What do you use your garage for? Integrated or detached?

[ChocoTrio]

Just that. Looking for ideas! List so far is: home gym or storage unit!

Do you prefer the garage integrated or separate from the house? It seems like it’s more useful when it’s integrated or maybe I’m thinking the grass is greener on the other side?!

We have a separate double garage. We, get this, store one of our cars in it, I know, we're crazy

But seriously, we moved to this house because of it. It's my husband's space, it has a work bench, tools, place to tinker with cars etc. We store in the eaves using a loft ladder (only Xmas decs and garden toys not currently in use, not anything we don't have use for! Refuse to be one hoarders) bikes will be put on walls. We have an additional dryer and freezer in there too.

I hate garage conversions with a passion, they are usually ugly, long thin rooms with limited use and frustrated us when we found a house we otherwise liked but now without a garage and an annoying shaped room in its place.

Yeah there are pros and cons to both an integrated garage and detached from the house. The positive in both cases is that you have a garage!

If the garage is integrated imo its usually builders accounting for a small plot; it means less ground floor space in the actual house. So, builders can demand more money for a 4 bedroom house (upstairs), when really it is a 3 bedroom house with an integrated garage downstairs to make way for the 4th room upstairs. For some people that's out of proportion for what a household requiring 4 bedrooms need for downstairs living; rooms above garages can be colder too apparently.

Integrated garages do seem to be more convenient, useful and offers extra square footage for a potential extension in the future (without having to take up precious garden space which is already in short supply in new build homes like mine!).

We chose the house first and foremost; ground floor space and upstairs space. The detached garage was a bonus as extra square metres to what we required for regular home living. It's just nice having that space and being open to options for its usage.

So adding to the list the detached garage can be quite multi functional. It helps save garden space as won't need to build a shed to store gardening tools. There's electrics in there so a chest freezer could be useful. Great for storage. It is big enough for a home gym section too. It's a good idea to use a detached garage as a workshop space away from the actual house.

You can usually store in the eaves of a detached garage.

@movingagain20

It is useful because were advised not to store in new build lofts as it impacts the insulation of the house etc. It's part of the reason new build homes are typically not suitable for loft conversions apparently...

Yes ours is a new build, we don't intend to store in the loft but DH is planning on boarding out the garage, I'm just a bit nervous about things getting damp? Christmas decs and suitcases are the main things I'm wanting to store but would they get mouldy?

Love having a garage but it’s very easy to fill with crap. We’ve split ours into two, in one half we have our tumble dryer, an extra fridge freezer (filled with booze ) all the garden stuff, lawnmower/ sun loungers etc. A work bench and tools. A shoe rack for wellies and muddy trainers.

The second half is a gym, we have large Perspex mirrors on the wall, rubber floor, a shelf full of weights, a cross trainer and a pull up station/ barbell wrack thing.

Garage conversion here, done many years ago so that the children could have a room each. It became a teenage pad (bedroom plus sink), and the rear part was made into a utility room as my kitchen is very small. It was popular as a bedroom but quite cool as although insulated it isn't as warm as the main house. I think this is partly due to having spotlights inset in the ceiling which limited the insulation. I top up the heating with a fan heater if necessary - it heats up very quickly. The room is accessed from my hallway.

Since the children have moved out it is now a guest room/art studio. I have a quality sofa bed used for visitors but most of the time it is my studio. It is perfect for this due to the sink and north light. It's great that I can leave my work out half finished and make a mess without it encroaching on the rest of the house.

The only downside is my utility room is outside, so I have to access it through the rear garden which has it's downside in the winter. I have washer and dryer in there plus tools, paint pots, etc. I didn't really use the garage apart from storage, which is now in the shed and utility room.

I have a drive for parking so I didn't lose any space when the conversion was done.

I'm in Australia with a detached garage. It's all storage as it's at the end of a very long narrow drive that's become a garden. The garage is humungous, and is a shed as well as having a work bench and inspection pit. I struggle to imagine what anyone would be willing to reverse down a long drive to get inspected. It stores camping and gardening stuff, logs for the fire, the beer fridge, bikes, painting gear, etc.
All newer Aussie house have the garage up front which is convenient but hardly a feature: they all look ugly as.