch. You couldn’t have this home design if the garage was attached to the house.

Detached Garage Design FAQ

Being in the building business we’re constantly asked questions about detached garage designs. Are they worth it? What are the pros and cons? How much do they cost? How big should they be? Below we’ll answer some of the most common.

How Wide Should Garage Doors Be With A Detached Garage?

It makes no difference if you’ve got a traditional attached garage or a detached one. The garage doors are exactly the same.

Garage door openings should be at least 9 feet wide and 8 feet tall. If you plan to have a full size pickup truck or large SUV, you’ll like having at least one door 10 feet wide. This allows you to comfortably pull the truck in and out without folding back the large side mirrors.

Be sure to have at least a 3 foot space between two side by side garage doors. This allows you to open most car and truck doors fully without any fear of dinging a vehicle parked in the other garage bay.

How High Should The Ceilings Be In A Detached Garage?

The ceiling height in a detached garage should be given serious thought. In general, garage ceilings are higher than standard ceilings, averaging around 10 – 12 feet in most of the homes we build. This has a lot to do with fumes, air flow and volume inside the room.

This question goes back to proper planning being the most important factor when building a new garage.

What will you be doing in the garage? Will you have a loft, dormers or other living space above? Will you be storing tall equipment or ladders, multi level car storage racks or a lift to work on your car or truck? Do you have any trucks and if so how high are they? We’ve built detached garages that can house a bud or motor home and they need some seriously tall ceilings

Like with square footage, plan for what you’ll use the garage for and then go a little bigger.

Should I Install A Floor Drain In My Detached Garage?

Installing a floor drain in your detached garage slab is a great idea. Melting snow and ice or water dripping from cars coming in from the rain will collect in the drain rather than rest on the concrete or run off towards the walls or garage door. Spills will have a place to drain which makes keeping the concrete floors clean so much easier.

Garage floor drains are less common than they used to be and eliminating them from home designs is a big mistake in our opinion. That’s why we include them in just about every new home we build.

How Much Electric Will I Need?

Don’t skimp on the electric you send to your new garage. We put in no less than 240 volts and 100 amps. This gives you plenty of power if your using power tools, a second refrigerator, freezer or charging an electric car.

If you have a garage apartment then you’ll have to do some thorough calculations to figure out how much power you’ll need. An electrician or your electric company can help with this. Bigger items like appliances or an HVAC system can draw quite a lot of power.

Even if you don’t plan on using much electric it’s always good to have more than you need. Especially if you plan on selling the home some day.

Should I Heat Or Cool The Garage?

Heat and AC is are nice additions you should add if you plan on using the garage for any type of work in the winter or summer months.

A mini split wall system is perfect for a detached garage and offers both heat and AC. Don’t forget to install wall, ceiling and rigid foam insulation under the slab should you decide to heat and cool the garage.

If you plan on adding a loft or apartment above the garage a mini split works perfectly there as well. Each mini split system creates it’s own heat and AC zone which can be independently controlled whenever you need it.

Ceiling fans are also a good idea as is an exhaust fan if you work in the garage.

Should I Insulate My Detached Garage?

Should I insulate my detached garage is another common question we’re asked whenever we design and build one.

Insulation helps not only keep a space warm in winter but also cool in the summertime. Even if you only use your detached garage to park the car, it’s still nice when the garage isn’t freezing color or crazy hot.

Even if you don’t heat and cool the garage, insulation still helps control the temperature a bit. And it’s not that expensive to add. If your dry walling the garage we recommend insulating because once the drywall’s hung you lose the option.

Should I Drywall My Detached Garage?

If your using your garage for anything other than a storage shed, we’d say yes.

You don’t have to sand and paint to the same level as the home, but we recommend at least a skim coat of spackle. A skim coat seals all the gaps, nail holes and cracks.

Drywall has a small amount of insulation that helps a little bit, provides some sound deadening, acts as a slight fire wall and looks a lot nicer than exposed studs. We recommend also adding some insulation in the walls and if you’ve got any storage space above or a loft, add a double layer of 5/8″ drywall to the ceilings for additional fire protection.

Another benefit of drywall is that it lets you hang pictures wherever you want. I have stuff hanging all over my garage walls. Some simple anchors in the 5/8″ drywall are more than enough. Otherwise your limited to hanging from the studs.

Does My Detached Garage Have To Match My House?

Does my detached garage have to match my house is probably the most common question we’re asked by clients. And the answer is no.

One of the great benefits of building a detached garage over an attached one is that it’s a completely separate structure on the property. That gives you the freedom to stray from the design of the main house. While it’s common to match styles there’s no rule that says you have to and it’s worth mentioning that the nicest detached garages we’ve seen had styles very different from the house.

We’ve designed some fantastic detached garages that were very unique. Although having said that, we generally try and stay close to the overall style of the home.

For example, if we’re building a detached garage for an ultra modern home, we wouldn’t make it look Colonial or Victorian. We’d stay modern but play with some of the designs to make it unique.

It doesn’t have to me an exact match to the house but it should feel connected by a common overall design.

Does A Detached Garage Add Value?

Does a detached garage add value? It’s a great question if you plan on building one because you don’t want to spend money on something that won’t be worth it. And a detached garage definitely is. And yes, detached garages do add home value.

However there are a few guidelines you should consider.

  • If you don’t have a garage then building a new detached garage will add the most value. Just about everyone can appreciate more storage space and a place to park the car.
  • If you already have a garage then adding another one won’t add as much value. Buyers may not need that much space.
  • Don’t overdo it. Design your detached garage to match the value of your home and neighborhood.
  • Bigger is generally better but not too big. If you have a 1200 sq. ft. home than a 4 car detached garage would be too much in terms of value.
  • Detached garage apartments add the most value. Living space is valued much differently than garage space.
  • Additional uses also add more value than just more storage. A home gym, office, workshop or pool house will add more home value than a shed.

Your property value will increase once you build a detached garage. However the amount of added value has to be considered against the cost of construction and long term expenses. Design your detached garage correctly and you’ll see a nice increase in your home’s resale value.

detached garage ideas grey siding with red brick

Detached garage ideas. Gray cedar shake siding with red brick and white doors.

Detached Garage Ideas

Below are some of out favorite detached garage ideas, designs and pictures. Hopefully one of them will be a good fit for your home.

gray and white 3 car garage with overhead hay bale doors

Gray And White 3 Car Detached Garage

This 3 car gray and white detached garage used to be an old barn as you can see from the hay doors above. It’s been converted to a 3 car garage with living space above big enough for a bedroom, office or just a great spot to hang out. I love the pale blue gray siding with white trim. The color scheme gives off a cute country cottage vibe. The detailing on the garage and matching hay bale doors flow beautifully with the overall design and colors.

The two small dormers are really nice touches too. The add a lot of detail and let in a good amount of natural light.

3 Car detached garage with a transitional style. vertical siding with exposed wood.

Transitional White Detached Garage Design

I love transitional home styles and this detached garage is a beautiful example. The vertical white siding, black framed windows and exposed real wood are all fantastic features. 3 Full garage bays provide tons of room inside to store everything you need and there’s a full floor above with lots of living space. There’s actually a full size tiny house / apartment up there which can be finished as nice as any large home.

The brick foundation has been painted white to coordinate with the homes overall white and black color scheme.

If you want a transitional style detached garage consider adding a real wood element like what you see above. It adds some color and warmth to the design but still fits because it’s a natural finish.

ultra modern black detached garage with large double door and 2nd floor living space

Ultra Modern Black Detached Garage

I just love modern home design. This ultra modern all black detached garage look fantastic. It features black vertical siding, a modern double wide frosted glass garage door and black frame windows. The roofing shingles are a dark black which looks great against the softer black siding. Modern lantern style lighting caps off the design.

As you can see from the shed the black frame window design was carried throughout the property. The main house is actually white with a transitional look while this sun room you see to the left is all black. This entire property focuses heavily on the black and white house design like no other I’ve seen.

A modern aesthetic is definitely one of my favorite detached garage ideas. Since the garage is separate from the home you have more freedom with the design.

detached garage with breezeway dark siding with metal roof real stone

Dark Detached 2 Car Garage With Breezeway

Large detached garage with apartment above and breezeway. Dark color palette with real stone veneer. Vinyl cedar shake impression siding. Black metal roof with asphalt shingles. Real wood posts, shutters and trim details stained dark brown. Black trim and hardware.

Many clients stay away from dark color schemes but when they’re done well it’s a beautiful look that fits in well with the natural surroundings.

single car detached garage with cedar shake siding and white azek trim

One Car Detached Garage Ideas

You need a safe space to park a vehicle, a place to work in or some additional storage. A single car detached garage may be just what you need. One Car Garages can be designed, built and ready to use in around 1-2 months and cost 1/2 the price of a 2 car. They can be finished just as nicely as the larger 2 car and up versions with the exact same options. Great detached garage ideas don’t always have to be grand plans or huge structures. A simple, small one car garage can sometimes be more than enough.

The example shown above fits the home perfectly, providing some much needed extra storage for outdoor equipment or a great spot to park your car.

2 car detached garage design with breezeway. gray siding with black garage doors. black framed windows.

2 Car Detached Garage Design With Apartment & Breezeway

Two car detached garage design with breezeway. Gray cedar shake siding with white trim and beautiful arched black vinyl garage doors. Black entry door. Black shingled roof with black framed windows.

With a detached garage you don’t necessarily have to match the design exactly to the exterior finish of the home. Since the detached garage is a stand alone building you have some freedom to vary the style a bit. However once you connect the garage to the house with a breezeway it becomes harder to do something different from the main home’s style. As you can see from the above photo carrying the look of the home through the breezeway and onto the detached garage can have a beautiful result even with a fairly simple design.

cute 2 car detached garage. white paint with a white wooden arbor with ivy.

Cute Detached 2 Car Garage With Arbor And Ivy

Many older homes have a detached garage. They used to be a lot more common and it’s a shame to see newer homes move away from the design. A simple, small 2 car detached garage in the backyard looks great and provides a bunch of practical benefits.

This simple design features all white paint, wood doors with glass and a charming wooden arbor with ivy. The arbor provides enough shade to create a little seating area for 2 with a simple round wooden table. It’s a cute design that you wouldn’t see if the garage was attached to the house.

4 car detached garage design with dormers. Gray siding with cedar shake accents. Gray garage doors. Gray stone veneer.

4 Car Detached Garage Design With Loft

Sometimes it’s a good idea to match the detached garage’s style to the main house even if they’re not connected by a breezeway and in some cases aren’t even next to the house.

This beautifully designed garage features gray cedar shake siding with real wood cedar accents. Gray trim with gray garage doors. Gray real stone veneer with thick grout.

4 Car garages are very wide and 4 single doors can look awkward. It’s a good idea to consider 2 large doors which helps the garage feel balanced. The wide dormers above each garage door are a great way to break up what would otherwise be a huge boring roof.

backyard 2 car detached garage design tan siding with white doors. brick veneer.

Backyard 2 Car Detached Garage Design

Here at the Jersey Shore lots tend to be narrow as you get closer to the beach. It’s very common to see a detached garage in the backyard even in towns like Spring Lake where new homes can sell for over 10 million dollars. Some clients just prefer having the garage detached because they don’t like the look and want to hide it in the back. Some like how detaching the garage makes it a stand alone structure so they can design it differently from the home. And other like using it as a pool house or living space for guests.

Whatever your reason for wanting a detached garage you should know that with a little thought and effort it’s design can be as beautiful as the main house.

One of the disadvantages to having a backyard detached garage is that if you use it in the rain or snow you still have to walk through the elements to get into the house. Most of our clients don’t actually park their everyday car in the garage anyway so it’s generally not an issue.

stunning two car detached garage ideas white siding with black garage doors and stone veneer

Transitional Two Car Detached Garage Design

When you want a Detached Garage that holds two cars and enough space for storage, a work area, or possibly even living space. The options are almost unlimited when you go big. Detached garages can be styled to match the main home or something entirely different. In the example shown above this beautiful detached garage perfectly matched the design aesthetic of the main house while providing ample storage, space for 2 cars and a hang out room above.

3 car detached garage designs with living space

Three Car Detached Garage Design With Apartment

This lovely home in Connecticut has a fantastic 3 car detached garage with 2nd floor living space. On the outside, it looks like a standard three car garage design with some beautiful finishes. But the spacious interior has a car elevator which leads to a subterranean parking space in the basement. The 2nd floor of this luxury detached garage design is living space complete with wet bar, TV lounge and full bathroom. The basement level has a wine cellar with access to a car elevator.

Exterior finishes includes natural materials such as stone flooring, reclaimed chestnut and pine lumber for the interior walls, cedar shingles and stone veneer. Connecting the house and detached garage is a patio area with arbor with landscaping.

This detached garage design features a natural, earthy color palette that compliments the home but doesn’t mimic it. They stand apart but go together beautifully. Keep that in mind when you design your detached garage’s facade. Since it’s not connected to the home you’ll have more freedom with your design. Remember that they’re two separate structures so they don’t necessarily have to match. Although they should still compliment each other and be close in style.

detached garage design one car attached to the house with a breezeway

One Car Detached Garage With Breezeway

This one car detached garage design with breezeway is great if you live in a cold climate. When it snows out it’s nice to have some cover when you want to get into the garage. It’s a very basic detached garage design that matches the style of the home but won’t cost a fortune to build. A lot of the garage ideas we’ve shown here are pretty elaborate with lots of architectural detail, but sometime you just need some place to park or some additional storage without all the expensive bells and whistles.

detached garage ideas with living space above

2 Car Detached Garage Design With Apartment & Breezeway

This 2 car detached garage design features living space above and breezeway. Because it’s attached to the main home via the breezeway your limited in terms of exterior finish options. Generally you’ll want to match the home the garage is attached too as you see here. Siding, roofing, trim and door materials all perfectly match one another which produces a harmonious design. As you can see they added a lot of interest through the use of siding patterns. Vertical, horizontal and flat areas are all used along with some detail trim, shutters and stone veneer. The color palette is earthy with great use of natural materials.

The spacious 2nd floor living space is complete with full bathroom and bedroom. With the use of dormers and a high ceiling pitch you can get a lot of great space above a detached garage which is generally just wasted space.

detached garage design ideas - a garage outdoor entertainment hub

Detached Garage Pool House

A detached garage can make the perfect outdoor entertainment hub. One of our favorite detached garage ideas involves incorporating it into a much larger plan. Providing plenty of storage for pool stuff or other fun outdoor equipment is a great use of the space. Include a bathroom so wet feet don’t have to walk through the main house and a place to change in and out of wet clothing. Some add pergolas, trellis, grill areas or even a full outdoor kitchen.

detached garage ideas - a detached garage pool house

Detached Garage Ideas: A Pool House With Apartment

Detached garages work great when turned into a pool house. Just add a door by the pool, a bathroom and some dedicated storage space for pool stuff. An outdoor shower is always a nice tough and bulky pool equipment can easily be tucked away behind or along side the garage. The best detached garage ideas tend to compliment your lifestyle and how you use your home. It’s really the perfect flex room. The best plan is to tailor the garage to fit your needs.

detached garage living space with patio and furniture

Detached Garage Designs With Living Space

A detached garage is the perfect way to add some additional living space for just hanging out. This has been one of the most popular detached garage ideas clients choose for a reason. If you want a quiet place to spend time and relax in away from the noise and commotion of the house without being too far away then building a room into your detached garage may be the perfect solution. The example shown above is a small hang out room with patio built into the right bay of the garage. 12′ x 25′ is more than enough space to do just about whatever you want with. Include a bathroom and small refrigerator so you’ll have everything you need.

red brick detached garage craftsmen style with cream colored siding

Red Brick And Vinyl Siding Detached Garage Ideas With Loft

Red Brick is a classic, sophisticated look that works great on a Craftsmen style home. The example shown above is a craftsmen style detached garage with cream colored fiber cement siding. Matching cream columns, doors, windows, trim and gutters. A very red brick is carried from the garage to the main house with low lying retaining walls lit by black wall wash sconces.

Dark brown metal accent roofing paired with a dark architectural series roofing shingle.

beautiful 2 car detached garage

Detached Garages Provide Extra Storage

Maybe you don’t need any extra living space, an outdoor entertainment hub or a pool house. When looking for detached garage ideas keep in mind that a two car garage can simply be a really nice place to park your cars in or somewhere to store your stuff. Renting a storage space can be expensive. Building a detached garage for additional storage and parking space can be cheaper than renting every month.

A simple garage like the one shown above is much cheaper to build than one with living space or expensive architectural details. It’s basically 4 walls and a roof. The inside is finished with sheet rock. Electric is the only option we’d spring for so you can hook up a garage door opener, have lights and some outlets for whatever you need.

Detached garage with an apartment and balcony

Detached Garage With An Apartment Design

A Detached garage with an apartment or any type of second floor living space is a great addition to just about any home. Perfect if you have guests over, someone staying with you for an extended period of time or if you just want more space away from the main house.

The example shown above is a 3 car garage where one of the bays is converted to living space. On the 2nd floor you have a large dormer which opens up the space allowing for a nice size studio apartment with cathedral ceilings and a full bathroom. The balconies make the apartment feel much larger.

Detached garage designs like these come with full plumbing and electrical connections just like the main home. They’re fully insulated with both heat and A.C. In every way these types of garages are the same as any home except they’re built above a garage.

Skylights are a great way to let in natural light. Because detached garages with living space generally don’t have a lot of windows due to the roof line any place you can add a window is a good idea.

gray cedar shake siding detached attached garage with breezeway

Detached Garage Design With Breezeway & Apartment

A detached garage which is attached to the main house with a breezeway or mud room is perfect if the detached garage is close to the house. It’s detached, because the garage structure is independent from the main home’s foundation and is separated by the breezeway or mud room.

Above we see a mudroom with it’s own entrance. This room also have a lockable door to the backyard, the garage and house. The room basically acts as a hub with accesses all 4 sides of the home.

This garage has a 2nd floor studio apartment built in with full bathroom. The detached attached garage is one of our favorite garage designs because of how versatile it can be.

cute detached garage ideas one car garage with dormers red brick and white siding

Cute Detached Garage Design

Simplicity is key. The garage door perfectly accentuates this detached garages cute design. A small one car garage can make a big impact when properly styled. The black metal fence paired with the architectural details on the garage all add to the overall style.

This is one of the simplest detached garage options out there and it does look amazing, which is exactly what you need in the end.

detached garage idea with 2nd floor apartment

Detached Garage With Studio Apartment

Detached garage plans designed to include living space are called Garage Apartment plans. Typically, the garage portion offers parking for one or more vehicles on the main floor with living quarters above the garage. The living space is often designed for efficient, practical living offering modest accommodations, also known as a studio apartment. In most cases, the floor plan features an open floor plan combining the kitchen, dining area, sleeping area and main gathering space with a separate bathroom.

A variety or architectural styles, such as Traditional, Craftsman. Modern or European, mixed with various roof lines and door combinations give each garage apartment its own special look.

detached garage design with apartment and breezeway

Detached Garage With Breezeway And Apartment

Custom garage designs give you plenty of options for expanding if you need more room but don’t want to go through the hassle of building a large addition. Simple yet stylish detached garages can provide parking for several cars, room for RVs and boats, and dedicated workshops, and finished interior spaces.

Lofts for bonus rooms to full two-bedroom apartments, detached garage designs can have much more to offer than you might think. Garages with offices and conference areas for people who work from home, but who have a hard time concentrating when the kids return from school. A garage finished the right way can accommodate just about any need the main home doesn’t provide. 

Detached garages provide the freedom to enhance your property in any number of ways. They can be a guest house, a gym, workshop, or a source of income if you decide to rent, and as always, they come in a number of styles to suit your design preference.

Breezeways are especially nice because they provide a way to get to and from the garage without going outside, while allowing the garage to still remain detached from the main home.

Detached Garage Pictures

Summary: Detached Garage Ideas & Designs

Detached garages have some big advantages over more traditional garage designs that are attached to the house. They’re easier and cheaper to build which saves time and money. They’re great for multi purpose use when you include space for things like a home office, work shop, gym, studio, pool house or even additional living space. Second floor apartments are much more common on a detached garage than an attached one. They increase curb appeal and work much better if you have an odd shaped or small lot. With so many benefits to building a detached garage in our opinion they’re definitely worth the money.

I hope the info, ideas and pictures in this article helps you with your next detached garage design.

If you have any questions or comments email or leave a comment down below.

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John Mazzuca | About | More Posts |

Custom Home Builder

John Mazzuca is a custom home designer and builder at Gambrick with over 25 years experience in the construction industry. John has designed, built and/or remodeled hundreds of homes, small buildings, and commercial projects. He writes about business, real estate, home building, and household electronics. His work has been featured in Fox Business, Better Homes & Garden, House Beautiful, and more.

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