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Real Estate Tips

Garage or Carport: Which Do You Want for Your New Home?

Posted on Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Is it worthwhile to add a garage to your house or buy a house with a garage?

When you are buying a house, it is a question that is easy to forget. Where are you going to park your car? Protecting your car from wind, ice, and snow is important, since aside from your house, your car is probably your most expensive possession. As you purchase a new home, make sure that your new home can take care of your vehicle with a garage or carport. Which one should you choose?

Should You Choose a Garage?

The garage is attached to the home, and adding one is like adding an additional bedroom for your car. It is a major home renovation, but it comes with some major pros as well.

Protection: When it comes to protection, the garage is a part of your house and it can be locked away from others. In general, it offers more protection than a carport. However, if your garage is open or easy to unlock, this sense of protection could be a false one. Additionally, some people find that their garage is just another space in their home that collects clutter. Depending on whether you tend to accumulate clutter, your garage could become a home for that clutter rather than protection for your vehicle.

Finances: Adding a garage could cost you as much as $50,000. If you value your vehicle and feel that a garage will add to your property, you may decide a garage is worth the expense. If you have the opportunity to buy a home that already has a garage, then this is the better financial option. Be aware, however, that it is likely the garage has added to the purchase price.

Complexity: Adding onto your house is inherently rather complex. You need to be willing to take on a significant home renovation if you add a garage to your house. Also, the location of the garage is likely fixed. You can decide what side of the house it will go on, but ultimately, it will need to be attached to your house. Buying a house with a garage is the easier option.

A carport does not attract clutter, but it provides less protection for your vehicle.

Should You Choose a Carport?

Is a freestanding carport better than a garage that is attached to your home? This question is really situational. You need to decide whether a carport is best for your finances, your need for vehicle protection, and for your home.

Protection: A carport offers protection from weather that comes from above. However, if you often have severe winds and driving rain and snow, the carport is still exposed to the elements on the sides. It is also less theft-proof than a garage. While you can tuck your car into the garage and close the garage door, there is no door on the carport.

Finances: Is a carport less expensive than a garage? Since it is a freestanding structure that does not require an addition to your house, it can be less expensive. Note that carports are less expensive than a garage, but they also do not add as much to your final home value.

Complexity: Since the carport does not involve a home renovation, you can locate it wherever you would like on your property. If you want to build a new space in your front yard or backyard for the carport, you can do that. You do not need to undertake a major home renovation.

At Open for Homes, we are here to help you wrestle with all of the questions about buying a house. Whether your questions are big or small, we want to help you find the answers so that you can make the best decision for your family. Visit the blog at Open For Homes to get more information about buying and selling your home.