All Topics  
Garage apartment

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Garage apartment
 
 
  Topics Garage apartment Topic Home

A garage apartment is an apartment built within the walls of, or on top of, the garage of a house. The garage may be attached or a separate building from the main house, but will have a separate entrance and may or may not have a communicating door to the main house. A garage apartment is one type of "Accessory Dwelling Unit" or ADU, a term used by architects, urban planners and in zoning ordinance to identify apartments smaller than the main dwelling on one lot or parcel of land.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Garage apartment'
Start a new discussion about 'Garage apartment'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


A garage apartment is an apartment built within the walls of, or on top of, the garage of a house. The garage may be attached or a separate building from the main house, but will have a separate entrance and may or may not have a communicating door to the main house. A garage apartment is one type of "Accessory Dwelling Unit" or ADU, a term used by architects, urban planners and in zoning ordinance to identify apartments smaller than the main dwelling on one lot or parcel of land. Other examples of ADU's include granny flats, English basements, mother-in-law suites, and auxiliary units.

In the U.S., garage apartments are frequently found in older urban areas, either in secondary buildings designed for such purposes (sometimes called 'guest' or 'carriage' houses), or converted into residential units from their original use. ADUs may be regulated by size, occupancy, lot size, core features (such as kitchens or bathrooms), other building codes and parking allotment.

Many jurisdictions in the U.S. prohibit new construction of or occupancy of ADUs except for relatives. Some examples of cities that permit ADU's, including garage apartments, may be found at http://www.huduser.org/rbc/newsletter/Volume3Iss1Print.html.

The idea of integrating garage apartments into urban planning is a key aspect of New urbanism
New urbanism

New Urbanism is an urban design movement that arose in the United States in the early 1980s. Its goal is to reform many aspects of real estate development and urban planning, from urban retrofits to suburban infill....
.

In Canada, they can also be referred to as coachhouses.