House with a garage - relevant, practical, convenient
The rhythm of modern life is already hard to imagine without personal cars. Therefore, most owners of private houses either attach a garage to an existing dwelling or plan the location of a car room at the project stage. If you are one of these future owners of private households and are considering the pros and cons of locating the garage as a separate building, in conjunction with the main room or inside the house, then this publication is for you. At the stage of planning the construction of a private house, it is important to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of the location of the garage in relation to the main structure. After all, there may not be a second opportunity, or its implementation will result in considerable financial losses.
Of course, every owner of a car (possibly not one) believes that he knows how to better organize a room for his transport, but there are always questions about the budget, ease of subsequent use, time and effort spent on the project. Let's try to understand the pros and cons of possible options for organizing a car room in a private home.
Garage as a separate room
It often happens that a home ownership has already been built and even the owners have settled down, and only then a decision is made to build a garage. In this case, it is logical that the building for the car will be located separately (subject to the availability of a free plot in the territory of a private courtyard).
From the point of view of security, this option is the most acceptable, but, unfortunately, has much more minuses than positive qualities:
- a separate construction requires much more costs for construction materials and construction work;
- time costs are also high;
- a free-standing garage occupies part of the yard or garden;
- all communications, including heating, will need to be moved outside the house, which again translates into financial and temporary investments;
- if the garage is not connected with the house in any way, then in bad weather access to the car will be associated with inconvenience and discomfort. These problems can be partially avoided by equipping a canopy or even a glazed passage from the house to the garage. If the car room and the main building have one common wall, then this problem will be removed by simply installing the door (but this aspect must be taken into account at the design stage of construction, otherwise there will be additional costs for arranging the passage to the garage from the mansion).
Sometimes a garage, built separately from the main building, has an attic or equipped attic. This is an incredibly convenient place for arranging a workshop or office. Given that the garage will be equipped with all the necessary engineering systems, the attic will be comfortable in every sense. This is a great opportunity to buy a place for privacy, without spending a meter of the yard or a personal plot - the garage has already been built.
The garage is part of the house without an attic or top level
This is a fairly common and convenient in every sense option for locating a room for a car. Among the obvious advantages of such an organization include:
- independence from weather conditions (inside the garage you get from the premises of the house);
- some savings on building materials and construction works (a wall common with the house, and sometimes not just one);
- engineering systems common with the main building (saving on materials and installation).
Garage with attic or second floor as part of a home ownership
In addition to the above advantages, a garage with an attic has an obvious plus - an additional living area of strictly a floor. If the garage is located on the first or ground floor of your home, then to the general pluses you can add significant savings to the yard and the benefits of construction - the first floor would have been erected in any case.
Garage doors - an important structural and decorative element of home ownership
So, you have decided on the location of your garage and now you can think about the features of its design. Given that most of the facade of the garage is occupied by its gates, their choice is at the head of the list of necessary solutions. The main objective of the garage door can be considered protection against theft of the car. But modern gate models are so diverse in design, manufacturing method and material that they are quite capable of becoming an adornment of not only the garage, but of the entire architectural ensemble.
Gone are the days when the garages of our compatriots could only boast of the same type of swing gates, the difference of which was only in the color of the paint. Currently, manufacturers of garage doors offer the following types of models, differing in how they are opened:
- swing (bivalve);
- sectional;
- rolled;
- pivoting and lifting;
- folding.
Obviously, each type of gate has its pros and cons. As a rule, car owners, choosing a garage door model, are guided by the level of reliability and durability of the mechanism and their financial capabilities.
Hinged double-leaf gates
This is one of the most popular door options, the main advantage of which is its simplicity and accessibility. Typically, such gates are metal or made of wood with a metal screed.
Advantages of swing gates:
- simplicity of design (iron gates can even be made independently, having a little skill in working with welding material);
- strength;
- affordable cost;
- ease of installation.
The disadvantages include:
- the product is quite massive, its weight is large. If the gate is not equipped with an electric drive, then opening it will be a physically difficult task;
- the need for free space near the garage (at least 3m);
- the need to clear the space near the garage from snow, so that there is the possibility of unobstructed opening of doors;
- the need for lubrication of the loop mechanism and its possible weakening over time.
Sectional Garage Doors
If we talk about the design of such gates, then - this is a system of steel blocks filled with polystyrene foam. The blocks are made in the form of longitudinal panels that can be folded during opening. In the fully open position of the gate, they fold under the ceiling of the garage.
It is logical that such a mechanism is always equipped with an electric drive that can be switched on from the remote control. For security purposes, the sectional door system is equipped with special sensors that stop the movement of the door if an obstacle arises in the way of the panels - a person, an animal or just some object.
Advantages of sectional garage door systems:
- ease of opening, both from the remote control and manually;
- there is no need for additional space outside the garage, indoors the gates take up little space and only in the upper part of the building;
- a variety of color palette, the possibility of applying a wide range of coatings of different textures;
- reasonable cost;
- sufficiently high waterproofing properties, as well as the ability to "keep" heat;
- a fairly wide selection of sizes of openings for gates.
Among the minor minuses, only one, but very important, breakdown of the electric drive mechanism can be distinguished. In this case, you will not be able to get the car out of the garage until the breakdown is fixed.
Sectional doors are a fairly popular option, and not only for garages of private houses, but also for industrial facilities, even hangar rooms.
Rolled Garage Doors
If we talk about the principle of operation of this type of gate, it is similar to the design of conventional roller shutters for windows, only the scale is larger. Many of our compatriots fell in love with such collars because of their modern appearance and affordable cost. In industrial buildings, such gates are not used, but for small private garages, the mechanism turns out to be a very suitable option.
Benefits- affordable price;
- compactness and lightness;
- quick installation;
- the presence of an electric drive and, as a result, the ability to control the gate using the remote control.
- low strength (at least compared to other types of gates);
- short term of operation;
- low quality thermal insulation and noise protection;
- rather fragile opening mechanism.
Swing mechanisms for garage doors
Gates made from a single all-metal panel with possible polycarbonate inserts. They open with a simple movement, moving strictly along the guides in the vertical-horizontal plane - when the vertical movement occurs parallel to the walls, horizontally - to the ceiling.
Such gates are equipped with a spring mechanism, under the influence of which the gates are partially in the garage room or can significantly protrude beyond it, forming a visor above the platform for the car.
Among the obvious advantages include:
- lack of need for additional space in front of the garage (you can not clear snow blockages);
- ease of installation;
- low weight;
- the ability to control the gate manually and using the remote control;
- very quiet operation of mechanisms.
Among the shortcomings, there is one and very important - failure of the lifting mechanism.
Folding garage door
Not the most common, but the original way to open the garage door - sectional opening. It leaves room for maneuvers - only part of the gate can be opened. Such designs require some space in front of the garage (but much less than swing gates).
Choosing a material for garage doors
Having decided on the design of the garage as a whole and its gate in particular, you can think about the material that will be used in their manufacture. A considerable part of the technological characteristics of the gate will depend on the choice of material, among which the strength is not the last. The functionality and appearance of the doors are also directly dependent on the material from which they are made.
Among the most popular materials for garage doors are:
- wood;
- metal;
- polycarbonate;
- a combination of various materials in the manufacture and production of garage doors.
Wooden gate
Natural materials will never lose popularity, especially for country houses made in the style of country or retro style.
Metal garage door
Garage doors made of metal are strong and durable. But they require more care (corrosion protection, periodic dyeing) and are more difficult to operate (heavier than wood and polycarbonate).
Polycarbonate garage door
Modern and lightweight material has found application in many areas of construction. As a rule, for polycarbonate gates, the frame is made of high-tech steel profile. Gates are lighter than their wooden and metal counterparts, easy to use and maintain. To the obvious pluses you can add the affordable cost of products.